Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Strengthening Imperial Authority (1)
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Even Count Dancihi's lord castle had been shrouded in darkness. While Desia was pleading with the Azure Tower Lord, Gestain swung his sword relentlessly in the outdoor training grounds.
His breathing grew ragged. His heart felt like it might burst. But he couldn't stop. He had realized he was still not good enough to stand by the young emperor's side.
He was a knight who had reached a high realm. It was far from a low position, but the threats to the emperor were far more powerful.
"I can't stop here."
Even after fully assimilating the 'One-Armed Sword' that Raymond had personally bestowed upon him and regaining his complete high-rank knight realm, he still felt inadequate.
'I need to ascend to the Sword Saint realm.'
In the original novel, he passed on the One-Armed Sword and reached the Sword Saint realm. Raymond knew this, but Gestain did not, leaving him uncertain and frustrated.
That was why he had temporarily left Raymond's escort to the Royal Guard during this visit to the sanctuary and focused solely on training.
The wall leading to the Sword Saint realm felt impossibly high. But he had no desire to give up.
"His Majesty the Emperor...... I must...... protect him......"
In the darkness, Gestain's eyes gleamed coldly. As he infused his sword with energy, the mana blade erupted forth.
Tonight, its light shone with unusual clarity.
The journey to the sanctuary was short, but the wait had been long. As the emperor's banner-adorned carriage and a host of Imperial Army soldiers appeared, the central army commander guarding the sanctuary emerged with a tense expression, flanked by a handful of knights.
Even though he had been forewarned, the emperor's visit to the site of a recent catastrophe was bound to weigh heavily on the commander.
As Raymond stepped out of the carriage, the central army commander and knights simultaneously paid their respects to the emperor.
"I've come on brief business. It won't take long, so carry on with your duties as usual."
"Yes, understood!"
The central army commander and knights bowed their heads and withdrew. Entering the sanctuary, Raymond scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes.
The interior was still a mess. The bodies had all been cleared, but the scars of battle remained vividly etched everywhere.
"Underground again this time?"
Count Potas asked cautiously. Raymond nodded and began walking slowly, while the Royal Guard stayed vigilant for any lingering remnants, eyes darting about.
Raymond, who had been striding purposefully, suddenly halted. Count Potas and the Royal Guard following behind stopped in unison.
"It's here."
Raymond said. Before him stood a massive coffin. Unlike the others bearing the names of past emperors, this one had no name inscribed. Instead, a small stone tablet was affixed to it.
Approaching the coffin, Raymond used mana-infused fingers to rearrange the stone fragments on the tablet. The lid slid aside, revealing stairs leading underground.
"Five of you guard this spot. The rest, escort His Majesty the Emperor."
At the command of the Royal Guard's leader, Marquis Blizzard, the Royal Guard moved with perfect precision.
"Your Majesty, I'll take the lead."
Viscount Illusion stepped forward. Since there was only one path anyway, Raymond nodded quietly.
"The passage is wider than expected, so three of you scout ahead."
Three Royal Guards advanced. The stairs descending underground were pitch black, without even a single magic lamp, so they activated illumination spells.
The magical light pierced the darkness as the three Royal Guards cleared the way ahead. One might wonder if traps to deter tomb raiders existed in such a vital place. Of course, they did. However, with Raymond—the emperor and imperial blood—among the group, they wouldn't trigger.
"No apparent dangers, so we can move a bit faster."
Raymond said. The lead Royal Guards exchanged glances, nodded, and picked up the pace. Until now, they had proceeded slowly with extreme caution; now, they advanced swiftly with minimal vigilance.
How far had they descended? The end of the stairs came into view.
"An iron door. It's locked."
Viscount Illusion concluded after inspecting it. As he moved to force it open, Raymond raised a hand and stepped forward.
"I can open that."
The setting manual noted that forcing or breaking it would activate the trap mechanisms.
Raymond explained this, then pricked his finger to let a drop of blood fall onto the door's recognition device.
The mechanism activated upon sensing the emperor's blood. The sound of ancient gears turning echoed as the door slowly opened.
"We're entering."
No sooner had the magical light entered than the lead Royal Guards rushed in. The interior was slightly narrower than the space where the Shades had slumbered.
Raymond entered a step behind the Royal Guards. Along the walls gleamed about a hundred crystals infused with blue mana.
Human forms dwelled within the blue light—they were undoubtedly the slumbering Royal Guards. As Raymond passed the crystals, he pondered.
'How many can I awaken?'
He had distinctly felt his dominion recover after slaying the Dark Emperor, but the limits seemed much the same as before, so he couldn't be sure how many he could rouse.
If possible, he wanted to awaken as many as he could. Since ancient times, the Philius Empire had demonstrated the strength of its imperial authority through the number of Royal Guards.
"Step back."
Count Potas and the Royal Guards retreated several paces. In contrast, Raymond advanced two steps and infused mana into the 'Silent Sovereign.'
The inherent dominion awakened. Golden energy spread through the dark chamber, permeating the crystals.
Crack.
The crystals, now laced with golden energy, shattered in unison, exhaling a piercing chill. Cold air mingled with the stale underground atmosphere.
"By imperial decree! Royal Guards, assemble before me at once!"
