Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 181: The Tyrant Serpina (3)

"What... did you say...?"

If it was Fibiola Academy, then one of the men she had personal connections with, Jenard, was its headmaster.

And the one currently holding command over the Imperial Army was... her younger brother, Sidmid.

What that fact meant was all too simple.

‘No way...!!’

Something irreversible had happened.

***

“Hah... Hah...”

Serpina was rushing towards the mansion where Sidmid resided, her steps frantic.

‘This is a lie...!’

It was a lie.

No matter how much her second brother coveted the emperor’s throne... he would never have done something that was practically a massacre of civilians.

Just because a man had yet to voice any opinion or declare his allegiance, simply for being considered "pro-Algott"—not just targeting that man alone—

But massacring the entire academy under his management, slaughtering innocent students and professors?

She couldn’t believe it. No, to be exact, she absolutely refused to believe it.

Something must have gone wrong, surely. Clinging to such futile hope, she ran without stopping. Before she knew it, she was standing at the entrance of his mansion.

Click!

She flung the door open and started searching through the house for Sidmid.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it did not take long to find him.

"Brother Sidmid!"

"...What is it, Serpina? What business do you have here?"

Golden hair gleamed under the dim light, and his dark eyes stared back at her.

The man slumped at a desk, bottles of alcohol piled up around him, drinking idly, was none other than Sidmid von Eingart—the very man who had rebelled against Algott’s rule.

Had he not been drinking, he might have had the air of a nobleman. But now, all he gave off was a haggard impression.

"Is it... true?"

"What is?"

"Fibiola Academy... Don’t tell me... Did you really...?!"

"...."

Sidmid said nothing. He simply poured himself another glass of wine and drained it in one go.

Gulp, gulp.

Then, with a rough clatter, he slammed the empty glass down onto the table.

"You came all the way here just to ask me that?"

"Just to ask... How can you say that?!"

"I thought you finally came to your senses and decided to side with me. Not that it would be of much use. If you have nothing else to say, then get out. Unless you want to see something unpleasant."

"Brother, answer me! Fibiola Academy—!"

"Yeah!"

Bang!

The sudden, violent slam of his fist against the table left Serpina momentarily speechless.

"I did it. So what?"

"No way...!"

An Imperial Army attack—no, calling it an attack was too kind. It was a one-sided massacre.

"You know what kind of bastard that old man heading the academy was, don’t you? While everyone acknowledges me, he clung to outdated traditions like a senile fool."

Once Sidmid started talking, it was as if a dam had burst.

As if he was determined not to give Serpina a chance to interject.

"Everyone is following me! In a situation like this, why do you think Algott still hasn’t secured his position? The majority of the powerful nobles support me! And yet, those idiots clinging to nonsense about 'the academy must remain neutral' needed to be eliminated! And don’t even talk to me about neutrality. Given that damn old man’s stance, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had stabbed us in the back at any moment!"

Sidmid’s greatest advantage against Algott, the firstborn heir, was the unwavering support of the powerful noble houses.

The very reason he had been granted command over the Imperial Army was thanks to the backing of those noble families.

Algott was a rational man. He was strict about rewarding and punishing fairly, and even when their father was alive, he had constantly spoken about strengthening imperial authority.

To him, "powerful noble families" were obstacles to the monarchy. No matter how meritorious a noble house was, he firmly believed they should kneel before the imperial family.

In contrast, Sidmid was the more flexible politician. A far more accurate description of him would be someone who understood the intricacies of politics better than his older brother.

He had recognized the nobility’s titles and privileges with much more leniency, and in the absence of an officially designated successor, this had made many nobles side with Sidmid over Algott. Even among their younger siblings—excluding the much younger Serpina—Sidmid was the preferred choice over their strict and rigid eldest brother.

"It’s almost over anyway! I did what I had to do... for the sake of this empire! You, who have neither authority nor responsibility, have no right to meddle!"

