Chapter 178

Napoleona’s words conveyed an unusual sense of foreboding.

To the people who felt as though something significant was about to happen, she declared…

“From this moment onward, this country… Frantz shall be reformed into an Empire, neither a Republic nor a Kingdom.”

“! Wh-what?!”

“An… Empire?!”

The people, expressing their shock at the unexpected statement, began to react immediately with resistance.

“An Empire?! Does that mean you, Napoleona, intend to become the Empress?!”

“You little… No matter how much power you’ve seized, what right do you have to claim the title of King… let alone Empress?!”

The proclamation of an imperial regime, which was previously unfathomable during the reign, started to give a massive shock to not only the nobles but the Revolutionary Forces as well.

At that moment…

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

A sudden, overwhelming heaviness washed over them.

Those present in the Assembly Hall felt as if something had settled heavily on their shoulders, leaving them unable to utter a word.

A force capable of exerting such pressure on nearly a thousand people simultaneously…

Only one person here, in the entirety of the Kingdom of Frantz, could do that.

And then, the owner of that power spoke in an unfaltering voice.

“Everyone, please be quiet. My words are not yet finished.”

“…”

“…Umm…”

Though half coerced, the crowd shifted to a stance of waiting to hear what she had to say.

To them, Napoleona solemnly continued.

“I am aware of your concerns. However, consider the current state of Frantz. Those of you present here know well that this country is currently divided between the Revolutionary Forces and the aristocracy. One side advocates for freedom and equality under the banner of revolution, while the other desires the authority and honor of the nobility. We are… already aware of the ancient political system that harmonized these two factions.”

“Hmm?”

“…Wait a moment…”

One fact suddenly began to dawn on them.

It was confirmed through Napoleona’s following words.

“The ancient Roman Empire. It was called an Empire and certainly had an aristocratic class, yet that nation was a Republic. Citizens participated in politics to voice their opinions, nobility regulated the situation, and the Emperor provided direction. A nearly flawless political system proven by 2000 years of history. I wish to bring that here to our country.”

“Uh-huh…”

“The Roman Empire…”

Though it had been over a millennium since the fall of the Roman Empire, the ideals of that ancient empire still resided in the hearts of the people.

In fact, the Holy Empire also claimed nominal descent from the Roman Empire, didn’t they?

Thus, the initially grim atmosphere surrounding the name of the Empire began to ease, but that didn’t mean all resistance had vanished.

“I wish to speak for a moment.”

Adun raised his hand and requested the floor.

In response, Napoleona permitted his speech with a gesture.

“I acknowledge that the political system you speak of as an Empire is not entirely absurd, but what happens to the Emperor? No matter how you follow the precedents of the Roman Empire, the context has fundamentally changed. Perhaps if it were Queen Louis, we might concede, but we cannot agree to your occupying that position without any legitimacy.”

At this, the nobles and their representatives started nodding in agreement.

Regardless of how Napoleona was the most powerful person in the land, from their perspective, she was merely a lowborn commoner who seized power through a coup with gun and blade.

They could not agree to making a figure without legitimacy an Emperor.

Thus, resentment began solidifying among the factions of nobles.

At that moment…

“Concerns about legitimacy… There’s no need for you to worry about that.”

“Hmm?”

“What do you mean?”

People expressed their confusion.

In response, Napoleona pulled something from her bosom and presented it forward.

It glimmered gold.

Though small in size, the faces of those who recognized the object began to fill with shock.

“Ah… no…”

“That… could it be…?”

A small golden ring shining brightly.

Its embossed symbol belonged to the royal family of the Kingdom of Frantz, and everyone present knew what it was.

The National Treasure.

The emblem of the King,

Something Queen Louis had always possessed.

Rumor had it that it went missing during a war, and despite everyone, including Robes Fiora, frantically searching for it, it had never been found.

With that precious artifact, which could be considered legitimacy itself, Napoleona confidently stated to the astonished people.

“This is what she… Queen Louis entrusted to me. Before her long journey, she told me to take care of this country in her place. And as her loyal subject and the only rightful heir she recognized, I have decided to uphold her wishes.”

As she spoke those words, Napoleona slipped the ring onto her finger.

Immediately afterward, those who witnessed the golden light radiating from the ring were even more astonished.

The ancient magic that was entwined with the National Treasure.

Only a legally inherited heir could cause the ring to shine like that when worn.

It was irrefutable evidence that Napoleona’s words were not a lie.

The noble factions that had been voicing their objections could only fall silent.

In fact, some of them began to feel emotions that could only be described as moved, overshadowing their earlier hostility.

The King they had long believed missing was not merely an individual who seized power through a rebellion of the lowborn, but someone who ascended to the throne following due process and proper etiquette.

This was a presence that profoundly moved the hearts of the nobles.

And representing them,

Adun, who had been watching the situation, spoke in a grave tone.

“We are subjects of Queen Louis. We have no reason not to follow one she designated as heir through legal processes. I, Lord Adun of Cala, hereby pledge my loyalty to Your Majesty, Napoleona.”

“I shall follow as well.”

“Glory to Your Majesty.”

With Adun starting the chain of allegiance, nobles immediately followed suit in expressing their obedience.

Moreover, the Revolutionary Forces had originally supported Napoleona, so they were already swayed the moment the concept of Rome was brought up.

Although there were still some dissenters within the Assembly Hall, with the tide now turned, they could no longer resist the flow.

Thus, backed by the respect of both the Revolutionary Army and the nobility,

She…

Napoleona Bonaparte, ascended to the throne of Empress.

However, at that moment,

What filled her mind was neither the sight of the throne nor the absolute power it would bestow.

What she was solely focused on was but one thing.

The image of that man who would be sitting beside her on the throne…

‘Now… I will not let you go. Ezra Drake… with this power, I will surely make you mine…’

*

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… it’s nothing. Just suddenly feeling a bit chilly…”

A sudden, meaningless chill crept upon her.

However, soon enough, she quit worrying about it and focused her attention on the fishing pole in her hand.

It was a moment to resupply our stock while we momentarily halted our voyage.

Beside me were Franklin, Ambasha,

And Queen Louis, or rather, Chomski, who was likewise spending time with her fishing pole.

Yet,

Even in this situation, I could not concentrate on fishing.

We had done our utmost to search for Lemain over the past few weeks.

Yet despite thoroughly scouring all the places where we might gather information, we hadn’t found anything substantial.

The only leads we had were a few fishermen who spotted something enormous flying northeast, but they could not pinpoint an exact direction.

‘Where could it have gone… If only I could know for sure whether they were alive or dead…’

With that frustrating thought consuming me, I stared vacantly at the sea until…

-Thud!

“Here’s the bait you asked for.”

“Short on words? Should I hang you out to dry for another couple of days on the line?”

“…Bait… yes… Captain…”

Accompanied by teeth grinding sounds, her voice simmered with obvious irritation and fury.

Horai Nelson.

Wearing Magical Power Sealing Handcuffs on her wrists, she displayed a progressively withering expression.

After all, she was once the Grand Marshal of the Brittania Empire, now reduced to a mere cabin girl on a pirate ship… or rather, Slave No. 1.

In light of her dire situation, I felt a slight alleviation of my own frustration as I glanced at Nelson taking her spot next to Chomski.

‘To think the Grand Marshal and the Queen… By the looks of it, our new crewmates are quite impressive!’

No ordinary corporate level would even compare to their caliber.

With a bitter smile at that thought, I repositioned the bait on my fishing pole.

Just then…

“I can’t believe I… got involved with that dragon girl…”

“…?!”

The sudden complaint from Nelson caught me off guard as I turned to look at her.