Chapter 122
Although the Empire also has a veteran powerhouse on par with Esdeath, the renowned General Budou, he is only capable of leading troops to the front lines to protect the royal family in the capital, and is only able to do so in critical moments of life and death.
Other military generals, even those with decent strength, were simply unable to quell the rebellion.
In the imperial court, the ministers had already received more than a dozen memorials from prefects in various regions requesting assistance.
Initially, the minister would have General Budou arrange for military officers to lead troops, but after several consecutive defeats, he stopped considering it.
Meanwhile, the members of the Jaegers organization, led by Esdeath, have lost contact, and rumors are circulating that General Esdeath has died at the hands of Night Raid.
Although it felt unbelievable that a strong person like Esdeath could die at the hands of Night Raid, the current situation was what it was, and one had no choice but to believe it.
Without Esdeath, unless General Budou personally leads the troops, the Empire currently has no one to quell the rebellion.
But compared to the panic of others, the ministers ignored it all. As long as the capital was still under their control, it didn't matter as long as their own interests were not greatly affected.
He didn't believe that the Rebel Army could possibly reach the capital.
Even if we do manage to reach the capital, we'll still have to get past General Budou, the capital's Security Forces, and hundreds of thousands of guards and imperial troops.
Even if that doesn't work, he still has various trump cards, big and small, to ensure his safety and wealth; nothing will happen to him.
The Young Emperor is under his control, and he possesses the bloodline of the Young Emperor. Once the legendary Supreme Imperial Armament is activated, all resistance forces will cease to exist.
Meanwhile, at the Night Raid Base, with the help of Esdeath and after several days of contact, Clara had completely won over several members of the Jaegers, who had basically all agreed to join her side.
After all, even General Esdeath has become Clara's person, so what else is there for them to hesitate about?
Moreover, the Mechanical Empire blueprint planned by the girl is also an opportunity to realize her ideals.
Even if Kurome doesn't explicitly agree, she won't become an enemy.
"Why did you suddenly gather us all here?" In the base's main hall, all the Night Raid members were gathered.
This time it wasn't Nadjeshda's summons, but Clara who provided the Automaton Soldier with a message saying that there was something very important she needed to explain to everyone.
"There's something Clara has to tell everyone."
Clara stood on the steps, her young face unusually serious.
Although a showdown at this point could very well lead to a parting of ways, it must be said; the longer it is delayed, the more difficult it will be to explain.
They had also considered that they might expose their affairs to the Revolutionary Army, so Mr. Svarog had already ordered the Automaton Soldier to surround the area.
Of course, even if the people in the Night Raid were unwilling to join her, she wouldn't kill them; at most, she would just imprison them temporarily until the war ended.
So as not to become one's own opponent and obstacle.
After the war ends, whatever I want to do won't affect me anymore.
"Showdown?"
Seeing Clara's serious expression, everyone looked puzzled.
"Um... um... Mr. Svarog, why don't you explain it to me?"
Clara wanted to explain the situation, but after opening her mouth several times, she didn't know how to say it. After hesitating for a few seconds, she asked Svarog, who was standing next to her, for help.
[Then let me explain, members of Night Raid. On behalf of Clara and the members of the Mechanical Empire, I invite you to join us.]
Svarog did not refuse Clara's request and stepped forward to extend an invitation to everyone.
At this moment, he represents the commander of the future Mechanical Empire.
Svarog's words Nadjeshda and the others to change their expressions slightly and widen their eyes. This clearly indicated that Clara and the others no longer belonged to Night Raid or the Revolutionary Army.
Instead, it's other forces...
Before they could even question him, Svarog explained the reason and that he hadn't initially had this idea. It was only after learning about the actions of the Revolutionary Army's high command that he became highly skeptical about whether their revolutionary blueprint could be realized.
That's why I chose to start my own business...
"So, Clara and Mr. Svarog, you mean to establish your own regime outside of the Empire and the Revolutionary Army? And you're inviting us to join?"
