Volume 6 Chapter 98 This Is Enough. The Aftertaste of Victory
There's no time to linger in victory.
The day after the capital fell, Randy was standing in front of the academy headmaster's office.
Yesterday, he'd been busy helping out at the Cathedral, when Lucius's messenger showed up there, out of nowhere.
"Tomorrow──well, today, actually──I'd like to have a little chat."
Archbishop Ridley was busy, and there was no way to get any real information from him, so Randy had agreed without hesitation.
And now, today...
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, I arrived earlier than scheduled, so it's my fault."
...So, Randy had been waiting for Lucius in front of the headmaster's office.
"Well then, shall we sit and talk?"
Randy was guided into the room, and as Lucius gestured toward the sofa, he took a seat.
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Ah, don't trouble yourself."
Randy, almost standing up instinctively, was stopped by Lucius who waved him off and began grinding the coffee beans himself.
The grinding sound and the rich aroma filled the room.
"By the way, is there any damage to the academy?"
As Randy's gaze shifted, Lucius, turning the coffee mill, gave a relieved nod and said, "We've managed somehow."
Given the Empire's intentions and the pretense, Randy hadn't really thought the academy would be affected, but hearing Lucius's confirmation put him at ease.
"Now then..."
As Lucius opened his mouth, he sat down deeply, 2 cups of coffee in hand, and placed one in front of Randy.
"It seems the Prime Minister betrayed us."
"Was he behind the fall of the capital?"
Randy tilted his head, took the cup in his hands, and said, "Cheers," as Lucius nodded silently and began explaining the events behind the fall of the capital.
It wasn't a complicated story.
Duke Rothheim, the king's younger brother, and Prime Minister Marquis Weissman had betrayed the kingdom and were working with the Empire.
They'd used the kingdom's teleportation gate, meant only for the royal family, to bring in Imperial troops that had been prepared at Duke Rothheim's territory... and that's how the capital fell.
Duke Rothheim, the one who gathered the Imperial Army and provided the entrance.
And Marquis Weissman, who ghastly opened the teleportation gate, the exit, and led the Imperial soldiers into the arena.
Their collaboration led to the lightning-fast operation that captured King Gerald, Crown Prince Edgar, and the Queen, causing the Kingdom's army and government to surrender completely and the capital to fall.
"Lately, with all the Kingdom's mess, I feel like even a head-on collision would just play into the Empire's hands..."
Lucius, with a grim look, tilted his cup and repeated, "I have my concerns..." while narrowing his eyes at Randy.
"You had a hunch that 'the capital would fall' even back then, didn't you?"
"Ah, that thing, huh, headmaster?"
Randy, placing down his cup, scratched his cheek and began to explain how he had suspected the fall of the capital.
He first felt something was off when the Church-led demonstration started in the capital.
In a situation where it seemed better to unite against the Empire, it was a bold move to deliberately stress the government──or the capital.
Normally, it would be considered a bad move, but Randy thought it might be Lucian's way of keeping the Knights in check.
"Weren't the [Pilgrims of Truth] causing trouble all over? Yet the capital remained peaceful. If the capital alone stayed peaceful──"
"The Knights would leave for other regions..."
Randy nodded in response to Lucius's murmur.
"But a few days ago, the Knights set out towards the north."
Randy, shrugging his shoulders, Lucius tilted his head, suggesting the Empire might have played a better hand.
"His Excellency Marquis Braubelg couldn't have failed to anticipate that much. So──"
"The Knights leaving was all part of the plan?"
Randy nodded again.
"Well, maybe the Knights left the capital sooner than expected, but..."
If the Knight Order would've left the capital on their own, no one needed to bother whipping up a riot in the city.
They'd up and abandon the place anyway, even if everyone just ignored them.
So then──why go through all the trouble of starting a demo, just to keep the Knights stuck in the capital? Randy figured... they wanted the Knights out of the way.
Properly out of the way.
Neutered, for real.
"A useless ally is way scarier than any enemy."
Randy forced out a bitter smile, then added──if those 'useless' allies have a bit of skill?
Even worse.
Sure, maybe they'd show up on the battlefield.
But what if they decided to pick a fight with you instead?
Nightmare fuel.
That's why, Lucian figured, the best move was to keep them holed up somewhere──anywhere──far from the action when things popped off.
Lock them down in the capital, safe and useless.
"Plus, it's a nice bit of misdirection for the Empire."
"So, what──'We're not letting the capital fall', is that what they wanted to say?"
Lucius shrugged, totally unimpressed. The point of riling up a demo and rooting the Knights in place? Pure theater. Make the Empire think the capital's a fortress. Bluff and dance.
The Kingdom already knew, by the way, that [Pilgrim of Truth] and the Empire were in bed together.
No secrets left there.
So instead, they stirred up trouble all over.
Make the government look everywhere but at home.
The capital was supposed to be peaceful. Thin on defenses. But with that demo? Suddenly, the Empire's plans──poof.
Like someone slammed a door in their face.
It looked, from the outside anyway, like Lucian just completely screwed over the Empire's first strike.
"So the capital's just bait... is that it?"
"Well, if I'm being blunt about it."
Randy nodded.
Lucius let out a huge sigh, totally winded just thinking about it.
In a mess between 2 countries, using your biggest asset as decoy... who the hell sees that coming?
No one ever guesses the king is just a pawn.
That Church-led demo Lucian cooked up?
It's the move that made the Empire believe──totally mistakenly──that the capital was the key to everything in this war.
Which means, in their heads, the only path is a blitz assault.
Take the capital.
End it fast.
But imagine if Lucian never bothered with all this, just left the capital out to dry... The Empire would've noticed something was off.
Might've beefed up their forces in the provinces instead.
That whole demo was a big, shiny bluff.
A giant arrow: 'Look here, not there.'
"Ahhh. I get it now. That's why they pulled out way sooner than anyone guessed..."
Lucius nodded in understanding, "So, the plan was to throw the Knights out of the capital all along."
Without the Knights, there'd be little resistance.
No resistance means the capital falls without much harm or damage.
"Use the capital as bait, but keep the damage focused on the royal family and the government... right?"
"And there's more, Headmaster. The Empire can only go as far as dismantling the government and abolishing the throne."
Lucius agreed with Randy, muttering, "Yeah, seems like it."
"I don't know who set the invasion goals... but I bet the top brass at the Empire are pretty pissed right now."
They moved the army for a seemingly justified reason, but now they're facing unexpected restrictions.
Whoever set those goals must be a pretty tough nut.
"I see... it's making sense now."
"Well, I wouldn't have known either if I hadn't heard that 'the conditions for victory are different.'"
Randy chuckled and downed the rest of his coffee.
"Different conditions for victory, huh..."
Lucius also chuckled and followed suit, drinking his coffee dry.
"Sorry to drag you here when you're busy."
"No, no. It's the Headmaster who's about to get busy."
The two stood up at the same time and, at the same moment, reached out to shake hands.
It was late, but it was a handshake of joy over getting Ellie's body back.
"When school starts, I'll bring Ellie along to visit again."
Randy said, giving his thanks once more, and Lucius couldn't help but grin.
"Will there even be a school left?"
"There should be. Headmaster, you're that kind of person. Even if the country changes, the academy and its students won't."
Randy laughed back, and Lucius let out a cheerful "Heh heh heh" before letting go.
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