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“Looks like this is the last one.”

I nodded slightly to Arthur’s words.

Three years. Time spent traveling across Romania after leaving the forest, doing many things.

Caring for the people, restoring the parched land, and filling the hungry bellies.

Time taken to gather the support of the people.

Time to gather those who had doubts about the missing crown prince, who should have succeeded the throne after the former emperor’s death.

Time for uniting the lords who had sworn loyalty to the previous emperor, not the current one.

Time spent gathering the support of external forces from different races and nations.

And the time it took for rumors to spread that blamed the current emperor for the many problems arising in this land.

Three years. Long if you think about it, short if you don’t.

The boy who had come to the forest with his younger sister on his back, looking ragged, had now grown into a young man, showing leadership over many people.

“Whoa. That felt long. Really.”

“It is indeed a long time—a span of three years.”

“Three years…? Ah… what I meant by ‘long’ was the time it took to reach here again.”

“Hm? Ah, I see.”

Eight years. Excluding the time he couldn’t remember as a newborn, it was the same length as the life the boy remembered.

After that time, the boy—Arthur—was able to return here.

“Now, all that’s left is to reclaim what has been taken from us, Arthur.”

“Yeah. This should be the end.”

I’ve done as much as I could.

Helping the people, spreading rumors to turn the overall sentiment in Arthur’s favor, fostering resentment against the emperor by framing him for the famine.

As a result of that scheming, there were no lords left to march with soldiers for the current emperor.

For now… only the emperor’s loyal guards, stationed within the capital city of Sirius, were left.

“Thank you for respecting my stubbornness to avoid shedding blood, Master.”

“Not at all. I also wish to avoid a lot of blood flowing in this land.”

I didn’t want the blood of the people to spill over the power struggles of the high-born.

That’s why I suggested a tedious task that would take a bit more time and effort.

“And remember, I told you to call me Gaia, not Master? Why the sudden switch back to Master?”

“Right now, it’s just you and me, Master. So please forgive me.”

“Really…”

Seeing Arthur sulking just a bit made me smile softly.

“If it weren’t for you, I would have met my death at the hands of soldiers eight years ago. You… you are the benefactor of everything I am.”

“Ah, come on. Why the sudden embarrassment?”

“I’m just grateful. For everything… everything you’ve done for me.”

His words made me a little shy, and I scratched my nose.

At that moment, a stone fragment hidden under the illusion magic fell away with a rustle.

Hmm. It seems our time is almost up. But I might still be able to witness Arthur reclaiming the throne.

“I have something to convey to my Master… um… no, I’ll save it until after all this is over.”

“Hm? Something to convey?”

“It’s not the right time now. I’ll tell you after it’s all over.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what Arthur wanted to say… well, there’s a high chance I won’t hear it after it’s done.

Maybe he’ll try to thank me, gathering a few things along the way?

“Alright, it’s about that time.”

From a distance, dark smoke was rising, and the gates protecting Sirius opened.

The heavy iron gates swung open, and the knight order on horseback poured out.

The last loyal guards of the emperor—the royal knight order.

“I hope Vivi can handle it well.”

“Have faith in your sister, Arthur. Vivi will do just fine.”

And it wasn’t just Vivi there.

There were companions he’d traveled with over the past three years and the troops of lords who had pledged support to Arthur.

Around three thousand soldiers were marching toward the direction of the smoke signal.

Of course, it wasn’t to fight. Their role was merely to draw the royal knight order, holed up within the walls of Sirius, out into the open.

That was their only role. Just that.

“But is it truly sufficient for just me and Master? The Epona Knight Order should also be in Sirius…”

“The Epona Knight Order won’t intervene.”

The Epona Knight Order, closely tied to the temple in Sirius, had been rendered immobile due to Arthur, who was the child of the previous emperor, and Vivi, the Dragon Priestess.

Had Vivi been absent, perhaps the emperor could have somehow maneuvered the Epona Knight Order, but unfortunately, that was not the case.

