Reinhardt Friedrich.
Born to a concubine of the former emperor, he is a half-brother to Empress Vanessa.
Despite being the firstborn son of the former emperor, he was treated as a secret for a time due to his lowly birth.
Only after the Empress was proclaimed Crown Princess could he finally reveal his existence to the world.
At that time, Reinhardt was already renowned as an outstanding knight.
The Empress promoted him to the position of general.
Of course, it wasn’t solely because of their blood relation.
Reinhardt’s own martial strength and command abilities were also top-notch.
Despite the sudden appearance of his half-brother, the Empress objectively assessed his abilities and granted him a position.
He accepted the role humbly, without expressing discontent at the harsh treatment he had endured, deciding instead to devote himself to the royal family.
This has been the public perception thus far.
…However, that is not the complete truth.
‘The moment Aslan died and Chapter 1 was cleared, a cutscene appeared.’
It was a prologue-like cutscene before Chapter 2 began.
The scene that unfolded as soon as the cutscene started was the imperial palace, ablaze with fire.
Bodies lay scattered around, creating mountains of the dead.
And Reinhardt had a blade pointed at the Empress’s neck.
‘The main villain of Chapter 2 is Reinhardt Friedrich.’
Though I immediately shut down the game right after that cutscene, it is undoubtedly true that Reinhardt is the main villain of Chapter 2, setting the palace ablaze and attacking the Empress.
Had he been pretending to endure all this time, while actually harboring a deep-seated rage towards the royal family?
Or was it all a ploy to usurp the throne? Either way, it doesn’t matter.
‘What protects me right now is the Empress. I must protect her at all costs.’
The Empress’s enemies are my enemies as well.
Currently, Vermont is expanding its business and strengthening its military without facing any significant opposition, all thanks to the Empress.
I have rejected alliances with other factions, relying solely on her.
If something were to happen to her, I would not be able to guarantee Vermont’s future.
“Why do you have such a grim expression?
“I’m sorry to dampen the festive atmosphere, but I can’t help but worry for your safety…”
“You think Reinhardt might start a rebellion?”
“…”
With a grin, the Empress scrutinized my expression.
I bit my lip, realizing I had been struck at the heart of the matter.
I thought I was the only one without a plan, yet it seems she is surprisingly aware of Reinhardt’s potential treachery.
After all, doesn’t the Empress possess the Spirit’s Eye?
If she engages in a few conversations, she could easily discern the true nature of those around her.
However, considering the disastrous events that occurred in the original story, it would be foolish to feel completely reassured relying solely on the Spirit’s Eye.
“I do not intend to insult the general, but yes, I had considered that possibility.”
“How rare… In such situations, most would brush it off, claiming it’s not true. You’re being refreshingly honest to the point of being rude. If another tyrant were sitting here instead of me, you would have been dead a dozen times over by now.”
“…”
The Empress gazed at me with a significant smile and penetrating eyes.
It’s only natural to be honest.
What good is it to lie to someone who can see right through my inner self?
“To get straight to the point, I also understand exactly what you are concerned about. While I can’t be sure of a rebellion, I predict that if anything does happen, it will occur on the day of the welcoming ceremony. Therefore, I have decided to assign you a crucial mission.”
“What kind of mission?”
“On the day of the event, you will be my secret escort.”
“Secret… escort?”
“Yes. The official escort will still be the royal guard, as always, but that is merely for appearances. Behind the scenes, you will be the one protecting me. In case of emergency, the guard will follow your orders.”
“…!?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected mission, I could hardly contain my shock.
I thought I might be involved in the planning for the welcoming event, but to be the Empress’s escort?
This was too monumental.
As I turned to look behind me in a fluster, Sylvia was frozen like a stone, her face twisted in despair.
“Your Majesty, this is…”
“Is it too sudden? I believe both you and I, along with everyone else, will think so. Even though Count Vermont is a favorite of the Empress, no one could have imagined that he would be entrusted with the escort. That is precisely the flaw I intend to exploit. You are the only one who can do this. Will you take it on?”
“…”
Certainly. It was a valid point. If the imperial palace were to burn down, it would be the work of an internal enemy.
