The Die Is Cast
The Die Is Cast
Upon the death of the late Emperor Bertram, a state funeral was conducted in the capital with orderly precision.
A funeral procession wound through the streets. Countless citizens lined the way, paying their respects, and at its head walked Selvia, the Empire's emperor.
This was not purely an act of mourning for her father.
By joining the funeral procession, she intended to prove the legitimacy of her rule over the Empire while simultaneously emphasizing the continuity of her succession.
It was, in its own way, an effort by Selvia to win at least some support from the antagonistic nobles.
The Noble Union, which outwardly showed respect toward Selvia, then suggested that she declare martial law.
The rationale was that public order had to be established while Selvia, the emperor, was away from the capital for the funeral.
Selvia, who likewise wished for no private incidents or accidents to occur during the state funeral, accepted the nobles' proposal.
And so, martial law was declared, and as soon as Selvia vacated her seat, the Defense Command moved swiftly into action.
Deploying military forces to seize control of the capital, they first occupied the organs of power (the parliament, the Security Bureau, the State Propaganda Department) with the aid of the Intelligence Bureau, and then paralyzed the communication facilities.
The next step was to confine those known to be loyalists of the current emperor, Selvia, to their homes, or to detain them on the pretext of martial law.
A few days later, Selvia belatedly heard the news, hurried back to the capital, and issued an emergency summons decree.
It was to punish those who had instigated an insurrection tantamount to treason, but unfortunately, no one answered the summons.
No, it would be more accurate to say that they could not answer it.
That was because the capital had already fallen into the hands of Duke Belvar.
"Your Imperial Majesty."
Belvar, having entered the vast grand conference hall, looked at Selvia sitting alone in the distant seat of honor.
The command table, which should normally have been packed with officials gathered to report to Selvia, stood utterly empty.
Having confirmed that no one had answered the emergency summons decree, a faint smile played at the corners of Belvar's lips.
"For what reason did you issue the emergency summons decree?"
Selvia exhaled quietly and raised her head to look at Belvar.
In her blue eyes, which resembled a clear sea, there was more bewilderment than anger.
"......Duke Belvar. Why have you done such a thing? You were my father's close aide. And you were the mentor who taught me about the world when I was young."
"I remember. Your Majesty possessed a keen intellect, grasping three things when only one was taught to you. I never doubted that you would become a great figure one day."
"Then why!"
Selvia raised her voice in a fit of anger.
"Why on earth did you commit this treason!? Why did you go so far as to exploit my father's death just to isolate me!"
She was asking him why he would not remain loyal to her.
Feeling a sliver of pity for Selvia in that moment, Belvar opened his mouth.
"Your Majesty. Look at the bigger picture. We have no intention of betraying our loyalty to Your Imperial Majesty. We merely worry that you have ascended the throne at a young age, and wish only to assist you in conducting proper governance."
"......Are you speaking in earnest?"
"Indeed I am. Look at the current situation. Your Majesty is currently being toyed with by a figure named Daniel Steiner, causing chaos within the nation. Even just his intimidation of the nobility, considering he is an orphan by birth, ought to be punished as a grave crime, yet you not only shield and defend him but go so far as to grant him inspection authority?"
Belvar furrowed his brow.
"It was none other than Your Imperial Majesty who courted division."
Selvia, at a loss for words, blinked vacantly.
Belvar's one-sided assertion was utterly impossible for her to comprehend.
"But I know this is but a fleeting mistake. Your wise Majesty will, in time, recognize your own error. So, until that moment comes, I, Belvar, have resolved to look after state affairs in Your Imperial Majesty's stead."
Selvia's expression twisted as she listened to Belvar's explanation.
"......How repulsive."
At the sudden condemnation, Belvar furrowed his brow, but Selvia did not stop.
"Truly repulsive. You, who have craved power and exploited my father's death to plunge the Empire into chaos, and the best pretext you can put forward is Daniel Steiner?"
"Your Majesty. Mind your words. Daniel Steiner is a treacherous subject of the age."
"How can you denounce someone who is actively fighting for the Empire on the battlefield as a traitor? As I see it, you are the traitors. No! You are rebels hiding your repulsive ulterior motives!"
Belvar gritted his teeth.
At that same moment, Selvia sprang up from her seat.
"What are you doing! Imperial Guard Captain! Arrest that rebel at once!"
Selvia's voice resounded loudly through the grand conference hall, but no one moved to obey her command.
The silence that descended over the hall carried a sickening sense of dissonance.
Swallowing dryly, Selvia turned to look at Johannes with an expression of disbelief.
"......Imperial Guard Captain?"
