The Coup
The artifact exploded with a fierce crackling the instant it was struck, and Commander Keltazar roared.
"Who the hell dares!"
The man bellowed in fury, yet he could not seize the culprit, so he forced his mind back into order. Continuing to rage would accomplish nothing. He had to think as rationally and coldly as possible. That was Keltazar's resolve.
"Review the footage second by second and identify who attacked it. There's a chance it could be Leos."
An ordinary person who spotted a long-range flying artifact would request rescue, not smash it to pieces. The possibility that a monster had done it could not be dismissed either, so Keltazar exercised extreme caution. The artifact had been destroyed at the very heart of the Red Gate chain reaction.
Deploying troops there would mean accepting catastrophic losses. Consuming forces on mere suspicion was unwise. With a protracted war ahead, caution was essential.
Of course, if that bastard Leos did it, I'll go after him.
In the present crisis, Leos's value was beyond comparison. He was the only man who could single-handedly slaughter every mutant monster that emerged from the Red Gates, and the only one who could seal a High-grade Red Gate.
"Have all the Low-grade Red Gates been cleared and sealed?"
At Keltazar's question, a subordinate bowed his head and answered.
"The Low-grade and Mid-grade Red Gates around the Imperial Palace have been cleared and sealed with the aid of the Imperial mages and Gatekeepers. However, as previously reported, High-grade Red Gates cannot be sealed without Leos's ability..."
"Casualties?"
"We cleared and sealed five Low-grade Red Gates and seven Mid-grade ones. Approximately five hundred knights died in the process."
"That is not how you handle it!"
Keltazar slammed the table in a frenzy and shouted.
"Leos crushed the mutant monsters that poured from the Red Gates entirely on his own. That bastard could clear a Low-grade or Mid-grade Red Gate in under a minute. Why must we pour the lives of knights into a task one man can finish alone!"
"That is..."
A member of the Imperial Shadow Group hesitated, reading the room, when Lacart, who had been listening nearby, spoke.
"Keltazar. Why get so worked up? Obviously it's because your Imperial Shadow Group lacks the ability."
"Want to die?"
Keltazar fixed Lacart with a murderous glare. The silver-haired man merely shook his head.
"See, that attitude is the problem. You glare at people like you want them dead over a single remark. How are your subordinates supposed to offer honest counsel? No matter how high you soar, you're still just one man. So open your ears when I'm giving advice. Not many people will talk to you like this, you know?"
"The Imperial Shadow Group does not lack ability. We are the Empire's elite force—"
"Right, and those elite troops drove out the man with the extraordinary talent? They even put him on trial and locked him in a cell. I wouldn't come back either."
"Every Gate across the Empire had vanished."
"Only an idiot abolishes an entire department just because the Gates disappear for a few years. Pathetic."
"It was an order from above."
"Blindly obeying every command from above is what makes a man a fool. Keltazar, you need to act with a will of your own. Looking at the way you carry yourself, you might as well be the Empire's dog."
"And what is wrong with that? The Imperial Shadow Group exists solely for the Empire. The same is true of everyone else. We simply fulfill that duty a little closer to the throne."
"Acting like that is exactly what landed us in this mess. If you had properly recognized Leos's achievements and kept the department running even halfway decently, where do you think we'd be now?"
"..."
"The higher-ups treat every person like a tool, and that is why things turned out this way. Treat people as people and it never would have come to this. They decided Leos was a used-up implement and tossed him aside. This is the result."
"What are you trying to say?"
"That you should drag His Majesty the Emperor himself if you must, and kneel before Leos."
Keltazar's sword was at Lacart's throat in an instant.
"Insulting His Majesty is grounds for summary execution. Lacart, if it weren't for the merits you've earned, I would already have killed you."
"We've shared enough years for that, yet you're still so cold. And Keltazar—choose your words carefully."
Lacart glanced at the blade pressed to his neck, then smashed it with his bare hand.
—Clang!
Iron shattered. Lacart turned his back and walked out, speaking as he went.
