Man on the ark, forced to become king

"Which of them isn't a pillar of the empire? Which of them isn't an elite cultivated by the empire at great expense of manpower and resources? Which of them isn't the empire's strongest bulwark?"

"They're rotten, and my heart is breaking."

"Is this the first time something like this has happened? Even a stupid camel wouldn't believe it."

"I've seen this report. How many more haven't I seen? There are only more!"

"Those internal guards who didn't participate, standing on the dry bank with seemingly upright faces, are they really that clean?"

"The late emperor entrusted Ursus to me, but it has turned out like this."

"Those nobles, those ministers, those members of parliament, they're all rotten! Utterly rotten!"

"I wish I could turn their hearts and intestines out and expose them to the sun, wash them, and hang them all on that old crooked tree!"

"They have long lost their former glory; all they see is power and wealth! How can Ursus be governed with such scoundrels?!"

“Your Majesty, you need not doubt the loyalty of the inner circle; they will always be the sharpest blade in your hand.”

Witte lowered his head even further; he hadn't expected the nobles' reach to be so far.

The fact that the emperor had interfered with the inner guards was a serious matter that had crossed the line and could not be easily dismissed; there had to be an explanation.

However, the emperor's reign was short-lived, his foundation was weak, and he did not have enough military power. The new nobles who seemed to support the emperor secretly had their own agendas. Relying on those rabble, they were simply unable to confront the interest groups led by the old nobles and military officers. A slight misstep could lead to the collapse of the empire.

"Your Majesty, the war in the north has not been too stressful in recent years. Why not transfer the Imperial Guards stationed there back to Saint-Germain Fortress and send the existing Imperial Guards to replace them?"

"The current internal guards are still inexperienced. Some of them have not even experienced real war and need to be tempered by blood and fire."

From the perspective of the Imperial Guard, Witte could understand why those people would act behind the Emperor's back.

Unlike the older generation of Inner Guards, since the great battle of Sunset Canyon, the Inner Guards have been filled with a lot of fresh blood. Their growth did not come from themselves, but from the fragments of the bodies of the demons that were once killed by the Empire. Compared with the older generation of Inner Guards, they are inevitably weaker in will.

This is certainly a good thing, as it means that the empire's defenses remain strong and that the empire still has ways to fill the gaps in its high-level power.

However, this approach also presents problems. These young people have not experienced the true brutality of the battlefield, and their already wavering will is more easily corrupted and altered. They yearn to achieve merit and long for the arrival of war, as only in that way can they realize their value.

But the current emperor is different from the previous emperor; he can't give them what they want. As their desires begin to swell, they will naturally gravitate towards the other side.

The veteran guards stationed in the north are different. They are the true elite of the empire, heroes who have defended the empire from countless crises. They have experienced countless brutal battles, their beliefs are firm, their martial prowess is formidable, nothing can shake them, and they will never be corrupted from within by greedy nobles.

However, being able to understand does not mean being able to accept it.

The Imperial Guard is the last and most important force protecting the emperor. It has no need for disobedient people, as they can directly affect the emperor's rule over the empire. Therefore, given that the current personnel are uncontrollable, a change of personnel, replacing the trustworthy ones with the powerless and war-hungry extremists, might solve some problems.

"Don't say that anymore, Witt."

Fyodor slumped into a chair, rubbing his temples with his fingers to relieve the throbbing in his head. His voice was unusually tired; he was truly exhausted.

"The defenses of the North cannot be breached; there cannot be even the slightest oversight. This is the absolute bottom line."

"Even if I die on that throne, I will not shake the defenses of the Northern Legion."

Fyodor could tell which was more important.

He was furious, so furious that he wanted to lead his army into the mansions of those nobles, confiscate their property, and hang them all. If the inner guards stationed in the North were recalled, their strength would definitely be able to do it.

But he couldn't do that.

First, the emperor cannot directly command the Northern Legion or intervene in its affairs. This is an ironclad rule left by the late emperor, who feared that future generations might shake the true foundation of the empire.

Secondly, the defenses against the demons must be flawless. If the defenses fall because of him, then he will be a sinner of Ursus and even the entire world.

No matter how fierce the struggle between the nobility, the military, and the emperor was, it was still an internal problem, and the most serious consequence was simply a change of ruler.

But once the northern defenses break down, it won't just be a problem for Ursus alone; everyone will die!

The nobles and the military desire power and wealth, while the demons seek to destroy the world; the threats posed by the two are incomparable.

He wasn't so cowardly and despicable as to undermine the defenses of the border for his own selfish reasons; the blame was too heavy for him to bear.

If he did that, even if he succeeded in the end, he would have no face to meet the previous emperors of Ursus.

"Your mercy and majesty shine upon the land of Ursus."

"There's no need for such nice words. Sit down, Lord Witte. I need to get to the bottom of this."

No matter how much he suppressed his anger, seeing the document slammed on the table still made Fyodor feel a throbbing pain in his head, as if he were about to explode with rage.

Those were six imperial guards! A force powerful enough to conquer a small city, gone just like that! Gone without a trace!