“They haven’t declared it publicly, but they have no choice but to maintain a neutral stance.”

Honestly, it would be tough for them to challenge us with loyalty alone with the Dragon Priestess on our side.

The only force that could move effectively was the royal knight order, which was absolutely loyal to the emperor.

I doubt the defense forces of Sirius would want to fight either.

“This is the power of widely spread rumors. Be sure to remember that.”

“You still give me lessons even in this situation.”

“Hehe. Because I’m your Master.”

Though not much time is left for me to play this Master role.

After a bit of time passed, I gazed at the royal knight order that had emerged from the gates, heading towards the direction of the smoke signal for quite a while.

“Let’s move, Arthur.”

“Yes, Master.”

Arthur and I began to move while maintaining our concealment.

Hmm. It seems I made a good call teaching Arthur how to hide. He can sneak up to the gates without a trace from the guards.

“Master, the gate is closing. What should we do?”

“Hm… What would you do, Arthur?”

After a moment of contemplation, Arthur spoke up.

“The simplest way would be to pierce a hole in the gates or the wall with my sword. But that would make cleanup troublesome later… Maybe just obstructing the gate from closing?”

“That works too. But with what you’ve got, it might not be easy to stop the gate from closing.”

The gate of Sirius is a huge door made of iron, opened by spreading apart.

It’s a door that many soldiers work together to open and close. Preventing that would not be easy for Arthur.

“The straightforward approach would be to deal with the soldiers opening and closing the gate, but… we’d prefer to avoid any bloodshed, right?”

“Yes. They are also the people of Romania.”

I smiled softly. My concern for the people had already been enough before I became emperor.

I believe Arthur will make a good emperor.

“Then let’s think of another method. The gate is enormous and heavy and solid, but… the parts that secure it to the wall are likely weaker than the gate.”

“Indeed… If we cut that part off, we could remove the gate.”

“Though, even once removed, toppling the gate would be another challenge.”

A massive iron gate would be quite heavy after all.

So.

“Let’s just pull a small trick for now.”

Since the gate isn’t completely closed, by wedging something in, we can delay its closure.

I made a small rock pop up in the gap of the gate, temporarily halting its closure.

The gap wasn’t very wide, but it was enough for one person to slip through.

I paused and nudged Arthur forward.

“Go on in, Arthur. Face your uncle alone and reclaim what is rightfully yours.”

“Huh? Aren’t you coming with me, Master?”

“The royal knight order, heading to where Vivi and the forces are, will return quickly once they realize they have no will to fight. Someone needs to stop them.”

That’s a lie. Sending Arthur in alone isn’t the smartest choice, but I wanted to create a scene where only the emperor and Arthur faced off.

The taker and the taken.

The nephew and the uncle.

The current emperor and the son of the former emperor.

Their contrasting stories would make an intriguing tale for many.

“Are you really going to face this alone, Master?”

“You don’t need to worry. I’m just stalling for a bit.”

I merely need to buy time until Arthur captures the emperor. That wouldn’t take long.

“Alright. The emperor is seated on the throne. You know that position well.”

“Yes…!”

“Don’t look back. Don’t hesitate. Just run. I’ll take care of the royal knight order.”

Arthur hesitated for a moment but nodded resolutely.

“Please, Master!”

“Get back soon, my disciple.”

After Arthur slipped through the narrow opening of the gate, which could barely fit one person, the rock that was holding the gate stopped crumbled to pieces.

Thus, the gate closed.

Arthur dashed into Sirius without any hesitation.

Some soldiers noticed his figure, but they couldn’t act swiftly.

No one would assume that Arthur would infiltrate Sirius alone, which could be considered enemy territory.

They must have just thought they misseen him and turned away.

So Arthur advanced without hesitation toward the streets of Sirius, heading toward the castle.

Towards where his destiny awaited. Towards where the emperor was.

 

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