Chapter 57

The carriage carrying Prince Claudio the Second was heading south from the imperial capital toward the Southern Federation.

As they moved south, the sky turned a deeper blue, and the plants along the road became unfamiliar. They were about to reach the border.

The reason they did not take an imperial ship directly to nearby Sanlouan was the result of negotiations between the empire and the federation.

(I am not fleeing the empire, but crossing the border with a purpose.)

When they crossed the border, dozens of federation soldiers were lined up in formal attire.

"Claudio, it's finally here."

"Yes, Uncle."

"I'll handle this. Don't show your face yet."

With that, Erenfried got out of the carriage and said in a clear voice,

"Thank you for the welcome. I would appreciate it if you could guide us from here."

Under the protection of the federation army, they traveled for a few more days from the border and finally arrived at the capital, Ibito.

Ibito was lined with tall buildings. Claudio, who had studied in advance, was not surprised by the urban landscape of Ibito. Compared to the empire, the buildings were more spaced out, and the streets were lined with trees blooming with red and pink flowers, which was characteristic of the country. The sunlight was clearly stronger than in the imperial capital.

Upon arriving at the government building, Cecilio, dressed in a white military uniform, greeted them at the entrance. As Claudio and Erenfried got out of the carriage, Cecilio, with his black hair slicked back, smiled gently and said,

"Welcome, Prince Claudio, Prince Erenfried."

"It's been a while, Your Excellency."

"I've been looking forward to this day, Your Highness."

Behind Cecilio stood the Minister of the Army, Ignacio, and Bertine. Claudio greeted each of them in turn, and finally spoke to Bertine.

"It's been a while, Miss Bertine."

"It's been a while, Prince Claudio. You've grown so tall, you look like a different person."

"Besides my appearance, I've changed a lot on the inside too."

Prompted by Ignacio, the six of them entered the government building and began discussing their future plans.

While sipping hot tea with jam, Bertine watched Prince Claudio. The prince was no longer a boy but a well-built young man with a dignified presence. She was amazed that a boy could change so much in just two and a half years. Prince Claudio, whose voice was beginning to change, participated in the conversation enthusiastically despite occasional difficulty in speaking.

Luka, who had joined the meeting, was trembling with excitement. (It's finally happening.) He occasionally touched the handkerchief in his chest pocket, a memento from his father.

(Father, are you watching? I will definitely clear your name.)

The only one who remained calm was Cecilio.

The plan, which had been reviewed multiple times, had no flaws. If everyone performed their assigned roles without rushing, the plan would succeed. However, he was also aware that there was no such thing as absolute certainty in human affairs. Preparing for unexpected situations was his responsibility, and he thought about this while looking at the other five.

At the royal palace of the Kingdom of Sanlouan, a guard on duty at the top of a tall tower spotted something unbelievable. Under the slightly bright sky before sunrise, two large black warships were floating offshore. The shape of the ships was that of the federation's military vessels.

"What is this?"

He had not heard of any ships coming from the federation. He looked at the ships again through a telescope and was surprised once more. Two flags were flying from the bows of the black federation ships: the empire's 'Griffin Raising a Sword' and the federation's 'Lion and Eagle.'

"Two flags on the bow?"

Jumping out of his chair, the guard ran down the stairs at full speed. Although he could not sound the emergency bell with the empire's flag flying, this was undoubtedly an abnormal situation.

At the bottom of the stairs, the prime minister was standing.

The guard, flustered, could not think clearly. Instead, he felt relieved to see the most reliable person in the country.

"What's the matter, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Prime Minister, two federation warships are approaching the shore!"

"Are you sure the flags are from the federation?"

"Yes, but there are two flags, from the empire and the federation."

"I see. With the empire's flag flying, we cannot treat them rudely. Return to your post."

"But, sir—"

"Don't worry. I will take full responsibility."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

If the prime minister said it was fine, there was no problem. After all, the prime minister was practically running the country. The guard returned to the top of the tower and looked through the telescope again.

"What!"

Even without a local pilot, small boats were being lowered from the federation's warships and heading for Sanlouan's port in a line.

"They'll run aground!"

The location of the reefs surrounding the island was complex, and it was impossible for foreigners to navigate them. The guard was about to contact the prime minister again when he noticed the movement of the lead boat.

"Huh? They're avoiding the reefs?"

That was not all. From the boat following closely behind the lead boat, something was being thrown into the water one after another.

"What is that?"

They were white buoys made from logs painted white. The white buoys clearly marked the route to avoid the reefs. After the lead boat finished dropping all the buoys, it moved to the back of the line. Two more boats loaded with buoys took its place, dropping more buoys while following the lead boat.

"The route is completely exposed!"

For the Kingdom of Sanlouan, the complex route through the reefs was a defensive barrier. Exposing it like this was a serious crime. The country had no military, and an invasion meant the end.

"Prime Minister! Prime Minister! Something terrible is happening! The route is—"

On his way down the stairs, the guard was blocked by unfamiliar, muscular men, who quickly tied him up and gagged him, then shoved him into a storage room by the stairs. The guard, bound tightly to prevent noise, could not understand what was happening.

"Sir, it's done."

"Good work. You should hide for a while."

"Yes, sir."

After giving instructions to his private army, Duke Maxim de Juan, the prime minister, walked leisurely to the audience chamber to greet the visitors. Passing a maid, he said,

"Could you wake the king? We have important guests from the empire."

The maid hurried off to the royal family's living quarters.

Near the coast, the residents of Sanlouan were coming out of their homes to watch the sea.

"What's going on?"

"The lead ship is flying the empire's flag, but is a pilot on board?"

"Hey, they're lining up buoys in the route. They'll be executed for this."

"Can they really execute people from the empire? It will probably end with a complaint."

"Still, why isn't a single pilot from our side out here?"

The number of onlookers increased, and by the time the sun had fully risen, over a thousand people were watching the line of small boats approaching.

"Hey! The people on board aren't imperial soldiers!"

"Those are people from the federation, aren't they?"

Hearing this, the crowd ran back to their homes, thinking the federation had invaded under the empire's flag.

At the head of the line of ships heading to Sanlouan, Luka was giving instructions as he had practiced many times in the federation's waters.

"Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, at ten o'clock! One, two, three, four, five, at twelve o'clock!"

As a child, Luka loved going on ships with his father. He had been on countless ships with his father. Sometimes they would return by ship without landing on the empire's side.

At some point, he became interested in the complex route of the ships and started counting while on board. Recording the route was strictly forbidden, so he memorized the numbers as a game.

Eventually, he learned the timing to steer the ship and enjoyed predicting and guessing the direction and timing. Over time, his body learned the timing, and he could predict the direction and timing to change the ship's course with perfect accuracy.

He remembered boasting about this to Bertine a few times when they were engaged. He never thought she would remember such casual conversations or that he would be part of a group to overthrow the royal family.

After the decision was made, he practiced indicating the route with the federation's ships many times. He gave detailed instructions on the speed of the ships, and now the federation's ships could move at the same speed as Sanlouan's ships.

(Father, I can finally clear your name. Are you watching?)

Many memories of his father came to mind. He almost cried, but he suppressed his emotions and continued giving detailed instructions on the ship's course.