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Book 14: Chapter 5: Painful Mistake
Vol. 14 Chapter 5 – Painful Mistake
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The palace situated on the capital planet of the Algrand Empire was so huge that it occupied the space of an entire continent, and for the first time in several centuries, the people living there were in turmoil. The residents of the Capital were out on the streets, engaged in discussions about a certain matter.
“I heard it’s not only the Kingdom of Dominion; the Empire’s being attacked by several other countries as well.”
“They must have joined forces.”
“What rotten luck. It’s only been a few months since the subjugation army suffered a crushing defeat.”
It hadn’t even been a full year since the subjugation army, led by Crown Prince Cleo, suffered a miserable defeat at the hands of the Banfield Family.
The Empire, which had concentrated its forces on the subjugation army, had few troops to spare, leaving it vulnerable to invasion by the surrounding countries.
It was rare for the Capital’s residents to experience fear, and even when they did, the threat seemed so distant that they didn’t think it had anything to do with them.
“This will no doubt greatly reduce the Empire’s territory.”
“I guess this marks the end of an era. The Empire will no longer be a hegemon looming over the other countries ”
“Well, it’s made a lot of enemies after all. It was bound to happen someday.”
“No matter, things should be back to normal in a hundred years or so.”
Even if the other nations managed to take over much of the Empire’s territory, they wouldn’t be able to capture the Capital.
As long as they stayed holed up, they would be safe ― this was the general consensus among the people of the Capital.
“Welp, better save up. We might not be able to afford any luxuries for a while.”
“What a shame.”
“If Duke Banfield hadn’t gone out of his way to resist, our lives wouldn’t have been affected.”
“Yeah, it’s all Duke Banfield’s fault.”
They viewed the war as one would a thrilling experience at a haunted house. They were more than happy to enjoy the show from the sidelines, confident that they wouldn’t be directly involved.
◇
Inside the palace, there was a commotion as information from the Empire’s borders was delivered to the newly prepared residence of the Crown Prince.
The one to have brought the information wasn’t her sister, Lysithea, but rather a freshly recruited male knight.
“We have carefully examined and summarized all the information, Your Highness,” he said, performing a knight’s salute.
Cleo urged him to continue while being seated on a chair that resembled a throne, a symbol of her status as the Crown Prince.
She was shaking, appearing impatient and agitated.
“What’s the situation over there?”
“It seems they were aware that the enemy nations were gathering their troops. Preparations had been made to intercept them, which is why we’re still somewhat holding on. However, we’re being pushed back on all fronts.”
“They knew of the attack ahead of time? ―Why didn’t they inform us beforehand?”
The knight’s gaze wandered as Cleo stood up from her seat, furious.
Carefully choosing his words, the knight proceeded to explain.
“―Apparently, they did report it to the palace, but it was only deemed a display of might, in other words, a ruse, which was why only a small number of reinforcements were sent.”
Naturally, Cleo had something to say about the palace’s decision.
“If the officials working in the palace had been more cautious, we wouldn’t have lost so much of our territory!”
The invading armies were chipping away at the Empire’s territory. Several solar systems had already been lost, and planets of strategic importance had been seized as well.
The issue was, who was to blame for this failure?
Cleo was rebuking the palace’s decision precisely because she was about to be forced to take responsibility for their current predicament.
The knight revealed a bitter expression on his face.
“Voices calling for Your Highness to take responsibility have been growing. They’re saying that we should sign a truce with the Banfield Family, even temporarily, so that we could concentrate on the war with the other nations.”
If they were to sign a truce with the Banfield Family, the Empire would have to show some degree of sincerity, which would likely involve Cleo being disinherited.
Cleo raised her voice and gestured in protest.
“Nonsense! It’s the palace officials’ fault that the enemies managed to invade this far! They were the ones to weaken the borders’ defenses!”
The knight spoke apologetically, noting Cleo’s displeasure.
“The officials are claiming that it was all to supply troops for the subjugation army. Furthermore, if Your Highness hadn’t readily accepted the volunteer troops, they would have had more soldiers at their disposal to send to the borders.”
Amid the war, Cleo, was was leading the subjugation army, had been joined by a fleet calling itself the Volunteer Army.
Nobles who had a beef with Liam and patrol fleets that were the hangout of officials that the military deemed unimportant had joined forces to form the Volunteer Army, and though they were inferior in terms of quality, they made up for it with overwhelming quantity.
The senior officials were claiming that if the Volunteer Army hadn’t been annihilated by the Banfield Family, they could have sent them as reinforcements to the borders.
In other words, they were blaming everything on Cleo.
Slumping down on her throne, Cleo hung her head.
“My position was granted by His Majesty the Emperor. No matter how much noise they make, mere officials won’t be able to drag me down.”
Or so she desperately hoped.
◇
Bagrada, the Emperor of the Algrand Empire, seemed to be in good spirits as he had an audience with the Prime Minister.
“To think the other countries would invade the Empire in unison… Duke Banfield must have been pulling the strings behind the scenes. Quite a brilliant move, wouldn’t you agree?”
The Prime Minister frowned in response.
“Your Majesty, this is no time to joke around. Even now, our soldiers are risking their lives to protect their homeland. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians are dying at this very moment.”
Such wars could last for years, decades, or even centuries in the worst-case scenario.
From the Prime Minister’s perspective, this was a grave issue that had to be addressed.
However, Bagrada’s eyes shone when he heard of the casualties.
“But of course. I am deeply saddened by the deaths of my citizens.”
The Prime Minster could only give up and let out a small sigh upon seeing the contradiction between Bagrada’s words and actions.