Johannes, deliberately avoiding Selvia's gaze, gripped his scabbard tightly.
"Your Majesty. I cannot say that everything Duke Belvar says is correct. However, if Daniel Steiner's rampage is not stopped now, the dignity of the Imperial Household will be greatly shaken in the future."
The Imperial Guard Captain, Johannes, remembered the late Emperor Bertram's command to prevent Daniel Steiner from taking the Empire into his grasp.
Upholding that was Johannes's loyalty.
For Belvar, that was like Johannes's weakness.
The old fox had exploited that point a few days prior to persuade Johannes to cooperate, and Johannes, trusting the promise that all power would be returned to the emperor after Daniel Steiner's removal, had taken Belvar's hand.
"How could you......."
A hollow voice escaped Selvia's lips.
Having stared at Johannes as if she could not believe it, Selvia soon let out a hollow laugh.
She should have realized it when Duke Belvar, the mastermind of the rebellion, was able to enter the deepest part of the Imperial Palace without any hindrance.
Ironically, within this Imperial Palace right now, the emperor had no allies at all.
All her efforts so far to promote harmony with the nobility had been nothing but a bubble of foam.
As Selvia stood in self-mockery, Belvar composed his voice.
"Imperial Guard Captain. His Imperial Majesty appears to be in need of rest. How about escorting him to the Golden Rest and helping him to get some proper rest?"
He was telling him to confine Selvia to the highest floor of the Imperial Palace.
Johannes, who had been clutching his scabbard in grim silence, nodded after a moment of anguish.
Taking a deep breath, Johannes approached Selvia.
"Your Majesty. I will guide you. There is nothing good for you staying here, so please......."
The light faded from Selvia's eyes as she turned her head to look at Johannes.
After slowly closing and opening her eyes, Selvia shook off Johannes's hand and glared at Belvar.
"......You will surely pay for this crime, Duke Belvar."
Having issued that final threat, Selvia turned on her heel and left the grand conference hall.
The Imperial Guard Captain slowly followed behind her.
After confirming that the Imperial Guard Captain and Selvia had left, a man slowly approached from behind Belvar.
It was Feliston, the deputy director of the Imperial Intelligence Department.
"Your Grace, the Duke. Allow me to offer my congratulations. You have seized control of the capital, and you have succeeded in turning the emperor into a puppet. All of the emperor's close aides have also been isolated, so they will not dare to resist."
It was not an incorrect statement.
But one variable existed.
'Daniel Steiner.'
As long as Daniel Steiner, who had been appointed chief of staff of the division, was alive, he could not rest easy.
'Count Kaledra failed to kill Daniel Steiner.'
He had recently heard word that the encirclement operation using the Ethelium had been halted by Daniel Steiner.
And that thanks to Daniel Steiner's efforts, the 7th Division had been victorious in its battle against the Allied Nations.
'So the best move I can make right now is.......'
To use false information to push Daniel Steiner into a corner once more.
Even if it meant that their own allies would die like dogs.
'A great cause demands sacrifice.'
The situation was now irreversible, so it was right to mobilize every possible means to eliminate Daniel Steiner.
"Deputy Director."
"Yes, Duke Belvar."
"From now on, I will thoroughly conceal the situation in the capital, and then relay an order to the 7th Armored Division. Tell them that, by Her Imperial Majesty's command, they must seize the forward defensive outpost where the Allied 12th Armored Division is stationed."
Ordering them to widen the front from a victorious battlefield was an utterly natural command.
This was something that not even Daniel Steiner would suspect.
"Following that, I will need the help of the Intelligence Department. Have them relay that the aerial reconnaissance analysis received from the Air Force shows no signs that the enemy will conduct a deception tactic."
"......You mean to dispel suspicion and lure them into advancing. Have you discussed this with Count Kaledra in advance?"
"Yes. Following Count Kaledra's orders, the Allied 12th Armored Division will be waiting with a trap prepared. Daniel Steiner will fall into it and not escape."
Though he spoke flatly, it was, in the end, a declaration that he would join hands with the leader of the Allied Nations and drive his own allies into a deathtrap just to catch Daniel Steiner.
Feliston found Belvar's ambition to monopolize power chillingly fearsome, but since they were in the same boat, he could not refuse and simply nodded without a word of complaint.
"Yes. I shall follow the order."
He felt a pang of guilt toward the soldiers who would meet their deaths alongside Daniel Steiner, but he had to bear it.
'If we fail to kill Daniel Steiner this time, in the worst-case scenario.......'
Belvar and the entire Noble Union would have no choice but to meet their end as traitors.