Chapter 3

The Siberia Empire was the background and main stage where the main scenario of unfolded.

The center of the Eastern Church and the core of the transit trade connecting the east and west of the continent.

Among the nations appearing in the game, it was the only great power called an empire.

However, such a setting was nothing in front of the game's core genre.

I say it again, was a strategy game.

This characteristic of being a strategy game was very important.

Strategy games are bound to have elements where players compete, and usually, competition is expressed through combat.

For combat to occur, the era must naturally be chaotic.

That's right.

The death of the emperor was what opened that chaotic era.

Because as soon as the emperor dies, the ambitious men who had been holding their breath rise up, aiming for the next imperial throne, which is the beginning of 's main scenario, the 'Imperial Civil War'.

The game also started at the time when the capital was burning and the empire was about to be divided.

But here, a problem arose.

My existence.

I, Leon Akardi, was a member of the royal family.

The last remaining bloodline of the currently bedridden emperor, and for that very reason, a figure of authority.

At the same time, to the ambitious, I was also the biggest obstacle.

Because there was a high possibility that I would become a rallying point for the loyalists.

That's why, in the case of a violent succession of power, it was common to eliminate the members of the imperial family who were obstacles to the succession first.

Perhaps for that reason, even in my memory of playing countless times, a person named Leon Akardi did not exist.

There wasn't even a single line of common lore about him.

There were characters who hid their identities in the game, but there was no one corresponding to Leon Akardi.

So I inferred one possibility.

Leon died right after the civil war started.

That was the only possibility.

“Ehei! This is screwed.”

“What did you say?”

“It's nothing. Look ahead. People are passing by.”

As I mumbled, Theo didn't press further.

Instead, he focused on driving the carriage with a strange expression.

“Understood. We will arrive at the Grand Palace soon.”

“Already? That's too fast.”

“It's just a stone's throw from the detached palace to the imperial palace.”

“Let's go a little slower. I feel like I'll get a headache when I get there. Or it would be good to go around the area once.”

“Yep.”

Like a loyal attendant, Theo adjusted the carriage's speed to be slower.

I buried myself in the carriage seat with a tired expression.

The soft cushion supported my body, but I didn't feel comfortable.

As soon as I received the message from Theo, I was on my way to the Grand Palace where the emperor was staying.

To see off the end of an emperor I had never even seen the face of.

Or to finish it.

But that also meant that the next stage leading to my death was proceeding.

So, honestly, I wasn't at ease.

As much as I knew the future, I felt like I could hear the ticking of death's stopwatch in my ears right now.

How did things turn out like this?

I was just trying to complete achievements, just trying to get the number one recommendation on the strategy forums this month.

“……”

Still, I can't just die.

I didn't just think pessimistic thoughts and, like a gamer, began to organize the information I had gathered so far.

Maybe there was a corner somewhere to survive.

Alright.

What will happen from now on is clear.

The capital will burn and I will die.

Theo is by my side, but it's clear that he still won't be able to stop the future.

However, there is one good thing.

First of all, I came in at a point before the game started.

This is a good element.

It means there is a possibility to change what will happen in the future.

And stats.

This is, of course, terrible.

An abnormal state with all stats invested in Charm, with stamina so low that I would probably lose a fight with a rabbit.

But there's no problem.

The physical problem can be solved with the bodyguard named Theo next to me.

And I don't know what variables the stats all invested in Charm will cause.

I don't have any tools or money, but if necessary, I can just sneak some from the imperial palace.

I'm royalty, who would say anything?

Finally, a faction.

This is a bit serious.

is a strategy game.

The game progresses by growing my faction and fighting against other factions, so not having my own faction right now is a serious problem.

Leon Akardi's death shows well what kind of problems arise when you don't have your own faction.

In the previous playthroughs, there was one question about Leon Akardi's actions.

─ He's royalty, for goodness' sake, so why was Leon never mentioned once?

─ Or did someone intentionally erase the records?

No way.

In the midst of the chaos of a civil war, there couldn't be anyone idle enough to erase an individual's history.

The answer is simple.

The original Leon Akardi's presence was too faint to be called the sole member of the royal family.

So he couldn't become anything.

Because he didn't have the adaptability to survive in a chaotic era.

