It took a year’s time.
Perhaps the prediction that a coup d’état would occur in Okhraine had been considered long before then.
But I started to seriously prepare for the situation about a year ago from now.
A coup d’état does not happen all at once and disappear just as quickly.
It is an act of overturning the regime and recreating the nation with their own ideology.
As such, it requires tremendous preparation and planning to even attempt it.
Forces capable of subduing and incapacitating the main forces in an instant.
Intelligence that can place the optimal number of people in the optimal location at the most opportune time.
Legitimacy that binds the members of the faction and allows them to gain recognition from the citizens and international community for their actions.
And so on, it is an endeavor that requires countless complex and intricate elements to be met, which is why it is a coup d’état.
Needless to say, they wouldn’t be unaware of such obvious facts.
Therefore, they must have conducted numerous machinations within the military and the royal court, just as much as I was negotiating behind the scenes.
The coup plotters are not idiots.
They are smart, shrewd, and meticulous people.
I never thought I could stop them easily from the very beginning.
On the contrary, I thought that the more hastily they acted, the more advantageous it would be for them.
A coup d’état is like a cancer cell.
If only the core leaders of the coup were removed when there might be countless officers and government officials involved, it would eventually return in a larger and stronger form.
Hence, it had to be done all at once when the opportunity arose.
Even if it meant cutting off half of the high-ranking officers.
This was necessary for the future of this country and mine.
“Colonel Enok Revendale!!”
“How is your wound, Colonel Lannister?”
“It’s fine… But what about the National Guard right now?!”
“I know.”
After confirming the clues left in the tavern, I moved to my accommodation and immediately heard a gunshot, using magic to silence my presence.
Men in black masks barged into the house where Bella Meyer was staying.
Fortunately, she managed to escape successfully, but I clearly saw the National Guard soldiers kidnapping her.
There was also a possibility that the coup plotters disguised as the National Guard, but that hope was shattered when Colonel Lannister returned with a gunshot wound.
However, there was still a chance of success.
I hadn’t overlooked preparing for such a worst-case scenario.
“What on earth is happening? What about His Royal Highness the Regent!?”
“Calm down first. I will explain everything slowly.”
I led the wounded Colonel Lannister to the inside of the wall. As a result, his eyes widened.
“This is truly the final plan, thought out to the very end.”
Inside the wall were Sarah Ronald, the chief of Wilson Times Okhraine Press Office, and Major General Viktor Zelenski, head of the Central Technical Education Research Department.
And the last person.
“…So it has come to this, d*mn it.”
One of the few people who could immediately deploy troops from the capital, Major General Rentenharke of the Okhraine Army Training School, was here.
“How did these people get here?”
“I didn’t just build my power base among the coup plotters alone.”
I said, looking at them.
“The people here are the ones I currently trust the most in the capital.”
Though it was regrettable for Colonel Lannister, he wasn’t trusted 100%.
To be precise, I trusted Colonel Lannister, but I didn’t fully trust the National Guard.
Even though I didn’t think the entire National Guard would turn against me, I had considered the possibility that there might be traitors among its key personnel.
The success or failure of the coup depends on how many central figures, who can directly threaten the Regent, can be won over.
With only the divisions selected from the Eastern Corps and some corps, it’s ‘absolutely’ impossible to penetrate the center’s defense.
Historically, successful coups have always been carried out by elite forces capable of swiftly and effectively deploying troops to the capital and the target of the coup.
Thus, even a plan to counteract the worst-case scenario where cooperation with the National Guard completely fails and the Capital Guard Division is either suppressed or defects was not neglected.
Plan C.
Operation Name: Counter Strike.
I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be activated…
“Miss Sarah, how is the telegram?”
“It has already been disseminated to the battalions under the Special Response Brigade, the Southern Corps, and Countess Yekaterina Pedro’s side.”
From now on, we had to move as quickly and accurately as possible.
The coup d’état was only just beginning.
After laying Colonel Lannister down for treatment, I declared to the gathered people:
“As of now, Okhraine is entering a civil war.”
*
Orlando Rus III couldn’t sleep recently. Even as his birthday approached, his face became increasingly gloomy.
Several retainers noticed something amiss and worried about his health.
But even the retainers he trusted couldn’t understand his situation.
-Nobody should be trusted except for myself and Major General Sony Chepelin.
This was shocking news that Colonel Enok Revendale secretly confided in him.
