Chapter 132
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: It's Not Over Until It's Over. (1)
I woke up to find that Jenny had arrived by afternoon.
And by evening, Scarlett had shown up as well.
"I did let Sir Mersen know our location, but he said he'd be tied up with cleanup duties for a while and wouldn't be able to drop by."
There was apparently quite a bit to handle in the aftermath of the Parus incident.
He wouldn't shirk his responsibilities, but some nobles in the empire were lumping Mersen in with the criticism.
And that was despite the footage crystal he'd risked his life to capture.
Without it, none of what was happening now would have ever come to light.
"Those guys are seriously shameless, huh? Want me to go over there and give them a piece of my mind?"
She was more focused on cursing out the academy faculty who'd contacted me than on Mersen's situation.
"It's fine. I made sure to convey my firm refusal to His Majesty as well."
"Even so, His Majesty should've known better. He knows how they treated you, and he still goes and tells them where you are?"
Jenny started grumbling.
He was the highest authority in the empire, after all...
Was it really okay to badmouth him like that?
And His Majesty's intentions weren't malicious, either.
"It was probably what he thought was the best approach."
His Majesty wouldn't have the time to micromanage academy affairs right now, either.
Amid all that, he must have figured I'd handle it properly if I took over as principal.
In other words, it was a sign of how much he trusted me.
"But still, don't you have to join the subjugation force too?"
The subjugation force wouldn't have any major issues if I sat one out.
"If I end up taking the principal position, I doubt they'd have me in the force as well."
He wouldn't ask me to juggle both.
His Majesty knew the empire's military strength inside out, including Jenny, Lin, and Mersen.
Considering that the Meran Federation currently had no chairman or assemblymen left...
He must have judged that missing one person like me wouldn't cause any problems.
"Even so, that was too much."
Jenny kept muttering, clearly still dissatisfied.
"I agree! So how about we swap out the communication crystal first?"
She had a point. As long as they knew the frequency, the faculty could contact me anytime.
Communication crystals weren't cheap, but I decided it was worth considering a replacement.
"We'll sort that out after everything's wrapped up."
Right now, we were in a situation where the subjugation force might mobilize tomorrow if preparations finished.
And for some reason, the Meran Federation side was eerily quiet.
That was starting to gnaw at me.
"Their chairman and assemblymen are dead, but..."
It had been days since the top leaders met their end.
On top of that, there had been plenty of time for news of the demon worshiper scandal to spread far and wide.
Yet things were this quiet? Something felt off.
"Kane, what's wrong?"
Scarlett noticed my serious expression and asked.
I shared what I'd been mulling over.
"They lost their head honcho, so they're probably just in disarray, right?"
That would be ideal.
But at this point, they should have reached some kind of decision.
Whether to stand against the empire and allied forces...
Or to surrender.
But with the chairman and assemblymen dead...
If there was no one left to lead them, surrendering would be the smarter move for them.
"As for another leader stepping up... Chairman Stick and the assemblymen wielded too much power for that."
They were the Meran Federation's top leaders and strongest assets.
If someone capable of leading the chaotic federation existed now that they were gone...
Why had they been hiding all this time?
"Hmm, maybe. Or maybe they're just panicking among themselves and can't make a proper call."
Scarlett frowned slightly, as if her head hurt, and shrugged.
"I hope my worries turn out to be nothing more than paranoia..."
No matter how I looked at it, the situation felt too strange to shake off.
"You always think through every worst-case scenario, Kane."
Jenny smiled as she spoke, and Lin nodded in agreement.
"Doesn't that wear you out?"
Scarlett laughed heartily, adding that she was much better suited to physical work.
"It's become a habit."
I smiled back.
I hoped they were right.
That my concerns were overblown.
That the operation would wrap up without a hitch.
There was nothing else I could do but hope.
The first to arrive at the Meran Federation was the imperial army.
Not the full force.
A minimal detachment had been sent ahead to prevent any escapes.
"...Does something feel... off to you?"
The imperial soldiers arriving at what they expected to be a chaotic Meran Federation encountered a bizarre scene.
The federation was eerily quiet and calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Their leaders are dead, and they're acting like this?"
It was utterly incomprehensible.
They'd need to get closer to assess properly.
But an inexplicable unease settled in.
"Report to His Majesty first, then we advance."
The knight leading them ordered the communications officer to relay the strange situation they were witnessing.
"Yes, sir! Connecting to His Majesty right away!"
Even as the officer hurriedly informed the emperor via communication crystal...
The other soldiers kept their vigilance up, scanning the federation.
"...Captain, something's wrong."
After watching intently for a while...
The man standing beside the knight called captain spoke in a trembling voice.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
The captain, who hadn't spotted anything unusual and found that odd himself, asked.
"...Everyone down there... they're wandering back and forth in the same spots like dolls."
"What? You sure?"
"Yes, look closely."
The still-shaking knight began explaining what he'd observed, one by one.
"First, the woman in the orange dress passes by, then the man in the blue T-shirt follows."
"Hmm, got it."
"Then the woman in the pink dress turns around and comes back this way..."
"...Why's she turning back...?"
"And then... the woman in the orange dress passes the same spot again..."
Staring at the spot the knight indicated for a long time, the captain swallowed hard.
As the knight described, in the plaza, the same people kept repeating the exact same actions.
It wasn't just the plaza, either.
The puppet show played out blatantly everywhere else too.
"What in the world..."
As the baffled captain struggled to process it...
"Captain, His Majesty wants to connect with you directly!"
The communications officer's voice rang out.
He whipped around in surprise, then hurried to the officer, thinking they should wrap up the call first.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"(It's even more peaceful than you described.)"
The emperor, briefed on the situation, sounded puzzled.
"No, Your Majesty, it seems something strange is happening."
"(What? What kind of situation?)"
Unsure how to explain what he'd seen, he hesitated for a moment.
Zzt—zzzt—
Static began crackling from the communication crystal.
"Your Majesty..?"
He called out, but no response came.
"Did it cut out? Try reconnecting."
"Ah, yes, sir..!"
The crystal had never dropped like this before.
The imperial army always received top-quality supplies, making the glitch all the more disconcerting.
"Your Majesty, can you hear me?"
The officer tried connecting several more times.
Zzt—zzzt—
But only persistent static emanated from the crystal.
No reconnection with the emperor.
"...We'll hold position for now and observe more."
Their mission wasn't full-scale war but preventing escapes.
Figuring out what was going on took priority.
"You keep trying to connect. Call me the moment it works."
"Yes, sir!"
Leaving the officer behind, he returned to his spot and nudged the rigid knight.
"Still the same as before?"
"Y-yes... but every now and then... weird... people pass by..."
As the captain eyed the federation again, watching the terrified knight...
"That's enough peeking."
A unfamiliar voice boomed from overhead.
It was thick, viscous, and deeply repulsive.
Just hearing it churned his stomach with disgust.
"What...! Who are you...!"
Startled, he looked up.
Nothing there.
Just the voice echoing.
"If you've come, come on in. What're you doing out there?"
The mocking tone dripped with excessive malice.
"Who the hell are you, you bastard...!"
He couldn't help shouting.
And at the response...
The faces of everyone present drained of color.