Chapter 294

A chilling silence filled the room.

It was a surreal situation.

As everyone stood frozen in shock, a few individuals, driven by their survival instincts, quickly reacted.

“I-I pledge my loyalty!”

“I-I have always supported Prince… No, Crown Prince Adolf from the bottom of my heart!”

The officials knelt, shouting at the top of their lungs.

It was always difficult to be the first, but once someone broke the ice, the others followed suit.

“I-I also support Crown Prince Adolf!”

“As do I!”

“Only Crown Prince Adolf is worthy of the throne!”

The officials scrambled to kneel, desperate to save their lives.

“Oh?”

Adolf, who had been wiping the blood off his hand with a white handkerchief, smiled, a twisted expression on his face.

“Good. I’m a man of my word. I’ll spare those who have pledged their loyalty to me. Now, devote yourselves to your duties.”

“T-Thank you! Thank you, Crown Prince Adolf!”

“We will serve you like loyal dogs and horses!”

“Long live Crown Prince Adolf!”

The officials who had narrowly escaped death sighed in relief, wagging their tails like dogs.

But,

There were a few officials who stood frozen in place, their faces grim.

They were the ones who supported the First Princess.

Some of them had betrayed her to save their lives, but not these few.

They were men of principle, who couldn’t tolerate betrayal.

They had already accepted their fate and shouted at Adolf defiantly.

“God is watching your cruel actions!”

“You will never succeed! The only one worthy of the throne is Princess Oscar!”

“You will die a miserable death, mark my words!”

Their final defiance.

But Adolf wasn’t angry.

No, he actually laughed out loud.

“Hahaha, how pathetic. You fools have no other way to live but to cling to your principles.”

He spoke as if he was a superior being looking down on inferior creatures.

He wasn’t pretending.

That was his genuine belief.

“Get rid of them.”

“Yes, Crown Prince Adolf!”

The soldiers charged at the princess faction officials, slaughtering them without mercy.

Blood splattered, and mangled bodies piled up.

The surviving officials, witnessing the gruesome deaths, felt a surge of conviction, certain that they had made the right choice.

Now, only one thing remained.

Adolf’s gaze shifted to his siblings.

The late Emperor had been a virile man, and he had over ten children.

All of them were present.

Except for the First Princess.

“What a shame. Only weeds, no worthy flowers.”

Adolf said with a strange smile.

The flower of the Imperial family.

Oscar Persia.

The only sibling he acknowledged as a rival.

If she had arrived earlier, things might have been more difficult.

‘No, she’s not that naive.’

Adolf shook his head.

She was a sharp woman, and she would have made preparations before their father’s death.

She would have rallied her supporters.

This was cleaner.

Without their father, she couldn’t do anything in the Imperial Palace.

“C-Crown Prince brother! I will follow you, of course!”

“M-Me too, Crown Prince brother!”

“I-I will live quietly in a corner and pray for your glory!”

His siblings wagged their tails like dogs.

They were insignificant, so there was no harm in sparing their lives.

But they were unfortunate.

Because Adolf wasn’t that kind of person.

“You’re not my subjects.”

“Huh…?”

“W-What do you mean…?”

“A strong monarchy doesn’t need family. History has taught us that.”

Adolf’s words were cold and heartless.

His siblings’ faces turned pale.

“B-Brother!”

“T-This is unlawful!”

“P-Please spare us!”

“S-Spare our lives!”

They knelt, begging for mercy, their faces streaked with tears.

They had done nothing wrong.

Their only crime was being related to Adolf.

“Silence them permanently.”

“Yes, Crown Prince Adolf!”

*Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!*

“Ugh!”

“Kyaaa!”

“Argh!”

His siblings were slaughtered.

The officials didn’t even dare to breathe.

His inhuman cruelty.

He was not fit to be a ruler.

But they also knew.

That in a power struggle, the cruel and ruthless were the ones who emerged victorious.

So they clung to their conviction, certain that they had made the right choice, even as they were horrified by his actions.

“Good. This place is clean now.”

An act of unspeakable cruelty, committed in the presence of their deceased father’s body.

But it was a perfect display of Adolf’s ruthlessness.

He didn’t care about morality or decency.

