Chapter 240
It has been a long time, Prince Traugott.
Markus and Manuel have come before you, Your Highness.
When the door opened, two men knelt on one knee before Brother Trau and greeted him.
Both had bright blond hair and eyes of the same color.
The elder brother, Markus von Lifeisen, was a handsome man with rugged, striking features.
The younger brother, Manuel von Lifeisen, had gentle features and a more youthful face, making him look considerably younger than his brother.
They were exceptional men who had continued supporting the Crown Prince as his two wings and were destined to become pillars of the Empire.
Even the Emperor lamented that their talents were going to waste, yet they were dreamers who would serve no one but the Crown Prince.
Brother Trau was surely the only one who could make them act.
"Good work, both of you. Thank you for answering my unreasonable request."
"What are you saying, Your Highness? You are the younger brother of the late Crown Prince."
"If you are in danger, we would rush to you anywhere."
"Your loyalty to my brother... I am grateful. And I apologize for using that loyalty. I swear here and now: I will never invoke my brother's name to ask anything of you again."
Their hearts were devoted to the late Crown Prince. Brother Trau never misunderstood that.
That's why he thanked them for their loyalty to his brother and swore that he would never use it again.
As a way of winning people's hearts, it was probably the best move he could have made.
If he had said those words as a calculated move, it would have been impressive, but surely they had come naturally to him rather than from calculation.
He truly felt sorry for exploiting their loyalty to his elder brother.
It was precisely because Brother Trau was that kind of person that the two had come.
"We have secured this floor with our men. Let us move at once."
"Understood. Arnold, I'll leave the children to you, all right?"
"Yes."
After saying that, Brother Trau left the room.
The Lifeisen brothers followed him. Outside the room, about ten people who appeared to be their subordinates were keeping watch nearby.
There were around ten of them, but every one was a former subordinate of the Crown Prince. Strength practically radiated from their every movement.
Although they had been away from actual combat for some time, they were all probably strong enough to go toe-to-toe with an A-rank adventurer.
The Lifeisen brothers who led them were even stronger. Markus had once been skilled enough to trade blows with Sister Liese, while Manuel possessed strength on par with an AA-rank adventurer.
Their combat senses must have grown rusty, and they were no longer as strong as they had been in their prime, but having this much fighting power at a time like this was a great help.
Manuel.
"You may call me Manuel, Prince Arnold."
"Then, Manuel. Did you infiltrate the castle disguised as soldiers?"
The Lifeisen brothers and their subordinates were all wearing military uniforms.
They were the black uniforms of the Imperial Army.
It was an approach I had considered as well, and judging by the situation, it seemed to have worked perfectly.
"That's right, Prince. They have gathered under Prince Gordon, but only those at the top know which of them are allies. So the rank-and-file soldiers can't tell their comrades apart. Apparently they did establish something like a password, though."
"What was it?"
"Apparently, the password was \"For Prince Zandra.\" We learned it through interrogation, and since it worked, that must really be the password."
"Zandra? Because they're working together?"
"That remains uncertain. However, Prince Gordon is currently outside the castle. Yet the Celestial Sphere has been activated. That means he has another member of the Imperial family cooperating with him. Excluding those present here, Prince Zandra is the most likely candidate. Besides, the two of them had been opposed to each other for a long time. Since no one mentions Prince Zandra in connection with Prince Gordon's rebellion, I suspect they chose his name as the password."
I nodded once at Manuel's explanation.
We should regard it as nearly certain that Zandra joined hands with Gordon.
However, the soldiers did not know that. That's why Zandra's name was included in the password.
The password wasn't exactly sophisticated, but making it too difficult would have caused confusion.
This was probably the limit of what they could manage.
"Many of the soldiers were confused. Most of them were obeying their officers despite having doubts about their orders. The orders issued were also vague: seize the castle and capture everyone inside. Very few units seem to have received detailed orders."
"So there is no unified command?"
"I'm not trying to defend Gordon, but controlling an assembled army is an extremely difficult task. The generals participating in this rebellion are all extremists. They want war because they want to win military glory. They are men consumed by ambition for promotion and honor. They support Gordon because it benefits them personally, and controlling a group like that would be difficult even for someone other than Gordon."
Brother Trau explained it that way.
Rita nodded earnestly as she listened. She was probably trying to learn, but judging by that expression, she didn't understand a thing.
Still, it was certainly a difficult subject.
It is easy to manipulate people who seek personal gain. But once they become a group, it becomes difficult.
Why?
People who seek personal gain will follow you if you show them what they stand to gain. But when they form a group, each person's interests become subtly different.
If you offer them only one benefit, dissatisfaction emerges and cracks begin to form.
That said.
