Chapter 185

The sound was like a mountain collapsing.

Cracked marble collided and shattered, golden ornaments crushed and mangled against the rocks.

The word “disaster” was utterly insufficient to describe this scene.

The eight-hundred-year myth of the Empire was turning into rubble.

Even the Royal Guards, who had rushed over in desperation, could only stare blankly at the devastation before them. They needed to rescue Empress Isabella and the palace staff immediately, but no one dared to act.

Entering that place would be nothing but a meaningless suicide.

The shock of the collapse was so immense that even the solid ground crumbled away.

—

The deafening noise and vibrations, echoing all the way to the Prince’s Palace, were more than enough to wake me from my sleep.

It sounded like hundreds of lightning bolts striking one after another, so surreal it felt like déjà vu.

It was the same sound when the rocky mountains of Karmaine Forest collapsed, and when the walls of Einfelt Castle were shattered into pieces.

I kicked off the blanket and bolted to the window.

Outside… a truly shocking scene unfolded.

What is this, a dream…?

Unable to believe my eyes, I rubbed them and looked out again. Nothing changed.

It wasn’t a dream.

Half of the Main Palace was collapsing into the ground.

Like dominoes, the collapse spread endlessly.

In an instant, there was no room to do anything.

My mind was thrown into chaos, and not even a word of shock escaped my lips.

The vibrations only stopped after most of the Main Palace had collapsed, leaving only part of the entrance intact.

Only then did I regain some semblance of thought.

I had a guess as to who was behind this. It had to be Isabella.

Though my memory differed slightly, I had seen similar scenes several times before.

The collapse of the Imperial Palace.

Though it no longer held any meaning, it was a scene that marked the beginning of the fourth episode.

After Ernst smoothly ascended the throne and somehow managed to hold off Hersela’s forces, Isabella, now the Empress Dowager, finally revealed her true nature in the heart of the crumbling Empire.

Isabella, alongside the dragon Nidhogg, destroyed the Imperial Palace, soared into the sky, revealed her identity to the world, and unleashed thousands of monsters into the capital.

It was a rather shocking story if experienced without prior knowledge.

Even players who knew Isabella was a villain from previous bad endings didn’t know she was a witch.

Moreover, it was the first episode where a “dragon” appeared.

In any case, originally, the collapse of the Imperial Palace should have happened at least five years later.

There was a setting that dragons couldn’t awaken before their time.

Now, blindly believing the game’s story is difficult, but the setting itself still holds… so it’s unlikely a dragon appeared.

Indeed, there was no roar that could be called a dragon’s cry, nor any massive figure flying through the debris.

…Then, it must be Isabella herself who brought down the Imperial Palace.

Well, the scale of destruction was too small for a dragon to have appeared.

That’s somewhat fortunate.

Even the so-called “Empire’s Greatest Swordsman” hadn’t surpassed the realm of a master, so if a dragon appeared at this point, it could probably conquer the world single-handedly.

A master? They’d be turned into minced meat in an instant by a dragon’s strike.

The only remaining issue is that I can’t figure out why Isabella brought down the Imperial Palace at this point… but that’s not something I can solve by overthinking.

Honestly, I didn’t even have time to think.

Royal Guards and other knights were gathering toward this palace.

I grabbed my sword and armor and headed to Leopold’s room.

—

Before I even reached the prince’s chambers, I ran into Leopold, who had rushed out into the hallway.

“The Main Palace is collapsing… What on earth…!”

Leopold looked ten times more bewildered than I was.

He must have been startled awake too, as he was only wearing a coat over his sleepwear, his hair a disheveled mess.

Persval, standing beside him, was also staring blankly out the window, mouth agape.

“Your Highness Leopold, this is no time to stand around dazed! Knights are gathering over here!”

“Knights? Is Isabella openly attacking us? Then, does that mean the collapse is also her doing…?”

Leopold, usually sharp, was now just muttering in confusion.

A shell-shocked reaction. Well, it’s understandable.

