Signs of Collapse
Beyond the border battles of the Lemberg Empire, the forces of the Izrim Magic Kingdom invaded. Against this, the Lemberg Imperial Army almost didn't resist. Without fighting, the front line is retreating rapidly.
They have no choice but to do so. They have taken Emperor Lemberg hostage.
The one who dropped the castle of the Lemberg Empire was a group of knights led by Yuya, but the knights were the former Saint Miriam's Kingdom army that had followed Amalia. The emperor was taken hostage and the castle fell without resistance.
Emperor Lemberg wasn't the only one who was captured. Rosa Linde has also been captured.
"...Let me talk to Heinz."
Princess Rosa Linde appeals to Jin, who visits the room where she is being confined, to let her meet Heinz.
"I can't do that"
"Why? I'm Heinz's wife."
"Maybe so, but before that, you are the royal family of the Lemberg Empire. I cannot let you go free."
Emperor Lemberg and Rosa Linde. By holding these two hostages, they were able to prevent the Lemberg Empire's resistance. If one of them escapes, the Lemberg Empire army will launch a counterattack with that person. The Izrim Magic Kingdom thinks so.
"Is that what Heinz said?"
"……No."
"Then whose order is it? Is that person in a position to give orders as they please?"
There's no way Heinz wouldn't want to meet her. Before that, Heinz would never do something like this. Princess Rosa Linde thinks so.
"You already know, don't you?"
"What?"
"The elected king of the Izrim Magic Kingdom is Mei. Not Heinz."
"I see… then where is Heinz?"
"I can't say that."
"...Is he alive?"
Princess Rosa Linde timidly asked this question. It is more likely that he has been killed. She thinks so.
"He's alive. You should be able to meet him someday, so please be quiet."
Heinz is also a hostage. It was to prevent Princess Rosa Linde from thinking of running away.
"…Why did they decide to betray Heinz?"
She honestly can't bring herself to believe Jin's words. However, even if she pursued him for lying, he would never tell her the truth. Princess Rosa Linde thought that if that was the case, she would ask about various other things.
"I figured it would be less alarming."
"I see. My brother would not have believed you if he had known that a hero had taken the throne of the elected king."
"I guess so."
She thinks about the possibility that the heroes are colluding with each other. Jin must not have been allowed an audience. That is not all. It is highly likely that the army he led could not enter the imperial capital, let alone the castle.
"...What is your relationship with the Luine Kingdom?"
"Yuya is leading the former Saint Miriam Kingdom's army, not the Luine Kingdom's army."
"Are such actions allowed?"
It was strange to Princess Rosa Linde that such behavior was allowed, even if it was the army of the former Saint Miriam Kingdom that he was leading.
"…………"
Jin was silent in response to Princess Rosa Linde's question. Princess Rosa Linde did not miss the slight frown on his face.
"Did you kill them?"
"...Otherwise we wouldn't be free."
It is the fault of the person who deprived him of his freedom. This is the reason why Jin made it to deceive his own conscience.
"How many knights and soldiers have you killed?"
"I don't know. I didn't kill them all."
It's not a number that one person can kill. It's on a scale that could be called a massacre.
"...Are you still heroes?"
"Heroes!? We are just tools to kill people, aren't we!?"
Jin is furious at Princess Rosa Linde. He knows they have done wrong. He didn't want to be blamed for that.
"What is your purpose?"
"To be free"
"Hasn't that already been achieved?"
Emperor Lemberg canceled the hero contract. In exchange for Princess Rosa Linde's life. So Mei is free, and Jin is free because Mei is the Elected King of the Izrim Magic Kingdom.
"There's still Yuya left."
"...Are you going to deceive the Luine Kingdom as well?"
"If it is possible to deceive. But it is impossible. The Luine Kingdom will know in the not-too-distant future what has happened to the Izrim Magic Kingdom and this country."
If the hero's betrayal becomes clear, it will no longer be possible to deceive the Luine Kingdom.
"Then do you intend to fight head-on and destroy them?"
