133 - Resistance to the Rebellion
The expression "Baldos and the rebel forces" is not actually accurate. Baldos's influence extends only within the Royal Guard. He is merely a commander leading the execution force in the royal capital.
As for who the leader is, that is actually unclear. Within their respective organizations, people who possessed high abilities but were pushed into idle positions or dismissed despite their achievements are simply moving under the common goal of "changing the kingdom." Originally, Crown Prince Neil was intended to be their banner, which is how things turned out.
Still, the reason things are moving according to plan is that there is a brain doing the thinking. That brain is Hansmann.
The rebellion has finally reached its final stage, and so Hansmann has finally left Fumiya's side and arrived in the royal capital. Once the negotiations between the Kingdom of Lydia and the Kingdom of Aria are settled, the stage will be limited to within the Laurel Kingdom. That is the plan.
"What is the Kingdom Knight Commander doing?"
Hansmann's first task upon arriving in the royal capital was to confirm the current situation. For that purpose, he was holding a meeting with Baldos.
"He is obediently following orders and is under house arrest."
The Kingdom Knight Commander had been attempting to return to the royal capital with his army. However, before reaching the capital, he was dismissed by the new king, Neil. Naturally, this was not King Neil's will.
"Do you think he will become an ally?"
"There is a possibility."
"It would be troublesome if he joins us simply because he fears for his life, though?"
That would mean harboring a person with the potential for betrayal within their ranks. Hansmann knew the terror of internal betrayal destroying everything. After all, that was how they had succeeded.
"The Kingdom Knight Commander was also unfairly evaluated. He must have been dissatisfied with the previous king. And while he is behaving quietly now, I wonder how he feels inside."
"Unfair... well, if he himself believes so, then there is a possibility."
The Kingdom Knight Commander's evaluation was in comparison to Sieg. Whether that could truly be called unfair was something Hansmann questioned, but in terms of turning the Kingdom Knight Commander, it didn't matter.
"I will try to persuade him."
"I leave it to you. Now, isn't the Royal Guard Commander becoming unnecessary around now?"
The Royal Guard Commander existed to keep the depths of the castle and the unnaturalness of the Royal Guard hidden from the outside. Now that the Prime Minister—the person they most feared would suspect them—had been eliminated, he had become a useless existence.
"I'm thinking of trying to persuade Chaos as well."
"That is unnecessary."
"Why?"
Chaos was a former subordinate of Baldos. Baldos felt a reluctance to kill him.
"The Royal Guard Commander is meant to be the first victim of the new king's purge. That is the plan."
"That may be so, but..."
"What will you do if the persuasion fails? We do not control the entire Royal Guard. If they take hardline measures, there is a possibility we will lose."
Not just within the Royal Guard, but the rebel forces were a minority. They were only able to maintain control because they hid the existence of the rebel forces and kept King Neil under their thumb.
Even if the Royal Guard Commander tried to take hardline measures, they naturally intended to detect it and strike first, but if they failed, everything would end. King Neil was a hostage, but at this point, they could not afford to let him die.
"...I understand."
"Next, well, considering the distance, we should move immediately, but it's Sieg the Ten-Thousand-Man General."
"Are you going to do something to Sieg as well?"
Defeating Sieg was the Hero's role. That was how Baldos thought.
"We will take every measure possible. Let us tell Sieg the Ten-Thousand-Man General to die to take responsibility for his defeat."
"...He won't obey."
"Do you think so? It is an order from His Majesty the King, you know?"
"............"
If it were Sieg, who possessed deep loyalty to the kingdom, perhaps. Such a thought welled up in Baldos's heart.
"It doesn't matter whether he fails or succeeds. As long as King Neil's cruelty becomes known to the people, that is enough."
"I see."
Currently, they were utilizing Neil's name. However, that was only because they had a hostage and held Neil's own life and death in their hands. There was no guarantee that Neil would endure this situation for years to come.
Considering that time, Hansmann intended to erase the people of the Laurel Kingdom's loyalty to Neil. If there were no supporting vassals, even a king could do nothing.
