Chapter 25
Nikolai didn't let his guard down even after entering the palace.
He chose a guest room where he could see the entrance through the window and kept watching the situation outside.
While other nobles were sprawled on the floor saying the palace was safe, Nikolai trusted his instincts.
As he expected,
"Soldiers are approaching!"
The soldiers surrounded the palace and were slowly approaching.
Nikolai kept watching them.
"What? How dare they!"
"The Royal Guard! What happened to the Royal Guard!"
There were many troops gathered especially at the main gate of the palace, and the man and woman in officer uniforms standing at the front were figures Nikolai knew well.
"...Viktor. It seems Viktor and Anna have come in person!"
"Th-that can't be!"
"Move aside! I need to see for myself!"
The nobles rushed to cling to the windows, and,
"We need to hide! ...Where?"
"Let's escape through the secret passage...!"
"Viktor was also the commander-in-chief! Do you think he doesn't know the secret paths we know?"
"Then what do we do!"
They fell into panic after confirming that those who appeared to be Viktor and Anna were entering the palace without being stopped by the Royal Guard.
"I-I'm leaving!"
"Wait!"
A few ran away first even after hearing that the secret passages were meaningless, and consequently, the morale of those remaining in the guest room fell further.
"It's over..."
"We shouldn't have come to the palace. We should have left Zabinsk somehow..."
"We're all dead. All dead!"
After exchanging some worthless suggestions, they sat down, having lost hope.
As everyone was just waiting for approaching death,
"...There's one last method."
Nikolai, who hadn't given up hope, stood up.
He wanted to survive somehow.
"You say there's a method?"
"Yes. But..."
"Speak quickly!"
He hesitated several times, but opened his mouth at the nobles' urging.
"...If we take the king hostage, we might be able to live."
"What are you...!"
"Are you mad? That's treason!"
"Treason?"
The nobles were surprised and objected, saying this method was clear treason without even room for excuse, but,
"If they catch us, we're dead! We're dying anyway, what does it matter if it's treason or whatever!"
"..."
Seeing Nikolai who seemed to have lost his mind, the other nobles also started seriously considering that method.
"Come to think of it, Viktor was always loyal to the king."
"Right. He might still have a lingering attachment!"
It's not certain if the hostage situation would work.
It's a plan without basis or future, not decided how they would take hostage or what to do after taking hostage.
It's a dangerous proposal they wouldn't even consider if they had time to think normally, but the nobles who were already facing imminent death were tempted by this proposal.
The 1st Corps and Viktor were too frightening to just sit and wait for death.
With the sole thought of wanting to live, they persuaded themselves by attaching reasons and steeled their resolve.
"...Let's go."
Led by Nikolai who had calmed his excitement, the nobles left the guest room.
As they walked down the corridor, they gathered ceremonial weapons hanging on the walls and grabbed people they encountered on the way to ask the king's location.
"Hey."
"Eek...!"
"Where is His Majesty the King?"
"Uh, uh..."
"I said, where is he!"
"Hiiik! H-he went to the audience chamber! Please don't kill me...!"
"The audience chamber?"
Following the information from a servant hiding in a corner, they headed to the audience chamber.
-Creak.
"...Count Savinkov, Your Excellency?"
In the lit audience chamber, there was only the king sitting on the throne and Vladimir.
Although the king looked very tired as if he had just woken up, there was clear fear in his eyes as if he knew what was happening now.
"You've come."
Vladimir stood beside the king and calmly greeted them as usual.
"...What should we do?"
"Why hesitate. Let's go."
The nobles were momentarily flustered by the unexpected situation, but they approached the throne holding their weapons.
Ignoring Vladimir, who had no weapons and wasn't dangerous due to his age, they pointed their weapons at the king.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry but..."
"Uh, uuuh..."
Nikolai kept watching Vladimir's demeanor, but he just quietly watched the nobles with an expression that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"What do we do now?"
"...Let's wait for now."
The nobles surrounded the throne and waited for the soldiers to come.
---
Most coups are decided in a single night.
Surely the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Corps are rushing to the palace now, so we need to secure the king as quickly as possible to establish legitimacy.
In fact, if the king joins with other corps and brands us as traitors, there's a high possibility that not just the other corps but the 1st Corps itself might disintegrate immediately.
