"And of course, I'll become the Emperor."
From a declaration of rebellion to declaring oneself emperor.
The audience hall was blanketed in silence.
Half of my party members were shocked and stupefied at my mad proclamation, while the other half instantly rose to their feet, ready to say something.
"I won't be taking any questions!"
I yelled as I thrust my hand forward.
"The only thing you must decide now is one thing. Will you stand with me, or not?"
I gave a faint smile.
"Are you willing to die with me? That's all."
Because the only path to survival lies within death.
Would they walk the long road that lay ahead with me? That's what I was asking.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Facing the party members who looked at me in despair, I spoke with a stern face.
"I'll give you one hour. Consider freely within that hour. Will you stand with me, or will you leave."
After meeting the eyes of every party member, I nodded.
"Let's meet here one hour later."
Then, I walked out of the audience hall without looking back.
***
The party members were scattered around the mansion, deep in thought.
Most remained in the audience hall, hotly debating my remarks, while a few strolled around the garden, lost in thought.
And a few others left the mansion altogether.
"..."
The second floor of the mansion, the lord's office.
I was standing by the window, watching the backs of the party members leaving the mansion when I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Creak-
The one who opened the door and entered was Lucas.
"My lord."
"Lucas."
"I came to ask you a question."
Without waiting for me to say anything, Lucas blurted out immediately after he entered and closed the door.
"Is this rebellion a desperate measure to request reinforcements from the royal family?"
I chuckled at Lucas's sharp point. Lucas continued.
"You, my lord, are a legitimate successor to the royal family, inheriting the Emperor's blood directly. If you declare rebellion, the royal family cannot sit idly by."
"..."
"They will dispatch troops to suppress the rebellion. Isn't your plan to use those troops to exterminate the monsters?"
"Well done, Lucas. Reading my thoughts so accurately."
I nodded my head.
"You've guessed quite correctly. I haven't told the party members yet, but the next monster invasion is in a week."
"..."
"With the current situation here, there's no way we can fend them off. Hence, I decided to do this absurd show."
Lucas, looking me in the eye, cautiously spoke up.
"I understand your intention, my lord. But there are two problems with your plan."
"Two problems?"
"First, the distance between the royal capital and this southern front. Even if the messenger changes horses and races, it will take a week."
Lucas quietly pointed out the errors in my plan.
"It will take a week for news of the rebellion here to reach the royal capital, and another week for them to assemble and deploy troops. At the very least, it will take two weeks. In reality, it will probably take longer."
"..."
"You said the next defensive battle would be in a week. They can't arrive before it starts."
I just listened with a smile. Lucas continued.
"Second, there's no way to prove this rebellion was a hoax."
"Hmm."
"Even if you explain it was a desperate measure to summon the royal troops, the royal family won't believe it. You will be arrested and charged with treason. As a royal, you won't be executed on the spot, but you will be transported to the royal capital."
That's certainly true.
As I was about to nod and accept Lucas's point,
Bang!
"Lucas, you're absolutely right!"
The platinum-haired female knight burst into the office.
It was Evangeline. My eyes widened in surprise.
"How much of our conversation did you hear?"
"Obviously, from the beginning! But that's not important! I get the whole reinforcement thing. But rebellion, really, senior?!"
Almost crawling on the floor, Evangeline reached me and shouted out.
"Please, think again! That should be the absolute, absolute, last resort! No, not even then! It's a method that should never be used!"
"..."
"The Emperor shows no mercy to traitors! You should know better! Even if it's his own son, he'll definitely kill him!"
Evangeline was pale with fear.
"That's not all! If you're involved in the rebellion, he'll exterminate three generations! Everyone in this place, the entire Crossroad, will be sentenced to execution!"
The reason Evangeline was so vehemently discouraging this was clearly because she was the successor to the Margrave's title.
Crossroad was Evangeline's hometown, the land she would inherit and rule in the future.
But to declare a rebellion here.
You're going to turn your homeland, your domain, into a sea of fire - my decree was tantamount to that.
"Look at the war with the neighboring Bringar Kingdom, senior!"
Evangeline spat out in a trembling voice, as I remained silent.
"For the slightest discord, he's crushing a kingdom that has been loyal for hundreds of years! A small domain in such a remote place will undoubtedly be burned to the ground without a trace!"
"..."
"Please, senior! There must be another way! Just not a rebellion!"
Without answering, I looked outside the open office door.
"You two there. Stop hiding and come in."
"Oh..."
"Cough."
Then, Damien and Junior, who were outside the door, awkwardly walked into the office.
I gave them a slight smile.
"Shall we hear your opinions too?"
Damien and Junior glanced at each other. Damien nervously spoke first.
"Well, I... I'm the Prince's right-hand man. I have nowhere else to go anyway. I'll stand by the Prince's side to the end, but..."
"Stand by, but?"
"Rebellion, well... isn't it a bit... dangerous...?"
Damien, whose round eyes flickered at me, started trembling when he saw my quiet smile.
"I-I'll shoot at whoever if the Prince commands it! Just leave it to me!"
"Right, right. Thank you, Damien."
After smiling at Damien once more, I turned my gaze to the wizard next to him.
"Your opinion, Junior?"
"It's suicide."
Junior cut in decisively with her clear voice.
"I heard there are dozens of magicians of my level in the imperial magic troops. Setting aside all other forces, just comparing the wizards, it's like this."
"..."
"You said you're inciting a rebellion to call in reinforcements to stop the monsters, but it doesn't make sense. The troops sent by the empire won't even care about the monsters, right? They might just turn us into ashes with magic bombing and return."