Nadjeshda processed the news Svarog had told her, and her tone became somewhat unfamiliar.
I never expected this to happen at this time.
This is Clara's wish; she sincerely hopes to become family with everyone, not enemies on the battlefield.
[Otherwise...]
Otherwise, with the Mechanical Legion that Clara and Svarog have built up, they wouldn't need to care about the Night Raid's thoughts at all.
"Boss, can a divided regime really achieve peace? The conflict between foreign tribes and the people of the empire has lasted for thousands of years. Without unification, peace and stability are impossible."
Clara then stepped forward and shared her thoughts with Nadjeshda.
She believed that Nadjeshda cared more about the people than loyalty to the Revolutionary Army, and that it was impossible for her long-term dealings with the high command of the Revolutionary Army not to have noticed the shady dealings.
"Clara doesn't trust the high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Army and doesn't want the new nation to be even more chaotic after the empire collapses..."
"So, can everyone join Clara and Svarog's camp?"
"..."
Nadjeshda glanced silently at Clara and Svarog, then looked around. The Automaton Soldier she had previously felt proud of and safe with were now surrounding them.
"After saying all that, do we even have a choice?"
Yes!
There was no choice from the start.
Having witnessed firsthand the power of the Automaton Soldier and Svarog, they realized they were nothing more than fish to be slaughtered.
Since there's no other choice, what else is there to say?
However, it should have been anticipated that Mechanical Legion of such scale created by one person would not be so easy to control.
The main reason is that Clara's appearance is too deceptive, making people subconsciously regard her as a cute little sister.
Chapter 60: The Creation Engine is Completed
After confronting Night Raid, Clara entered into an even busier period of work.
As the resistance alliance continues its offensive and territorial conquests, the war is about to spread to the very edge of the capital.
In particular, many prefects along the way, seeing the strength of the Rebel Army, especially the terrifying Mechanical Construct, did not put up much resistance and even opened the city gates to surrender.
Far from the political center of the capital, the local government and the officials in the capital were already somewhat detached from each other, so there was no need for them to fight to the death for the sake of the empire and the Rebel Army.
Many prefects didn't get their positions through legitimate merit, but by currying favor with the powerful minister who held absolute power.
As the Rebel Army continued to advance, Svarog accelerated the production of Mechanical Construct, even taking advantage of the chaos of war to have his Mechanical Legion seize several of the Empire's major mines.
He started mining and refining ore, and continued to mass-produce troops...
Compared to manual mining, the speed and efficiency of Automaton Soldier mining is undoubtedly superior, producing batches of steel raw materials at a speed that ordinary people cannot even imagine.
However, rare metals were indeed scarce, so Clara also instructed Tatsumi and others to increase their trade with imperial nobles and merchants.
They even resorted to outright robbery, taking any rare metal materials, such as Orichalcos, that they found that were sufficient to forge Imperial Arms without hesitation.
In this turbulent time, many nobles in the capital began to sell their property, making transactions easier.
Besides the Empire, Clara also sent Esdeath to rob rare metals from the homes of local governors, and even carried out Night Raid on their transactions with the Revolutionary Army.
While constantly fighting against the Allied Forces and the Empire, they also developed themselves.
Until Clara's long-awaited Creation Engine was finally completed...
"Finally finished."
Clara put away the God's Hand and looked at the enormous, completely finished object before her, feeling a surge of confidence.
This is the cornerstone of the nation's founding!
Even if I and Mr. Svarog leave this world, with it in the new country, there will be no trouble.
This place is located in a valley, and the huge Creation Engine is the size of a mountain, which looks particularly exaggerated.
Fortunately, the Creation Engine were all Mechanical Construct that helped build and assemble them; if it were done by human labor, who knows how long it would have taken.
This place is very remote, with hardly any people in sight, so the Creation Engine has not been revealed yet. When it finally appears, it will definitely be a huge shock.
The Rebel Army alliance advanced faster than Clara had anticipated, so the final battle was also coming much sooner than expected.
