The struggle between Crown Prince Lark and Second Prince Fernandez had initially been sluggish.
For Lark, Fernandez's Imperial Defense Forces were never the enemy. They were citizens of the same country, just temporarily divided.
That's why he couldn't be cruel. He couldn't mercilessly kill them.
On the other hand, Fernandez used every tactic to delay Lark's army.
Fernandez had the Aegis Special Forces, experts in dirty operations.
They didn't hesitate to use all kinds of traps, including taking civilians hostage to stall the enemy.
They continuously harassed the rear and flanks of the 1st Legion, exploiting any vulnerabilities.
Fernandez also had the empire's finest army of mages, the Mage Corps.
The mage known as 'Cold Wind,' Reina, who led the Mage Corps, relentlessly attacked the 1st Legion.
Since Reina herself originally came from the 1st Legion, she knew their strategies and weaknesses inside out.
She constantly exploited the 1st Legion's vulnerabilities.
In a direct confrontation, Lark and the 1st Legion were overwhelmingly strong. That's why Fernandez and his forces avoided frontal battles.
After one or two months of stalemate... as the exhausting war dragged on past half a year.
A sudden event changed the course of the war.
A secret piece of intelligence was received in Lark's camp.
It was information that the Emperor, who had been detained in the palace, was planning an escape outside New Terra.
Since escaping alone would be difficult under Fernandez's strict surveillance, the Emperor's side requested the 1st Legion's help.
The seal, signature, and handwriting on the request were undoubtedly the Emperor's. However, Lark had an intuition that it was a deception.
Fernandez was extremely skilled in deception. This, too, must be a trap.
But.
If by chance it was the real Emperor.
As the commander of the imperial forces, a knight sworn to loyalty to the Emperor, and above all, as his son.
Lark couldn't ignore it.
After much contemplation, Lark decided to go meet the Emperor alone.
If it was the real Emperor, he could escort him out himself, and if it was a trap, he could escape without endangering others.
And- as expected, it was a trap.
Specifically, not a trap for Lark, but... a trap to attack the 1st Legion while Lark was away.
The critical weakness of the 1st Legion was that everything hinged too much on its commander, Lark.
Both in terms of military power and leadership, the 1st Legion had an overly imperial command structure.
During the three days Lark was away from the camp, the 1st Legion faced a total offensive from the Imperial Defense Forces and the Mage Corps.
With the commander and strongest swordsman Lark absent, and an unprecedentedly fierce total offensive involving all of the imperial airships.
Eventually, the 1st Legion suffered terrible losses and had to retreat. The unit was torn apart and scattered in all directions.
However, the damage was severe but only a temporary defeat. The 1st Legion still had its core forces intact.
If Lark returned and reassembled the scattered forces, a decisive defeat could still be averted.
The decisive factor became the rumor spread by Fernandez.
Fernandez spread the rumor that Lark had fallen into a trap and died. Not only on the battlefield but throughout the empire.
With the unit disbanded and the commander isolated, bad news spread in all directions.
Psychological warfare using information was Fernandez's specialty.
And Lark, while a competent warrior, lacked skills in this area. He had no way to counter.
The defeat was real, and the death was false. And the false rumors, intermingled with truth, gained credibility and spread widely.
As he quietly recovered his strength, gathering the scattered forces one by one, Lark was dismayed.
However, the situation of the army was too precarious to reveal himself and demonstrate his well-being, despite such rumors spreading.
He had to continue moving in secret, and during this time, Fernandez fanned the flames of the rumor. The exaggerated rumor spread as if the battle for the throne had been conclusively settled.
The rumor eventually reached the southern front and even the ears of Lark's wife and children.
Third Prince Ash, who had promised to protect her, was missing.
If Fernandez had truly won, their lives, no matter where they were, would be like candles in the wind.
Preferring to die boldly by her husband's side rather than wait for news of his demise in a distant land, she decided to lead her three children to the battlefield.
And there- they were captured by the waiting Fernandez.
