Ch.155Victory Brings No Rest #1

“Your Emperor is here! Remnants of the Empire, kneel and surrender immediately!”

The knight standing on the high castle wall shouted with a voice infused with mana, making it as resonant as possible.

His mana-infused voice cut through the clashing of swords and spears, easily drawing the attention of soldiers who had been preoccupied with survival.

Nevertheless, the knight, following Luke’s orders to defend the castle, repeated the same words until his voice grew hoarse. It was because Luke had commanded it.

“Huff…”

It’s all over.

Prince Richard Helios, who had been exhausting himself pretending to fight at the vanguard, wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed.

Though it was a staged battle, the possibility of losing his life had been high, so his tension was understandable.

And with that tension released, a long sigh was inevitable.

Richard had even rearranged the military deployment to make it easier to ambush the Emperor if direct intervention became necessary, but he was secretly relieved that it hadn’t come to that.

They say there’s no blood or tears before power, but at least he had avoided the unfilial act of slaying his own father.

However, his mouth turned bitter at the sight of Helix’s head hanging on a spear alongside the Emperor’s.

.

They say wars typically end when you strike the head.

Of course, command structures are designed to account for this, but it was clear that losing the highest commander generally weakened resolve.

Especially when that head was the Emperor.

“You scoundrels! What disrespect is this toward the Emperor!”

Was it bravado, or was he always this arrogant?

Even captured and confined to a room in Count Solont’s mansion, the Emperor shouted with dignity.

It was astonishing that he would act this way when his head could roll tomorrow if the Imperial army didn’t surrender.

Did he believe he wouldn’t die, or was he hiding his fear behind bravado…

“Disrespect? You speak of disrespect after sending troops to our peaceful land…”

While listening quietly from the isolation room, Helena twitched her eyebrow and moved toward the Emperor tied to a chair.

One step. Another step.

When she was close enough to reach out and touch him, she drew a long, thin black aura into her left hand.

“Wh-what are you trying to do?”

Perhaps due to her abyss-like gaze and chilling presence, the Emperor’s voice trembled.

Fear seemed to be taking hold as his eyes darted around, unable to focus properly.

What am I trying to do?

Helena muttered those words several times in a low voice, then lightly stabbed the Emperor’s thigh with the aura in her left hand.

Shallow and light, like pricking a finger with a thin needle to relieve indigestion.

“Aaaaargh!!”

Even to me watching from the side, it was clear that the blade had barely pierced the skin rather than going deep, yet he let out an agonized scream.

It was absurd to see him writhing in pain from something so minor.

His exaggeration was so severe that even Helena, who had seemed ready to do something drastic, widened her eyes in surprise.

The darkness-filled eyes that could only be appeased by venting anger returned to their normal light.

“You scream from just this much? I wonder if you’re really the man who declared war to unify the continent, given how narrow-minded you are…”

“Y-you wench…! To insult the safety of my person… Aaaaargh!!”

When she stabbed with the aura just deep enough for a hypodermic needle, another pig-like squeal assaulted our ears.

It was pathetically ridiculous, making it hard to believe he possessed the sharp countenance he was known for.

Perhaps he wasn’t just screaming from pain, but from excessive anticipation of what might follow?

Sighing inwardly at the Emperor’s inexplicable reaction, I brought over a small wooden box that had been sitting on a corner drawer.

“Ugh… Wh-what is this… Huk!”

The Emperor, sweating profusely, swallowed hard when he saw what emerged from the wooden box placed with a thud.

It was the head of Count Helix, whom he had cherished dearly—a natural reaction, as the Emperor was still human after all.

“He-Helix Count’s head…!”

“Yes. The head of the man who died pitifully with his neck pierced while protecting you. Take a good look.”

“Th-this cannot be. How could such a powerful Master end up with only his head remaining like this…”

“I’m a Master too.”

Normally such words would be spoken with some pride, but Helena’s expression showed no such emotion.

She simply spoke matter-of-factly, as if evaluating someone else, while observing the Emperor’s incredulous expression.

“What happens to you will be decided based on whether the remaining Imperial forces surrender or not. Since their forces are intact, they could either follow your ambition or surrender.”

Pray that the Imperial army makes the decision to save you.

With those final words, Helena withdrew her aura and left the room without lingering.

Afterward, the three dukes, the king, and I gathered again for a meeting.

The topic was how to proceed, but since we essentially knew they would surrender, we were mostly recounting what had transpired.

“Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we were able to capture the Imperial Emperor. However… I’m concerned whether their Crown Prince will truly keep his promise. With the Emperor gone, might he not have a change of heart? Even if we hold the secret agreement he signed.”

“Of course we can’t completely rule out that possibility, but he’ll surrender if only to avoid suffering the same fate as the Emperor. Besides, could someone who breaks faith and violates the agreement really gain support?”

“I agree with Duke Killinear. If his collusion with us is revealed, he cannot gain support, and one who cannot gain support cannot ascend the throne. To borrow the Grand Duke’s words, he would face an inevitable downfall.”

Ahem! I painfully swallowed a cough rising in my throat and caught my breath.

I was startled to hear such a casual expression come from the mouth of the proper Duke Caliwood.

The king nodded with satisfaction as he listened to the dukes’ occasional interjections.

Their firm assertions seemed to dispel even the faint anxiety that had been visible on his face.

“…Hmm. With all the dukes speaking thus, I may have been thinking too pessimistically.”

“Not at all. Being pessimistic? Preparing for contingencies is the right attitude for a ruler. Excessive optimism invites disaster.”

Helena bowed her head respectfully in response and concluded the conversation by suggesting we wait for tomorrow’s answer.

