Returning What Was Given

The Imperial Assembly.

In the grand yet somehow stifling assembly hall, the white-haired chairman seated at the highest position opened his mouth with a solemn voice.

“I now call the Imperial Assembly to order.”

Below the podium, assembly members dressed in traditional attire sat in rows with stern expressions.

A tense atmosphere surrounded them.

Some members exchanged glances with those beside them, or whispered secretly with their hands covering their mouths.

Each was busily calculating their position on the agenda to be proposed today.

“The agenda to be dealt with today concerns the ‘Resolution to Halt the Southern Corps Reorganization.’ Since the details of the agenda were sufficiently discussed in the last meeting, we will proceed directly to the lower house vote.”

Loen Franz’s radical corps reorganization.

For some, it was innovation for the Empire’s future, but for others, it was a destabilizing factor threatening their vested interests.

With the chairman’s declaration, the lower house members began voting.

The members pressed magical orbs in their hands to convey their intentions.

After a moment.

“Result of the lower house vote.”

The chairman’s voice echoed through the assembly hall.

“Passed.”

With the announcement of passage, satisfied smiles flashed across the faces of some members.

The expressions of faction members supporting the Prince were particularly explicit.

As if they had known all along.

But they quickly managed their expressions.

The biggest hurdle, the upper house vote, still remained.

“We will now proceed with the upper house vote.”

Now attention shifted to the mere ten upper house members seated closest to the podium.

With imperial family conflicts at their peak, their decision was more important than ever.

One, two… the upper house members carefully placed their hands on the magical orbs.

Except for the faint light emitted by the voting orbs, no sound was heard.

A breathtaking silence fell.

For the members, this was their battlefield, and cold sweat seeped into their clothes as it ran down the backs of their necks.

The voting ended and the results were delivered to the chairman.

The white eyebrows of the chairman, having confirmed the result, twitched ever so slightly.

He opened his mouth.

“Upper house vote result.”

The chairman slowly raised his head.

“Rejected.”

The resolution to halt the Southern Corps reorganization.

Final rejection by the upper house.

At that moment, suppressed breaths erupted from various parts of the assembly hall.

Some exhaled sighs of relief, others deep sighs mixed with anger.

In the end, the ban on corps reorganization could not overcome the wall of the upper house.

It was a moment when another attempt to put the brakes on the Franz family’s influence and Loen’s actions was thwarted.

But everyone in the meeting hall knew.

That this was by no means the end.

The endless battle of spear and shield had just begun.

After a few more agenda items were processed, the chairman finally declared the adjournment.

“This concludes today’s assembly.”

Thud, thud, thud.

The heavy hammer sound reverberated through the high ceiling of the assembly hall, leaving a long echo.

As soon as the assembly ended, some upper house members rose from their seats, fuming.

They headed toward a high-end restaurant on the outskirts of the capital with hardened faces.

 

Inside a secret room with multiple layers of soundproofing magic.

Anger and discontent filled the faces of the members seated around a table laid with expensive alcohol and food.

Borel, a member with wrinkled skin, pounded the table with his fist and burst into a thunderous voice.

“How outrageous! It’s obvious she’s trying to turn the corps into her private army by pouring money like water, and we’re just supposed to watch? Are they in their right minds!”

“Indeed. I’m deeply concerned about the future of the Empire.”

Among these self-proclaimed loyal subjects of the Empire, someone cautiously muttered.

“At this rate, could she really march on the capital with the Southern Corps?”

Of course, it was nonsense.

This was because the imperial code clearly stated, ‘An imperial corps cannot leave its jurisdiction without imperial permission.’

Even the assembly members gathered here knew well that violating this would be considered ‘treason.’

But truth didn’t matter to them.

What mattered was building a justification for their actions by portraying Loen Franz as a threatening figure.

“It’s entirely possible. I know because I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.”

He raised his voice.

“The cruel act of cutting off the Grand Duke’s wrist at the imperial banquet. At that moment, I was convinced. That woman was born with the fate of a usurper who will one day commit treason.”

“Indeed…!”

The members nodded vigorously, strongly agreeing with each other’s forced arguments.

They were more skilled than anyone at making what they wanted to believe and what was advantageous to them into truth.

After an extended exchange of criticisms and explicit curses about Loen, someone asked Member Borel, the central figure of this gathering.

