Chapter 240 - 205: Interlude Event: Part 1

Radiant Calendar 1460. January, Iberian Time.

The Capet Family flagship, the *Fearless Expedition*.

This colossal starship, over two hundred kilometers in total length, was like a small, man-made planetoid docked in a distant orbit around the Iberian World.

The Vengeful Angels were stationed here on orders, awaiting commands.

Agate had been taken by the Mechanical Order, his fate unknown.

Seventy-Six’s crippled body had also been reclaimed by the Assassin Court.

Although Sedon had promised that the Assassin Court’s Alchemy Masters wouldn’t treat Seventy-Six like war refuse—killed, dismantled, and recycled—Manon was still extremely worried.

’Just what kind of places are the Mechanical Order and the Assassin Court?’

As an Emperor’s Shield Veteran, he knew all too well.

Cold and inhuman. Those two words were enough to describe them.

Compared to the Knight Battle Groups, which valued the camaraderie between Battle Brothers, these cold, impersonal organizations treated their subordinates no differently than livestock.

That was why the atmosphere in the Vengeance Angel Squad had been so gloomy lately.

It wasn’t just because of their two temporarily lost squadmates.

Without Seventy-Six and his endless supply of hell jokes, the team was left with two silent, obsessive training fiends and one Combat Priest who did everything strictly by the book.

Manon, accustomed to the boisterous atmosphere of the Emperor’s Shield, felt completely out of place on the *Fearless Expedition*.

"Raphael, we’ve been here for over ten days, and there’s been no word on Agate or Seventy-Six... Are you even listening to me?"

"I have tried to contact them, but there has been no response."

Raphael sat cross-legged on the floor, his fountain pen pausing and starting as he wrote in the Angel Holy Scripture.

Ever since the Judgment Court suffered a defeat at Reinhardt’s hands, the whole affair of his arrest seemed to have been forgotten, as if it had never happened.

With his Power Armor off, Manon revealed a square face, a full beard, and a simple, gray, coarse-cloth shirt. His chest was so broad and solid, you could have raced horses across it.

Manon turned his head toward the training room door, his brow furrowed slightly. ’Lady Catherine is meeting with Lord Reinhardt alone. If I’m not mistaken, they must be discussing the details of our mission.’

’From what I’ve heard, it seems we’re here to help suppress a rebellion within the Capet Family.’

「Inside the Fearless Expedition, at the Green Water Gem Palace.」

That was right.

Inside this colossal ship, which was over two hundred kilometers long, was Lady Catherine’s private palace, its interior lavishly decorated.

The Water God Hall.

Mist swirled like silk ribbons in the vast, empty room.

A magnificent brass bear’s head sculpture, over three meters in diameter, continuously poured warm water from its mouth into a pool below. The pool, clear as crystal, gave off a faint, elegant fragrance.

Reinhardt, having shed his Power Armor, wore a traditional Iberian robe styled after the Toga Robes of Ancient Rome, fastened at the left shoulder with a simple silver pin.

His black hair, untrimmed for a long time, hung wildly down his back.

Through the shifting mist, he could make out the elegant silhouette of a figure by the edge of the pool.

"You were looking for me?"

SPLASH. The sound of water echoed as Lady Catherine’s voice, ethereal in the vast palace, answered him.

"Can’t I see you even when there’s no business to discuss?"

As ripples lapped at the edge of the pool near Reinhardt’s feet, a slender, graceful, and completely naked body gradually came into his view.

Although Lady Catherine appeared lithe, judging by the sound and turbulence of the water, her true weight far exceeded that of a Mortal.

Even if she didn’t reach the level of the Warlord Nico, her weight was comparable to that of an Imperial Knight.

Lady Catherine stepped out of the pool, seemingly unconcerned by Reinhardt’s gaze. With tiny beads of water clinging to her delicate skin, she walked to a nearby table and poured two glasses of expensive red wine.

She then walked over and offered a glass to Reinhardt.

"It’s from the Holy City."

Lady Catherine lifted her chin slightly, meeting Reinhardt’s eyes with a faint smile. She turned, picked up her robe, and wrapped it around herself. "Let’s get down to business," she said. "You should have some understanding of the problems the Imperial Administrative Region is currently facing."

"The Great Rebellion isn’t just an issue for the Radiant Holy City and the Radiant Star Realm."

"Over the past millennium, the influence of those traitors in the Regent Council has permeated every corner of the Empire."

"The problems in the Administrative Region existed long before we arrived, and that stubborn fool, Cicero, insisted he could keep it all under control."

"Sometimes I really don’t know what goes on in that man’s head. Did he truly believe that as long as the Old Empire’s system collapsed with the Great Rebellion, all the problems would simply vanish?"

Lady Catherine’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head helplessly. "And you’ve seen the result. Under his ’control,’ the situation has spiraled into chaos."

"I’m afraid that long before he can successfully seize power and implement his ideals, the Imperial Administrative Region will have already been reduced to ashes by war."

’The Sublime Era...’

This was the second time Reinhardt had heard that name.

Heinrich had once told him, ’The Sublime Era is over.’

Lady Catherine took a sip of her red wine. The blood vessels beneath her skin began to glow orange-red, like molten magma, and a steaming wave of heat generated by Extraordinary Power dried the moisture on her body.

"The situation of the Capet Family is very similar to that of the Imperial Administrative Region. Although I am the family’s leader, at least half of its members do not accept my rule."

"That might be difficult for you to understand."

"To put it another way, our branch of the family, much like you, was cut off from our headquarters by the Void Storm during the Great Rebellion. We’ve been forced to forge a new path here in the Imperial Administrative Region."

"If this were merely an internal power struggle, I wouldn’t involve the Imperial Knights or the Judgment Court. However, I recently discovered that some members of my family have been in close, secret contact with Grand Lord Kles."

"I suspect they may have struck some kind of deal with Void Demons."

"Therefore, before they can launch a family rebellion, I intend to strike first and eliminate them."

As Lady Catherine’s words fell...

Faint blue text from the system appeared in Reinhardt’s vision.

[Interlude Event I: Family Rebellion]

[The Imperial Knight Battle Groups cannot fight endlessly fueled by a lofty ideal like ’For the Empire.’ Anti-Magic Steel Armor, Knight’s Broadswords, Star Sea Ships, food supplies, retirement benefits... each and every item is a colossal financial burden.]

[With only one-fifth of the worlds in the Imperial Administrative Region currently able to pay their Tithing on time, the entire region’s finances are supported by the Capet Family and a series of smaller Merchant Families. Although Lady Catherine does not possess the Extraordinary Power of a God of the Human World, nor does she have the immense power of the Mechanical Order, she and the Capet Family are now the biggest purse in the Imperial Administrative Region. More than half of the Knight Battle Groups rely on her and her family for resources and supplies.]

[Should the Capet Family fall into rebellion, their commercial empire would shatter, and a vast amount of resources would fall into the hands of Grand Lord Kles. For the Imperial Administrative Region, this would be catastrophic.]

[Assist Lady Catherine in suppressing this impending family rebellion.]