For me, having seen this scene in the game, it was easier to process, but for the people of the Empire, this was unimaginable.

However, now wasn’t the time for leisure.

“Who else could it be? I didn’t expect her to strike so blatantly, but now that it’s happened, we need to get out of here…!”

Perhaps my shouting brought him back to his senses, as Leopold’s eyes regained focus.

He shook his head and raised his hand, stopping me as I was about to dash out.

“What are you trying to do? This is no time for this…!”

“Wait, hold on. Calm down, Princess. Didn’t you say the knights are on their way? If that’s the case, running away now would be the worst move.”

Leopold glared outside with a stern expression.

The knights were getting closer. At this rate, even Leopold could probably see them.

“It’s the Royal Guard. With the Imperial Palace in chaos, it’s only natural they’d come to protect the royal family. Whether they’re here to protect me or to attack me on Isabella’s orders, or even to keep me confined here, I don’t know… But breaking through and escaping the palace would be the worst choice.”

“What do you mean…?”

“If the crown prince tries to force his way out of the palace as soon as it collapses, wouldn’t that look like a confession of guilt to anyone watching? Isabella is probably counting on that too. For now, we need to hold out here until the chaos settles.”

Leopold’s words made sense.

If we tried to escape now, we’d have to fight the Royal Guard, and if things got to that point, even if we claimed innocence, no one would believe us.

“…I understand. Then, at least arm yourself. I can hold them off if they attack, but… if it rains arrows, who knows?”

“I’ll do that. Princess, keep an eye on them at the front gate. And Sir Persval, could you help me with my armor?”

“Yes! It would be an honor!”

Persval, who was still staring toward the Main Palace, snapped to attention and saluted.

This isn’t the time for honor. If you’re not careful, you might end up fighting your own seniors.

…Though, from Persval’s perspective, this might be his chance to avenge the rye bread incident.

Leaving them to get armored, I hurried toward the front gate, hoping I wouldn’t have to draw Durandal.

—

As it turned out, Leopold’s prediction was right. This time, at least.

The knights who arrived at the Prince’s Palace didn’t attack us.

They just surrounded the palace, standing still as if to block us in.

“We can’t leave?”

“That’s correct, Princess Ai-shan Gi-or. We’ve been ordered to seal off the Imperial Palace and thoroughly protect the princes and guests. Leaving here is not permitted.”

The lead Royal Guard declared firmly, as if to say, “Stay put and don’t move.”

He already had his sword drawn, ready to use force if we tried to leave.

Well, it was a reasonable response.

In the wake of a sudden terrorist attack, it’s only natural for the guards to secure and protect important figures in a safe location.

The only problem was, I couldn’t tell if this was purely out of duty… or if it was Isabella’s doing.

“Whose order is this? Empress Isabella? The Main Palace is gone—is she even safe?”

If it’s Isabella’s order, then it’s definitely a trick.

If that’s the case, staying here would only make things more dangerous.

We might have to break through, even if it means being falsely accused…!

But the Royal Guard shook his head in denial.

“It’s Marquis Valenstein’s order. He personally captured some of the attackers who assaulted the Imperial Palace. As for Her Majesty the Empress… we currently have no information on her safety.”

Valenstein?

Why is his name popping up again?

Does this mean it wasn’t Isabella’s intention to send the knights to detain us?

Or is Marquis Valenstein also in cahoots with Isabella?

Wait, hold on. What about the part where he captured the attackers?

If the collapse of the Imperial Palace was Isabella’s doing, does that mean Marquis Valenstein arrested her subordinates?

If so, are they enemies?

With so little information, I couldn’t be sure of anything.

At least, this Royal Guard didn’t seem to be connected to Isabella.

The faint sigh when he answered about Isabella’s safety made it seem unlikely he was here on her secret orders.

In the end, I had no choice but to quietly return to the Prince’s Palace.

Breaking through them might have been possible, but without knowing the full truth, it would’ve been impossible to handle the aftermath.