novelnext Chapter 181 : Successor (2)
Chapter 181 : Successor (2)
Sunday, April 17, 10:00 AM.As I looked over the people gathered in the Imperial Palace's guest reception room, a strange excitement welled up inside me.
The Heir of the Sword Saint and successor of Illusion Swordsmanship, one of the Empire's finest swordsmen capable of wielding both the Aura Blade and the Sword that Cuts Through Corruption.
The next visionary of Duel—Mallet and the Successor of Holy Descent, now the Empire's greatest all-round mage after mastering even combat magic.
The Chairwoman of Karbenna and the legitimate successor of the Bernhardt Family, a master of support magic and dark magic built upon overwhelming talent.
A woman equally proficient in swordsmanship, magic, intelligence, and infiltration. The leader chosen by the people and the Third Princess of the Ribenia Empire, blessed with the Imperial Household's greatest talent.
Each of them had gathered here for different reasons, but their objective was crystal clear.
As I looked at the four of them one by one, Edel took a sip of tea before addressing everyone.
“So, you all have a rough idea of the current situation, right?”
Michel and I silently nodded.
On the other hand, Rubia scratched her forehead with an awkward smile, while Francia tilted her head as though she had no idea what Edel was talking about.
'Not surprising. I only asked those two to help.'
So I briefly explained.
“Greenwhistle, a subordinate organization of the Platinum Dawn Society, has joined hands with the Bernhardt Family. We believe the Society's objective is the overthrow of the state... in other words, a coup.”
“……”
“To be more specific, it appears they've struck a kind of plea bargain. In exchange for supplies and military support, they've agreed to withdraw the lawsuits they'd previously filed.”
That marked the beginning of a full-fledged discussion.
“But if that's the case, won't even the citizens supporting them completely turn against them? If we can prove that the Platinum Dawn Society is plotting to overthrow the nation, public support should swing heavily in our favor.”
“They probably believe the volunteer army they've already gathered is enough. The masses are many, but only a minority actually take action.”
“But even those volunteers would probably back out if they found out they were fighting with supplies provided by the Bernhardts.”
“Well, they might also think, 'We're making use of those arrogant Bernhardt bastards' wealth after taking it away from them!'”
“The important thing for them was probably preventing the Imperial Household from reclaiming those supplies... They may think succeeding in just that is enough.”
“Then we should reclaim them immediately! Send the Imperial Guard right now and—”
Rubia's proposal was immediately met with a firm shake of Edel's head.
“Unfortunately, in the Empire, only His Majesty can mobilize the military immediately, including the Imperial Guard. Even the Crown Prince has to receive approval from a majority of the Imperial Council before the order can be announced and carried out.”
“Ah...”
“And the timing is another problem. Even under ideal circumstances, it'd take at least five days. By then, their transportation operation will be almost complete. Of course, there's no chance Abel would cooperate with such an operation anyway.”
“Then what about the Special Task Force? They're under Your Highness's direct command.”
This time, I answered.
“The same procedures apply to the Special Task Force. Besides, the members themselves would never want to be deployed for an operation like that. Their cooperation during the Joint Mallet War was an extraordinary exception.”
“…So all we can do is sit back and watch while those two factions merge?”
“No.”
As if she'd been waiting for the opportunity, Michel continued.
“There is one way to stop the transportation operation... without deploying the military.”
She took Johann Bernhardt's will from her pocket and placed it before Edel.
“If the legitimate successor of Johann Bernhardt promises to build a new Bernhardt alongside Edel Ribenia, the leader of the people... then even the opinions within the family will change.”
There was a saying that momentum decided wars.
But before that, wars were fought by people.
Without people, there could be no battle.
Naturally.
People transported supplies.
People fought battles.
Even the mighty Bernhardt Family couldn't possibly deploy every member as a combatant. Most would remain in supporting roles.
They forged weapons and armor, transported every form of military supply—including food—formulated and adjusted strategies, built encampments, and devoted themselves to expanding and reinforcing fortifications for siege warfare.
Without those supporters, even the warriors couldn't perform to their fullest.
Their relationship was mutually complementary—at times even dependent upon one another.
The ones handling those responsibilities within the Bernhardt Family were ultimately the employees and servants.
The direct and collateral bloodlines simply weren't numerous enough.
The reason they obeyed wasn't merely because they lacked another choice.
It was because of the Code.
The permanent brand binding everyone who belonged to Bernhardt despite not carrying Bernhardt blood.
The mark once engraved through mutual consent for unity and trust was no longer used for either.
Now, it served only one purpose—
A cruel and despicable shackle that prevented Bernhardt's corruption from ever being exposed.
“My grandfather believed this vicious cycle could be stopped through internal reform without destroying the Code...”
Michel clenched her fist tightly.
“But I think differently.”
“After making Edgar Bernhardt relinquish his authority as the current Code Holder, I'll seize the qualifications of Family Head with my own hands.”
“He'd probably try to use even that authority as a weapon. Anything to keep himself alive.”
As Edel folded her arms and maintained a neutral stance, Francia stepped forward.
“Then...”
At some point, a sword had appeared in her hand.
“We'll cut it down.”