Right now, they're moving confidently only because they think the nobles are traitors, and my or Anna's reputation is just a secondary factor.
Even if we generously assume only half desert, we would have to face over 20,000 high-morale soldiers with 4,000 demoralized troops.
Conversely, if we use the king to make the nobles traitors, combined with the army's support for me, the situation should be cleanly resolved without any variables.
There's no reason for other corps not to cooperate once the trend is set.
"We've arrested nobles including Mikhail Kapayev who were hiding in the Royal Guard barracks!"
"Good. Continue searching."
"Yes!"
At least, things have been progressing smoothly so far.
I tried to maintain a stern expression while following beside Anna, who was giving orders as we advanced through the palace corridors.
Perhaps because Andrei was captured, the Royal Guard offered no resistance at all.
Whether they feared the justification of treason or not, they came out quite cooperatively.
Thanks to this, even the last variable of time being dragged out by Royal Guard resistance disappeared.
Once the main force of the 1st Corps enters the palace, taking control is just a matter of time.
Since we've stationed troops at the secret exits installed in the palace, the probability of the king escaping from the palace converges to 0.
"His Majesty is said to be in the audience chamber."
Following the words of the reporting soldier, I and Anna, along with the soldiers, quickly headed to the audience chamber.
After arriving in front of the audience chamber door.
"It seems the light is on."
"Hmm."
As light was leaking through the door crack, I checked the mini-map first for safety.
"There doesn't seem to be... an ambush."
On the mini-map, there were almost no red dots inside the palace, and all the dots in the audience chamber were gray.
This means enemies aren't waiting in ambush.
However, the placement of those dots is a bit suspicious.
A few gray dots are scattered near the walls of the audience chamber, and several gray dots are densely gathered where the throne is.
I had a slightly bad feeling.
"We're entering."
The soldiers went ahead and opened the door.
"V-Viktor!"
"Hah..."
As soon as the door opened and we entered the audience chamber, a familiar screeching voice greeted me.
"Don't come any closer!"
Nikolai and a few nobles shouted at us while pointing weapons at the king.
Vladimir Savinkov was standing quietly behind the trembling king.
A hostage situation.
It's within the range of expectations, but a situation I had hoped wouldn't happen.
"Arrest them immed...!"
"No."
I calmed Anna, who looked like she was about to give orders to rush in immediately.
"Step back!"
Nikolai shouted arrogantly as we stopped advancing.
For me too, it's better if the king dies.
Since I've widely publicized that the king is the object of my loyalty, it's difficult to change lords if he's alive.
However, it's a different matter if I show that.
Although the king abandoned me first, it's too risky an act for me to kill him.
Even if most people overlook it saying it's understandable, the Empress who will employ me can't help but mind that label.
This is the same even if I'm only indirectly involved in his death.
When rumors spread later, it's likely to leave an uncomfortable feeling in my evaluation.
I'm confident I can overcome a small discomfort, but there's no reason to take unnecessary risks.
"Right now!"
"Let's retreat."
"General..."
"Anna."
"...Understood."
For now, I acted following Nikolai's instructions, pretending to have a lingering attachment to the king.
Since 1st Corps troops have sealed off the palace without any gaps, we can afford this much leeway.
Moreover, those weapons the nobles are holding, I could tell where they got them from just by looking briefly.
Blades made of gold with decorations so lavish they're inconvenient to hold.
These are decorative weapons that were hanging in the palace corridors.
If their goal from the start was to take hostages, they wouldn't have not brought weapons, so this means those nobles moved so hurriedly that they picked up whatever they saw along the way to use.
The fact that their clothes are soaked with sweat and their pants and shoes are covered in dirt supports this hypothesis.
These must be the nobles who were said to have snuck into the palace.
If so, this hostage situation was carried out spontaneously, so unless we make a mistake first, they will inevitably show a gap first.
I just need to wait until a good opportunity is given.
It's only important that I do my best, it doesn't matter if an accident occurs due to a sudden action by my soldiers or nobles.
With some tears and a feeling of 'I tried to stop it but...' showing regret, I can sufficiently avoid responsibility.
As we maintained distance like that and reached a stalemate.
"Viktor."
