Neo Hanyang, an undisclosed location.
In a pitch-dark room with no lighting, only the flames flickering from their tails illuminated the stern faces of the dinosaur men seated within.
They were the highest dignitaries of the Great Hwan Empire.
The most loyal of the loyal, favored by the Emperor himself.
The Five Sacred Dinosaurs.
“This cannot go on any longer.”
The one seated at the head of the table, Chief State Councilor Lee Jehak, broke the silence.
They had been so close.
Just a little more time, and they would have had everything in this nation within their grasp.
But the meticulous plans they had built over years were crumbling, piece by piece, from the ground up.
Of course, they had anticipated resistance from the First Successor to the throne—the Imperial Princess—as well as discontent from the potential rival faction, the Edo Corporation.
But no matter how capable they were, they had believed that with the Emperor’s backing, no one could even hope to touch them.
“How could the Minister of War let things come to this?! Didn’t you swear that nothing would be exposed until the day of execution?!”
“I’d like to ask the same! How could some outsider detect and destroy a secret facility buried three layers underground?! There must have been a leak somewhere in the chain of command!”
“If we had just arrested those shameless traitors and sent them to the Royal Inspectorate from the start, none of this would have happened! You said they could be controlled!”
Soon, arguments erupted among the attendees, voices rising in accusation.
As the heated exchanges continued, Lee Jehak quietly closed his eyes.
Even now, everything they had prepared was turning to dust.
What did it matter whose fault it was?
The important thing was that if they let this continue, only greater failure awaited.
“…We must move the plan forward.”
His quiet voice cut through the noise, and the other dragon-men immediately fell silent.
“But, Your Excellency…”
“There is no other choice. We must first remove the First Princess and then charge the Edo Corporation with treason in one sweep. I will report to Her Majesty the Noble Consort.”
“…We obey your command.”
Though their standing among the dragon-men might diminish slightly in the aftermath, it was still better than utter failure.
With that thought, Lee Jehak was the first to leave the secret chamber.
He immediately headed to the palace and requested an audience with the Noble Consort.
The wait was not long.
“My, my, Chief State Councilor, you incompetent lowlife. What brings you here at this ungodly hour, and with what face?”
A voice laced with charm.
A face as captivating as ever.
Bowing deeply before their true master—the woman who would one day lead a vast, unified empire—
Lee Jehak prostrated himself.
***
For the past few days, the more time passed, the stronger the enemy’s defenses and countermeasures became.
Wasn’t rapid growth supposed to be the protagonist’s exclusive trait?
The enemy’s growth hadn’t been part of the plan.
So, rather than giving them time to grow, we decided to push them all the way from Floor 24 to Floor 25 in one go.
And there was even better news—
“Though the technology was quite advanced and difficult to analyze, the modifications are complete.”
“Finally!”
My Water Rocket-Revolver had been fully upgraded with Ryua’s help, making it far more reliable.
Of course, the penalty of draining my funds hadn’t been resolved, but at least it was now strong enough to protect me in this power-inflated world.
“Let’s begin the meeting.”
Though it was late at night, we gathered all relevant personnel for a final review of the operation.
The first briefing came from Ellis.
“Ultimately, the enemy we must face is the Demon of Domination—the Witch-Queen.”
To know your enemy is to win every battle.
We needed to consolidate all the information we had.
“True to her title, she is a girl who enjoys dominating and ruling over others. Her personality… Well, let’s just say she’s not exactly pleasant. Even among demons, her reputation isn’t great.”
“Yeah! Total brat! Spoils the mood!”
“I agree.”
Ellis explained while Tina and Nev chimed in.
I wasn’t sure just how bad her personality was to warrant such strong reactions, but it didn’t matter—we had no intention of recruiting her anyway.
After all, she wasn’t someone who would end at Floor 25.
She was the type to flee all the way to Floor 30, clinging stubbornly to life.
《She entered the palace as a concubine but quickly rose to power by bending the Empress Dowager to her will. I suspected she used some underhanded means, and now I’m certain of it.》
Dan Minha, joining via video call, added details about the palace.
