The Puppet Emperor

“...Is that true? Those monsters emerged from the sea?”

“Yes, sir. Reports indicate that countless monsters poured from the mouth of a giant sea beast, and they are currently leveling Belen City.”

“How could this happen...”

Chancellor Schuber of the Lucadia Empire, who had been staring sharply at his panicked lieutenant, widened his eyes in sheer disbelief upon hearing the news.

The footage playing within the communication crystal brought by the lieutenant clearly depicted how the coastal city in the rear was currently being devastated.

It was a scenario they had never even dared to imagine, yet the black-exoskeleton monsters currently rampaging through the city were unmistakably the very nemesis that had been lurking outside the high wall, eyeing them hungrily.

“Con-Convene an emergency meeting! Summon every single official immediately!”

Schuber leaped to his feet, barking orders at the panicked staff around him.

This was a major crisis; the slightest misstep would result in catastrophic losses.

“Sh-Should we report this to His Majesty?”

As the others scrambled out of the room in a flurry, the lieutenant asked hesitantly, carefully reading the Chancellor's expression.

Schuber sighed and nodded. “...Report it. This matter is too grave for the cabinet to handle alone.”

Long ago, when the deity Astaroth first took an interest in this land and began expanding his influence, the one he chose was none other than the mage Schuber.

But despite being a mage, Schuber was ultimately just a subject.

To carry out Astaroth's divine will and transform the entire Empire into the center of a grand magical civilization, Schuber had to rely on the authority of the imperial throne.

Left alone in the room, Schuber bit his lip.

Although the previous emperor had grown old and sickly, he had been a majestic and revered ruler in his youth, which had made him a constant thorn in Schuber's side.

The exceptionally talented and beloved eldest prince had been no different.

For the sake of the God of Knowledge, Schuber needed to turn all citizens of the Empire into his loyal servants. Thus, he ultimately disposed of both the previous emperor and the crown prince.

Yet, even with the emperor and his heir out of the picture, Schuber could not simply seize the throne for himself.

At the time, those who worshiped the deity Astaroth were still in the minority, and Schuber's own power was far too weak.

To avoid being executed as a traitor, his best option had been to install a new puppet emperor and wield absolute power behind the scenes as the Regent.

“It has been a while, Chancellor.”

“Your Majesty, the situation is extremely urgent. Please forgive me for failing to offer a proper formal greeting.”

Walking into the meeting room, Schuber bowed his head slightly toward the person who had arrived at the exact same time.

The boy wearing the crown that symbolized the emperor, who had to look up just to meet the gaze of the heavily built Schuber, was named Calian.

Unsurprisingly, Calian's gaze as he stiffly acknowledged the greeting was far from friendly.

Even at his young age, Calian could vaguely guess what kind of man Schuber was and what he truly desired.

To Calian, Schuber was a man single-mindedly intent on turning the Empire into a mere tool for the God of Knowledge. Fearing that he might be disposed of and the imperial family extinguished at any moment, the boy lived every single day in constant terror.

“To think those demons would cross the sea... They must have come from the direction of the ruined Kingdom of Karmi.”

Of course, at this very moment, there was no time for subtle psychological warfare between the Emperor and his Chancellor.

The moment they saw the footage projected by Schuber, everyone in the room paled in sheer terror.

Without the fortifications of the high wall, the Great Devourer's combat strength was beyond anything they could have anticipated.

They had firmly believed that the vast ocean would serve as a natural high wall, but that belief had now been utterly shattered.

“W-What should we do? If we redeploy the soldiers from the high wall now...”

Watching the Minister of Internal Affairs anxiously await a response, Schuber stared at the map floating like a holographic projection and spoke in a heavy voice. “Even if we do that, we won't make it in time. A certain level of sacrifice is already inevitable.”

Complacency had been their undoing. No one had ever imagined that the Great Devourer would cross the sea.

Furthermore, the current magitech civilization of the Empire was deeply warped and deformed.

To combat the Great Devourer, the war magic, golemology, and magic stone processing techniques that Astaroth had heavily invested in were generations ahead, but other fields had remained virtually stagnant.

“We can let everything else go, but there are a few places we must secure. For the future of our great magitech empire, these locations must be defended at all costs.”

Schuber pointed to several locations near Belen City, which was currently under siege.

Among them were mines for extracting magic stones, ruins containing magic and relics of ancient civilizations, and magic research institutes that, while not on par with the Silver Twilight Secret Society, were still of vital importance.

He insisted that they must mobilize all available forces to defend these locations to the death.

“Wait. Schuber, are you saying we should abandon the neighboring cities and villages just to defend those places first?”

Calian, who had been silently watching the proceedings, stared at him in utter disbelief.

“Right now, we should be saving as many people as possible and facilitating their evacuation! Schuber, didn't you say the Great Devourer slaughters everyone regardless of age or gender? Are you just going to stand by and watch them get torn apart by those monsters?”

“Your Majesty, sacrifice is sometimes necessary. As you have said, to fight those terrifying demons, we require even greater magical power. If we fail to protect these assets now, many more will die in the future—several times over.”

Their arguments clashed head-on.

Even if he was merely a puppet, Calian had sworn to become a wise and just ruler like his father and brother. He could not accept Schuber's reasoning that sacrificing countless citizens was justified just to protect mines and ruins.

“Ahem... Your Majesty, the Chancellor's words are reasonable.”

“We might be able to hold out by relying on city walls, but places like the mines must be defended.”

The issue was that the surrounding officials had long since been replaced by those fiercely loyal to Schuber.

As the ministers eagerly read the room and sided with Schuber one after another, Calian's face turned deathly pale.

Realizing the harsh reality of his situation, Calian hung his head.

Calian didn't even know of the existence of the deity Astaroth behind Schuber, yet he could already feel the crushing weight of that massive, invisible pressure.

“All hail His Imperial Majesty of the Lucadia Empire! Quickly, dispatch the decree bearing His Majesty's imperial seal!”

In the end, Schuber obtained the decree, which Calian had powerlessly stamped.

Deep within the palace, the young emperor ultimately failed to assert his own will.

Like a mere puppet, he had done nothing more than stamp his approval on a predetermined outcome.