CH 64

The 28th of the 5th month, year 468. Lord Warung’s army took position at the south of the capital which was about half a day away from the capital. 

On the other hand, the allied army of the lords and the mercenaries led by Count Chamneaux were confronting Lord Warung’s army with the capital at their rear. Both armies kept a certain distance from each other while gazing at the other. 

It was as if both sides were waiting for something. 

Meanwhile, the coronation ceremony was solemnly held at the capital in a bit of a rush. 

The aristocrats gathered in the building used by the 2nd Emperor for social gatherings as they waited restlessly for the young Emperor to appear. 

They would leave the capital with their families as soon as the coronation ceremony is over… or well, that is their plan anyway. The Chancellor and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies weren’t an exception to this. They were also preparing to return to their fiefs in case Count Chamneaux was defeated. 

The whole Empire was focused on the battle between Lord Warung and Count Chamneaux. Even the aristocrats who were attending the coronation ceremony were more interested in the outcome of their battle than the Emperor’s coronation. 

――― The accession of the Puppet Emperor wouldn’t change the situation. 

It wasn’t only the aristocrats who thought this; the citizens of the capital thought this as well. 

The coronation ceremony which would later come to be called the ‘Blood-Soaked Coronation Ceremony’ is about to begin…

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

It was raining in the capital on the morning of the coronation ceremony. 

It didn’t affect the coronation ceremony since that was originally scheduled to be held inside, but it did slightly change the position of the Imperial Guard; they were moved into a position which made it easier for them to rush to the venue. 

… It was like things were blowing in my favour. 

The building where the coronation ceremony will be held was in the northwest section of the palace. It was surrounded by walls on all sides which made it convenient for me. 

I was waiting in the waiting area dressed in a showy outfit. “Oh my! It suits you a lot!”

The Regent exclaimed after she entered the room. I heard that line a lot yesterday. 

“Thank you very much, Mother.”

“Oh my, you look like you’re feeling better today.”

“Yes, I feel calm.”

This person… must know that her son was given Guandeleo, and yet she was acting like this. How shameless of her. 

“Your dignified appearance looks just like that person. Don’t you think, Father?”

“This old man almost cried in joy at his dignified appearance.”

The Regent and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies were in the room with me. The Chancellor and George V were here until they arrived. I was wearing the cloak I received from them. It had too much gold on it for my liking. 

“It’s my grandson’s big day. I have prepared the best for you.”

The Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies said as he took an item from the servant and uncovered it. 

“This is a wand made by the best craftsman of the Empire for today.”

This wasn’t a wand used by mages, but one that was traditionally carried by royalty. Most of today’s aristocrats and royals can be traced back to mages, so royals often carried decorative wands as a formality.

The difference between this and a mage’s wand was that no thought was given to its functionality. There were a lot of gold, silver and other useless decorations on the wand. It was a hindrance to use it for magic. 

“Oh my! This is a wand fit for His Majesty.”

“Do you like it, Your Majesty?”

Honestly, I don’t like it at all. Obviously, since these people don’t know what I like. 

“Hmm, I’m happy. Thanks, Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

We were playing family. The Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies and the Regent, who speak as if they get along well, are in the same faction but were both fighting for influence. It doesn’t matter that they’re related by blood. 

And the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies killed my grandfather, and the Regent has also ordered assassinations and imprisoned Vera-Sylvie and others. 

I have no sympathy for these people. They deserve to be killed. They have done a lot of evil deeds. 

… I, who will live as the Emperor, may also be involved in things like that. 

I continued to play family in that room until they told me the venue was ready. I spoke with a lisp and kept my eyes unfocused. 

Those two chatted happily in front of the Emperor while he was acting like that. Some people might even believe that they were insane, or maybe that was normal for the two of them. 

… I might also be crazy for trying to kill them both. 

Whether they die by my hands, or the gallows remains to be seen, but I’m going to kill them. I’m going to kill people who are connected to me by blood. 

… Well, I don’t have any doubts about this or any regrets. 

Today’s coronation was just a path I had to take. I don’t intend to stumble.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

I heard instruments being played in the distance such as what sounded like a trumpet and drum. The sound became louder the closer I got to the venue. 

Timona and the Regent supported me as I walked slowly down the passage that led to the venue. 

I could tell that the Regent was still in a good mood. She didn’t know what was going to happen at the coronation and probably believed that her son’s formal enthronement would bring her more influence than what she had now. 

But Timona was remarkably calm. He looked composed and nonchalant. That was when I realised that I was a little nervous. 

I almost burst out laughing but I held it in. 

What’s the use of being nervous? Failure wasn’t an option. 

The Regent left and entered the venue when we reached the door, and after a while, the performance stopped, and everything was silent. 

“Your Majesty.”