"I will investigate who exactly interfered with the command of the Imperial Guards and make them pay the price. But right now, I want to know what exactly is on the southern ice plains of the empire that could kill six Imperial Guards?"

"Could it be that an evil god has descended there? Has the demon broken through our defenses and wandered to the borders of the empire? Or has the war in Kazimir actually begun, and we are completely unaware of it?"

It's no wonder Fyodor was puzzled; on paper, the matter was indeed quite absurd.

The combat power of the Inner Guard is not as simple as one plus one equals two. Their cooperation with Phideon can even rival that of a division. They can move freely in and out of the army, and ordinary troops are no match for them.

But they all died on the ice field, unable to even send a message out before they died.

What does this mean?

The empire's elite warriors were utterly crushed by something with overwhelming power! Completely and utterly!

Unbelievable.

Fyodor could only describe it as unbelievable; it was utterly absurd.

He couldn't fathom what power could destroy six inner guards in an instant. Even if the Silver Spear Pegasus Knights of Casimir were to break in, or even if the Papal Knights of Lateran were to do such a thing, it would be impossible.

If you can't win a fight, can't you just run away?

But the facts were right in front of them, and the words in the report were so glaring that his bodyguards couldn't even pass on messages, let alone escape from the enemy!

Could it be that, without his knowledge, the empire's sharpest weapon had already rotted to the core?

Not only did they disobey the emperor's orders, but they also secretly accepted orders and acted on their own. Their strength became so weak that they could be slaughtered at will.

Then what's the point of him being emperor and sitting on the throne?

It would be more satisfying to hang myself in the main hall!

So that he won't be kept in the dark when the enemy storms into Saint-Germain Castle and holds a knife to his neck!

"Your Majesty, this..."

With half his bottom on the chair, Witt hung his head, feeling extremely uncomfortable, seemingly ashamed to speak.

He has obtained some useful information through intelligence channels, but... how should I put it?

Even he found that intelligence report absurd. If the person who delivered the message wasn't a trusted confidant, he would have grabbed the man by the collar and slapped him twice to see if he was still half asleep, otherwise why would he be talking in his sleep?

"Speak your mind, Lord Witt."

Fyodor banged on the table, leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh, practically wearing the words "retreat" on his face.

This wasn't just polite talk; Fyodor truly believed it from the bottom of his heart.

Can things get any worse?

No, it's over. It's rotted into the soil, what else can happen?

Even if Witt told him now that his bodyguard had been gored to death by pigs on the ice field, he wouldn't be surprised.

The entire Ursus, from nobles to officers, is utterly rotten! They can't even be considered human; they're just a bunch of idiots! Even the Imperial Guards are like that.

How is he supposed to manage this? He can't handle it. Let's just destroy it...

"This... Your Majesty, according to the current intelligence, the Imperial Guard went to the Southern Ice Plains, and then... and then they encountered a group of infected people on the ice plains. As you know, the Empire's policies in recent years... have resulted in many infected people being unable to survive in the cities, as no one is willing to accept them. They can only escape to the ice plains to survive. It is possible that the Imperial Guard's initial target was that group of infected people, for reasons unknown."

"Judging from the distance and time, their battle with the infected may have lasted only a dozen minutes, and then... all the guards died."

"what?!"

Fyodor's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, bloodshot and wide-eyed, and he began to breathe heavily.

He could hardly believe his ears, he couldn't believe what he was hearing!

Despite having prepared for the worst, he was still overwhelmed when he actually heard the specific details from Witt.

So his personal guards, his sharp blades, the elite troops he spent countless sums of money to build, really died in such a disgraceful way?!

"Huff... huff... huff... Infected? You mean infected?! Where are they now? Don't tell me they left unscathed after engaging the Imperial Guard! If that happens, I'll start to doubt whether Ursus is a joke!"

"..."

Witt's lips twitched. Seeing the emperor's current state, he didn't know whether he should give a detailed report or not.

If he were to reveal everything, he feared Fyodor would die of anger on the spot. Let alone the emperor, he found the intelligence report absurd; even the worst playwright couldn't write such a script.

"Tell me, Witt! Where are those infected people?"

His fingers crushed the edge of the table, and the furious emperor stared at Witt with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, like a bull enraged to the extreme, almost ready to devour him.

"They...they are still active on the ice field. Patrols have found traces of them and captured some of those who escaped."

"Phew~ So, my imperial guards, acting on orders from someone, secretly went to the ice plains to attack a group of infected, and they actually lost! They were all wiped out! My God! Am I still dreaming?!"

Fyodor had a deep understanding of the infected and planned to ease the Empire's harsh measures against them while closing some mines.

However, because it threatened the interests of the nobles, this policy was not implemented.

Who are those people? They are infected with Oripathy, and no city or village is willing to accept them. Even living is a luxury, let alone having the right weapons and equipment to fight. A hundred infected people combined might not be able to defeat a patrol squad of the Imperial regular army!

Could they kill six of the inner guards? And then walk away unscathed, still active?

shit!