Chapter 193: Overlord of Crimson Domain [4]
Two years after joining the Imperial Army, I submitted a formal request for reassignment.
The officer reviewing the document frowned.
"You want a transfer?"
"Yes."
He looked up at me.
"Reason?"
"I wish to serve closer to the heart of the Empire."
Finally, he leaned back.
"You understand the Royal Guard selection isn't easy."
"I do."
"You'll be competing against veterans who have served the Imperial Family for years."
"I understand."
His eyes lingered on the medals pinned to my armor.
Reliable.
Disciplined.
Exceptional under pressure.
Those words had followed me ever since I joined the army.
Perhaps that was why, after a brief silence, he stamped the request.
"Very well."
He slid the parchment back toward me.
"Report to the Imperial Capital."
I saluted before leaving the tent.
Without realizing it...
The first move had already begun.
...
Several days later, I received my assignment.
I unfolded the sealed parchment.
Royal Guard Division.
Assigned to His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince.
For several moments...
I simply stared at those words.
Then I quietly folded the parchment and tucked it inside my uniform.
The first step...
Was complete.
...
My first meeting with the Crown Prince wasn't anything remarkable.
I found him alone inside a modest chamber buried beneath piles of military reports.
Maps covered nearly every wall.
Wooden markers representing entire legions stretched across a massive table.
Without lifting his head, he spoke.
"You're the new guard?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
He absentmindedly pointed toward the corner of the room.
"Stand wherever you like."
"I'll be occupied for a while."
That was all.
Hours passed.
Messengers entered and left carrying stacks of documents.
Generals arrived seeking approval for troop movements.
Supply officers argued over grain shortages.
The Crown Prince dealt with each matter calmly.
Never raising his voice.
Never showing impatience.
Only after the final official departed did he finally lean back in his chair.
He rubbed his tired eyes before looking toward the fading sunset beyond the window.
"War never ends..."
The words escaped his lips so quietly that I doubted he intended anyone to hear them.
...
The following weeks settled into an almost predictable routine.
Every morning before sunrise, the Crown Prince was already awake.
He was reviewing battle reports.
One winter morning, an exhausted messenger burst through the doors.
"Your Highness!"
"The Western Fortress requests immediate reinforcements!"
Within minutes, several generals gathered around the strategy table.
Arguments erupted almost immediately.
"We should send the Third Legion."
"No. That'll leave the eastern border exposed."
"Then withdraw troops from the capital."
"Impossible."
Voices grew louder.
Each commander insisted his solution was correct.
The Crown Prince remained silent.
Only after everyone finished speaking did he step forward.
His finger traced a narrow mountain road across the map.
"What about this route?"
Silence filled the room.
The generals exchanged confused glances.
One of them quickly unfolded another map before his eyes widened.
"The mountain pass..."
"It bypasses the enemy entirely."
Another general nodded slowly.
"If we march through there..."
"We can reinforce the fortress three days earlier."
The room transformed instantly.
Arguments disappeared.
As the commanders hurried away, I remained standing where I was.
For the first time...
I understood why soldiers admired him.
Not because he wore a crown.
Because every decision he made carried the weight of countless lives.
Unlike the current Emperor, who ruled through fear...
The Crown Prince inspired loyalty.
Even I couldn't deny it.
One evening, after returning from inspecting wounded soldiers, he unexpectedly stopped beside me.
"What do you think?"
I looked up.
"Your Highness?"
"The war."
His gaze rested upon the crimson sunset beyond the palace walls.
"When do you think it'll end?"
I considered my answer carefully.
"When one side no longer has the strength to fight."
He smiled faintly.
"I used to think the same."
A brief silence followed.
Then he spoke again.
"Now..."
"I think wars end only when those who profit from them disappear."
Our eyes met.
There was no ambition within them.
No desire for conquest.
Only exhaustion.
He truly wanted peace.
Perhaps...
More than anyone else in the Empire.
For a single moment...
I wondered whether history had been unfair to him.
Then I remembered another pair of eyes.
A boy smiling brightly beneath the trees of the Forbidden Forest.
"Brother..."
"I'll wait for you."
The memory faded as quickly as it had appeared.
I lowered my gaze.
Understanding someone...
Didn't mean forgiving them.
...
Time became strangely meaningless.
The seasons changed.
Campaign followed campaign.
Victory followed victory.
The years quietly slipped through my fingers.
Along the way...
My name gradually spread across the Empire.
At first, I was merely another capable officer.