“Member Borel. What are your plans?”

As the heated atmosphere subsided, cold calculations began again.

Member Borel stroked his chin beard and smiled maliciously.

“For now, I plan to attempt contact with other upper house members who are maintaining neutrality. To ensure the agenda passes in the next revote, I’ll employ every means and method to persuade… no, pressure them.”

Clatter.

Just as Borel was about to continue.

The door opened carefully, and a young assistant entered with an urgent expression.

He bowed to Borel and reported in a whisper.

“Assemblyman. Urgent information just came in. Loen Franz has been spotted at the capital train station.”

Suddenly, the air in the room turned cold.

The movements of the noisy assembly members all stopped at once.

Why would she, who should be at the Southern Corps fortress, suddenly come to the capital? And at this timing?

An ominous premonition bloomed in the members’ hearts.

But the seasoned Member Borel waved his hand calmly, showing no sign of panic.

“I understand, you may go now.”

“Yes, Assemblyman.”

After confirming the door was closed, Borel reassured the members with a benevolent smile.

“Don’t worry too much. She might just have stopped by briefly to report something to the Inspection Headquarters.”

Borel continued, lifting his teacup. His eyes still overflowed with confidence.

“No matter how skilled that woman may be, would she dare to touch us, imperial assembly members under the protection of His Highness the Prince?”

After all, he wasn’t just any member but an upper house member of noble birth.

These individuals, who had been active in central noble society since birth, were on a different level from those Loen had purged so far.

Other members also nodded, as if trying to shake off their anxiety at his words.

“That’s right. We’re not traitors, we’ve merely voiced concerns about the Empire’s future, so how could she possibly do anything to us? Ha ha.”

But the atmosphere had become heavier than before.

Having finished their meal, the members hurriedly dispersed to their respective mansions.

And Member Borel headed to the palace where the Prince was staying to prepare for any contingency.

 

In the Investigation Division Director’s office.

Loen, the director, and Team Leader Ead stood facing a vast Empire map that covered the entire wall.

The director spoke first, briefly explaining the power dynamics of imperial family support.

“The north is neutral.”

His hand pointed to the frigid northern territories.

“The east supports the First Prince, the west the Second Princess.”

His finger moved to indicate the east and west in turn.

“And the south… you know better than I do, so I’ll skip it.”

The director’s gaze briefly rested on Loen. His finger finally pointed to the heart of the Empire.

“The center is essentially in a deadlock between the two sides.”

“I see.”

With Loen’s response, a heavy silence settled over the director’s office again.

In the quiet, the director and team leader’s gazes focused on Loen.

Until now, they had merely exchanged light introductory remarks,

without yet broaching the main topic.

“…”

“…”

Loen stared at the Empire map for a while.

The power structure divided into two factions, the invisible power struggles, and the rising activities of traitors.

Her red pupils trembled slightly, as if deep in thought.

Finally, Loen raised her head and met the director’s gaze directly.

“Which side is the Inspection Corps on?”

At this direct question, the director and team leader briefly exchanged glances.

The director stood up, walked to the window, and began speaking while looking at the capital’s scenery.

“Prince Regnum possesses a narrow magnanimity and cruel disposition. This is evident from how he has secretly used imperial authority to undermine competing institutions and eliminate opposing nobles.”

His actions were certainly excessive compared to the Princess.

The director continued.

“The Inspection Corps is no exception. Since the Commander rejected his proposal for a loyalty oath to the Prince, he has consistently and cunningly hindered the Corps’ activities.”

Especially after the Emperor entered seclusion to prepare for his ascension in earnest, the First Prince’s checks and interference became more explicit and persistent.

Of course, because of its special status as a direct imperial institution, he couldn’t openly suppress it, but invisible pressure continued through budget cuts, attempts to intervene in personnel matters, and so on.

“Yet there is only one reason why we haven’t touched him.”

The director slowly turned to look at Loen.

“Lack of justification.”

He shook his head.

“He is His Majesty the Emperor’s first child. A noble bloodline incomparable to any other nobles. To dare point a sword at such a being… requires indisputable evidence that no one can deny. Irrefutable evidence that he poses a threat to the Empire’s continuation.”

Loen fell into thought at the director’s words.