"Ah, and I heard you let the Queen escape?"
"Is that... really that important?"
Baldos did not view securing the Queen's person as important. Otherwise, it would mean he had failed.
"...The one who killed the previous king was the new king. If we could make people believe that, we could have utilized her."
"That can be done regardless of where she is."
"Then where is the Queen?"
"That... I will have it investigated immediately."
It was useless to try and gloss over the failure. It was a fact that he had been outplayed by the Prime Minister and the Royal Guard Commander, letting the Queen escape.
"How is the intelligence organization?"
They would eliminate every existence that could become a resistance force. Hansmann's plan had reached that stage.
"The sweeping of the bases continues. However..."
"However, what?"
"It seems the chain of command has collapsed since the leader is gone. They aren't moving in an organized fashion."
That was not a good thing for the side doing the sweeping. It is only when there is movement that information can be obtained; otherwise, there is no way to trace the locations of the bases.
"I see... if that's the case, we have no choice but to proceed steadily."
Hansmann wondered if things could really become that state just because one leader disappeared, but without movement, there was no way to verify. He decided that they should continue the sweeping without rushing the results for now.
"Understood."
"Now, that leaves the Princess, does it not?"
"Yes. We need to dispose of her early."
Princess Ekaterina was an existence who could potentially become the banner for the resistance. She was a person who must not be left alive.
"That is something that must be carried out by King Neil... do you think she will listen to his orders?"
"To die?"
"Even just to come to the royal capital."
Once captured, they could simply frame her as the mastermind behind the king's murder and have her executed as an order from King Neil.
"...Impossible. There's no way the Princess will listen to Neil. She would likely ignore it even if it were an order as king."
It was Baldos who had created the friction between the siblings. That was why he believed he understood the emotions of the two very well.
"In that case, hardline measures. The problem is who will lead the unit."
"The Kingdom Knight Commander."
"If it's feasible, I think he's a good choice, but will he listen?"
If the Kingdom Knight Commander led the subjugation force, it would look authentic, and the citizens might feel it was legitimate. However, it would be unbearable if he were sent with troops and then betrayed them.
"I can't guarantee it. In that case... the Hero, or myself."
"I don't want to use the Hero yet. If we use him at this point, it will make him a vassal of King Neil."
"He is a vassal now."
"He hasn't officially sworn loyalty."
If they were going to say that, then since it was before the coronation ceremony, no one had officially sworn loyalty to King Neil. Despite that, what was Hansmann's intention in deliberately saying this about Fumiya?
"...Don't tell me you intend to have the Hero kill Neil?"
"That is exactly it."
"That man, as king?"
A hero who defeated an atrocious king. If such a thing happened while there were no successors to the throne, that hero would become king.
"Precisely because it's him. He's strong in war, but that's all. He's an amateur in politics and intrigue. He has no one to whom he swears loyalty from the bottom of his heart. Without us, he can do nothing."
"...He'll become as arrogant as one possibly can."
"We can just let him be arrogant. Even if he is, all he'll seek is a luxurious life and beautiful women. That's all."
And if they provided those, Fumiya would stop caring about national administration. For Hansmann and the others, that was convenient.
"...I understand why we can't use the Hero at this point. Then what do we do?"
Baldos wasn't completely convinced about elevating Fumiya, but discussing that now was a separate matter. With that thought, Baldos returned to the topic.
"Baldos-dono... it's not a bad idea for the Royal Guard to move under the king's orders."
"You make it sound like other options are bad."
"...No, I was just thinking about what the reason for your reinstatement should be. It would be fine if no one knew that King Neil targeted Baldos-dono's life, but..."
Baldos, who was almost assassinated, reinstating as the Royal Guard Commander. That was simply too suspicious. Hansmann, who conveyed that concern, actually didn't care.
"There's almost no one. Chaos doesn't know."
"The previous king, the Prime Minister, the intelligence organization... is that all?"
