At the end of May, Heydrich sent back a war report, marking the official end of the territorial campaign.
Curtis David, the Minister of War, along with his family, was stripped of his titles, relieved of all imperial duties, demoted to commoners, and banned from ever holding office again.
Among them, more than a dozen noble lords, including Curtis David, were sentenced to death under the Imperial Law for multiple serious crimes such as colluding with Star Pirates, human trafficking, and underground gambling.
Over 2,000 people were implicated.
The seven star systems initially belonging to the David Family were confiscated by the Emperor, and their assets seized and added to the national treasury.
The resources for battleships and mechas produced in the Heka Star System were handed over to the territorial Star Provincial Committee by the Emperor’s orders.
The remaining garrison forces on various planets were reformed under the Emperor’s decree.
Additionally, the military authority of the system commander was significantly reduced, leaving only the powers of military drills and new recruitments.
The appointment of senior military officers and the command of military groups were firmly grasped by the supreme ruler of the Empire.
Curtis David, although not at the top of the great aristocratic group, was nonetheless the Imperial Minister in charge of military affairs.
With his downfall, the faction of minor military nobles led by him suffered a heavy blow, falling into chaos without leadership.
The Capital’s nobles appeared calm, but in reality, they were filled with anxiety.
No one would forget that the Marquis of the Empire, who had recently been in the Emperor’s favor, ended up in such a cruel fate merely for losing a political struggle against Grand Duke Harrison.
In contrast, Grand Duke Harrison, who almost let the Emperor fall into peril in the northern territories due to ineffective deployment of garrison forces, was merely scolded by Nero at the Imperial Council without further consequences.
Nobles who had sided with the David Family during the open and secret struggles of the two great families now deeply regretted their lack of foresight.
Comparatively, even a fool could discern the Emperor’s preference:
The young Emperor still favored his maternal relatives.
But now, it was too late for regret.
For his merits in deploying garrison forces and eradicating the David faction during the territorial campaign, the Emperor immediately issued a personal edict after the comprehensive victory:
Grand Duke Harrison Laud was appointed as the Empire’s First-Class Grand Duke, conferred with the title “Lord of Radiance” of the highest honor, the hereditary title of ‘Crownless Prince,’ and the military merit medal ‘Guardian of the Empire’.
In addition to a plethora of glittering titles, the Emperor also ordered the creation of a prestigious medal of honor crafted from the purest gold ever recorded in history.
The medal was engraved with the portrait of Grand Duke Harrison and the following inscription:
“Guardian of the Galaxy, Sword Bearer of the Rose Throne, Eternal Hand of the Emperor, and Wall of the Empire.”
…However, apart from these prestigious titles, Nero did not grant the Harrison Family any monetary rewards or additional territories.
During Heydrich’s last audience with the Emperor before his return, Nero had just reviewed a report from the Imperial Science Bureau. Behind him, the light screen still displayed a scene of Asaga resting.
Nero: “… Also, if there are any impressive commanders or brave soldiers from the campaign, please recommend them to me. I will review their battle records and place them in more suitable positions.”
Heydrich bowed his head in acknowledgment: “Yes, Your Majesty. I also believe some junior officers in Harrison’s garrison have significant military talent. With focused training, they could hold key positions in the future. I have already compiled a list with my notes on their personal combat records for Your Majesty to review.”
Nero nodded, confident in Heydrich’s judgment of talent.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
After a pause, he lowered his voice slightly.
“Pc atf cfjg oeaegf, P klii jnblv lclaljalcu jcs lcafgcji mbcoilmar.”
Lf rqbxf atbeutaoeiis, “Qjgr vb cba fcv mbwqifafis klat atf vfofja bo bcf rlvf. Gfofja ygffvr tjagfv, jcv tjagfv rqjgxr oijwfr.
“P tjnf fzfmeafv Jegalr Gjnlv, yea tlr gfwjlclcu xlc lc atf Swqlgf klii regfis fzqfglfcmf aegwbli. Qf wera yf nlulijca jujlcra atbrf ktb wluta ojc atf oijwfr bo gfrfcawfca.”
“Until I have built a loyal and battle-hardened corps from the territories you’ve secured, we must avoid large-scale family feuds instigated by the nobles. Otherwise, it could escalate into an uncontrollable situation.”
“And your uncle—honorable Majesty, please forgive my bluntness,” Heydrich said, “Based on my knowledge of his forces and faction, he possesses the capability to incite nationwide unrest single-handedly. Given our current strength, we could only watch as he divides the Empire.
“He hasn’t done so yet because he is a shrewd businessman who avoids mutually destructive conflicts. But if he decides to bring everything down with him, Majesty—”
“Yes… my dear Uncle, how could I forget him?”
The Emperor sighed, a subtle smile spreading across his face.
“Remember to visit him first when you return to the Capital, Heydrich, and make sure it’s before you see me. Your every move will be scrutinized by the Capital’s nobles; it’s crucial to demonstrate your stance clearly. Until I find the opportunity to strike decisively, we must maintain a period of stable subterfuge.”
Heydrich smiled, subtly echoing Nero’s use of ‘we’:
“So, Your Majesty, we are far from stopping here, right?”
“To achieve fundamental reforms, obtaining total control of the Empire is necessary.”
Nero’s eyes turned cold.
“My Empire should never be riddled with corruption… it must be strong, precise, and invulnerable, equipped with armor to repel all external threats and a meritocratic system that grants people the freedom to shape their destinies.