‘Judging by the way he’s speaking, it seems that even with the Inspection Corps’ intelligence capabilities, they haven’t found suitable evidence.’

Despite his cruel and arrogant disposition, Regnum seemed to be very meticulous in hiding his weaknesses. Well, if he were easy enough to catch, he couldn’t have become Emperor in the original work.

‘To strike at the Prince requires justification. And that justification… if there’s no substantial evidence, must ultimately be created through power and influence.’

This was the conclusion.

The only option was to accumulate influence comparable to or exceeding the Prince’s and suppress him with power.

Loen voiced her thoughts.

“So building influence comparable to the Prince’s is the only method.”

The director nodded and added.

“Precisely. And the only one in the Empire now who can build such influence is… you, Loen, who has His Majesty’s trust.”

He was right.

More powerful than her ducal family background or her position in the Investigation Division was the Emperor’s trust.

Being able to rule the south and become Corps Commander was all possible thanks to the Emperor’s trust.

Loen asked.

“Since we’re on the topic, I’ll ask. What is His Majesty doing now? The reason he’s ignoring the chaos in the west and the division in the imperial family….”

“I don’t know.”

The director cut her off.

“Even the Commander is reticent about it.”

Loen found this puzzling.

Unless he had entered seclusion again, there would be no reason to ignore the current situation?

The director, who had been looking down in deep thought for a moment, suddenly raised his head.

Then he launched a surprise question.

“Let me ask you, Loen Franz. To whom does your loyalty belong?”

Setting aside her questions, Loen answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“My loyalty is solely to His Majesty the Emperor.”

A deep smile appeared on the director’s lips.

He approached Loen, lightly patted her shoulder, and said.

“Go to the west, Loen. Just as you did in the south, eradicate all traitors and demons in the west, and prove your loyalty and value to His Majesty once more.”

His eyes blazed.

“And at the moment you gain His Majesty’s unwavering trust and support… only then will you be able to draw your sword against the First Prince.”

Loen was silent for a moment.

She had already planned to head west to support Grand Duke Ferdin anyway.

In the process of eradicating traitors, she would also secure new supporting forces and gain more trust from the Emperor, so marching to the west was more of a necessity than a choice.

Yes, let’s set aside the questions for now and deal with the immediate problem first.

With that determination, Loen replied.

“I understand. I will go to the west.”

Loen’s eyes glinted coldly.

“But before that, there’s something I need to take care of in the capital.”

“Take care of?”

The director looked puzzled.

“I owe something to the Prince.”

Loen told him about recent events in the south and the corps.

About some officers distorting orders and leaking information, and some nobles’ uncooperative attitudes.

And that she had found circumstantial evidence that all of this was instigated by the Prince’s forces.

Loen’s red pupils flashed like a predator’s.

“Returning what was given is necessary so that the Prince won’t think of casually playing tricks again, don’t you think?”

Loen then calmly began explaining her plan.

Although she couldn’t strike at the Prince himself right now.

But it was different for those belonging to his forces.

Especially the core nobles of the Prince’s faction who engaged in corruption while acting as his arms and legs.

Loen’s plan was to ‘deal with some of them to send a warning to the Prince.’

Immediately after her explanation.

The director was momentarily speechless at Loen’s bold plan, then broke into a smile.

He looked down at Team Leader Ead standing beside him.

“Seems like a good plan.”

The team leader merely shrugged, indicating his support for Loen.

Turning back to Loen, the director said with a slightly mischievous look.

“As the Investigation Division Director, I can hardly refuse when you say you’ll arrest those committing corruption for their own safety. Don’t you agree?”

Without waiting for an answer, the director strode to his desk drawer and pulled out several thick bundles of documents.

He placed them on the table in front of Loen with a thud.

“Here are confidential investigation materials on several nobles that the Inspection Corps has been secretly investigating. They’ll be useful for your plan.”

Although he said “several nobles,” it was clear these were investigation materials on key figures in the Prince’s faction.

The director added.

“You can draw as many personnel as needed from the support department. But in return… you must ensure it’s done properly. Do you understand what I mean?”

It meant to handle it cleanly without any mishaps during the process.

Holding the bundles of documents in her arms, Loen replied with a bright smile.

Though to the director, it was a very fierce smile.

“I will handle it with certainty.”