Junior stressed once more.
"Declaring a rebellion to call in reinforcements is, literally, no different from setting your house on fire to catch a flea."
"Indeed..."
I nodded.
"I appreciate the valuable opinions."
I looked around my main party members gathered around my office table.
"All of you have valid and reasonable opinions. But my declaration of rebellion was not just for the sake of calling for reinforcements."
"...?"
"I'll tell you the 'real reason' a bit later when everyone gathers in the reception room. So, for now, calm down, cool your heads, and wait for me."
I pointed at the office door and waved my hand.
"Now, out!"
***
The main party visited the office.
As for the rest, when I checked what they were doing, the Shadow Squad trio was standing in the garden, chatting amongst themselves.
With 30 minutes left until the reunion, I went down to the garden.
"Godhand. Burnout. Bodybag."
As I approached, calling their codenames, the Shadow Squad members all bowed to me.
"Your Highness."
"How is it? Have you made up your minds?"
As I asked with a smile, the three exchanged glances and, without any precedence, one by one they knelt before me.
"Don't you know, Your Highness? We were already sentenced to death in the capital."
Godhand, with his head bowed, spoke solemnly.
"You took us in, Your Highness. You already own our lives."
"..."
"The only one we will serve is you, Your Highness. Even if the path you choose is rebellion, we will gladly follow."
Looking down at the three elves kneeling before me, their heads bowed in deference, I said,
"I appreciate your loyalty. I, Ash, acknowledge it."
Grinning, I added, "Thank you. Let's meet again in 30 minutes."
Turning around, I left the garden. The three members of the Shadow Squad remained still, heads bowed, until they could no longer see me.
***
Two members of our party had left the mansion: Margarita and Lilly.
Among them, Margarita returned ten minutes before the assembly time.
Standing at the mansion's entrance, waiting for the two, I greeted the first to return, Margarita, with a smile.
"Where have you been, Saintess?"
"I was at the temple, offering prayers to the Goddess."
Margarita sighed deeply, hands clasped in front of her chest.
"I sought guidance from Her for the path I should take."
"Really? Did She give you a good answer?"
"..."
"Have you made up your mind?"
After a moment of silence, Margarita let out another sigh.
"...From the moment I first came to this city, my mind was already made up."
Clasping her trembling hands tightly, Margarita raised her head to meet my eyes.
"My destiny lies with Crossroad."
"Are you saying that you'll join me in my rebellion?"
"If that is the path Crossroad is meant to follow."
"Thank you."
I gestured towards the interior of the mansion.
"Please go to the parlor. I'll join you once Lilly arrives."
Unwavering, Margarita walked straight into the mansion.
***
The last party member, Lilly, only showed up ten minutes after the scheduled assembly time.
It seemed like she was coming from afar, dragging her wheelchair along with her, laden with various bags.
A bag stuffed with clothes, another with various magical tools and alchemical potions.
"Lilly? What's with all this stuff?"
On reaching the mansion's entrance, panting, Lilly exclaimed,
"Of course, it's the stuff I've gathered to leave this city!"
"..."
"I may have lost the use of my legs serving this city, but I was okay with it. I've faced death multiple times but I could bear that too. But!"
Lilly shook her head vehemently.
"But I can't bear rebellion! This is really... really too much, Your Highness!"
"..."
"I was once ready to lay my bones on the frontlines here, but to be labeled a traitor is beyond what I can tolerate. I'm leaving."
Glancing through the window at the other party members in the parlor, Lilly seemed to soften a bit, her eyes trembling.
But soon after, she slapped her cheek, regaining her composure, and waved at me.
"I just came to bid you all a final farewell with a clear conscience. I'm going to run away now. Goodbye! Good luck with the rebellion! And if it fails, don't mention my name!"
"Indeed..."
I nodded in agreement.
"You're wise, Lilly."
"Huh?"
"But running away like this won't do."
I moved behind Lilly, grabbed the handles of her wheelchair, and forcibly pulled her into the mansion.
"Just hear me out one last time. After that, you can either run away or stay, as you please."
"Whaaa! Let go, let go! You rebel! Treason is contagious! It's not my fault! I'm really innocent!"
***
"It was a lie."
Back at the meeting with all the party members.
I blurted out to the tense faces looking at me,
"The rebellion was a blatant lie. I had no intention of starting one."
"...What?"
I leisurely smiled at the confused party members.
"Of course, if a rebellion was instigated, we could forcibly bring in troops from the royal court. But as you all pointed out, while it may help hold off the monsters for a while, it would lead to everything burning in the aftermath."
I would be arrested and executed.
Crossroad would be burned to the ground.
Staging a real rebellion was never a viable option. I never considered it.
"So, you must be wondering why I declared such a farcical rebellion to you."
Ahem!
Clearing my throat,
I let it out.
"There's a spy in this city. A dog of the royal court, reporting our every move to the Emperor."
"...!"
"It was a show to catch that spy. And that friend bit my bait as expected."
And so it happened.
The bait of rebellion had been thrown, a potent trick from the start, aimed at smoking out the spy.
Party members began to buzz with whispers. Lucas asked anxiously.
"Where is this spy?"
"Here."
I stretched out my hand, lightly sweeping over the assembled party members in the reception room.
"In this room, among you, sitting with a calm face."
"...?!"
The stunned party members looked at each other.
"Now..."
With a wide and kindly smile on my face, I asked quietly.
"Do you know who it is?"