"If necessary"
"Do you think you can win?"
Even if the two nations of the Izrim Magic Kingdom and the Lemberg Empire work together, they won't be an easy opponent to beat. That's why the two countries were allied, and even after doing so, they didn't immediately try to fight the Luine Kingdom.
"We have a chance"
"You're that confident?"
"Isn't that why every country wanted a hero, because they had the ability to do so?"
"...I see."
Power of the hero. Recognizing this was the reason why the Lemberg Empire welcomed Mei as its own hero. Mei and Jin, who was said to be second only to Yuya in terms of ability. It is certainly strong as a fighting force.
"We're not going to fight the Luine Kingdom suddenly. There are other companions who must be released."
There are heroes in other countries as well. Jin and the others intend to free those heroes. The more companions they can gather, the easier it will be to defeat the Luine Kingdom.
"And then the heroes will rule the world....... You talk about freedom, but in the end, that's what you're after, isn't it?"
"What we want is freedom. And this is what happens when you take that away from us."
Jin denied ambition. In fact, Jin has no ambitions now. That's because he avoids thinking about the future.
"Is that so? I don't think so. I think we did the right thing by taking away your freedom."
"What?"
"You betrayed us, and you are trying to destroy our country by colluding with other heroes. The only reason we took away your freedom was to keep you from doing so."
The people of this world also feared the power of the heroes. That is why they took away the freedom of the heroes. They wanted to prevent the heroes from cooperating and turning on them.
"But as a result, it failed."
"Yeah... I'll admit that. The Anti-Hero Alliance was right."
"Wha..."
The people who thought the heroes were dangerous and wanted to kill them. Princess Rosa Linde affirmed that, and Jin was upset.
"All the heroes should be killed. I hope someone will do it someday."
"…………"
Princess Rosa Linde's curse words. Jin was afraid of them. He knew who would carry out the curse. The existence that should have been an enemy of the Lemberg Empire.
In order to oppose Ren, Jin and the others take action. It would be ironic if the result, even if it was only the words of Princess Rosa Linde, would lead to the affirmation of Ren by the great powers.
◇◇◇
The Lemberg Empire is in turmoil after the invasion of the Izrim Magic Kingdom. With the emperor taken hostage, the Lemberg Imperial Army is helpless, but even amidst such a situation, there is a small force that is trying to take action.
At the center of this force is Empress Milianea. Empress Milianea had escaped from the castle without being captured. This was the result of the subjects deciding that it was impossible to rescue Princess Rosa Linde and giving priority to the escape of Empress Milianea.
This was not a happy situation for Empress Milianea. She wondered what would happen if only she, who was not of the imperial blood, escaped.
"I must help His Majesty and Her Highness Rosa Linde no matter what."
Still, she can't help but do nothing. If her existence becomes the power to unite people, She will only fulfill that duty.
"We can break into the castle, but…"
The defense of the imperial capital is thin. Only the castle is protected. So it is easy to approach the castle. It's not impossible to break through the castle gate.
"It is meaningless if we can't rescue His Majesty."
If they invade the castle, they will kill Emperor Lemberg, who is being held hostage. Empress Milianea fears that.
"I thought it would be less dangerous to secretly infiltrate the castle with a small group and rescue His Majesty."
"Yes... I wonder if that's possible?"
"There is a way in."
It's their country's castle. The structure is well known.
"The problem is, where are His Majesty and Her Highness being held?"
Even if they know the inside of the castle, they can't help if they don't know where Emperor Lemberg and Princess Rosa Linde are.
"There's a high possibility that it's in the back of the castle, but..."
Even though they are being held hostage, the royal family should be treated fairly. It is normal to think that they are under house arrest in their original living quarters.
"When it comes to the inner part of the castle... should we consider a diversion?"
It's hard to infiltrate the residence of the royal family. It was originally designed to prevent infiltration. As a strategy, they thought of moving a diversionary force to distract the enemy.
"It's a foolish plan."
