Chapter 224
When I returned to the Imperial Capital, Fine was there to greet me.
The repeated use of teleportation magic had been a painful expense when we had no idea what was about to happen, but it meant we'd be fine even if the Empire began to move, and I'd secured a sizable force for emergencies.
"Welcome back, Arnold-sama."
"Yeah, I'm back. Though I can't rest yet."
With that, I spread paper and a pen across the desk.
Although Trau-nii-san joining the fray had given us some leeway in terms of military strength, we still had to protect Rupert.
"If those two are the Crown Prince's closest retainers, Krista should be safe."
"Those two?"
"Yeah. Trau-nii-san has summoned the Crown Prince's closest retainers, and they've agreed to guard Krista. The Crown Prince had quite a few subordinates who were called his close retainers, but few were loyal enough to serve Trau-nii-san as well."
Many of them cared only for Crown Prince Wilhelm himself; his bloodline and those connected to him meant nothing to them. That was why many of them never went on to serve anyone else.
Among them, two retainers had sworn loyalty not only to the Crown Prince but to Trau-nii-san as well.
They were brothers and the sons of the Empress's cousin. To the Crown Prince and Trau-nii-san, they were second cousins.
After their mother, the Empress's cousin, died young, the Empress summoned the two boys to the castle and made them the Crown Prince's playmates.
Thus, having grown up alongside the Crown Prince from childhood, the two men were raised like family by the Empress, the Crown Prince, and Trau-nii-san. They became the Crown Prince's first subordinates and were always at his side.
Except for the Crown Prince's final battle.
The two men, who had served him for years, learned of the Crown Prince's death while they were with the Empress. Before the Crown Prince's inspection of the north, he had left them in the Imperial Capital to care for the Empress, who had caught a cold.
The two men regretted failing to protect the Crown Prince, their beloved lord and brother in all but blood. They refused Father's attempts to stop them, then disappeared without a trace.
Only the Empress and Trau-nii-san probably knew their whereabouts.
The brothers' names were...
"The Raifeisen brothers. They were the Crown Prince's second cousins and his closest retainers. The elder was a valiant general, while the younger was a brilliant strategist. The Crown Prince achieved many military victories, and those two were involved in every one of them. To the Crown Prince and Trau-nii-san, they were less like subordinates than family—more like elder brothers."
"I've heard their names before. They were known as the Crown Prince's two wings, weren't they?"
"Yeah. If those two had been at his side, the Crown Prince would surely have survived. They were deeply loyal and quick-witted."
"If men like that are coming to help, then that's reassuring!"
"They are reassuring, but that doesn't mean I can relax."
Those two had once refused Father's attempts to hold them back.
Even so, it didn't sit right that they were rushing to Trau-nii-san's aid.
Trau-nii-san had probably thought that through as well. He would likely arrange things so that the two men, who happened to be attending the ceremony, appeared to have come to his aid. That was probably how he would handle it.
But that would leave their actions always one step behind.
"If they arrive in time, Krista's safety will certainly be assured, but until then, we can only rely on Trau-nii-san."
"Is that... all right?"
"He can actually wield a sword quite well, and he's good at assessing situations. He received the same education as the Crown Prince, after all. Ordinary soldiers shouldn't be able to get the better of him. The question is how many generals will side with Gordon when he makes his move."
The Imperial Army was headed by three marshals.
Two led the armies stationed along the eastern and western borders, while one remained in the Imperial Capital to assist the Emperor and take overall command.
Beneath them were the field commanders who led the various armies: the generals.
There were various kinds of generals, including independent generals without armies of their own and generals who commanded elite units. Basically, however, each general had one army under them, and it moved according to their decisions.
In other words, the more generals who sided with Gordon, the larger Gordon's forces would become.
It would be cruel to expect ordinary soldiers to judge right and wrong. They were constantly trained to regard their superior's orders as absolute.
If a general attacked the Imperial Capital, most soldiers would follow, even if they had doubts.
And many generals were attending this ceremony.
Naturally, men who rose to the rank of general were either strong themselves or had powerful subordinates.
If opponents of that caliber arrived, Trau-nii-san would be in for a tough fight.
"How many generals do you think will side with Prince Gordon, Arnold-sama?"
