The man sat in his room, irritably tapping his finger against the desk.
The more he listened to the report from the individual before him, the more his vexation mounted. Eventually, his patience snapped. Clenching his hand into a fist, he slammed it down on the wood.
A heavy thud echoed through the room. The messenger caught his breath and instantly fell silent, his mouth clamped shut.
The man directed a gaze simmering with hostility at his subordinate before finally speaking.
"In other words, you failed to obtain even a shred of information regarding Mercurio’s camp. Is that what you’re telling me?"
"N-no, that is not entirely certain yet. As Lord Schuls’s subordinates, the Shadows are exceptionally skilled. However, if some sort of unforeseen incident occurred, even they would be helpless to..."
The noble was desperately spinning excuses, trying to deflect responsibility away from himself, but Schuls slammed his fist onto the desk again, even harder than before.
The second bang was much louder, cutting the man off mid-sentence.
"You told me we had to get information on Mercurio before Big Brother Cabajid could. You said if we moved first, we could seize the initiative and handle the rebel army however we pleased. It was you who urged me to authorize this scouting mission, wasn't it?"
"Y-yes... but I did it all out of concern for you, Lord Schuls..."
As the subordinate offered a fawning, oily smile, the sharp glint in Schuls’s eyes turned murderous.
"And I believe I rejected your proposal. I told you it was too early to move. Am I remembering correctly?"
Schuls shifted his gaze toward the corner of the room. A woman in her early twenties was organizing documents at a separate desk. Though her superior and master—the Second Prince of the Bestia Empire—was radiating an aura of pure fury, she appeared completely unperturbed.
She ignored the noble, who was silently pleading with his eyes for her to cover for him, and spoke calmly.
"You are correct. Those were indeed your orders. Since our military strength is currently inferior to His Highness Cabajid’s, we reached the conclusion that we should preserve our forces as much as possible. To have moved our already scarce intelligence unit simply because someone wanted to distinguish himself... it is more laughable than it is appalling."
Despite her words, her eyes were as cold as ice. Training an intelligence unit required massive amounts of funding; not only Schuls but also the woman, as his retainer, had struggled immensely to raise the necessary capital. To see that unit suffer such damage so easily made her look upon the noble with utter contempt.
"T-that is... I-I only acted in your best interest, Lord Schuls! I never imagined Lord Mercurio’s forces would have such powerful fighters among them! A-and besides, the men who were sent were pathetic. It is disgraceful that not even one of them returned! Really, the incompetence—"
The noble tried to shift the blame onto the men who had died, but his attitude only further incensed Schuls. Hearing the men he had painstakingly raised spoken of so lightly was the final straw. Schuls was not a man known for his patience.
"Silence!"
He roared, his fist crashing down once more.
The noble flinched violently, his body trembling as he went quiet.
While Schuls was perhaps not as gifted as the other two princes in matters of internal administration, he vastly outstripped them both in raw combat ability. He was a warrior who ranked among the elite of the imperial military. Given his prowess and his legendary temper, he was not a man one ever wanted to provoke.
Of course, it was for that very reason that many nobles who lacked administrative talent or had failed to ingratiate themselves with First Prince Cabajid—the most likely next successor to the throne—had flocked to the Second Prince Faction. They hoped their martial support would be more highly valued here.
The man cowering before Schuls was one of those opportunists. Schuls had never expected much from him in terms of actual ability. However, the man had decided his future was in jeopardy and attempted to steal a march on the others. He had acted without authorization, moved the intelligence unit directly under Schuls, and lost every single man he sent.
"...Hah. Fine. At the very least, we’ve confirmed that Mercurio’s camp possesses a significant amount of power. I suppose I’ll let this go just for that information."
Schuls decided that venting his rage any further was a waste of time. At his words, the noble’s eyes lit up, as if he believed his failure had suddenly been reclassified as a success.
"I am honored to have been of service to you, Lord Schuls!"
"...Yeah. You’re dismissed. Get out."
"Yes, my lord!"
With an expression of pure joy that was a complete reversal from his state seconds ago, the noble bowed and hurried out of the room.
Schuls watched him go with an exhausted expression, rubbing his forehead as he let out a deep sigh.
"I know most of the talent followed my brother. But to have such a total incompetent pushed onto me... is this another one of his attacks?"
"Indeed. If so, it is a highly effective tactic," the lieutenant replied. "It would be one thing if he were merely useless, but because he is an active incompetent, he inflicts real damage on us. Though, I do wonder why he suddenly chose to act after being so quiet until now."
"Do you think Big Brother was behind it?"
Schuls pondered the thought for a moment, but the woman only shook her head. Even as Schuls's lieutenant, she couldn't fathom the noble’s true intentions. It was likely true that the man simply wanted to make a name for himself, but she didn't understand why that specific man had been the one to move. Of all the pawns they had, why him?
"Perhaps there is no deeper reason at all."
"You mean it was just a coincidence?"
"Yes. From their perspective, it was likely meant as a provocation to keep us off balance."
"It’s a poor excuse for a provocation when it costs me my precious intelligence unit," Schuls grumbled, leaning back in his chair.
