The bomb terror planned in the Much-Sector was merely a prelude.
The Imperial forces would be mobilized to identify the culprits and motives behind the attack, leading to days of investigation and heightened security.
In the meantime, the Imperial Palace would be left exposed.
“Even so, it’s like trying to empty a lake with a bucket. Do you think the Imperial forces are that vulnerable?”
The palace is not only filled with various magical tools but also brimming with highly skilled individuals.
On the day of the banquet, even greater forces would gather in one place.
“T*rrorism? You’d be hard-pressed to assassinate even a single person.”
“This has been a long-prepared operation. It’s the final cooperative effort born out of internal strife, and its scale surpasses anything usual. If not for you today, the operation would have succeeded.”
“No matter how many years of preparation went into it, unless you possess the means to topple a nation, an attack on the Imperial Palace won’t even scratch the surface.”
How could they possibly kill the Empress?
“But that’s precisely why it holds value. If the last of the Imperial bloodline disappears, the nation will inevitably change.”
“Utter nonsense. You’re talking about revolting against a nation that has just achieved victory in war and is experiencing its greatest prosperity? At best, it will collapse. At worst, the entire nation might crumble.”
“Do we seem like people capable of such rational judgment? If we were, we wouldn’t have devised something so reckless.”
Ern couldn’t refute that.
Most of the revolutionaries’ leaders were clearly out of their minds—either old and senile or too crazed to discern right from wrong.
“…Take me to your hideout.”
Something felt deeply off.
Initially, Ern intended to kill everyone if they spouted lofty ideals of revolution, but knowing there were still some sane individuals among them made him hesitant.
More than anything, he couldn’t ignore the crazed revolutionary leaders.
The most terrifying enemies are those who have nothing left to lose.
“I can’t say.”
“Then what? Do you want to watch all your comrades die in a failed terrorist attempt?”
“…”
This one was insane too, no doubt.
Caught between harsh reality and loyalty to comrades, he was a lunatic unable to cross that boundary.
“If you don’t take me to your hideout, I’ll find all your bases before the banquet even begins and kill everyone.”
I have the power to do it.
This was no lie; it was the absolute truth.
“But if there are people in your organization who have realized its contradictions and still have their sanity, I’m willing to spare them. What’s your choice?”
Smashing a broken organization and giving the survivors a chance—
The proposal was both cruel and merciful.
The woman couldn’t bring herself to refuse and reluctantly accepted.
*****
T*rrorism in broad daylight.
It was unbelievable, but the reality could not be denied.
Ray quietly followed Ern’s orders.
“These are the revolutionaries? The once-mighty forces? How did they become this weak?”
“I told you—it’s because Imperial support was cut off.”
“Even so, how could they have fallen so far? If military power is no longer a means of revolution, what’s left? Shouldn’t they at least have focused on improving the quality of their people?”
“You, an Imperial soldier, worrying about revolutionaries?”
“Call it love-hate. We did deal with them a lot back in the day.”
“I didn’t. That was mostly your job.”
“Was it?”
Ray arrived at the warehouse where Ern had detained the captured revolutionaries.
Each one bore a stab wound on their right leg, rendering them immobile.
“Sort out those who question the purpose of their terrorism, those who just want a normal life, and those who still have a shred of sanity. Give them money, clean their records, and send them out of the capital.”
“Isn’t that too generous?”
“The younger generation in the revolutionary forces doesn’t even understand their ideals. They were forced into training and have no real convictions. The elders who led the revolution over a decade ago have all gone mad.”
Though they underwent training, they never carried out actual terrorism.
From a security perspective, eliminating them might seem right, but that approach would have no end.
Punishing uncommitted crimes wasn’t justice. At least, that’s what Ern believed.
“So, I’ll take care of the ones here. What’s your plan?”
“Storm their hideout, kill who needs killing, and spare who can be spared.”
“Do you think you can tell the sane ones from the mad ones?”