"Wha!? Who are you!?"
The voice that denied the operation did not belong to their comrades. The sudden appearance of an intruder causes the knights to panic.
"I'm not an enemy. I want you to put away those dangerous things."
An intruder who claims that he is not an enemy. The knights are not ready to put away their swords.
"...If you're not an enemy, then tell us who you are."
"Your Majesty, please stand down!"
The knight tells Empress Milianea, who has asked the question to the intruder, to step back.
"Your Majesty… you are being careless. You know who I am when I called out, right?"
"Shut up! You have no right to say such a thing!"
"No, there is. I was told to help Her Majesty."
"...I don't know if I believe that."
The intruder told them that he was not an enemy, but that he came to help her. They honestly have no intention of believing it, but the knights are still confused.
"I don't need the others to believe me. It's whether or not the Empress will believe it."
"...I don't believe it either, even if you say you're here to help us. What do you mean?"
Looking at the intruder, Empress Milianea opened her mouth again.
"Lang-dono asked me to do it."
"...Lang. Is she okay?"
Upon hearing Lang's name, Empress Milianea's feelings eased slightly.
"Yeah, she's safe. She's heading to the Nord Empire now."
"Nord Empire?"
"There is no one in the Izrim Magic Kingdom for her to serve. She is on her way to her true master."
"...Is my brother dead?"
Lang was supposed to have served Empress Milianea's older brother. With her brother's death, she thought she had given up on the Izrim Magic Kingdom.
"Yeah, he's dead. But it seems like you're just misunderstanding, so let me tell you. Lang-dono's loyalty left the Izrim Magic Kingdom a long time ago."
"......Why do you bother telling me that?"
Empress Milianea thought that the intruder was from the Izrim Magic Kingdom because she heard it was Lang's instructions. However, she realized that it was a mistake.
"It would be unfortunate if it were thought that Lang-dono went to the Nord Empire because she had lost her job."
"In other words, Lang has been your colleague for some time."
"Colleague? But, well, we serve the same person."
In other words, the man serves the Nord Empire. She thinks it is true that Lang asked him to come here, but she is no longer inclined to trust the man.
"…Why did Lang want me to help?"
"Is it because you're in danger?"
"That's not what I'm asking. Isn't there a need for Lang to help me now?"
She wonders if they're thinking of something. She also suspects that they will take advantage of Empress Milianea.
"There is no need. She is just returning the favor."
"Returning the favor?"
"Her Majesty the Empress is the only person in the Izrim Magic Kingdom who recognizes Lang-dono’s talent. That's not all. It is not hard to say that the reason she met His Majesty the Emperor was also thanks to the Empress. That seems to be the case."
"...I see. Lang said that."
"Do you believe it?"
"A little bit about Lang. But... does the Nord Emperor know about this?"
She wants to believe Lang's feelings of returning the favor. But she doesn't feel like trusting Ren. He is a rare conspirator. Empress Milianea's evaluation of Ren is also like this.
"I see... it looks like you're misunderstanding again."
"What am I misunderstanding about?"
"He is certainly cold and heartless. It is not hard to understand why you fear him. But that is because you are his enemy."
"...Are you saying it's different for allies?"
"Ally... that word is probably not the right way to put it. But there's no point in explaining it in detail. You can take it that way."
It is not Ren who gives unconditional trust to allies. In many cases, they are allies because they can use each other. But it is useless to explain this in detail to Empress Milianea.
"Am I on your side?"
"You should know that's not the case. That's what Lang-dono wanted, so I accepted it. That's all there is to it, and that's all."
"Not for me, but for Lang. I understand a little."
"Can we go on then?"
"Yes. I'll have to hear what he has to say before I can make a decision."
She was not completely convinced by the man's explanation. But she can't make any further judgment without hearing the details.
"Then. I'm going to ask you to leave here as soon as possible."
"……Why?"
"Because it's dangerous"
"Can you tell me how dangerous it is?"
"…………"
The man did not immediately respond to Empress Milianea's request. Empress Milianea knows why.
