Fortunately, my women were gathered in one place.
"Erika, Seraphina. And Major Elise."
"…What is it, Lieutenant Colonel? With such a serious expression…."
Elise spoke first. Seraphina, as if she had already caught on, warily scanned the surroundings and reached under the hem of her dress, where a concealed small pistol lay.
I whispered softly.
"The situation is bad. The banquet hall is crawling with rats."
"……!"
"Don't show it. Get Hanna. Prepare your weapons, and immediately escort Minister Josef back to the lodgings and withdraw."
Seraphina began moving at once. Elise gulped and looked around anxiously, while Erika, about to say something, stopped and nodded.
"Minister."
I approached Minister Josef without delay. He was busy chatting with officials of the United Kingdom.
"So, the Empire's economy these days… Ah, isn't that Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger! Just in time. This is from the Londinium Chamber of Commerce…."
"I have something urgent to tell you."
*Charming Rhetoric.*
There was no time to explain.
"You need to get up from your seat right now."
I maintained a smiling face and gently grasped the minister's arm. The skill lent an irresistible authority to my voice.
"The air outside has become quite foul. As the military officer responsible for the delegation's safety, I am telling you, no, *advising* you."
[Target 'Josef' takes your 'advice' as a very serious threat.]
Josef's complexion stiffened instantly. The panic was brief. He whispered into my ear.
"Is it the reds, the Federation?"
I was momentarily impressed. The title of Foreign Minister is indeed not ordinary.
"…Ah, unfortunately."
Having confirmed the answer from my eyes alone, Josef hastily but as naturally as possible began to wrap up the mood around him.
"Sorry, gentlemen of the United Kingdom. I am tired from my age, so I can't enjoy myself late into the night."
"…Hehe, there's no defeating age."
"Oh dear, we had prepared the finest champagne; it's a shame."
We exited the banquet hall as quickly as possible.
*Status Scan, Status Scan, Status Scan.*
I activated the skill on every person I encountered.
[Affiliation: Federation 3rd Operations Branch]
[Hidden Desire: Wants to shoot and kill the Imperial envoy and become a hero of the proletarian revolution.]
*Crazy. It wasn't just a waiter.*
[Affiliation: Victoria United Kingdom Military Police (bribed)]
[Hidden Desire: Wants to escape this mess without getting hit by a single bullet, and just run away with the fat bribe the Federation promised.]
*Even the military police are compromised. The security level is pitiful.*
[Affiliation: Federation Secret Agent]
[Hidden Desire: Wants to perish together with the Empire's hero and remain as a legendary martyr of the party.]
*Martyrdom my ass.*
And using the Minimap to its fullest, I dodged the red dots this way and that as I exited the building.
*They're tailing us.*
Then the situation became clearer. A few red dots that had been in the central hall began moving in line with our path. It wasn't a coincidence; it was a pursuit with clear intent.
But we were one step faster.
We boarded the waiting vehicle without delay.
"To the embassy residence! As fast as possible!"
The scene outside the window was madness itself.
Crash!
"Give us bread!"
"Loot those rich bastards' warehouses!"
Windows shattered, and people swarmed into shop displays like ants, looting goods. In between the ranks, agents provocateurs wearing red armbands held megaphones and incited the citizens.
"Brothers, rise up! Let us wash Londinium with the blood of capitalists!"
"Let us build a paradise for the workers!"
Bang!
"……!"
And then, finally, that sound began to be heard.
Bang! Bang—!
Gunshots tearing through the night air.
"Aaargh!"
"D-Dammit! Guns! Those damn pigs are shooting!"
At the head of the protest, someone fell spurting blood. Uniformed mounted police began streaming in from the other side of the street.
Of course, there was no time to watch. I ordered the driver.
"Turn off the headlights and drive at full speed."
"Understood!"
Vrooom—!
The driver floored the accelerator.
The vehicle raced madly through the burning streets.
*
Same beginning. On the rooftop of an abandoned building in Londinium where flames were rising.
A man wearing a red armband was looking down at the city.
Beneath his feet, the shouts of the angry crowd and police gunfire echoed.
Beep— crackle.
A sound came from the radio in his hand.
[What is the situation on site, Comrade Viktor?]
"Perfect, Comrade."
The chief agent provocateur.
Viktor smiled a bitter smile.
"Half of Londinium is being dyed red. The pig-like police of the United Kingdom have started shooting at the crowd we incited."
[Just as intended.]
A satisfied voice. The man on the radio continued to confirm.