“The horrific curse that toys with countless lives as it pleases.”
“…If the wielder of the Sword that Cuts Through Corruption says so, then I suppose there's nothing to worry about.”
Edel snapped her fingers, summoning Lea, who had been waiting outside.
“Prepare the will verification process. As quickly as possible.”
“Y-Yes. I'll begin immediately.”
The moment Lea left the room, Edel rubbed her chin and began muttering to herself.
“The verification itself should only take a day... Then by Wednesday, we can officially appoint the new Family Head. Michel Bernhardt—the true Eighth Family Head recognized by Johann Bernhardt. Once she officially announces the liberation of the Code and the redistribution of the supplies under the authority of the Family Head... there won't be a single person left willing to continue the transportation operation. Which means the Platinum Dawn Society will only have one option left.”
When her reasoning reached a single conclusion, Edel finally stopped speaking.
I quietly voiced the same conclusion.
“They'll proceed with the coup anyway.”
A faint smile appeared on Edel's lips.
“What are the chances they'll go back into hiding?”
“Very slim. Unlike before, they've already exposed themselves far too much. Besides, they'll believe another opportunity like this will never come again.”
Without Bernhardt's support, I had no idea how far they could go.
But we still hadn't identified all of their numbers.
That meant we couldn't relax.
We needed a new operation.
One that would reveal exactly how many enemies we were dealing with.
“So... here's my proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“We infiltrate the Platinum Dawn Society and uncover their true identities and objectives.”
Naturally, we'd have to reorganize our team.
Michel had no choice but to run around preparing both the will verification and her ascension as Family Head.
She wouldn't have the time to assist us.
The same went for Edel.
She had to support Michel, and as the Third Princess, she also needed to maintain a constant public presence.
The Empire was already in turmoil.
If she didn't regularly appear before the people to calm public unrest, new problems might emerge.
Edel herself understood that better than anyone.
Which left the remaining three of us.
Myself.
Francia.
Rubia.
Those three would have to form the core of the operation.
...Or so I'd thought.
Neither of them agreed with my plan.
Instead, both openly declared their intention to participate.
“We'll have to wait quietly until the verification results come out anyway, won't we? We might as well carry out the operation during that time. We can announce everything in advance. There'll probably be some temporary commotion, but once the will is proven genuine, it'll settle down quickly.”
“And more importantly... They've tormented the Ribenia Empire for so long. Before we crush them, shouldn't we at least see their ugly faces once? Don't you all think so?”
Everyone wore expressions overflowing with fighting spirit.
Mine probably wasn't much different.
“…I figured you'd both say that.”
I let out a small laugh and nodded.
“Then let me ask one favor.”
I raised a single finger.
“Until this operation is over... no one dies.”
Eyes filled with conviction and determination blazed fiercely as they looked at one another.
“Simple enough, right?”
By the time Eugene and the others finished their lengthy discussion at Edel's residence,
the two Executors were still conducting endless face-to-face inspections within the Imperial Palace.
“Confirmed. You may leave now.”
“…There's nothing wrong, is there?”
“We've detected no signs of any Beast within your body. There's no need to worry.”
That made twenty-eight people.
Following the records revealed by the Mana Receiver, they had moved their search to the Imperial Palace, continuing to trace every Beast's trail while inspecting everyone they encountered.
Even so,
pinpointing the exact location remained impossible.
Standing in the middle of the vast Imperial Palace, Karen slowly looked around.
“…Shouldn't we investigate the Imperial Correction Bureau first?”
“Because criminals are more likely to have come into contact with Beasts?”
“Well...”
“I disagree, Karen.”
Luke continued scanning the surroundings as he spoke.
“Petty criminals aren't even admitted to the Imperial Correction Bureau. The truly heinous ones would've been executed on the spot. The ones imprisoned there are those guilty of serious crimes—not enough to warrant execution, but severe enough to spend years rotting in prison. Since they're rarely visited by anyone except the long-term rehabilitation candidates selected by the Orthodox Church...”
“…Since they've never left the prison, the chances of them being exposed to a Beast are much lower?”
“Exactly. That's why I believe high-ranking officials with frequent outside contact are much more likely.”
They didn't know how the Beast had made contact with someone inside the Imperial Palace.
Or perhaps it never had.
Maybe something like the Erosion Pillar Scatter had been planted somewhere in seed form.
But if that were the case, Karen would have already found it.
There were no signs of erosion spreading through the ground, making the appearance of a conventional Beast Nest almost impossible.
Even so,
if the arrival of the Beast was inevitable,
then the most likely cause was the same thing that had appeared during the previous war.
A Gate.
Which meant the enemy intended to trigger another form of chaos inside the Palace precisely when the Gate manifested.
If some insignificant individual were corrupted by demonic power, it wouldn't create much of a disturbance.
Naturally, that meant the one the enemy had approached was...
“What a pleasant surprise. We meet again, Executor of Light... Executor of Blood.”
The two of them flinched.
At the sudden voice, they turned their heads simultaneously.
Standing there was Abel Ribenia, his eyes hollow with exhaustion, accompanied by the Head Butler, Georg Olrubis.
“Why? Looking for someone?”