Chapter 235
Around the time Liese appeared in the imperial capital.
In a room on the lower level of Imperial Sword Castle, Zandra stood outside one of the countless ordinary rooms in the castle.
"As expected of the chancellor. Hiding two Rainbow Sky Orbs in such an unremarkable room takes some nerve."
With that, Zandra reached for the door.
However, two people appeared to stop Zandra.
"Allow me to stop you there, Princess Zandra."
"Please remember your position and surrender quietly."
One was a man in his early thirties. His hair was cut short and neatly trimmed, and he had the unmistakable air of a warrior.
The other was a young man in his late teens. He was a handsome, delicate-looking youth with pale brown hair reaching down to his back. His expression was vacant, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Both wore the same white cloaks as Erna, marking them as Imperial Guard knights.
Hearing their voices, Zandra slowly turned around.
"How strange. Why are two Imperial Guard captains here? I did send soldiers to the decoy room you were guarding as part of the diversion."
"There was no resistance, so I realized at once that it was a diversion. I never expected you to be the one who sent them, though."
"Oh? Were you surprised, Captain Oliver of the Eighth Guard Squadron?"
The man's name was Oliver von Rolbach.
He was the captain of the Eighth Guard Squadron of the Imperial Guard.
He had been with the Imperial Guard since his teens, and the Emperor placed great trust in him as an experienced captain.
"Of course I was. I never imagined you would join Prince Gordon's rebellion. Who would have thought the two of you would join forces? You hated each other so much."
"It's only temporary. I'm using Gordon."
"He thinks the same of you, I'm sure. Let's get this over with, Oliver-san. This is obviously just a stalling tactic."
With that, the young man drew his sword from its sheath.
The young man's name was Raphael Berent.
He was the captain of the Tenth Guard Squadron of the Imperial Guard.
He was nineteen years old, a genius swordsman who had been selected for the Imperial Guard at the age of thirteen.
Erna had been selected at eleven, setting the record as the youngest ever, so Raphael's achievement had been overshadowed. Unlike Erna, who came from the bloodline of House Amusberg, Raphael had no special lineage.
He was not even known to have been born in the Empire, let alone to be a noble.
Raphael had been an infant discovered by the current Emperor on a battlefield.
If he had been left there, he would certainly have died. However, the Emperor could not take him in himself, so Raphael was placed in an orphanage funded by the Emperor.
Several years later, when the Emperor visited the orphanage, he found Raphael skillfully swinging a wooden stick despite never having been taught how. Convinced that the boy possessed a talent for the sword, he raised him as a swordsman.
The Emperor's judgment had been correct. Raphael became an Imperial Guard knight and eventually a captain.
Erna was the leading candidate to become the next commander of the Imperial Guard, but had Erna not been such an exception, Raphael would have been a prime candidate as well.
He was also deeply loyal to the Emperor, who had done so much for him, and those around him viewed him and Erna as knights who would carry the Empire into the next generation.
Zandra smiled at the young man.
"Captain Raphael, you're awfully impatient. Why don't you talk with me a little longer?"
"I'm not good at talking to women. I'm a man who knows nothing but the sword."
"Really? What a shame."
"I'm not disappointed. What will it be? Shall I knock you unconscious?"
With that, Raphael pointed his sword at Zandra.
Zandra wielded forbidden arts, meaning she could attack at any moment and might do something entirely unpredictable.
Raphael remained wary of that, his expression unchanged.
Oliver admonished him.
"Raphael. Whatever the circumstances, she is still Her Highness. I want to avoid injuring her if possible."
"She's a traitor who has sided with rebellions twice. His Majesty will no longer treat her as his daughter."
"That is for His Majesty to decide. Do you understand? Don't be rough."
As he spoke, Oliver drew his sword as well.
Then he turned around.
There stood Xiaomei, a maid with chestnut hair.
"Would you mind stepping away from Princess Zandra?"
"You may be dressed as a maid, but you give off an oddly pleasant murderous aura. From the way you carry yourself, are you an assassin?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination."
"I see. Then I'll ask you all about it after I beat you down!"
With that, Oliver gripped his sword tightly with both hands.
In response, Xiaomei readied her dagger, clearly prepared to fight.
Realizing that she intended to fight him head-on, Oliver grinned.
"You take me lightly!"
"Even among Imperial Guard captains, skill varies. Erna von Amusberg would be another matter, but I can handle someone of your caliber."
"Then prove it!!"
With that, Oliver and Xiaomei charged straight at each other.
The clash was over in an instant.
Oliver's blow sent Xiaomei flying backward and crashing into the wall.
"Guh..."
Xiaomei rose to her feet, enduring the pain.
A smile appeared on her face.
A sword was jutting from Oliver's abdomen, right in front of her.
"Impossible..."
"I didn't dislike you, Oliver-san."
"You... Why did you betray us? Raphael..."
Raphael swept the sword embedded in Oliver's abdomen sideways.
With half his abdomen cleaved open, Oliver spat blood and dropped to his knees.
The question of why kept circling through his mind.
He had considered that possibility first.
His first thought had been that information must have leaked, allowing Zandra to find the room where the chancellor had hidden the Rainbow Sky Orbs. Only a handful of people knew about the room.
Yet he had dismissed any suspicion of Raphael.
That was how strong Raphael's loyalty to the current Emperor had seemed.
"Would you forgive me if I had a reason?"
"...No. I wouldn't..."
Calmly analyzing the situation despite the blood that would not stop flowing, Oliver realized that he did not have much longer to live.
A swordsman of Raphael's caliber had attacked him from behind at the moment he struck. There was no way Raphael had missed a vital point; he had then cleaved half of Oliver's abdomen open.
It was a grave wound, severe enough that his organs would spill out if he did not hold it shut.
Even so, Oliver did not let go of his sword.
And then.
"...I will purge... the traitor...!!"
Oliver put all his strength into throwing his sword at Raphael.
Raphael knocked it aside with a bored look.
But in that brief interval, Oliver leapt out through a nearby window.
By the time Xiaomei looked out the window, Oliver was nowhere to be seen.
He must have reentered the castle through a nearby window.
"Chase him! Don't let him get away!"
"He'll die anyway. He probably went to tell the commander of the Imperial Guard, but he won't reach the throne room with that wound."
"'Probably' isn't good enough!"
Hearing Zandra's hysterical scream, Raphael's face twisted slightly in displeasure.
However, he quickly sheathed his sword and began walking.
Seeing this, Zandra entered the room as well.
"So you really are an Imperial Guard captain... I won't be able to move for a while."
"Of course. Good work. Keep watch over that person. I'll pursue Oliver-san."
"Be careful. An Imperial Guard captain threw away his sword just to escape. He'll be capable of anything."
"I know. I made you create an opening because I was wary of him. It's not as though I would let my guard down."
With that, Raphael walked down the hallway at a leisurely pace.
But suddenly he stopped and turned back toward Xiaomei.
"Oh, right. Tell His Highness that I did the job as instructed."
"Which Highness would that be?"
"The one you serve."
"Understood. I'll let them know later."
After that exchange, Raphael began walking again.
Afterward, Zandra took the three Rainbow Sky Orbs—including the one Gordon had obtained independently—to the ritual chamber called the Firmament Hall, located at the exact center of the castle, and set all three on the pedestal in the middle.
Then, while pouring her own blood into it, she activated the celestial sphere.
"Ahahahaha! Now you can't escape! Father! I'll never forgive you for locking Mother and me away!!"
With a cruel smile, Zandra continued to laugh uproariously.