He had long known that there were dissidents within the military opposing his decisions.
In fact, wasn’t it because the artifact needed for the airship being secretly developed by Major General Sony Chepelin was stolen?
That incident too was due to information leaked from within the military or the royal court.
Thus, there had been forces opposing the Regent for quite some time.
Because of this, Orlando had continued to remain vigilant.
Especially regarding the Eastern Corps, which had been under scrutiny, he had ordered the National Guard to monitor their movements.
Even the Regent, who initially thought it was unlikely, began to doubt after Captain Nikolai Hilbert, a close friend of Enok Revendale, died.
Although it was announced as an accidental d*ath, those who knew understood the true story.
“The rightful ruler of Okhraine is me. How can I let others take our land?”
Orlando Rus III muttered while fiddling with the pistol given to him by Enok Revendale in his room.
Born as the only son of the former Regent, he realized how much his father and country were manipulated by foreign powers.
Every night, he sighed deeply, worrying about the nation’s fate.
Though known as a wise and peace-loving king, he was the one who bowed his head to others more than anyone else for Okhraine.
Under pressure from the Soviev Empire, he gradually reduced the size of the army.
When dealing with the Rhinehardt Empire, he often received nothing but the back of their heads despite not receiving proper technology.
How many national projects were abandoned during the previous Regent’s reign?
Even the forces of the Pry Free Democratic State and the Free Union did not help Okhraine out of pure goodwill.
Enormous loans.
While they seemed to support economically out of kindness, in the end, it all turned into national debt.
Meanwhile, high-quality raw materials from the north and west were sold cheaply as economic aid.
Okhraine lost opportunities to develop its own technology.
Despite knowing this, he accepted it. His father was a soft man.
Orlando Rus III respected his father as a father but not as a leader of a nation.
In the end, no one will look after a weak country.
A country must be protected by its own strength.
Rather than clinging to hollow alliances, he aimed to make Okhraine Duchy a wealthy and powerful nation.
That was his mindset when he ascended the throne.
As soon as he became the young monarch, the first thing he did was overhaul the military from top to bottom.
He changed the standard equipment of the Okhraine Army, which had been ruined according to the tastes of the Empire Alliance, particularly the Soviev Empire, to high-quality equipment from the Free Union.
He actively promoted promising military personnel like Sony Chepelin and intensified efforts in technological development and doctrinal research.
What was the outcome?
Objectively speaking, the Okhraine Army succeeded in recovering. They restored lost systems after a war and now reached a level where they could receive direct orders from both the Rhinehardt Empire and the Pry Free Democratic State for military projects in the Biyaltock territory.
Being the only country in the world to operate advanced shock troops, they even dispatched military advisory teams to learn advanced training and tactical doctrines from other countries.
All of this was thanks to Orlando Rus III and Sony Chepelin.
And the bright, large gemstone she rescued, the results achieved by Enok Revendale.
Though just a colonel, he had cultivated relationships with key figures in the Okhraine Army.
Not only in the military, but also with bureaucrats in the royal court.
But whenever a star rises, there are always those who view it with suspicion.
Now, that blade not only threatened Enok Revendale but also endangered Orlando Rus III’s life.
How far would they go?
Was overthrowing the country their ultimate goal?
If so, as Enok said, there would surely be someone among his inner circle who would claim ‘legitimacy’ and stand before the people.
‘Really, is it Minister Alberto?’
Just as he was lost in thought,
Bang.
A dull sound came from the terrace connected to the bedroom. There was nothing on the terrace. It must have been a bird hitting the window.
But it wasn’t midnight yet, with the sun already set.
‘There’s no way a bird would be flying around.’
Feeling uneasy, Orlando Rus III picked up the pistol.
After pulling the charging handle to load a round, he gently placed his finger on the trigger.
“Is anyone else out there?”
He asked loudly, but there was nothing but a cold silence from the terrace.
Finally, the Regent stood up cautiously and approached the balcony.
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, he opened the door to the balcony.
“You’ll be caught if you enter like that, Your Highness.”
“d*mn, you scared me!”
In front of him was a blonde officer he didn’t notice entering.
Standing against the moonlight, he spoke heavily.
“Your Highness, we are moving to the Central Army Training School immediately. Prepare yourself right away.”
“Haha…”
Orlando Rus III laughed bitterly and nodded.
He didn’t need to ask what Enok Revendale was talking about.
He already knew.
“It’s treason.”