"I am not going to listen to you unless they are convinced too."
The man doesn't want to talk to the knights who are with Empress Milianea.
"......I don't really want them to hear it, though. Well, alright. Whatever the outcome, it is your decision.
"... Yes, that's right."
"Emperor Lemberg and his sister will be killed before long."
"W-what?"
"For the invaders, the former administrators and their blood relatives are only a hindrance. They are being kept alive now in order to contain resistance and to expand the area under their control while they hesitate to resist."
"That's... I know."
Empress Milianea and the knights know that too. That's why they're thinking of rescuing Emperor Lemberg no matter what.
"That suppression is progressing smoothly. Rather than suppression, it's conciliation."
"…Are you saying that there are those who have turned over?"
"There will be. No one wants to die. And if they can protect their current interests, it would be a wonder if they don't think about changing sides."
"…………"
Furthermore, the current emperor of Lemberg does not have the same charisma as the previous emperor. Some people think that he is conflicting with Heinz on personal feelings and is disturbing the country.
"Once the converted nobles have reached a certain point, keeping Emperor Lemberg alive will become a nuisance."
"......And you say it will reach that certain point soon?"
"That's right. Once the number has reached a certain point, the rest will follow suit. It wouldn't be a shame if everyone betrayed the royal family."
"That's why you told us to run."
"That's not all. Maybe they've relaxed, and the search for Her Majesty the Empress has also begun. Even though the royal capital is large, it's still a limited place. Someday they'll find you. And it may be tomorrow."
With the castle gates blocked, if they search for her exhaustively, they will definitely find her someday. No one can deny it.
"...Can we escape now?"
The castle gates are still sealed. There is no way for Empress Milianea and the others to escape safely from the royal capital in that situation.
"Yes, that's why I came here."
"If that's the case... can't we invade the castle?"
What may seem impossible for them to do may be possible for the Nord Empire. Empress Milianea has such expectations.
"You mean to help the emperor?"
"That's right"
"You're greedy... but I can't meet your expectations."
"I will reward you. Say anything I can do. I am prepared to give even my life."
Above all else, the safety of Emperor Lemberg should be prioritized. Not only as his wife, but also as Empress of the Lemberg Empire, Milianea believes that she must be so.
"...That's not it. I'm saying that I can't help the emperor."
"Is it impossible even for demons?"
"I'm not a demon, but I still know the answer. It would be possible if I just infiltrated. But Emperor Lemberg does not have that ability. Two heroes are stationed near the room where the emperor is locked up. If they notice my intrusion, I will have to fight them."
"I see..."
Emperor Lemberg does not have the ability to escape from the depths of the castle without being noticed. In short, he is a liability.
And it's the same with the knights. Even if they try to break through by force, two people, Yuya and Jin, two of the most powerful heroes, will stand in their way. Empress Milianea and the others finally understood the meaning of the man's words.
"The two members of the royal family are important hostages. They are heavily guarded."
"...But you can still break in, right?"
"And if that is so?"
"There is something I want you to tell His Majesty. I will make sure that the Lemberg Empire will be protected. I ask that he entrust me with the authority to do so, for a time."
Even though Milianea is the Empress, she is from another country. She has no authority to move the country. Empress Milianea wants to get that authority. Even if Emperor Lemberg were to die, she would continue to resist.
"That is not up to me―――"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot grant that wish either."
"Eh?" "What?"
A female voice cut in. The intruder man was also surprised by that.
"......Did I startle you? I'm sorry about that."
"Ah, you are."
The woman who appeared was dressed as a maid. But you can tell at a glance that she is no ordinary maid. The Empress Milianea is much more beautiful. However, there was something about the charm that she gave off that went beyond the beauty of her appearance.
"My name is Lyra, and I am the head maid of His Majesty. This is the first time we've met Bear-dono, isn't it?”
