-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Solitary Confinement
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Our group headed to the prison located beneath the royal palace.
Andrei quickly regained his energy and kept teasing me the whole way, cackling to himself. I figured out why when we arrived at the place where I'd be locked up.
The spot where they put me wasn't your typical cell with iron bars.
We stopped in front of a solitary confinement cell made entirely of stone, right up to the door.
Inside, there was just a roughly hewn stone bed and a deep, narrow pit. Other than a small window high up on the wall and the food slot on the door, there was no connection to the outside.
The room was so small that once inside, even stretching would be tough.
"How long do I have to stay in here?"
I asked Andrei, who was grunting beside me as he fiddled with the door.
"I can't say."
"A day? Hmm, probably not. Three days? A week?"
"Cut it out."
"Doesn't seem longer than that. Five days?"
"...Fuck."
Thanks to Andrei, who couldn't hide his twitching eyes or shaky gaze at all, I quickly got the info.
From his utterly transparent reaction, it looked like I'd be stuck here for about three days.
He didn't even properly untie the ropes binding me before shoving me urgently into the room.
"Let's see if you're still all high and mighty when you get out."
"Good luck."
"...Gah!"
-Thud.
As soon as the door shut, the inside went pitch black.
Confirming no light seeped in, I let go of the rope I was holding.
I'd already secretly loosened the sloppy knots while moving, so the moment I released my hands, the ropes all fell to the floor.
"What an idiot."
When locking someone in solitary, you have to remove anything that could be used for self-harm or escape.
Blades are the obvious ones, but didn't they realize ropes could be used in all sorts of ways too?
Andrei, who spends his days sipping tea with other nobles, might not know.
"Phew."
He got lucky.
If they'd thrown some vicious criminal in here, it would've been a problem, but I planned to be the model prisoner.
My goal was to always show utmost loyalty to the nation, obey even unjust orders, and appear as a blindly devoted subject to the monarch.
Since my abilities were already proven, looking incompetent or dim-witted as a side effect wasn't a worry.
The plan was to display this original loyalty to the monarch, then when the emperor provided the right opportunity, say something like "You've swayed my heart" and pretend to reluctantly join the empire.
During the persuasion, I'd play hard to get to raise my value, then once they secured my loyalty, make them think I'd work as hard for them as I did for the previous king.
I didn't know how the emperor would approach me, so "playing it smart" would be the key variable, but I'd gained plenty of confidence in reading situations.
If I got too anxious, I could always make excuses like my resolve weakening and accept right away—no big deal.
For all this to work, I had to stay perfectly quiet in solitary.
Fortunately, I was more confident than anyone in this world at behaving in a place like this.
I groped around with my hands to find the bed and lay down on it.
"Let's do this."
In a comfortable position, I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts. The small minimap filled my vision and transformed into the tactical map.
The familiar UI from "Great War" unfolded before me.
I discovered this function back in my cadet school days when I used the minimap a lot. This tactical map even had battle simulation capabilities.
Like a game, besides battles I'd personally experienced or major ones from the game, I could create and command my own fights using terrain and unit types I knew.
Life got a whole lot richer after I learned this.
Whenever I had free time, I'd dive into simulations—stayed up nights on end causing issues sometimes, but never bored.
And I could apply that experience in real battles, so it was a total win-win.
"Maybe some prep work."
Since I'd be commanding the imperial army soon, I started simulations focused on battles against the forces of nations bordering the empire, pitting them against imperial troops.
"...Impressive."
Unlike the Ruth Kingdom army, which had trash equipment and scale, just looking at the numbers, handling the empire's superior forces already made loyalty toward it swell inside me.
No distractions in solitary, so I immersed myself completely in the battlefield spread out before me.
---
Lately, I've been in a pretty good mood.
Because the so-called Noble Faction—the ones who acted like kings on their own lands—had finally shut up.
I'd hated hearing them crow about how their little war was going well, but now I didn't even need to step in.
"Your Majesty!"
"Speak."
"Why did you refuse the supply request! If it weren't for the agreement, General Paul might have been stranded in the heart of enemy territory!"
When someone spat out words I didn't want to hear,
"It was you lot who boasted no support was needed from the start! You never mentioned managing occupied lands or handling the mess, but now that it's risky, you come begging for help. Does that make any sense!"
The folks lumped together as the Emperor Faction on the other side jumped in first to counter.
"That was...!"
"Do you not realize you're alive and here only because Her Majesty wished to halt the war!"
I didn't know why they were Emperor Faction—some I'd hired, some not—but it was nice having them silence the noisy nobles.
"But..."
"Enough. We're not gathered here to judge right and wrong."
"Theodore...!"
"Call me Duke Offenshtat, if you please. I am a proper duke myself."
The ones arguing fiercely over faults fell silent at Duke Theodore Offenshtat's mediation.
He was a noble who'd come to me separately pledging to join the Emperor Faction, and with his capable handling, he quickly became their representative, attacking the nobles.
The Noble Faction, which seemed on the verge of growing big, weakened from Theodore's assaults and the Northern War's failure. As the Emperor Faction's mainstay, Theodore—still in his twenties—gained influence rivaling older dukes.
These days, the atmosphere even saw him as the real power behind the throne, not me.
"Your Majesty."
"Hm."
"The negotiation team is almost here."
"I see."
Theodore's demeanor was outwardly polite and deferential, fitting the Emperor Faction's leader, but I didn't like him much.
I occasionally glimpsed a massive ambition beyond him, unsatisfied with just heading the faction.
Theodore wasn't content with gathering his own forces beyond my reach; he even shot me lecherous glances sometimes.
That gaze, thick with lust and power hunger, crawling over me each time sent chills down my spine so badly I regretted making my appearance so pretty.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the power to oust him yet.
Even after drawing the legendary "Sword of Bloodline" to secure legitimacy, I lacked the authority to arbitrarily remove a high noble close to real power.
I'd realized too late I needed to build my own strength while the factions checked each other, but it was already too late.
The Noble Faction was so weak now it barely counted as competition.
Still, I couldn't leave him be.
Some I'd personally selected had joined under the Emperor Faction banner, and if their leader harbored other intentions, that was a serious issue.
I needed to sort out who I could truly trust.
Anyone I'd given trust and nurtured but aligned with Theodore could become a big problem.
"...Are you sure just him will do? They might demand more..."
"No. He's enough."
That's why this negotiation mattered to me.
I needed someone untouched by Theodore's influence.
Someone capable enough to check the arrogant Theodore, with no ties to existing nobles, making them trustworthy.
There was one man who met all those tricky conditions.
"They call him Invincible. I'm curious."
"Invincible," Viktor.
For now, I was pinning my hopes on him.
"You plan to use him?"
"I'll have to see. If he's useful... a worthwhile man."
If the rumors held, he seemed trustworthy.
No greed for power, abilities nearly proven, and even among imperial folk, his name was famous enough to scare kids awake from naps.
If he had talent in internal affairs too, I'd keep him close, build him up; if he was only good at military strategy, I'd send him as governor of the Ruth Kingdom conquest and have him wrap it up right after the truce to solidify the foundation.
If he was truly useless...
Well, pity, but I'd have him strung up to vent a bit.
"...Understood."
Theodore wore an expression like something bothered him, but to me, affiliations like that didn't matter much.
They were all the same people anyway.
Flags they flew meant nothing if I needed them—that was my view.
"Then, this meeting ends here."
"Yes."
Rumor had it his looks were pretty decent too.
"*Sigh.*"
My heart, worn out amid all these unappealing nobles, fluttered with long-overdue anticipation.