This Kingdom Needs a Coup

The cavalry of the Northern Region is formidable.

Compared to other units from the east and west, and even the royal guards of the past, they are confident in their superiority.

Spring, summer, fall, winter—casualties pile up all year round, and the terrain is a nightmare. They’ve experienced all kinds of operations, so their skill level is off the charts.

They’ve fought in almost every kind of battle except underwater and aerial combat. Seriously, don’t even talk if you haven’t fought on a snow-covered crevasse.

More soldiers have gone missing from falling off cliffs than from being killed by the enemy.

Because of this, their casualty rate is high, so their numbers aren’t great, but the surviving soldiers are worth a hundred each.

They can shoot a gun with their left hand, swing a saber with their right, and do a headspin with their head at the same time. Seriously.

If you can’t do that level of multitasking, you’ve probably been frozen solid for a long time.

And now, these cavalrymen, who have been reassigned to the central army, are currently searching far and wide for the king.

“Still no leads?!”

“Sorry, Battalion Commander! Other than the story we heard at the relay station, there’s nothing…”

“It seems even the guys who went far out haven’t found anything. But it’s certain they passed through this area.”

One battalion each to the east and west.

The pursuit unit, well-supplied with provisions, spare horses, and even investigation experts from the intelligence department, has been thoroughly combing the capital’s vicinity.

They’ve questioned nearby villages and rural areas, visited cities, and asked if anyone has seen carriages. They’ve even checked the supply records at relay stations.

“We’re 40 miles from the capital, and the only evidence we have so far is a single testimony about two carriages passing by at night.”

Thanks to ample support and the high quality of the troops, their speed was quite fast. The efficiency of their search was something that would normally require a regiment.

But despite their momentum, after half a day, they were still lost, unsure of where to go.

They got this far thanks to a lucky piece of information, but that was it. They couldn’t find the trail beyond that.

“The king must have hired an ordinary coachman. He left the royal coachmen behind when he fled. But how is there no record of him changing drivers along the way?”

“Maybe he’s driving himself or had an attendant do it.”

“Unlikely. If that were the case, someone would’ve reported a terrible driver by now.”

It’s not that they were slacking or incompetent.

In fact, they were burning with the determination to hunt down their mortal enemy. Today might as well be the most zealous day of their lives.

The reason for their struggle lay in the thoroughness of the king’s party from the start.

They went out of their way to hire long-distance coachmen and minimized rest stops.

“It seems they were determined not to leave any traces.”

They didn’t change horses unless they were on the verge of collapse and kept water and hay supplies to a minimum.

They coerced and coaxed the coachmen to keep driving as far as possible. Meals, bathroom breaks, changing clothes, and even sleeping were all done inside the carriage.

Since they departed in the dead of night, there were few witnesses. At this point, even Karolus himself might have given up the chase.

“Should we just pick a plausible direction and go? If we give up here, the regimental commander will break our legs.”

“That’ll just waste more time when we have to come back.”

“I know, man. Just thinking out loud.”

If the king’s party had maintained that level of meticulousness for just 24 hours—if they had willingly endured a bit of discomfort for survival—further pursuit would have been truly impossible.

The kingdom would have had no choice but to watch as Karl VII fled abroad.

But as soon as they left the capital area, they let their guard down and became complacent.

And the price for that complacency was their own downfall.

“Battalion Commander!! We found them!”

“Really?! Which direction?! Where?!”

After hours of sending out small search parties in all directions, one squad finally found a trace.

“It’s a small town called Münhausen! A high-status family in a black carriage stayed there half a day ago!”

“Mün…? Where’s that? Get the map out.”

The battalion commander calculated the distance between their current location and Münhausen on the military map.

About 12 miles in a straight line. If they hurried, they could get there in an hour or two.

“They’re probably not still there, right?”

“No, they left already. And a passerby said they heard a servant shout, ‘Let’s go to Barene!'”

“…That’s a name I’ve heard before.”

It’s a city about two days east of Münhausen. The area is flat, making transportation easy, and it’s next to the Tiora River, so it’s well-developed for water transport.

Thanks to that, it’s a thriving logistics hub and one of the leading cities in the east. Most supplies sent to the eastern front pass through there.

“Why there of all places?”

Is it to hide their tracks after passing through a city with over 100,000 people? That makes sense, but it’s not the whole reason.

They can’t go to the northern region where the United Empire is, so if we guess the possible escape routes south…

“Kailas.”

The only route is to the Kailas Kingdom.

If their destination was Ormela in the southeast, there’s no need to move near the Tiora River in the northeast.

They should’ve gone down and crossed the Atranthia River. Once you pass Barene, the river widens, making crossing difficult.

Moreover.

“The lord’s family estate is nearby. The king wouldn’t take that risk.”

The Barony of Roytel is near the border with the Ormela Kingdom. Along with the Arshakh family, they’re one of the most influential families in central politics.

To cross into Ormela, they’d likely have to pass through the barony. But the previous head of the Roytel family would remember the king’s face.

If they were discovered while passing through… the stakes would be too high to gamble.

“Prepare a messenger. We need to send a letter to the capital. The king’s destination is the Kailas Kingdom!”

The battalion commander hastily scribbled a letter, handed it to a soldier, and stood up. They had to hurry to catch the fugitives.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, the king’s party was once again delayed.

This time, it wasn’t due to the royal family’s careless actions but because of a local disturbance.

“What’s going on here?”

“It looks like a riot. They’re burning everything and shouting…”

“Of all times, a riot now. Great.”

The situation was this:

The lord of the territory where the king’s party was currently located was originally a staunch anti-royalist noble. After the coup, he switched to the counter-revolutionary faction and actively tried to obstruct Karolus’s faction.

He was lucky to survive the second coup, but he lost a fortune supporting Duke Barellmont’s rebellion. In short, he’s an idiot who only did things to piss off the central government.

With two big strikes against him, his fate is sealed.

But the lord, unable to let go, tried to save his own life through massive bribes.

‘Gather everything valuable! Art, jewels, anything!’

‘But, my lord, how do we get the funds for that?’

‘Tax the people! Impose special taxes if you have to! Squeeze them dry!! If we don’t get the money, I might die!!’

It was a convincing reason. After all, no matter how much trouble you cause, everyone values their life.

…But from the people’s perspective, it was complete nonsense.

No one could accept having to give up their property to save a greedy, incompetent lord.

‘Burn it! Destroy everything and set it on fire!’

‘Kill the women in the lord’s castle and rape the men! Except the lord! We need to capture him and send him to the capital!’

‘…Isn’t that the opposite order?’

A large-scale riot broke out.

Not just the common people, but even some of the territorial army joined in, causing chaos everywhere.

As a result, the relay stations and general administrative and public services in the territory came to a complete halt. Public order collapsed, making it difficult to even pass through.

“Can’t we force our way through?”

“It’s risky. If we use force, the royal family might get hurt.”

“Ugh. Then we’ll stay here tonight and look for a detour. We can’t just wait around because the road’s blocked.”

“Understood.”

As night fell, Karl VII ordered everyone to rest, then suddenly gave an order to an attendant.

“Ah, and didn’t the Holy Kingdom say they’d send troops to help us? Send someone to call them to Barene.”

“Huh? B-bring foreign troops into the country?”

“We don’t know when the rebels will catch up. It’s dangerous to stay on our own. I need military protection.”

“…Understood.”

Karl didn’t know.

He didn’t know what price he would pay for this reckless decision.

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