Chapter 203 : Turbulent Ribenia (1)
Chapter 203: Turbulent Ribenia (1)
It was something that had to be done.
And we were the only ones who could do it.
It was the punishment rightfully deserved by the patricide who had usurped the Emperor's throne.
And he had received that punishment.
A cold corpse.
A death he had chosen for himself.
Unable to respond to the sudden death of its host, the Erosion Pillar Scatter was also destroyed by the same poison.
Of course, knowing how tenacious that creature's vitality was, Edel and I spent another ten minutes making absolutely certain there was no possibility of its survival.
After applying the minimum preservation necessary to prevent the corpse from decomposing, we sat down for a moment with our backs against the wall behind the wide-open bedroom door.
Edel struggled to sort out the turmoil in her heart.
Meanwhile, I sat beside her, once again reviewing the stance we would take from here onward.
She no longer needed words of comfort.
Once Edel Ribenia made a decision herself, she would never break.
She might waver for a moment.
She might despair for a while.
But she would never be crushed.
So all I had to do was remain by her side until she stood up again.
How much time had passed?
"...Seriously."
"He really was an idiot until the very end."
Covering her eyes, Edel let out a deep sigh.
"He could've at least left us more information about our enemies..."
"What is this supposed to be?"
"...You're right."
"And what made him think he had the right to kill himself so proudly?"
"Did he think that would erase everything he'd done?"
"If he truly wanted to atone, he should've accepted proper punishment."
"This was nothing but running away."
"A cowardly, pathetic escape."
"..."
"If he thought helping us a little at the end would earn my forgiveness, he was gravely mistaken."
"I'll never forgive him."
With those words, Edel stood and extended a hand toward me with a faint smile.
"...Though..."
"Maybe after we've safely saved the Empire..."
"I can think about it again."
Instead of answering, I took her hand and stood before turning my gaze toward Abel's preserved body.
"Our original plan included assassinating him and escaping afterward."
"But the situation has changed."
"So it's better if we change the plan as well."
We were nothing more than witnesses who had arrived too late and discovered that he had already taken his own life.
Since we hadn't participated in his assassination, our original plan was no longer necessary.
Instead, we'd overturn the entire board by using the Platinum Dawn Society as our justification.
"We'll expose the Platinum Dawn Society's involvement in this incident..."
"And prepare for an all-out war."
"Do you agree?"
It had just passed ten o'clock at night.
Not far from the Emperor's private residence.
The Special Task Force's night training was nearly over and entering its final stage.
Special Task Force Commander Lieutenant General Alvin Caldwell was chatting casually with two men.
Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Georg Olrubis gently tapped the ashes from his long-cooled pipe with a spoon before asking almost to himself,
"So?"
"Did the training go well?"
"Since it was an emergency drill, some lack of coordination was inevitable."
"But everyone cooperated."
"I think we'll be able to finish without incident."
This time, Captain of the Imperial Guards Rugier looked toward the distant walls of the Imperial Palace.
"If Beasts are capable of reaching even the Imperial Palace..."
"Then the Empire's fate has already..."
"...It's only a precautionary exercise."
"Let's not dwell on such possibilities."
However,
as though denying those words outright,
a loud commotion suddenly erupted behind them.
The doors of the Emperor's private residence burst open.
Edel appeared first.
Behind her,
Eugene carried a corpse.
The three men immediately rushed toward them.
"Princess!"
"What in the world..."
"...happened?"
"I'll explain everything later."
"We have too much to prepare."
Edel glanced at the corpse before continuing.
"Increase the number of memorial halls to ten."
"Accept mourners regardless of whether they're nobles or common citizens."
"Keep them open for exactly one week."
"And contact every media outlet immediately."
"Prepare a press conference."
"And arrange nationwide transmission through Projection Orbs."
"..."
"What are you standing there for?"
"Move!"
"Ah...!"
"Y-Yes!"
The Captain of the Imperial Guards hurried away.
Meanwhile,
Georg looked at Edel with concern.
"Surely, Princess..."
"It wasn't you... was it?"
"What?"
"You think I killed Abel myself?"
"...Even if you hadn't..."
"His Highness wouldn't have lasted long."
"Neither the Imperial Family, the nobility, nor the citizens would've accepted him."
"So you intended to quietly wait it out?"
"Because you thought he'd only last three days anyway?"
Georg couldn't answer.
Edel's sharp gaze pierced him.
"Did you ever stop to think..."
"How much damage the Empire would've suffered during those three days?"
"...We're not members of the Imperial Family."
"Worrying about such matters is the Imperial Family's role and privilege."
"We merely support them."
"That used to be true."
"But not anymore."
Roles and privileges also meant responsibilities and obligations.
"The time has come..."
"To return every role and every privilege we monopolized..."
"Back to everyone."
.
.
.
Early the next morning.
The Duchess Rogermond, the Emperor's personal maid,
together with Rachel Ribenia's head maid,
hurried into the Second Princess's bedroom.
"Princess!"
"Please wake up immediately!"
"It's terrible!"
"Princess Edel has...!"
Although Rachel was still half asleep,
the urgency in their voices instantly snapped her awake.
"...What..."
"Did you just say?"
The two women hurriedly began recounting everything that had happened overnight.
The situation was still too chaotic to fully understand.
Even so,
one thing was obvious.
She couldn't simply sit back and watch.
Rachel immediately left her room and headed toward the Grand Palace's conference hall,
where Edel was undoubtedly making her move.
It was only a little after seven in the morning.
