Chapter 427

Chapter 427

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, theres much to be done.

"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 wasnt 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.

Hadnt 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'."