"Keltazar, I'm the one who let you live. I never spare anyone who points a blade at me."
Lacart murmured as he stared blankly at the vortex of Red Gates staining the sky above the Empire.
"The world is tilting."
The man beside him bowed his head and answered.
"The Empire is showing every sign of ruin. Our response is far too slow compared to the speed at which Red Gates are forming."
"I know. At this rate we'll be swallowed by monsters without achieving a single thing. Even if we somehow hold the Low-grade and Mid-grade Gates, we cannot stop the High-grade ones. Monsters pour from them every twenty-four hours, new Gates open in the meantime, and the vicious cycle continues."
"What will you do?"
"What can we do? Our role is killing people, not politics or monster hunting."
Commander of the Imperial Execution Squad. Lacart murmured while gazing at his sword.
"We're being punished. This is clearly divine retribution for following the Empire with blind faith."
"Commander, you have worked harder for the Empire than anyone."
"True. But even I will eventually be replaced the way that man Leos was. To the Emperor and his inner circle, every institution is nothing more than a spare part that exists to serve them."
"...What if I happen to be a spy for the Imperial Family? You should watch your words. There may be Imperial moles even within our Execution Squad."
"Paron."
"Yes, Lord Lacart."
"You can't be an Imperial spy. We've stood together for years."
"..."
Paron remained silent.
"Right, Paron?"
"Do you want me to answer honestly?"
"No. Don't."
Lacart pulled the sword from inside his coat and tossed it in front of Paron.
When Paron looked at him as if to ask what this meant, Lacart smiled.
"This is the only weapon I carry. I'm about to tell you exactly what I intend to do, so if you plan to report to the Imperial Family, take it and stab me. That would be less miserable for both of us."
"..."
Paron slowly closed his hand around the hilt. Lacart turned and walked toward him step by step as he spoke.
"The Empire is rotten. Those who deserve recognition go unrecognized. Countless citizens die because we cannot even handle a single Gate, and yet the slaughter is ignored. Every institution under the Empire is the same. They know the Emperor's tyranny and pretend not to see it."
"..."
"Leos is one of the victims of that Imperial tyranny. I watched the footage he left behind. He's an expert—so much so that I cannot think of a single man who compares. We need him. But if we leave this rotting Empire as it is, he will never help us."
"I do not understand what you intend."
"I'm going to stage a coup."
Paron's eyes widened for an instant. Lacart simply closed the distance until the tip of the blade Paron held pressed against his own throat hard enough for a bead of blood to form.
"Please calm yourself. You should reconsider."
"I'm not saying I'll do it this very moment. I'll stage a coup, kill a few of those bastards, and head for the center of the Red Gate vortex."
"Why there..."
"One of the Execution Squad discovered it. A High-grade Red Gate is sealed in that place."
"...!"
"There is only one person in the entire Empire who can seal a High-grade Red Gate. The higher-ups still do not know. I deliberately buried the report. Our hope is there."
"I don't care about the rest, but you must not stage a coup."
"Then we'll reverse the order. We find that man, bring him to our side, and destroy the Empire together. How about it? Leos has a grudge against the Empire—wouldn't he want to join us?"
"And if he refuses?"
"I'll charge the Imperial Palace alone and die with my head smashed in. Whether he agrees or not, my path does not change. Watching everything unfold made one thing clear: this garbage regime has to be overthrown. If it isn't, even if the Gates are dealt with, the same nightmare will repeat every time a new threat appears."
Lacart smiled and lifted his chin.
"Paron, what will you do? Push the sword in right now and you can stop me."
"..."
Paron let the sword fall to the ground and bowed his head.
"If I follow you, I will be hunted for the rest of my life."
"By whom?"
"The Empire, of course."
"Conveniently, I'm planning to bring that Empire down."
"..."
Paron hesitated a moment longer, then dropped to one knee.
"I will abandon the Empire and follow you."
Lacart smiled and turned. Then he raised his voice so every member of the Execution Squad around them could hear.
"We are all going to find Leos and head into the Red Gate vortex. That man will be the key to this coup."