Hahh, hahh...

Panting heavily as if trying to convince himself, Sidmid looked as though he might collapse from the intensity of his own words.

Serpina, on the verge of tears, pleaded with him.

"Brother... why... Why did you do something like this?! What did those people ever do wrong—?"

Even if she gave in a hundred times and accepted that the headmaster could be killed, though even that should have been unthinkable...

But slaughtering the students and professors along with him—what kind of rabid madness was that?

There were noble children attending the academy as well. Even if the pro-Algott headmaster might have had some influence over them,

What crime had those young students, who hadn’t even voiced their own opinions, committed to be mercilessly slaughtered?

Sidmid shouted as if he bore no guilt whatsoever.

"Shut up! This was the only way! To stop that idiot Algott from taking the throne, I had to eliminate any potential threats beforehand!"

"But... meaningless slaughter like this... A future emperor should never resort to such things!"

At that moment.

Sidmid stood from his seat and walked toward Serpina.

And then—

Smack!

Before she could say another word, he struck her hard across the face.

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"...Don’t overstep your bounds. Understand?"

"Brother...!!!"

"You think anything will change because of this? Not a chance. Everyone is on my side. I control the military, I have the support of powerful nobles. I refuse to sit back and watch my utterly talentless older brother take the empire from under my nose just because he was born first!"

"That’s...."

"There’s nothing more to say. Get lost. I’ll spare your life for the sake of family, but don’t think for a second I need your help. It would be best for you to stay quiet and live out your days in peace."

Serpina swallowed back the tears threatening to fall.

Being struck didn’t matter. Wounds would heal with time.

But... what hurt the most was the realization that there was no turning back now.

Countless people had died.

Now that lives had been lost, this could never be resolved through words.

‘Why...?’

Why had it come to this?

She had tried so hard—why hadn’t she been able to stop this?

Was it because she lacked power? Because she had no political influence? Or was she simply too incompetent?

No, before that—

How had Sidmid even found out about the headmaster’s stance?

The headmaster had never spoken about it publicly.

If he had voiced an opinion on the crown prince’s succession, Serpina would have known about it.

At that moment.

"...!!!"

On her way out of the residence, she ran into Stadel and Lilirose.

And the instant she saw Stadel’s face—she realized he was the one in charge of overseeing the empire’s academies.

"Brother Stadel... Don’t tell me...?"

"...I have nothing to say to you."

"Did you tell him? About the headmaster—"

Before Stadel could fumble out a reply, his words were cut off.

The one who spoke instead was Serpina’s only sister, Lilirose.

"Go back, Serpina. The empire needs change. If Algott rules, the division will only worsen. Both of us agree with Brother Sidmid."

"Sister...!!"

"...Let’s °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° go."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As she watched Stadel and Lilirose’s backs disappear into the distance, Serpina collapsed to the ground, drained of all strength.

The one undeniable truth—

There was nothing she could do.

***

Just as Sidmid had boldly declared, the massacre briefly became a sensational topic, but before long, it was hushed up.

Even though several noble families had been wiped out, nothing significant happened. No matter how prestigious, they were far too insignificant compared to the truly influential power-holding noble houses.

Among the nobility, the opposition against Algott was far stronger than Serpina had anticipated. If not for the legitimacy protecting him, he would have already been completely overpowered by Sidmid.

During that time, Serpina... remained secluded in her bedroom.

The despair of being unable to change anything left her without the strength to take action.

How many days had passed like that?

"Princess Serpina... Crown Prince Algott has summoned you."

"...."

Why is he looking for me now?

If he were to say something like "Stand by my side" just one more time, she was fully prepared to refuse him outright and retreat back to her room.

But.

The words that came out of Algott’s mouth were so shocking she could scarcely believe them.

"You’re... giving up the throne?"

"Yes. I’ve decided to pass the title of Crown Prince... to Sidmid."

"Brother..."

