Volume 6 Chapter 98-2 This Is Enough. The Aftertaste of Victory
"Well then, see you next year."
The next day, when the new school year's notice arrived along with the name of the new academy, Randy let out a wry smile... but that's a story for another time.
There was a war known in later times as both the 'War without a Crown' and the 'Ashen Crown War.'
It was the invasion of the Kingdom of Alexandria by the Gratze Empire.
Over a long period, they had sent a cult group known as the 'Pilgrim of Truth' into the entire kingdom, and as the kingdom weakened, they brought these activities to light.
Under the guise of eradicating the cult's threat, the empire began its advance.
They used minor local conflicts as a ruse, borrowing the power of the turned Duke and Prime Minister, and swiftly occupied the capital, winning the war.
Thus, the Kingdom of Alexandria changed its name to the Imperial Territory of Alexandria Autonomous Region... or so the story went at the time.
But in the present, it's called the 'War without a Crown' and the 'Ashen Crown War' because the strength of the territorial nobles who supported the kingdom became evident through research.
By using the capital, the most important location, as bait, they lured the empire's main force there and repelled imperial troops across the land.
As a result, the empire's main force ended up isolated in the heart of the kingdom instead.
Of course, the territorial nobles were exhausted from leaving their own lands to head towards the capital.
So they used the captured warships and generals as leverage to force negotiations with the new government.
"We don't mind if the nation becomes an empire, but we demand our autonomy remain as it was," they demanded.
It must have been an awkward situation for the empire.
They had created the Alexandria Autonomous Region with the traitorous Duke at the top.
They might have thought that once the region was stabilized under their rule, they could strip away the autonomy... but here they were, facing negotiations with the territorial nobles.
But they had no choice but to agree, for what awaited them otherwise was a quagmire of battles.
And besides, the cause for justice was already gone.
In the end, the new government of the Imperial Territory of Alexandria Autonomous Region had no choice but to accept this.
Not only that, but the kingdom government had also forged a contract equivalent to the 'Ancient Pact' with each regional noble.
The defeat of the Imperial Army in the north, west, and south must have been a huge shock to them.
So on the surface, the war ended with the Empire occupying the capital and annexing the old kingdom territories as autonomous regions.
But lift the lid, and you'll see that the war's end, with the royal family absent and the capital used as a pawn, is a fact that future generations mockingly refer to this war as...
'The War without a Crown.'
* * *
One week after the Empire occupied the capital...
From the old royal castle, now the current government's headquarters, a family surrounded by numerous guards emerged.
A weary man and woman, and a tired young man following them.
The former royal family.
They had been confined by Duke Rothheim, but now their place of confinement was changed, and they were moving.
In short, it was an exile from the castle, but officially, it was for the sake of the former royal family's recuperation.
Moreover, their destination was an old tower right under the nose of the government headquarters and right next to the Celestian Pinnacle, a place that once housed mad researchers.
They were being sent to a place where the sun doesn't shine, under the guise of recuperation.
It was clear to everyone in the country that they had no chance of returning to power.
"...how can this be allowed?"
Everyone but Edgar, who glared at the castle...
No, there was one more...
"Well then. The stage is set for the insurance to kick in. Former Crown Prince, I'm counting on you."
...Leonius, confined in the castle's basement, laughed sinisterly as he alone held a dark hope for Edgar, whom no one else expected anything from.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time, Randy and the others were...
"Why do you have to decorate it so weirdly?"
"Huh? Isn't it cool?"
"It looks like the gates of hell, so it's a no from me"
...using the limited time before the new year to create a teleportation gate in the Marquis' mansion hall, using parts from the ruins in Braubelg's dragon cave.
"Still, it ended up being a lot simpler than expected"
"Yeah. I thought there'd be more drama, honestly."
The two averted their eyes from the teleportation gate and let them drift to the Marquis' hall.
Same as always. Peaceful. You'd almost think the war was just a bad dream.
Now, it was just a quiet, lazy afternoon.
"Nah. This is good. Feels right."
Randy, who had gone wild decking out the teleport gate with seriously over-the-top decorations, squinted at the sunlight pouring from the skylight, same as the other 2.
He didn't even look at the hall.
"Victory's aftertaste, huh? Don't need to drag it out──"
The other 2 squinted up at the sun, too.
They let out tiny sighs.
Like, "Guess that's all there is to it."
"Wait, Randy, are you──"
"C'mon, let me have this! It totally screams 'His Excellency' energy, right?"
""Absolutely not." (Denied.)"
The chaos known as Randy's projects was louder than ever...
Unaware of anyone else's plans, those 3 just barreled forward the way they always did.
Nobody knew what they'd stir up next.
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