25-284

EP.284. [Coup d'État.] 

 Thud!  Crash! 

The sound of heavy blows piercing massive bodies echoed. 

 Whoosh!  Splat! 

As the blows landed, dark red blood spattered across the space. 

 Bang bang bang bang!!!  Bang bang!! 

Soon, the enormous, nearly 2-meter-tall mutant orcs collapsed violently onto the hard ground. 

“Whew! If they keep coming out like this, there’s probably a dimensional rift nearby,” said Eugene Schneider, the Sword Seeker greatsword master, the “unrighteous man” who had brought both his older and younger sisters into his harem. 

Their current journey wasn’t primarily about monster hunting, so they were taking the safest route possible. Still, monsters kept appearing, leading Eugene to cautiously suspect the presence of a dimensional rift. 

“Hm?” 

Eugene Schneider paused with a puzzled look. 

“Mother?” 

Behind him, Charlotte and his foster mother, Grand Duchess Marianne, were watching his back. Marianne’s expression looked especially troubled. 

“Ah... Ah!” 

Noticing Eugene’s reaction, Marianne realized her own state. 

“It’s nothing, son. Let’s just pass by this for now. I think it’s best to keep moving tonight, even if we have to travel through the night.” 

If they were planning to camp, it would make sense to find and close the rift Eugene had the ability to sense them. But Marianne insisted on pressing forward on the first night. 

Eugene silently watched Marianne for a moment. 

“All right. Let’s do that.” 

He turned back toward the road and hurried ahead. 

‘She seems really worried about something… What could it be?’ 

Eugene couldn’t help but be concerned by Marianne’s distracted state. 

“This is treason!!!!” 

A knight in golden armor shouted furiously. His name was Palcao the Captain of the Royal Guard. 

“Yes, Captain Palcao. It’s treason. I am here for rebellion.” 

Palcao’s furious accusation was directed at none other than Kaiser Antoine de Sel Oblaing, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Knights, and the de facto leader of Elysium. Antoine’s personal knights had finally reached the gates of the imperial palace. The royal family had sensed something was wrong, so Palcao had tightened security around the palace, leading to a standoff at the massive palace gates. 

Looking up at Palcao atop the gate, Antoine openly admitted to plotting rebellion. 

“How could you, as the Imperial Knights’ Supreme Commander and Saber, say such things! Especially in these chaotic times! Are you abandoning your loyalty to the emperor and your duty to the people?!” 

Palcao, who had served under Antoine and was a Sword Seeker himself, was both highly skilled and upright. Antoine had recommended him for the Royal Guard to both reassure the emperor and prevent Palcao from interfering with his plans. 

“Hm… Of all people, I didn’t expect you to say that, Palcao. I thought I’d made my true intentions clear to you.” 

Antoine reached out his hand with a cold, almost indifferent expression. 

“Do you remember, Palcao? You once asked me what a sword should be used for. I gave you a clear answer.” 

Swoosh... 

A sword appeared in Antoine’s hand his own, the legendary Ea. 

“Make choices you can be proud of, with no shame or regret. That’s what I taught you. I’m simply making that choice now. You’re just misjudging my heart. Rebellion is my burning desire, Palcao.” 

Antoine’s sword radiated the white aura unique to a swordmaster, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. Outwardly, he was the perfect knight, but inside, he was a cold-blooded man who could betray and kill even his closest friends for personal ambition a true sociopath who took pleasure in deceiving and mocking others. 

“Antoine!!! I will no longer treat you as my former superior! For the empire and the emperor, I will fight you to the end!!!” 

 Swoosh!! 

Palcao, shocked by the fall of his idol, drew his sword and faced Antoine, blue sword energy blazing. 

“Still no sign of Lady Vivian’s reinforcements?” 

The young emperor, Louis XV who had become emperor in his late teens and was now just past thirty asked anxiously, looking to his chief attendant, Count Van Basten. 

Louis XV had requested help from his relative Vivian, who promised to do her best within her means. 

“With the current situation, it’s taking time to gather sufficient military strength,” Van Basten reported, dressed in partial battle gear. 

Van Basten, head of the Heidern family, had served as royal chamberlain for generations and was also chief secretary. The Pieta family’s ties to the royal family influenced Vivian’s decision, but with monsters rampaging in Alexandria, she couldn’t spare troops immediately. 

“Ah…” 

Louis XV let out a despairing sigh. 

The Imperial Knights were the core of the empire’s military, and Antoine, their leader for over a decade, had brought all other imperial forces under his control. By leaving only the Royal Guard with the emperor, Antoine lulled him into a false sense of security. When monsters broke out, the rest of the imperial army quickly sided with Antoine. Louis XV’s orders to stall for time until reinforcements arrived were ignored he was now like a candle in the wind. 

‘Is this karma…?’ 

A figure crossed Louis XV’s mind. 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.” 

It was Alexis Saint-Pierre, his cousin and former rival for the throne, and father of the very Vivian he’d called for help. After losing the succession, Alexis had congratulated Louis XV in a private audience after the coronation. 

“I heard from Count Van Basten that you wanted me to keep my distance from Duke Antoine?” 

“Yes, I did say that. I thought it would be best for you.” 

By this time, Alexis knew everything Antoine had done to make Louis XV emperor. Alexis realized real power was in Antoine’s hands, and his younger cousin was just a pawn. He worried for both himself and Louis. 

“Lies! Don’t lie to me, Duke Alexis!” 

Louis XV erupted, shouting in denial. 

“You just can’t accept that you lost to me! You can’t admit you were found lacking as emperor! Everyone thought you’d be the next emperor!” 

Louis XV poured out his pent-up resentment. He had always felt inferior to his cousin Alexis, whom everyone considered the true heir. Antoine saw this and used Louis’s inferiority complex to manipulate him. 

“But look! Who sits on the throne of Elysium? Me, Louis XV! You want to say Antoine put me here, but you’re wrong! My kingly qualities drew Antoine to me! I was fated for this throne!!” 

Louis wasn’t wise, but he wasn’t a fool he knew he’d been manipulated by Antoine. That only deepened his inferiority complex and made him lash out. 

“I know. You want me to beg for your daughter Vivian’s life. No matter how ruthless power struggles are, there’s still some compassion for family.” 

Step, step, step. 

Louis XV, having vented his bitterness, approached Alexis with a sneer. 

“I promise. I’ll protect Vivian. So don’t worry, cousin Alexis.” 

Consumed by inferiority and victimhood, Louis XV continued to accrue bad karma. 

‘I’ve become shameless…’ 

He had wronged the Pierre family, yet Vivian still answered his call for help. Now, with Antoine’s sword at the palace gates, Louis XV felt deep shame. 

“Count Van Basten, heed my words.” 

After reflecting on the past, Louis XV summoned Van Basten again. 

And soon after  

 BANG!!! 

The doors to his inner chambers burst open. 

“I’ll feast on the livestock I’ve fattened today.” 

Antoine appeared, sword Ea dripping with blood.