Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Empire, Prepare Yourself (2)
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In ancient times, the greatest and most ruthless assassin squad that protected the Philius Empire from the shadows—they were the 'Shades'.
Their blades knew no mercy, and their unwavering loyalty to the emperor bordered on madness.
"I never imagined they'd be dormant beneath the Imperial Capital."
Count Potas's words drew a nod from Marquis Blizzard.
Since the Empire Reconstruction Plan had been set in motion, the 'sealed legacies' left behind by past emperors lay scattered and dormant across the former territories of the Philius Empire.
He had assumed at least one would be preserved in the Imperial Capital, but to think they'd sealed away the most brutal assassin squad of all.
"To confront the Edriger Kingdom, we need their power."
Having claimed the 'Silent Absolute' and ascended to the throne, he had met the minimum requirement to awaken the legacies of his forebears.
"Your Majesty, the underground beneath the Imperial Capital is vast."
It was Count Potas inquiring whether he knew the precise location. Raymond nodded with a clear smile.
"Of course I know the exact spot. No need to worry."
"Will you proceed today?"
"The sooner, the better."
Even now, the Highfel Empire was plotting to push south through the Monster Forest, and the Tripartite Alliance was showing signs of movement. To counter them, the Philius Empire needed to reclaim its past glory.
The first step was executing the Empire Reconstruction Plan.
"I'll summon the Central Intelligence Agency's elite agents."
"Nonsense! The path His Majesty treads will be guarded by the Royal Guard!"
"Neither is necessary. We'll add just four more escorts to the current group."
It had been decided from the start. Raymond turned to Gestain.
"Bring the Crimson Tower Lord, the Azure Tower Lord, Desia, and Silvia."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Gestain, who had once called him his lord, now used a different title. It felt natural, like their positions had shifted seamlessly.
"I'll handle your protection while you're away, sir."
Marquis Blizzard spoke up. Gestain gave a small nod and exited the 5th Prince's Palace.
About thirty minutes later, Gestain returned to the garden with Desia, Silvia, and the two Tower Lords in tow.
They hadn't been briefed on the way, judging by their puzzled glances at the Royal Guard leader and the empire's high noble standing alongside Raymond—they clearly wanted an explanation.
"Didn't Sir Gestain explain?"
"Not a word."
Desia nodded in response to Count Potas's question. Raymond let out a short sigh and pinched his forehead.
He knew Gestain was taciturn, but this was extreme. He should have given the orders himself.
"Count Potas, if you would explain."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
At the mere utterance of the title 'Emperor'—permitted to only one in the Philius Empire—the quick-witted Azure Tower Lord dropped to one knee first, followed swiftly by Desia, the Crimson Tower Lord, and Silvia.
"How much information should I disclose?"
"They're my people. Reveal everything."
"As His Majesty decrees."
Count Potas bowed politely, then turned to Desia and the two Tower Lords.
When his concise explanation—with a proper beginning, middle, and end—concluded, the four wore varied expressions.
The hot-tempered Crimson Tower Lord, whose face rarely betrayed emotion, remained as inscrutable as ever. Desia and the Azure Tower Lord flushed with excitement.
The Azure Tower Lord even suddenly shouted "Long live His Majesty the Emperor!" as if newfound loyalty had welled up within him. Silvia's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"I've heard the underground beneath the Imperial Capital is a maze. Is that alright?"
Desia asked. But with Silvia there, there was no cause for concern.
"We depart now."
They set off straight for the underground beneath the Imperial Capital, all donning black robes and pulling their hoods low.
The jailers and guards at the underground prison had already been handled by Central Intelligence agents dispatched by Count Potas in advance.
'Imperial Capital Underground Level 6, Room 6.'
Deep in the darkness, the assassin squad that had guarded the Philius Empire's glorious era—Shades. Raymond reaffirmed the location in his mind where they slumbered.
In The Empire of the Dead, the Empire Reconstruction Plan never activates. Only the Philius Empire's emperor can trigger it, but the Bloody Funeral claims every imperial bloodline. It's occasionally mentioned in passing, but never detailed.
Yet the plan's intricate setup showed the author's attachment to the Philius Empire.
As the door to Underground Level 6 swung open, the contents of the author's setting notes came to mind. True to the description, most cells on Level 6 stood empty. The declining empire no longer had the power to imprison the disloyal.
Yet a few powerless souls remained confined, and their conditions were dire.
"Your Majesty, to show you this squalor—shouldn't we have cleared it beforehand, Count Potas?"
"My mistake. Forgive me."
Marquis Blizzard's rebuke made Count Potas bow his head. He regretted not ordering the agents—who had restricted the jailers' patrols—to relocate the prisoners as well.
"It doesn't bother me. Ruling the empire ahead means facing its dark underbelly often enough."
"As expected of His Majesty!"