Because he didn't have the human charm or outstanding talent to become a rallying point for any faction or to gather people.

So he died.

But now it will be different.

I will change fate.

Only I can.

***

The Grand Palace was where the emperor conducted his official duties and resided, and it was the core place of imperial politics.

So now that the emperor was dying, the atmosphere of the Grand Palace was as quiet as a tomb.

Everyone seemed to be cautiously minding their own business, and there was not a single person coming or going.

Nevertheless, Snow Elf warriors in the same armor as Theo were guarding it like an iron wall.

They were the elite unit that guarded the emperor at his closest side.

I uttered their name.

“Emperor's Royal Guard.”

“You see them every day. Is there something strange?”

“No, not really.”

Theo was right.

Theo himself was currently serving in the Emperor's Royal Guard.

He was just dispatched to escort me.

It meant he was a talent too good to be assigned to a mere idler.

But it was a relief that he seemed satisfied with his current duties.

“We have arrived.”

The carriage stopped in front of the entrance of the Grand Palace.

An imperial palace attendant opened the carriage door, and I got out of the carriage.

Then I stopped when my eyes met with a beautiful female Elf.

Seeing an elf in the Imperial Capital was not a rare occurrence.

Theo himself was a Snow Elf.

But that female elf bore no resemblance to any other elf.

She was clearly wearing a red uniform embroidered with gold and silver thread, signifying her affiliation with the Royal Guard, but she somehow looked unreal, as if she didn't belong to this world.

That woman was giving instructions to her subordinate when she spotted me and frowned.

Annoyance or bothersomeness.

It was a face that could be understood as such.

What?

Feeling something was strange, I asked Theo.

“That person, doesn't she seem to dislike me?”

“You couldn't have possibly not known?”

“What now?”

Theo made a dumbfounded expression.

Give me a break.

I'm a beginner who just entered .

And my memories are spotty.

“When Your Highness was young, she was your private tutor for a time. Including language, etiquette, martial arts, horsemanship, and various other things.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I was Your Highness' attendant at that time? We learned together by your side.”

“Ah. Right.”

“Of course, she quit soon after, so she was replaced by another tutor. His Majesty scolded Your Highness severely for that at the time, don't you remember? He asked why you made the best tutor he had painstakingly asked to educate you quit in anger.”

“I-Is that so?”

“It seems you don't remember. Then do you perhaps remember when you were fifteen and you went on a rampage, claiming to go on a hunting trip, and caused damage to private houses, and when you had to compensate, you insisted you would never apologize?”

“What?”

“At the palace banquet held last spring, you were drunk and harassed the court ladies, then got beaten up by her and thrown into a fountain…….”

“I did that? Don't be ridiculous.”

“Anyway, she was the one who was in charge of cleaning up after you back then. So it's understandable that she'd be annoyed.”

Now I understood why Theo had looked at me so strangely when I asked my question.

He had to find it strange since I was acting like I didn't know the person who was my private tutor and even cleaned up my messes.

And the root cause of this problem was me.

Let's turn back time and go to the beginning.

When I was creating the character, I tinkered with the traits Leon originally had because they were too boring.

「Noble Bloodline → Deficient Bloodline」

「Advanced Education → Lacking Education」

「Formal Knight → Fledgling Knight」

「Descendant of an Angel → Descendant of a Demon」

Instead of fame, notoriety went up; sturdy stamina turned into garbage stamina; Descendant of an Angel changed to Descendant of a Demon; and the knowledge that should have been high from an advanced education hit rock bottom.

A character that would have originally been exemplary was completely ruined.

Therefore, it was highly likely that as Leon's traits changed, his surrounding relationships were also redefined.

It was truly my fault that Leon, who would have been an ordinary and good-natured royal, had turned into a troublemaker and a problem child.

“……”

This is crazy, really.

This was the first time I felt ashamed for something I didn't even do.

It was my fault, so I couldn't blame anyone.

“Theo, as you know, my memory has been a bit of a mess since that last incident.”

“It does seem so.”

This bastard.

“So, I think I'll need your help. Who was that person?”

“That person is─.”

Theo quickly whispered.

I shuddered when I heard her identity.

Because it was an answer I had never expected.

Just then, the woman who had finished talking with her subordinate walked towards the carriage I had arrived in, and my conversation with Theo also stopped.