There were capable people in his faction, but they were outnumbered by the dregs who had been rejected by his elder brother. Knowing that these fools were dragging him down left him with a bitter sense of helplessness.
"In that sense, Mercurio might be the lucky one."
"General Theoreme is certainly a formidable asset. However, Lord Schuls, even the incompetent have their uses. In fact, a leader’s true strength is measured by how well he can manage such people."
"I know. Even if the masters are fools, their soldiers aren't necessarily useless. Besides, as nobles, they still possess a degree of military force. Numbers are power. You're saying that knowing how to spend men like him is part of being a fit emperor, right?"
The woman smiled softly at her master’s words.
"If you truly realize that, my father would be pleased."
"...If Atomis were still alive, perhaps."
The face of the man who had been his mentor crossed Schuls's mind, but there was no way to bring back those who had succumbed to illness. Perhaps a magic item from the ancient magic civilization could have done it, but such things were more fairy tales than legends.
Shaking off the gloomy atmosphere, Schuls cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"That man must be made to pay for his failure. I think I’ll have him strike against Mercurio’s rebel army. If he can force them to show their hand, it will serve well enough as scouting. He wasted my intelligence unit; it's only fair he provides some information in return."
Despite the man being a member of his own faction, Schuls spoke of using him as a disposable pawn without a hint of hesitation.
"I agree. Seeing their hand is vital. What about the information we do have?"
"There’s no use hiding it. Leak it to Big Brother and Big Sister as well. Let’s call it a favor they’ll eventually have to repay."
"You mean Her Highness Frizion? I wonder what she makes of all this. Honestly, I find it hard to believe she truly supports the subjugation of Lord Mercurio."
"Likely not," Schuls agreed. "But she has no choice but to participate. If Big Brother or I capture Mercurio, his life is forfeit. By lending us her strength while he was under house arrest, she was actually ensuring his survival by keeping him within her reach."
His sister was a woman of goodwill, but she was also bold and calculating. Schuls’s mouth twisted into a smile as he pictured her. Ordinarily, one would expect her to side with Mercurio. That would have split the family into two factions: Cabajid and Schuls against Mercurio and Frizion.
However, Frizion had realized that such a split would leave her and Mercurio at a clear disadvantage in terms of raw power and influence. To protect her younger brother’s life, she had chosen to align herself with the two more powerful princes instead. In doing so, she had preserved her brother’s life, kept her own influence intact, and secured leverage over both of her elder brothers.
"And yet, the Third Prince Faction ruined her plans by exploding into open revolt."
"That was inevitable. Once the rumors started spreading that he was going to be assassinated while under house arrest, his followers had no choice. To them, their master’s life was in danger. Even if the rumors were suspicious, they couldn't afford to wait for confirmation. They had to act."
The rumor of Mercurio’s impending assassination had spread with unnatural speed. Someone had clearly planted it, though their identity remained a mystery. Since Schuls hadn't done it himself, he assumed his brother—his greatest rival—was the culprit, but he couldn't be certain.
In an internal strife of a powerful nation like the Bestia Empire, many stood to gain. The Kingdom of Mireana, the empire’s long-standing nemesis, would benefit most from the empire tearing itself apart through civil strife. Alternatively, the surrounding nations once conquered by the empire might be moving in the shadows to secure their independence. In a world with so many enemies, the list of suspects was endless.
"In any case, the die is cast. Now that it’s come to this, we will crush Mercurio in earnest. And for that..."
"We must reveal as much of their strength as possible."
"Exactly. That noble’s personal guard is too small, so pick out a few other useless fools and tell them this is a golden opportunity to earn merit. Those who see nothing but the promise of glory will flock to the cause. I'll have my own knight order oversee the operation."
"As the leader of the Second Prince Faction, I must admit I am concerned about thinning our ranks too much, Lord Schuls," Amare replied.
Even fools provided numbers, and numbers were power. Alias holders who could overcome numbers with sheer quality were the exception, not the rule. As his lieutenant, she wanted to avoid reducing their total military strength if possible.
Schuls shrugged his shoulders.
"I understand your concern, Amare, but if we want to catch a big fish, we need high-quality bait. Besides, I'm only sending out the incompetent pawns."
The woman called Amare thought for a few moments, let out a deep sigh, and finally nodded.
"I understand. Based on my estimates, and considering those who admired Her Highness Vihera will likely join them, the Third Prince Faction’s forces should be around two thousand. Would a force of three thousand be sufficient for our probe?"
"A bit high... no, considering the difference in training, that sounds about right."
"Yes. Given that they have General Theoreme, the alias holder known as 'Flash,' on their side, we will need that numerical advantage."
"I see. Then, coordinate with Big Brother and Big Sister. Big Sister will likely demand we capture Mercurio alive; agree to it, and she'll give her approval. Big Brother should be happy enough to see my personal strength diminished."
"Understood. The time has finally come, Lord Schuls. This is your first step toward the throne."
At the words of his lieutenant and childhood friend, Schuls let out a predatory grin and nodded.