Chapter 98
Around the time Sebas and Sieg caught wind of information about Rebecca and began to move.
In the Imperial Capital, various factions were beginning to make their moves.
"Princess Zandra. We request your cooperation."
As soon as the pursuers dispatched by the kidnapping organization arrived in the Imperial Capital, they sought out Zandra.
There were five of them. They were the organization's most skilled assassins. Quite a number of other pursuers had also entered the Imperial Capital. The organization had thrown all its strength into the search for Rebecca.
The letter Rebecca possessed was that damaging to the organization. It was just as damaging to the southern nobles, and to Zandra, whose support base consisted of those southern nobles.
"Indeed. If the relationship between the southern nobles and the organization comes to light, that would be a problem for me as well, Gunter."
"Yes, right here."
Gunter, the assassin who had once targeted Arnold, bowed his head slightly beside Zandra.
Behind him stood the assassins Zandra had gathered from various places. There were no fewer than twenty of them.
"Use everything at your disposal. Make absolutely sure you obtain the letter."
"Understood. However... there is one concern."
"You mean Leonart and the others? If so, that's not a problem. Leonart and the others have hardly any assassins at their disposal. The only one we need to watch out for is Sebastian, Arnold's butler."
"Precisely. However, what concerns me is Prince Gordon's forces."
"What about Gordon? I hardly think that musclehead is much of a threat in this situation."
Zandra had a point.
Based on the information available to the public, Gordon did not have many people suited to the sort of combat in which assassins excelled.
However, based on information Gunter had obtained a short while ago, that assessment needed revising.
"Actually... we've received word that he has summoned a covert unit that had been trained in absolute secrecy."
"A military unit?"
"Yes."
"Even Gordon could do something like that?"
"I believe it was possible because it was an unofficial unit. It seems he incorporated the unit's commander into his forces and summoned him to the Imperial Capital under the pretense of training."
"His target is... the letter, naturally."
Zandra crossed her legs as she sat in her chair.
Resting her cheek in her hand, she gazed outside as the sun began to set.
The Imperial Capital would soon be blanketed in darkness, and a battle would be fought under cover of that darkness.
If she lost this battle, Zandra would suffer the most devastating blow of all. She would lose her support base in the South.
The mages scattered throughout the country would still support Zandra, but they were only individuals, in the end. The struggle for the imperial throne was a battle between the candidates themselves, but it was also a struggle between their factions. A weak faction could never claim the imperial throne.
Just as Leo and the others had secured the cooperation of Duke Kleinert, whether or not a powerful duke stood behind them made a huge difference in the strength of a faction.
"Gordon intends to bring me down here."
"Prince Erik will likely sit this one out as well."
"That's the kind of man Erik is. He never dirties his own hands, not until the very end. He's waiting for us to fight and wear ourselves down. But that's an opening to exploit. If I secure the letter here, I won't have to worry about losing my support base."
And then there were the test subjects.
Zandra thought to herself. Personally, that mattered more to her. As far as Zandra was concerned, the thing she needed to win the struggle for the imperial throne was forbidden magic, not a powerful faction.
Once the forbidden magic she was researching was perfected, she would have no need for a faction. No one would be able to oppose Zandra.
Everyone would naturally fall to their knees before her. That was the world Zandra envisioned.
"Gunter. For now, find the woman carrying the letter. But don't lay a hand on her."
"Is that wise?"
"It's fine. Have Leonart's and Gordon's men fight each other. I'll take the letter once they're weakened."
"As you command."
At present, the Imperial Capital held a considerable number of assassins and people of comparable ability, including the organization's pursuers.
If they mobilized all of them, they could probably win through sheer force, but Zandra did not want to lose any more assassins than necessary.
That was why she had given those instructions, and Gunter had no objections.
Besides, he did not think Rebecca, who had slipped past the organization's pursuers and entered the Imperial Capital, would be found so easily.
"Then go. If a fight breaks out, you may kill anyone, no matter who they are."