“Even our senior officials are questioning whether His Highness Cleo has what it takes to be the Crown Prince. In fact, this incident has made me question his qualifications as well.”
This was a lie.
The Prime Minister had been doubting Cleo’s qualifications for quite some time.
If Bagrada didn’t favor her, he would’ve had Cleo removed from the political scene.
“Since a loyal subject such as yourself is voicing his concern, I shall naturally look into it. That said, I don’t plan on having Cleo step down from the position of Crown Prince.”
Seeing Bagrada refuse to heed his opinion, the Prime Minster gave a small nod, deciding not to push matters too far.
“In that case, how should we deal with the Banfield Family?” he asked.
Bagrada smiled.
“A cease-fire is out of the question. We shall have him dance to our tune the best he can.”
(It’s thanks to him that my dearest wish is about to be achieved. I’m truly grateful to Cleo for being so foolish and to Liam for being so extraordinary. The negative emotions gathered from all over the Empire should no doubt fill this vessel known as the Capital.)
Everything was going according to his plan.
◇
The Algrand Empire’s Capital was wrapped in a metallic shell, and the Guide was standing on its inner surface.
He appeared to be floating upside down in the sky, but in reality, it was nothing more than a projection.
Resembling a bat in its natural habitat, the Guide stretched his arms out.
“Staying here really soothes the soul. Now that the Empire is embroiled in war, negative emotions are swirling around. Things couldn’t be any better for me.”
The Guide’s connection to Liam was so powerful that taking in negative emotions from an unrelated party wasn’t all that nourishing.
However, the negative emotions gathered around the Capital were rather special.
Though it wasn’t efficient, by constantly absorbing them, the Guide had recovered much of his power.
“Soon, I’ll be back in my prime. When the time comes, I’ll get rid of Liam with my own hands―”
The Guide broke into a cold sweat just as he arrived at this thought.
“―No, this is far from enough. I must not get ahead of myself. That’s the reason why I kept failing. Once I regain my strength, I have to proceed with caution. Fortunately, the Empire hasn’t given up on its fight against Liam. ―And even if they wished, I wouldn’t let them call for a truce.”
A cease-fire was something the Guide absolutely couldn’t allow. He was going to make sure the Empire kept up its work in defeating Liam.
“Once Liam is defeated, the Empire could go to hell for all I care. It would be a pleasant experience watching the Capital’s carefree residents fall into despair as they’re attacked by enemy nations. It would no doubt be a sight to behold.”
The Guide burst into laughter, but before long, he regained his composure, his hands covering his mouth.
“No, I’ve yet to beat Liam. This isn’t the time to be engrossed in my imagination. I must think of ways to ensure Liam’s defeat.”
With the defeat of the subjugation army, the Empire’s military strength had decreased significantly. It also didn’t help that reinforcements had to be sent to the borders.
In this situation, it was difficult for the Empire to send another army against the Banfield Family.
“All that’s left is―”
Phasing through the shell surrounding the planet, the Guide flew out into space.
What appeared before his eyes was the Empire’s most elite fleet, tasked with protecting the Capital.
“―Let’s use the Capital’s power against him.”
The battleships and mobile knights developed by the Imperial Army had been built by integrating the technologies of all the Weapons Factories.
Not only were there a million of such ships, but the knights and soldiers assigned to them were also the cream of the crop.
They were far superior to the subjugation army that Cleo had led.
This was an elite fleet whose purpose was to defend the Capital, and even amid this national crisis, its strength hadn’t been diminished.
It was meant to exist solely to protect the Emperor and the planet he lived in.
“Now that I’ve regained my powers, I shall lend them my strength. They shouldn’t lose, even if they’re up against the Banfield Family. Maybe. Probably. Definitely.”
By relying on the Empire’s most elite fleet, the Guide motivated himself.
◇
Meanwhile, on Hydra, the home planet of the Banfield Family, Marie had returned from her mission and was visiting Edward.
“Lord Edward~ Marie’s back~”
She was all smiles and had her arms spread wide, but Edward had a sour look on his face.
“So it was your fleet that returned.”
The number “6” was embroidered on Marie’s cloak, indicating that she was part of the Numbers.
Having achieved a flawless victory against the subjugation army, she was recognized for her merits and was allowed to become a member of the Numbers.
Marie was shaken by Edward’s attitude.
“Eh!? Lord Edward, are you not happy that Marie is back!?”
“Master was sent out in your place.”
“Ellen’s above me!? Lord Edward, Marie has been by your side for so long, how could you treat Ellen better than her!? Such cruel words directed against someone who’s watched over him for years ― could Lord Edward be in his rebellious phase?”
Edward let out a deep sigh as Marie ranted on in her pseudo-ladylike language.
(She’s not a bad person, but she’s not like Master.)
Marie was extremely fond of Edward, who was Rosetta’s first child.
Edward was naturally aware of how much she doted on him, but he knew that it was predicated on the fact that he was Liam and Rosetta’s child.
“Enough. I don’t have the time to deal with you right now.”
Marie took a peek at the electronic data presented before Edward.
“―Fumu, is that a blueprint for an amusement facility?”
A single glance was all it took for her to figure out his plans, which made Edward feel uncomfortable.
“Don’t look.”
“Is there a need to hide it?”
However, the smile on her face gradually vanished, and her face turned pale when she looked into the details of the facility.
“Um, Lord Edward? I’m not too sure about this.”
She gently suggested that Edward reconsider, but he was having none of it.
“As if I care. I’m gonna do as I please.”
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Brian σ(?′ω?｀；): “What could Lord Edward be cooking up?”