SWNOVELXO Chapter 164
“His Majesty the King has passed away.”
Kael Clausewitz, the loyal aide who had followed Cassius II since his royal days, was taken aback by Gruber’s shocking news after returning from the royal chambers.
“What do you mean the King has passed away?!”
“I had grown increasingly worried as His Majesty seemed to be in deep anguish for some time. So, today I went to check on him, only to find he had already departed from this world.”
The news sent shockwaves through everyone in Dedorant.
What nonsense was this? Why did the King suddenly leave us?
What will happen now that there is no King? What of Dedorant? What of the glory of the Deo Ethnicity?
We had followed only his command, and now what are we to do?
“What are we to do? Until now, we have followed only His Majesty! If he leaves us so abruptly, we have become like lost sheep!”
“If this news gets out, chaos will ensue. The strongholds and castles barely holding on will crumble before the Empire!”
Even while holding out, our defenses could collapse.
That would signify the ruin of everyone gathered here.
As everyone started to panic, Gruber shouted.
“Everyone, calm down! Though His Majesty has left us, his will remains. Even if his flesh is gone, his spirit is with us!”
At first, it seemed some didn’t grasp Gruber’s words. They continued to fumble and were at a loss.
But as Gruber spoke next, everyone lifted their heads.
“I have long been a follower of His Majesty since he was a prince. We exchanged many ideas and I heard his thoughts more than anyone else.”
“I agree. At that time, you were certainly one of His Majesty’s closest aides.”
“From then on, His Majesty repeatedly told me that even if something were to befall him, his will must persist. This is a struggle for survival and a holy war for the future!”
Though Cassius II, the King of Dedorant, was no more, it meant his will would carry on.
What does that mean? It means that their every action would be justified.
This isn’t just a matter of personal judgment, but rather an obligation commanded by our King.
Even if we lose. Even if the Deo Ethnicity falls.
There is no responsibility on our part. We merely have the merit of faithfully executing orders.
Our King has left behind a legacy of vows to carry on!
“The Empire is advancing rapidly. They are confident in their victory and dare to make the audacious move of transferring the Chief of Staff Headquarters to that detestable Setongrad!”
“This cannot go unchallenged!”
“Even if we fall, we must impose maximum damage on the Empire!”
Since it’s bound to end in destruction anyway, let’s go down together.
With madness fueled by primal instincts, the situation deteriorated further.
If only there had been a single rational person here, they might have tried to stop this chaos.
But here, that’s impossible. In fact, the abnormal is the norm.
People who have gone this far cannot stop. The term “runaway” exists for a reason.
A broken mind drives one to act even more frantically than emotions could.
The decision made now. This act, it misleads them into believing it is the most rational choice.
“For His Majesty the King!”
“For His Majesty the King!!”
“For Dedorant!”
“For Dedorant!!”
“For the eternal glory of the Deo Ethnicity!”
“For the eternal glory of the Deo Ethnicity!!”
Hearing their cheers, Gruber unknowingly closed his eyes.
Ah, yes. This was the feeling. This is why he had followed his lord until now.
The roaring of countless supporters. The indescribable ecstasy that came from it.
Now, it flowed solely to him instead of the King.
Even if this ship sinks, he didn’t care.
What else could this be if not glory? This is precisely what my King desires.
“Oh, do not worry, Your Majesty. I shall carry forth your will.
The moment they see you weakened, they will tear you apart, so I will protect you.
I don’t seek victory. I merely wish to burn everything with this flame.”
“By the way, Gruber. How will we handle the news of His Majesty’s passing? Will we continue to conceal it?”
“We shall carry on the will of His Majesty. This is the wish of that great figure.”
But putting that aside, what about the void left by the now-absent figure?
At that, Gruber shook his head repeatedly as if to say “What do you mean?”
“His Majesty has not passed away.”
“What do you mean? Just a moment ago you said he had…”
“His Majesty! Our eternal lord, and pride of the Deo Ethnicity, was assassinated by the Empire.”
“…???”
Even those steeped in madness found it hard to accept this.
What absurd nonsense was this? The Empire assassinated him?
Then who was the assassin, and how did they carry it out?
“I can tell from your expressions that you are curious. However! You are mistaken! That is not what’s important!”
“The fact that His Majesty was assassinated? But that is not what’s important?!”
