The battle’s outcome was decided the moment those crimson butterflies took to the skies. It was impossible to escape them. Nobles and commoners, friend and foe alike, collapsed at their touch. Jubilia’s detachment fighting to protect Saya were no exception. In fact, they were the first to be touched, and the first to be dominated by Saya’s power.
Yes, domination. The moment her power flowed within them, their blood calibers ceased to function. They were all made to understand by instinct that the owner of this power was the Sovereign. Every single person touched by the butterflies consequently lost consciousness. The flying swarm—Saya’s royal caliber—gained total supremacy of the battlefield in the blink of an eye. Its range extended all the way to the royal palace’s gates.
Holding Saya in his arms, Nagi was spared. He stared at his surroundings in a daze as everybody in sight crumpled. Jubilia believed this was perhaps because Nagi had been touching Saya during the royal caliber’s activation. He wasn’t the only one unaffected, however. The butterflies’ power didn’t reach the Crestfolk, either. As a result, the Crestfolk... and their allies in the revolutionary army, seized victory ever so easily.
The butterflies eventually vanished. They hadn’t reached the palace interior; Lernaean’s group managed to escape them by retreating indoors. A skirmish broke out with the knights protecting the grounds, but at that point, the trend of the battle was already determined. Even without being touched by Saya’s royal caliber, its mere presence could be felt far and wide. It made it clear to everyone where the True Sovereign’s loyalties lay.
Having lost their just cause, the morale of the defending forces plummeted, and the palace capitulated in no time at all. The False Sovereign Kyou and the mainstays of the Traditionalists, including Gratos, were all arrested by Lernaean.
The revolution was a success. The problem now was that when the butterflies had vanished, Saya collapsed.
“Then let us begin,” Lernaean calmly declared from the chairman’s seat in the Congress Hall.
Nobody could object to him sitting there. He was undeniably the greatest person of influence at this point. The one person who stood above him, Saya, wasn’t seated atop the throne overlooking the assembly.
Two days later, Saya opened her eyes a single time before falling back into her continuous slumber. There was no threat to her life, but she couldn’t leave the depths of the palace. Lernaean built his new order in silence during the Sovereign’s absence.
Crow’s group in Cobalt were the ones who most greatly anticipated these changes. They made sure to spread the sentiment that the nobles of the Sovereignty Faction shouldn’t be the only ones to enjoy the fruits of their victory far and wide.
To that end, a discussion was to be held at Congress. Everyone present understood that this very gathering would decide the new order of society. Present for the assembly were the Sovereignty Faction, headed by Lernaean, and the key members of Cobalt, including Crow, Senak, and Dimitri.
Jubilia stood at Lernaean’s side, as she always did. She had already returned her sword, so she was no longer under his command. She was once more assigned as Saya’s personal guard and watcher. In name, she was under the Sovereign’s direct command. An official designation hadn’t been made, since Saya remained asleep, but nobody had the leisure to pay attention to such trifling details amidst the chaos.
Jubilia figured she had been called to simply even out the numbers. Any noble would’ve sufficed. She watched over the discussion with such thoughts in mind, seeing as none of this involved her.
“Common folk paid more dearly with their blood in that battle. They have played the leading role in the revolution,” Crow said, his speech eloquent and poignant.
“Precisely,” Lernaean replied calmly. “But it is also true there would have been no struggle if not for the strength of the knights. That is why we drafted to have the primary position of office be split between nobles and Cobalt.”
“But are the military posts, including the security of the capital, not all allocated to nobles?”
“Is there any other choice? Public order in the entirety of Agartha, especially in the capital, is urgent business. The only ones with experience in handling this are the knightly orders. The doors will eventually open to commoners, but shouldn’t we be expedient about this matter for now?”
“Isn’t it going too far to give the nobles a monopoly over the current positions, though?”
“In exchange, important positions regarding financial and domestic affairs have all been allocated to you. You may not realize this, having been excluded from such matters up until now, but the more prestigious posts have largely been allotted to commoners.”
“But...” Crow hesitated to continue.
“This is what you’re trying to say, isn’t it? ‘Hand over the posts regarding the final say on Amrita to us commoners,’” Lernaean declared calmly, yet with an overbearing tone.
Crow choked trying to come up with an objection. His intentions were completely transparent to Lernaean.
“Unfortunately, it’s still too early for that. The time will eventually come, but that time isn’t now,” Lernaean continued.
“Why?! Dr. Dimitri has already unraveled the means of synthesis—the upper echelon’s most closely guarded secret! The truth is already out of the bag!”
Dimitri’s doctorate, stripped from him during his stay at Ronadyphe, had been restored.
“The Amrita he can create is still incomplete. I believe he knows this best,” Lernaean said.
Dimitri winced at this. “Unfortunately, you’re right... None of the trial subjects, including those here, were capable of manifesting a blood caliber. I can’t call it Amrita in that case. However, so long as my research can continue, I’ll definitely succeed.”
“You know that’s impossible right now. Lady Saya remains bedridden. We’d rather ask that you see to her treatment, Professor.”
“I will be of assistance, of course.”
“You should know, Dr. Dimitri, having been touched by that power. That was the real Sovereign’s Blood. Lady Saya is the one we should all be serving.”
Dimitri hung his head without replying. He was caught between this sudden outburst of loyalty within him and the ideals he had lived his life by to this day. He no longer knew what to do. That was how tremendous the effect of the royal caliber was, despite its diminished effect on Dimitri from his forced abstention from Amrita.
“Professor! Are you betraying us?!” Senak yelled.
“I don’t comprehend how treating Lady Saya is equivalent to betrayal,” Lernaean responded coldly. “Take back your statement. Such words can be interpreted as wishing harm upon the Sovereign.”
From what Jubilia could see, Cobalt was being led about by the nose. The conversation had begun on the topic of the monopolization of Amrita, but now it was about something else entirely. Senak’s slip of the tongue had been baited out.
“I retract my statement and apologize,” Senak said meekly. With this, Cobalt lost its aggressive position.
“Be at ease. Amrita will be distributed among you. We cannot make any new batches of Amrita so long as Lady Saya’s condition remains as it is and the Blood Offering Festival does not take place, but the palace retains a stockpile. Such are the current times. As cabinet ministers, your lives will likely be targeted, so this is a natural consideration.”
One of Cobalt’s members audibly gulped. That slight sound revealed their true motives beyond anything else. They wanted it. They wanted eternal life, just like the nobles. Many commoners who partook in the revolution were the same. They believed they would be able to receive Amrita when the revolution succeeded. That was why they had thrust themselves into such a dangerous battle.