Then another promotion arrived.
Captain.
Another war.
Commander.
Another victory.
General.
Another kingdom fell.
Marshal.
Every battlefield strengthened my reputation.
Every campaign brought another recommendation.
Another medal.
Another title.
The boy who once wandered through forests searching for firewood had long since disappeared.
Only Lucien remained.
The Empire began calling me...
The Empire's Sword.
Some believed I was destined to become the youngest Grand Marshal in Imperial history.
Others whispered that my talent rivaled the legendary heroes recorded in history.
I never corrected either rumor.
Titles meant nothing.
They were merely stairs.
And I intended to climb every single one.
...
The Crown Prince remained much the same throughout those years.
He fought beside his soldiers.
Refused unnecessary luxury.
Argued constantly with ministers over food supplies instead of taxes.
Whenever the Emperor demanded another campaign, the Crown Prince insisted on ending the previous one properly before beginning another.
The court praised his wisdom.
The nobles admired his restraint.
The soldiers adored him.
Watching him...
Sometimes I forgot why I had come here.
Sometimes.
Not always.
Whenever that thought appeared...
Another memory followed.
The burning village.
My mother's final smile.
My younger brother waved goodbye beneath the illusion protecting the Forbidden Forest.
"You have to come back."
"I will."
A promise.
One I could never keep.
The warmth inside my chest disappeared.
No matter how much I came to respect the Crown Prince...
Nothing could erase those memories.
Some debts...
Could only be repaid with blood.
...
Ten years passed.
It happened so gradually that I hardly noticed.
One day, I was standing behind the Crown Prince during military meetings.
The next...
Generals twice my age were asking for my opinion before making decisions.
Nobles sought my support.
Military academies taught strategies I had devised.
Young officers spoke my name with admiration.
Even ministers who once ignored me now measured every word they spoke in my presence.
Then...
The Imperial decree finally arrived.
The Grand Hall of the palace overflowed with nobles, generals, ministers, and foreign envoys.
Golden pillars stretched toward a ceiling painted with scenes of the Empire's greatest victories.
Rows of crimson banners hung proudly between marble columns.
Every seat was filled.
Every eye watched the center of the hall.
The Emperor himself stood before the Imperial Throne.
His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"From this day onward..."
"We appoint Lucien..."
"...as Grand Marshal of the Empire."
Thunderous applause erupted like rolling thunder.
I walked forward through two endless rows of Imperial Knights.
Some looked at me with admiration.
Others with envy.
A few...
With fear.
None of it mattered.
I stopped before the throne.
Knelt.
The Emperor placed the ceremonial sword upon my outstretched hands.
"The Empire places its trust in you."
"I shall not disappoint Your Majesty."
At least...
Not yet.
I rose to my feet.
As I turned, my eyes briefly met the Crown Prince's.
He smiled.
A genuine smile.
"Congratulations, Grand Marshal."
I bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"The Empire is fortunate to have someone like you."
For the briefest moment...
I almost smiled back.
Instead, I lowered my head.
No...
This will become your greatest mistake.
...
That night...
The palace was unusually quiet.
Most officials celebrated my promotion with extravagant banquets.
Music echoed through distant halls.
Wine flowed freely.
Laughter filled the courtyards.
I declined every invitation.
Instead, I made my way toward the Grand Marshal's command chamber.
The room was enormous.
A massive map of the continent dominated the center.
Colored banners marked every Imperial legion.
Supply routes stretched like veins across mountains, rivers, and kingdoms.
Fortresses.
Naval fleets.
Mountain passes.
Every military secret of the Empire rested upon that table.
Now...
They all belonged to me.
Slowly...
I reached toward the map.
My fingertips brushed against the marker representing the Imperial Capital.
Then...
The Imperial Palace.
Finally...
The Crown Prince's residence.
For twelve years...
Every step had led me here.
Every promotion.
Every battlefield.
Every victory.
Every carefully chosen word.
Every salute.
Every lie.
Every smile.
Every ounce of trust I had earned.
All of it...
For this single moment.
There were no more ranks left to climb.
No more doors left unopened.
No more obstacles stand between me and the throne.
The board had been set.
The pieces were finally in place.
A faint smile slowly appeared across my face.
This time...
It wasn't born from hatred.
Nor from satisfaction.
It was the smile of a man who had finally reached the end of a road he had walked for twelve long years.
I closed my hand into a fist above the map.
My voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"Finally..."
My eyes settled upon the Imperial Palace.
"...it's time to end this all."