Chapter 158 - The Center’s Downfall (1)

The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (158)

Translator: ChubbyCheeks

53 The Center’s Downfall (1)

The victory ceremony was finally over. The grand banquet and the festival were held consecutively to relieve some of the pain of the people. After the festival ended, the Empire thought that they would move actively to restore their glory from the past. However, it was just their own illusions. 

The masters, who had gathered in the Center, returned to their own regions one after the other. With their departure, the elites of their region also began to return to their original operation and mission areas. 

“This is… burdensome.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Iron bowed his head apologetically when he heard Crimson’s words. 

A lot of people had been trying to bribe Iron while some asked him for his help. In fact, all of the commanders of the Empire had asked him for his help and most of the key nobles had sent him bribes to build a connection with him. Even the Imperial Family tried to persuade Iron to stay in the Center and become the Capital Defense Corps’ Commander. 

It was only natural that Crimson would feel burdened. Even if he was a commander, such requests were bound to make him feel burdened. The burden of having a new master and a general as a subordinate was no joke. 

“I’ll go back to the Northeast first. You should go and help the Central Army. Perhaps, by the time you’re done there, everything will be roughly organized.” 

“…Yes.” 

“Hoo… I feel quite burdened having such an outstanding subordinate.” 

Crimson smiled affectionately as he said so. He had already thought that he would fly out of their arms one day. However, he was still flustered. He did not expect that the day would come this soon. 

‘But I still have to send him away.’

With his long experience, he knew that he could no longer hold Iron in the Northeast. That was why he had to prepare to let go of the Empire’s Hero. 

“Come back after finishing your work in the Central Army.”

“I’ll come back as soon as possible.”

“Hoho~ I see.”

Crimson then prepared to leave for the Northeast as he said so. And just like that, the Northeasterners left the capital on board the airship bearing the Northeastern Army’s mark.

With most of the masters gone and only the Central Army remaining in the capital, the Central nobles began their work to seize power once again. With the Imperial nobles struggling for power and actively moving to seize the vacant seats in the government, the problems that they had barely sealed erupted once again. Bribes inevitably happened during the process of them taking and expanding their powers. And because of that, the rotten atmosphere that was not yet fully treated had contaminated the waters of the capital once again. 

However, it was different from the past. They couldn’t hide these things anymore and the people of the Empire wouldn’t hold their breath and remain quiet. 

[ Another round of corruption! Until when?! ]

[ We’re in the middle of a crisis but the Imperial Family is only focused on fighting like mad dogs? ]

[ The Crown Prince that lacked charisma. Will he be able to overcome the current crisis? ] 

[ Even the Central Army has thrown away the capital? The honor of the Capital City is now only in the past! ]

Articles like these broke out day after day. These articles highlighted the crisis that the Empire was in and ignited the ire of the people of the Empire. And when the public, who no longer held back, came out to protest once again, the crisis in the government, the Imperial Family and the nobles rapidly emerged. 

A hero was needed to calm down even just a bit of this crisis. They had planned to push the hero forward to buy enough time and turn the eyes of the masses away from them but even the hero abandoned the Center.

Everyone was busy trying to recruit Iron but none of them were able to truly recruit him. The new master. The value of this title’s power was extremely strong in the current Empire. In fact, the Imperial power has long collapsed. The Central nobles wanted to create a new central point to overcome this chaotic situation but no one wanted to become the Center’s new central point. The commander of the Central Army abandoned the capital and the other masters did not want to come to the Center either. All that was left was Iron, the new master. However, even he rejected the Center. 

Everyone knew that the public opinion of the Northerners and the Northeasterners toward the Center was the worst. The long-standing struggle of the Central nobles for their own interests was the cause for the numerous sacrifices of the Northeastern troops. Iron’s public rejection of the Crown Prince’s proposal was proof of their hate. Even the soldiers of the Northeast did not like to interact with anyone from the Center. 

“Did the Center’s downfall finally begin?” 

One of the professors sighed as he looked out of the window. 

Countless of the Empire’s people stood up the more the Central nobles’ corruption was revealed. In addition, the public that had been discriminated against by the remaining rotten parts of the Center had also participated in these protests. 

However, the government, which hadn’t completed their overhaul, remained silent instead of addressing and responding to the people’s protest. They truly couldn’t do anything since their military troops and security corps had died. In other words, it was impossible for them to control the situation properly.

“The Northeast…” 

The well-known professor of the Empire turned to look at the map on the wall. 

The Northern region, specifically the Northeastern region, was most likely going to be the Empire’s core in the future since it had become the safest region in the entire continent. It was for this very reason that the Center tried to raise the Imperial Family once again after it had been dragged to the bottom during the victory ceremony. However, everything was in vain. 

“Morons…” 

The professor couldn’t help but spit out curses as he lamented over the current situation. 

In a situation where the Crown Prince was already certain to become the Emperor, the 4th Prince sat still saying that he couldn’t agree and did not admit to this decision. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 3rd Princes only considered how they could take advantage of the situation while the Empire was still in chaos. They only thought of taking huge interests in return for giving up their claim to the throne. And since the Imperial Family did something like this, the Central nobles and other nobles gathered in the capital also began to move busily to gain benefits for themselves.

For them, the revival of the Empire was something that was already placed in the back burner. Filthy bastards who only moved for their own benefits. These were the current nobles and aristocrats of the Empire. 

“Professor!” 

