For the past few days, the Empress Dowager was overflowing with confidence.

This was because a few defeated soldiers she had sent as observers reported that Carlos had left the war-torn area alone to rescue Mercedes.

If he had immediately ordered Mercedes to be killed, Carlos must surely not be in his right mind.

And although she felt a bit uneasy that there was no news after that…

‘Even Carlos can’t face a thousand soldiers alone.’

It could be that there was no news because he really had cut down all the soldiers.

He might have been able to rescue the Empress that way.

But the Empress Dowager was certain that Carlos had either died or at least suffered severe injuries.

Though the local rebellion seemed to have been well resolved thanks to Lord Gregory, without the Emperor, the soldiers would ultimately be a disorganized rabble without a focal point.

Moreover, considering only rank, they were those who must unconditionally be loyal to the Emperor, regardless of who he might be.

Convinced that Carlos was already broken, the Empress Dowager felt a thrill imagining the Imperial Knights inevitably kneeling before her and her son.

Of course, those knights and soldiers would not break easily due to their strong loyalty to Carlos… But what if their lord was dead? What could they do then?

‘It was worth spending two years at the villa secretly raising private soldiers.’

Additionally, that wench Mercedes appeared at just the right time. She had confused Carlos’s heart and diverted his attention, making the Empress Dowager’s plans easier to accomplish. It was no exaggeration to say that heaven was helping her.

The Empress Dowager waited calmly to subjugate the Emperor’s knights who would soon return, and to prevent confusion among the capital’s citizens due to the sudden change of emperor.

Once Carlos’s death was confirmed and announced to the empire, no one would oppose putting his son on the throne.

However, she couldn’t do that right away.

First, she had to persuade the knights.

Even if Carlos was alive, he would be lying injured with that wench, far from returning.

So when the knights returned, she planned to immediately announce that the Emperor had gone missing while trying to rescue the kidnapped Empress. Then, with patience, she would wait until everyone eventually accepted the news of his death.

The Emperor’s empty seat looms large. It cannot be left vacant for long.

Even if some resisted despite her calm handling of affairs, well…

Hadn’t her armed forces already filled the capital? They might be second-rate in ability, but the numerical disadvantage would be unavoidable.

Things would go well unless Carlos returned alive as a blood demon, recovered to that monstrous strength. And the Empress Dowager was certain the Emperor could not do that.

The chaos from changing emperors was a simple problem that could be solved by opening the imperial treasury. The hearts of the people turn to those who feed them, after all.

Thus, the Empress Dowager was savoring the feeling of being the master of the quiet imperial palace for the first time in a long while, waiting for what was to come.

But for the news that arrived to be the appearance of Mercedes and Skyra.

‘I didn’t expect that.’

Yes, she had thought that wench might have survived.

But instead of fleeing afterwards, she returns? Moreover, perfectly fine, with a magician?

Why on earth?

That wench she had thought stupid yet found strangely concerning, and a genius magician…

The Empress Dowager immediately headed for the castle walls, accompanied by the captain of her private soldiers.

When the captain had run to the Empress Dowager, hadn’t he also reported that ‘Mercedes is a magician’? She was quite an unsettling wench.

“That she survived. I’m surprised too.”

The captain bowed his head with an apologetic face. The Empress Dowager shook her head and stood up.

“What’s done is done. I’ll go see for myself.”

Arriving thus, she saw Mercedes kneeling and prostrating herself before the tightly closed capital gates, tears falling steadily.

“Empress Dowager, Your Majesty… His Majesty the Emperor has passed away. Ah…”

And wasn’t she telling the very story the Empress Dowager wanted to hear?

“…What did you say?”

“Trying to save me… trying to save someone like me…! Enough, enough… Ah…”

Skyra also knelt with a gloomy face, bowing her head.

“Lady Skyra delivered the sad news of His Majesty, and the knights are also currently on their way to the capital… His Majesty the Emperor died because of someone like me. Please punish me. No, cut off my head and display it, tear my limbs apart…!”

Mercedes cried out in a sorrowful voice.

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes as she looked at her. That wench was clearly stupid, but the Empress Dowager’s schemes never worked on her.

Moreover, to be a magician.

‘Still, the words that wench is saying now are quite pleasing… What should I do?’

She had heard that Mercedes had taken down four men.

And beside her was the genius magician called Skyra. Skyra was reputed to be an unparalleled genius that the magic tower had lost and was still anxious about.

Though there must be limits to her mana, being a genius, she could cause great damage to this side.

“…This is unsettling.”

Of course, if she just took Mercedes’s testimony in hand, the capital would be turned upside down, and the Empress Dowager’s plans would be realized faster and more easily.

Honestly, it was tempting.

But…

“It’s better to eliminate risk factors.”

Creating false news of the Emperor’s death was a very easy thing to do.

