Chapter 220
The night Leticia was kidnapped and Leo set out on his journey.
I visited the rear palace alone.
"So, in an emergency, please be ready to evacuate with Christa and the others."
"You can't just say, 'That's why.'"
When I told Mitsuba, the Sixth Consort and mother to both Leo and me, she replied noncommittally.
"Don't you believe what I'm saying?"
"I do believe you. It's not impossible that Gordon will start a rebellion. If he's going to strike, it would be on the festival's final day—in other words, tomorrow."
"Yes, tomorrow is the martial arts tournament at the arena. Many people, including Father, will be leaving the castle. If it's a rebellion, that would be the best time to strike. If he can seize the castle, he can greatly limit Father's options."
The Imperial Sword Castle is vital to the defense of the Imperial Capital.
First, it is a formidable fortress. It could easily withstand a siege for several months. If Gordon seized it, Father would be unable to wage a prolonged war against him. I didn't know how much of the army Gordon controlled, but he certainly didn't control all of it. If the war dragged on, reinforcements would arrive.
Second, the Imperial Sword Castle is also the key to activating the enormous barrier surrounding the Imperial Capital.
Great Barrier: Firmament Kugel.
It is a magic spell that covers the entire Imperial Capital with a gigantic spherical barrier centered on the Imperial Sword Castle.
This spell is classified as a form of Ancient Magic—or something close to it. It is a reproduction of a spell found in ancient books. That said, since a massive structure and high-purity gemstones are used in place of the people who would normally cast it, it is technically an inferior version.
Even so, once activated, it would never allow anything to enter from outside. That is, assuming it was activated at full power.
During the process of creating this barrier, the Empire gathered a vast number of books on Ancient Magic. The old man and I had mastered Ancient Magic using those books. Some had been collected by the old man, but most had been gathered at the time.
If this Firmament were activated, even I would be unable to travel in or out. That was why I had stayed in the Imperial Capital.
"Do you think it'll go that smoothly?"
"Given the current confusion, it's possible."
"Yes, I agree. What I'm questioning is whether Gordon can pull it off."
"What do you mean?"
"He may have been different in the past, but that boy no longer listens to what other people say. He prefers brute force and is a stranger to meticulous planning, isn't he? He can't manage it alone."
"...You think he has a strategist?"
"I don't know. But I doubt he could succeed on his own. He isn't the type to act that methodically. If so, someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes."
It was a harsh assessment, but not an inaccurate one.
She had known Gordon since he was a child, too. She wouldn't have misread his personality.
"This plan probably involves the Kingdom and the United Kingdom. Gordon is also friends with the Dragon Prince of the United Kingdom. Could they be working behind the scenes? Or perhaps someone on the Kingdom's side? Either way, there's no point thinking about it now."
"That is certainly a strong possibility, but I think someone from the Empire is involved."
"Someone other than Gordon? Don't tell me you mean Erich?"
"Not him. He isn't generous enough to hand over what belongs to him to someone else."
That was probably true. To Erich, the Empire was his to claim. He was certain it would be his, and he must still be thinking about what he would do after becoming Emperor.
Someone like Erich would never allow a foreign country to interfere in his Empire.
Which meant...
"It couldn't be... those two, could it?"
"Don't you think it's possible?"
I frowned at Mother's words.
There were certainly two people in the Empire who enjoyed this sort of troublesome intrigue.
However, those two were in no position to make a move.
"Zuzan and Zandra are confined to their rooms by Father. They're under house arrest and can't even receive visitors. I don't see how they could get involved in Gordon's plan."
"Indeed, that would normally be impossible if they couldn't contact anyone else. But one of Zuzan's maids hasn't been captured."
"...Because a maid disappearing from Zuzan's service isn't unusual, it was overlooked."
All of Zuzan's maids were captured. All but one.
Yet it had not become a major issue.
Zuzan and Zandra often treated their maids harshly. A maid disappearing from the rear palace was hardly unusual.
It was assumed that she had either fled or been killed by Zuzan.
Although that was a crime, investigating her connection to the southern rebellion took priority.
"Do you think that maid of Zuzan's is operating behind the scenes?"
"I do."
"What is your basis, by the way?"
"I'd like to say women's intuition, but you wouldn't accept that, would you?"
"Of course not."
"All right. Then I'll give you a clear basis. Gordon has invaded the Kingdom before. Without someone mediating, it's hard to imagine Gordon and the Kingdom joining hands. And Zuzan is Duke Kruger's younger sister, who started a rebellion in the south. Don't you think Duke Kruger, who had bided his time in the south for so long, would not have rebelled without any prospect of reinforcements?"
"I see. Duke Kruger and Zuzan were originally connected to the Kingdom. If that rebellion had dragged on, the Kingdom would have intervened. But that didn't happen."
"Right. It makes sense if Gordon is executing the plan originally devised with Duke Kruger. If Zuzan's close aide is acting as the intermediary, it isn't strange at all."
The maid who fled was Zuzan's close aide, acting under Zuzan's orders.
She was in much the same position Sebas held for me.
She was the one who connected the Kingdom and Gordon.
Coordinating multiple countries with tangled interests was difficult. Gordon lacked that sort of ability, and there shouldn't have been anyone suitable in his faction, either.
But Zuzan's aide, accustomed to working behind the scenes, could have managed it.
The situation would become even more troublesome.
"Then that means Zuzan and Zandra, mother and daughter, are working with Gordon?"
"It would be out of character. But Zuzan and Zandra have no choice. If Gordon understands that, I can see them using each other. Of course, both probably intend to betray the other eventually."
"The two candidates for the throne are working together... the Kingdom, the United Kingdom, and probably the Principality.
That explains why so many foreign countries are cooperating as well."
They were forming an alliance because they believed they had a chance of winning.
I had thought the other countries valued Gordon highly enough to support him, but if there were additional factors increasing his value, it made sense.
"Returning to what we were discussing, if Zuzan and Zandra are involved, the rear palace is practically the front line. And I think those two will target me as well. I'm both your mother and Leo's."
"That would certainly be true..."
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Zuzan and Zandra had fallen from power because of Leo and me.
The two of them were currently confined in the depths of the rear palace, but if they were working with Gordon, they would break out.
The rear palace would be a dangerous place at that point.
"Christa is Liese's younger sister. Zuzan would try to take her hostage first. It wouldn't be wise for her to stay with me."
"...Then you should evacuate too, Mother."
"I can't leave the rear palace without permission. The Empress-sama will attend tomorrow's martial arts tournament, and it has already been decided that the other consorts will remain in the rear palace."
Only the Empress sits beside the Emperor. If the other consorts appeared before the people, unnecessary rumors about the struggle for the throne would spread.
The Empress had no such worries. The Crown Prince was dead, and it was common knowledge that Brother Trau had no intention of becoming Emperor.
I understood why they did not want unnecessary rumors to spread during such an unstable period.
But now I felt like resenting Father. His decision would leave Mother trapped in the dangerous rear palace.
"Then I'll reinforce your guard."
"That would be futile. Think about Christa. I'll manage on my own."
"But—!"
"I'll be fine. I'm your mother—and Leo's. Besides, I'm not the one who needs help."
As she said this, Mother looked toward the door leading to the room beside us.
"Come on out."
"...Yes."
"You are..."
A brown-haired woman emerged from the adjoining room.
She was the Seventh Consort and the mother of the Tenth Prince.
"Gianna-sama..."
"Prince Arnold... Please, save my son..."
With that, she bowed her head to me.