Ch.163163. The Imperial Succession War

# The New Resistance’s large-scale attack was recorded as an event that brought great shock to the Infractus Empire.

Although the Academy had already allowed several raids, they had inspected their security systems and established solid defenses after each incident.

Recently, an inspection team from the Imperial Palace had verified everything was in order, which made it all the more problematic that 300 giant mechs had penetrated the security system without shedding blood.

Since Demeia Academy housed the empire’s noble children and talented individuals, they had rebuilt their security system to be even higher than the Imperial Palace after the previous raid incidents.

This was to prevent any further unfortunate incidents like this one from happening again.

But despite these efforts, the New Resistance led 300 giant mechs and turned the Academy into a wasteland. Despite swift initial countermeasures, the casualties were enormous.

Professors, cadets, servants, nobles, and commoners alike closed their eyes in death under the merciless bombardment, with bodies too damaged to be properly recovered.

The professors and cadets who fought back on their giant mechs met the same fate. Unable to overcome their numerical disadvantage, they perished in battle.

Thanks to their sacrifice, complete annihilation was avoided, but this wasn’t something that could be simply concluded. It was no exaggeration to say that the Academy had effectively collapsed.

When the worst-case scenario finally arrived, the Empire, which had remained silent until now, finally lifted its heavy posterior and began to take action. After news of Demeia Academy’s fall reached the Imperial Palace, an emergency imperial council was convened.

“Your Majesty. We cannot leave these rebels unchecked.”

“I know. I have no intention of letting those traitors be.”

The man who was a great hero of the Empire since his days as Crown Prince, who had waged wars of conquest, and who now ruled as the sovereign of the great Infractus.

Emperor Julius Triumphus Infractus, despite his advanced age, surveyed the ministers gathered in the great hall with eyes full of vigor.

The current Infractus Empire operated under a system where power was concentrated in Emperor Julius, based on strong imperial authority.

During the previous emperor’s era, relatively conciliatory policies had been implemented, with power divided between the imperial faction and the noble faction. However, the situation changed when Crown Prince Julius, who had gone to war, became a war hero.

Already revered as a war hero, Julius began full-scale conquest wars as soon as he inherited the imperial throne. From war hero to war monarch, he mounted giant mechs and scourged the continent, swallowing up a significant portion of it.

But that wasn’t all. Emperor Julius was also a man with innate political acumen. He used the wars to purge the noble faction that had gained power during the previous emperor’s reign.

He secretly fed them the sweet poison of military achievements in the conquest wars and plotted cold-blooded murder schemes to ensure they would die after serving their purpose on the battlefield.

The emperor’s secret plan, thoroughly executed to prevent the noble faction’s rise to power, was perfectly timed. The noble faction’s participation in the war, blinded by military achievements, greatly weakened their influence, while conversely strengthening the imperial faction.

Of course, the noble faction wasn’t completely gone. The Marquis Jermin family, one of the founding contributors to the empire, still exerted significant influence in imperial politics.

However, the emperor didn’t go so far as to uproot the noble faction entirely. This was to check the imperial faction nobles who might turn against him at any time, while simultaneously breaking the noble faction’s dominance.

No matter how much the nobles proclaimed their loyalty to the emperor, he didn’t overlook the possibility that they could switch back to the noble faction at any time.

After all, even the imperial faction members were still nobles. If they gained the same power as the previous noble faction, the emperor judged they might harbor different ambitions.

In the end, it was no exaggeration to say that the current political landscape of the Infractus Imperial Court was created and maintained by the current emperor.

“I ask you all. How should we deal with these traitors who dare to rebel against the empire?”

“It is right to uproot them completely. Despite having suppressed these rebels once before, they have reappeared under the name of the New Resistance. If we fail to completely eliminate them this time, I believe the same events will repeat themselves.”

“You speak correctly. However, that is not what I am asking. The suppression of the rebels is already predetermined. What I truly wish to hear are your methods.”

The emperor’s sharp gaze turned toward the nobles participating in the imperial council. Holding absolute power, the emperor emanated an intense aura that could kill with just a glance.

Nobles with weak political foundations avoided the emperor’s gaze. Though they were central nobles with enough influence to enter the palace, they lacked sufficient standing to have a voice in the imperial council.

Conversely, nobles with high speaking authority in the imperial council did not avoid the emperor’s gaze. This was both a task and an opportunity given to them by Emperor Julius.

The emperor, who rarely relinquished what he held, seldom asked for opinions in this manner. He usually waited for them to present their views and then took on the role of judging after hearing them.