If the war continued, we decided that the forces led by each duke would take turns cutting off enemy supplies, and use smoke with effects stronger than CS gas in frontal battles.

The next day.

While I was inspecting the barracks after breakfast to ensure we didn’t become too lax, a messenger arrived from the Imperial side.

A soldier carrying a white flag, accompanied by the Crown Prince riding beside him.

“Welcome. Have you reached a decision?”

Creeak. The king posed the question as soon as the Crown Prince entered through the opened castle gate.

Given that there was no time for pleasantries, especially from the perspective of a country that had been attacked, his sharpness was understandable.

The Crown Prince seemed to understand this, as he dismounted without taking offense and bowed his head immediately.

The sharp glint in his eyes visible through his hair-covered gaze was somewhat concerning, but he didn’t appear to be forcing his courtesy.

“Yes. We have gathered our opinions.”

“I see. Then I would like to hear these gathered opinions properly.”

“Of course. That was my wish as well.”

The Crown Prince smiled gently as he raised his head and followed the king, who personally guided him into the compound on horseback.

Having disarmed upon entering the gate, he seemed unlikely to cause harm.

Unless, of course, he was concealing his abilities.

“So. I hope this gathered opinion is good news for us as well… What say you?”

The king broached the subject as soon as he sat in the head seat after arriving at the mansion’s conference room.

It might have seemed impolite, but it was understandable since the Empire had sent a messenger with a white flag first.

Besides, it was the Empire that had started the war to satisfy its own greed.

“Yes. We have decided to formally surrender. In return, though it feels presumptuous to ask, regarding the safety of my father, the Emperor…”

“Since you’ve agreed to surrender, we are inclined to return him. However, there must be conditions.”

“Of course.”

Whew. The Crown Prince took a deep breath as if to calm himself and listened attentively to the king’s voice.

Bowing one’s head meant surrendering the initiative, after all.

“The details may vary, but our conditions are simple. Reparations, and the abdication and confinement of the current Emperor.”

Reparations were naturally due to the victor, and the Emperor’s abdication was a matter of war responsibility.

Of course, there was also the reason of supporting the Crown Prince who had helped make this war more manageable.

Even if the situation became favorable, we could not be the first to betray trust.

We shouldn’t and wouldn’t.

The two dukes, Helena, and I watched the exchange between the king and the Crown Prince sitting opposite each other, keeping our mouths firmly shut.

Though present as dukes and meritorious subjects, we wouldn’t intervene unless the king lost his mind.

“…I think we need to discuss this in more detail, if that’s alright?”

“Of course. Please speak. We have plenty of time.”

Grinning, the king extended his hand toward the Crown Prince who was struggling to speak, as if urging him to continue.

.

Despite having entered when the sun was high in the sky, sunset was already approaching.

Richard headed straight for the command tent in the barracks where nobles supporting him, as well as trembling war faction nobles, would be waiting.

In his possession was a contract based on his discussions with the King of Sotern, stamped with the royal seals of each country.

It was among the most authoritative official documents, marking an irrevocable agreement.

“Your Highness! What of His Majesty…?!”

“He is safe. More importantly, I have matters to discuss, so please take your seats.”

Richard calmed an overly dramatic noble as he entered the tent and took the highest seat.

Though everything had been planned, the detailed discussions and negotiations that had become more like candid debates had left him quite exhausted.

However, he couldn’t show weakness before the nobles, so the Crown Prince gathered his wits and pulled out the contract from his breast pocket.

He had gathered the opinions of the nobles here before entering Solont Castle, but he was prepared for potential resistance.

“This is outrageous! The Emperor’s abdication?! This is interference in our internal affairs!”

As expected, starting with one of the war faction nobles, most of them began voicing opposition.

Among them was the young man who was Richard’s brother and the current Second Prince.

Perfect. Richard inwardly smiled with venom while outwardly raising his voice in apparent anger, slamming his hand on the table.

“Then what would you have us do?! Violate a contract already sealed with the royal seal?! Though relations between nations may be governed by power dynamics, we have clearly been defeated! The Empire’s Sword, Count Helix, has lost his head, and even His Majesty was captured!”

“B-but…”

“Enough with your ‘buts’! In fact, isn’t today’s defeat and the loss of countless soldiers due to you all who didn’t restrain His Majesty but subtly encouraged war?! Have you still not come to your senses?!”

At Richard’s voice, which subtly and clearly placed responsibility on the war faction, all the nobles began to shrink back.

They realized how heavy their responsibility was for encouraging such a disaster only to fail.

What if they avoided responsibility or rebelled against bearing such a heavy burden?

In that case, he planned to hold them clearly accountable and make them pay an even greater price.

The faction following the Crown Prince had sufficient justification.

The justification that they had caused innocent lives and resources to be lost and brought great damage to the Empire through a reckless war.

“Everyone must take responsibility! Those who opposed the war may feel wronged, but we who ultimately followed also bear clear responsibility! But if you who encouraged the war only resist like this, I have no choice but to demand even greater accountability!”

Moreover, breaking a document sealed with the royal seal would shatter the Empire’s trust and prestige.

The Crown Prince emphasized this point once more, completely suppressing the nobles who had been raising voices of opposition.

Perhaps because of this, the air in the conference room felt heavy, as if pressing down on their chests.

“Huff… Now that everyone seems to understand, I’ll say no more. Stay here tonight, but prepare to withdraw early tomorrow. Is that clear?”

“We will follow your orders!”

As nobles, they couldn’t break trust and justification.

The moment they did, no matter how much they resisted, they would only fall into a deeper abyss.

All the nobles seated here knew this, and so they had no choice but to bow their heads.