IWBNAM Chapter 4 (Part 1)

4. What I Wanted to Avoid

My mind went blank. It felt like I had just heard something absurd. Something impossible. Something that should never happen.

His Imperial Majesty has passed away? Sirius von Giskard is dead? Why would he die now? He’s the main character! The protagonist of Space Era Heroic Tales, isn’t he? How can the great hero who conquers the universe suddenly drop dead halfway through?

“Garcia. Is that really, really true?”

While everyone sat there stunned with their mouths open, Hessler rubbed his ears and asked. Instead of replying, Garcia manipulated his device and projected a video into the air. A military officer from the Ministry of Defense reported the situation with a completely frozen expression.

Rosenburg City Lord’s time, Saturday, May 14th, 12:00.

Their Majesties were scheduled to attend the botanical garden’s opening ceremony. A vast private garden owned by a fallen grand noble had been seized and was being opened to the public for the first time.

The Emperor gently supported the Empress, who was seven months pregnant, as they entered the greenhouse filled with rare subtropical plants. Behind them followed the Empress’s adoptive parents, the Minister of State, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and other attendants such as the chief aide and the chief secretary. A few steps behind were Marshal Zerodel and the senior generals: Hoffmann, Big Johann Meyer, and Little Johann Meyer.

While the scene was being broadcast live, the accident happened. Visitors were smiling as they walked around the greenhouse when an odd noise sounded and an explosion occurred. As a result…

“The explosion itself wasn’t very powerful, but the location was terrible. The greenhouse glass shattered completely, and one shard directly struck His Majesty’s neck…”

The Emperor received a fatal wound and died within minutes. The Minister of State, whose chest was also pierced by a shard, gasped harshly before succumbing as well. The Empress’s adoptive parents suffered critical injuries. The Empress herself wasn’t badly wounded, but the shock caused bleeding symptoms, and she was rushed to the hospital.

Marshal Zerodel only suffered a pierced arm, but Hoffmann and Little Johann Meyer received severe trauma and their survival was uncertain. The officer added that the Interior Minister, the Civil Affairs Minister, and many others had also sustained various injuries.

“It seems coordinated sabotage was carried out simultaneously against several key facilities in Rosenburg. We’re receiving reports of explosions big and small across the city. Ah, we just received information that Marshal Valois and his family were also attacked…”

Lee Juwon couldn’t say a word and only listened. The urgent report sounded distant and muffled. As his heartbeat grew louder, the sound of his own breathing filled his head. He felt dizzy.

“M-Marshall Valois is also critically injured. His wife and son suffered severe wounds and are being rushed to the nearest hospital!”

Is this a nightmare? I must be dreaming, right? This wasn’t in the original story. It wasn’t, right? It couldn’t be.

The Emperor, the protagonist of the novel, was dead. The Empress was safe for now, but the signs of premature labor made everything uncertain. In the worst case, she could die along with the unborn child. The Minister of State, the head of the civil officials, was dead. The Fleet Commander, Valois, was critically injured. Hoffmann and Little Johann Meyer, who became senior generals after Grime was promoted to Defense Minister and Zerodel became Capital Defense Commander, were also critically wounded with unclear chances of recovery…

What kind of ridiculous mess is this? How did the story twist so badly that everything turned into this disaster? This can’t be happening. It just can’t.

Beep. Beep.

In the chaotic atmosphere, a sharp alert tone snapped everyone back to their senses. Someone was receiving an emergency call on their device.

“Sir. An urgent call request from the Ministry of Justice.”

“Why would someone from Justice want me?”

Beep. Beep.

There was no time to be confused. Calls began coming in on others’ devices as well.

“This is Secretary to Defense Minister Grime. He’s asking if you can take his call immediately.”

“From the Vice Minister of State…”

“Zimmermann, the Chief of Military Police…”

“The Interior Vice Minister is urgently requesting contact…”

“The aide to Chief of Staff Werner just now…”

“Sir, I’m sorry, but there’s an urgent caller asking for you…”

When they failed to reach his close aides, the callers began flooding the attendants and even the inn staff. Lee Juwon couldn’t understand any of it.

Why are they calling me? What authority do I have? Just follow the manual. It’s not like there’s no emergency response protocol. Why are they doing this to me?

“Sir.”

“Sir?”

“Sir!”

The people gathered around all looked at him. Dozens of eyes begging him to tell them what to do.

‘I don’t know what to do either.’

Lee Juwon screamed inwardly. None of this was something he had ever imagined.

‘Don’t do this to me, please.’

Don’t look at me. Don’t rely on me. I’m just a first-year college student. An immature eighteen-year-old. I only ended up in this world by accident while playing a game. I, I…

As emergency alert tones rained down from all directions, Lee Juwon froze like a block of wood, incapable of responding.

“Sir?”

Do they think I’m some designated survivor? I… I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I’m scared. Why did things turn out like this? What do they expect me to do? Azani retired. Don’t ask a retired officer for crisis management. Let the active officials handle it.

“Sir!”

Y-yeah. I could tell them a retired marshal has no business interfering and hide away. If I run, claim it has nothing to do with me, and retreat somewhere quiet…

‘Then I’ll die.’

