Novel Full Chapter 143: Shadow War
These days, the Imperial Palace was steeped in a suffocating tension. Or perhaps it was that everywhere one set foot felt sharp as a knife’s edge.
Whether the Emperor was aware of the brutal political strife unfolding was anyone’s guess.
No, he surely knew.
It was just that the Shadow Wars of the Imperial Palace had always concluded in the Emperor’s favor, so he would no doubt remain a serene spectator this time as well.
The nobles of the Imperial Palace no longer met with one another. Because they could not tell whom to trust and whom not to.
Reutern I had likewise been refraining from meetings and audiences, though for him, it carried a somewhat different meaning.
This incident had escalated into the attempted murder of his one and only child.
And so he was straining to hold himself back, lest his boiling rage erupt…….
That much had been certain, but today an even more outrageous rumor reached him.
“A staged incident?”
“Yes.”
His trusted retainer, always the picture of composure, was this time struggling to contain his own fury, his face twisted.
“Julius suspects that Reutern II staged it himself.”
“Ha.”
He’d gone insane.
He had to have gone insane.
Driven to the edge by the threat of not only being expelled from the House of Nobles after a century, but possibly executed as well, the bastard’s mind had clearly cracked under the pressure.
“No matter what drivel that lunatic spews, justification is on our side. What about Maximilian?”
Maximilian.
Even within the Sentinel Knight Order, there was no other knight capable of fully handling and managing an incident of this magnitude. The same went for the Sentio Magic Tower.
It was no coincidence that the Ebenholtz of the Sentinel and the Runsellot of the Sentio had been assigned as the leads on this case.
“He continues to maintain an extremely careful and objective stance, focusing solely on securing physical evidence.”
“……He has no choice. This is an incident involving royals of the Imperial Palace, after all.”
The pace of the investigation was frustrating, but Reutern found himself developing a favorable impression of Maximilian.
It was because he had overheard, through surveillance, the things Maximilian said to his son.
─The kind of rare brilliance that only radiates from someone who looks far into the future and quietly builds their strength, while perfectly concealing their true ambitions…… that is what I mean
Those words had pleased him greatly. Maximilian undoubtedly possessed the insight to see through a person’s heart. He had perceived his son’s inner self in ways even he himself had not.
Anyone who was a friend to his son was a friend to him as well. That was simply how it was.
“They will come for us before long. Raise security to the highest level at all times, and deploy anti-assassination forces in dense formation around the hospital where Reutern II is staying.”
“Yes. I will see to it without fail.”
The retainer turned away with a respectful bow.
“……Sir. Lord Reutern.”
Then, he stopped mid-step.
His name was Bern. A former knight of the Sentinel, he had served as Reutern’s vassal for over thirty years. He was Reutern’s closest companion.
“On the slim chance. If by some remote possibility.”
Because they knew each other so well, the lord had a vague sense of what his knight would say next.
“If this truly was Reutern II’s intention…….”
It was too impertinent to finish, but Reutern I had already taken even that possibility into account.
“I do not believe, even on the slimmest chance, that my son would have risked his own life to pull something like that.”
But if this incident truly had been a staged incident orchestrated by Reutern II.
“If his ambitions are that vast, then the proper thing for a father would be to let himself be fooled.”
It would, in fact, be something to be proud of.
A creased smile spread across the old royal’s lips.
His retainer nodded as if he felt the same, then turned and left.
…….
Meanwhile, Sonnet Kandel was deep inside the Imperial Palace archives, reading books.
Or rather, watching for her chance and sneaking them out.
“…….”
She slid one old volume from the shelf and tucked it into her sleeve, slipped another into her inner pocket, and stuffed yet another inside her undergarments.
She would take them back to the estate, finish copying them, and return them later anyway. These precious books would surely rather be read by someone than rot away in this place.
Even the security of the Imperial Palace archives, renowned for its strictness, had grown lax of late.
Perhaps the Emperor, too, was happily awaiting the Shadow War that would soon come.
She exited the archives and waddled along. Her robe hid it well enough.
“There’s no one around to begin with.”
The nights of the Imperial Palace were dangerous now.
And yet, no matter how she turned it over, Sonnet Kandel found Reutern II’s transformation baffling. The Reutern II she knew was absolutely not that sort of person.
Was someone pulling his strings? But his pride and ego were so disgustingly solid and towering that that didn’t hold up. Even if someone wanted to manipulate him, there was no predicting which way he would bolt. That was the kind of creature he was.
Sonnet waddled along, mulling it over.
……Maximilian.
When guessing the architect behind the rather interesting events happening across the Empire these days, or the great incidents shaking the continent, pointing to Maximilian got you halfway to the answer.
But this time, things seemed a little different.
