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I was thinking of inducing a new trend called Francesca and clashing with the existing trend. Then the confusion would be greater and I would have an opportunity.
… … But here is someone who is worse than me. A monster who has surpassed my predictions and expectations time and time again. I thought I had barely reached the same height, but that was just my illusion.
Akies Domini, Kinuan.
Kinuan occasionally appeared between the protesters and the crowd. I could see it even if no one else could.
‘why?’
Questions arose in my mind. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand Kinuan’s actions.
‘You are on the Emperor’s side!’
I wanted to ask by screaming.
The Emperor wants a controlled level of chaos. He will not be pleased with Francis’s rash actions.
My eyes quickly moved through the crowd. Someone with a mask covering their face suddenly fell down. Behind them stood Kinuan once again.
‘Kinuan is eliminating the assassin targeting Francesque and me.’
Kinuan hid himself among the people again. Every time he appeared, suspicious people died.
Kinuan was eliminating threats for us. He must have been protecting me and Francek before I even noticed. It was strangely unobstructed.
‘Kinuan helps me move easily.’
It was hard to believe, but it was a clear fact. It was impossible to know whether it was the Emperor’s will or Kinuan’s arbitrary action.
Kinuan intervened in the flow I had created and added more chaos. I couldn’t even guess how far ahead he was moving.
With tens of thousands of people gathered, it was not noticeable that one or two people were dying. Some people were crushed to death by the crowd, and now no one cared if their bodies were stepped on.
Since there is no external interference, the flow proceeds on its own.
Kinuan and I explore each other in the vast realm of high-dimensional reasoning, trying to gain an advantage. Ordinary people will not understand our plans and actions.
‘In our fight, the one who is understood loses.’
The clearer the purpose and the principles of action, the easier it is to predict. And Kinuan knows my purpose.
‘Was the decision I reached after much agonizing within Kinuan’s expectations?’
I put on my helmet, smoothing the neck frame.
Phew!
As soon as I put on my helmet, blood started to flow from my nose and eyes. The shock made my legs feel like they were going to give out. I desperately held on and pretended to be calm.
‘My eyes are ruined.’
My biological eye couldn’t handle the overload of signals from my brain. My vision was so red that I could barely see anything. I’ll probably have to have it removed soon and replaced with a prosthetic eye.
‘I can’t follow Kinuan’s thinking.’
I had to think more to catch up with Kinuan. But I was at my physical limit. I was lacking information and my brain was failing. I felt like I would die first if I tried to catch up with Kinuan.
‘Exclude Kinuan’s intentions. For now, I will do what I have to do. Even if I move from Kinuan’s grasp, there is nothing I can do.’
I saw Kinuan emerge from the crowd again. Our eyes met. He must have noticed that I was watching him.
Kinuan smiled leisurely and placed his index finger on the corner of his mouth.
‘fizzle.’
Kinuan, who had expressed his opinion to me, disappeared into the crowd of people.
“Luka, I want to go see my brother now.”
Francis, who had gathered his hastily assembled forces, whispered to me. He must be completely unaware of the fight between me and Kinuan just now.
Francec is the weakest of the flow’s mainstays. It is not certain whether he will withstand the collision.
‘If Francesque is about to fall, I must support her.’
Wake up, Luca.
* * *
We do not know where the Heilas and the military leaders are gathered. They have cut off communication and are in hiding in order to prepare for a full-scale coup. Only a very small number of people will be able to contact them.
A coup must be bold and short. If it drags on, it’s over.
The rebels will have no doubt that their revolution will succeed, for so far their plans have proceeded smoothly and without interruption.
The emperor’s goal is to weaken the military and expel the powerful aristocrats.
The military staged a coup and attempted to put Ivan on the throne.
Heilas intends to offer up his coup forces to the Emperor in order to preserve his family and his guard.
And Francek was hastily forming a revolutionary force to survive the imperial conspiracy. To be honest, it was almost meaningless as a single force. Now, it looks big because of the protesters and the public, but if you look closely, it is a force with only a thin skeleton.
