I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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As soon as Rose and Alex entered the system, the news of Jenis’s death was announced. There had been whispers that someone important to the country had died, but the shock of discovering that she was the Grand Mage of the Magic Tower and the Southern Queen was immense.

The shock from the death of Count Arthur Harker had barely settled. Just as rumors of instability in the Southern political scene began to surface, the funeral for Jenis Harker commenced, and those worries started to dissipate.

After reading Jenis’s legal will, Rose declared that her wishes would be fully executed under the royal guarantee.

“In cases where there are no remaining noble relatives who can assert their claims, the royal family bears the obligation to respect the final wishes of the last holder of the title as a priority.”

The Emperor’s declaration was calm.

“The deceased wished for my brother to inherit his title. I shall fully respect this and proceed as her will dictates, while elevating the title of the deceased Harker Baron to Duke and also upgrading the County Territory of Harker to a Dukedom. Thus, Alex Caprice shall henceforth be known as Duke Alex Harker, inheriting all rights and responsibilities tied to her estate and territory. Do you acknowledge this fact?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will uphold the duties I have held as a prince, now as a lord.”

Alex knelt before Rose, accepting his new name. The laws regarding titles and surnames in the Empire were quite vague, so there was no need for Alex to abandon the Caprice surname to inherit this territory. If such a requirement had been enforced, he might have had to live with a bizarre name like Jeongjae Harriet instead of just Jeongjae.

However, Rose intentionally suggested Alex change his surname to Harker to absorb the reputation of the new ‘Harker Family’ as a royal collateral. On another note, it was also an action stemming from her hope that her delicate-hearted younger sister would not be inadvertently caught up in succession disputes due to an unwarranted royal surname.

Alex complied with his sister’s wishes and accepted the title of Duke Harker. Even the intellectuals, who had been oblivious to the situation until recently, realized which direction the Empire would take in the future.

Local notables became irrelevant. The complete dismantling of feudalism was imminent.

As Rose hastened the appointment of Alex, she focused on paying her respects to Jenis’s corpse. The funeral, held within the Imperial Palace under Rose’s orders, adhered to the ceremonial standards befitting someone of noble rank. It wasn’t overly extravagant or chaotic. Even Walter’s funeral, conducted according to the Emperor’s standards, was slightly more modest than usual, making it unlikely for Jenis’s funeral to be ostentatious.

However, merely placing her coffin in the very heart of the Imperial Palace conveyed the Empire’s respect towards her.

Rose commanded that a crown be brought forth to place atop her coffin, befitting the royal respect due. Yet, in a shocking display, Margaret stepped up, donning a grass crown originally placed on her own head and setting it atop Jenis’s coffin. Even Rose, presiding over the funeral, was momentarily rendered speechless by her actions.

Margaret chuckled, “There might be fairies who don’t take kindly to my actions. The crown of Eramenia is sacred, and it’s rarely worn, very seldomly adorned. To go and place it atop the coffin of a fallen wizard is perhaps disrespectful to the traditions of my homeland. If my people were here, there would likely have been great tumult.”

“Princess Margaret.”

Rose called her sister-in-law, eyes wide. Turning to the assembled crowd, Margaret proclaimed, “But, nonetheless, I believe that this Margaret is justified in presenting this crown to her as she is a hero deserving of it. The world she dreamed of, the direction in which she was heading is what’s at stake. I wear this crown because I fought wielding arms as a friend to mankind.”

This time, she turned to point at Jenis’s coffin. “She dreamt of even larger aspirations. A world where the boundaries between humans and fairies would blur and integrate. Her dream hastened through swift decisions and actions, and many projects executed as per her will yielded results that gravitated towards that dream. If someone back in my homeland were to ask why I presented this grass crown to her, I would answer without hesitation—who else but her could accept this symbolic crown of Eramenia?”

At Margaret’s gesture, two elven soldiers who had been observing the funeral from the corner approached slowly, holding a blue cloth. The Elf Lord, lifting the grass crown that had rested atop the coffin, announced, “This is a flag offered by Eramenia to honor her passing.”

The blue cloth was draped over the Grand Mage’s coffin. Jeongjae, upon seeing the pattern, chuckled softly. It matched the design Jenis had once attempted to use as her flag, but which was dismissed by Jeongjae.

On a blue background, a white laurel wreath was depicted, and at the center of the wreath, the Harker family’s white cross was drawn. When Jenis had first drawn this symbol, the laurel wreath had symbolized the Southern Alliance. Hence, this symbol represented Jenis’s ambition to militarize the Southern Army, a proposal Jeongjae dismissed as inappropriate.

But now this laurel’s meaning was one of respect from Eramenia towards her. Nothing suited her end more fittingly than this. At this moment, Rose Caprice acknowledged that Jenis Harker was indeed the unparalleled queen of the South.

“The Audrich Empire has never allowed even a single fragment of a rival kingdom within its borders. It has never permitted another kingdom to exist within the fence of the Empire. But consider—great Eramenia acknowledged her as a queen. Though I have not acknowledged it in the past, I cannot deny she was the queen of a kingdom.”

