I’ve served this emperor for long enough.

“You cannot be serious, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Before me stood His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Claudius of the Avalyne Empire. The most powerful man in the land and the bearer of the Solar Crest said to have been wielded by Soleil himself in days of yore, there were very few who could influence him.

I was one of those people, but no longer. As of late, it seems that the more time he spends with that blasted Duke Avimorne, the more illogical and obstinate he becomes.

It’s not as if Lady Scarlet’s achievements are his either, and quite honestly, I do not know how he even made it into His Imperial Majesty’s privy council, but it most certainly was not due to his daughter’s influence. If it was, then His Imperial Majesty would not be denying my request right now.

“Captain Padraig.” The emperor intoned, attempting to assert his authority. Once upon a time, perhaps his voice might have had some sort of gravitas, but as it stood he was nothing more than a vain ruler who had succumbed to greed like the many other fools who have grown too accustomed to their power. “I have made my stance clear. You are not to send Lady Scarlet any correspondence, nor are you to meet her. Remember who you serve. You are not a dog of House Avimorne.”

But it seems to me that you are. It had taken me great effort to bite back those words, but I found it ironic that such a phrase would slip from his lips. Perhaps he was not aware of how he was being manipulated by Duke Avimorne despite countless warnings from his advisors, but he was little more than Duke Avimorne’s mouthpiece now.

Of course, the duke’s suggestions hadn’t been exceptionally ludicrous by any means, but they have slowly drained our coffers and made the Castellia duchy’s resources begin to dwindle, a development that was undoubtedly dangerous as their army was our first line of defense against Kaslavna. Despite this, Emperor Claudius has not made any attempts to rectify the changes Duke Avimorne suggested, even at the behest of his daughter, Princess Gwenhwyfar.

“I have never considered myself a dog.” I replied, reaching for the shoulder cape affixed to my right pauldron. I tore it off in a single motion and threw it on the floor before me. “Not House Avimorne’s. Not yours.”

“What is the meaning of this, Padraig?” Emperor Claudius stared at me, seemingly unable to comprehend my latest actions.

“I quit.”

“...What?”

I nearly burst out laughing at His Imperial Majesty’s reaction. He looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but honestly... What was he even expecting? There was nothing left for me here and Duke Avimorne along with his allies had worked tirelessly to prevent me from rising to my previous rank during the past four years. In fact, he had even been strategically cutting off the Emperor from his own children, pushing His Imperial Majesty to constantly fill his children’s free time with additional lessons from the Imperial Scholars.

I knew it would become madness the moment Keith was promoted to Knight-Commander of the Imperial Order despite Lady Scarlet famously storming into the palace uninvited in a bid to change such an idiotic decision. She was still a young child back then, and though she still possessed her unmistakable aura of authority, it wasn’t as sharpened as it was nowadays. Had she stormed the palace now, I was fairly certain that she might’ve been able to change the emperor’s mind.

Alas, the past is something that cannot be changed.

I raised an eyebrow as the emperor continued to stare at me in disbelief. “I said I quit. I will be submitting my formal resignation from the Imperial Order by tonight, Your Imperial Majesty. Expect it to be brief.”

“...Y-You cannot simply quit the order, Padraig! What are you thinking!?” Emperor Claudius thundered. He reached out and caught my wrist as I turned away, surprising me. I never thought the emperor himself would stop me instead of calling his guards to do so. “You may no longer be commander, but you are still a captain! What will we do in your absence!?”

“The same as you always have, Your Imperial Majesty.” I replied, keeping my voice even. “Refuse to listen to the suggestions of your advisors, cut the military’s budget despite the looming threat up north, and appoint absolute fools in positions of authority.”

“You...!” The emperor’s hand tightened around my wrist. “How dare you speak to me that way, Padraig! I had thought us friends all these years, yet now you turn your back on me!?”

I pried my arm away from the emperor. What he said was once true. We were friends for a while. Even last year, I had thought we had some semblance of a bond left between us despite the insidious whispers of Duke Avimorne, but now I could see that the bridge binding our paths had long collapsed. He was no longer the man I once pledged my loyalty to, and I was no longer the knight who he favored.

“The sun is setting, Your Imperial Majesty.” I said. “I must head home.”

I strode away from Emperor Claudius purposefully, each step ringing loudly against the marble halls of the imperial palace. As I made my way toward the exit, I took one last glance at my surroundings. This was the place I had guarded for most of my life thus far, and I had grown intimately acquainted with its tall, vaulted ceilings, its stained glass windows, and the elegant decor that lined its halls. Although it may be arrogant of me to say so, the imperial palace was like my second home.