[What about the Capital Defense Force's movements? If suppression troops are deployed quickly, it will be troublesome.]
"Don't worry. Our inside collaborator has already disrupted the parliament and military command. It will be at least dawn before reliable troops can be deployed."
[What about the Royal Intelligence Agency? Deceiving that viper Sidney Wellesley must not have been easy.]
"Even a viper must coil its tail when its nest is on fire."
Everything was going according to plan.
"Thanks to the Imperial envoy's visit, the intelligence agency's workload is overloaded. They are now trying to protect the palace and defend the foreign ministry, unable to establish proper defensive lines."
[Remember, Comrade. The most important tinder for this operation is none other than the Imperial envoy.]
"I understand well."
[Their war hero Max Jaeger. And Foreign Minister Josef. Kill them without fail. If we kill those high-profile figures favored by the Emperor in Londinium, the Empire and the United Kingdom will not join hands but point their cannons at each other.]
That was when.
"Comrade! Comrade Viktor!"
A henchman burst through the rooftop iron door. Viktor took his hand off the radio and frowned.
"What is it?"
"Th-The target got into a car and escaped the banquet hall! Before we could form a net, they fled like ghosts!"
"What?"
Viktor's expression hardened. To think they escaped through hundreds of people and tight security.
*Indeed worthy of being called a hero.*
"Surely, they haven't left Londinium?"
"N-No, not that!"
"Good, good."
Viktor was relieved. After all, this is Londinium. An island far from the Empire. The only place they can run to is the Imperial embassy residence.
"Contact the strike team immediately. Use any means necessary to punish those imperialist bastards. This small variable cannot stop the revolutionary spirit!"
"Understood, Comrade!"
The henchman rushed down. Viktor brought the radio back to his mouth.
"……My apologies, Comrade."
[……Regrettable. But the situation is still under control. Finish it without a hitch.]
Click.
The radio went silent.
Viktor silently looked down at the street.
Beneath the abandoned building, the night of Londinium with red flames and black smoke rising.
The red revolution was beginning.
*
Screech—!
The vehicle came to a rough stop inside the iron gate of the embassy residence.
"Everyone out! Lock the embassy doors immediately!"
I shouted as I got out. The soldiers guarding the embassy ran over in confusion.
"Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger? The protest outside…"
*Charming Rhetoric.*
"It's not a mere protest! Set up barricades and assume defensive positions immediately!"
There was no time to explain. I issued the command immediately with the power of the skill.
[Skill 'Charming Rhetoric (Lv.3)' is applied.]
The soldiers began moving without a moment of confusion.
"Major Elise. Escort Minister Josef to the innermost safe house."
"Yes! Understood."
After moving the non-combat personnel, I immediately turned my gaze.
"The rest of you, this way!"
Large wooden crates stacked in a corner of the embassy residence lobby. Outwardly, they were diplomatic pouches with labels reading 'Diplomatic Documents and Clothing.'
"Bring a crowbar! A pipe, anything!"
I, along with the soldiers, smashed open the crates.
Crack!
"W-What is this…?"
The soldiers gasped.
As the wooden lid was ripped off, the items neatly packed inside were…
Imperial-made 9mm submachine guns, bundles of improved grenades, and a large quantity of ammunition.
Items that a mere diplomatic envoy could never bring in.
*The Marshal's foresight.*
A brief recollection flashed in my mind. The night before leaving for Londinium, in Marshal Ludwig's office.
-I have placed 'special items' in my diplomatic pouches in abundance. I hope you won't need them, but the situation is getting increasingly ominous. Guard them well.
-I will keep that in mind.
*So this is experience.*
When I first received them, I thought it might be excessive. It absolutely was not.
"Here, attention! Come in order and arm yourselves!"
I immediately pulled out the weapons.
Click.
The cold feel of steel. The familiar grip. I skillfully pulled the charging handle and then handed the remaining weapons to my subordinates.
"Seraphina, conserve your magic as much as possible. Defend primarily with firearms until orders are given."
"I will obey."
"Hanna. You take a rifle and go up to the second-floor roof of the residence. From now on, you are my eyes."
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!"
Hanna quickly grabbed her weapon and ran up the stairs.
Click, clack.
Erika was also fastening a pistol and grenades on her own. Her expression was quite tense.
While the defensive preparations were being completed.
I kept watching the Minimap.
*……There are many.*
Within a 500-meter radius centered on the embassy residence. Sewers, rooftops of adjacent buildings, narrow back alleys.
Dozens of red dots were closing in.