Chapter 79

79.

Fwoosh.

After somehow lighting the old candlestick, the interior of the archive room was revealed.

Piles of books haphazardly stacked, yellowed papers nailed to the walls, and more.

The interior of the archive room looked much like Nia’s garbage dump, with various items carelessly thrown about.

In contrast, the bookshelves filled with countless books were neatly arranged. It was clear at a glance what had been prioritized.

There were only two bookshelves.

This must contain unfiltered information. Considering the duration of operations of the Central Intelligence Bureau, it seemed like there weren’t many records kept here.

“Most of the records are probably still with the Intelligence Department, and only the core items have been moved here.”

I had heard that the location of the archive room was moved every time the director of the Intelligence Bureau changed. It was clear how important it must have been to keep it separated like this.

“Interesting.”

While brushing off the accumulated dust, I spoke to Andre.

“Look for materials documenting the period from the passing of the late emperor until Iris’s ascension.”

“Yes, I will check the right side.”

At first glance, the scattered papers and books throughout the archive room seemed disorganized, but upon closer inspection of the small markings on the top, they revealed dates.

Thus, we spread out and began examining the records one by one, and finding the necessary information wasn’t difficult.

“Maybe it’s because there’s not much.”

“I’ll leave what I’ve found here and go look for more.”

Unlike the nearby underground storeroom, there was no desk in the director’s archive room.

There was no choice but to sit cross-legged on the floor, and from there I began skimming through the titles of stacks of papers and books.

“Report on the Progress of Oswell Falenberk’s Illness,” “Black Falcon (Investigation Suspended),” “Complete Map of Central Nobility Power and Mana Manifestation Records,” and more.

“Quite the collection they’ve gathered.”

As I skimmed through the titles, Andre kept bringing more materials.

The titles of the materials Andre brought were even more straightforward. Most of them delved deep into the private lives of noble families or high-ranking officials, contrary to the earlier superficial reports.

Based on the nature of a counterintelligence agency, it seemed their operations would primarily focus on foreign nations. However, that wasn’t the case. The content changed after a detailed report on the late emperor’s health condition.

Previously, the focus was on the status of our agents planted abroad, infiltration routes, profiles of local collaborators, and various underhanded information about foreign nations.

However, afterward, the investigation’s focus shifted to the internal empire.

This marked the beginning of the Central Intelligence Bureau’s corruption, starting from when the late emperor was unable to actively carry out his duties due to illness.

Rustle.

I skimmed through the illness progression report first, but there wasn’t any special content.

Just like the historical records in the Hweoyeong Palace, Oswell succumbed to his incurable illness quietly. In this regard, there was no evidence of external interference.

“Perhaps they didn’t touch him because he was already bound to die anyway.”

There was also a brief will stating that the Empress Piette would act as regent until the eldest princess, Iris, reached adulthood.

“Everything was arranged carefully…”

To prevent any chance of the nobility using their children as pawns in a civil war, the succession to the throne was clearly established. The next emperor was to be the first princess, Iris.

The problem was that there were almost no remaining supporters of Oswell.

The consequences of this became immediately apparent.

“Operation: Eye of the First Storm to Stabilize the Empire.”

The content was simple.

Following the sudden death of Piette during her regency, the central nobility split into two factions during the process of establishing Iris’s reign.

One faction, led by the influential noble houses, advocated for regency until Iris reached adulthood.

The other faction argued for the reorganization of the imperial palace structure centered on Iris to assert the sole power of the imperial authority.

Iris was twelve years old at that time.

On the surface, both factions seemed to be proposing reasonable methods for handling the young princess. However, in reality, they were just divided in their pursuit of supreme power.

The faction supporting regency, led by Kierson and Vanell, wanted to wield power freely.

The faction advocating reorganization, led by Piette’s house and other noble families, retorted, “Are you going to eat all of it yourselves? Let’s share it fairly.”

The “Eye of the First Storm” operation was about annihilation of the reorganization faction.

The Central Intelligence Bureau clearly had a prior agreement with the regency faction. As expected, the reorganization faction was quickly wiped out.

Citing the stabilization of the empire, the Central Intelligence Bureau executed all the nobles and officials belonging to the reorganization faction.

The regency faction also suffered significant losses during the conflict.

Because of this, the number of nobles and officials decreased significantly, resulting in a rapid increase in their numbers to fill the vacant positions.

“Talking about the first operation implies there was a second operation.”

Among the piled up documents, I quickly found the second operation report.

As I read through the contents, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.

The second operation was led by Vanell, who had almost complete control over the imperial authority at the time. The pretext was the rebellion of the second prince and the death of the third princess. Using this excuse, he eliminated anyone who harbored even a shred of ambition.

By employing brute force, he eradicated all those who opposed, causing the imperial palace to forcibly unite without any internal division.

This ultimately strengthened the positions of the newly emerging eastern and western factions.

The second prince was dead, the third princess was dead as well.

All that remained was Iris, who had ascended to the throne. However, since the two factions had completely seized the power, it was their world.

Iris’s silver hair and purple eyes were distinctive traits of the Falenberk line preserved down through the ages in Altain. Ultimately, the two factions managed to seize imperial authority while upholding the traditional lineage of the royal family.