But this time, he exceptionally asked for their opinions first.

What could this mean?

Those who had navigated the treacherous imperial political scene for decades could easily discern the emperor’s hidden intent.

“May I offer a word, Your Majesty?”

“You may speak.”

Marquis Reginald Russell Malkirab, from one of the founding families of Infractus, was granted permission to speak.

The Malkirab family had long been a pro-imperial noble house. Marquis Reginald, in particular, showed the strongest pro-imperial tendencies among all the family heads and had fought alongside Julius when he was still Crown Prince during the conquest wars.

From the Malkirab family, known for their exceptional swordsmanship for generations, Reginald stood out particularly. He achieved great military feats during the conquest wars and became one of Emperor Julius’s closest confidants.

Recently, his reputation was further enhanced as the father of Briana Tepeo Malkirab, renowned as the Sword Saint. Rumors abounded that he was the second most powerful figure in imperial politics after the emperor.

Although his daughter had renounced her position as family head to become a professor at the Academy, she was still a member of the Malkirab family. Having a family with asymmetric military power like the Sword Saint made keeping Marquis Reginald close a matter not even worth considering for the emperor.

“It has been quite some time since the rebel group called the Resistance rose up against the empire. These vermin, who had been showing themselves bit by bit using guerrilla tactics, have recently begun to commit bold acts such as attacking Demeia Academy. Although Her Highness Princess Seraphina personally suppressed those named the Old Resistance, she failed to uproot these rebel groups. As a result, the New Resistance that caused the current situation was born.”

Marquis Reginald calmly summarized the situation. Having spent his youth on battlefields, he was concise and focused on the essentials.

“These rebels desire the empire to become a republic like Respublica. They do not consider how delusional their so-called ‘great cause’ of citizen rule is, nor how it would cause social chaos.”

Marquis Reginald’s words were not wrong. The history of the world before Gilbert’s possession proved this. While the ideal of democracy itself might be worthy of praise from the common people, one should not overlook that tens of thousands of citizens were sacrificed for it.

Though there is no freedom without sacrifice, the resulting economic chaos led to numerous deaths from starvation and the advent of an era of anomie.

Even then, equal rights were not given to all citizens; the revolution resulted in a form where high-status bourgeois elite men monopolized power.

In the end, there still existed socially vulnerable classes who were eliminated and ignored. This revealed that the world is never fair to everyone.

“We cannot continue to overlook this. Now that they have demonstrated the capability to overthrow Demeia Academy, the empire must also show its strength. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty, the sun of the empire: it seems necessary to both eradicate these rebel groups and proceed with the heir designation that has been postponed until now.”

Having finished speaking, Marquis Reginald bowed his head. The ministers who had been watching him also bowed their heads as soon as they heard his statement.

The emperor silently observed his subjects bowing to him, then spoke while maintaining the heavy atmosphere.

“All of you, raise your heads. I feel enlightened by Marquis Reginald’s loyal counsel. The marquis’s opinion is indeed correct. I have been postponing the heir designation, striving to find someone worthy of the position, but I too recognize that the time has come.”

For just a moment, the emperor’s eyes met with Marquis Reginald’s. It was such a brief instant that no one noticed, but all of this had been orchestrated by the emperor himself.

Decades had passed since Emperor Julius took power. During that time, he had raised princes and princesses to adulthood but continued to postpone designating his successor.

The reason was simple. He wanted to pass the throne to the child most like himself, and for that purpose, he had been testing and observing them at every moment. During this time, there were princes and princesses who had caught his eye, but he still felt they were lacking.

The current peaceful climate of the continent made it difficult to find someone like himself, a war monarch, who could pass his standard.

That’s why he intended to entrust the suppression of the Resistance entirely to his children. He judged that completely uprooting the dissidents who had dared to bring their blades to the empire’s throat would serve as the benchmark.

This was also why he had held a secret meeting with his closest confidant, Marquis Reginald, before the imperial council. It was for the marquis to naturally bring up the topic of heir designation, to which he would respond positively.

It was an excellent groundwork for the heir designation.

“I hereby declare: this suppression of the Resistance is not merely about eliminating the rebel group. I will name as heir the one who restores the empire’s wounded honor by eliminating even the slightest possibility of rebellion.”

“‘A wise decision, Your Majesty.'”

The quick-witted nobles realized this was what the emperor truly wanted and bowed their heads once more.

Thus began the prelude to the imperial succession battle.

***

[Main Scenario: The Imperial Succession Battle has begun.]

Gilbert, seeing the sudden notification window, realized once again that the scenario he knew had gone off course.