A true rebellion and the death of a prince put the entire Empire on edge.
The armies of Monarch City swiftly assembled and marched south. Even after the Monarch's death, the Holy Flame Empire's troops remained elite warriors. In just three days, a forced march brought them to the edge of the rebellious territory.
They advanced no farther, because they had yet to determine exactly how many count cities in this territory had joined the rebellion. In a world without supernatural armies, having their rear cut off or harassed was a serious matter.
Without supplies, the front lines would collapse in a matter of days.
That made the label of rebel crucial. Rather than advancing, the army from Monarch City issued orders in the city's name, demanding that every count city in the territory send troops to crush Count Maris City.
This was a pledge of allegiance. Anyone who refused to act would be considered Count Maris's ally.
Even Count Elias City to the south received the order. Count Elias sent a hundred soldiers north to go through the motions, hoping to earn neither merit nor blame.
Meanwhile, the rebellious territory descended into chaos in just a few days.
The count cities could hardly disobey Monarch City's orders, so they sent troops to suppress Count Maris City. Yet the forces they dispatched posed no real threat. One or two hundred men could accomplish nothing, and several contingents even disappeared along the way.
Suspicion spread throughout the territory, because Count Maris City clearly could not have been responsible for all this.
Monarch City kept up the pressure. Unless their troops besieged Count Maris City, they could not be trusted. The surrounding count cities also harbored ulterior motives, and no one knew whether their neighbors were enemies.
To avoid being branded accomplices