Chapter 260
William, having slipped out of the formation alone, landed in a plaza in the middle level of Imperial Sword Castle.
Then he gently lowered Christa to the ground.
Christa put some distance between herself and William. Since she held the bag containing the Rainbow Celestial Orb, William quietly held out his hand.
"Hand it over, Princess Christa."
"No..."
"I don't want to frighten a child."
"Even though you knocked Rita out of the sky..."
"She wasn't a child. She was your knight."
He had shown mercy—the mercy of sparing her life.
However, he had treated her as a knight. He had thought that was the bare minimum of courtesy.
But Rita and Christa were different.
One was a protector, and the other was protected. Christa's initiative in picking up the bag containing the Rainbow Celestial Orb could be called brave. He had even found himself impressed, thinking that was what one would expect from the Adler family.
But that was all. Christa was not a warrior.
"Now, hand it over."
"Wouldn't it be more effective to threaten to cut off her arm if she refuses?"
"..."
Gordon, who had arrived late, said that as he approached Christa.
William thrust his spear in front of Gordon, stopping him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I was the one who captured her and obtained the Rainbow Celestial Orb. I will decide how she is treated."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're merely an ally. Know your place."
"My place? Then what about calling it a reward for military achievement? Surely you aren't saying that a person who has earned military merit can't even be rewarded?"
Gordon frowned at William's argument.
However, perhaps thinking there was no point arguing here, he took a step back.
Seeing that, William quietly approached Christa and took the bag from her hand without a sound.
"Huh...?"
"You did well. But this is as far as you go."
Saying that, William tossed the bag to Gordon.
Gordon caught it looking pleased, but a shrill voice that ruined his mood rang through the plaza.
"Gordon!!"
"Tch... What do you want, Zandra?"
Zandra came storming into the plaza, looking furious.
Gordon responded to Zandra without even trying to hide his irritation.
Perhaps displeased by that, Zandra's anger exploded further.
"What do I want? Don't be ridiculous! Your men are so incompetent they've made a complete mess of the castle! There's no time to search for the last Rainbow Celestial Orb!"
"What?"
"There's an illusionist among the enemy! She disguised herself as me and let Estman escape! Your men dutifully followed that fake version of me and attacked me! The soldiers under Estman in the upper levels of the castle followed him and joined the Emperor's side!"
"What...? I entrusted the castle to you!"
"Are you blaming me? If you want someone to blame, blame your incompetent men who tried to capture me even after I showed them forbidden magic! The First Imperial Knights have launched an assault on the Celestial Sphere pedestal! Raphael is defending it, but with Alida as their opponent, who knows what will happen!"
Everything had been going smoothly. Or so it should have been.
Yet, elsewhere, problems had been cropping up one after another.
Gordon could not hide his irritation.
This was the trouble with incompetent weaklings.
"You're all useless. You included, Zandra."
"Hmph. Instead of wasting time making snide remarks, why don't you do something? Now that a fake me has appeared, the soldiers won't listen to me. Hurry up and solve the problem, General."
"Tch... Set this on the pedestal. I'll take control of the inside of the castle."
With that, Gordon handed Zandra the bag containing the orb and started to move to seize control of the castle.
However, Zandra stopped him.
"Wait, you muscle-bound idiot!"
"What? Do you want to die?"
"No word suits you better than muscle-bound idiot! Can't you tell just by holding it? This is a fake!"
Saying that, Zandra slammed the bag onto the ground.
The jewel that rolled out of the bag looked exactly like the Rainbow Celestial Orb. But Zandra, an accomplished mage even among the imperial family, recognized it immediately.
It was an exquisitely crafted counterfeit.
"They've imitated its magic and appearance, but the real Rainbow Celestial Orb is nothing like this! You've been completely duped!"
"W-what...?"
Gordon's eyes widened as he stared at the fake Rainbow Celestial Orb rolling across the ground.
Then his face twisted with fury, and he slowly approached Christa.
"You tricked me, Christa!"
"Stop! Her movements were unmistakably those of someone protecting the real one! Someone even deceived their own allies! Attacking her is a waste of time!"
"Shut up! Why didn't you realize it was fake!?"
"If you couldn't realize it, how could I? Think about what we'll do next before you start assigning blame."
"Damn...!"
Gordon sorted through the situation, seething.
The castle was in chaos, and the celestial sphere was still only at its third stage. They needed at least one more Rainbow Celestial Orb.
Looking only at the Imperial Capital, Gordon still held the advantage, but outside the Imperial Capital, reinforcements for the Emperor must be steadily drawing near.
He could not let this drag on any longer.
However, whether taking control of the castle or the eastern gate, it would take time.
There were many generals in the Imperial Capital, and while most sided with Gordon, some had sworn loyalty to the Emperor.