This was not only due to the absence of Esdeath's threat and the robot Antimatter Legion clearing the way, but also because the Revolutionary Army's high command had won over many disgruntled prefectural officials, allowing the anti-Imperial army to enter the Empire unscathed.
The only obstacles the alliance encountered along the way were some prefects and garrisons who refused to surrender, but these obstacles were no match for the alliance forces of the Revolutionary Army, the Three Great Alien Races, and the Order of Peace.
Of course, it wasn't that the empire was completely incapable of fighting; it was just that General Budou had concentrated his true strength outside the capital.
It seems the empire has decided to abandon other regions and is determined to defend the core capital.
Thus, the major allied forces, once inside the empire, passed through the checkpoints swiftly, as if entering an uninhabited land, all the way to the outskirts of the imperial capital.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the imperial court was extremely oppressive.
Apart from a few military officers who were protected by General Budou, almost all other officials and military officers in the imperial court were eliminated by the ministers if they did not show them respect or join their camp.
But at this critical juncture that would determine the fate of the empire, even the officials who had pledged allegiance to Minister Honest began to feel uneasy and waver.
Some have even lost faith in the empire and have begun secretly communicating with the Revolutionary Army, attempting to survive under another regime after the empire's collapse, or even maintain their current status.
They would never sacrifice themselves for the empire; apart from a few generals around Bud, all such loyal ministers had been ousted by the ministers.
Therefore, those still in the imperial court are not the most loyal and righteous men who would sacrifice their lives for justice.
All they care about is their own interests.
The empire is over, so be it. It just means a new master will rule, and the new country will still have to rely on these former officials to maintain it.
"Minister, has the empire reached a critical juncture of life and death? Why has this happened...?"
Above the imperial court, the Young Emperor sat on the dragon throne. He had learned some of the situation in the capital, even though he had been kept in the dark by his ministers.
This was completely different from what he had imagined. The ministers had always told him that the empire was flourishing under his wise and powerful rule, far surpassing that of his predecessors...
Why have the anti-imperialist forces already reached the outskirts of the capital?
Is the country going to perish at our own hands?
But he had always done as the ministers said, and in his eyes... the ministers were never wrong.
"Your Majesty need not worry. It is those rebellious forces who do not understand Your Majesty's good intentions and do not understand how much Your Majesty has sacrificed for this country. They have even committed the heinous act of rebellion."
Even at this point, Minister Ernest still didn't seem too worried, and was openly eating a piece of meat in the court.
She only stopped what she was doing after hearing the Young Emperor's words, and casually responded to him.
Although he felt confident, the minister was also somewhat agitated. If Esdeath were still alive, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
How dare those resistance forces be so audacious...
What a pity.
But it doesn't matter. At most, the interests of the empire will be affected, but I will still be happy.
Moreover, with that thing, there's absolutely no way we can lose.
"But the scale of the rebellion is so large, is there something wrong with my rule?"
Although he felt somewhat relieved after hearing the minister's words, he still understood some things; there must be a reason for all of this.
However, ever since he came to power, he has been controlled by his ministers, and all the information he has to the outside world is what his ministers say, so he is not very clear about the actual situation.
"No, even though Your Majesty lost both parents, you have always governed the country wisely and effectively. Moreover, I have always been by Your Majesty's side, so Your Majesty cannot be wrong."
The ministers, of course, could not say that the emperor or their own rule was wrong, so they directly blamed the Rebel Army.
If they're wrong, it's their fault; how dare they rebel and defy us...
Chapter 61 Legend has it that he possesses abilities comparable to those of gods.
"The current situation is simply that the people have been misled by rumors and incited by the Revolutionary Army. We must make the rebels bear the consequences of their choices. Although there will be bloodshed, this is the dignity of a monarch that Your Majesty must possess."
"Once these rebels are dealt with, the empire will return to peace and prosperity under Your Majesty's rule."
The ministers reassured the Young Emperor, downplaying the situation, even though it was clear to everyone that the foundation of this thousand-year-old empire was already shaken and could collapse at any moment.