Everyone knew the Emperor was about to strike, yet no one had expected him to strike so ruthlessly.
Budo himself declared martial law within the palace with extraordinary fanfare. Lancer openly assumed control of the Imperial Police, taking full command. Senior officers of the Imperial Guard were swiftly reassigned across the country, and Najenda was dispatched to the frontier by imperial decree.
These decisive orders were a testament to the Emperor's iron resolve.
Before anyone had time to brace themselves, a noble family was publicly executed in the Capital. The charges were straightforward: unlawful contact with imperial princes and interference with government affairs.
Though the executed noble family was well-known, they were honorary nobles without fiefs—everyone understood that this family lacked both the courage and capability to truly meddle in politics. They knew more arrests were certain to follow. Who would be next? No one knew, but everyone feared. Overnight, dread hung thick over the Imperial Capital.
The first thing Lancer did after seizing control of the Imperial Police was to launch a ruthless internal purge. Everyone was under investigation—including even the former Imperial Police Chief, now merely a "honorary commander" in name, though his true rank matched that of a general.
Privately, many cursed Lancer for courting disaster, abusing authority like a fool holding borrowed power. They assumed that when the storm finally blew over, the former Imperial Police Chief would easily reclaim his position, leaving Lancer to suffer severe retaliation.
But the Chief himself thought differently.
No one knew the corruption within the Imperial Police better than he did. He was painfully aware of just how many people who shouldn't have been there had slipped into the ranks. Having assumed his retirement would come peacefully—his family secure even if he stepped down—he now desperately wished he had retired earlier. He wanted nothing more than to wash his hands of every shred of involvement.
Most unsettling of all was Lancer himself. Initially, he'd believed Lancer to be just another political appointee, parachuted into command. Yet the odd look in Lancer's eyes whenever they met gave him a terrible premonition. He doubted whether he would survive this turmoil, let alone seek revenge afterward—he'd have to be insane to even think of trying.
The only outsider capable of restraining the Imperial Guard was the Emperor himself.
As long as the Emperor trusted Lancer, Lancer would stand above them all, irrespective of military rank or status.
Even more shocking was the scope of Lancer's purge, extending far beyond the assassination attempt. Every officer suspected of bribery or collusion with merchants was rooted out. Within days, the Imperial Police headquarters was enveloped in an oppressive gloom.
Officers began to panic, openly wondering why the Emperor had sent Lancer to them. The infamous "Bloodstained Executioner" looked like he meant to fuck over every mid-level officer and up.
"Chief!!"
As the former Chief sat behind his desk, desperately hoping for even a brief period of peace, a frantic shout came from outside.
"Speak!"
Watching his subordinate rush inside, he felt his heartbeat growing erratic. Who had been caught this time? Bribery again, or something worse?
"Deputy Chief Ogre was arrested—and they've taken him straight to the palace!"
Crash!
His grip tightened involuntarily, shattering the cup in his hand. Yet his expression remained frozen in shock. The scenario he feared most had come to pass—someone beneath him truly had ties to the assassins.
...
If anyone trusted that the Chief himself wasn't complicit, it was Lancer.
After careful consideration, Lancer concluded that Honest was almost certainly behind this conspiracy. Within the Imperial Police, who was Honest's man? Deputy Chief Ogre, undoubtedly.
Of course, suspicion alone proved nothing. There was no clear evidence that Ogre had connected with Honest this early. But one thing was certain: the current Imperial Police Chief was not Honest's puppet. Despite his advancing age, nothing prevented him from serving another decade or more. Yet Ogre had still been poised to replace him. The only logical explanation: Honest didn't control the sitting Chief.
Thus, Lancer actually trusted the Chief deeply. Trust was trust, however—investigations still had to be thorough. Pulling the Chief down incidentally wasn't an issue either; after all, Lancer had no intention of staying long.
Yet the deeper he investigated, the uglier things became. Ordinary officers were largely clean, but those born to noble families had grown utterly corrupt, devouring resources shamelessly. Even before Lancer's men finished gathering evidence, piles of accusation letters stacked high on his desk.
Finally, Lancer decided to sweep them all out at once. The spectacle provided ideal cover for his true objective—Ogre. And sure enough, the final reports brought something interesting to light.
Deputy Chief Ogre was a commoner, one of many who benefited from the Emperor's policy of promoting talented common folk. But for Ogre, ascending even one step further seemed nearly impossible. He had only two routes forward: continue diligently competing for Imperial Police Chief, or transfer sideways into the military.
Among all Deputy Chiefs, Ogre alone lacked a powerful backer. Every other deputy had a reliable patron, leaving him utterly isolated. And if he transferred into the military, he'd have to start from scratch. Cornered and desperate, Ogre had recently scrambled to find a patron—but such supporters were hard to come by.
So, you reached out to Honest? You really have a sharp eye. Choosing Honest at a glance—what a shame...
In another timeline, Ogre would've leveraged this foresight to become Chief and tyrannize the Capital until meeting his end at Tatsumi's hands. Instead, he now found himself dragged by Lancer's elite guards straight into the palace…
To Lancer's surprise, upon arriving at the Emperor's study, he ran into General Budo, whose grim expression mirrored his own. For a moment, both men paused in surprise.
A single glance was enough to confirm they'd both discovered something critical. Silently nodding, they approached the Emperor together, their reports certain to ignite an unstoppable chain reaction.
"The Imperial Fist Temple has sharply increased its student intake over recent years, recruiting mostly noble youths—many directly related to influential military and political figures nationwide. There's strong suspicion they're training an extensive armed force."
"Rampant corruption plagues the Imperial Police. The former Chief deliberately ignored misconduct, allowing Deputy Chief Ogre to recruit numerous unidentified armed personnel, strongly suspected of colluding with noble factions."
As the Emperor read through the two reports placed before him, the deep furrows on his brow never eased.
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