These two factions, now together to gain royal power, were once again at odds in their quest to become the sole rulers.

My intrusion into the royal palace had caused a temporary calm…

But according to the original story of the novel,

Altain eventually tore itself apart due to the intensification of the civil war between the two factions. In that weakened state, it waged war with Sylvester and was subsequently overwhelmed by an invading force descending from the north.

The protagonist Theodor, after securing an improbable victory in that war, went on to become the chosen hero of the church in Part 2, preventing the expansion of the invading force into the Western Continent.

“My head hurts…”

Fortunately, areas like the northeast and Macbilian were not caught up in the civil war.

It seems they managed to avoid becoming involved by staying away from the center of power. It was quite a stroke of luck that Ruben was born there.

Shaking my head, I examined another report.

Unlike the first operation, the Central Intelligence Bureau did not interfere in the second.

Instead, they were quietly investigating the death of Empress Piette.

[Top Secret, Report on the Investigation of Knight Piette.]

Confirmation of poisoning symptoms in the body.

Considering the deterioration of health around the time of death, it is presumed that toxicity was administered continuously over a period of two years.

The source was traced, revealing her personal maid and cook.

Their whereabouts remain unknown, no trace has been found. Investigation terminated.

Conclusion, signs of a planned assassination using poison were confirmed.

Continuous death reports from the assigned investigators have caused delays in the in-depth investigation.

Suspicion falls on Kierson Lucanov and his subordinate eastern nobles. Investigation suspended.

This concise summary was then finalized with the director’s signature from the Central Intelligence Bureau’s time.

“Kierson Lucanov, Vanell Schrantz.”

The pivotal figures who dismantled the Falenberk imperial house.

Not merely indirect involvement, but records of their direct participation were uncovered. Kierson in the assassination of the Empress, Vanell in the executions of the second prince and the third princess.

During a previous meeting with these two dukes, they had subtly mocked each other’s past.

Given the era, with much time having passed, concrete evidence no longer existed. What remained were these covert records preserved by the intelligence agency.

However, there was no need for regret.

“Before they led their factions, they were counts, weren’t they?”

The reasons for handling these two dukes became clear. It wasn’t surprising at all.

*

After gathering a few necessary materials, I returned to the imperial palace.

Andre was instructed to focus on restoring the Central Intelligence Bureau, while I dealt with minor official duties in the audience chamber.

The day passed without significant issues.

As the sun disappeared behind the ridge and a deep darkness descended, in the audience chamber softly lit by moonlight, I handed over the materials secured from the archive room to Alberto.

“…”

Alberto’s expression was complex as he read through the materials.

His face contorted, then turned red, and after spending considerable time reading, he exhaled deeply and raised his head.

“I… had some suspicions. The first directive I gave the Black Falcon upon returning from the Eastern Continent was an investigation into the past.”

Wiping his eyes vigorously, Alberto carefully tucked the materials he was holding into his bosom.

“I couldn’t uncover everything properly. The information seemed to be heavily controlled so much that it was almost impossible to confirm, but as I suspected, this was the doing of the Central Intelligence Bureau.”

Though the Central Intelligence Bureau was now treated as somewhat inferior, it appears they boasted considerable power in the past.

“Considering they had such immense strength, it makes sense they would get involved in power struggles.”

If they had been weak, they likely would have bowed down desperately to avoid being ensnared by the political storm.

As the face of Max, being treated in the basement, came to mind, Alberto spoke.

“Your Majesty, what do you plan to do moving forward?”

What he intended to do…

Upon turning my gaze, I saw Alberto’s determined expression. The look of someone who had resolved themselves. Even in the darkness, under the moonlight, his two eyes shone brightly.

“My objective remains unchanged.”

The deaths of the two dukes and the factions.

The deaths of all those who have caused suffering to Iris, my wife. When that goal is achieved, it will mark the complete end of Altain’s impending extinction.

Including the future where Iris was sentenced to be executed like a sacrificial lamb for the Empire’s downfall.

“There’s nothing else.”

The newly restructured Altain will once again stand tall as the dominant force in the Western Continent.

Certainly, the two prerequisites to stop the Eryth’s army marching down from the North and to win the war against Sylvester must be accomplished first.

In preparation for future external activities, focus on internal consolidation first.

“Bring down Kierson and Vanell.”

The strongest power the two possess.

Immense financial power and numerous troops.

In either case, a sudden change could cause the country to waver considerably. Therefore, we will slowly cut off their lifelines, like clothes soaked by drizzle.

We will weaken the factions’ power and fill the gaps with our people.

Nothing changes from what we’ve done so far.

“Alberto, rushing into things now would only result in excessive losses.”

We reorganize the Royal Knight Corps and complete the defense of the royal palace. Then, it’s about dismantling it my way.

“I will strengthen the Royal Knight Corps in the meantime, while you begin internal investigations using the Black Falcon and the Central Intelligence Bureau.”

Acquiring weaknesses or useful information will make the process much smoother. With the Black Falcon and the Central Intelligence Bureau working together, there should be no problems.

“…Chamberlain Alberto will respectfully abide by the solemn imperial order.”

He bowed deeply in respect.