That individual would wait until they had completely assessed everything in the palace, including the royal guard, before making a move.
Having successfully prepared the means to overcome the royal guard allowed for the palace to be completely set ablaze.
But what if an unexpected figure were to take on the Empress’s secret escort? That alone could disrupt the perpetrator’s plans.
Setting traps that the enemy would not expect.
That was the Empress’s countermeasure.
“If you truly say so, Your Majesty, I will accept the mission.”
“Good. That was a wise decision. Though I say ‘secret escort’ grandly, it is merely a precautionary measure. Throughout the welcoming ceremony, you will eat, drink, and enjoy like any invited guest, and if nothing happens, it will end just like that. So don’t feel too burdened by it.”
“Yes. Then I will prepare for that ‘if.’ Does that mean I can devise a protection plan with the assumption that I hold command over the guard in case of emergency?”
“Of course.”
“In that case, I will conduct light construction in the palace basement ahead of time. I will also secretly position forces in preparation for an ambush. Also…”
“Whoa… I wasn’t expecting you to be so proactive…”
Drawing on the hint from the burning palace in the cutscene, I began to devise the most thorough escort plan in my mind.
I will not allow the Empress to die.
Having taken on this mission, I decided to give it my all.
* * *
“Secret escort?”
“Yes. That is correct. It is said that the Empress has arranged for a secret escort to become our superior in case of emergency.”
The captain of the guard furrowed his brow upon receiving the report.
A secret escort?
The royal guard consists of the strongest human weapons gathered from across the empire, no, from the entire world.
With just their strength alone, they could annihilate a kingdom or two, and now they are to be augmented with an escort?
Even more so, they can give us orders in case of emergency?
The captain of the guard clicked his tongue.
“This is really unacceptable. Captain, perhaps you should lodge a complaint with Her Majesty…”
“Shut your mouth. If you have any doubts about Her Majesty’s intentions, you can go find her yourself and submit a formal appeal.”
“I-I misspoke.”
At the captain’s sharp reprimand, the soldier’s face turned pale, and he bowed his head deeply.
The captain himself felt quite displeased, but he couldn’t show that to the Empress.
‘You suspect there are traitors within the guard…’
It’s one thing for a secret escort to be appointed, but not informing even the guard of the identity of the secret escort until the day of the event means that the Empress doubts the guard’s capabilities or is worried about betrayal.
Her Majesty is not a paranoid individual.
A ruler who values reason and efficiency as much as her life would not devise such an inefficient escort system unless there was a reasonable suspicion behind it.
The captain decided to follow Her Majesty’s orders without further discussion.
‘But who could it be? Who would take on the Empress’s secret escort…?’
One thing he was curious about was who dared to undertake the Empress’s secret escort.
It had to be someone she trusted even more than the royal guard.
No one came to mind who fit that description.
“Captain, the contractors are requesting entry permission at the gate.”
“Contractors? Oh. Were there renovations planned in the palace basement? I’ll go check myself.”
The royal basement, which had been used as a vacant storage space due to a lack of any specific purpose. It seemed that Her Majesty was holding some sort of exhibition down there, and the contractors had arrived.
The captain hurried to the gate, checked the documents the contractors brought, and began inspecting the carts.
Clang, Clang.
Boxes began to open one by one.
Various ordinary materials and tools, such as paint and hammers, were revealed.
And then came the moment when he opened a long box that resembled a coffin.
“What is this…? Aaaah!”
“Captain, why are you suddenly screaming…? Hieeeek!!!”
What emerged from the box were neatly arranged skeleton soldiers.
The captain let out a pitiful scream and fell into a proper sitting position, while the soldiers who approached him with mocking laughter also collapsed beside him, their strength drained by their own screams.
“Oh, these are just the exhibits. Don’t be too startled.”
“Close the lid! Close it, quickly! Phew… It’s fine to let them through.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
With the captain’s permission granted, the contractors wheeled their carts into the palace.
No suspicious items or materials had been discovered, and there were no signs of magical tools or magic, so it should be fine.
‘Those skeletons are a bit concerning, though…’
It should be alright.
The captain decided to take it lightly.