Azure Tower Lord Risefield Dior declared in a bright voice. Raymond shook his head slightly at the man's surging flattery and pressed on, soon reaching the door to Room 6 as described in the notes.
Room 6 was worn but unsecured. Raymond flung the door open forcefully. It was a single large cell, but utterly empty of inmates.
To any outsider, it appeared ordinary, but Raymond, privy to the settings, knew this passage led to the secret door concealing the first legacy of the Empire Reconstruction Plan.
Fumbling expertly about, he finally found the hidden mechanism. Activating it caused the wall to part, revealing a secret passage.
"Th-this can't be... There was no sign of this in our prior investigations..."
Count Potas muttered in shock, eyes wide as the passage emerged.
To detect the mechanism required channeling mana through the 'Silent Absolute'—something the Central Intelligence agents couldn't have done.
"Let's go."
With a calm command, Raymond stepped forward first, Gestain and Marquis Blizzard swiftly at his heels. The others hurried to keep pace.
"To think such a place existed beneath the Imperial Capital..."
The longer they traversed the extending secret passage, the more stunned Count Potas became. He had known of the Empire Reconstruction Plan and, on prior imperial orders, scoured the underground thoroughly—yet found no trace of this.
'I've sensed he was no ordinary man for some time, but this exceeds all expectations.'
Even knowing of such hidden devices marked him as extraordinary. Count Potas revised his assessment of the current emperor, Raymond Philius, on the spot.
"The mana presence grows stronger."
Everyone nodded at Crimson Tower Lord Berenus Kyle's words. The mages tensed at the potent mana wafting from deep within the passage.
As they advanced, the mana scent intensified until a massive golden door loomed before them, emblazoned with the Philius Empire and imperial crests.
Raymond placed his hand—wearing the emperor's symbol, the 'Silent Absolute'—upon the protruding red gem at its center. The golden door reacted.
First, the intrusion-sealing spell unraveled, followed by the mechanical locks disengaging, and the door swung open.
"I'll light the way."
Berenus cast a light spell. White orbs summoned and scattered, banishing the darkness.
"This isn't a tomb, is it?"
Risefield asked in a trembling voice. The cylindrical chamber's walls were lined with black coffins marked by numbers.
Even the bare walls brimmed with skulls, exuding an eerie aura—no wonder it seemed like a tomb.
"It's not a tomb."
The lives of those slumbering in the coffins still flickered; strictly speaking, it wasn't a graveyard. Raymond's eyes scanned the cylindrical walls rapidly. The numbers ran from '1' to '500'—five hundred souls dormant.
"Five hundred strong..."
They were the Shades, the Philius Empire's most infamous and elite assassin squad in history. Mobilizing all five hundred could render even the Bloody Funeral a non-issue.
But one problem remained.
Raymond recalled part of the plan's settings and bit his lip lightly.
The odds of all five hundred reviving fully were minuscule. How many could awaken intact? That was the question.
"All we can do is pray..."
Muttering to himself, he stepped forward. Crimson Tower Lord Berenus Kyle hurried to his side.
"Shall we begin?"
The question carried layers of meaning.
As a Tower Lord evaluated as closest to grand mage status among high mages, and with the hibernation spell's flaws glaringly obvious—no deep analysis needed to see not all could awaken.
"Do we ignore the problem?"
"Can you solve it?"
"Not in the short term."
When Raymond probed indirectly, Berenus answered without hesitation. The Philius Empire's current magical prowess couldn't crack it anytime soon.
"I need them now."
Raymond stated calmly but firmly.
"We awaken them immediately."
His tone brooked no argument. In his raised right hand gleamed the emperor's banner, formed of gathering golden energy.
"By imperial decree! Shades, assemble at once!"
He shouted, raising the banner high. It was no mere cry. Mana refined through the 'Silent Absolute' radiated outward ceaselessly.
Golden waves of mana swept through the cylindrical chamber, seeping into the black coffins.
Though millennia had passed, the emperor's call was joyous rapture to the loyal. Seals unraveled one by one, coffin lids lifting.
And what emerged were shadows with crimson eyes.
"Millennia passed! At last, the summons comes!"
"This marks the great beginning to reclaim the empire's glory!"
Black shadows poured from the coffins amid dark auras, gathering before the Philius Empire's emperor.
The Royal Guard leader, Marquis Blizzard, and Guard Captain Gestain instinctively stepped forward at the silent approach, but Raymond raised a hand to halt them.
These were no enemies.
"The history of glory begins anew!"
"We shall lead the vanguard!"
"Though promised honor and glory elude us, we shall guard the empire from the shadows!"
"All as His Majesty decrees!"
The Shades bowed in unison.
A vivid smile curved Raymond's lips at the sight.
Now, the empire's deepest guardians of shadow had awakened. The Philius Empire need fear the Edriger Kingdom's profound darkness no longer.