novelnext Chapter 201 : Spring of Arpe (5)
Chapter 201 : Spring of Arpe (5)
Rachel had been all smiles at the thought that her insolent little sister had changed her mind after only a day and come to give her an answer. But the moment she saw the man Edel had brought with her, her expression instantly hardened.'That slippery bitch... She actually dared to bring that bastard with her?'
A war hero of the Ribenia Empire.
One of the central figures behind the Empire's transformation that began with the Imperial Summit.
The protagonist of the Centre Agreement and the Duel—Mallet Joint War, and one of the chief culprits behind the collapse of the Orthodox Church.
One of the Whistleblowers who brought down the Bernhardt Family alongside Greenwhistle.
One of the symbols of the Imperial Special Task Force, the sword of Edel Ribenia.
Instructor of Practical Tactics Class 3 at Karbenna Imperial Academy.
Eugene Carter.
Although this was their first meeting due to their surprisingly limited connections, Rachel's vigilance toward him had reached its highest point yet.
Whether it was his own ability, help from those around him, or simply extraordinary luck...
In the end, every force that had become his enemy had fallen.
Of course, her noble faction still stood firm. It would never crumble over some trivial disturbance.
Even so, the accomplishments he had achieved so far had pushed her anxiety to its absolute limit.
'...Well, it doesn't matter.'
Unlike that fool Abel, I always prepare thoroughly.
The Carter Family belonged to the pro-Arta faction.
Granted, they weren't one of its core families, so their influence within the faction was nearly nonexistent. Still, affiliation was affiliation.
If he tried anything unnecessary, she could always threaten him through his father and make sure he couldn't move.
'Even that broken man is still his father. If his father's life is on the line, even Eugene Carter won't remain unmoved.'
Now then... that's one thing.
She couldn't throw them out without even hearing them first, so she might as well listen to why they had come.
Rachel folded her arms and gave the three of them a formal smile.
"So, you've had enough time to think it over... It's time to hear your answer. What are you going to do?"
As though she had been waiting for those words, Edel immediately spoke.
"Like you said, instead of placing that idiot Abel on the throne, I think it'd be a far better choice if you became Emperor."
"..."
What was this?
Edel Ribenia had actually agreed to her proposal?
Without even making a counteroffer?
Seeing Rachel's puzzled expression, Edel raised her right index finger.
"However, I have conditions."
"...There it is."
There was no way you'd simply accept my proposal.
This much had been expected.
Rachel had even considered the possibility of a three-way struggle. She was prepared to accept most reasonable conditions.
"Fine. What are they?"
"Let me kill Abel Ribenia with my own hands."
"...That's all?"
"And temporarily transfer the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army to me."
"...Commander-in-Chief."
"Six months will be enough. It's for reforming the military, so I hope you'll make that much of a concession."
Now it was Rachel's turn to think carefully.
'I have no idea why that slippery fox wants control of the Imperial Army.'
If Edel could command the military, taking complete control of the Imperial Palace would become easy.
If she used that authority to launch a coup and remove Rachel from power, Rachel would have no way to resist.
Public approval would certainly decline during the process, but the moment Rachel herself was overthrown, Edel's victory would be guaranteed.
'I can't allow that.'
If Edel intended to justify it under the banner of military reform, then Rachel would simply prepare insurance of her own.
Rachel nodded and gestured toward the head maid waiting behind her.
"We still have a Geas Scroll left, don't we? Bring one."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"...You're going to use a Geas?"
"I never know when you might change your mind. It's only natural that I prepare accordingly."
The head maid returned with a tightly rolled parchment scroll and a quill.
Rachel took them and began carefully writing the terms of her cooperation in elegant handwriting.
"If Edel Ribenia fails to cooperate in enthroning Rachel Ribenia as Emperor, refuses to return the position of Commander-in-Chief after six months, or stages a coup against the Emperor within those six months, then as the price, Edel Ribenia shall forfeit her life."
"..."
"A Geas that stakes your life? That's far too—!"
"How insolent! You're merely a maid. How dare you interrupt a conversation between members of the Imperial Family—"
Cutting off both Lea, who tried to stop them, and the opposing head maid in a single stroke, Edel answered.
"Agreed."
"...What? You agree?"
Ignoring Rachel's bewildered voice, Edel snatched the quill and began writing beneath Rachel's statement.
"Rachel Ribenia shall not interfere in any way with the events that take place inside the Imperial Palace on April 21st and 22nd, 1477. Upon ascending the throne, Rachel Ribenia shall transfer the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army to Edel Ribenia for six months. During that period, she shall fully cooperate in reforming the Imperial Army. If she violates even one of these conditions, then as the price, Rachel Ribenia shall forfeit her life."
The moment she placed the period at the end, Edel poured her mana into the writing before sliding the parchment back toward Rachel.
"Let's swear."
"With our lives."
'There was no way Edel would lose a negotiation like this to someone like Rachel.'
Maintaining a perfect poker face, I quietly examined the loopholes in both contracts.
'This is exactly why contracts need clearly defined subjects.'
A Geas created through a scroll could contain countless loopholes depending on how each side phrased their conditions.
Someone like Edel—with her genius intellect and the experience gained from countless regressions—had probably noticed the flaws the instant Rachel began speaking.
Rachel Ribenia simply didn't realize that making a proposal in this form could only end with trapping herself.
'...Thanks to that, the number of unexpected variables during the operation has dropped dramatically.'