Lee Juwon finally understood reality. If he stayed passive, even if he begged to live quietly, potential enemies would see him as a threat and try to eliminate him. The Emperor, his strongest supporter, was gone. He had to survive on his own now. Azani’s peaceful retirement had only been possible because the Emperor was alive.

There was nowhere left to run. The frontier? Defect to the Nova Union? Impossible. He would be killed no matter where he went.

“Sir.”

No, damn it. So what am I supposed to do? Someone tell me. Status window! Why isn’t the status window popping up? I don’t care if it’s a quest fairy or a constellation system or whatever, just show up! Show yourself already!

This is a novel world. If they dragged a gamer into another world out of nowhere, shouldn’t they at least give him some kind of perk? Give me a hint. Point me in the right direction. Guide me on where to go. Give me a quest, damn it! How hard is it to lay out clear instructions? No? There’s nothing?

“Sir!”

Get it together. You have to pull yourself together, Lee Juwon. You have to think and decide for yourself. Use what you have and carve your own path. You can’t stay frozen. You’re capable, aren’t you?

Face reality. You can’t run. Move. Think. I, I… My name is…

“Why is His Excellency acting like that?”

The people watching began to whisper. It felt as if the Azani they knew wasn’t standing there anymore. The man who rarely showed emotion, the machine-like figure said to have no blood or tears, Azani, now seemed to be in a panic. His milky white skin had gone pale, his eyes were wide open, and his well-shaped lips were slightly parted as he let out shallow breaths.

“Sir. You’ve been outside wearing wet clothes for too long. Please come in and change.”

Hessler spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. It was right after he noticed Azani’s hand trembling without direction.

“First take care of your body, sir. It seems you’ve lost a lot of heat.”

Garcia, quick on the uptake, removed his outer coat and wrapped it around his superior. Even in mid-May, the night air was fairly chilly. He was worried about his superior who was wearing nothing but a thin set of drenched clothes. He quickly pushed aside the disrespectful thought that the man he served looked awfully forlorn.

“Sir, please come inside…”

Hessler was about to escort his superior in by force if necessary when the man, stiff as a log until now, raised one hand to stop him.

“Connect me to Grime first.”

Lee Juwon… no, Nael, forced himself to look as calm as possible and spoke. The subordinate holding the device linked to Grime stepped forward and opened the video channel.

“Marshal Azani.”

Moments later, Defense Minister Grime appeared on the screen wearing a deeply grim expression.

“What’s the situation on the front line?”

This had to be checked first. The nation was in a state of emergency. Nael skipped any greetings and went straight to the point. Grime looked briefly surprised before responding.

“No reports so far. No signs of large-scale Union military movement.”

If this terror attack were part of the Union’s plan, they would have launched an invasion to match the timing. Even factoring in the time differences, the lack of movement meant an immediate all-out assault was unlikely.

“Is information under control?”

Think, think. Nael quickly chose the next question.

“It was broadcast live. We cut the broadcast as fast as we could, but there were too many witnesses. The news has probably reached other systems by now.”

“How is the Empress? And the child?”

The Emperor was already dead. At the very least, the Empress and the unborn heir needed to survive. Nael cooled his head and asked.

“She showed signs of premature labor and was moved straight into the delivery ward…”

“The incubator will be ready. Even in ancient times, before medical science developed, there were many cases of seven-month babies surviving and growing up. So tell the medical team this: no matter what happens, they must protect the child. Understood? The next Emperor must be saved.”

If forced to choose between the mother and the child, save the child. Grime understood immediately and swallowed hard.

“I’ll tell them.”

“I’ll return at once. You’re the busiest man right now, so I’ll cut the call here.”

Nael ended the call coldly, then ordered Hessler to prepare for immediate return. Even as he went inside to change clothes, he took the pending urgent calls one by one.

“Follow the manual. There are procedures for when a superior is incapacitated. Why are you calling me? End the call!”

He responded irritably to departments that had nothing to do with him.

“We’ll leave as soon as the shuttle is ready, so handle whatever you can first. You hold the actual authority. Don’t ask me for instructions.”

There were too many. It took time just to respond to each one.

“Don’t waste time on minor facility explosions. The top priority is the Imperial Hospital. Leave the other sites to the civilians. Do I really have to spell out everything?”

Panic-stricken officials kept calling. The entire nation was falling into chaos. Too many influential figures had died or been critically injured at once, so those who suddenly inherited authority several tiers above their station had no idea what to do and couldn’t manage the aftermath properly.

Seeking help was impossible. One of the active marshals was out in space, and the other two were incapacitated due to their injuries, leaving the Defense Minister to struggle alone. Most of the senior generals had climbed the ranks as field army commanders, so they were of little use. Naturally, the last remaining marshal came to mind. Especially since that marshal was skilled in handling political affairs.

“…This is troublesome. I have no real authority.”

A short while later, after boarding the shuttle, Nael pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh. He may have been an Imperial Marshal, but he held no other position. Any move he made risked being interpreted as overstepping his bounds. He needed proper authority for anything. All he could do was desperately hope that the Empress would still be alive by the time he arrived.

“They say it will take about two hours to reach our destination.”

Hessler relayed the pilot’s words. Nael nodded in silence. The entire direct flight path had been cleared for the urgent movement of an Imperial Marshal. There was no way to go any faster.

“Call from the Defense Minister.”