Ch.141Chapter 141. The Empire’s Last Guardian

# Orion Empire.

This land, the only place in this world where order and safety by humanity are permitted, is known to have a history of over 1,000 years.

Of course, such history matters little to outsiders like me, but the social atmosphere changes depending on who the current leader is.

As such, I had a general understanding of who was leading this empire.

“Y-Your Highness Seis, why are you here…?”

Yes, the moment I heard their murmurs, I immediately realized.

The person who had just entered this blood-soaked banquet hall was the most likely successor who would inherit the empire in place of the current emperor.

The First Imperial Prince of the Orion Empire, ‘Crown Prince Orion Seis.’

“…Are you curious as to why I am here?”

The nobles froze when such a figure appeared at this venue, wearing elaborate attire and a mask.

But they couldn’t even consider it humiliating.

Their arrogance was limited only to those beneath them whom they could trample; it could never be directed toward the heavens they looked up to.

“My father, His Imperial Majesty, is the empire itself, and I am the one who will succeed him to become the empire. What issue could there be with me walking through its center?”

“I-I apologize! How dare I presume without knowing my place…!”

At his quiet yet majestic voice, the nobles held their breath, and soon everyone was watching his every move.

Yes, the presence of the Crown Prince was that significant.

Even if the highest-ranking noble after the imperial family had been murdered, the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

-Drip, drip.

What meaning could a piece of convulsing meat with its breath already cut off possibly have?

As if to emphasize this point, Crown Prince Seis mercilessly trampled over the corpse that lay in his path.

“…Vivian.”

Where he finally stopped was before the person who had caused this incident.

But the Crown Prince did not tremble when facing her.

Rather, only a quiet yet dignified voice came from his mouth, just as he had spoken to the surrounding nobles…

“Was the Lord of Elmart killed because of the man beside you?”

“U-um. That’s right.”

Vivian answered with a trembling voice to his question.

As if to show that even for her, whom nobles regarded as trash, the Crown Prince was not someone to be taken lightly.

“I-I think he did something terrible before I came here… S-so I killed him. His screaming was annoying too.”

“…”

“…Oh, was that not okay?”

Vivian expressed her concern with a trembling voice.

But it seemed as though she didn’t consider what she had done serious—merely a minor mistake.

One might expect him to scold or reprimand such unconscious behavior.

“So, Hyoseong Woo. You’ve caught Vivian’s interest, have you?”

The Crown Prince’s gaze then shifted toward me.

Though he wore a mask and I couldn’t see his face clearly, I could immediately understand that he was deep in serious contemplation as he looked at me.

“…Vivian.”

And after a moment of silence.

Soon, the Crown Prince turned his gaze from me to Vivian and asked:

“Do you want the man beside you?”

“Uh, huh?”

“I asked if you want the outsider whom I personally invited to the imperial palace.”

Crown Prince Seis distinctly pronounced my name again.

This in itself showed that he was strongly aware of my existence.

He said he personally invited me. Was it Crown Prince Seis who sent the invitation to this banquet hall?

Thinking normally, one might assume it was to reward me for my achievements in the previous war, but I had directly experienced how the nobles evaluated me the moment I set foot here.

So by now, I couldn’t help but suspect that Crown Prince Seis had also brought me here to reprimand me or make me an object of ridicule.

“If taking that man will help progress your research, then take him.”

Even such anxiety became meaningless with a single sentence from his mouth…

Damn, what did that guy just say?

Take me?

After inviting me here, now he’s talking about giving people away like objects?

“R-really?”

“Yes, if taking that man will help complete your research.”

Vivian rejoiced as if my feelings didn’t matter at all, and Crown Prince Seis seemed intent on finalizing the conversation accordingly.

I felt a surge of anger, but there was no excuse for me to intervene in a conversation between a member of the imperial family and Vivian.

“Y-Your Highness!”

Just as I decided I should keep quiet for now, a noble rushed forward.

“I-I don’t quite understand the situation, b-but… D-do you know that the crazy woman over there k-killed Lord Elmart?!”

Judging by how his gaze repeatedly moved to Elmart’s corpse on the floor, he seemed to be either a follower of Elmart or a noble closely connected to him.

Naturally, even if the person before him was the highest authority in the empire, even if such a person overlooked Vivian’s cruel actions, someone with much at stake would want to rectify the situation even at the risk of danger.