Because he had no motive. He held no grudge compelling him to drag Julius to ruin, and there was absolutely nothing to be gained from doing so.
If he despised the Arensburg Family on principle, then by the same logic, he ought to despise the Reutern Family on principle as well. And more importantly.
Maximilian was a man of fiercely strong self-identity and pride.
There was no reason for him to stifle his own nature just to align himself with Reutern.
Then, had Reutern truly been hiding his ambitions all along?
Having watched Reutern since childhood, Sonnet could not bring herself to believe it no matter how she thought about it.
──Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
A faint sound of footsteps suddenly reached Sonnet’s ears. The presence of armed troops running quietly through the palace corridors.
Inside the Imperial Palace, a small maelstrom had finally begun to stir.
This commotion would not leak beyond the palace walls to the outside, but within, the reek of blood would hang as thick as any battlefield.
Yet once it was all over, they would all carry on as if nothing had happened, busily putting on airs of lofty composure.
…….
Julius von Arensburg was a royal of a fallen kingdom. A proud existence who had inherited the noble bloodline of his ancient ancestors in full.
The Arensburg Family had spent a long time building influence and factions after being absorbed into the Imperial Palace, scattering wealth and power.
Perhaps it had all been in preparation for days like this.
“Tell them that if they don’t move now and stand with me, mutual destruction is the only outcome.”
And yet, the vermin who had greedily devoured Gigantes’ black money while pledging their loyalty were now trying to cut ties with him.
It was a situation where emotion overtook reason. A truly shitty state of affairs.
“Yes. Understood.”
Julius had not understood this situation from the start. The Gigantes bombing. In order to recover the massive investment losses incurred from that incident, they were siphoning off remaining surplus stock and selling it on the black market.
Marking up prices three to four times over through black market premiums to cover everyone’s losses. It should have been nothing more than the most commonplace of business dealings.
But through some pig bastard’s scheming, it had become a dagger aimed at his heart.
“Are the troops ready?”
“Yes.”
There was no way to prevent expulsion from the House of Nobles. Too many had already turned to Reutern’s side.
“First, send them the ledgers.”
Therefore, the option available to Julius was blackmail.
Brandishing the ledgers of those who had taken his money, and coercing them.
“Keep the private soldiers honed and ready to move at any time.”
And the last resort: killing.
Cutting down the members who would clearly vote for Reutern’s side, physically reducing the number of ballots themselves.
…….
One day. At a certain moment.
Before they pointed blades at each other, before blood was spilled.
By sheer coincidence, the wills of all parties entangled in this political strife aligned, and a meeting was arranged.
A private audience between Reutern I and Julius.
Perhaps the last chance for reconciliation.
“…….”
“…….”
The two nobles entered the meeting hall with rigid expressions, without a single adjutant in attendance.
Outside, their respective guards stood side by side in taut tension, waiting.
─Thud.
What exactly was said behind that firmly shut door, no one could know. But roars and profanities unbecoming of royal dignity came bursting through.
From Julius’s mouth came the word “staged incident” and from Reutern poured invective like “a leech dares”.
──Thud!
In the end, both rose and stormed out at the same time.
Their egos, too bloated, had collided head-on.
Reconciliation was, of course, impossible, and that very day, the escort knight Bern came to visit Reutern II in the hospital.
“Bern.”
Reutern looked up at Bern from his bed. Looking at that face, Bern felt something was somehow different from before.
“Yes.”
“He has to die.”
At those words from Reutern.
From the same childish voice as always.
“…….”
Bern understood the implication, and his suspicion became certainty. The young master, who had been nothing but a boy, had grown into this before anyone noticed. He had come to possess such sharp ferocity.
You can fathom the depths of the sea but never the depths of a man’s heart. How true that proved.
Bern felt pride and a chill run through him at once.
“……Yes.”
He nodded respectfully and placed flowers into the vase.
…….
Late at night in the Imperial Palace. In pitch darkness, without a sliver of light.
The Shadow War erupted without warning, unbeknownst to anyone.
───.
Assassins moved like specters, without a sound. They scaled ceilings or slipped through floors into someone’s bedchamber to kill.
Shrrk!
A sharpened blade tore through flesh.
But behind that Assassin, another Assassin appeared.
Clang! Clang!
The sharp ring of steel, blades crossing. Sparks flew up, painting their masked faces in crimson.
Clang! Clang──!
Imperial Palace guards, or private soldiers secretly raised by the noble houses.
They waged a silent civil war in the heart of the Imperial Palace.
Clang. Clang.
At that hour, the Emperor lay quietly asleep in the Inner Sanctum.
Or perhaps he watched it all with a smile, perfectly at ease.
