Steel Eyed Faker

Chapter 20: Overwhelming Force

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness

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-The Capital-

"I don't trust this, Father."

Those words left Spear’s mouth as she cast a wary glance at the Imperial Palace looming in the distance. It was the same majestic structure where her father had once worked alongside the late emperor, a place she herself had wandered through during her early childhood. The memories from those days were faint, like paintings left too long in the sun, but she remembered the halls being brighter, more colourful. Now, the entire structure felt more like a den of monsters, a nest of coiled threats ready to spring the moment they let down their guard. The sight of it alone filled her with unease, even more so after their group had been ambushed by the Beasts on their way to this vile city.

"We shouldn’t trust people who are still working for Honest," she repeated, knowing the reason why they were walking towards the palace openly without needing to hide all came from the promise of a single man Chouri spoke to recently. 

"Spear, I know you may be hesitant, and you have your thoughts on people like Grand General Budo. But he’s not like the others. He’s loyal not to Honest, but to the crown itself."

"A crown worn by a child who’s being controlled like a puppet," she argued back without missing a beat. “So he’s basically loyal to Honest but with extra steps.”

She remembered how, upon arriving in the Capital, the first thing her father had done was pull on old strings. He had used every connection he still possessed to arrange meetings with people in the higher echelons of power, calling in favors without hesitation. His goal had been to reach Grand General Budo — the foremost of the Empire’s generals, entrusted with the protection of the Emperor himself, a man who commanded an army equal in strength and size to the one led by General Esdeath.

"I’ve known him for decades," Chouri said, firm in his belief. "He has served the Empire with every ounce of his strength throughout his career as a soldier. His only goal is to see it prosper. If Budo had any intention of killing us, he would have done so already. He is not the type to deceive or play games. If he gave his word to bring me along for an audience with the Emperor, then he will see it through."

That was the plan… or at least, her father’s plan. Everything they had done since returning to the Empire had been building toward this. Chouri wanted to see the Emperor, and he intended to bring proof with him of Honest’s misrule of the Empire. Documents, testimonies, and people of all classes who had suffered under Honest’s blatant corruption. His aim was to corner the Emperor and force him to face the truth, to present so much evidence that it could not be ignored or denied. This would be followed by other people in the Emperor’s court switching allegiances and forcing the Child Emperor to remove Honest from office. 

"No matter what others claim about Honest and the supposed iron grip he holds over the Empire, that’s far from reality. He still depends on the goodwill of those descended from the first Emperor’s bloodline, as well as the nobles. Without them, he is nothing but a corrupt schemer, and even his allies would turn on him without a second thought if they saw the benefit in it."

"And how can you be so sure this will work?" she asked, her voice a bit more snappy than before. Though a part of her understood his reasoning, she still didn’t like it.

"You’re still young, Spear. You don’t recall much from the days when I served as Prime Minister. Everyone in the court has their own agenda. The only reason they support Honest is because he gives them something in return, or at least they find it easier to go along with him than to oppose him. To make them abandon him, all I need to do is offer something more valuable, something they won’t hesitate to betray him for."