Chapter 149
Chapter 149
Creak, creak.
The Emperor’s Shadows circled around me and Hemillas, pacing along the perimeter of the conference room. The cybernetic implants revealed between their jet-black coats were pure exoskeletons, lacking even artificial skin.
They were likely refraining from making any rash movements, waiting to report to the Emperor and receive his orders.
"Luka, your first plan has failed. Even if the Crown Prince arrives, he won’t have the military’s cooperation. Those who pledged to rise with me were all just killed."
Hemillas spoke as if prompting me to come up with a new plan.
"Is there no Imperial Guard member you can call upon?"
"There’s no one close enough to be an immediate force. I’ve stationed troops along the routes leading into the Imperial Palace."
I felt like I understood the full scope of the military leadership’s coup plan now. I also saw why they had dragged things out this long.
‘A coup can’t be executed with just a handful of people. They needed a chance to mobilize the army somehow. The riots during the Storm Season must have been a convenient excuse. The military and Hemillas must have been working behind the scenes to escalate the riots as much as possible.’
Chaos during the Storm Season was inevitable. Everyone had been waiting for this moment to push their own agendas.
‘Most of the summoned soldiers probably don’t even realize they were gathered for a coup. But given a soldier’s nature, even if they have doubts, they’ll still follow their superior’s orders. If field commanders can fabricate a reasonable enough justification to attack and seize the palace... the rest will fall into place somehow. The legitimacy of the coup can be justified later with a plausible excuse. Besides, they have a royal, Ivan Accretia, by their side.’