Chapter 127
Yuria nodded stiffly with a hardened face.
With that, daggers flew in from all directions, and the knight order members collapsed one after another.
The Imperial Knight Order's captain deflected the daggers while hastily retreating.
"Where is the attack coming from...?"
"Moon Shadow. Capture them all, but kill anyone who resists."
At Yuria's command, forces clad in black armor revealed themselves.
They plunged their jet-black blades forward and started to attack the Imperial Knight Order.
"Urgh..."
"Aagh!"
"I... I surrender!"
"Surrender? Nonsense!"
The captain of the Imperial Knight Order struggled as he fought against the ones called Moon Shadow.
However, he couldn't withstand their assault, and already, many of his members were throwing down their weapons.
Even surrender would not spare them the death penalty—how could they be so foolish?
"The Imperial Knight Order's captain must be captured alive."
Moon Shadow's leader uttered calmly and disarmed the captain.
At the same moment, wolyeong's members rushed in, flinging ropes.
Though the Imperial Knight Order's captain was bound tightly, he didn't go down easily.
But in the end, he could not endure their force and was slammed face-first into the ground.
"Those who do not surrender will be executed immediately. Drop your weapons."
As Moon Shadow's leader pointed a blade at them, the remaining members belatedly raised both hands.
Moon Shadow's members swiftly restrained the entire Imperial Knight Order and herded them to one side.
"... Black Cloud."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Fortify the palace boundaries and report any sign of other intruders. I will interrogate the Imperial Knight Order's captain myself."
"At your command."
Moon Shadow's leader saluted and then gave orders to his subordinates.
Moon Shadow's members quickly cleared out the inner chambers, and some slipped away, cloaking their presence.
The captain of the Imperial Knight Order was completely subdued and dragged before Yuria.
"You'd better answer well now. We don't discriminate between methods over here."
Yuria glanced coldly at Moon Shadow's leader, heukun.
Up until now, the existence of Moon Shadow had been concealed, and only now had they made their debut.
Moon Shadow was a group that obeyed only her direct command and would henceforth take over the Emperor's personal guard duties from the Imperial Knight Order.
"Who instigated you in this matter?"
"... I acted alone."
"That can't be. You must have known the Imperial palace guard would get involved."
"......"
"The palace guard still hasn't arrived... That must mean outside forces attacked at the right timing. Let's call them the rebels for now?"
"......"
"Royalty can contact the Imperial Knight Order easily. If they were able to convince the captain, then it must be a noble of significant standing."
"......"
"Or, how about this? The royals banded together to oust me?"
"......"
"They probably wanted to install a puppet emperor and seize the power amongst themselves. That's why collateral lines can't be left unattended. Not knowing their place, they make a mess like this."
Alter quietly listened in on Yuria's statements.
He was viewing the situation in a similar light as Yuria.
She had probably already deduced, if only roughly, the main faction behind the rebellion.
"Haah... Black Cloud."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Interrogate him and secure the evidence first. The faster you find out, the better."
"... As you wish."
Black Cloud immediately left the palace chamber with his troops.
In effect, this meant to extract the information from the Imperial Knight Order's captain by any means necessary.
That is, to inflict the maximum pain possible without causing the subject's death.
"... Lord Alter."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Who do you think plotted such a scheme?"
"I fear I might offend Your Majesty, but may I respectfully speak my mind?"
"Haha, what's this? You already know, don't you?"
Yuria gave a listless laugh as she looked at Alter.
Brillie hesitated for a moment, then met Yuria's gaze.
"Lady Brillie, what do you think? Any idea who it could be?"
"... If we go by legitimacy alone, shouldn't it be a direct royal to be enthroned?"
"If you set it up that way, any controversy can be silenced. Collateral lines are not tolerated by officials and nobles."
Satisfied with that answer, Yuria sat back down at the table.
She lifted the teapot and carefully filled her cup.
It must have grown cold; not even a wisp of steam drifted up from the teacup.
"I have to kill another sibling with my own hands. Was I truly so greedy?"
"If not for that 'greed', my fiancé and I would have suffered terrible humiliation."
"Lord Alter, even now you praise me? Is that flattery, by chance?"
"I only stated the truth."
"... Yes. It's an undeniable fact."
Yuria absentmindedly accepted those words.
Had she not disposed of her sibling, Alter and Brillie would have been forced to break off their engagement or suffer unjust punishment.
Of course, that incident had consolidated the officials and nobles, so in a way, it provided the justification she needed to ascend as emperor.
"Your Majesty! Is your person unharmed...?"
"Only just arriving? What's your situation there?"
Yuria turned a calm gaze on the palace guards.