“I-I don’t know who that woman is, but isn’t this too lenient for someone who murdered Lord Elmart? At the very least, some punishment…”

“Vivian.”

Despite such desperate sentiments, Crown Prince Seis spoke only with a cold voice.

“Dispose of this person.”

“What? Your Highness, what do you mean…?”

-SPLAT!

A body collapsed with its head gone.

In the face of this sudden event, everyone present turned pale, yet no one screamed.

The person before them had killed the second most powerful figure in the empire without facing any consequences.

If such a person received a direct order from the Crown Prince, it was clear that anyone who displeased him would meet the same fate.

“…Some may not know, so let me make this clear.”

As if to drive this point home, Crown Prince Seis, covered in the blood splattered by the corpse, addressed them in a dry voice:

“Her research is essential for the ‘new era’ that will soon dawn. Compared to the importance of that purpose, all of you, and even the imperial family including myself, are insignificant. Remember that well.”

When the highest authority in the empire—the successor who would soon inherit the empire itself—declared someone more important than himself…

“Y-yes… Your Highness.”

All the nobles lowered their pale faces to the ground and began to bow deeply before him.

That was the best they could do.

I too remained frozen in place, quietly accepting the fate given to me as my only option.

Despite all my efforts.

Despite believing I could finally achieve what I wanted, I had to admit to myself that even the title of hero I had long pursued was utterly insignificant in this place.

“You’ve found a patron.”

Amidst such self-loathing stirring within me, a familiar voice suddenly reached my ears.

When I came to my senses, instead of the Crown Prince, my eyes fell upon the young noble who had guided me here.

“…What?”

“As His Highness the Crown Prince mentioned, she is considered more important than anyone else in this empire.”

Cheska explained the situation to me without a trace of fear even in this tragic scene.

It almost seemed as if she was forcibly shoving something down my throat, as I failed to grasp the situation.

“Just by receiving her interest, you’ve gained an opportunity to rise higher than anyone else.”

“W-wait, Cheska…”

“Well then, I have something to report to His Highness, so I’ll take my leave. If our paths cross again in the future, let’s meet again.”

With those parting words, Cheska began to leave.

As her presence gradually disappeared into the frozen crowd, I felt a void growing in one corner of my heart.

As if the only wall I could lean on in this situation had vanished.

“Um, Mr. Housekeeper.”

Yes, from now on, I must navigate this alone.

From this woman who killed two people at this venue without hesitation and would decide to kill everyone else without facing any consequences.

“I-I’ve been wanting to see you, Mr. Housekeeper…”

“…Vivian.”

“Didn’t you want to see me too?”

A bright smile gradually appeared on her haggard face.

I could immediately tell that smile expressed goodwill toward me.

In her eyes, while everyone around might look like trash, only I…

Only I, who had been constantly replayed through her ability, was regarded as more special than anything else in this world.

“…Yes, I did too.”

The moment I realized this, I found it increasingly difficult to judge my own emotions.

I couldn’t distinguish whether the pounding in my chest was fear or the joy of meeting someone who loved me.

“I wanted to see you too, Vivian.”

I couldn’t even tell whether what was coming from my mouth was truth or a convincingly crafted lie.

*****

Orion Seis.

As the First Imperial Prince of the empire, he was the most likely successor to inherit the current empire, and his succession ceremony was scheduled to take place in a few months.

The current emperor had grown old and frail for ruling the empire, so the empire needed to select a new leader to succeed him as soon as possible.

And with the succession ceremony approaching, plots and secret maneuvers were actively taking place.

Though not visible to the public, there was even covert purging of unaffiliated relatives of the imperial family and opposition forces using political situations.

Among the targets was Cheska Flandor, rumored to be the current emperor’s illegitimate child entrusted to the Flandor family.

After all, there was a need to eliminate anyone who might potentially interfere with the Crown Prince’s succession ceremony, even if the chance was one in a million.

-CRASH!

Late at night. A massive sphere of magical power struck a carriage traveling through the forest path on its way back to the domain.

Assassins watching the shattered carriage from the bushes clapped their hands and rejoiced.

“Ha~ It completely collapsed, didn’t it?”

“Of course, look who fired it. My sniping skills are top-notch, I tell you.”

“But wasn’t this too flashy?”

“No need to worry. This lord is from a remote countryside anyway, so there won’t be anyone rushing over to investigate the commotion.”