A man slammed the door open as he rushed towards the professor. 

“Were the rumors true?!” 

The professor smiled bitterly after hearing his most cherished assistant’s question. 

“Are you really leaving to go to the Northeast?” 

The professor remained silent for a long time before answering his assistant reluctantly. 

“…That’s right. I believe there’s more I can do there than here.” 

“The students need you here, professor!” 

“Who knows… I don’t know if they’ll even care if I’m here or not.” 

“There are students who only entered the academy because of the professor!” 

Just like the assistant had said, there were a few talents who joined the academy after meeting him. Talented people ranging from commoners, to new aristocrats, to nobles, to wealthy merchants. But the professor was already tired. It was difficult for him to remain in this place for them alone after seeing the Center’s hideous pigs who only cared about money and power.

“Hoo… I’m already exhausted. I really want to go and show my strength in a place that I chose even if it was just for the rest of my life.”

The assistant bowed his head and couldn’t speak anymore after hearing the professor’s words. He wanted to follow the professor right away but it was difficult for him because he was still tied to a contract. 

“I’ll come after you as soon as my contract ends.” 

“…Alright. I’m sorry for going alone first.” 

“Please go and settle down in advance.” 

The assistant smiled as he told this to the professor. 

Commoner scholars were usually tied up by contracts with aristocrats. The aristocrats would support them and pay their academy tuition as they required them to study what they wanted to create or increase the public’s opinion on them. During the period of their contract, they had to act as the aristocrat’s subordinates. And the same was true for the professor’s assistant. 

More and more scholars were trying to get out of the Central Academy to head to a new place. However, there were quite a few people who couldn’t leave because they couldn’t escape their contracts. Just like the professor’s assistant. Except for these scholars, all the other scholars from the Center had already scattered to other regions. 

Even the clean ones, who remained neutral and maintained the Center’s bureaucratic system, government and institution, were disillusioned and escaped. The only ones who remained were the ones who had been bribed by the nobles and those who tried to climb higher on the lines that they had grasped. 

“That’s the worst.” 

Central Army Commander Leopold looked at the capital as he said so. 

A sand castle that was about to collapse. That was what the current Imperial Family and the Imperial government looked like. 

The capital would be in chaos and collapse the moment they left for their new Command. However, it seemed like nothing would change even if he stayed here. 

‘I’m already a fangless tiger.’ 

Although he was a master, there was a limit to what he could do. And in this situation, he could only maintain the status quo. Unlike the other commanders, he failed to protect the Center. In addition, most of his subordinates had died in battle so he did not have the power to take control of the capital. 

However, if Iron stayed here, then the story might change. Leopold believed that the capital could return to normal with his extraordinary charisma and ideas that captivated his subordinates. In addition, the title of the Empire’s Hero had the overwhelming power to make the people of the Empire obey most of his orders. In fact, Iron was the only one who had the potential to return the current capital to normal. 

The problem was that he had no intention of doing so. 

‘Is he going to abandon the Center?’

This thought flashed in Leopold’s head as he looked at Iron. 

Unlike the other commanders, who still wanted to maintain the Empire’s shell, Iron looked like he wanted to completely destroy the Imperial Family. 

This thought flashed in his head after seeing what Iron had done. 

None of the commanders knew that Iron had run hard to make the Northeast completely independent. The public only thought that it was for the Northeast’s reconstruction. However, for those who used their brains a bit, they could see that he did that to reduce the Northeast’s dependence on the Center. 

In addition, he decided to support the Central Army instead of going straight to the capital during the height of their crisis. He justified it by saying that he wanted to fully save the Central Army and provide significant help to the capital. But was it truly like that? 

He was only suspicious about his motives but his suspicions were solidified when he saw him publicly reject the Crown Prince’s proposal.

‘General Iron hates the Imperial Family.’

It was also problematic since many people were starting to think this way. 

What would happen once all the masters had left for their own regions and the Empire’s Hero abandoned the capital? The power of the Imperial Family and the Central government would weaken. 

As if to prove this, the capital fell into more chaos and confusion the moment the Central Army’s departure approached. This confusion would increase once they confirmed the fact that Iron would leave together with the Central Army. 

If he calculated all of this then…

“Scary.”

Leopold unknowingly spoke about his thoughts. He hoped that his thoughts were just wishful thinking. But he was also aware that those hopes were something that could be easily blown away by the wind. 

‘Please… I hope that he has even a little bit of loyalty towards the Empire in his heart.’

Contrary to Leopold’s wishes, Iron was smiling as he watched the Central Army and his troops prepare to leave. 

Thump!

He looked up at the sky covering the capital city as he listened to his beating heart. 

The people who came out to protest everyday. 

The foolish Imperial nobles and the Imperial Family who only fought everyday without knowing that they were falling down into the abyss. 

“Just wait a bit more.”

Iron mumbled quietly to himself as he listened to his pounding heart. 

The witch’s contract.

Because of this, her will kept on rushing and urging him with the thumps of his heart. 

Contrary to what others wanted, he wanted to see the Imperial Family fall into the abyss more quickly. However, he still had to remain patient. The moment when the Imperial Family, who bothered him so much in his past life, was dragged down to the floor was not that far away. He only needed to wait patiently for that to happen. 

“Just hang in there for a bit.”

He tried to calm down the witch’s will and his thumping heart as he waited for that day to arrive as soon as possible.

***

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