Mage? Magic Engineer!

They had actually broken through!

The Personal Guard’s sense of direction was astonishing. Coupled with the Dark Vision Richard had cast on him, he was now speeding through the streets of the Imperial Capital, rapidly approaching the Imperial Palace.

Following Richard and Libusse’s warnings, the carriage carefully avoided the routes the rebels were likely to take. They finally arrived safely at the outskirts of the Imperial Palace.

"This is the Crown Prince’s carriage! Make way! Make way!" the Personal Guard shouted, pulling the Imperial Family’s banner from inside his clothes. It fluttered in the torchlight.

"He shouldn’t have done that just now. What if the military police surrounding the Imperial Palace have already rebelled?" the Crown Prince, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly spoke.

The Personal Guard inside the carriage offered an explanation. "You are right, Your Highness. He was reckless in an emergency, but the military police are absolutely loyal to you and to the Empire."

The Crown Prince was noncommittal, merely snorting coldly.

The group entered the Imperial Palace without further incident. It was normal for the Prince and his guards to be in plain clothes for concealment. The only strange thing for the Guards was the Crown Prince’s insistence that a young man carrying a barefoot woman accompany him, never leaving his side.

Only after entering the brilliantly lit grand hall did the Crown Prince finally relax and change into the clothes a servant had prepared.

Soon, he erupted again. "Where is everyone? Summon all the Nobility for me! I want every last noble to get their asses over here."

"Your Highness... at a time like this, we should inform Prime Minister Otto first."

The Crown Prince drew his sword directly. Fortunately, he used the flat of the blade to strike the person who had spoken up. "The Prime Minister? He must be the mastermind! That man, that man..."

Unexpectedly, the doors to the hall opened, and another group entered. It was the Civil Servants, led by Prime Minister Otto. Aside from the impeccably dressed Prime Minister himself, most of them had only hastily thrown on overcoats, revealing pajamas or casual social attire underneath.

The Prime Minister had already heard the Crown Prince’s yelling. "Your Highness, you misunderstand. Your humble servant was not aware of tonight’s turmoil. You may accuse me of dereliction of duty, but never of having the heart to usurp power."

The Crown Prince’s eyes were wide. "Really? Then the mastermind is..." He looked toward Richard, who naturally reported the information he had.

After listening, the Prime Minister mused, "So it’s mainly a spontaneous rebellion by low-ranking officers, and their demands are... crude, simplistic, and childish to the point of being absurd."

A military police officer came to report that the advancing Empire Army troops had reached the square in front of the Imperial Palace and were now in a standoff with the military police. The cavalry and artillery regiments were currently assembling.

However, the military police awaited orders on whether to completely annihilate these rebel forces.

The Crown Prince’s close friend, the current Marshal Helmut, also arrived at the Imperial Palace. He first ignored the swarming crowd of Civil Servants, entering with high-ranking military officials and a reliable Guard detail. His reinforced combat boots clattered on the marble floor.

"Your Highness, you’ve been frightened!" Helmut strode forward and gave the Crown Prince a hug, then studied his friend with concern.

"I’m fine, thanks to my loyal and brave Personal Guard and Colonel Richard." The Crown Prince was calm upon seeing his friend. Helmut spoke bluntly, "You are the only one here who can give the order! As long as you give the word, Your Highness, all the artillery and cavalry in position can put a stop to this riot in no time."

"We absolutely cannot open fire in front of the Imperial Palace!" the Prime Minister said resolutely. "The motives behind the Empire Army officers’ actions today are not something that appeared overnight. A brutal suppression will only cause more officers to waver and morale to collapse. At that point, the war, the political situation, and the reforms will all be in grave danger of collapsing..."

"First of all, those outside are rebels, not Empire Soldiers. Secondly, reforms, reforms... aren’t Your Excellency’s reforms the very root of this turmoil and chaos? I say it’s you people who have caused this widespread panic, creating ideological confusion in the army that can be exploited..."