After all, his subjects carving away at their own flesh and exhausting their strength only served to consolidate the Emperor’s power. In the grand scheme, it was conduct almost befitting of loyal servants.
Clang──
Julius’s Assassins infiltrated the residences of assembly members aligned with Reutern, targeting their throats.
But already, perhaps from the very moment this fight had begun, the outcome was tilting.
Clang──!
In war, the side with justification always has the advantage.
Without it, men choose surrender over fighting to the death.
“……P-Please, spare me.”
Smeared with the filth of national asset embezzlement and already on the losing side, Julius’s faction crumbled the instant they were pushed onto the defensive, their will to fight evaporating in an instant.
They dropped their weapons.
“I-I surrender. I surrender! I was coerced by that old man Julius!”
In that darkness, the numbers of Julius’s faction dwindled helplessly…….
At last, Bern, gripping a blood-soaked blade, reached deep into Julius’s annex palace.
Crash──!
He smashed through the firmly shut door and entered, only to find.
“……He’s not here. It appears he’s already fled.”
“So even royals can tuck tail and run. Pursue him at once. He can’t have gotten far.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Bern’s command, everyone turned and tracked the trail.
Bern, too, left Julius’s empty quarters behind and moved out.
…….
Before the darkness lifted, the Shadow War of the Imperial Palace reached its conclusion.
Before dawn could even break, every bloodstain scattered across this place would be wiped clean.
As though nothing had happened at all.
…….
Julius had retreated. There was no other choice. Reutern II had meticulously planned to ensnare him, and for now, no way out of that trap was in sight.
“Drive faster.”
“……Yes.”
Vroooom.
He had already set up an escape route in preparation for the worst.
Canilan. He had deposited all his assets in a bank there. He could start over from that place.
He had to forget the humiliation. With time, as long as he was alive, there would always be an opportunity-
──Bang!
A gunshot came tearing in from somewhere. The car’s tires swerved.
Screeeeech──!
The vehicle lost control. It spun like a toy, leaving dark streaks across the road.
“The fu, ngh!”
Screeeeeeech── Crash!
It slammed into a tree off the road. The engine groaned and died.
“…….”
Then, in the silence that settled over the place, suddenly.
──Thud. Thud. Thud.
The reverberation of steel trampling the road surface came.
Julius stared through the crumpled car window. Imperial Guards had arrived at some point. He was surrounded in an instant. In front, behind, beside him, every last one of them was one of Reutern’s men.
“Good to see you, Lord Julius.”
Reutern’s trusted retainer, Bern. He gave a light bow. Julius bit down on his lip as if he had given up.
“……At least let my family go.”
Bern peered inside. In place of Julius’s son, who had passed away years ago, there were his grandson, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law.
“Hmm. I’m sorry, but the orders I received from Lord Reutern were.”
He drew a heavy Mana Bomb from inside his coat.
“‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'”
He set it down on the crumpled hood with a light thud.
“If you somehow survive even this explosion-”
“There’s no way I could survive. You know that as well as I do.”
Veins bulged in Julius’s neck. His blood pressure surged with rage; blood trickled from his nose, and the capillaries in his eyes burst.
“Because all of it was you bastards’ staged incident.”
Bern did not respond. There seemed to be no need for further words.
“Well then. It’s been a long road, old man.”
“You bastard……!”
Just as Bern smirked and moved to press the detonator.
Flash──!
A blinding beam of light suddenly poured over them. At the same time, figures rushed in. Julius was startled, and even Bern was taken aback. The guards hurriedly readied themselves for battle, but.
“──That will be enough.”
At that voice, everyone stopped.
……Step. Step.
Unhurried footsteps descended through the beams of the searchlight, and before long, a single person emerged.
Julius, face twisted in a grimace, barely managed to look.
“It seems there’s been a slight misunderstanding on everyone’s part. This is unmistakably outside the Imperial Palace.”
Cold, golden eyes and golden hair. Along with them, steps overflowing with noble grace. He came forward without the slightest disorder in his bearing, his calm gaze sweeping across this complete shitshow.
“Therefore, this is a zone where the duties and authority of an Imperial knight are fully in effect.”
A knight of the Ebenholtz Family, every inch of him bearing the dignity of a great house.
Maximilian walked through the gap between them as though it were nothing, and not a soul here dared to stop him.
“Unless this is a time of war.”
He picked up the bomb resting on the hood.
“You have no authority to summarily execute a suspect who has not yet stood trial. The same applies to Guilt by Association.”
Inside the car, the grandson and granddaughter trembled. Ten and nine years old, respectively.
After glancing at them, Maximilian hurled the bomb far away into the forest.
“From this moment, the Sentinel Knight Order will take custody of Julius von Arensburg.”