Theo bowed his head towards her and took a step back.

It was a courtesy one would show to a direct superior.

“You've arrived much earlier than expected, Leon. Your Highness.”

A slightly sarcastic tone.

Judging by how she deliberately broke up the title, she seemed to dislike me very much.

The fact that she didn't even try to hide it was quite a strange thing.

I was the last remaining relative of the emperor.

In other words, a member of the imperial family.

Therefore, her attitude was problematic enough to be considered contempt for the royal family.

But she had the qualifications to get away with it.

“It's been a while, Your Grace, Zeta.”

“……What's gotten into you that you're using honorifics with me? Have you perhaps only now realized that I am the Grand Captain of the Royal Guard?”

Because Zeta was the head of the Emperor's Royal Guard, an outstanding magician, and at the same time, had the authority to act on behalf of the central government and the Senate in the event of the emperor's incapacitation.

Her status was equivalent to a Grand Duke, and even her rank in the order of precedence was much higher than mine.

So it wasn't a difficult thing for Zeta to crush me.

A collateral royal whose backing, the emperor, would soon disappear was nothing more than dust.

Therefore, I answered politely.

“The current situation is what it is. I thought I should show courtesy to the Grand Captain of the Royal Guard.”

“Hmm.”

Zeta looked me up and down, then looked at me with a much softer gaze.

“I heard that Your Highness was greatly shocked by the news of His Majesty's grave illness, and it seems to be true. People can change greatly when they receive a shock.”

It seemed she had heard about my recent flip-out and thought it was because I was in shock.

If she sees it in a good light, that's a relief for me.

“His Majesty's matter is truly regrettable. However, it is a relief that Your Highness has finally come to your senses.”

I changed the subject.

“How is His Majesty?”

“He is not well, enough that we sent a message. I believe you should prepare your heart.”

“I see. It can't be helped.”

“Yes, people die eventually.”

Honestly, I wasn't particularly interested in the death of an emperor whose face I didn't even know.

I was more interested in Zeta and the Emperor's Royal Guard.

The reason I came to the Grand Palace, risking danger instead of immediately packing money and fleeing the capital, was because of Zeta and the Emperor's Royal Guard.

I looked at Zeta, my eyes shining as if I had witnessed hope in the darkness.

As I stared at her silently, Zeta seemed burdened and slightly pulled her body back.

“The weather is cold. Your Highness, let's go inside first.”

“Thank you, Your Grace Zeta.”

“It's ticklish to hear thanks from Your Highness.”

“If you wish, I can do it as much as you want.”

“That's enough. Let's just go inside.”

Zeta pointed to the entrance of the Grand Palace.

I shrugged my shoulders, and with Theo in tow, went inside.

And I thought about Zeta's fate.

In fact, Zeta, like Leon Akardi, did not appear in the game.

To be precise, it should be said that she couldn't appear.

Because she gets caught up in the upcoming civil war and loses her life.

“You really can't know what will happen in the world.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It's nothing.”

“Your Highness, aren't you hiding too many things from me lately?”

“Haha.”

Theo pressed on, but I brushed it off with a laugh.

Because it was too heavy a topic to talk about.

In a few days, the Emperor's Royal Guard would fight against the rebel army attacking the capital and be annihilated, with every last one of them dying.

Zeta would also die at that time.

This was the first event that occurred at the start of the game.

This event happens right as the game begins, so there is no way to stop it.

That's why all the facts I knew about Zeta were pieced together from the lore that appears in the game.

In a way, Zeta was a ghost-like figure to me who existed only as text.

But the loyalty they showed until the very end was valuable in itself.

Especially now, I, who had no connections, needed their loyalty.

Unconditional loyalty would be even better.

“Theo, do you think the Royal Guard could pledge their loyalty to someone else?”

“I don't know what you mean, but the Royal Guard pledges loyalty only to His Majesty.”

“I suppose so.”

“Your Highness, could it be?”

“I wish it were so.”

And it would be much better if they sacrificed their lives for me.

The annihilation of the Emperor's Royal Guard was an unstoppable, forced event in the game.

But for me now, this was reality, not a game.

If I could change the determined future.

If I could save them and turn their loyalty towards me.

Then the possibility of my survival would increase.

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