“Final confirmation. Are there any problems?”

“There are none, but both dukes have swords.”

Ah, I see…

“… I see, I’ll take care of it. Have you informed Lord Salomon?”

“I have.”

A voice sounded from inside as Timona replied. It’s time. 

“Good luck… Your Majesty.”

“Thanks… Let’s go.”

Timona slowly opened the door. 

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

“What is the meaning of this, Count Vedett?”

Count Geoffroi de Newnbal glared at Count Palatine who stood next to him and made no move at all. The Emperor was sitting on the throne in the venue and Lord Aquicurl and Lord Raul were holding the imperial crown as they slowly made their way up the stairs, one step at a time. 

“What are you asking about?”

“Haven’t your actions up until now been to stop the evil deeds of the two dukes?”

Count Newnbal had an idea of what Count Vedett wanted to do when he received his request to move the garrison. That was why he had given his permission. He believed that the reason why Count Vedett hadn’t told him about the plan was to prevent other people from knowing about it; that showed how serious he was. 

“The supremacy of the two dukes will be cemented once the imperial crown is placed on the Emperor’s head. Why don’t you act?”

The person who places the crown on the Emperor’s head will be recognised as the Emperor’s guardian, so all their previous tyrannies would be justified. To Count Newnbal, this was the last chance to stop them, and yet Count Vedett hadn’t made his move. 

“Are you going to betray me at the last moment?”

“Calm down.”

Count Vedett was watching the two dukes take their last step as well as the unfocused eyes of the Emperor which had been gazing into the air. 

“Calm down.”

Count Vedett said to Count Newnbal again, but with a smile this time. 

“And watch…. This is the dawn of the Empire.”

Count Newnbal turned his gaze towards the throne when he heard those words. 

――― And then light shone.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

The view from the throne was a sight that could only be described as magnificent. 

The throne and the decorations in the venue gave the illusion that this nation was rich and wealthy. Well, most of the decorations were loaned by the Chancellor and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies. 

Most of the aristocrats in the venue seemed to have the count title. Both factions tried to get lower ranked aristocrats to attend the coronation to make their factions look as big as possible, but they found out that the venue couldn’t fit that many people… so they settled for a lower number. So, I have to suppress the aristocratic district after this as well. 

There were so many people in here that it was impossible to distinguish who they were from the throne. Come to think of it, I think I saw a similar scene as soon as I reincarnated. I remember I cried uncontrollably at that time. 

There were several steps in front of the throne and the Chancellor, and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies was walking up it slowly while holding the crown. 

It was finally time. There would normally be more rituals in the coronation ceremony, but they skipped all of those because they were in a rush. The enemy was half a day away from the capital, so they couldn’t afford to go through all of the steps. 

The servant standing next to me was holding a piece of parchment. They probably wanted me to use that as an edict and declare that ‘Lord Warung is a rebel’ as soon as they placed the crown on my head. 

Like Timona had said, they were carrying swords. 

We had several strategies created for different situations. 

For example, one for if someone brings a magic tool into the venue. The ‘Sealing’ magic tool is activated at the venue, but other magic tools can be used too under certain circumstances. So, magic tools can become unpredictable elements when we try to gain control of the venue. 

I have told Lord Salomon to interrupt the Sealing magic tool and I will temporarily control the venue with magic. During that time, the mages of the Belbe Kingdom along with the Imperial Guards will rush into the venue and bring it under complete control. 

This way I could hide the fact that I could use magic under the Sealing Barrier even if they discover that I can use magic. 

We also created strategies to deal with the situation if Lord Raul and Lord Aquicurl are equipped with swords. 

In the Bungdalto Empire, only the Emperor was allowed to have a sword during the ‘coronation ceremony’, but since these two were now in power, it was possible that this rule would be disregarded. 

And it was. 

They probably weren’t carrying swords as a precaution against me, but they were carrying it as a precaution towards the person next to them. The two of them have been political rivals for so long, so they didn’t trust each other even though they had temporarily joined forces. They carried swords because they were wary of walking next to the other unarmed. 

Beside the throne was a round desk covered with jewels and the wand that I had been given earlier as well as the ceremonial sword wrapped in purple cloth… which I had replaced with a lesser holy sword, was placed on the table. 

There are three people in this venue who are armed. The two in front of me and me since the sword on the table was within my reach. 

So… I had to do it. They will be an obstacle to controlling this venue as long as they’re armed. Risks like this needed to be eliminated since failure wasn’t an option. What I do will be the signal for this operation to begin. 

The two men finally reached me. They bowed in accordance with the customs.

I reached for the ceremonial sword on the table while they were looking away, then I slowly stood up from my throne so as to not alarm them. 

Our eyes met, and they widened their eyes in surprise. 

I gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.