He was cold and calculating, unfazed by the carnage he had unleashed.

No one could defeat such a person in a power struggle.

No one.

But,

Adolf knew.

That there was another monster among his siblings.

Nothing was over until he had eliminated her.

“Don’t raise the mourning flag yet.”

It was customary to raise the mourning flag immediately after the Emperor’s death, to inform the entire Imperial Capital.

The officials looked at him in confusion.

But their confusion was soon cleared.

“I can’t just let my dear sister go, can I?”

Adolf smiled, a sinister glint in his eyes.

The officials realized.

That he was planning to eliminate his only remaining sister.

Perhaps it was for the best.

No, it was definitely for the best.

For the sake of the Empire and its people.

If Princess Oscar survived, the Empire would be plunged into a civil war, and countless lives would be lost.

“I’ll take care of it, Crown Prince Adolf.”

An old knight replied.

The captain of the Imperial Knights.

Vinchel Vandrayne, the Sword Saint, renowned as the Empire’s greatest swordsman.

He had also sided with Adolf.

Because he believed that only a legitimate heir could bring stability to the Empire.

“Good. I trust you.”

Adolf smiled.

Vinchel was different from the others.

He was a man of great skill and integrity.

He could be trusted.

“There’s no need to capture her alive. Eliminate her.”

* * *

*Rumble, rumble, rumble!*

A large, ornate carriage sped through the gates of the Imperial Capital.

The carriage’s appearance alone indicated that its occupant was of high status.

It was then.

“Stop the carriage.”

“Whoa!”

The coachman abruptly stopped the carriage at the sound of a woman’s voice from inside.

*Neigh!*

The horses whinnied as the carriage came to a sudden halt.

“W-What is it, Your Highness?”

The flustered coachman asked.

“Something feels off.”

“Huh?”

The coachman tilted his head in confusion.

It had been a while since he had last been to the Imperial Capital.

But the surroundings looked the same as he remembered.

The bustling streets.

People going about their daily lives.

The sounds of beggars pleading for alms, people chatting loudly, merchants haggling with customers… A cacophony of sounds filled the air.

There was nothing unusual about it.

“What do you mean…?”

“There are no children.”

“Huh?”

The coachman finally noticed that there were no children in sight.

It was… definitely strange.

“Can you turn the carriage around?”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness.”

The coachman turned the carriage around.

At that moment,

The peaceful and bustling atmosphere changed dramatically.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Arrows rained down from all directions.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The coachman was killed instantly, his body riddled with arrows, before he could even scream.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Countless arrows pierced the carriage.

No, they penetrated the carriage, their sharp tips protruding from the other side.

If anyone had been inside, they would have been killed instantly.

But no one emerged from the carriage.

Were they dead?

But that was impossible.

Even the attackers knew that.

“Damn it, was she even in there?”

Marius, the vice-captain of the Imperial Knights, frowned.

If someone else had been in the carriage instead of their target, it would explain the current situation.

“Check it out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Marius nodded at the soldiers, following Captain Vinchel’s orders.

“Check the carriage.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers rushed towards the carriage, surrounding it.

And then,

*Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!*

They thrust their spears into the carriage from all sides.

One final confirmation.

They exchanged glances and then threw open the doors.

At that moment,

Their eyes widened in confusion.

“Huh?”

“What? There’s no one here…”

They had clearly heard a woman’s voice from inside the carriage.

It couldn’t have been their imagination.

They scanned the carriage, their eyes filled with confusion.

It was then.

Something glinted beneath the carriage.

*Slash!*

“Aaaargh!”

“Ugh!”

The soldiers screamed in agony.

Their bodies collapsed.

Their legs had been severed.

A pool of blood spread around the carriage.

Everyone’s expressions changed.

“The princess!”

Vinchel was the first to react.

Marius and the other Imperial Knights followed him.

“Close the gates!”

*Rumble!*

The city gates were already closing, even before he finished giving the order.

*Boom!*

The gates of the Imperial Capital slammed shut.

There was no way to escape, unless you could fly.

Princess Oscar, who had been running towards the gates, stopped.

The Imperial Knights also stopped in front of her.

Behind them, knights and soldiers formed a wall, blocking her escape.

It was a desperate situation.

But the princess smiled.