If there were anyone else, it would be the Kingdom Knight Commander. But that could be handled. If he became an ally, it wouldn't be a problem even if he knew. If he refused, they would just kill him.
"Then, I will go."
"Do you have enough numbers?"
"No problem at all. Anfang is a small town. Besides, the Princess took almost no one with her."
"The attack must succeed without fail. If by some chance she escapes, it will become troublesome."
"...Understood. I'll take some of the soldiers the Kingdom Knight Commander brought with him."
A surprise attack would likely be impossible. Baldos believed that Princess Ekaterina would never invite him in without caution. In that case, they needed enough people to surround the town so she wouldn't escape.
Furthermore, considering the future, Baldos didn't want to end with just reinstating as the Royal Guard Commander.
"That would be best. Then I will prepare the order."
With King Neil's signature and seal, it would become an official order. The signature was forced, and the seal was already in their hands. They had been issuing orders that way until now.
Hansmann and the others' plan was proceeding smoothly. However, they did not notice. They were about to step on a tiger's tail.
◇◇◇
The forces remaining with Sieg were five hundred. Leading those five hundred, Sieg was heading toward the Laurel Kingdom.
He had intended to choose a sturdy fortress city within the Kingdom of Aria, hole up there, and continue the resistance. To stall Fumiya's army. And to buy time until the Kingdom Knight Commander returned with troops.
However, Sieg abandoned that and withdrew with only five hundred, who could be called elites. He had not given up on the resistance. Of course, it was not because he feared for his life.
"...Is this truly alright?"
A subordinate accompanying him raised a question. This was rare for Sieg's subordinates. That was how much they questioned Sieg's judgment this time.
"It is His Majesty's order."
"Is there no possibility that the order is a lie?"
Abandoning the Kingdom of Aria and withdrawing to the Laurel Kingdom. This would benefit the rebel forces. The subordinate suspected that such an order had been issued.
"Do you think I would mistake His Majesty's signature or seal?"
"That is true, but..."
Even if it were the king, if he thought there was an error in judgment, he would point it out. The subordinate believed Sieg had that kind of personality.
"Before protecting the Kingdom of Aria, we must protect our own country. There is no need to even think about which should be prioritized."
"Is it in that much chaos?"
The subordinate also knew about the king's death. However, he couldn't believe that such chaos would occur that they had to abandon the Kingdom of Aria just because of that.
"There is likely chaos. But the reason we return is to prevent an irreversible situation from occurring."
"...If that's the case, shouldn't we have returned with the entire army?"
There had been an army of three thousand. From among them, Sieg had selected five hundred. He had ordered the rest to return to the Laurel Kingdom separately. The subordinate did not understand the meaning of this.
"We must hurry. Besides, I don't want the opponent to grasp our movements."
"I understand that, but... still, I thought we should consider gathering once."
He could understand the need to avoid pursuit. However, if they intended to settle the chaos, it would be better to have numbers. The subordinate thought they should have taken the option of regrouping midway and heading for the royal capital.
"As I said before, that would allow the opponent to grasp our movements. I don't want our destination to be known."
"...Is the destination not the royal capital?"
This was what he meant by not wanting the destination to be known.
"Yes, it is not the royal capital."
"Then where are we heading?"
"...Anfang."
Sieg was heading for Anfang. According to the order.
Why did he have to go to Anfang? To protect Princess Ekaterina. Why did the king order him to protect Princess Ekaterina? He could only think that the king knew something was going to happen to himself.
However, Sieg thought that was wrong. No matter how much he thought about the reason for the order, something felt off. He also wondered why it had arrived so late.
Still, Sieg obeyed the order. This order was a fake meant to move him. However, it was not something plotted by Fumiya, who started the rebellion, or his comrades. There was no way he would mistake the signature and seal. That was a fact.
The person who wrote the previous orders and the person who wrote this order were the same. It was just that it wasn't the late king.
◇◇◇
The fake king's order had reached another location as well. The fort of the Northern Garrison Army. Geel, the commander who received it, was discussing its contents with Julius. Geel also felt something suspicious about the contents of the order.
