The Weight of Loyalty
"Faithful servant, Fade, enter."
"You summoned me, Cezar?"
The moment Fade stepped into my office, the gruesome scene of eleven former heroes writhing on the floor in agony unfolded before him. Black lightning still crackled across their bodies, and the scorching heat radiating from them was so intense that even Fade hesitated to take another step. Yet because it was my command, he endured the pain and forced himself forward. As expected, he was a truly loyal subject.
"Fade, take these bastards to the Third Legion. From now on, they are to be recorded as deceased. I plan to create a secret squad with them."
"A secret squad, sir?"
"Yes. It must never be discovered by anyone. Not by the humans, not by the other legions, and certainly not even by the soldiers within your own legion. Only you, me, and a small handful of elite subordinates you can trust will know of their existence."
"Understood. What shall the squad's purpose be?"
"Purpose, huh… For now, just make them strong. They won't resist anyway."
The power used on them felt similar to what had been used on Trivia, yet slightly different. While it sealed away their strength as heroes, the method varied, and above all, the focus had been placed more on 'corruption' than simple 'sealing.' Thanks to that, once they regained consciousness, they would likely lose their original minds entirely. They would become little more than zombies, feeling nothing except absolute obedience to my orders and those of Fade, who would oversee their training.
This power, which I had realized after using it on Trivia, was exactly why I had gathered the men who had been sent to hard labor.
"Ah, right. When you call them, refer to that one as Canis. The rest can be numbered from One to Ten in whatever order you like. Just go by strength, roughly."
"Canis… Is he the strongest among them?"
"Yes. There are two B-Class heroes, but Canis was on the verge of reaching A-Class."
"He will become a great asset. I shall immediately call for subordinates to transport them."
"Good. Handle it as you see fit. Once you've taken them away, summon Anima right after."
"As you command."
Fade seemed to make a few quick adjustments before five of his subordinates entered my office, bowing deeply with perfect discipline. Though I had never seen their faces before, identifying who they were wasn't difficult at all.
"You lot… Are you the ones who followed me during the previous operation?"
"It is an honor that you remember us!"
"Ah, well. No need to go that far. Just get to work."
They were the ones who had followed behind Fade and me during the invasion of Osril. There was no doubt they were Fade's most trusted and loyal subordinates. Right after they left, as I was thinking that the plan was gradually entering its middle phase, Anima responded to my summons. She knocked carefully on the door before entering the office.
"I heard you called for me, Cezar."
"Anima, you've come."
Anima's expression was the same as always. No fatigue, no joy, no emotion whatsoever. Her face was the very definition of blankness, yet it still retained its usual breathtaking beauty.
"How is Trivia's training progressing? Ah, right… I said I wouldn't ask…"
"⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯."
"You clearly said you would not ask…"
"Sorry. It slipped out. My mistake. Forget it."
"Ah, yes…"
It really had just slipped out. I wasn't joking. Anyway, Anima calmly reported only that today's training session had concluded, and I couldn't hide my satisfaction.
"As expected, Anima is truly reliable."
"You flatter me."
"Flatter? Well, never mind. For the time being, I plan to finish up the backlog of paperwork. I've left far too much to you lately."
"It is fine."
"No, it's not fine with me. Anyway, could you brew me a cup of tea? I'll be drinking it while I work, so make it something transparent if possible. That way, even if it spills, it won't stain."
"I will prepare it that way."
I hadn't realized it before because I hadn't done it myself, but the amount of work the Cezar had to handle was truly enormous. Since I was the supreme authority and ultimate person responsible for this entire city of Tenebris, it wasn't strange that there was so much to do, but I hadn't expected it to be this bad…
In the end, it meant that Anima had been suffering under an overwhelming workload in my absence. So it was no wonder that whenever she stayed late in the secretary's office, she would sometimes doze off if I approached quietly. If I handled what I could like this, she would finally have time to rest. I decided to continue working this way from now on.
Well… Since I wasn't used to this kind of work, my pace would probably be slow. There would also be times when I couldn't work because I was out on expeditions or heading to the battlefield. And even if I did everything I could, it wouldn't make her original duties disappear entirely. Still, I thought it would be better than the current situation.
"Cezar, I have prepared the tea."
"Ah, thank you. Anima, take a little break."
"While Cezar is working, as your subject, I cannot possibly…"
"It's an order. Anima, rest today and resume work tomorrow. You've been coming in even on your days off lately, haven't you? No matter what, I don't want you living like a workaholic who's lost her mind."
"⋯Understood. I will do as you command."
The tea Anima had brewed for me was chamomile tea, which smelled even more fragrant than usual. This too was probably her way of looking after me.
After sending Anima away, I immediately began working. Most of it was paperwork that Anima had already filtered through once, so there wasn't much to do besides stamping approvals. However, the sheer volume was massive, and I had to check every single detail. No matter how much time passed, the pile showed no signs of shrinking.
