A Rebellion Broke Out, So What?
A month passed.
The mansion had finally become clean and tidy, fitting for a noble estate, and delicious food was served every single day.
Chewing on a mouthful of lamb steak, I looked over at Theresia.
"Any news?"
"What kind of news do you mean, my lord?"
"If you don't know, never mind."
I went back to chewing my meat.
It was delicious.
Maribel was indeed a world-class chef.
Sleeping in late, surrounded by beautiful girls, and eating gourmet meals every day.
How could anyone not be happy with a life like this?
After finishing lunch, I had a light sparring session with Katarina.
She was quite skilled in her own right, which made her perfect for ensuring my sword skills didn't rust.
Clang!
Her spear flew through the air.
Naturally, I was the one who won every single day.
Katarina knelt on the ground, looking frustrated.
"As expected, you are strong, Sir Leon."
"Of course."
"You truly live up to your reputation as the general who destroyed Lishumark."
"Please, let's not talk about the past."
Because even if a rebellion breaks out there, I have absolutely no intention of doing anything about it.
In truth, every time Katarina sparred with me, she lunged at me with genuine murderous intent.
She clearly viewed me as the destroyer of her homeland.
And she had every right to.
If she didn't have that kind of grit, she never would have become the leader of the Lishumark Kingdom's independence army.
I wondered briefly if she would try to escape this mansion once the rebellion broke out, but I didn't let it bother me.
I already knew how to make sure none of them, including Katarina, would ever want to leave.
After all, I was going to destroy the Empire.
I lounged in an armchair on the mansion's rooftop terrace, lazily smoking a cigarette.
The view was spectacular.
I could finally understand why everyone was so desperate to live in the Imperial Capital.
Seriously, Ulysian is a total bastard.
If he had just let me buy a house in the capital, I wouldn't despise him this much.
I suppose even though he's already married to Elysis, a rival in love is still a rival.
As I was lost in these thoughts, Natalia, dressed in a butler's suit, and Celine, wearing a maid uniform, approached me.
Natalia handed me a newspaper.
"What is it? Any news?"
"You will see for yourself, my lord."
EASTERN PEASANT REBELLION ESCALATES
Fifteen hundred conscripted peasants, facing execution by beheading after failing to meet their mobilization deadline, have reportedly launched a desperate rebellion, choosing to fight rather than submit to their deaths.
Imperial Law: Is It Time for Reform?
The ringleaders of the rebellion have been identified as Jin and Opert.
The slogan "Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born of a different seed?" is rapidly spreading across the eastern territories.
"So it has begun."
"Pardon?"
Celine asked, but I didn't bother to answer.
Hmm. Just like the original story.
Normally, I would have led the Imperial Army east to crush the rebel forces of Jin and Opert, along with the various independence movements springing up everywhere.
But I have no intention of doing anything.
I don't love Elysis.
Therefore, I have no reason to lift a finger for the Empire.
Rebellions spread like wildfire across the eastern regions of the Empire.
While the rebel forces of Jin and Opert seized the western territories of the former Eper Empire, the imperial garrisons stationed throughout the region suffered crushing defeats.
Seeing the Imperial Army in full retreat, the citizens of the five conquered nations rose up in unison under the banner of independence.
As a result, the entire eastern territory—excluding the lands of the former Nicator Kingdom, which was under direct imperial control—fell into the hands of the rebels.
Around that time, the Minister of War visited my mansion once again.
I only learned her name today: Claudia von Reinhardt.
Claudia pleaded with me, her voice trembling.
"Please, I beg of you. Will you not lead the Imperial Army just one more time?"
I replied indifferently.
"Would the Emperor even allow that?"
"Could you not, just this once, kneel before His Imperial Majesty for the sake of the Empire?"
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
I chewed on some popcorn Maribel had made for me.
"Maybe if that bastard or Elysis came here to beg me themselves, I'd consider it."
"That is preposterous...!"
"Then you'll just have to suppress the rebellion on your own."
Claudia returned to the Imperial Capital in tears once again.
Perhaps I was a bad man who enjoyed making women cry.
The next day.
"Yaaawn."
I sat in the armchair on the rooftop terrace again, leisurely taking in the surrounding scenery.
An army departing from the Imperial Capital crossed the Great River, moving toward Anhelm.
Another army marched through the canyons, heading toward the Hargen Pass.
No doubt they were all deployed to suppress the rebels.
I looked at the vanguard of the army heading toward Hargen Pass.
"Just as I thought."
The imperial crest fluttered at the front of the column.