"The Northern Garrison Army is to promptly take up defense duties in Anfang as soon as the order arrives, is that it?"
"Yeah. What do you think?"
There was no reason given. It was simply an order to move to Anfang. Moreover, the person who delivered it was not an official messenger.
"...As far as I can see, the signature and seal seem genuine. I haven't seen them that many times, so I can't say for certain."
"Yeah, I compared it with orders that arrived previously. I think it's the same thing."
"What is in Anfang..."
From this reaction, Geel judged that Julius did not know.
"The Princess is there."
"Princess Ekaterina-sama?"
"Yeah, that's right. It's the town where Princess Ekaterina is living. If we're told to protect that Anfang..."
"Does that mean we're to protect the Princess? The problem is... what are we protecting her from?"
An existence that might harm Princess Ekaterina, or even if not harm, might try to lay a hand on her. To the two of them, only one person came to mind.
"Did something happen... no, but still."
The reason Ray would try to take Princess Ekaterina. Geel couldn't think of a reason why Ray, who had promised not to even meet her, would try to break that.
"I wish they had written more detailed contents."
"You can't exactly write 'protect her from the Demon King,' can you?"
Furthermore, he could absolutely never write "protect the daughter and granddaughter from an old man." Though the simplicity of this order had nothing to do with that.
"...Shall we try confirming with the person herself?"
"By spending time on that, won't it be too late?"
"That's true, but..."
What Julius said also had a point. If something had happened, Ray would have already taken action. There was a possibility that even moving right now wouldn't be in time.
"It would be helpful if you could move immediately instead of worrying."
"What!?"
He thought he had cleared the room, but someone had cut into the conversation. Moreover, without letting their presence be felt. Surprised by this, Geel tried to draw his sword, but...
"Master. You can't even tell your disciple's voice?"
"...Kai. You bastard, what the hell are you doing?"
The one who had cut in was Kai. Even so, he couldn't relax. They had just been talking about the possibility of fighting Ray.
"What do you mean, I came to hear the story. Though I've already heard a bit."
"We don't understand a thing. What on earth happened?"
"The king was killed. Not Ray. The king over there."
"What!?" "N-no way!?"
Information about the king's passing had not reached the Northern Garrison Army. It had been judged that it was not yet the stage to inform them.
"You really don't know anything. I guess that makes sense."
"What do you mean!? Explain yourself properly!"
"I'm in a hurry... but I guess it can't be helped. The one who killed the king was the former Royal Guard Commander. The head of the intelligence organization that Ray was close to was also killed. The place they were killed was the office in the depths of the castle. Apparently, he just barged in there."
Kai explained quite roughly. There were other things he wanted to talk about. To Kai, the detailed circumstances of the king's assassination didn't matter.
"That's impossible. What the hell was the Royal Guard doing?"
"The Royal Guard were in cahoots. It seems some Royal Guards were also killed, so it wasn't all of them."
"May I ask one thing as well?"
Julius cut into the conversation.
"Go ahead."
"First, who are you?"
"Ah, I didn't greet you when we met before. Kai. I intend to be Ray's brother-in-law."
"Brother-in-law?"
"I lived with Ray in the 'Forest of Bewilderment.' The ones you killed were my mother and sister."
Kai's air of nonchalance instantly turned cold. It could even be called bloodlust.
"...Ah, I see."
Feeling that, Julius's heart was greatly shaken.
"Is what you want to ask about me?"
"N-no. I wanted to ask how you know such detailed information."
Why did Kai, a demon, know information they didn't, and likely very detailed circumstances? Julius wondered about that. He also suspected the possibility of a plot.
"Someone came to tell Ray. He claimed to be a subordinate of the leader."
"...Can he be trusted?"
"Right. If he weren't so badly injured that he would have died if I hadn't happened to find him while scouting, and yet he refused treatment and prioritized delivering his boss's words to Ray... if he could act like that, he'd be suspicious."
"...I see. Understood."