“The Empire assassinated His Majesty! That is the only thing that matters! That alone! The new course of this war! We may lose, but we will not fall formally! We must take revenge! The King’s revenge!!”
“…Ah!”
I see now. To carry on the will of the departed King, it requires not just glory.
It demands a magical word that can stir the hearts of the masses: revenge. Revenge. Revenge!!
“The Empire has assassinated His Majesty! Those who envy the glory of the Deo Ethnicity have now robbed us of the one who would fulfill our dreams and aspirations!”
“But do not despair, people of the Deo Ethnicity! We will fight on forever! Even without our King, his will remains with us, so trust and follow us!”
The King is gone. But the name of the king who will take responsibility remains.
That is enough. Believing in that, the reckless abandon is permissible even as the end approaches.
Rather than live as slaves to them, I would rather die like a master!
“Let us declare a full mobilization! Not only young men, but now we must conscript boys as well.”
“That is a good point. Teenagers in their late teens can certainly wield swords and spears. If they fight now, they will surely grow into elite soldiers!”
“Let’s call back middle-aged veterans who have stepped back. They cannot miss the sacred battle for the glory of the Deo Ethnicity!”
Benito has surrendered, and Atria has fallen. Now it is Dedorant’s turn.
The Empire is like a colossal wave. You may hold it back for a moment, but you can never stop it forever.
Still, that’s fine. We will gather everything and go against that wave.
If we do so, even if everything rushes in, there will be nothing left to regret!
*
In the past week, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly and have been buried in work.
Thus, when I received a piece of news just now, I thought I was dreaming.
“…What did you say?”
“It’s news from Dedorant, stating that every able man is being conscripted.”
“Not that. What you said before.”
“The Dedorant Command has officially announced the passing of Cassius II. They claim that Our Empire was behind the assassination.”
In that moment, it felt like a hammer struck my head.
What? Assassination? Who? Us? Our Empire assassinated the King of Dedorant?
For what reason? What gain is there? Why kill the king of a collapsing kingdom?
What do we gain by killing the one we should hold accountable first?
“Could it be that those bastards… or rather, the Dedorant Command have finally collectively taken drugs?”
“They haven’t taken drugs, but they have certainly plunged into a kind of madness.”
The King of Dedorant, who had first cried out for the glory of the Deo Ethnicity, had vanished.
So I thought they would regain some sanity, thinking the madness would wear off.
On the contrary, it was the opposite. They had gone completely mad, spouting absurdities.
It goes without saying that the claim of an assassination by the Empire wouldn’t fly.
Not only the Empire, but even neighboring countries. Even Benito and Atria wouldn’t believe it.
Why would you handle the king in a fight that was already won? He’s an extremely important figure we need to surrender to!
“The problem lies with those insane bastards from Dedorant. They plan to use this pretext to shout and act recklessly to the very end.”
By now, this news must have reached the Empire too.
I wonder how our Emperor will react to these rumors—
“… Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”
The communication device beside me lights up. From the color, it looks like it’s direct from the Imperial Family.
After clearing my throat and tidying my attire, I activate the device.
A moment later, it’s not the Emperor that appears, but the Crown Princess.
To be precise, the Crown Princess looked even colder than usual.
“Chief of Staff Kael Clausewitz greets Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
[ Chief of Staff. Have you heard the news? ]
Without a simple greeting, they headed straight to the main topic. Just that alone indicated how furious she was.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
[ Yet I thought at least those with minimal sense would surrender. However, the madness of this world always goes far beyond my predictions. ]
“They’re like that because they have nothing left to lose.”
[ As a result, our Empire can finally feel at ease. ]
At that, I involuntarily flinched.
[ While a fierce battle is raging with Dedorant, you had previously made suggestions in secret. At that time, our nation was consuming too many resources and lacked the necessities for battle, so it was postponed, but it has been progressing steadily. ]
“I had heard occasional updates.”
[ As soon as I can, I plan to focus all our efforts on it. The Ministry of Finance, the Mage Ministry, and the Ministry of War have reached a consensus and have submitted a proposal to His Majesty. ]
I can recall that I had been suggesting it for two years, but it was always dragging along.
Yet now, it has been decided in just two days. It must have been significant enough to warrant her anger.
[ We will resume the Manhattan Project. ]