CHAPTER 163
The Gladion Imperial Family.
Currently, three factions were fiercely fighting over the Emperor's throne.
Among them, Kandelhar had the deepest ties to the 1st Prince's faction.
The position of the 1st Prince was practically the closest to the throne.
Since he possessed the character and abilities to not fall behind the other two candidates—the 2nd Prince and the 1st Princess—he was the most likely successor according to the line of succession.
Therefore, it was only natural for Kandelhar to align himself with the person most likely to become the Emperor.
Normally, I too would have judged that the 1st Prince had the highest probability.
But my thoughts changed after meeting the 1st Princess, the "Little Giant."
'The 1st Princess will absolutely change the landscape of the battle for the throne.'
The 1st Princess's way of thinking was dangerous.
She would use any means and methods necessary to reach the Emperor's throne.
Because of that, I could ironically trust her in that regard.
I could trust that the 1st Princess would massively shake up the dynamics of the imperial competition.
Of course, there was no guarantee that the 1st Princess would actually become the Empress.
What I'm talking about is simply the act of shaking up the competition itself.
And that tremor would inevitably affect the Regular Army's Commander-in-Chief election as well.
"The reason Lieutenant General Kandelhar receives support from the Center is largely due to his relationship with the Gladion Imperial Family."
Since it was highly likely that the 1st Prince would become Emperor, Kandelhar's future was guaranteed.
But what if the certainty of the 1st Prince becoming Emperor disappeared here?
It was purely hypothetical, but if the 1st Prince failed to take the throne, the moment Kandelhar became the Commander-in-Chief, the Regular Army would be left completely out in the cold.
After all, the faction of the new Emperor wouldn't look kindly upon the Regular Army that had joined hands with a rival faction.
If that happened, the Regular Army would either have to bleed massive expenditures or see its overall influence shrink.
This was the absolute last scenario the Center wanted.
Kandelhar's ability to become Commander-in-Chief relied heavily on his connections to the Imperial Family and various nations.
The moment that fell through, his chances of becoming Commander-in-Chief would drastically plummet.
"More than anyone, Lieutenant General Kandelhar himself will know this fact best."
Kandelhar was a man who looked toward the future.
Rather than personal greed, he wanted to become the Commander-in-Chief for the brilliant future of the Regular Army.
I didn't think Rapha Hastel gave him the position of Lieutenant General for nothing.
Whatever happened in the future, the current lineup of Lieutenant Generals was handpicked by Rapha Hastel himself, making them all trustworthy.
The Lieutenant Generals themselves probably felt this the most.
The Commander-in-Chief must be someone who brings benefit to the Regular Army. This was a fact all the current Lieutenant Generals agreed upon.
Including Kandelhar himself.
"Her Highness the 1st Princess will absolutely make the race for the throne uncertain. Based on what I heard from her, she's the type to commit something incredibly drastic."
The current Commander-in-Chief position could change at any moment, given how little lifespan Rapha Hastel had left.
On the other hand, the Emperor's seat still needed time before a final decision was made.
In other words, the Commander-in-Chief election would come first.
As long as the Emperor remained undecided, deciding on Kandelhar's position as Commander-in-Chief would become even more difficult.
So, we were betting on the turbulence within the Imperial Family.
We would make it so that the votes flocked to Anastasia—who had firmly shifted into neutral gear—so she could receive support regardless of who became Emperor, instead of Kandelhar.
Anastasia showed a stunned reaction.
Inferno, who had been listening next to us, let out a hollow chuckle.
"I wondered why you were so confident you could persuade her."
Inferno made a convinced expression after hearing my explanation.
"You intended to come here with this in mind from the very beginning."
"Of course. Telling her to run for Commander-in-Chief without any plan would be the height of irresponsibility, wouldn't it?"
I wasn't ignoring Anastasia's popularity and respect, either.
But winning an election takes more than just popularity.
The overall flow of the times and the incidents occurring at that moment.
Victory in an election depends on how you utilize those factors.
An election isn't something you leave to luck and popularity; it's something you jump into and seize yourself.
"I have to at least attach wings to the tiger."
When I raised the corners of my mouth into a smirk, Anastasia let out a breath and lifted her head.
"Understood. I will do it. I, too, absolutely want to stop Black Dawn."
With this, I received the assurance that if Anastasia became the Commander-in-Chief, she would definitely crush Black Dawn.
This much talk should be enough.
All that was left was the groundwork before the Commander-in-Chief election.
"Yes, let's meet again next time when you become the Commander-in-Chief."
This was as far as I could intervene in the election.

Now, I just had to hope the Lieutenant Generals would make the right judgment.
"That was a nerve-wracking conversation-ssumda."
"It seems Harua-nim is getting more accustomed to politics as time goes by."
"From what this girl can see, he was definitely a politician in his original world. As a noble, this girl guarantees it."
"Babiyen, you aren't a noble anymore, so you can't guarantee anything, can you?"
I could hear them whispering from the sidelines, but I didn't pay it any mind.
It wasn't like this was the first or second time I was evaluated like this.
Just as I was about to get up from my seat, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Clatter!
Following that, a secretary burst in without even knocking.
Looking that frantic only meant one thing: a crisis had occurred.
"Lieutenant General Anastasia!"
The secretary hurriedly saluted and shouted.
"The Sinner of Pride, Arborex, has committed suicide!"
And an absurd, unexpected piece of news was delivered.