There was no way such a person existed. He understood why Ray and the others trusted him.
"Was the only thing that subordinate conveyed the story of when His Majesty was killed?"
"No. The message was 'The Princess...'. Apparently, he died without being able to say more than that."
"...That, right before dying. His Majesty is also gone."
"Do you understand now? That your thinking is wrong."
He didn't know exactly what was requested, but he didn't think Ray would refuse to meet Princess Ekaterina. On the contrary, it was more likely that he wanted Ray to protect Princess Ekaterina.
"...I'll venture to say this. How can you prove that your story is a fact?"
Geel believed Kai's story, but Julius had not yet cleared his doubts.
"I thought you'd say that. I can't prove it. You could meet the person who was the leader's subordinate, but you'd just doubt if that person was real, right?"
"That's, well..."
"So you can keep doubting, but please move the army. Ray is already on his way."
"What did you say?"
He should have expected that Ray had already moved, but hearing it for real still surprised Julius.
"Hearing that something happened to the Princess, there's no way Ray would just sit still, right?"
"That... might be true, but..."
"He dashed off alone again, so I'm worried. Because that means a situation will occur where an army is necessary, right?"
"...You are..."
Julius realized he was still being misled by the first impression. Kai was quick-witted. Julius felt it was as if he were dealing with Ray.
"One thing Ray was wondering about. Does the former Royal Guard Commander really have that much power? Ray said this knowing the existence of the hidden organization, but I don't think he thought as far as moving an army."
That's why he dashed off alone, Kai thought. Thinking he just had to protect Princess Ekaterina from assassination. But according to Geel and the others, that wasn't the case. There would be an attack of a scale that required protection by an army.
"...No way."
Hearing Kai's story, Julius let out a mutter.
"Oh, someone who has an idea."
"You have an idea?"
Geel was surprised by that. Geel couldn't think of anything at all.
"...I was also approached."
"Oh?" "What!?"
"When I was ousted and pushed into an idle position, they asked if I would join forces to change the country."
The nail that sticks out gets hammered. Julius had also suffered such a fate because of the Prime Minister. To Hansmann and the others, he was a target for recruitment who should harbor the same dissatisfaction as they did.
"I see. So it's not just the Royal Guard."
"I didn't take the offer, so I don't know the details, but it might be a larger organization than I thought."
"I don't know if you really didn't take the offer, though."
Now it was Kai's turn to doubt Julius.
"I didn't. Though I can't prove it."
"That doesn't matter. More importantly, what do you intend to do? Are you moving the army or not?"
This was what mattered to Kai. Whether the Northern Garrison Army moved or not. If they didn't, they would have to move themselves. Regardless of what those around them thought of Princess Ekaterina, who had demons as allies.
"Of course I'm moving it."
"I appreciate that, but is it really okay?"
"What is?"
"What if the Crown Prince is the mastermind?"
"Eh?"
Geel had not considered the possibility Kai pointed out at all.
"If the king dies, the Crown Prince is next. He might already be king."
"That's..."
Opposing the king. Geel felt resistance to this. Even so, he couldn't immediately say he would move the Northern Garrison Army.
"The late His Majesty's—no, we don't know that His Majesty has passed away. We are simply following the orders from His Majesty. For now, how about this?"
Julius threw a lifeline to the worrying Geel.
"...I see."
The order from the king had not become invalid. Since the news of the king's passing had not arrived, following it was simply being faithful to the order. He had no reason to be blamed. He could say that definitively.
"Even if you move the army, it seems like you'll be betrayed on the scene. Then I can't feel at ease."
"You idiot. We just have to let the Princess escape, right? We have His Majesty's order here. No one can complain that we fought back until she escaped safely."
"No, they will complain."
"I'm used to receiving punishment. Don't worry about it."
"I understand that."
"What did you say!?"
Cutting short such an exchange, Geel and the others led the Northern Garrison Army and headed for Anfang.
The seeds sown last were each sprouting, gathering in one direction, and attempting to extend their stems. The resistance to the rebel forces begins.