"...Hmm?"
Suddenly, Vladimir, who was standing behind the king, called my name.
I thought he had moved with the other nobles, but although he looked tired, his appearance was neater than the other nobles.
"Why did you pull back the soldiers? You know there's no need for that."
"What do you mean?"
"If you rush in right now and kill everyone, framing us as traitors, the Rus Kingdom will fall into your hands. Why are you hesitating?"
"C-Count Savinkov?"
He said something ominous.
His expression was flat, but unlike usual, his eyes were deeply sunken.
"There are only a few witnesses, so I think there won't be a more exquisite opportunity than this."
"Your Excellency! What are you saying!"
Vladimir fixed his gaze on me as if he couldn't even hear Nikolai shouting beside him.
I couldn't accurately grasp the intention behind such words, but I could quickly think of an appropriate answer.
After closing my eyes and pondering deeply, I opened them again and glared at him strongly.
"That's the thinking of a traitor. The Rus Kingdom is His Majesty the King's country. Even if I kill everyone and ascend to the throne, I too would just become a traitor."
I answered as 'Viktor' would.
'Viktor' who is loyal enough to be sold as a prisoner without resistance at the king's order.
There's no reason to waste the image I've worked hard to build to eat up this half-baked country.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. If you too have any remaining thoughts for His Majesty and the kingdom, persuade them to lower their swords even now. I'll send you off cleanly."
"...Haha."
However he interpreted my words,
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Vladimir suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.
Checking the mini-map at this incomprehensible reaction, I saw that he was marked green on the mini-map.
---
I laughed involuntarily because I felt so pathetic about myself.
"Hahahahaha!"
Viktor's answer made it certain.
The fact that what this kingdom needed was not the nobles but him.
His answering after pondering drove the final nail.
The fact that he pondered means he fully knows he could do as I said.
Those in this audience chamber are just a few servants and nobles, and Viktor's party.
If he's brought troops into the audience chamber, he would have already secured evidence of treason.
Just by killing everyone here and slightly manipulating the scene, then pinning everything on us, he could easily persuade other troops.
Since the king and high-ranking nobles are mostly captured, there's no force in the kingdom that could resist Viktor.
Yet he chose the king until the end.
To save a king who had already abandoned him once, he blocked himself from essentially becoming king.
It doesn't matter if such an appearance is fake.
Because I felt from his answer that he sincerely doesn't want to become king of the Rus Kingdom.
As long as Viktor doesn't aim for the throne, he was a person the Rus Kingdom shouldn't have let go.
"Haha, hahahahaha!"
"...Count Savinkov?"
I lamented that I had done my best for the kingdom, and that the country was being ruined because others did wrong.
It was my mistake.
I should have prevented Viktor from leaving using all my power.
I was the traitor.
"What's wrong, Your Excellency!"
"Hahaha..."
After laughing for a while, my mind cleared.
"You called me a traitor."
I could realize what the best choice for the 'Rus Kingdom' was, who should lead this country.
We nobles had no qualification to lead this kingdom.
"It's true. The nobles supported me instead of the king."
Now that the decision is made, acting isn't difficult.
I approached the king trembling on the throne, and drew the sword I had hidden in my clothes.
"What are you...!"
And, before Viktor or the other nobles around could react,
"From long ago, I..."
-Thud.
"Guh..."
"Wanted to be king."
I thrust the sword towards the heart of the king, the last shackle binding Viktor.
"Uuuh..."
"I'm sorry."
Embracing the king writhing in pain, I whispered words of apology quietly so others couldn't hear.
After removing the crown from his head, I dragged his body down below the throne.
"What on earth..."
Since neither Nikolai nor the other nobles showed any reaction.
I put the crown on my head and sat on the blood-soaked throne.
Now, the Rus Kingdom will fall into Viktor's hands.
The nobles connected to me will be removed under the name of treason.
With Viktor having the army's support and no interfering nobles, he should lead this country in the best direction.
...At least, much better than me.
"So this is what it feels like to be king."
It's just regrettable that I won't be able to see the end directly.
After confirming that Viktor was struggling while being caught by his subordinates, soldiers were approaching to bind the nobles.
"...It's good."
Feeling my back getting wet with blood, I quietly closed my eyes.