Fernandez brought his sister-in-law and three nieces and nephews directly to Lark's camp and urged him to surrender.
From the beginning, Lark's will to fight was not strong.
He was tormented by guilt for fighting against his own people and pained by the fact of being hostile towards his brother.
He had suffered a great defeat, and now his wife and children were taken prisoner.
He could no longer bear to see more bloodshed of his people. Eventually, Lark declared his surrender.
‘It seems I was never meant to be the Emperor from the start.’
Bound, Lark spoke to Fernandez.
‘Rule the empire well, Fernandez.’
‘Of course, brother.’
Fernandez smiled slightly.
‘But first, there’s much to be done.’
Immediately after Lark’s surrender.
Fernandez used illusion magic to publicly execute Lark, his wife, and their three children by beheading.
This brutal execution sparked widespread outrage.
The remnants of the 1st Legion declared a rebellion in a bid for vengeance for Lark, and the noble families that had supported Lark also rose up.
The old families who traditionally served the Emperor. Along with those dissatisfied with Fernandez or opposed to his methods.
There was a collective uprising within the Imperial Capital. In a short time, they united, growing in size and strength-
Fernandez crushed them one by one.
‘It’s quite convenient when the reactionaries expose themselves.’
The cruel spectacle of executing his brother’s family was designed to provoke a reaction and then crush the united opposition with force.
A blood purge occurred. Fernandez thoroughly trampled his enemies.
He eradicated them root and branch, leaving no chance for a resurgence.
Only after clearing a mountain of bodies... did the battle for the throne come to an end.
Lark lost his base of support and military strength.
The few surviving nobles and remnants of the 1st Legion either died or were completely dispersed, fleeing the Imperial Capital in all directions.
This grim scene, Lark could only watch helplessly as the loser.
His arms were severed to prevent him from wielding a sword, and the magical veins in his body were completely destroyed.
‘Don’t worry, brother.’
With his brother imprisoned in a portable jail, Fernandez whispered affectionately.
‘You, your wife, and your children are all people I wish to protect.’
‘...’
‘I will definitely protect you. So, please stay calm for a little while...’
Fernandez’s eyes, fiery red, were not looking at his brother but at some distant place.
‘After all, everything will soon come to an end.’
Everything will soon come to an end-
"...I hope so, Fernandez."
The Emperor's chamber.
Trapped in a portable jail, with dull eyes staring into the darkness, Lark pondered his brother’s words.
Lark's only hope now was that. The only words from his brother he wanted to believe in.
That this terrible situation would end in some form. And that he could find peace.
Truly, he prayed for it.
***
Imperial Capital New Terra.
Underground.
"..."
Leaning on a staff, the middle-aged female officer, Reina, was supervising her subordinates.
She was inspecting the progress of the subordinate mages who were engraving a magic circle before her, ensuring that the entire process was error-free.
Shutdown Protocol.
A sacrificial magic circle that burns all humans within its range and uses that immense energy to magically embalm the entire area.
Once activated, every human inside the circle would be annihilated, and the embalmed space would become impervious to external intrusion.
This magic circle, which Fernandez and the Mage Corps had been installing in numerous cities and were now completing in the underground of the Imperial Capital, was nearing completion.
‘The Last Ark...’
Reina, fully aware of Fernandez’s plan to save humanity, smirked bitterly.
‘Truly a mad scheme.’
But if what Fernandez had told her was true.
This insane plan might be the last way to truly save humanity.
Above all, she was a soldier.
A soldier follows the orders of their superior. As a well-trained hunting dog, she faithfully executed the commands of the future Emperor.
That's all.
‘...All for the future of the Everblack Empire...’
Repeating this now tiresome phrase to herself once more, Reina watched the completion of the magic circle.
The battle for the throne had ended, and the magic circle was about to be completed.
‘The Last Ark’ plan was soon to commence.
"Lieutenant Reina!"
That's when it happened.
A subordinate mage ran up frantically, shouting almost like a scream.
"Disaster! A disaster has occurred!"