Only then did I understand why she had given me chamomile tea, which was known to help with insomnia, instead of a caffeinated drink.
"She was telling me to drink this, focus, and rest quickly if I get tired…"
Yes. She probably meant for me not to try to finish everything in one all-nighter, but to handle it little by little. It was the delicate consideration of a woman who, when a king asked for water, offered him a willow leaf instead. As expected, she was an irreplaceable loyal subject to me.
Yet despite how much care she had shown, dark circles gradually deepened under my eyes. The days of growing exhaustion continued. It was only the day before the legion commanders' meeting that I finally finished processing the entire backlog.
"Ha, it's done."
"You worked hard."
"You worked hard too, Anima. I'll have to increase my work speed from now on."
"It is fine. I will always be by your side to assist."
"Hearing you say that gives me strength."
Truly, if Anima hadn't been here, I might have simply given up on being Cezar altogether and just let myself breathe easy… The thought crossed my mind. How was anyone supposed to handle all of this alone?
"Cezar, there is one matter I must report."
"A report? What is it?"
"It concerns Miriam. No, Trivia."
"Really? Tell me."
With my permission, Anima immediately began detailing the progress and results of the training. The long-awaited words finally came: Trivia's training was complete.
"Would you like to verify it yourself?"
"Yes, let's do that."
It wasn't that I didn't trust Anima. But tomorrow I would have to present Trivia before others, so confirmation was essential.
"Ah, and while we're confirming things, is the editing finished?"
"Editing… Ah, yes. It is complete. Just as you instructed, Cezar."
"Really? Could I see that as well?"
"I will bring the projector immediately."
"I'd appreciate it."
Anima promptly activated the projector and displayed the edited video of Trivia's training on a large screen. The moment I saw it, I felt a surge of heat in my lower body. She really was… perfect in every way, even with something like this.
"Cezar, I have brought Trivia."
"Send her in."
I quickly ended the projection that was still playing the edited video and called the two women standing at the door. A woman in a black suit with an impressive bust, and beside her, a woman in shabby clothing. It was Anima and Trivia, as expected.
"I'm satisfied. If nothing else, at least her eyes are perfect."
"Yes. That is why I wish to suggest something… How would you feel about officially employing her as a maid who will obey only your commands, Cezar?"
"Is that your idea, Anima?"
"Yes, it is."
"Well, alright. Let's do that. There's no harm in it."
"Thank you."
Now that I had fully returned as CezarIra rather than the hero 'Eternal,' her fate honestly didn't matter much to me anymore. But if Anima was suggesting it, there had to be a reason. Besides, I had no particular reason to refuse.
"Then, I shall withdraw now to complete her final education."
"We shall take our leave."
"Oh, she can speak too. Good. You may go. Make sure to attend tomorrow's meeting."
"Of course."
After seeing Trivia's face, expression, and behavior, I became even more certain. I had done well to trust Anima.
The place where the legion commanders had gathered was a large dining hall with a massive table set in the center. The Cezar had sent word that since it was an important discussion anyway, they might as well enjoy a good meal while they talked. There was no reason to refuse, so this gathering became the first time in years that all the legion commanders had assembled in one place.
It was truly a rare sight. The commanders, each with multiple stars on their shoulder insignia, wore various expressions as they ate their meals in advance. However, that didn't mean they all held favorable feelings toward the Cezar. In fact, aside from one or two exceptions, most of them felt largely indifferent. Still, there were only about three or four legion commanders in total who felt that way.
Novel Heine, the First Legion Commander, was a representative opponent of the current Cezar. On the surface, his reasons were that the achievements shown since becoming Cezar had been minimal, and there had been no notable results in internal affairs either. But their true feelings were simpler: they were simply dissatisfied that the Cezar had not emerged from the legions they supported.
Nevertheless, neither Novel Heine nor anyone else expressed any complaints about this meeting. They all knew what would happen if they openly rebelled against the Cezar here. It wouldn't end well for them.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The sharp sound of hard dress shoes echoed from beyond the door. As everyone inside the dining hall focused on the sound, the voice of Anima, who had newly become my secretary, rang out clearly.
"The Cezar is entering. Maintain silence and bow your heads to greet him."
"At ease. There's no need to bow your heads like that."
The man who had suddenly appeared and taken Anima, the strongest legion commander. His single sentence was enough to completely change the atmosphere of the room.
"Everyone, thank you for gathering here today. I know you're all busy."
"""Not at all!!!"""
"Well, that's enough of that. You all know why I've called this meeting, right? I have an announcement to make."
All eyes turned toward me. Every gaze locked onto the Cezar's lips. And then his voice once again echoed throughout the vast dining hall.
"We are entering war once more. We will make those who define us as evil and enforce only their own sense of justice regret it without fail."
What came from his mouth was something most of the legion commanders already knew, something they had expected, yet still something they had hoped would not be said.
"As of this moment, Ravilis declares war against humanity."