“Your Majesty, my sword is yours.”
“The Weaver-Latri family will follow Your Majesty’s cause.”
Some nobles came to Frances to swear allegiance. Most of them were nobles who had close ties to Frances, while the strangers were from weaker families with intermediate positions. They joined Frances, prepared to go into exile if they failed.
The wind and rain still blew. People’s coats were wet and gloomy, but their heat was fierce.
As if to win over the people’s hearts, Francis gave orders to protect the people. There were quite a few good soldiers, and the chain of command was well established.
“Does Your Majesty know this? You will regret your actions today!”
“Haha, has the crown prince finally gone mad? Even though he’s against us, he still… … .”
Some nobles screamed while being tied up. They were dragged away somewhere while being jeered at by the lower classes.
Francis forcibly took over buildings owned by the nobility one after another and made them shelters for the lower classes. This all happened in just half a day.
The security of the Earth occupied by Francek quickly stabilized. The Nemesis mob also had no justification, so it was not easy for them to become violent.
‘Royal, noble, rebel.’
It’s the same for everyone. You need the support of the people to gain power. There are limits to the power of suppression by force.
That was also the reason why the royal family planned schemes and plots that were difficult for criminals to understand. They must not let the public find out about their immoral evil deeds.
“… … I will definitely repay your trust.”
Francis desperately tried to imitate the ideal revolutionary monarch.
The Crimson Crown Prince, Francis, was charismatic. He looked like a monarch drawn from a painting. He had an extraordinary power to captivate people. This was partly due to his good education, but also due to his innate temperament.
‘But Francis was not chosen by the current emperor. There is a good reason for that.’
I could tell from being close to Francis. He was constantly leaking out turmoil and anxiety. Compared to the Tsar or Ivan, his mental strength was weaker.
“I got a call from Illei, Luca.”
Francek said, stretching his arm forward. A drone of a type I had never seen before landed on Francek’s forearm. No, it wasn’t a drone, it was something else.
——————
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‘Machine number.’
Each mechanical figure tilted its head. Even the feathers that fell with each flap of its wings were made of thin metal.
There was a letter tied to the ankle of the machine gun. Francis checked the contents of the letter first and handed it to me.
“… … That’s why it was hard to find Heilas and Ivan.”
I muttered.
Heilas and the military were on the first blockaded planet, where the riots began.
‘The news said that it would be difficult to enter the area due to the strong resistance of the rioters. There would be guards mixed in with the rioters. So it would be difficult to break through.’
The Heilas and the military hid under the cover of chaos. Their only chance was now. During the storm, the Empire’s control and surveillance systems would not function properly, and satellite vision and military resources in the air would be useless.
We walked the earth, communicating by word of mouth, sending messengers to communicate. It seems like we’ve regressed by two thousand years.
Less, less.
Francis’s fingertips were trembling. I quickly stood up as if to cover his hand. The surrounding nobles and soldiers must not see the Crown Prince’s agitation.
The Crown Prince’s only weapon is charisma. If he loses that, he’s as good as naked.
If they see that the leader is wavering, their followers will also leave.
“Thank you, Luca. I made a fool of myself.”
Frances said, hiding his hands between his cloak.
“I don’t think it’s embarrassing.”
“I still have a hard time believing in reality. No, I want to believe in my father and my brother. Until I see it with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears… … .”
But Francesque was too intelligent to ignore the evidence I presented. He had heard the whole story from Iley. He knew better than anyone that it was not a story that could be made up.
“That’s why I chose you. People like Ivan, Kinuan, and Heilas never trust anyone even if they have the slightest doubt. But you, even if you have doubts, try to trust them. Some might say that’s weak, but I don’t.”
“Why is that?”
Francis looked at me. The light in his pupils dimmed and the fluttering hem of his clothes became still.
He seemed like a human being, just like me, with the blood of the divine founding.
“Because I am just like Your Majesty.”
* * *
My ultimate plan is simple.