"Understood. Let's go."
With that, Gunter vanished from the room, and the assassins behind him followed.
The organization's pursuers had also disappeared before anyone knew it.
Once she was alone in the room, Zandra gave a soft chuckle.
"If I can't obtain the letter... I'll have to abandon my uncle, but I suppose it can't be helped, can it? It's for me to become Emperor."
With that, Zandra murmured with a mad smile.
■■■
"Whoa, whoa, what the hell's going on here?"
Sieg had gone out into the Imperial Capital at night with Sebas. Lying prone on a rooftop, he sensed presences all around and muttered to himself.
It was already the middle of the night. It was clearly strange for so many people to be moving around.
"These must be Princess Zandra's assassins."
"All of these?"
"Her personal assassins, along with those who originally came in pursuit of Rebecca-dono. They both have ties to the South, so it would not be unusual for them to cooperate."
"Don't say it so calmly. There's two of us, and they've got a whole army!"
"This isn't a war. Numerical superiority won't be as effective here. Sieg-dono and I should have no trouble."
"Listen to you..."
Sieg sighed and surveyed his surroundings.
Searching for Rebecca without being spotted by the enemy pursuers lurking everywhere looked like it would be an arduous task.
"Still... With this many pursuers gathered, how'd she even make it to the Imperial Capital in one piece?"
"She may have an ally. If so, we must proceed with caution."
"Wouldn't want them thinking we're enemies. Anyway, let's just locate her."
With that, Sieg stood up and took a step forward.
But at that moment, a powerful gust of wind blew.
It was nothing remarkable for an ordinary human, but the lightweight Sieg lost his balance badly.
"Ah."
With a small cry, Sieg slipped and began sliding down the roof.
"Aaaaaah!!??"
Letting out a voiceless scream, Sieg somehow caught hold of a jutting part of the house and avoided falling.
"Phew... that was close, that was close."
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine—no, I'm not!?"
Right beside Sieg,
a pot placed on the jutting ledge was wobbling violently.
It was immediately pulled downward by gravity and fell below.
Then it shattered with a loud crash.
"..."
"..."
Sebas and Sieg fell silent without thinking, staring at the broken pot.
In the meantime, presences began converging from all around.
"That was the wind. It was the wind."
"Indeed."
Saying that, the two pulled themselves together and readied their weapons.
Sebas drew a dagger, while Sieg shifted Ruin into spear form and climbed onto the roof.
The instant the two of them were ready for battle, three men leaped onto the roof.
However, Sebas's thrown daggers pierced all three between the brows, and they fell.
"Impressive."
"More are coming."
Several more men climbed onto the roof, but this time Sieg swung Ruin around, knocking one man off and slashing another's throat. He then hopped across the roof toward the last man.
"A bear cub!?"
"Correct."
As he said so, Sieg impaled the man's face.
The man died before he even had time to scream and fell limp from the roof.
"Sorry. Night bears are scary, you know."
"Splendid spearwork. To wield it so skillfully in that form..."
"And here I thought you were an old man, but you're still in your prime, huh?"
"That is kind of you to say. However, there are simply too many of them."
"Yeah. Let's go with Plan B."
"Plan B?"
Sebas, who had heard nothing about this, muttered curiously, but Sieg climbed up onto his back.
Then, clinging to Sebas's shoulder, Sieg announced without the slightest shame,
"You carry me and run."
"You certainly work an old man hard."
"Don't say that. I'll give you a shoulder rub."
"Ha-ha-ha! In that case, I shall take you up on that."
Laughing, Sebas went all-out to escape from the area.
After that, nothing particularly notable happened in the Imperial Capital.
That day, which served as a preliminary skirmish, ended without any faction obtaining valuable information.
And that put all the factions on their guard.
Was Rebecca exceptionally capable, or was the person helping her equally capable?
Either way, it was now certain that the letter was in the hands of someone who would not be easy to deal with.