“Money, time, and power will sort that out.”
“Impressive.”
Cleaning up the last remnants of the revolutionaries—
It seemed like a good way to pass the time before the banquet.
*****
“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked your name yet.”
“It’s Roen.”
Roen—a name that didn’t quite match her face.
It’s a name that a noble lady would use.
After exchanging introductions, we descended underground.
There was a hidden passage in a deserted corner of the Much-Sector, a place I was already familiar with.
“…”
So, it still stood.
I had thought this decrepit place would have collapsed long ago, but surprisingly, it was still intact.
“Are you going or not?”
“…I’m going now.”
To think there was such a close passage leading underground without my knowledge.
It must have been concealed by layered barriers blocking detection magic and even physical presence.
Clearing my mind of distractions, I followed Roen.
She seemed to have steeled her resolve.
Perhaps the hope of dismantling her twisted organization and saving her comrades had erased her despair, replacing it with determination.
Before long, we arrived at what appeared to be the entrance to the revolutionaries’ hideout.
Roen stopped a short distance from the door and asked.
“Before we go in, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“How exactly do you plan to ‘persuade’ them?”
“…”
“You said you’d give comrades who wish to live a chance. You claimed you had the money and power to make it happen, but you didn’t explain how.”
“Ah, that.”
If it’s that simple—
“I didn’t think it necessary to explain. Do you want me to?”
“If it’s brief.”
“It’s simple. I’ll make them all kneel before me, take the time to explain thoroughly, and then decide.”
“……?”
“You’ll see.”
*****
If there’s something that can’t be solved with force, think about whether you’re lacking in strength.
The revolutionaries had fallen far from their prime.
Their resources, once bolstered by Imperial support, were gone, leaving them with outdated equipment and fewer capable recruits.
Their overall strength had dwindled to less than half of what it was over a decade ago.
And those left were an untrained, ragtag group—at least, according to Roen’s assessment.
“Roen, who’s that foppish-looking man?”
“He’s a collaborator who agreed to help with today’s grand plan.”
“And the bomb attack? I’ve heard nothing from the Much-Sector.”
“There was a complication. It’s been postponed for now.”
The man, a middle-aged figure with a patchy beard, didn’t even glance our way as he polished his sword.
His demeanor exuded weariness more than that of a swordsman.
“A complication? There must be no mistakes in today’s grand plan…”
“What’s done is done. We must adapt to the variables. Gather the others; there’s something I need to announce to everyone.”
The man nodded gravely, understanding the gravity of the situation.
This plan had been years in the making, and issues arising now couldn’t be taken lightly.
He tucked away his cloth and hurried off.
Roen didn’t follow, explaining that even within the revolutionary forces, specific roles and ranks dictated actions.
The hierarchy reminded me too much of the current Empire and past kingdoms, making me bite back my words.
*****
“Is everyone here?”
“All the leaders from Zones 1 through 12 are accounted for.”
“And the rest?”
“You know as well as I do. The personnel on ‘that side’ have cut off communication and are lying low.”
Roen nodded in acknowledgment.
She hadn’t expected much news, but even so, she felt it would suffice to give the comrades in the Much-Sector a chance.
“So, what’s the issue? We’re out of time. If Plan A doesn’t succeed, we’ll have to move to Plan B by tomorrow…”
“There is no Plan B.”
“…What?”
“I’m saying that all plans—A, B, and even C—will end here.”
“…Roen, watch your words.”
The air around the middle-aged man grew tense.
He drew his sword, his expression darkening with genuine killing intent.
“I gathered all the comrades as promised. Get on with it.”
I stepped forward, slowly scanning the room to assess any threats.
It appeared none of the truly skilled individuals were here.
The more competent ones must have been among those who had cut off communication and stayed behind in Few Inner.
I activated the domain within my azure eyes, summoning mana with precision.
Some of the gathered leaders noticed the shift and reacted defensively.
But it was too late.
The mana had already begun to surge.