We must go to Heilas before he offers his ‘tribute’, and we must drive out Ivan Kratia and intercept the military forces Heilas has amassed.
As a result, Francis, who had the support of the military and the public, pressured the Emperor to succeed to the throne.
In the worst case scenario, negotiations would be possible, even if succession was difficult. If the emperor was truly acting for the public good, he would compromise to prevent unnecessary civil war.
There were many mountains to climb before reaching the Emperor. Even now, we were still bumping into those mountains.
Ter- Huh!
Gunshots were heard. This time, there was no peaceful way to get through. The violent mob in the blockade paid no attention to the crown prince’s appearance.
Francis led a makeshift band of men into battle against the mob.
The rioters who had blocked the entrance formed a front line, building up cover like well-trained soldiers. There were also many skilled snipers, so if you put your head out, you would be hit with bullets.
“Full armor? Damn it, they’re all different types!”
The officers and nobles under Francis frowned. An old armored body of unknown origin stood among the rioters.
“What about our armor?”
“We are pulling together all the resources available to us right now.”
Francek’s forces had not prepared thoroughly. They had been improvising and bringing in the necessary manpower and resources. It would take time to deploy armored forces such as the Jeon-Gap-I-Hyun to the field.
‘Time is running out.’
I’ve already wasted a lot of time.
Heilas will also know that Frances is coming and will hasten the tribute plan. Then everything will go down the drain.
“Your Highness Francesque.”
I spoke to Francis. He understood what I was going to say without any further explanation.
“Luka, you must capture that child alive.”
That child is Ivan Kratsya. I nodded.
I detoured away from the front line. It was difficult to enter the blockade area as a unit, but it wasn’t difficult if I was alone.
‘I’ve done all I can. The rest is beyond my control. I’ll just try my best and hope for the best.’
The Akbaran of the Storm is dark. I hid myself by moving between the shadows of the buildings. The mob’s attention was focused on Francek’s unit, so infiltrating the blockade area was not difficult.
I followed the directions and maps projected onto the retina of my artificial eye. There was a shortcut through the art gallery.
As I entered the art gallery, I felt a sense of calm and coolness.
Again.
The sound of the marble was clear.
The ceiling of the museum was made of glass, but it was now broken, letting in the outside wind. Beneath it, a beautiful corridor led to the center.
On both sides of the corridor were statues and paintings praising the imperial family and past emperors, but they were in a mess, broken and torn, as if they had been passed by a mob.
I didn’t rush, because I saw the darkness shimmering at the end.
… … At the end of the corridor stood a man dressed in black from head to toe. The coat that dragged down to his feet was so heavy that it was suffocating to look at.
I stopped walking. The man, who had been tilting his head, looked at me. A pair of red eyes shone from under his hood.
Kiing.
The gaze that scanned me was creepy.
I remember this feeling. Even though it was my first time meeting him, I could tell that he was a member of the royal family.
‘Finally, I see you.’
I remembered my first audience with the Emperor. That heavy man was the shadow of the Imperial Family, the Dark Guard that I had always been wary of. Okay, let’s decide on a name for him.
‘Shadow Guard, or Shadow for short. Or Emperor’s Shadow. I’m not good at naming things either.’
It is a real direct imperial unit that moves underwater, not on the surface.
“Lu, lu, lukau, s, ku, kus, to, ria.”
The shadow’s speech was strange. It stuttered as if its speech function had degenerated.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty has accepted the tribute of He, Hale, Las. Do not, interrupt the ceremony. Your, your, role will, be, reassigned later.”
I couldn’t laugh even after hearing the stammering words. Instead, I felt a cold chill run down my spine.
“Back, turn, around, and go back the way you came.”
The shadow spoke, extending its index finger.
“Well, that’s good news… … .”
I forced my lips to curl into a smile. That guy had just revealed crucial information. It seemed like he wasn’t one for trickery and schemes.
“… … That means I have time to intercept Heilas’ offering.”
Heilas has not yet paid tribute.