"Y-yeah"
Even if he had no intention of doing so, Bear couldn't hide his turmoil when the other party stimulated his male instincts without question. Bear would be convinced if he knew who Lyra was, but he wasn't. He wouldn't have imagined that the Queen of the Lilith tribe would come to a place like this herself. And she's dressed as a maid.
"Her Majesty Empress Milianea, good day to you... was it right?"
"Y-yeah. What about you?"
"I have just given my name. I am the head maid of His Majesty."
"His Majesty, you mean the Nord Emperor, right? What is the head maid doing here, far from your own country?"
"I have been working according to His Majesty's orders."
"Work?"
"This"
Lyra presented the letter she had kept in her pocket to Empress Milianea.
"...The Nord emperor to me?"
"No. It's a letter from Her Majesty's husband."
"Eh?"
Empress Milianea was surprised to hear that the letter was from Emperor Lemberg.
"Even if he tells you to just run away, Her Majesty the Empress won’t listen. Only His Majesty Emperor Lemberg could have done that."
"......I see. He sees through that, doesn't he?"
"Even though he should be lacking in human emotions, for some reason he is good at reading people’s emotions. He is that kind of person."
"That's... no, that's fine. Now that doesn't sound so bad."
The reason he can read people's emotions is so that he can use them in his schemes. Empress Milianea was horrified by Ren's ability to incorporate even people's feelings into his schemes, but now she thought she might be thankful for it. Regardless of what the content was, she would get a word from Emperor Lemberg.
Empress Milianea opens the letter and reads the contents. Her eyes began to moisten.
"Emperor Lemberg wants Her Majesty the Empress, no, his wife to live as a woman, not as an Empress. He wants you to abandon your duties as Empress."
"...Yes. The words are different, but something like that is written."
"So what are you going to do?"
"...But still, I."
Live as a princess. Milianea can't bring herself to abandon her duties. She doesn't know how to live her life as a woman.
"Emperor Lemberg told me to tell the knights not to follow you."
"What...?"
"Otherwise, you will live for the Lemberg Empire. As expected of your husband. He understands you very well."
The reason Lyra mentioned the contents of the letter was to convey Emperor Lemberg's intentions to those around her. She wants to suppress Empress Milianea's attempts to assert herself.
"Even if it's His Majesty's words..."
"His Majesty has a proposal for such a poor lady. Just to be clear, this Ηis Majesty is the Ηis Majesty whom I serve."
"……What is it?"
"If you want to continue to resist until the end, you can do it in the Izrim Magic Kingdom. There is a good cause in the Izrim Magic Kingdom, and there are people who support you. It should be better than the Lemberg Empire."
Empress Milianea is the daughter of the murdered Elected King.
"...Is there anyone who will support me?"
However, the justification obtained by doing so is just revenge. The Elected king of the Izrim Magic Kingdom is chosen by those who excel in magic. Mei became the Elected King by using it, and it cannot be said that there is justice in appealing for its invalidity.
"There will definitely be people who are dissatisfied with the new government. Even those who are now following the hero will not stay that way forever, I think?"
It has nothing to do with justice. As long as the forces that oppose Mei have a cause, that's fine.
"…That will prolong the chaos in the Izrim Magic Kingdom. In other words, I am to be used as an instrument for the Nord Emperor's scheme?"
"Scheme. The choice is yours. His Majesty will not force you to choose."
"...You're right"
Even so, the options are limited. In the end, she has to obey.
"What are you going to do?"
"I will return to the Izrim Magic Kingdom."
"I see. Well then, Bear-dono, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Y-yeah"
Lyra tries to leave the place, leaving the rest to Bear. Her legs suddenly stopped.
"...It's up to the recipient to decide whether to see it as malicious or benevolent, but the result is like a mirror, don't you think?"
"That's……"
"Well then, excuse me."
Empress Milianea is puzzled when she thinks about the meaning of Lyra's words. Was what she thought was a proposal from good intentions? Isn't it a ploy to even make her think so? Such thoughts float around in her mind.
No conclusion can be drawn. Empress Milianea doesn't know Ren enough to do so.
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