"To force an old scholar—one who never involved himself in politics and devoted his life to teaching—to such desperate measures, preparing even a hidden escape route... Minister Honest truly deserves death!" Lubbock said bitterly.
"Hmm..." Najenda exhaled a puff of smoke and spoke in a low, steady tone. "Honest, the man who manipulates the young emperor and enforces endless tyranny—he is our ultimate assassination target, the very reason Night Raid was formed!"
"This opportunity... we may never get another."
"But... I still think it's reckless," Mine interjected from where she sat in the corner, hugging Pumpkin tightly. Her voice was filled with distrust. "Infiltrating the Imperial Palace so easily—it's too suspicious. That so-called 'anonymous Imperial official' can't be trusted!"
"They say Selene guaranteed she wouldn't interfere? With what proof? Unless that 'high-ranking Imperial official' is Selene herself—but that woman can't be trusted! And besides..."
"...Tennyson and Bulat were killed by Selene's men! Uncle Shu Youriang, Uncle Nal... they all died like that! And now... we're just supposed to let it go, pretend nothing happened?!" Mine's voice trembled with emotion, rising to a near shout as tears welled in her eyes.
Najenda sighed, extinguishing her cigarette. She didn't know how to respond.
It wasn't that she or the Revolutionary Command were unaware that Selene was the true hand behind all this. It wasn't that they had forgotten their hatred.
It was compromise—a willful deception. They chose to believe that if Honest were dead, if the Empire fell, a new life would surely come.
As for exposing Selene's lies? That didn't matter. To the revolutionary leaders, dividing the Empire with her was acceptable. The central, southern, and eastern provinces held the real wealth, while their own base was in the south. Letting Selene keep the frozen northern and western frontiers was of little consequence.
Of course, that didn't mean they didn't want her gone. They simply lacked the strength. If the revolution's power rivaled Selene's, there would be no need to swallow their pride like this.
"Mine, this was the collective decision of the high command—it's beyond what any of us can change..." Najenda began, but before she could finish—
Bang bang bang... bang bang!—a distinct knocking pattern sounded from the door.
"It's Leone," Najenda said calmly. "That's our signal."
Creek—
Lubbock, seated nearest the door, nodded and moved to open it.
Whoosh! A yellow blur darted inside.
"Leone, report."
Still in her Lionelle form, Leone landed beside Najenda and spoke quickly, "Everything's gone as planned. The other divisions of the Imperial Guard have withdrawn to their garrisons, just like the agreement said. The only troops left inside the palace are Budo's First Legion."
"I also went to reconnoiter the Habsburg Duchess' mansion in the Upper City. Those iron cans we fought that night—they're her household guards."
She chuckled. "Tch... a minister's mansion with tighter defenses than the Imperial Palace itself. Selene's ambitions must've outgrown her position long ago."
Najenda's hand gripped her chair tightly. Lubbock had already confirmed through his Cross Tail threads that the path to the palace was open. Leone's intel confirmed the rest—Selene had indeed pulled back the forces under her control. The only obstacle remaining was Great General Budo.
"The palace's defenses are at their weakest point in history," Najenda declared, standing up sharply. "This is it—success or failure, it all depends on tonight!"
Her subordinates straightened immediately, their earlier fatigue and grief giving way to determination as Najenda began issuing rapid orders.
"Mine! You'll infiltrate the palace first. Reconfirm the escape routes and find a vantage point to set up Pumpkin!"
"Leone! Use your speed to mobilize every Revolutionary operative inside the capital. Activate all sleeper agents!"
"..."
"Check the time—it's 3 p.m. We move in three hours!"
"Oh, right. Lubbock, Sayo, Ieyasu—you three stay behind."
The others, though still awed by the scale of the plan, reacted immediately to Najenda's command. Without hesitation, they dispersed to carry out their assigned missions, leaving the hotel at once.
Turning toward Sayo and Ieyasu, who looked uncertain, Najenda's voice softened. "I'm sorry. You've only just joined and barely had time to train, and now I'm pulling you into something this dangerous. For now, you two should—"
"No, Boss, you don't need to say anything," Ieyasu interrupted firmly. "We're in this. If not for Night Raid, Sayo and I would've already died in that noble's mansion, tortured to death by that psychopath. To stop others from suffering the same fate, we have to destroy this rotten Empire!"
"For that—I'm not afraid to die!" he declared.
"Me too!" Sayo nodded beside him, her eyes resolute.
Najenda gave a small smile. "Good... The battle ahead will be brutal. Lubbock, take Sayo and Ieyasu to the rental bookstore base. Equip them with the Shingu we captured from the Imperial Assassination Unit."
"Got it."
"Prepare yourselves well." With that, Najenda opened the door and strode out first. In that moment, her eyes burned with fierce determination. The goal she had fought for all these years... was finally within reach.
"The time to overthrow the Empire... has come!"
...
Three hours later—Imperial Capital, Palace City, Imperial Guard Headquarters, Training Grounds.
"Haah—!"
BOOM!
A powerful gust followed the punch. The massive boulder before Great General Budo shattered into dust beneath the force of his strike.
"...Huff." Drawing back his fist, Budo stood still amid the cheers of the soldiers surrounding the field, though he barely seemed to hear them. Lately, his temper had grown increasingly short.
"Honest... Your Majesty... when will you both finally wake up?" he muttered bitterly. In recent years, the Empire's decline had become undeniable, and his patience for Honest's corruption was wearing dangerously thin.
As dusk fell, Budo stood alone in the center of the training grounds, lost in thought. He still couldn't decide—should he break the ancestral oath of loyalty? "Selene's off on vacation again... leaving me to deal with this mess," he grumbled.
Now, at last, he could understand why Selene so often retreated to her province. Honest's very presence was infuriating—enough to make a man want to kill him.
Suddenly—BOOM!
The ground trembled violently. Budo's pupils contracted in alarm. That explosion—it came from above!
And higher than the Palace City... there was only one place.
"The Imperial Palace!"