For a long time, the imperial palace has held a special place in my heart. Though I did not regret my somewhat impulsive withdrawal from the Imperial Order, I still felt an ache in my chest.

These ivory walls... These multicolored window panes. The ever-familiar patrol routes, and the surprisingly disappointing meals at the order’s mess hall... I never thought I’d leave them behind so soon. I sighed, slowing down as I approached the massive doors that led outside to take one last look at the place I had protected for so many years. Despite the recent unsavory changes, the palace itself had remained unmolested, and that was about all I could wish for.

I nodded once to myself as I prepared to stride through the doors. The moment I stepped across the other side, I knew I would never return.

“Stop him!” Emperor Claudius shouted loudly from behind me, the timbre of command rich in his voice. If only he could take such a stern tone with Duke Avimorne, perhaps things would’ve turned out differently.

There were around a dozen imperial guards posted at the front entrance, and all of them immediately turned to me, the sound of steel against leather ringing in the air as they drew their weapons. I shook my head, scoffing.

As it currently stood, the imperial guards standing around me were woefully inadequate thanks to that bumbling fool Keith. I was sure Emperor Claudius wasn’t blind, so I was mystified when I learned that Duke Avimorne had managed to convince him to appoint Keith as Knight-Commander. Inexperienced and arrogant, the man never would have even made it to the rank of captain if not for the duke’s support.

Ever since he replaced me, the quality of training has gone down significantly. In fact, I heard the other day that Captain Verdia was having trouble disciplining her troops because they were so unruly. What an absolute farce. I’m sure even Medrauta could destroy this ragtag lot without her sword despite only just being knighted.

“I would prefer to leave in peace, Your Imperial Majesty.” I said, unconcerned at the fact that the imperial guards were now surrounding me. As a knight who had been trusted by the emperor, I was permitted to retain my weapons even without being actively posted on guard duty. However, I doubted I would even need to draw any of them.

“And I would prefer you remain in the Imperial Order. You may have insulted me just now, but I am sure they were nothing more than words of frustration between friends.”

“If you truly thought of us as friends, then you would have let me pass without incident. Instead, you had your men surround me and have yet to command them to sheathe their weapons. Is this how you would treat a friend?”

“You are making a mistake, Padraig.” Emperor Claudius said. “I do not wish for you to go down this path.”

I shook my head. “It’s a shame, Your Imperial Majesty. So many highly respected men and women in the empire have told you to take caution against Duke Avimorne, yet you have done exactly the opposite.”

“...Because there is nothing wrong with the duke. I understand you all dislike his rapid rise to power and the sweeping changes he has been suggesting, but it is all for the good of the empire. For too long have we been subservient to the church and its policies, and for too long have we stayed a closed nation.” Emperor Claudius stretched a hand toward me. “We must go forward. We must free ourselves from the rules of the church and welcome our neighbors with open arms once more. Our people have spent too long cooped up behind our country’s walls, barely knowing anything of the outside world.”

I grimaced. “Perhaps so, but surely there is a better way of implementing a more flexible foreign policy than cutting both the imperial military’s and Duke Castellia’s budget when another war against Kaslavna is looming across the horizon. Your Imperial Majesty, better men and women than I have advised you on this very subject, yet you refuse to change your stance.”

“I...” Emperor Claudius frowned, a troubled look in his eyes. For a moment, he seemed to be seriously considering my words, his thoughtful expression reminding me of the man I used to know. “...You’re right, Padraig. I... I don’t know why I did things the way they were done. I suppose I ju—”

“Your Imperial Majesty.” A deceptively smooth voice slithered from the shadows, interrupting the emperor’s train of thought. “I’ve just returned from my trip at the Rosenhall duchy, and it seems I’ve come back to something quite alarming. What is this? Has Captain Padraig finally lost his mind and attempted to harm you?”

I narrowed my eyes at the man who had just stepped through the palace’s front doors. He was none other than the source of all these problems: Duke Avimorne. Doubtless, he had been waiting like a serpent in the darkness for just this moment to strike.

“...No.” Emperor Claudius shook his head, the look in his eyes seemingly hazy as he listened to the duke’s vile voice. “He was simply being insubordinate. I have instructed my guards to detain him.”

“Hm...” Duke Avimorne frowned. “Perhaps he has been manipulated by that fiendish little daughter of mine to act as a spy. She can be quite crafty if you leave her alone.”

