Chapter 123: Heroes Gathering at Hwangdo

Southern Gate of Hwangdo

Late at night.

At the outskirts of Hwangdo, carriages bearing the kingdom’s flag and soldiers arrived.

They were an envoy sent from the kingdom, led by the princess.

“Indeed, the empire is truly vast.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It is so large that even the imperial family seems to grant nobles a certain degree of independent authority.”

At the words of her royal guard, Levia nodded.

Unlike the nobles of the kingdom, who had surrendered most of their authority to the central government, the empire’s nobles were granted some degree of autonomy.

“That makes sense. Just crossing the border and passing through several noble territories took so long. And we even declined the hospitality offered along the way. It took too long to reach Hwangdo. With such a vast land, controlling everything from the capital must be difficult.”

In the kingdom, one could travel across the entire nation in a day.

But in the empire, even several days wouldn’t be enough.

That was how vast and immense the empire was.

“That’s why it has supported our kingdom for so long, isn’t it?”

“Let’s hurry. We must have an audience with the emperor.”

The emperor was said to be incompetent.

However, the fact that the empire still functioned well suggested otherwise.

“Your Highness, look over there!”

“What is it?”

“A strange group is entering that waterway!”

It was indeed a suspicious group.

No one with good intentions would sneak into Hwangdo through a waterway.

“I can sense strong demonic energy. These are demons!”

“There is a disturbance in Hwangdo! We must inform the Hwangdo army!”

“Yes!”

Something was going terribly wrong.

The kingdom’s envoy quickly approached the guards at the southern gate.

“Stop! Identify yourselves!”

“We are an envoy from the royal capital!”

At those words, the guards stationed at Hwangdo’s southern gate stirred.

Their reaction was not one of mere surprise.

Perhaps it was natural—they had arrived earlier than expected.

“We did hear that the princess’s envoy was coming, but what is the matter?”

“Intruders have infiltrated the waterway!”

“Intruders? In that case…”

The man who appeared to be the commander of the southern gate raised his hand.

At his signal, the soldiers under his command simultaneously raised their rifles and aimed at the kingdom’s troops.

“W-what is this? Why is the Hwangdo army…!”

“If we capture the princess here, the empire and the kingdom will be forced apart.”

The empire wouldn’t try to assassinate the heir to the kingdom.

No matter how reckless the emperor was, this was undoubtedly related to those intruders.

And those intruders were certainly rebels.

“Your Highness! It seems to be a rebellion!”

‘A rebellion? Had the emperor earned more hatred from the nobles than expected?’

“Damn it. Kingdom soldiers! We cannot just stand by and watch our ally in crisis!”

“But we don’t know the enemy’s numbers! We also don’t know how much of the Hwangdo army has turned against us!”

“That was true. The soldiers meant to protect Hwangdo were now pointing their guns at the kingdom’s envoy. That meant there was no way of knowing how much of the military had defected. The troops guarding the envoy alone wouldn’t be enough. If the rebels intended to overthrow the imperial family, they needed to call upon a house with unwavering loyalty to the throne.”

“I heard that at least half of the Hwangdo military commanders are from Ashtar. Not all of them can be involved in this. Just in case, Martiel, go to Ashtar and bring reinforcements!”

Martiel was sent to Ashtar.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Sister?”

“We have no choice. We can’t ignore an ally in peril! If I’m in danger, you must survive and prepare for what comes next in the kingdom! Shield-bearers, block the bullets!”

Levia sent Martiel to Ashtar.

Then, she drew her sword and charged at the rebels.

***

Eastern Gate of Hwangdo

At Hwangdo’s eastern gate, Princess Amelia, who had lived among the barbarians for a long time, had finally returned to the capital.

The journey wasn’t long, as the region wasn’t too far away, but she hadn’t come because she wanted to.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw Hwangdo.”

“Indeed, Your Highness.”

At her lieutenant’s words, Amelia stretched her arms.

It was both a distant and a close place.

“Master is too much. Leaving his disciple behind to manage Crad Castle.”

“Well, at least you’ll get to meet Lady Ashtar, won’t you?”

There was some truth to that.

Her master leaving for Crad Castle was unavoidable, but at least she would be able to see an old friend.

“I suppose I will be seeing an old companion.”

“And what about Her Majesty?”

“What’s the point of seeing that foolish old woman? I have no desire to.”

If she went, she would only see a woman who refused to act her age, lazing about in the palace.

“But still, Her Majesty is—”

“What?”

“Ah, no. I just meant that Her Majesty is still like a blazing sun, isn’t she?”

“Does appearance matter? What’s inside is what’s important. I keep telling you, my mother is not fit for the throne.”

She had always thought so.

Looks didn’t matter.

What was inside was what counted.

How could an emperor—no, how could a woman act so recklessly in the imperial palace?

If she truly wanted to live that way, she should either step down from the throne and take up a military position like Amelia or live a quiet life in obscurity.

“Then, Your Highness, are you considering inheriting the throne?”

At her lieutenant’s words, Amelia frowned.

“Are you insane? Regardless of who rules, the empire is governed by the council. One person locked away in the palace is more than enough.”

Life was too precious to waste on such a role.

“That is true.”

“See? That’s why that lunatic woman parades around half-naked. Being trapped in that place would drive anyone mad.”

Of course, compared to the palaces of the kingdom or other small nations, the imperial palace was on a completely different level.

“Well, at least there’s no rebellion. That’s a relief, isn’t it?”

“No. It looks like it’s begun.”

“Huh?”

Princess Amelia’s gaze was fixed somewhere.