"Gordon is the kind of person who knows that and simply leaves things as they are. Gordon trusts no one and relies on his own strength, so anyone who doesn't follow him is useless to him. He probably thinks there are plenty of replacements."
"A precise assessment. I feel he used to be a little better, but lately he has become particularly awful. He is arrogant and looks down on others, so he doesn't trust anyone. A rebellion that makes use of another country is a poor strategy. Gordon probably intends to force everything into submission, but a rebellion brings calamity from within. And it leaves you open to attacks from outside. Nothing good can come of it."
"Even so, Gordon rose up. He went so far as to join hands with Zandra. He must have done so because he was driven into a corner."
And Leo and I were the ones who drove him into that corner.
We bore at least some responsibility for this rebellion.
Could we have handled things better? I couldn't help thinking so, but there was no point regretting it now.
The fire had already started. Extinguishing it had to be our highest priority.
As I thought about this, Markus, who had been walking at the front, stopped everyone.
"Come out. I know you're there."
Markus said that while looking toward the corner.
Then someone appeared from there.
The man's abdomen was wrapped in bandages, and his face was bloodless and ashen.
He was wearing a white mantle.
The captain of the Eighth Imperial Guard Knights, Oliver von Rolbach, stood there.
"It seems there are some familiar faces here..."
"Captain Oliver!? What happened!? Those wounds!?"
Oliver was the same age as the Lifeisen brothers.
From the time they had raced all over the place with the Crown Prince, Oliver had served Father as captain of the Imperial Guard Knights.
Naturally, they knew each other well.
"Hah... hah... The captain of the Tenth Imperial Guard Knights, Raphael, betrayed us..."
"Impossible... Raphael revered His Majesty the Emperor like his real father..."
"I thought so too... but it seems I was wrong... Please get this information to the Knight Commander... I can no longer walk..."
Saying that, Oliver leaned against the wall and slid down into a sitting position.
Blood stained the wall, and Oliver spat from his mouth what little blood he had left.
It was a grievous wound.
The fact that he was here meant he must have fought his pursuers as well.
It was obvious at a glance that he would not survive.
"...Captain Oliver. We thank you for your loyalty to the Empire."
"Please, no... Prince Traugott... Don't thank a fool who was so thoroughly duped... I protected nothing... It is utterly shameful..."
Oliver gave a self-deprecating laugh.
For Oliver, who had served Father for so long, this was his greatest failure.
And he no longer had any chance to redeem himself.
Everyone was at a loss for words.
But Rita was different.
"It's not shameful! I think you're amazing! You didn't give up, and you made it all the way here!!"
With that, Rita took Oliver's hand.
It must have been colder than she expected, because she looked startled, but she did not let go.
"...I never thought I'd be comforted by a child..."
"Rita isn't a child! I'm a knight candidate! One day I'll become Ku-chan's Imperial Guard Knight! I'll be a knight who never gives up, just like you!!"
There was no telling how much those words saved Oliver.
After hearing Rita's words, Oliver smiled faintly and summoned his remaining strength to stand.
"After hearing that from a child... I can't show such a shameful sight..."
"Yes! Let's go to the throne room together! If we treat your wounds, you'll surely—!"
"I can't... be saved... So I won't go with you..."
Then Oliver took off his white mantle.
Using the sword in his hand, he cut away the bloodstained portion.
"Ah! But it's the proof of an Imperial Guard Knight!"
"Yes, it is... That's why I'm giving it to you. Take good care of it."
Oliver draped the white mantle over Rita.
Rita stood there dumbfounded after receiving the white mantle that only Imperial Guard Knights were allowed to wear, but Oliver gently patted her on the head.
"Go, junior. If you call yourself the Prince's Imperial Guard Knight, never leave his side. In this situation, those at the side of a member of the Imperial family are the Imperial Guard Knights... Fight with pride, Knight Rita."
After saying that, Oliver slowly looked toward the place we had come from.
A large number of soldiers were coming toward us from there.
"Leave this to me... I'll buy you some time, at least, Lifeisen brothers."
"...I pray for your good fortune in battle."
"Military fortune, huh... Yes. I may need it now... Your Highnesses... Please tell His Majesty the Emperor that Oliver was sorry..."
With that, Oliver began walking unsteadily toward the soldiers.
We all started running.
I carried Christa, while the Lifeisen brothers' subordinates carried Rita and Wendy.
We couldn't adjust our pace to the children's shorter legs.
"Becoming a cornerstone for the next generation... isn't a bad way to end... Now come... Who among you will take the head of Oliver, captain of the Imperial Guard Knights? I won't come cheap!"
Behind us, Oliver shouted and began fighting the soldiers.
Rita kept watching Oliver's back the entire time.