The Sinner of Pride, Arborex.
Immediately after hearing the news of his suicide, we took a carriage and moved to the Central Prison.
It was a truly out-of-the-blue suicide.
And the reason why he committed suicide in the first place was questionable.
'He should know that I have Resurrection Magic.'
It was already widely known that I had joined hands with the Regular Army.
He should have known perfectly well that even if he killed himself at this point, I would be called in.
So why did he commit suicide? Was he pushed to his mental limits? If that were the case, it would actually be a relief, but I had a very bad feeling about this.
Pushing past that feeling, we arrived at the prison.
A special prison created through Void Space.
It was a prison built solely to confine the Deadly Sinners.
Inside the prison, draped only in that pure white space.
Far away, I could see Arborex's shattered corpse floating around.
"I apologize. I thought this might also be part of a scheme, so considering the possibility of escape if I opened the door, I waited until the Lieutenant Generals arrived."
The guard watching the prison door reported.
It was an extremely correct judgment.
Inferno also nodded at the decision.
"You did well. How far has the news spread?"
"For now, I have contacted all the higher-ups related to the prison."
"Alright, then call Merizn. Get that guy on the line. He's better at this kind of stuff than we are."
At Inferno's order, the guard moved quickly.
A moment later, a man with a face full of utter annoyance came down from afar.
With piercings all over his ears and tattoos on his face.
If I had met him on Earth, he had the exact look of someone I would subtly avoid.
"Inferno, why are you making me come and go, what a pain."
"If you heard the news, you should have come quickly. Why are you moving so sluggishly?"
Lieutenant General Merizn.
He was one of the Lieutenant Generals affiliated with the Central Branch.
And the role he played in the Regular Army was incredibly important.
His Ability was Barriers.
He was the one constantly protecting the Regular Army from external attacks.
Unless someone wore a human disguise like Asheria Eve.
His barriers absolutely never allowed external attacks.
"So."
Merizn looked at the prison with eyes full of annoyance.
"I just need to put up a barrier so that thing can't escape, right?"
"Yeah, do me a favor."
Merizn flicked his finger at a guard.
Taking the hint, the guard quickly brought a chair and set it down behind him.
Looking accustomed to this, Merizn sat on the chair, crossed his legs, and snapped his fingers.
At that moment, a subtle film that could only be felt through magic enveloped the space.
"Hurry up and finish this. I'm exhausted."
Merizn maintained the Regular Army's barriers every single day.
Since he always lived with fatigue and insomnia, no one ever complained about his behavior.
Because he was always faithfully performing his role.
When my eyes met Merizn's, he merely gave a disinterested nod.
It was the tamest reaction I had ever gotten from any Lieutenant General I had met so far.
Clank-
While Merizn set up the barrier, Inferno opened the prison door first.
Since he already had experience fighting Arborex, it was a precaution just in case.
However, as if Arborex had truly met his end, only pieces of his corpse floated around.
"Babiyen, gather the corpse pieces."
"Understood."
As Babiyen lightly waved her staff, the corpse pieces were pulled in and gathered at the center.
Whatever he had done, the corpse was an absolute mess, as if it had been swept up in an explosion.
"Harua."
"Yes."

At Inferno's cue, I placed my hand over Arborex.
And without hesitation, I activated my Resurrection Magic.

Whatever his intentions were, I could just revive him and ask.
Or so I thought.
My hand, which was activating the Resurrection Magic, stopped dead.
The moment everyone looked at me with questioning eyes as I stood still.
Cold sweat formed on my forehead.
"......He's not resurrecting."
Resurrection Magic didn't work on Arborex.
Hearing that fact, everyone's eyes slowly began to widen.
He wasn't resurrecting.
What did that mean?
It meant that Arborex had already come back to life somewhere else.
But that was an absurd notion.
In this world, I was the only one who possessed Resurrection Magic.
Arborex's resurrection should have been an impossible story.
However, I had already experienced a time when my Resurrection Magic didn't work.
"......An Apostle?"

When Aranseol also realized this and asked, I looked down at Arborex with narrowed eyes.
If one became an Apostle through the power of a Transcendent, Resurrection Magic didn't work.
But this wasn't something I could immediately accept.
Bloody Crown, who had been transmuting Apostles, was dead.
It wouldn't be impossible for someone else to turn them into Apostles, but the targets were Deadly Sinners. Furthermore, Arborex had committed suicide instantly, almost as if he was absolutely certain he would be revived.
There were too many suspicious points to simply conclude he was an Apostle.
"Goddamn it all. Harua, we need to try resurrecting Gluttony too!"
Inferno shouted and hurriedly moved toward Ganibal, the Sinner of Gluttony.
And just the same, Resurrection Magic did not work on Ganibal either.
Silence fell among us.
The Deadly Sinners we had finally managed to capture.
They had come back to life somewhere else.