It was on the suspicious figures entering the waterways near the east gate.

“Intruders are making their way into the east gate. And the one guarding it dares to glare at us. My brother could be in danger.”

‘What in the world is Mother doing for things to turn out like this? No, more importantly, what is the gatekeeper doing?’

Peeking at the gate, she saw people who appeared to be from the military emerging.

Something was definitely going wrong.

“Is that not the princess!”

“What is the meaning of this?”

They were laughing in front of the princess.

Such insolence was beyond rude.

“His Majesty has ordered that the princess disarm before entering!”

“Oh?”

What utter nonsense.

Everyone in the empire knew she had no intention of rebelling.

Yet, they dared to treat her as a traitor by demanding she disarm?

“Don’t talk nonsense! I know His Majesty well. Who do you think you are to lie in front of me?!”

“If you insist, then we have no choice but to subdue you by force!”

Amelia’s eyebrow twitched.

‘Something had definitely happened in the capital. And if this had been carefully planned?’

The only ones who came to mind were the nobles.

With Ashtar on their side, any persuasion efforts would likely be limited to the troops stationed near the gates from their own territories.

No, they had probably stationed their own men at the gates from the start.

That meant their numbers wouldn’t be large.

In that case, striking first was the best option.

Shooting even a moment earlier would minimize losses and allow them to push into the capital.

The enemy seemed prepared for combat, but Amelia’s soldiers had actual battlefield experience—they were stronger.

“What are you all waiting for?! Break through the gates!”

“Wait, Princess! If we do this, won’t we be declared rebels? Shouldn’t we wait and see how the military reacts?”

“Are you even listening to yourself? That’s impossible. The moment they speak of subjugation, it’s already over.”

“Look at them. Those men aren’t from Ashtar. If they were, they wouldn’t dare treat us this way.”

“Then… this is a rebellion?”

“We have no artillery, so we need to fire as many shots as possible to minimize casualties! Shoot!”

“Yes! Soldiers, raise your rifles!”

Amelia’s soldiers stepped forward and aimed their rifles at the imperial troops guarding the east gate.

Bang! Bang, bang, bang!

A battle broke out at the east gate between the rebels and Amelia’s forces.

***

I teleported to the headquarters of the Imperial Capital Army.

“Who goes there?!”

“Someone dares to charge into the Imperial Military Headquarters?!”

Fortunately, some soldiers were still awake at this hour.

This was no time to be relieved.

“I am Olivia Rapha Ashtar. Where are you all from?”

“The Ashtar lady?”

“What brings the saintess here at this hour?”

‘They’re from Ashtar’s territory. Good. They recognized me immediately and bowed their heads. This is why having people from your own domain is useful.’

As the daughter of the Ashtar family, I outranked them.

“Judging by your reactions, you’re all from the Ashtar domain.”

“What’s going on?”

“What about those from other noble families?”

“Now that you mention it, the other commanders aren’t around today…”

‘Idiots. Just because they’re in the same capital army, they let their guard down too much.’

“During an interrogation, an anti-imperialist captured in the Plant territory confessed that they planned to overthrow the capital. Anyone who already harbored resentment toward Ashtar or the imperial family is likely in on this plot!”

I had to get the truth across somehow.

They were elite soldiers—they should understand what I meant.

“Damn it! We need to mobilize the troops!”

“Summon the capital army!”

‘Good. That should be enough for now. Now, the only things left are the imperial palace and Atlerina. Prioritizing them, the imperial palace comes first, but the palace has maids trained by the assassin guild.’

I’d be executed the moment I stepped in.

Besides, since this operation was conducted in secret at night, even the minimal palace guards wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

I had Syria order Bernoa to protect the church and mobilize the remaining nuns.’

“So, where do we go?”

“Did you leave it to the bear?”

“Of course.”

‘How carefree. Honestly, I’m jealous. Maybe I should switch to being a puppeteer. The problem is that those who act as hands and feet are still human.’

“We’re going to Atlerina.”

I had to go there and save the prince.

***

“What the hell is going on? Strange black figures are invading Atlerina!”

“You showed up at just the right time. You have no idea what’s happening, do you?”

‘Those entering Atlerina… are they demons? This is getting serious.’

I had Syria unleash the bears.

Before long, the church knights would probably start moving too.

“But where’s Claire?”

“I planned to go to my domain during the break, so I told her to stay there.”

Besides, there was something suspicious about Claire.

If my suspicions were correct, I had no reason to keep her here.

She’d only be an inconvenience.

Even without Claire, the nuns in the church were essentially my private soldiers, so I had no need for direct help from the assassin guild.

Before the intruders in Atlerina could act, I struck with the bears and moved to find the prince.

“There aren’t as many of them as I expected.”

“Maybe they sent more to the palace.”

‘The rebels’ ultimate goal was to eliminate the royal family. So they must have targeted both locations at once—swiftly and decisively.’

“Then they only plan to take out the royal family?”

“That alone would be enough to upend the empire.”

From the nobles’ perspective, they could also use this opportunity to take down Ashtar.

“Aren’t they going too far against us?”

“If we weren’t here, Atlerina would’ve already fallen.”

To be honest, the situation was still dangerous.

Depending on how things unfolded, the demons could focus solely on the prince, and we wouldn’t be able to predict what might happen.

There was even a possibility that Amelia could be targeted as well.

Whether the rebels had the power to subdue Amelia remained to be seen.

When we arrived at Atlerina, we were met with a bizarre scene.

“Students, gather quickly!”

‘Oh, the prince. Aslan was gathering students alongside Yuria.’