Yet the area around the Grand Palace was already overflowing with people.
There were many nobles.
But the reporters outnumbered them by far.
"It's Princess Rachel!"
"Oh!"
"Princess Rachel!"
"I'm Roman of House Nikolai, Your Highness!"
"Your Highness!"
"You remember me, don't you?"
"I'm Kruman!"
"We met at last year's social gathering—"
"Please look this way, Princess!"
"Is it true that you provided Greenwhistle with evidence regarding the Bernhardt Family?"
As voices bombarded her from every direction,
the two head maids forced their way through the crowd while shouting.
"How dare you!"
"Stand aside!"
"Move at once!"
"The Princess cannot pass!"
With the maids and attendants barely clearing a path,
Rachel finally entered.
There,
Edel was preparing for the press conference.
A few steps behind her stood Eugene Carter,
quietly observing the situation.
Their eyes briefly met.
"You're late, Sister."
Rachel immediately quickened her pace at Edel's composed greeting.
"You...!"
She wanted nothing more than to grab Edel by the collar and curse her out.
But far too many eyes were watching.
Swallowing her anger,
Rachel forced an elegant smile and gestured toward Edel.
"May we speak for a moment, little sister?"
"There's still some time before the conference begins."
"Why don't we just talk here, Sister?"
"...Don't you think there are far too many ears listening?"
"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"You little...!"
Rachel barely suppressed the instinctive urge to strike her.
Instead,
she leaned close and whispered into Edel's ear.
"What exactly have you done...?"
Edel answered just as quietly.
"I told you."
"You should've been more careful with that contract."
"...What?"
That was the end of it.
The moment Edel confirmed it was time,
she casually wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders and addressed the audience.
"From this moment onward, the Imperial Family has an important announcement to make."
"Please take your seats."
"Today..."
"I must deliver tragic news to all the citizens of the Empire."
"Our father..."
"His Majesty Emperor Ludwig von Ribenia..."
"The spiritual pillar of the Empire and a wise ruler of unparalleled virtue..."
"Has passed away."
"For eleven long years, His Majesty fought relentlessly against a devastating illness."
"Two days ago, on Wednesday morning, he departed for the land of our ancestors."
"In addition..."
"Crown Prince Abel Ludwig von Ribenia..."
"The Emperor's second son and my elder brother..."
"Also passed away early this morning."
"The Platinum Dawn Society was involved in Crown Prince Abel's death."
"Their Chairman joined hands with Beasts in an attempt to bring about the Empire's destruction."
"The Imperial Family will hunt them down."
"And wipe them from existence without leaving so much as a trace."
"Some disturbances may unfortunately occur during this process."
"But they are necessary to capture these criminals and eradicate their crimes."
"We ask for your understanding."
"Furthermore..."
"We intend to fill the Imperial Throne..."
"A position that has effectively stood vacant for over ten years..."
"Through the choice of the people."
"Accordingly..."
"Beginning next Wednesday, voting will be held for one week."
"And we shall ask every citizen..."
"Who is truly worthy..."
"To become Emperor."
"More than one hundred polling stations will operate throughout the Empire, including every regional capital."
"To ensure fairness, voting will be conducted using each citizen's unique mana signature."
"Finally..."
"From this point onward..."
"My sister Rachel Ribenia and I..."
"The candidates for the next Emperor..."
"Will each present our campaign pledges."
"We will accept questions afterward."
"..."
"..."
The reporters,
who had been on the verge of firing off countless questions,
all fell silent.
The nobles reacted much the same way.
Even Rachel,
who almost never lost her composure,
couldn't conceal her shock this time.
Seizing the silence,
Edel began unveiling her platform.
Reform of the Imperial Family.
Reform of the legislature.
Abolition of the aristocratic system.
Breaking away from the theocratic state.
Military reforms in preparation for total war against the Beasts.
Establishing cooperation with Duel Headquarters.
Promotion of key industries for the next fifty years of the Ribenia Empire.
Reforming refugee policies.
Strengthening support for the relatively neglected regions of Parcel, Ivric, and the Niphrel Region.
Reforming the Academy curriculum.
And even a plan to incorporate the Duel—Mallet region into the Empire.
As each pledge was revealed,
the audience's reaction slowly transformed from stunned silence into admiration.
Merely catching a glimpse of the blueprint Edel Ribenia had prepared for the Empire completely changed the way they looked at her.
"I'm sure all of you have countless questions..."
"But please bear with us just a little longer..."
The moment Edel finished her passionate thirty-minute presentation,
she smiled while placing both hands on Rachel's shoulders.
"Next..."
"Princess Rachel Ribenia will present her campaign pledges."
"You're ready, aren't you, Sister?"
"..."
Rachel's face grew increasingly pale.
This time,
Edel leaned close and whispered into her ear.
"If you're not ready..."
"I can give you some time to prepare."
"The voting won't begin for a while yet."
Rachel quietly hissed back.
"...So you really dared to pull a trick like this."
"And you think you'll walk away unharmed?"
"This violates the Geas!"
"If I'd violated it..."
"My life would've been taken the instant I did."
"So why hasn't the Geas reacted at all?"
"You...!"
"I already told you."
"You should've been more careful with that contract."
"I never once acted to prevent or interfere with you becoming Emperor."
"You damned bitch...!"
"So..."
"Let's settle this fairly, Sister."
The smile disappeared from Edel's face.
Looking at Rachel with unwavering resolve,
she declared,
"The one who wins..."
"Will lead the Empire into its next generation."