"Stop." The Crown Prince interrupted the argument between the heads of the civil and military factions. Having come from the west gate where Mages had been fiercely battling, he was more concerned about another issue. "Among the Military Mages, some have remained rational and clear-headed, while others have already sided with the rebels. Can you stop the Casters among the rebel army from approaching and taking me hostage?" After speaking, he looked at Richard.

Helmut did not speak rashly this time, as his control over the Military Mages was particularly weak. The position of chief of the military Casters was currently vacant; no powerful individual had emerged who could lead this force and was willing to submit to the military’s authority.

The Prime Minister, however, quickly offered a solution. "They are people, too, and a part of the officer corps. Their demands are likely the same as the other rebels. Therefore, we must now focus on quelling the unrest among the common soldiers as quickly as possible. This will remove the foundation for those extremist Casters to act."

The Crown Prince’s eyes were bloodshot. "Then how do we quell it?"

The Prime Minister did not answer immediately, only staring at him. In an instant, the hall fell silent again—a suffocating silence. Helmut and Otto both fixed their gazes on the Crown Prince.

Libusse’s voice broke the silence. "Why doesn’t the Crown Prince just ascend the throne? Aren’t the rebels demanding you take charge? Then take charge. Give them nothing left to say."

Richard, his arms aching and numb, had already set Libusse down. She now stood with her hands on her hips, looking smug. Since she was blindfolded, she could only roughly judge people’s positions by sound, so she was actually talking to a marble column.

Richard did not correct her stance, just stood silently beside her with a serious expression.

However, everyone in the hall had heard her words.

After a long while, the Crown Prince finally spoke. "If the Empire needs me to become Emperor at this moment, then I have nothing left to hesitate about." After he finished, he still instinctively glanced at the Prime Minister, as if the Prince’s father stood behind this elderly, stern senior.

Even though the current Emperor was sick and convalescing elsewhere.

The Prime Minister responded with a reassuring smile. He declared loudly and sincerely, "In these extraordinary times, we need not be bound by tedious ceremony! The officials of the court, both civil and military, are all present and wish to pledge their loyalty to our Emperor!"

At this, regardless of whether they were part of the Crown Prince Faction or not, all the ministers, generals, and the Marshal knelt and pledged, "We pledge our loyalty to our Emperor!"

Then the Crown Prince—no, the new Emperor William II—was surprised to find that the previous Emperor had long ago prepared everything he needed for his ascension. At the Prime Minister’s signal, a ceremonial officer brought out the crown and Scepter. There was no Bishop, no divine bestowal. William II himself picked up the crown and, under the watch of his subjects, placed it squarely on his own head.

The night sky was beginning to brighten. The Empire Soldiers in a standoff with the military police in the square did not get the Military Mages who were supposed to support them. Instead, they saw William II on a balcony of the Imperial Palace, a crown upon his head.

He gave an impromptu speech, declaring that all who participated in the action were loyal subjects of the Empire but had been deceived by spies from Valois. He then went on to placate the soldiers, promising that not everyone would be held accountable.

This meant some would be let off, while others would be dealt with in secret. Furthermore, "in response to popular demand," he ordered Prime Minister Otto, who bore the primary responsibility for the Empire’s recent problems, to resign. In consideration of his past contributions to the Empire, he was allowed to retain all his honors and live out his remaining years in peace.

As the dome of the Empire Parliament Building finished burning and collapsed, sunlight shone down on the central axis of the Imperial Capital. Both the military police and the Empire Soldiers now dropped their weapons, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!" and "Long live the Empire!"

"It’s over..." Richard, who had been standing behind the new Emperor the entire time, quietly informed Libusse.

Libusse didn’t speak. At this moment, her eyes saw only Richard—or to be precise, his fate. They were very close, and only the still-chaotic mass of his destiny shifted in the darkness.

"Richard of the Dalberg Family, and..." The former Prime Minister appeared, his expression both relieved and utterly exhausted. The old man paused at the sight of the blindfolded Libusse, but a name from his memory soon clicked into place. "...Miss Libusse of Pomerania. Both I, personally, and the Empire owe you our thanks."