The Young Emperor

“This is impossible! Those monsters... Those monsters can actually use magic?!”

“That's not magic at all! It's some kind of incomprehensible, bizarre ability!”

The central government of the Empire was in complete chaos.

The northern defensive line they took such pride in had been defeated. Although the high wall had not fallen entirely, a portion of the first line of defense had already collapsed.

If not for the hastily constructed second line of defense, the high wall would likely have been completely breached by now, and countless Great Devourers would have flooded into the interior.

After listening to the report from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Schuber couldn't stop shaking.

The north—specifically, the high wall—was a place they absolutely could not afford to lose.

This was a stronghold that the Empire had poured all its resources into building and maintaining, strictly in accordance with the will of the god Astaroth.

In just a few short months, a massive sum of money exceeding the Empire's entire annual tax revenue had been poured into this single location.

If one factored in the lower-class laborers conscripted in shifts to build the roads and facilities, the manpower invested likely reached into the tens of millions.

The Silver Twilight Secret Society—the largest research facility that stored Astaroth's teachings and research, drawing talent and knowledge from across the entire Empire—and the high wall, where all their military forces were concentrated.

These two entities represented everything the current Lucadia Empire and the god Astaroth possessed.

“What about the Great One...?”

“Still no word.”

Despite their faint hopes, Astaroth remained silent.

In truth, Astaroth's mind was currently a complete blank; he had absolutely no idea how to clean up this mess.

“The north is also urgently requesting reinforcements and supplies. They say they don't know when those bugs will breach the high wall and sweep right in.”

“They have no idea what's happening elsewhere! The south is already out of control! We still have to take in the millions of refugees flooding into the central region!”

Faced with this desperate situation, Schuber felt a splitting headache coming on.

His lieutenants rushed over to offer him water and massage his temples, but his brow remained deeply furrowed in agony.

...

Meanwhile, there was one person who had been quietly observing everything.

He was one of Schuber's secretaries. Taking advantage of the chaos and panic, he slipped quietly out of the building and made his way toward a certain location.

“I see. It seems that, contrary to his boasts, the Chancellor is struggling to even save himself now. That powerful magic power he boasted of is nothing more than this.”

“They are merely puppets controlled by an unknown will from the distant heavens, single-mindedly intent on offering this glorious Empire and its countless citizens as sacrifices.”

Late at night, Calian listened to the confession of the minister who had come to repent, tears streaming down his face. By the time the man finished, the young Emperor's expression had hardened with absolute resolve.

Chancellor Schuber's most powerful justification had always been that following the god Astaroth and marching toward a magitech civilization was the sole path of true righteousness.

But now, that justification was crumbling.

They had exploited the Empire and looked down upon the imperial family. Not only had they failed to produce any positive results, but they were also retreating step by step in the war against the Great Devourer, bringing nothing but a mounting toll of casualties.

Calian's expression was resolute. “I can no longer sit idly by. We must drive out the evil god who seeks to usurp this Empire, along with all his servants.”

Hearing Calian's determined words, the royal butler, Albert, who had been quietly guarding him, said in a panic, “B-But Your Majesty. All of the Empire's vital facilities and authority, including this imperial palace, are still in their hands.”

It was true that the positions of Schuber and Astaroth's cronies had begun to falter.

However, the very first thing they had done was secure a tight grip on every key department and crucial facility, forcing countless citizens to submit to their rule.

If Calian wanted to reclaim everything, he still lacked far too much.

“...Perhaps we should go meet her—the witch under the command of the Great Devourer.”

For that very reason, after a long silence, Calian with great difficulty uttered that name.

The name of Celia, who had constantly warned them to break free from the rule of the gods, lest they face ultimate destruction.

Beside him, the butler, Albert, was filled with anxiety and hurriedly cried out, “Your Majesty!”

But at this moment, Calian's eyes were already filled with an unshakeable resolve. He asked in a low voice, “Tell me, at this point, can we even distinguish between what is good and what is evil anymore?”

Albert was horrified and stepped forward in a desperate attempt to stop him, his tone filled with dread. “What on earth do you plan to discuss with that witch?”

Calian's expression was calm, and his tone solemn as he stated his thoughts. “My terms are clear. I will help them eliminate the evil forces within the Empire. In exchange, they must keep their promise to stop harming innocent people.”

This was an utterly preposterous proposal, one that most people would never even dare to contemplate.

Yet Calian decided to risk it all.

It was a massive gamble, a perilous venture.

If this were to be exposed, Schuber's faction could easily brand Calian as a traitor colluding with the Great Devourer, execute him, and completely bring an end to the imperial bloodline.

But precisely because of that, no one would ever expect Calian to do something so audacious.

“I will go in person.”

Even more shocking was Calian's insistence on meeting Celia in person.

“The Emperor of the Empire is leaving the palace?”

Calian notified Schuber that he was heading south to comfort the refugees fleeing from the war, and then he left the imperial palace.

As the Emperor, rather than staying cooped up in the palace during such a crisis, going out to do something was an impeccable reason.

Since Schuber was currently overwhelmed with his own troubles and had no energy to bicker with Calian, he readily let him go.

This news also reached the ears of Celia, who was listening in via intercepted Imperial military communications.

‘I heard the Emperor was just a young puppet, but it turns out he actually has some backbone.’

Having heard a bit about Calian, Celia didn't have a bad impression of him.

Though he might lack power, he seemed to be a monarch who walked the path of righteousness.

Even in this desperate situation, he still sought to save as many people as possible. This was very similar to her, and Celia couldn't help but feel a slight sense of kinship with him.

【Elise desires that while she attacks the high wall, the forces of the infiltration colony also march north simultaneously. She predicts that once the central region of the Empire begins its nesting process, this massive Empire will be unable to sustain itself and will completely collapse】

“How can this be!”

Furthermore, Elise had ordered that the south be left to the elves, and instead, the infiltration colony led by Celia would attack the north, which was the central region of the Empire.

The central region of the Empire was the most densely populated area, especially with the influx of southern refugees.

Attacking that area meant causing casualties several times greater than before, utterly destroying the very foundation of the Lucadia Empire.

“...I understand.”

But Celia had no choice but to obey the order.

As long as the citizens of the Empire—or more accurately, as long as the imperial populace—continued to fight as servants of the gods, the Great Devourer would only ruthlessly and mechanically wipe them all out.

However, just as the Great Devourer was gathering her forces and preparing to march...

Something unexpected occurred.

Someone had escaped from a distant human city and, risking their life, was walking toward the territory controlled by the Great Devourer.

【The vassals did not detect any hostility from him】

The point was that they felt neither the presence of the gods nor any hostility from this individual.

He walked toward Celia. Although he was shaking violently with fear at the sight of the Great Devourers twitching their antennae, he did not run. Instead, he reached into his shirt and pulled something out.

“I-I am Raum, an envoy sent by His Majesty the Emperor. P-Please, take me to the witch... Aaaah?!”

Frightened out of his wits by the surrounding ants that kept touching his body with their antennae, he cried out with a trembling voice as he held up the imperial decree to prove his identity.

Contrary to his expectations, the worker ants shared all the information with the entire colony at an incredible speed.

An envoy of the Emperor, requesting an audience with the witch.

At this moment, there was only one person in the entire colony who could comprehend the meaning and weight of those words.

Upon hearing the news, Celia's eyes widened in astonishment.