"At worst, every general in the Imperial Capital could become our enemy."
"All of them!?"
"It's only a matter of possibility. The Imperial Army is made up of people from humble backgrounds and those from noble families who can't inherit their houses. They want to earn military glory and rise through the ranks, and they want an emperor who will favor the Imperial Army."
"Are you saying the Emperor is neglecting the Imperial Army?"
"No, he hasn't neglected it. They simply want him to favor them more. At present, the Imperial Army's job is border defense. Knights handle matters within noble domains, while monster extermination is usually left to adventurers. That means there has to be a war for someone to rise through the Imperial Army's ranks. But Father hasn't been eager to wage war against other countries in recent years. Naturally. He lost the Crown Prince in a war against another country."
Father was human, too.
In a struggle for the throne, one could come to terms with the loss. It was tradition, almost a ritual for the sake of the Empire.
That was how Father had become Emperor as well. But losing a son in a war against another country was different.
An emperor could not wage war out of anger.
Father had spent the past few years locking away his anger and grief, with nowhere to direct them.
To the hardliners in the Imperial Army, that probably made him look weak.
"Are you saying the Emperor isn't even allowed to grieve...?"
"He is. It's simply difficult to satisfy everyone. The civil officials who believe war is a waste of money must think highly of Father these days. But the generals in the Imperial Army on the opposite side are different. Bringing together people with opposing views is what being an emperor is about. Father had managed that well until now. After the Crown Prince died, he must have lost his balance."
There had to be some way to relieve the military's dissatisfaction.
During the incident with the vampires, Father could have mobilized the military instead of relying solely on the Imperial Guard. But he valued the Imperial Guard more.
Given their abilities, that was only natural, but the military viewed it as another source of dissatisfaction.
"That's why there's a possibility that every one of them will turn against us. I can hardly trust anyone in the military anymore."
"B-But if every general gathered in the Imperial Capital turned against us...!"
"We'd be hopelessly outnumbered. The Imperial Capital Garrison under Leo's command, the Imperial Guard, and a few other insignificant forces would be all Father had on his side. The Imperial Capital Garrison's normal duty was maintaining order in the city. Even that was shared with the patrol force under the Minister of Justice. That's why a considerable number of troops are currently deployed throughout the Imperial Capital—to prepare for the worst."
"The sword meant to face the enemy will be turned against us..."
"Exactly. But their attention will inevitably turn to Father. They'll surely be ordered not to let him escape and to capture him at the very least. Father will resist, too. We will operate behind the scenes amid the struggle between those two sides."
If they committed all their forces against us, we'd be crushed in an instant, but that couldn't happen.
Father would be their first target. Of that, I was certain.
"Arnold-sama... It sounds as though you're saying we'll use the Emperor as bait...?"
"Of course. That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Won't you get in trouble?"
"If I save his life, he won't complain. Besides, protecting Father isn't my job."
"The Chancellor is there as well, so I think things will be all right, but..."
Fine muttered anxiously.
It couldn't be helped.
The stakes were far higher than before.
This was no longer a matter concerning our faction. It involved the entire Empire, and the Emperor's life was at stake.
But still.
"There's no point worrying about it. We'll operate inside the castle, while Father deals with the problems outside. Since that's the only course open to us, we'll do whatever we can within those limits. If Gordon launches a rebellion, the Imperial Capital will inevitably be sealed off. Our role is to lift that blockade."
"What will you do once the blockade is lifted?"
"We'll have to rely on Leo and the others. If I can move freely as Silver, I'll draw Duke Kleinert toward the Imperial Capital. Even so, Leo's forces will still be vital."
"So all we can do is hope Leo-sama rescues Leticia-sama and makes it to the Imperial Capital...? I have no doubt he'll succeed, but can he resolve the problems on their end so quickly?"
"I don't know. But we can only wait and trust them. We're already caught in the enemy's maelstrom. We're as good as surrounded. We may be able to break through one point of the encirclement somehow, but a fundamental solution will have to wait for help from outside."
As I spoke, I wrote down our plans for the future on the paper.
We had no choice but to consider as many possible scenarios as we could.
Fine offered me a cup of tea.
"Let's do our best!"
"Yeah. I'm counting on you."
With that, I continued working over the paper.