I Aggressively Stack Steel of the Heart in the Knight Order

The Grand Governor’s sanctum.

The room’s main structure was shielded against Spiritual Energy. Its interior was bare, a testament to the stringent security measures in place. It was used exclusively for high-level war councils or for receiving important guests.

More than for guarding against rebels and Demons,

Sedon had ordered the sanctum’s construction primarily to prevent leaks from within.

After he personally repelled Mercator, the Great Demon of the Great Demon Abyss, the military forces of the Imperial Administrative Region had seized complete control of the war on the Verne Front Line.

They had successfully contained the scale of the rebellion and the war within the borders of the Verne Star System.

Perhaps the opposition factions within the Administrative Region were gradually realizing that if the Grand Governor personally led the campaign, withstood the pressure from all sides, and won this grand war, then Sedon’s skyrocketing reputation and greatly enhanced power would utterly crush them.

Crush them so completely they would never rise again!

The more intense the fighting on the front lines became, the more frenzied the opposition within the Administrative Region grew, making countless petty moves.

Now, with the Old Empire mired in the Great Rebellion and the sublime era of the Great Crusade at an end,

the saying ”the front lines are tight while the rear lines feast” was anything but an exaggeration for an organization like the Imperial Administrative Region—a place of tangled internal factions, differing agendas among its many Knight Warlords, and an entity that could even be described as hastily cobbled together.

This was also why Sedon had handed over complete financial authority of the Administrative Region to his allies in the Capet Dynasty, entrusting it fully to Lady Catherine.

Those opposition factions, content to watch from the sidelines and even kick a man when he’s down, didn’t care if the Imperial Administrative Region was destroyed.

As long as their own interests weren’t harmed, these people would be thrilled to see an Epic Level-catastrophe on the Verne Front Line, just so they could ride on the corpse of the Administrative Region, laughing wildly with glee as they feasted.

As Sedon finished explaining the many problems facing the Administrative Region to Reinhardt, Fedor, the leader of the Red Flame Son who had been listening in, found his brow knitting tighter and tighter.

From this one part, he could grasp the whole.

He couldn’t imagine that in just over twenty years, the Empire’s governance of its territories could have rotted to this extent.

Even the Death Battle Group and the Emperor’s Shield—two Knight Battle Groups totaling more than ten thousand men—couldn’t suppress the local Knight Warlords of the Ash Soil Star Zone.

Although these opposition Knight Warlords controlled over a hundred thousand Imperial Knights combined, the combat effectiveness of the two sides was completely disproportionate.

The only silver lining, perhaps, was that aside from these opposition forces, many Knight Warlords within the Administrative Region remained loyal to the Empire, fighting the rebels to the death on the Verne Front Line.

”...This is the file for the second phase of the Vengeful Angels project.”

Sedon took out a prepared file and handed it to Reinhardt.

Then, he clasped his hands behind his back, his posture tall and proud. His shrewd and sinister gaze, heavy with pressure, fell upon Fedor.

”I believe you understand the Empire’s current situation, Battle Group Commander Fedor. Although such a thought blasphemes the great glory of the Empire, I must prepare for the worst-case scenario.”

Sedon Van Dael.

The sole descendant of the Vander Dynasty, a line of Eternal Lords personally ennobled by the Emperor.

During the Old Empire Era, his deeds and merits were known to all among the mid-to-high echelons of the Empire.

He had abandoned the glory of being an Eternal Lord and the prestige of his family, forsaking the two hundred worlds in the Radiant Star Realm that were his by right.

After swearing allegiance to the Imperial Regent as a simple Imperial Knight, he walked in darkness for many years. He returned to the Seventh Group Army, climbed from the lowest ranks to the mid-levels, and then founded the elite Ash Guard formation after taking over the Death Battle Group.

He had torn a Great Demon apart with his bare hands during the campaign to the Dark Abyss, and later entered the Regent Council.

Even though Fedor belonged to the Dragon Hunter Legion, he too had heard of Sedon’s deeds. The man was a living Legend.

And upon meeting Sedon Van Dael in person for the first time, the man’s powerful aura—one of noble birth and immense authority—had been so overwhelming it nearly took Fedor’s breath away.

”I... understand.”

”Very good.”

Though it was a simple question and answer, Fedor understood Sedon’s intention in telling him all this. Or rather, he understood that now that he knew these things, even if he was unwilling to accept the rule of the Administrative Region, he would be forced to accept it under the weight of such immense power!

Both men had offered him and the Red Flame Son a place.

But in Fedor’s eyes, Reinhardt and Sedon were complete opposites.

It made him wonder deeply: how could two men with such utterly contradictory principles become such iron-clad allies?

After confirming Fedor’s stance, Sedon turned to Reinhardt and continued, ”I’ve received reliable intelligence. The Judgment Court is preparing to make a move against you.”

”They’ve been secretly arresting veterans of the Verne campaign and forcing them to testify to your crimes.”

Reinhardt glanced at the file. He saw his name written for the position of Great Tutor of Vengeful within the Vengeful Angels Battle Group. His expression remained unchanged as he handed the file back, met Sedon’s eyes, and said coldly, ”Passive defense isn’t your style. What’s the plan?”

The Vengeful Angels was a Battle Group founded in secret, its influence radiating through all the other major Battle Groups.

For any Imperial Knight, the position of Great Tutor—the Battle Group’s supreme commander—was a meteoric rise, a direct path into the very heart of the Imperial Administrative Region’s power structure!

If the Imperial Knight receiving this appointment had been one of the local warlords from the Ash Soil Star Zone, they would likely have been ecstatic to hold such power.

But Reinhardt’s heart was unstirred.

Because for a truly powerful Imperial Knight, political power is merely an accessory to Knight Power.

Sedon didn’t take the file from Reinhardt, instead gesturing for it to be passed to Fedor. ”I’ve already arranged the specifics of the plan. Your people are waiting for you on the Avenger Flagship.”

After Fedor had quickly read the file, Sedon continued, ”Reinhardt chose to trust you, Battle Group Commander Fedor. As outsiders, only you and your men can provide support for this plan.”

”I will arrange for a vessel to secretly transport you and two hundred of your Red Flame Son to a high orbit around Savenxis World to await orders.”

”If a large-scale rebellion breaks out, you and your men must contain its influence within Savenxis World.”

Although it was a counter-insurgency mission, Sedon still hadn’t mentioned a single detail about it.

From the cold shoulder given to Reinhardt upon his return to the current situation, the methods of the Grand Governor of the Administrative Region truly made Fedor feel pressured, and even bred a hint of resentment in him.

He knew very well that when it came to politics and maneuvering, he was no match for this lord.

In his view, the Administrative Region’s cold reception of Reinhardt’s return was entirely a move to guard against the Emperor’s Angel from gaining too much influence in the military.

Even if he were to gain influence, it had to be within the Vengeful Angels Battle Group, which Sedon controlled.

Such methods were truly chilling.

However, as a newcomer, Fedor had clearly misread the situation and was overthinking things. The Reinhardt he perceived as a natural Battle Group Leader, now appointed as Great Tutor of Vengeful, had in reality been struggling to get by on Verne World just over a decade ago.

Whatever influence he had was merely word-of-mouth praise within the Emperor’s Shield Army on Iberian World—its symbolic value far outweighed any actual, tangible power.

Assuming the position of Great Tutor of Vengeful was the true beginning of Reinhardt exerting his influence in the military!

But for Fedor, he felt it was better for him and the Red Flame Son to keep their distance from a political figure like Sedon.

If he had to find an ally within the Administrative Region, Reinhardt was clearly the better choice.