《The ministries where the dragon-men have significant influence—Finance, Rites, War, and Justice—are all under her control. If you include the departments they oversee, more than two-thirds of the palace is effectively hostile territory.》
The outlook wasn’t exactly bright.
“Then, what forces can we reliably count on to side with the Princess?”
《Nothing is certain. But at the very least, I can prevent the outer defense forces from storming in due to the chaos in the palace. The Imperial Guard, however, will be difficult.》
“Hmm.”
Still, avoiding large-scale clashes with the regular army was a significant advantage.
《Hehe. Even if that happens, we can overpower them with EMPs. That’s what they were designed for, after all.”
“…Are you saying you planted backdoors in the equipment supplied to the military?》
“Oh, Your Highness, would I ever do such a thing?”
As Dan Minha and Ryua exchanged thinly veiled barbs, I moved on to assess another variable.
“Unit 38?”
“Difficult. If things escalate, I’ll likely be ‘silenced’ immediately. Though I—no, Unit 38—am loyal to Your Highness, the stance of the other Watchers is unclear.”
“Hmm.”
In a full-scale battle, gaining the upper hand in combat was important, but real-time intelligence was even more critical.
Outside the palace, Edo Corporation’s CCTV network would handle that, but inside Floor 25’s main battlefield—the palace—we needed the Watchers’ cooperation.
“What if we promise them freedom?”
《Freedom… You mean releasing Unit 38 and others from their duties here?》
Unit 38’s usually emotionless tone wavered for a moment.
Early discharge.
Who could resist such an offer?
I subtly glanced at Dan Minha, signaling for a smooth transition.
On the other side of the screen, the Princess’s gaze fixed on Unit 38, nestled in Ellis’s arms.
After a brief silence—
《…As Princess, I have always been deeply concerned about the unjust treatment of our people. I have repeatedly advocated for improving their harsh working conditions, only to be ignored by the bureaucrats. How can it not be a problem to waste one’s youth trapped in a coffin? At the very least, I will ensure they can come and go freely.》
For a nudge, Dan Minha’s words were surprisingly sincere.
Unit 38’s LED flickered violently before settling on [T_T].
《Loyalty. I will stake my life to persuade my comrades.》
…This was starting to feel like a real conspiracy.
Arthas Dan Minha, whispering “Succeeding you, my mother…” while plotting to usurp the Emperor’s—
《Then, when do we act?》
“Mm.”
Though I’d spent the whole day preparing and hadn’t used up my entry attempts yet, it was already night.
Should we wait until tomorrow, or push forward now?
If I returned to Celestia and entered the Tower, Party 2 could teleport directly to the event location.
As I pondered—
《…They’ve made their move.》
Dan Minha’s video feed flickered, the image distorting before cutting out entirely.
[DISCONNECT]
Only a warning message remained where her upper body had been displayed.
At the same time—
[You have entered Floor 24 of the Tower of Wishes – Palace District 1.]
[★☆☆ : Occupy the Office of the Inspector General.]
[★★☆ : Complete the mission without any casualties.]
[★★★ : Ensure the safety of First Princess Dan Minha.]
Once again, I was being dragged into a fight against my will—an unpleasant feeling.
“…It looks like we’re starting now.”
But unlike last time, we were fully prepared.
“Party 2, head straight to the Eastern Palace and rescue the Princess. Then proceed to the Office of the Inspector General. Party 1, come with me to the Royal Inspectorate. Renatel, keep monitoring communications.”
Though it was unclear how much influence Unit 38 would have over their comrades, even minimal cooperation would help.
The main objective wasn’t part of the mission, but strategically, it was best to eliminate hostile forces now to prevent future conflicts on Floor 24.
There was no time limit, either.
“Ellis?”
“Yes, Ark?”
“Give Ryua ‘that’ set.”
“Ufufu.”
To avoid repeating past mistakes, I’d prepared a special gift set for temporary allies.
Everything was in place.
Well, whatever.
If we failed, it’d be called treason.
If we succeeded, it’d be a revolution.
Tonight was going to be a long one.