It’s unknown what might happen if those two were let in because it was tempting.

To let two magicians close to Carlos inside the castle walls. She couldn’t do such a dangerous thing.

“You wench claiming to be Empress, listen! How can we believe that you are the Empress?”

The Empress Dowager first burst out in anger. She intended to feign ignorance of her so there would be no problem in disposing of her.

“Your Majesty! Have you forgotten me? Ah… I just, what I saw with my own eyes… sob, sob. I must deliver the news of His Majesty the Emperor’s death. I can die afterwards, so please let me in!”

The Empress Dowager smirked as she watched Mercedes cry and blame herself.

“How powerful magic can that wench use?”

“I’m not sure. But no matter how great a magician, their mana eventually runs out. She seems to have somehow survived thanks to the Emperor and that genius magician, but it would have been difficult to fully recover mana on the way here. Moreover, numerical inferiority is insurmountable.”

“Numerical inferiority, you say?”

“This is practically a fortress, isn’t it? And defense is easier too.”

The captain, realizing it was his fault Mercedes had escaped, carefully offered his opinion.

That was true.

The towers of the capital walls were quite high, and the surroundings outside the walls were all flat ground. Of course, about half was covered in forest, but the surroundings were clearly visible.

One could hide if they wanted to, but in case a large number of people poured out, it would be over if they closed the gates here and rained down fire arrows while also using catapults.

And on this side, there were plenty of archers ready to rain down arrows at any moment with just an order.

The Empress Dowager, understanding the captain’s meaning, let out a small laugh.

“You are quite admirable the more I see you.”

She was an irritating wench anyway. It seemed better to deal with her quickly before the capital’s citizens noticed the commotion at the walls.

The magician called Skyra was also irritating, so this was rather fortunate.

The captain took up a large bow and signaled to the archers.

Since they couldn’t know how great a magician she was, they gathered people intending to rain down arrows first.

Meanwhile, Mercedes continued to plead, and the Empress Dowager waited for the right timing.

“Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, I humbly beg you. Please…!”

And after some time had passed, just as Mercedes opened her mouth once more, an arrow shot by the captain flew and stuck in the ground.

“As you dare to try to deceive me by mentioning the Empress of the great Loom Empire, I have no choice but to punish you for the crime of insulting the Imperial Family. Know your crime of daring to mention the name of royalty.”

Without even asking for evidence, the Empress Dowager who had already concluded that she had ‘deceived’ spoke majestically and turned around. Despite her serious words, the smile had not left her face.

And just as the archers were preparing to rain down arrows.

The capital’s gates slowly began to open.

“Huh…?”

And not just the largest gate right in front.

All the gates facing north, south, east, and west began to open.

“What is this…!”

Before the Empress Dowager could be shocked, knights sprang out from the areas covered in forest. Knights and infantry rushed in through the other gates except the one where Mercedes was.

The archers, who should have been surrounding the entire tower and raining down arrows, had received orders to gather here and were moving, so the private soldiers began to panic.

“Damn it! Everyone spread out and rain down arrows. Rain down fire arrows!”

As the captain shouted till his throat was about to burst, the archers ran hurriedly back to their positions, but the mobility of the Emperor’s soldiers was extraordinary.

By the time the archers stood in place and hurriedly began to change arrows and light fires, they had already entered inside the gates.

If they shot arrows at them now, the capital would immediately burst into flames. Then all of the Empress Dowager’s plans would turn to nothing.

“What is going on here! Are there traitors? Put, put away the fire arrows! Are you trying to turn the capital into a sea of fire?”

“That can’t be. Put away the arrows and close the gates again, you idiots!”

The Empress Dowager cried out as if about to faint from shock, and the captain ground his teeth and shouted to close the gates.

“Ca-Captain! The levers fixing the gates are emitting white light and won’t move!”

“What?”

The captain received the report and ran quickly. The Empress Dowager sat down right there, startled by the screams of confusion heard from all directions.

The Emperor’s soldiers were fine. They didn’t look like they had just come from fighting a war.

And they quickly began to shout at the civilians.

“It’s the Empress Dowager’s treason! All civilians hide indoors! Find a safe place!”

“His Majesty the Emperor is returning!”

What was this noise? The capital had been fine until now?

Of course, the Emperor’s absence had created a feeling of instability…

The civilians hesitated, then were led by the Emperor’s knights and soldiers who personally ran to each one and guided them into homes, shops, and various places.

They faithfully advanced towards the Imperial Palace while clearing the capital’s streets in this way.

And at the end of those soldiers…

“Whew. It feels like returning to my hometown after a long time.”

Having snuck in at some point, Carlos, dressed as a knight, was smiling casually on horseback, holding a greatsword. While looking at the Empress Dowager collapsed in shock on top of the tower.