“Haha, I’ve been outsmarted by my brother. I never imagined he would stoop so low.”

“Silence.”

Marius frowned.

But the princess ignored him.

“What do you say? Why don’t you follow me instead of that beastly brother of mine?”

“How dare you!”

*Swoosh.*

Vinchel raised his hand, stopping Marius.

“Oh my, even the Sword Saint. I didn’t know you had a taste for beasts.”

“Accept your fate, Princess. It’s the only way to ensure that your body remains intact.”

“Haha, I don’t mind if my body is torn to shreds. But there’s something that’s bothering me. You came here to kill me, but why are there so few Imperial Knights?”

There were supposed to be eight Imperial Knights, even though the total number was less than ten.

But there were only four present.

The princess’s question was sharp.

Vinchel’s expression remained neutral.

But the other Imperial Knights’ faces stiffened slightly.

“Isn’t that right, senior?”

The princess smiled, her gaze fixed on someone.

Justino Henatus, the Lion of Scorching Heat.

The graduate senior who had always been second to Regina Ehrenbert.

But he was a talented individual, and he had already earned the qualification to become an Imperial Knight before graduation.

And his presence here had another significant meaning.

It meant that the Henatus family, one of the three great martial families and the dominant force in the south, supported Adolf.

“…”

Justino didn’t answer.

But the princess didn’t need an answer.

She already understood the situation.

“I see. It’s impossible for all the Imperial Knights to follow that beastly brother of mine. They must have been eliminated.”

“Enough. You’ve had enough time.”

Vinchel took off his cloak.

A strange sight was revealed.

Ten swords of varying lengths were strapped to his body.

No one else would carry so many weapons.

But the princess wasn’t surprised.

Because she already knew.

“Haha, do you think it’s over just because you’ve taken control of the Imperial Capital? The Imperial Capital isn’t the entire Empire.”

Vinchel ignored her words and raised his hand.

And then,

*Swoosh!*

Ten swords were drawn simultaneously, floating in the air.

It was a terrifying sight.

It was the Sword Control Technique that had earned him the title of Sword Saint.

Vinchel gestured again, and the ten swords shot towards the princess like a storm.

Each sword radiated a powerful aura, their attacks formidable.

Even a Master wouldn’t be able to withstand them.

“Ah, the Sword Control Technique.”

The princess drew her sword.

*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Her sword, facing the formidable Sword Control Technique, seemed incredibly light.

As if it weighed nothing at all.

But her movements were fluid and graceful, and with each swing of her sword, the space around her seemed to distort.

But everyone saw only death.

The princess’s gruesome death.

But,

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The ten swords were repelled, as if by an invisible force.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

Even Vinchel’s expression, which had been neutral until now, hardened.

The princess’s skill was far beyond what he had expected.

“It’s called Spatial Slash. Quite impressive, isn’t it?”

The princess grinned.

It was one of her secret techniques, Spatial Slash.

A sword that cut through space.

Its power was enough to repel the Sword Control Technique.

“Then let me ask you again. Do you think it’s over just because you’ve blocked the main gate? There are many other ways to leave the Imperial Capital. It’s practically my home, I know all the secret passages.”

Before she even finished speaking, the princess moved.

*Step.*

*Step.*

Her light footsteps, leaving no trace, covered an incredible distance with each step.

“Stop her!”

Marius shouted, chasing after her.

The other Imperial Knights also moved.

Vinchel’s ten swords pursued the princess relentlessly.

“Here’s a present.”

*Boom!*

The carriage the princess had arrived in exploded.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Those nearby were caught in the explosion, their bodies torn to shreds.

A gap appeared in the encirclement.

The princess dashed through the gap without hesitation.

“Haha, I always make preparations.”

The princess chuckled, her words full of meaning.

“D-Damn it!”

Marius’s face contorted with rage.

“Don’t let her escape!”

Vinchel also shouted, his expression grim.

And so, the chase began.

But they soon realized.

That it was impossible to catch the princess, who knew the Imperial Capital like the back of her hand, now that she had a head start.

* * *

Princess Oscar had disappeared.

The news of her disappearance, relayed through a communication device, shook Lepheria Academy the next day.

* * *

“The time has come.”

And I immediately made my move.