A lower noble who wouldn’t have received any public attention if not for rumors of being an imperial illegitimate child.

Thanks to this, the two assassins, feeling that their job had been completed smoothly, began to rummage through the debris of the collapsed carriage.

A limp body visible through the fragments of the carriage.

The appearance of the boy who had fallen with dull eyes wide open matched exactly with the portrait in their hands.

“The breath has stopped. The heart isn’t beating either.”

“Such a pretty face, what a shame. If he were properly alive, we could have had some fun with him.”

“Come on, even if he’s pretty, do you really want to do that with a man?”

“No, look closely. Judging by the chest, doesn’t it look like he’s cross-dressing?”

The curved figure visible through clothes torn by the impact.

Despite the slender frame, the slightly protruding chest revealed that his gender was female.

“Heh, I guess the illegitimate child wanted power so badly that she dressed as a man to become the head of the family.”

“What a shame. If she were still breathing, we could have kept her for a while, pretending she was dead.”

“Stop it. If we get caught doing that, we’ll be reprimanded from above and our career paths will be blocked.”

The assassin scolded his colleague who was expressing regret.

The shovel and oil in his hand were prepared to erase the scene of their crime, and he quickly took them out because there was a need to finish the current situation as soon as possible.

“…Well, I’m doing this job to receive blood, so it’s better to give up on trivial desires.”

His colleague accepted his intention and shook off his regret, turning his attention away from the corpse.

As he said, the reason they were doing such dirty work was to climb from the bottom of the organization to a higher position.

“Then I’ll go scout the surroundings, so please take care of the body.”

“Sure, let’s keep supporting each other until the end.”

If they received blood from the great beings who occupied the leadership of the organization, they could rise to a higher status than now.

Feeling that they were just a few steps away from that goal, the two assassins dispersed to perform their respective roles, uttering the phrase they always said.

“‘Everything for the new era.'”

A phrase expressing loyalty to the organization they belonged to.

-CRACK!

The sound of flesh tearing rang out as soon as that phrase was uttered.

Realizing that the sound came from behind him, the assassin turned to look at his colleague who was about to dispose of the corpse, with a blank expression.

Or rather, the one who used to be his colleague.

His body had been split in half by an unidentified attack and was now sprawled miserably on the ground.

“…The new era. Is that the name of the organization you belong to?”

“W-what! I’m sure I confirmed the breath had stopped!”

Was there some mistake?

No, whatever it is, I need to deal with it. The assassin who made this judgment quickly drew a dagger from his possession.

But by then, sharp threads had already spread around him, wrapping around various parts of his body to restrain his movements.

“W-what is this! What’s going on…”

-SLICE!

With a pull of the threads, his left arm and right leg were dismembered.

“Ah, aagh! My leg, my arm!”

Even the blood that spurted out was threaded and blocked, and soon the assassin was flailing only his remaining arm and leg in the air.

Then his gaze fixed on the girl approaching him.

Or more precisely, something in the form of a girl.

“Y-you, what are you? Your identity…”

“Rule 1. All dolls absolutely obey the orders of those they recognize as their masters.”

-Creak, squeak.

The sound of joints rubbing with each step.

The source of that sound was visible to the assassin hanging from the threads.

The joints, more distinctly visible than the bones beneath the skin, were clearly showing their movement.

“Rule 2. Within the bounds of following Rule 1, all dolls do not harm humanity.”

The girl with such a body speaks.

In a very cold and mechanical voice, devoid of any human emotion.

“Rule 3. Within the bounds of following the two aforementioned rules, all dolls protect and serve the Orion Empire and its residents…”

“W-what…”

“And Rule 0. Upon personal judgment, when discovering an entity that poses a threat to the existence of the empire and humanity, prioritize its elimination above the three rules mentioned above.”

Yes, the one raising her blood-covered face at this moment is not the empire’s illegitimate child, Cheska Flandor.

Her true role is not as a leader of the empire, but as a ‘guardian’ who has protected the empire and humanity for a thousand years.

“Orion’s foreign entity hunting doll, Francesca.”

Having revealed her identity, she declared at this place:

“From now on, I will begin interrogation targeting the organization ‘New Era’ that has infiltrated the empire.”

She, created to exterminate aberrant beings, has awakened in this era.

To move forward with the purpose of exterminating all foreign entities that threaten humanity.