“That is certainly a possibility. He did request that I invite Lady Scarlet for an official audience.” The emperor nodded. “Guards, confine Padraig in the dungeons for interrogation.”

What...? I stared at the emperor, the look on my face expressing visible confusion. In an instant, his personality had completely shifted and his logical abilities had disappeared. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve thought Duke Avimorne a witch, but it simply wasn’t possible. Men couldn’t become witches, after all.

“That is certainly not a possibility, Your Imperial Majesty! Just what are you thinking!?”

The guards closed in on me as the emperor ignored my plea.

“I will see you later tonight, Padraig. I can only hope you are not a traitor, my old friend.”

With those simple words, he whirled around and walked away with the duke at his side, staring straight ahead as if he were in a trance. He wasn’t even willing to acknowledge my presence even after I called out to him several times.

This... What kind of bullshit is this!? I glared at the nearest guard, projecting an immense killing intent that stopped him right in his tracks. The others gave me a wide berth, clearly intimidated by the pressure that I exuded. What amateurs.

“Disperse immediately.” I spoke in a low voice. “Or die. Those are your only options. Choose now, and choose wisely.”

A few of the men exchanged troubled glances, not knowing what to do. They had been given a direct order from the emperor, but he was no longer here. I alone was more than capable of dispatching the guards with ease, making it easy for them to simply say that I’d managed to escape if the emperor questioned them later. However, it appeared as though something was still holding them back, and I had a feeling I knew what it was.

One of the guards edged toward me, his weapon at the ready. I glanced at him, meeting his eyes through the slits of his helm. Surprisingly, I recognized the guard as one of the newer recruits who had just been inducted into the Imperial Order. I frowned, confused at his presence. Normally, a newly minted knight of the order would never be assigned to guard a location as important as the main entrance.

I shook my head in disappointment. Just what the hell is happening to this country...?

Without warning, I lunged forward before the man could even react, my gauntleted fist punching a hole straight through his breastplate and sending him flying backward. I felt his ribs give slightly, but it shouldn’t have been a fatal injury. For a knight, that is.

He crashed into a nearby pillar, landing in an unconscious heap. His sword clattered to the ground, the finely forged steel ringing loudly as silence settled in the main foyer once more. The other guards shuffled back slightly, and a few of them looked as though they were about to retreat, but it wasn’t enough.

Not just yet.

Again, I leapt forward at one of the other guards who had been unfortunate enough to be within my zone of attack, smacking his clumsily raised sword aside before thrusting my knee into his gut, sending him flying upward before landing on the ground in a daze.

Pathetic. Even Medrauta could’ve avoided a strike that slow. I scoffed, thoroughly disappointed at the quality of the Imperial Guards under Keith’s command. Of course, I wasn’t complaining about the ease of my escape, but thinking about the future of the empire still worried me.

I walked forward now, the guards beginning to part and make way for me. It seemed that a sacrifice of two would be enough for them to forge some sort of excuse for my escape. Their hands trembled as I passed by, continuing to glare at them in case one of the guards decided to experience a sudden surge of bravery. Weak as they might be, I wouldn’t be able to let my guard down until I finally stepped out of the palace, through the gates of the front yard, and out onto the streets.

Thankfully, I was met with no other obstructions. I crossed through the door without incident, my only encounter in the front yard being one with a maid who was pruning the hedges. She kept her head down, focusing intently on her work in an attempt to ignore my presence and the violence that had just transpired indoors. It was a wise decision, and one that made my exit all the more easier.

I hesitated briefly before striding through the front gates, taking a deep breath before doing so. I turned, looking back at the palace one last time. I would never set foot here again.

...Perhaps I should move south to Kharadshah. I heard they’re a rather stable country. Or perhaps—

A swarm of black butterflies rushed through the air, interrupting my thoughts even before I could complete them. Behind me, I heard a voice that chilled me to the very core.

“Captain Padraig. No, that’s not right.” The black-haired girl shook her head, a coy and confident smile dancing on her lips. “You’re just Padraig now, aren’t you? Congratulations on your resignation.”

“You... What the hell are you...?” My heart rate accelerated. I reached for my sword.

She didn’t answer my question. Instead, she replied with another one.

“What would you say if I told you that you could change it all? This corruption, this rot eating at the heart of your beloved country... You can change it all. The only thing you’re missing is... A little help.”

My skin crawled at the sound of her words... Yet I simply couldn’t stop listening.