"What's all the fuss about? What's happened?"
"The, the northern sector of the magic circle..."
Reina's brows furrowed deeply at the following words.
"It's been damaged! No, destroyed!"
"Destroyed? What do you mean? Was there an accident?"
"No! It was a deliberate attack! It's like explosives were used... the ground where the magic circle was drawn has collapsed!"
Reina's lips twisted in frustration.
What is this nonsense? Just as the magic is about to be completed, this happens...
And it wasn’t the end.
"Lieutenant Reina! Disaster!"
"Urgent news, Lieutenant Reina!"
Following the initial report, one after another, reports of damage to the magic circle poured in from all directions.
While calmly assessing the extent of the damage, Reina clenched her teeth in anger.
The Shutdown Protocol was being installed on a large scale, enough to encompass the entire Imperial Capital.
Therefore, the security for the entire magic circle was inevitably sparse.
And some unidentified group had persistently exploited this vulnerability, attacking the magic circle.
"Who could it be...?"
Simultaneously and clearly planned, this attack caused significant damage to the magic circle.
At this rate, the schedule and plan would suffer a significant setback.
Reina was bewildered.
Hadn’t they completely rooted out the forces opposed to Fernandez in the Imperial Capital just recently?
Yet, such an organized movement now poured cold water on their plans.
Who could it be?
Reina muttered in despair.
"Which bastard, no... which bastards, are interfering with our plan?"
***
A young woman in a black dress, holding a black parasol, walked along the main streets of the Imperial Capital.
Despite being dressed in mourning attire, the woman's expression was bright. Carrying a small box in her arms, she walked lightly, heading towards the canals of the Imperial Capital.
At the harbor where the inner sea met, stood a large building. Large, yet deserted and tranquil.
Silver Winter Trading Company.
Originally one of the busiest places in the Imperial Capital, it had long been emptied of people and goods, now desolate.
The woman approaching the building knocked lightly on the door.
Knock-knock-
Soon the door opened, revealing an elegantly bearded old man.
"Sorry, madam. The Silver Winter Company is currently suspended due to the war situation..."
The old man politely explained the current situation while bowing to the woman. However, the woman seemingly ignored him and abruptly spoke.
"You are Alberto, aren't you?"
The head servant who managed Ash's palace and an advisor to the Silver Winter Company - Alberto was taken aback and narrowed his eyes.
"...Yes, but may I know the purpose of your visit, my lady?"
"Something like that."
The woman smiled slyly and lowered her voice.
"You've been in contact with Prince Ash recently, haven't you?"
"...?!"
"Oh, I see~ No worries. I came knowing everything."
Alberto, swallowing hard, asked cautiously.
"Are you... from the Aegis Special Forces? Have you come to arrest me?"
"Ahaha! No, quite the opposite."
"...?"
"We are the people who have been preparing for a long time to give the Aegis Special Forces a hard time. Oh dear, you have no idea how much trouble we went through destroying that magic circle this time..."
The woman, speaking in riddles, heaved the small box she was carrying forward with a grunt.
"Forget it, just take this box. And later... if you happen to see Prince Ash, please convey this to him."
"Yes...?"
"Tell him it's a 'gift from the past.' He will understand."
Still dazed, Alberto took the box.
The woman, smiling contently, clapped her hands lightly and then turned around gracefully. She started walking away again.
As Alberto stood dumbfounded, holding the box and watching the woman's retreating back, he asked urgently.
"Who are you, who are all of you... exactly?"
The woman suddenly stopped in her tracks, turned slightly towards Alberto, and smiled mischievously.
"...We are the underground operatives who truly exist in this Imperial Capital."
Then Alberto realized who the woman was.
The very person Ash, in his wild younger days, was rumored to have scandalously involved with... the first noble lady whom Ash, the playboy, had seduced.
"A secret organization prepared since Prince Ash was fifteen, solely for him-"
Pulling down her black hat to cover her face, the woman smirked playfully.
"We are known as the 'Jilted Women'."
--TL Notes--
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