There were also nobles in the Imperial Capital with sizable escorts. Some were waiting to see whether Gordon or the Emperor would win, while others deliberately remained inactive to keep Gordon wary and impede his movements. Their objectives varied, but they were conserving their forces by avoiding rash action.
Gordon's weakness was that he had to divert forces to keep them in check and prepare for them, preventing him from directing his full strength against the Emperor.
What should he do?
What could he do to turn the tide around all at once?
As Gordon considered this, Christa came into view.
"Hahahaha! There's still a chance! Bring me the voice-amplifying magic tool! I'll issue the enemy a final ultimatum!"
"What are you planning?"
"Lieselotte can't abandon Christa! I'll neutralize Lieselotte by holding Christa hostage!"
"Foolish! Even if she is the Imperial Marshal, she won't be shaken by something like that! There is nothing to gain! Stop!"
"I'm sick of your nagging! Don't get in my way just because it goes against your chivalry!"
"I'm merely urging you, as an ally, to make a wise decision! If you insist on doing this, at least send an envoy! Broadcasting threats throughout the Imperial Capital will only cost you support among the people and soldiers and make enemies!"
"Sending an envoy will only prolong things! I have no intention of negotiating! If she refuses, so be it! I'll throw Christa off the castle and make her realize her own mistake! If she flies into a rage and attacks, I'll use the opening to take Father's head!"
Gordon said that, then grabbed Christa's arm and headed toward the outer edge of the plaza.
Even the middle level of the castle was higher than any building in the Imperial Capital. A fall would certainly be fatal.
William frowned at Gordon's foolishness and shifted his gaze toward Zandra.
"Princess Zandra, if you don't stop him, the only thing awaiting us is ruin."
"You're right. Gordon, threatening her is fine, but don't throw her off. Give Christa to me."
"What?"
"I'll use her as a tool for human experimentation. If you say you'll hand Christa over to Zandra, even Lieselotte won't be able to remain calm."
Seeing Zandra laugh happily, William felt faint.
He couldn't understand how she could say that threatening Christa was acceptable in this situation.
In response, Gordon said he would think about it.
Looking up at the sky, William mused that with such a clear sky, simply flying without a care in the world would feel wonderful.
But he could not escape reality forever.
William quickly regained his composure and continued.
"Think again, Gordon. It will never go the way you want. Stop chasing sweet fantasies and face reality. There is no convenient move that will turn everything around. Mobilize every force we can use and go after the Emperor. If I join the attack, our chances will rise dramatically. If we can kill the Emperor, it won't matter even if reinforcements arrive. We can abandon the Imperial Capital, use the north as our base, and take control of the Empire."
"Hmph! Saying that makes your intentions obvious. You want to somehow force me into a position where I have to rely on the United Kingdom, don't you?"
"And if I do? What difference would that make? Even if your plan succeeds, the lords will not follow you. You will need my country's power to subdue them in a short time, won't you? In the end, you will rely on the United Kingdom. Why would I need to scheme to bring that about?"
"Who knows? Once the rebellion ends and the Empire begins to fall into chaos, you're planning to betray us, aren't you?"
At Zandra's words, William clenched his fist so tightly that his nails dug into his palm.
He wanted to tell them to do as they pleased. But he could not allow that.
Having sided with Gordon, William needed him to win. The fate of the United Kingdom rested on William's shoulders.
What if Gordon failed to kill the Emperor?
The wrath of the continent's strongest Empire would turn toward the United Kingdom.
Even if the United Kingdom, the vassal state, and the kingdom fought together, would they have a chance of winning?
No matter how weakened it became, the Empire was still the Empire.
If the Emperor survived, the period of chaos would be brief. There would be no opening to exploit.
In the first place, William had never counted on the kingdom and the vassal state. The three countries had joined forces under the pretext of supporting Gordon, but an alliance with so little mutual trust was rare even by historical standards.
An ally that could betray them at any moment. The Empire was far too formidable to fight while burdened with allies like those.
That was precisely why this situation was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Go ahead and investigate my motives! Do as you please! But I will say what needs to be said! Your plan will turn those who are currently neutral into enemies! If that happens, killing the Emperor will become even more difficult!"
"If they become enemies, so be it! I'll crush every last one of them!"
"Enough! If you could crush the enemies right in front of you so easily, you wouldn't need hostages! You aren't as strong as you think you are! Don't make more enemies! Make more allies!"
"Hmph. We seem destined never to agree. I'll do as I please. If that displeases you, go home."
With that, Gordon accepted the magic tool his men brought him and broadcast his voice throughout the Imperial Capital.
"Imperial Marshal Lieselotte, can you hear me? If you can, hand over the Emperor at once. Otherwise, Christa will be executed."
As a Dragon Knight, William was sensitive to the flow of the wind.
Feeling the wind suddenly begin blowing in the exact opposite direction, William murmured softly.
"The wind has turned against us..."
The wind had changed direction.
He felt certain that changing it again would be extremely difficult.
Even so, William could not give up.