That idiot Ulysian had clearly decided to lead the army himself.
The outcome was obvious.
That guy was an incompetent fool who knew nothing other than playing the lead in a romance novel.
If he had at least swallowed his pride and begged me, I might have marched out.
I guess he insists on learning the hard way...
Smirking at his foolishness, I summoned Theresia and my four servants.
"How do you think this will turn out?"
"...I cannot say," Theresia spoke first.
The others remained completely silent.
I looked at them and grinned.
"I'll bet my entire fortune and this mansion that the army led by Ulysian will be utterly crushed by the rebels."
"...!"
All five of them flinched at the word "rebels."
"If you don't like the word 'rebels,' should I call them the independence army instead?"
"N-no, that is not necessary," Katarina barely managed to reply.
"You don't have to hide it. All of you wish for the independence of the five conquered nations, don't you?"
"..."
"I feel the same way. The Empire expanded far too unnaturally. It's time to return to the era of kingdoms."
Without a word, the four servants dispersed to tend to their duties.
Only Theresia remained.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Then the Demetrien Kingdom will also..."
"Yeah. It will be reborn. As long as I don't lead the Imperial Army and march east, that is."
Her hands trembled violently.
The Demetrien Kingdom.
It was one of the five eastern nations, and the very first to fall to the Empire.
"Did you truly know things would turn out this way?"
"Of course."
I chewed on some gum as I looked at her.
"We had plenty of conscripts in the north, too. Many of them arrived past their deadlines, but did you ever see me execute any of them?"
"...No, my lord."
"But the other generals insisted on cutting off their heads anyway. That is exactly why the Empire is collapsing right now."
I stretched, letting out a relaxed groan.
"The laws of the Empire are stuck in the past, back when they were waging total war. A unified empire has no need for such cruel laws."
"So this rebellion..."
"Yeah."
I smiled.
She stared at me intently.
She probably thought of me as some kind of prophet.
I was no prophet.
I was just a transmigrator who happened to know the plot of the original novel.
Ulysian slammed his fist onto the table.
"How dare he defy the Emperor's command?!"
"Your Majesty, please calm yourself."
Beyond the Hargen Pass.
Inside the Imperial Army's command tent, pitched on a hill overlooking the camp of the self-proclaimed Demetrien Kingdom's independence army across the river, Ulysian roared.
"Leon Eisen! I will show everyone that the Imperial Army remains invincible even without that insolent wretch! Inform all troops! Prepare for battle!"
At the Emperor's command, the Imperial Army prepared for battle in perfect order.
Indeed, the Imperial Army was formidable.
Built by the late Emperor ten years ago and refined by the legendary general Leon Eisen, they were the strongest military force in the Empire.
They formed their ranks and prepared for combat.
Their numbers reached fifty thousand.
In contrast, the rebel forces numbered fewer than twenty thousand.
Ulysian was certain of victory.
Mages mounted their staffs and took to the skies.
Knights atop warhorses channeled their aura.
Cryomancers chanted spells, preparing ice bridges to cross the river.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Imperial Army began their march.
Mounted on a crimson warhorse, Ulysian watched the spectacle.
Even though he hadn't raised this army himself, he felt a thrill at the overwhelming sight.
Leon, you miserable bastard. Our Empire has no need for someone like you.
Before long, the Imperial Army completed the crossing and engaged the rebels.
Ulysian watched the battle unfold from a safe distance.
It looked like an overwhelming victory for the Empire.
...Until the rebels began pouring out of the canyons.
Standing beside Ulysian, the Minister of War, Claudia, gasped in horror.
"Y-Your Majesty! It's an ambush!"
From the canyons in all four directions, rebel forces bearing different flags emerged.
The Eper Empire.
The Lishumark Kingdom.
The Kasantrov Kingdom.
And the Fayros Empire.
The armies of the five nations, including the Demetrien Kingdom's independence army, completely surrounded the Imperial Army.
The imperial forces began to be slaughtered.
"A-Ah... My army!"
"Your Majesty, you must order a retreat immediately!"
"No! All forces, crush the rebels!"
"Your Majesty!"
Claudia screamed until her throat went hoarse, but there was nothing she could do.
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army, Emperor Ulysian von Nicator, refused to issue the order to retreat.
As a result, the fifty thousand imperial troops were completely annihilated.
The elite of the elite, raised by the legendary late Emperor and honed by the master tactician Leon Eisen, collapsed without accomplishing a single thing.
The news reached the Imperial Capital a week later.