Chapter 232
It had been about an hour since the martial arts tournament began.
Orihime noticed that something about the spectators in the arena was strange.
"Hm?"
More and more people were beginning to look unwell.
It wasn't just one or two people.
As the number of people looking unwell continued to grow, Orihime furrowed her brow.
"Your Majesty."
"What is it, Senki-dono?"
"Do you not sense that something is amiss?"
"Oh? What a coincidence. So you sensed it too, Senki-dono."
It was merely a sense of unease.
Since the event was being held during the day, it could simply have been that slightly more people were feeling unwell.
It was an unease that could be explained that way.
Even so, the unease stood out to both Orihime and Johannes.
"Bring the honored guests here. If anything happens, I will protect them with my barrier."
"That would be appreciated. Franz, is that all right?"
"No problem. I'll arrange it immediately."
"Simply summoning them here would be rude. Empress, go invite the guests."
"As you command."
With that, Franz and Brunhild left the room.
Seeing Johannes ask the Chancellor for permission, Orihime looked puzzled.
The Emperor asking the Chancellor for permission was an odd arrangement.
"Why are you asking the Chancellor for permission?"
"I mustn't interfere with the Chancellor's plan. This time, I've entrusted most matters to him."
"...Is that why you won't act even if there is a rebellion?"
At Orihime's words, Johannes's eyes widened slightly before he gave a wry smile.
"Did Arnold start that rumor?"
"It isn't a rumor. I can tell. An unpleasant scent is constantly drifting through this capital. Something is bound to happen, isn't it?"
"I have no proof."
"So you won't act without proof? I thought more highly of you, Your Majesty. Was I mistaken?"
Johannes let out a small sigh at Orihime's words.
Then he looked straight at Orihime.
"Think what you will. I will not suspect my son of rebellion without proof. My son is not foolish enough to do something that would greatly harm the Empire."
"Will your paternal feelings cost the people their lives?"
"It isn't sentiment. The problem is the lack of proof. What will you do if you're wrong? If the Emperor were to arrest one of the leading candidates without proof during the succession struggle, the entire struggle would become meaningless. Gordon controls much of the military. He would take decisive action to clear his name. If that happened, it would ultimately lead to civil war."
For Johannes, taking action would inevitably lead to civil war.
Whether Gordon was plotting a rebellion or not was beside the point.
If Gordon were executed, his followers would not accept it. They would either take action without him or carry a grudge forever.
The succession struggle existed to determine the next Emperor. For the Emperor to intervene in it with absolute authority would only earn him the resentment of every faction.
It wasn't as simple as killing Gordon and ending everything.
"Then what do you intend to do?"
"Nothing. I will do nothing."
That was Johannes's answer.
If the Emperor could not act, then his subjects need only act in his place.
That was why Johannes had entrusted everything to the Chancellor.
"Even the Chancellor must have limits to what he can do. The Emperor cannot easily intervene, and the Chancellor cannot intervene openly, either. All he can do is prepare."
"Exactly. All we can do is prepare. If he tears through all those preparations and takes control of the Empire, then so be it. That is another possible path."
There had been a few people in the past who had tried to settle the succession struggle through force.
But none of them had succeeded.
The Emperor's permission was required to lead an army into action. Acting without it was rebellion, which meant making enemies of not only the other candidates but the Emperor as well.
That was why the succession struggle consisted entirely of a covert contest between factions.
Any candidate for the throne knew that making an enemy of the Emperor head-on would be foolish.
"So winning the throne through rebellion is one way to win?"
"The essence of the succession struggle is to produce a strong Emperor. If it ultimately produces a strong Emperor, the process can be overlooked."
Saying that, Johannes settled more deeply into his chair.
To Orihime, his face looked terribly aged.
Though he said that, Orihime sensed that his true feelings were different.
"...If my eldest son were still alive, I would not have to agonize over matters like this."
"You mean your late Crown Prince? I heard you did not make him participate in the succession struggle. Why did you do that for your eldest son?"
"Everyone acknowledged him. If a succession struggle had taken place, it was obvious that the Crown Prince would have won, so no one even tried to compete with him. Everyone looked forward to seeing the ideal Emperor. A Crown Prince who would bring an end to the long history of succession struggles. That was what he was supposed to become..."
If everyone accepted the outcome, there was no need for a struggle.
If it was clear from the beginning that someone would become a strong Emperor, there was no need to compete.
That was why the Crown Prince should have become the first Emperor to ascend the throne without going through a succession struggle.
A single endpoint.
Johannes had never doubted that the Crown Prince would accomplish many great deeds during his reign.
He had even thought that the Crown Prince might devise a new method of selecting the Emperor to replace the succession struggle.
"The best successor is already gone. That is why the succession struggle began. I tacitly accepted it because I thought a succession struggle was necessary for anyone other than the Crown Prince. But sometimes I wonder whether that was the right decision."
"You sound rather pessimistic for the Emperor of the Empire."
"Anyone would grow hesitant. I had high hopes for my children. I thought that they would mature through the succession struggle, and that one of them would emerge as someone I could confidently entrust with the throne. But... since the succession struggle began, they do not seem to have grown. If anything, they seem to have become more foolish. Even so, I want to believe that none of them is foolish enough to shake the Empire itself."
It was more a hope than anything else.
But that hope was not to be fulfilled.
When the Empress and the Chancellor entered the room with the honored guests,
Orihime felt a tremendous magical power.
It was emanating from beneath the arena.
"What is this!?"
"A curse."
As she cast a barrier over the entire room, Orihime immediately recognized the nature of what had been unleashed beneath the arena.
A gigantic curse barrier.
It had been laid beneath the arena, spreading a curse throughout it.
The people who had appeared unwell had been affected by the backlash before the curse activated.
People throughout the arena began coughing.
This included not only the commoners, but also the martial arts tournament participants, soldiers, and knights.
It was not a curse capable of killing them instantly. But neither was it weak enough to let them fight.
"To activate something like this on such a scale... You must have set it up beforehand, didn't you?"
As she muttered to herself, Orihime glanced at Johannes.
"You could call it a weakening curse. It has been cast over the entire arena. We are safe within my barrier, but no one can fight properly in this state."
"It would seem so."
Saying that, Johannes looked toward the Chancellor.
If the curse had been placed on the arena, they could simply leave. But anyone who had planned something like this would hardly let them escape so easily.
"I see. I had wondered what the members of the Magi Order had been doing underground, but it seems this was their preparation."
"Realizing that now is too late. You have a countermeasure ready, I hope?"
"Of course. However, I must apologize in advance. This is a complete overstepping of my authority. Please forgive me."
As the Chancellor bowed his head, Johannes felt an unpleasant premonition and nodded several times.
Since he had entrusted everything to the Chancellor, Johannes had decided not to complain no matter what measures he took.
Then, at the Chancellor's suggestion, Orihime and the others headed outside.
But.
"I've been waiting for you, Father."
Gordon, fully armed, was waiting at the exit.
The soldiers around him were likewise fully armed.
The soldiers had completely surrounded the arena.
Seeing this, Orihime murmured softly.
"What a fool."
"That he is. It is lamentable, even though he is my son."
"This is your fault, Father. If you had simply made me Crown Prince right away..."
"I would say it is your fault for failing to show that you had the necessary ability, Gordon."
With that, Johannes slowly drew the sword at his waist.
"My foolish son. As a final act of mercy, offer me your head here. Then I will bury you as a prince."
"Father, you must have grown senile as well. Can't you see the situation? There are countless generals who have joined me! Their forces are now under my command! The disparity in our forces is overwhelming! You have no chance of winning!!"
Saying that, Gordon drew his sword and held it high.