The scroll, now filled with mana, was neatly sealed through both women's joint incantation.
"Thank you for cooperating so quickly, Sister."
"If we're going to settle this, we should do it quickly. Tomorrow, that fool Abel will be making a huge fuss about his coronation ceremony."
After exchanging a light handshake, the two reaffirmed each other's positions.
"I'm not cooperating for your sake. What matters most to me is the Empire's peace. Fighting each other won't benefit the Empire in the slightest, so let's each do what we're best at."
"...Yes. You made the right decision. You've always been the most suitable person to command the military, so I'll trust you with it. Depending on how well you perform, I might even extend the period of your command."
After exchanging a few more words, we left the official residence.
Once we were a considerable distance away, Lea asked anxiously,
"...Will this really be alright? It's still a contract with Lady Edel's life on the line..."
"If anything, they're the ones at a disadvantage. The conditions themselves are vague, and time is on our side."
"...Huh?"
Lea looked thoroughly confused.
Since Edel seemed to be considering how to explain it, I stepped in.
"Princess Rachel's first condition was that we'd cooperate in making her Emperor."
"Yes."
"Our first condition was that she wouldn't interfere with anything happening in the Imperial Palace today or tomorrow."
"Yes."
"In a Geas, priority belongs to whichever side has staked more. Since both of them wagered their lives, their authority is equal."
And in cases like this, the condition with the earlier deadline took precedence.
"In other words, Princess Rachel's condition won't apply during these two days. No matter what we do inside the Imperial Palace, she can't interfere."
"Ah...!"
"If we successfully carry out the assassination and publicly announce to the entire Empire before Saturday that the next Emperor will be chosen through an election, then we've won completely."
By the time Rachel complained that we hadn't cooperated with her, it would already be far too late.
'Using such a vague standard as "cooperation" was her fatal mistake.'
As long as we didn't openly prevent her from ascending the throne, the Geas wouldn't react.
"As expected of you, Lady Edel... You had already thought that far ahead...!"
Calming the admiring Lea, Edel shook her head.
"It's still far too early to relax. We still have a mountain of things to do."
"That's right."
For now, we only needed to focus on our immediate objective:
Operation: Assassination of Abel Ribenia.
Even if everything beyond seemed impossibly distant, that was the correct approach.
Solve the task before you, one step at a time.
That was the only straightforward path capable of preventing the foretold disaster.
Staring at the Emperor's private residence coming into view in the distance, we quickened our pace.
It was already past six in the evening.
Normally, every entrance to the Imperial Palace would have been sealed precisely at 20:00.
However, because the Special Task Force's emergency training continued into the night, four entrances—including the main gate—remained open.
As a result, the Imperial Palace's defensive barriers were not operating at full capacity.
Unfortunately, contrary to our small hopes, both types of barriers surrounding the Emperor's private residence were functioning perfectly.
We had hoped that perhaps we could break through them while their owner was absent, but after evaluating the situation, we concluded that piercing the Measurement Barrier was impossible with our current abilities.
After reaching that conclusion,
we hid behind a stone building roughly 150 meters from the residence, conducting reconnaissance of the surroundings once every two minutes.
We had already parted ways with Lea.
By now, she was undoubtedly laying the groundwork necessary to establish Edel's alibi.
"So the story is that after meeting Rachel, she returned to her residence, had a late dinner, finished her nighttime duties, and then went to sleep."
"Mm."
"And during the operation at midnight... or early dawn... she'll claim she couldn't sleep and decided to inspect the Special Task Force's night training instead. She'll bring about four maids with her."
"I hope Lea can handle it."
"We have to trust her. No one can imitate me better than she can."
After that, silence settled between us.
About an hour passed in complete stillness.
Then, in the distance, a group slowly approached the Emperor's residence.
It was Abel Ribenia and his attendants.
"..."
"..."
We exchanged brief glances and nodded.
I prepared to cast Enchant Magic, then slipped one arm beneath Edel's knees and the other behind her back, carrying her in what people commonly called a princess carry.
The moment Edel cast Concealment Magic over both of us, I enhanced both of my legs with Enchant Magic and sprinted forward at full speed.
We crossed the 150-meter distance in only a few seconds before sharply reducing our speed and slipping beneath the staircase leading to the main entrance of the residence.
A short while later, the sound of the Alarm Barrier activating reached our ears.
'That's one barrier down.'
Each of us assumed the combat stance we were most familiar with as we waited for Abel to enter the residence.
Just before going inside, Abel stopped and looked back at the Chief Steward of the Imperial Household, Georg Olrubis, who had been following behind him.
"So, how did the nobles react?"
"They will all visit beginning at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. From tomorrow through Sunday, only nobles will be permitted to pay their respects. Afterward, six memorial halls will be opened to the public for one month."
"I wasn't asking about that. I asked how they reacted."
"...Most of them were anxious. Naturally."
"I see."
"..."
"Very well. Go and get some rest."
"...Yes. Have a peaceful night."
The moment the conversation ended, Abel climbed the stairs with long strides.
At the same time, we rose and closely followed behind him.
The two attendants waiting at the entrance pulled the massive doors wide open.
And just like that,
we successfully infiltrated the Emperor's private residence.
Creeeeak—!
As the doors shut with a loud groan, Abel suddenly turned his head.
"...Hmph."
After letting out a dismissive snort, he continued walking deeper inside.