Chapter 147
Chapter 147
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: King's Escape Operation (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the current situation where Marquess Side, the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerial Force of the Jeist Magitech Kingdom, had become a minion of the Doomsday Society, the only secret airship King Rudel could discreetly deploy was a single vessel.
Fortunately, since it was a secret airship constructed in utmost secrecy by the royal family, its existence hadn't been exposed to the outside world. Regrettably, however, it was a small airship incapable of carrying many people.
"You're saying you'll step forward personally?"
Edriger Branch Chief Lancer of the Haipel Special Operations Agency dared to ask again upon hearing that Raymond intended to head into the territory of the Jeist Magitech Kingdom, which had been infiltrated by the Doomsday Society.
"You've heard correctly, Sir Lancer."
"Might I persuade you to reconsider?"
Lancer asked cautiously.
The Philius Empire was a nation that moved at the emperor's command.
Even the weakened imperial authority had been greatly strengthened with the advent of Raymond's era.
It was a peculiar country where the mere presence of the emperor on the battlefield boosted the troops' morale, so the emperor's existence was inevitably crucial.
Yet now, that vital emperor was declaring his intent to plunge into the heart of the enemy nation.
Though Lancer was not a subject of the Philius Empire, he felt it right to at least make a show of dissuading him, given their shared goal of toppling the Doomsday Society.
"Regrettably, I have no intention of reconsidering, Sir Lancer."
Raymond stated without hesitation. Even Desia's repeated persuasions the previous night had been utterly ineffective; he was hardly the type to heed polite words from a foreigner.
Lancer hadn't met Raymond often in person, but as an agent of the Haipel Special Operations Agency, which dealt in intelligence, he possessed a solid grasp of basic information on him. Reading the resolute expression on his face, Lancer abandoned any further attempts at persuasion.
Coldly speaking, Raymond was merely the emperor of the Philius Empire, not the emperor of Haipel that Lancer served.
"Since His Majesty the Emperor's resolve is firm, I shall not presume to say more."
Lancer replied, and Raymond nodded. After a brief silence, Lancer spoke again.
"In a few days, a single airship from the Jeist Magitech Kingdom will cross the border and arrive here in the occupied territory of Edriger."
"How will we identify it?"
"My subordinates will be aboard the airship. And I plan to accompany His Majesty the Emperor. So there's no need for excessive worry."
As Lancer said, a few days later, a single airship from the Jeist Magitech Kingdom secretly crossed the border and arrived at a quiet outskirts area of the Philius Empire's occupied territory in Edriger.
Raymond, Gestain, Desia, and a small contingent of Royal Guards and Shades spotted the black airship slicing through the dark sky and approached it.
The airship slowly descended. Though small, it was spacious enough to accommodate Raymond and his escorts.
A group disembarked from the landed airship in a rush. Leading them was a mustachioed man in crisp uniform, who saluted sharply and spoke.
"I am Lieutenant Baron Riert, captain of the Jeist Magitech Kingdom's covert operations vessel. It is an honor to serve His Majesty the Emperor of the Philius Empire."
"How long to the capital?"
"The Jeist Magitech Kingdom is currently under wartime footing. Thus, with borders and the capital area on heightened alert, even at maximum speed, it will take about a week."
A week. Hoping no misfortune befell King Rudel in the meantime, Raymond boarded the airship.
Thanks to the joint efforts of Count Potas and Count Denitz, the Philius Empire's border was already prepared to send off the airship carrying Raymond.
The challenge lay in crossing the borders and capital defenses of the Jeist Magitech Kingdom, now beyond King Rudel's reach and operating under the Doomsday Society's influence.
Though aided by the Haipel Special Operations Agency, it was essentially a lone venture into the enemy's heart, making it a perilous plan with no guarantees of success.
"We'll escort you as safely as possible."
Lieutenant Baron Riert assured him.
He was one of the few remaining loyalists King Rudel could mobilize immediately.
Aware of the support from the Philius Empire and Haipel Special Operations Agency, Lieutenant Baron Riert regarded Raymond with eyes full of goodwill.
The small airship had decent internal facilities. Raymond was assigned a VIP cabin superior even to the captain's quarters, while his escorts vigilantly patrolled the corridors.
Soon, the airship pierced the dark night sky and took off.
As Count Denitz had planned, the Philius Empire's border lay open. Lieutenant Baron Riert's airship entered Jeist Magitech Kingdom territory without incident.
The real trouble began now. Unlike the Philius Empire, the Jeist Magitech Kingdom possessed an airship fleet, centrally controlled from the capital—which the Doomsday Society had effectively seized.
Though the Haipel Special Operations Agency had acquired the fleet's patrol routes and passed them to Lieutenant Baron Riert, it remained a hazardous endeavor.
"Will we make it safely to the capital?"
Silvia asked cautiously. Realizing her words stirred anxiety in the already tense atmosphere, she belatedly covered her mouth—but not before Desia's sharp, reproachful gaze had landed.
"Worried, Silvia?"
Raymond asked in a calm voice. Silvia glanced at Desia before nodding gingerly.
Finally, Desia sighed and shook her head at Silvia's frustrating hesitance, while Gestain turned his expressionless face toward the window.
"Don't worry too much. Everything will be fine."
That was all he could offer now. Though the risks were high, he didn't believe they would fail.
In the worldview settings of [Empire of the Dead] that Raymond knew, the Haipel Special Operations Agency's capabilities were exceptionally outstanding.
