NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Esdeath’s Plan
In terms of security, the Imperial Palace can be considered the safest place in the entire empire. Not only are there organized guards patrolling the capital day and night, but the palace itself is protected by an artifact. There are also dangerous species controlled by another Imperial Arms patrolling the skies above the palace day and night. Honestly, even if it were Night Raid, it would be impossible to sneak into the palace quietly, except at the very last moment in the original work. The entire capital would fall.
Even if they managed to sneak into the palace, it wouldn't be something to be thankful for. The intricate traps set up would keep the unsuspecting intruders there forever. Most importantly, one of the empire's strongest generals, General Budo, is stationed at the palace year-round. Recently, Esdeath has also returned to the capital. The two strongest individuals of the empire guarding the palace simultaneously make the defenses even tighter, enough to deter anyone with ill intentions.
However, there was an unexpected guest tonight.
Shirou floated lightly in the sky above the imperial capital, quickly approaching the area of the imperial palace.
It should be noted that the palace isn't just a residence for the imperial family. The massive palace is divided into two parts: the inner and outer sections. The inner section is where the imperial family resides, while the outer section houses a small number of people. Powerful officials like General Budo and Esdeath live here. On one hand, it's to protect the palace, and on the other, living in the palace itself is a great honor.
The guards tasked with protecting the imperial palace are personally trained by General Budo. Their strength is naturally incomparable to that of the regular capital guards. The rigorous training makes them highly vigilant.
Of course, this was nothing to Shirou. Among other things, even though he never participated in the Holy Grail War as an Assassin-class Servant, his fighting style is very much in line with that of an assassin, allowing him to conceal his aura. His abilities are also extraordinary, but ordinary guards couldn't detect him at all, and this wasn't his first time visiting the palace.
Without alerting the guards, Shirou quietly slipped into the outer perimeter of the palace. He had inquired about Esdeath's residence when he first arrived in the capital, and to confirm it, he even visited the palace directly. Now he was more familiar with the layout, and there were no traps set up in the outer palace. The palace's defensive measures were initially controlled by Imperial Arms, and the defensive range was only within the inner palace area.
Shirou moved very quickly and arrived in front of a large house within minutes. This was Esdeath's residence.
Without hesitation, after surveying the surroundings, Shirou slipped into Esdeath's residence.
The interior was quite ordinary, and it was hard to believe this was the residence of one of the empire's most powerful individuals. In other words, for Esdeath, except for fighting opponents of equal strength, she didn't care much about other things, so she basically gave all the money granted by the emperor to her subordinates, which was one of the reasons why her subordinates' morale was so high.
The lights in the other rooms in the courtyard were off, with only one room lit—the master bedroom, which was Esdeath's room.
Shirou also identified this location and quietly walked to the window of the room, listening for any movement inside.
The atmosphere was very quiet, and there were faint sounds coming from within, but they were unclear. He lifted himself slightly and opened the window a crack. His excellent vision allowed him to see that the room was empty.
'No one here? Never mind, let's go in and take a look first.'
Without making a sound, Shirou quietly entered the room, turned around, gently closed the window, and surveyed the room of the empire's most powerful individual.
It must be said that no matter how sadistic her personality, Esdeath was still a young girl. Even her subconscious decorations gave the room a somewhat childish atmosphere. The furniture in the room wasn't luxurious, but the items were very beautiful. Esdeath wasn't an ascetic. She also enjoyed life. Therefore, the furniture in this room was also of the best quality. Aside from the everyday furniture, a table caught Shirou's attention.
To be precise, it wasn't the table itself but several documents scattered on it.
As he walked to the table, he picked up the documents, opened them, and began reading.
'If I did this in my world, it would be considered a crime.'
After making a self-deprecating joke, Shirou focused on reading the contents of the documents.
There weren't many documents, mostly reports about the troops under Esdeath's command, as well as some matters handled after arriving in the capital, but none of it was particularly useful to Shirou.
After flipping through the pages quickly, a list caught Shirou's eye.
[Wave, a sergeant in a specific unit of the Southern Navy, and wielder of the Imperial Arms: Carnage Incarnate – Grand Chariot]
[Bols, a member of the Imperial Incineration Corps, and wielder of the Imperial Arms: Purgatory's Invitation – Rubicante]
[Kurome, an elite member of the Imperial Assassination Corps and wielder of the Imperial Arms: March of the Dead – Yatsufusa]
There weren't many names on the list, fewer than ten, but they all had one thing in common: everyone on this list was a wielder of Imperial Arms, and they all seemed to be experienced elites.
'I see, these are the members of the Jaegers.'
Seeing the familiar names before him, Shirou understood the meaning of this list. This was the list of Jaegers Esdeath was forming to deal with Night Raid. She was creating an elite police force entirely composed of Imperial Arms users to handle Night Raid, who were causing chaos in the Imperial Capital.
Although he obtained this information, Shirou wasn't particularly interested. He flipped through the list and continued reading, but the next document piqued his interest.
'Hm?'
Shirou frowned. He wasn't very impressed with the first two names, but he had heard of Chouri. He was a former minister of peace. He had retired due to his old age, but it seemed he was returning to the court recently. Unlike the current minister of peace, Chouri had an excellent reputation among the people and was one of the rare officials who cared for the public.
His gaze shifted slightly, and the first name, Das, had been crossed out with a red pen, giving off an uneasy feeling. Shirou stared at the name Jolly again, then seemed to understand something.
'I see. So this is the plan to launch Night Raid? So the Three Beasts have already set out.'
Thinking this, Shirou checked the remaining documents but found nothing of importance.
'It's better to save Chouri. After all, there aren't many good officials like him.'
Then, Shirou extended his right hand, and the Jeweled Sword appeared in his hand again. He raised his left hand and activated Projection Magecraft, and a letter and a dagger appeared in his hand.
'This time, I'll help you. After all, it's better for you to handle the fakes yourselves.'
Using the power of the Jeweled Sword, Shirou directly sent the letter to Night Raid's headquarters. Although Night Raid's headquarters had changed, the iron ring given to Tatsumi last time had a positioning function, allowing him to determine its location.
Just like that, after pinning the letter to Night Raid's door with the dagger, Shirou stored the Jeweled Sword.
He also understood that the fluctuation of magical energy he had just used might have alerted Esdeath, but Shirou didn't care and simply sat on the sofa, waiting for Esdeath's arrival. However, he didn't know that this time, he would bring a little trouble.