At Raymond's calm yet authoritative command, the Royal Guards who had been sluggish hastened into position. Those emerging from the crystals lined up before him.
"We pay respects to His Majesty the Emperor!"
There was no confusion. As if it had been preordained, they bowed to the current emperor. Raymond's eyes scanned them, counting.
'Around fifty...?'
Not ideal, but enough to rebuild the crumbling imperial authority. After tallying their numbers, Raymond examined their ranks.
Royal Guards wore badges on their chests denoting their titles—a tradition unchanged since ancient times. He quickly checked them, but no marquises were among them.
'Not enough dominion to awaken a marquis-level one?'
The highest rank among the awakened was count, and even those were few. He had hoped for the ancient hero Tempest Marquis from the lore, but it seemed this wasn't the time.
Regret tugged at him, but gaining fifty Royal Guards was cause for joy, so Raymond kept any disappointment from his face.
'Have I used up nearly all my dominion?'
Raymond gauged his remaining dominion inwardly. It was nearly depleted.
He still knew little about dominion, but from the manual and his experiences, it seemed to recover by slaying influential figures in the world or triggering major events.
"Your Majesty......"
One Royal Guard stepped forward. His chest bore a count's badge—the highest rank among the newly awakened.
"I am Count Alphonse of the Royal Guard. May I ask one question?"
Raymond nodded, and Count Alphonse spoke.
"Has the Empire Reconstruction Plan been activated?"
"Indeed."
"The situation must be dire."
Count Alphonse said. His face, hidden beneath the golden mask, hardened. The other newly awakened Royal Guards reacted similarly.
Having just awakened from hibernation, they were unaware of the current state of the Philius Empire, but all knew of the Empire Reconstruction Plan.
The final bastion left by past emperors for the empire's darkest hour—that was the Empire Reconstruction Plan.
"I had hoped this day would never come......"
One of the awakened Royal Guards muttered. Though faint, Raymond heard it clearly.
"How is your condition?"
"No issues."
At Count Alphonse's reply, Raymond inspected them once more. Despite their long slumber, their eyes were clear.
"Good. Count Potas will brief you on the empire's current state."
Knowing the Philius Empire's circumstances would aid their future duties. Count Potas, waiting a few steps back, stepped forward and positioned himself beside Raymond, speaking calmly.
"How detailed should the explanation be?"
"Tell them everything."
Though he hadn't awakened them himself, they were Royal Guards. They followed only the emperor's command—betrayal was impossible.
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Count Potas bowed and approached them to begin.
Raymond, suffering the aftermath of expending his dominion, needed a short rest and sat on a nearby rock. His gaze soon turned to Count Potas.
As head of Central Intelligence, Count Potas could surely brief the fifty Royal Guards on the empire's plight within the ten minutes Raymond rested. Closing his eyes, Raymond steadied his breathing.
Valencia Dukedom.
The atmosphere in the lord castle was icy cold. Partly due to the deaths of Duke Valencia, his eldest son, and many retainers at the late emperor's funeral, but mainly because Deneb Philius—the one they had backed—had been branded a traitor.
In the heavy mood, Lac Valencia, the second son of the lord family who had survived by not attending the funeral, summoned his vassals and knight house nobles to the central city of the Valencia Dukedom.
Nobles gathered in the lord castle's grand audience hall at Lac Valencia's call.
"My lord, we must act swiftly. Word is, the Interior Ministry and Palace Affairs are already moving to reclassify the Valencia Dukedom as an imperial demesne."
An elderly noble urged. Lac Valencia hadn't formally inherited the ducal title yet, but as temporary lord in place of his deceased father, he was addressed as 'my lord.'
"Turning a storied dukedom into an imperial demesne? Absurd!"
A knight house noble vented his fury without restraint.
"What's their pretext?"
"Unclear for now. But likely treason charges."
"Hah! I've had a bad feeling since that wastrel became emperor, but I never imagined it'd come to this!"
As the nobles grew restless, Lac clutched his forehead. An exasperated old knight slammed his sheathed sword against the marble floor.
"Before my lord! Calm yourselves!"
At the old knight's bellow, the hall fell silent at last. Regaining his composure, Lac spoke.
"What becomes of us now, Viscount?"
Lac asked a knight house noble.
"If treason sticks, most here will face execution. And if the duchy becomes imperial land, House Valencia vanishes into history."
Lac's face darkened at the viscount's words.
"That wastrel should never have become emperor......"
In his frustration, he voiced the thought he had kept buried.
"Damn it!"
Lac ground his teeth with a curse. They had indeed plotted rebellion, but he didn't want to die for it. Vassals and knight nobles might preserve their lives, but as direct lineage of House Valencia, he could not escape treason charges.
He had been somewhat involved in Deneb's plot, after all.
"Then, Viscount, what should we do?"
At Lac's question, the viscount replied with a rigid expression.
"We must rebel. Rally the western lords for a massive uprising—the empire won't underestimate us then."
The viscount spoke impossibly without flinching, but young Lac, barely in his early twenties, trusted him completely.
"Arm the domain forces in secret. We won't just sit idly by."
The gathered nobles cheered at Lac's resolve. But they didn't know. Someone had overheard it all from the shadows.