Unlike the Philius Empire's Central Intelligence Agency, Haipel's Special Operations Agency maintained numerous branches abroad and boasted formidable intelligence and covert operations prowess.
He didn't know the exact numbers or skills of their agents embedded in the Jeist Magitech Kingdom, but the settings described them as a deployment too significant to ignore. Thus, unlike the others, Raymond wasn't overly concerned.
Time passed, and a week went by. Contrary to fears, the intelligence from Haipel Special Operations Agency proved highly accurate, with no encounters with the Jeist Magitech Kingdom's airship fleet patrols.
"Your Majesty."
Raymond ran into Lancer of the Haipel Special Operations Agency the moment he stepped into the corridor. The man bowed politely in greeting. Raymond nodded back and slowly spoke.
"Sir Lancer. What is it?"
"We've arrived in the airspace over the Jeist Magitech Kingdom's capital region. It would be best if you came to the bridge for a detailed briefing."
"To the bridge."
At Lancer's words, Raymond headed to the bridge with his escorts. There, Lieutenant Baron Riert and a handful of staff awaited him.
"Report."
Raymond said as he took his seat.
"We're lowering altitude toward the mountain range near the central capital city."
"Won't we be spotted by the capital defense forces?"
"With Haipel Special Operations Agency's assistance, the capital's magic radars are temporarily silenced. This vessel, a covert operations ship, has its stealth magic active exclusively equipped on such craft, so visual detection will be difficult."
Given it came from the Jeist Magitech Kingdom—the most advanced in magitech on the Western Continent, boasting superior mages—the stealth magic's performance was trustworthy.
"Distance from landing point to central capital city?"
"A day at most. We'll enter via the west gate. The knights on guard duty are all our people. It wasn't easy, but Haipel Special Operations Agency's full cooperation made it possible."
Lieutenant Baron Riert continued his explanation, his face somewhat tense.
"Once through the central capital city to the royal palace, Haipel Special Operations Agency agents waiting there will help rescue His Majesty the King."
That was the succinct summary. After Lieutenant Baron Riert finished, Lancer from Haipel stepped forward to provide further details to Raymond.
It was a plan forged by the combined efforts of Haipel Special Operations Agency, the tactician Count Denitz, and Philius Empire Central Intelligence Agency's Count Potas—flawless and near-perfect.
"We'll proceed as is."
Raymond nodded, murmuring to himself. While final details were discussed and confirmed on the bridge, the airship gradually descended.
"Landing!"
A crew member announced loudly. With a slight jolt, the airship fully touched down in the mountains. The doors opened, and Raymond and his escorts disembarked.
"Someone's there."
Gestain warned in a cold voice.
Soon, over twenty armed figures emerged from the dense forest, showing no hostility. Behind them appeared more than a hundred military mounts.
"Rest easy. They're Haipel Special Operations Agency agents here to provide transport."
Lancer explained with a bright smile.
"Disguise yourselves and head to the capital. We've procured capital defense force uniforms."
One of the agents who arrived with over a hundred military mounts spoke quietly.
Other agents pulled Jeist Magitech Kingdom capital defense force uniforms from their dimensional pouches.
Disguising took little time. The Royal Guards and Shades, all elite with rigorous training, changed and formed ranks in moments. Embarrassingly, Raymond took the longest.
"All preparations complete."
Marquis Blizzard approached and reported. Raymond nodded silently in response, and the over hundred-strong group spurred their mounts straight toward the Jeist Magitech Kingdom's capital.
Less than a day later, they reached the west gate of the central capital city. Jeist Magitech Kingdom capital defense force troops guarded the entrance.
"No need to tense up—they're all ours."
Lancer said confidently. As he claimed, the gate-guarding soldiers waved Raymond's group through without inspection.
Once past the west gate, it was smooth sailing. No one halted them. Even the inner citadel guards silently opened the gates, allowing them to reach the royal palace in a flash.
Veris, known by the moniker Puppeteer of Emptiness, sat on the terrace sipping warm tea.
Behind him stood Abgard, the Lance Knight of Annihilation dispatched by the Doomsday Society as his guard, arms crossed.
"Something troubling you?"
"No. Everything's proceeding smoothly. We've seized the royal palace, and reinforcements from the Society will arrive soon. At this rate, controlling the entire Jeist Magitech Kingdom is only a matter of time."
"Yet your expression sours, Sir Veris."
"Perhaps because it's gone too smoothly—makes me feel it might snag suddenly."
His teacup had emptied unnoticed. Veris set it down wordlessly and lifted his gaze to the darkening sky.
"We should tighten surveillance on King Rudel."
"Shall I send subordinates to check?"
"That seems best. I'll dispatch my adjutant."
As Veris finished speaking, he signaled into the air. From what seemed empty shadow, a black figure rose.
"I'll inspect."
He was Veris's adjutant. After speaking softly, he melted back into the shadows.
"Impressively swift action."
Abgard remarked. Veris nodded and replied.
"This is how you survive long, Sir Abgard."
How much time passed? Veris's adjutant reemerged from the shadows.
"Sir Veris. It seems King Rudel has vanished."
The adjutant said in a calm yet trembling voice. The serene calm around Veris shattered.
"Mobilize all available forces immediately to find King Rudel."
"I'll relay to everyone, Sir Veris."
All Doomsday Society operatives lurking in the Jeist Magitech Kingdom sprang into action at Veris's command.
"To Sir Alipis as well?"
Abgard asked.
"Yes, we'll need to commit full strength."
Veris answered.
The shadow of death approaches. None shall escape this death.