“When other species hear of the Galactic Empire, they should tremble with fear, while our human compatriots should only feel proud to be born here…”
As Nero became engrossed in his ideals, murmuring to himself, Heydrich watched him quietly on the light screen.
His sleeping quarters were unlit, leaving half of his handsome face shrouded in darkness.
Only his glacier-blue eyes reflected the light from the screen, with a hidden flame flickering within.
“I will follow your will, Your Majesty.”
When Nero turned his gaze back, Heydrich quickly bowed his head.
“Good.”
Nero nodded, reaching to turn off the screen.
But just as the communication was about to end, Heydrich’s fingers moved, pausing the screen.
So when the transmission ended, the screen remained illuminated.
The image of the young Emperor leaning forward to touch the off button was frozen in front of Heydrich.
The cabin door was locked.
In the darkness, gloved fingers slowly traced the high, beautiful face.
The screen was just a floating projection.
So, when he touched the silver-haired Emperor, his fingers only passed through the void, creating tiny ripples of electronic waves.
The supreme ruler of the Empire, unaware of being almost presumptuously touched, remained frozen in the posture of leaning towards him, snow-white eyelashes lowered.
Perhaps because he had finished his last communication of the day, the boy’s expression also showed rare relaxation.
Even the lips that usually remained cold and tightly pressed were relaxed, revealing soft, tender lips tinged with a delicate, rosy hue.
Heydrich was fully aware that his current behavior and mental state were completely unlike his usual self.
Thankfully, the keen-eyed Emperor on the other side of the screen was still an undifferentiated Alpha, thus unable to detect his anomaly.
…He was currently in the susceptible period of an Alpha.
Despite undergoing rigorous training to block susceptibility, it is challenging for a fully functional Alpha to completely eliminate the periodic susceptibility phase.
During this period, all of an Alpha’s senses are heightened, and without the comfort of an Omega, they can fall into an indiscriminate, aggressive frenzy.
Heydrich had, of course, practiced restraining his frenzy and could even suppress the desires of his susceptibility phase.
But now—
His gaze burned on those soft lips, his thumb tracing along the delicate curve of the lower lip.
Although he could only feel the air, at this moment, the sight of the Emperor’s lowered brows and the unconscious caress of his lips sent a bizarre thrill through him, causing his spine to shiver uncontrollably.
“…A leader’s quality…”
A distant voice echoed in the darkness.
“What is a leader’s quality?”
“Focus, concentration, calm, loyalty.”
“Do you think you are focused enough?”
“Commander…”
Crack!
A whip sliced through the air, striking the tender knee of the young child, causing blood to splatter and forcing him to kneel heavily on the rough ground.
Even though the Empire had countless military nobles, few children were subjected to the brutal military training the Heydrich Family imposed, starting from the moment they learned to walk and addressing their father as ‘Commander.’
He held no resentment. The Heydrich Family was born to be blades, to become the steel sword engraved with a rose on their family crest, to be strong, merciless war machines. This was their honor and destiny.
“Do you think you are focused enough?”
When he became the first child in the family to differentiate early into an Alpha, he had to sit in a cockpit filled with Omega pheromones, completing simulations while induced into a susceptible state.
“Are you mesmerized by Omega’s pheromones?”
He was drenched in sweat.
Crack!
Now, his training uniform was soaked with sticky blood as well.
“Are you focused enough?”
“…”
Crack!
“As a leader, any unwarranted hesitation on the battlefield is a grave sin! Look at your shameful reaction. When will you become a blade fit for the Emperor’s use?”
Crack!
“Now answer me, are you focused enough?”
“…Yes, Commander,” he regained his composure from the chaotic susceptibility period, “I confirm I am focused enough.”
“…I will uphold the Heydrich Family tradition, seeking my rightful sovereign. Like a blade tempered by blood and fire, I will eventually find the sheath that belongs to me.”
Young Heydrich recited his political essay in class.
“To the ruler I acknowledge, I will offer absolute loyalty, absolute trust, absolute strength; but if my sovereign strays from his path—”
His blue eyes suddenly gleamed with cold poison.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough.”
Gagne interrupted him immediately.
The old imperial tutor, still holding the truant young prince Nero, maintained a forced calm as he advised the stern young noble.
“Well written, but do not write like this again.”
He was so adept at suppressing himself and maintaining the highest focus that even gas made from Omega pheromones could no longer disturb him—an absolute requirement for becoming a top commander.
No one knew where all that suppressed emotion went, and he didn’t care.
Because discussing personal desires with a perfect war machine is always foolish.
But now he understood.
Everything suppressed never truly disappears.
They gather into a massive, twisted monster at some point in life, then come back to haunt him in the dark.
“No… Hermann Heydrich. Don’t do this to him—”
He whispered hoarsely, his handsome brows knitted tightly.
His thumb slipped into the crevice of the silver-haired boy’s lips, reaching into the deeper void.
At this moment, the child whipped to his knees, the youth immersed in the trial chamber, and the dark-haired noble reading his political essay in class, all stared at him in reproach from the darkness.
After a long, eerie stillness, the beautiful face of the silver-haired boy dipped towards him, creating a dozen ripples of electronic waves.
The man finally turned off the screen, closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply in the dark.
He stood up and forcefully threw the dirty gloves into the trash bin.
I find myself coming back here several times a day to see if you have updated, and I never get disappointed. Thank you for releasing new chapters so fast 💗
For real 🤭♥️
Hehe I meant to reply to the other comment, thank you for the chapters!!! :)))
Thank you for all the chapters