The palace guard commander surveyed the chamber, then belatedly spoke.
"Ah... Some mysterious forces invaded, but we repelled them right away. The vice-captain is in pursuit of the intruders."
"Deploy some of the palace guard to the imperial chamber and the grand hall. The ones in the black armor are my own guards, so take direction from the one identified as Black Cloud."
"Y-yes, understood."
"And... summon the head attendant."
"Pardon? Ah, I will carry out Your Majesty's command."
The palace guard commander bowed and withdrew from the chamber.
Yuria, recalling the royal and noble names soon to be executed, felt a sudden thirst.
Would purging them truly bring about lasting peace?
'What a pointless hassle. I can't even drink tea in peace.'
* * *
Alter did not leave the imperial palace until dawn.
Though the Imperial Knight Order's rebellion was suppressed soon, much of the forces had been depleted, so he had to remain to protect the Emperor.
Besides, since even the uninvolved Imperial Knight Order members had been imprisoned, the capital defense troops had to be called in.
'A lot will die this time. If there's even a register, that means they have the evidence ready.'
The current Emperor would use this incident as pretext to thoroughly purge all dissenting factions.
Collaterals had gotten arrogant, and several nobles even participated in this rebellion.
Perhaps the Emperor had foreseen this future and created a special organization in secret.
'There's no way such a unit could be formed in just a few months. She must have prepared even before becoming Emperor.'
Moon Shadow, the covert mobile unit.
All members wore black armor, their faces covered by helms and masks.
They belonged solely to the current Emperor's command, unlike the visible Imperial Knight Order, and acted as a secret strike force.
Furthermore, even the Imperial Knight Order couldn't contend with Moon Shadow, so clearly, they possessed extraordinary skills.
'Does this mean the Imperial Knight Order will now be disbanded?'
To the Emperor, the Imperial Knight Order must seem quite burdensome.
The previous captain kept resisting until his death, and the current captain personally led a rebellion.
It seemed likely the Emperor would exclude those who had participated and build a new roster.
'She might use this opportunity to sweep clean the inner palace...'
"We almost didn't need to come here. It looked quite tidy, didn't it?"
"They must have planned for any contingency. After all, we broached the subject first, did we not?"
"Since the forces were prepared in advance, we had no reason to intervene. We didn't actually do anything, did we?"
"Still, we did stop the Imperial Knight Order... That counts as a contribution, right?"
"Well... can we really take it that way?"
"Is something bothering you?"
"... It's as if they deliberately showed us those forces."
As she answered, Brillie instinctively sensed the presences around her.
Even at this moment, wolyeong might be hiding somewhere in the palace.
Since they already recognized their presence, it was impossible not to remain vigilant.
"Do you think the Emperor is warning us?"
"She was wary of the Knight Order and officials—how are we any different?"
"That may have been intended, but... I see it a bit differently. It's a warning, but also a sign of trust."
"If you want to use people, you have to trust them, right?"
"If she truly doubted us, would she keep us nearby? She would have left only those forces to defend her chambers."
"... That's possible."
"Now, because of this incident, the Emperor will tidy up inside and outside the Imperial palace. To others, it may look like a warning."
"Isn't this just a pretext to eliminate other royals instead?"
"She could pin plenty of reasons on it. Take the chance to remove any disliked nobles as well."
"And then grab hold of the entire imperial household?"
"It had to be this way eventually. She reclaimed the imperial household through force, after all."
Most people shy away from being subjugated by force.
Even if there are reasonable grounds, reliance on violence always seems wrong.
In the end, it justifies resistance by the same means, triggering a cycle of conflict.
"With this in place, there shouldn't be more turmoil in the future, right?"
"If the opposition is purged, the palace will quiet down. Then only those loyal to the Emperor will prosper, and true peace can be attained."
"Hmm... So does that mean we'll be among those who prosper?"
"Yes. We've served the current Emperor from the beginning."
"Then we won't be purged."
"If things keep going as they are, yes, we'll be fine."
An Emperor's authority is founded upon the succession of legitimacy and the obedience of the people.
For that reason, the Emperor must govern nobles and commoners, bearing the weight of the empire's history.
Yuria was fully aware of this and strove not to abuse her power.
'... But nothing is ever truly settled.'
Unfinished business still remained for the current Emperor.
Having a proper marriage and producing an heir, soothing unrest caused by dragons and monsters, maintaining the balance between nobles and commoners—
All of these were knotty, time-consuming tasks, demanding considerable effort.
On top of that, she would soon have to face the major responsibility of wars yet to come.
'I still have to deal with the other dragon and the Knight of True Flame. Can the Emperor withstand all of this?'