Algott let out a bitter smile and lowered his head, murmuring.

"People are dying, just for the sole reason of supporting me. As Crown Prince, I can do nothing. The nobles mock me, and with only the capital’s defense forces and my private troops at my disposal, I can’t properly respond to anything. If I keep sitting here like a scarecrow... more people will die."

"So, I will give up. Sidmid... is still a member of the Eingart family. Even if he becomes the next emperor... the empire will remain intact."

"...."

"Serpina. Go and deliver the message. I will hold a succession ceremony for the Crown Prince. Tell him to put an end to this."

Serpina couldn’t bring herself to say anything to Algott, who had muttered those words in resignation.

His expression was so sorrowful that she couldn’t even ask what had driven him to such a decision.

"Is that true?! It must be, right?"

Unlike the completely deflated Algott, Sidmid’s face lit up with joy upon hearing the news.

"So he’s finally given up on stubbornly clinging to his position under the excuse of legitimacy. Understood. I’ll set a date immediately. At last, I can deal with those ungrateful bastards like Orlando and Walnut."

Would it really be fine for Sidmid to become emperor?

He was the very one who had orchestrated the brutal massacre.

If the future emperor could commit such an atrocity and have it simply dismissed as nothing more than a "struggle over the throne," then what reason was there for this empire to continue existing?

—As she idly entertained such blasphemous thoughts for a member of the imperial family, one day...

Serpina received another summons from Algott and tilted her head in confusion.

"You want me to bring Uncle here?"

"Yes. Uncle Kyle, who had been in hiding, sent me a letter. He said he wishes to attend the coronation and asked if someone could escort him from Hale Castle."

"He could just come on his own..."

"You know how stubborn he is."

"Well...."

Kyle von Eingart.

Her father’s younger brother, a man who had stayed out of the imperial succession struggle and remained in hiding until recently, spending his days in quiet obscurity.

Even when their father was alive, he had always been distant from power, wasting his days away like a carefree drifter.

But if, at this moment, he were to openly support Algott, his lineage alone would lend considerable weight to Algott’s claim.

"So, I’d like you to bring him here."

"But that might delay the coronation..."

"If you take a carriage, you can make the trip within a day."

Hale Castle was a quiet place, not far beyond the bridge from Eingart Castle.

In any case... asking Uncle Kyle about his stance could prove to be a great help.

"Understood."

With that, Serpina set off immediately by carriage toward Hale Castle.

It didn’t take long to reach the destination.

However.

The problem lay elsewhere.

"Kyle von Eingart? I haven’t seen him."

"What?"

"Yes... If he had arrived, I would have been informed. Lord Kyle has not come here."

"But I heard he sent a letter to Brother Algott."

"I apologize, but this is the first I’ve heard of it, Princess. How could I possibly lie to you?"

The castle lord bowed his head in apparent confusion, while Serpina fell into deep thought.

‘What’s going on? Did Uncle never come but still send the letter? Why? He may be a carefree person, but he’s not the type to do something so pointless. If it wasn’t him...’

If Kyle hadn’t been the one behind it, then the answer was clear.

‘...Brother Algott lied?’

Serpina rested her chin on her hand, her thoughts racing.

‘Why would he lie about this?’

Lies—especially such a troublesome one—always had a purpose.

What could Brother Algott possibly gain from this? There was nothing.

At best, it simply meant she had left Eingart Castle.

And the moment she arrived at that conclusion—

Thud, thud!

‘No way... was getting me out of Eingart Castle the goal all along?’

Her heart suddenly started pounding violently.

That pounding was fueled by an unmistakable sense of foreboding.

Without hesitation, Serpina sprinted to the carriage and ordered the driver to return to Eingart Castle at once.

*

And what awaited her upon arrival—

‘...!!!!’

—Was the great mansion of the Eingart family, engulfed in flames, cradling the rise and fall of the imperial bloodline within its inferno.