Margaret’s delicate hands placed the grass crown atop the blue flag once more. Rose spoke in a low, solemn tone, “Today, we shall restore the title of South King to the title of Jenis Harker, who was elevated to Duke. However, this kingly title cannot be inherited and has perished with her. Yet at the very least, history will remember her as the king of a nation.”

Though this declaration directly contravened the principle upheld by the Empire that no kingdom could exist within its confines, it did not diminish the Empire’s dignity.

Rather, Rose could widely proclaim that the situation of having another independent polity within the Empire had completely ended with Jenis’s death. Everyone knew that Jenis’s power operated separately from the Imperial Royal Family, and there was much interest in whether the autonomy of those local lords would be maintained or shattered after her demise.

Rose conferred upon Jenis a kingly title while simultaneously annihilating it, announcing that the domestic order, which allowed for the existence of a vassal state within the Empire, had been destroyed. It was now clear that even those nobles who were not as sharp as Sally Jeffrey would realize that only by closely aligning with the royal family could they hope to survive.

“Since she stepped into the spotlight, many things have changed in the world, and even in death, she has left us with numerous legacies. I promise to uphold those wishes and execute a portion of the reforms she sought. First and foremost, I will abolish the royal family’s fixed right to nominate members of the Imperial Assembly, ensuring fairness in the political voice of the nobles.”

Jeongjae, listening quietly, widened his eyes in shock. The Grand Mage quietly whispered to Margaret, “What does she intend?”

“She means to eliminate the reason for the local factions to unite.” Margaret replied.

“The royal family’s unconditional nomination of a third of the assembly members has served as a massive engine that clearly delineates the boundaries between the royal faction and the local faction. By abolishing that, she aims to systematically transport local noblemen to central positions, thereby dismantling the political connections based on their origin or governing territories.”

“So, she’s aiming to erase the faction concepts of royalists and localists from the Empire?”

“That’s the idea. If that system remains, the confrontational structure between existing central nobles and locally born nobles can never be fully resolved.”

“That’s not a trivial reform. It’s not going to be an easy issue to handle.”

Even Jeongjae, who wasn’t well-versed in politics, could roughly glean how boldly Rose had drawn the sword for the restructuring of the Empire. Margaret nodded, seemingly agreeing with Jeongjae’s sentiment.

“That’s why your determination is more precious than anything.”

“Rose must be… extremely busy.”

Jeongjae nodded as he observed the Emperor publicly declaring plans focused on the royal center, citing Jinie’s funeral along with her will and legacies.

Perhaps Jinie anticipated this entire situation. That upon her passing, Rose would unhesitatingly seize upon that fact to push towards the world she envisioned.

So in her final moments, rather than resist the Emperor, Jinie must have channeled all her strength to support Rose. Thus, it aligned with Jinie’s intentions that Rose began to take complete control of the country by leveraging Jinie’s funeral.

Yet Jeongjae was not pleased that Jinie had turned her funeral into a stage.

At least Walter’s funeral had not been a platform for any political show. Despite being a gathering for significant individuals holding a covert meeting, it was still a genuine memorial for the hero who had garnered the love of the common people for nearly a decade, dominated by sorrow.

However, thanks to Jinie’s scheming and Rose’s cooperation, Jinie’s funeral had shifted from one of mourning to shock, flowing like a stage. The fact that it was held not in a public square close to the masses but within the Imperial Palace, alongside speeches that paid tribute to her while also steering towards the future direction of the Empire, reinforced that notion.

Margaret at least wrapped up her expression of respect and honor simply, but Jeongjae believed the essence of this gathering was not about mourning the fallen girl who never bloomed but rather a dramatization celebrating the legacy of a great revolutionary.

Of course, that too was a part of Jinie. However, those present had impressions of Jenis Harker that differed significantly from the one Jeongjae held.

“That girl cried a lot.”

Jeongjae murmured.

“But from what I hear around here, it seems only an outstanding individual who never shed a tear yet held firm until their last moment is being recalled.”

“No one can truly pierce the essence of another,” Margaret nodded, as if understanding Jeongjae’s sentiments.

“I have no answers for you either, Park Jeongjae. If there’s any consolation, it’s that those claiming to hold the answers to such difficult questions are either madmen or fools. Should we honor how she wished to be seen, or should we discuss who she truly was to us? It’s not something you can decide simply in a political context. But she is an Emperor and has made a decision that needs to be made as one.”

“Your time is approaching. What will you do?”

“I…”

In truth, the source of Jeongjae’s discomfort stemmed from the fact that his turn was approaching. He resolved to fully take on the responsibility for the upcoming war instead of Rose or Alex, who were too preoccupied with political matters.

Assuming the position of the hero was quite simple. In the last assembly, he had merely declared himself to be the owner of the Holy Sword. Now, he had to proclaim that he would become the new Walter Hellhound.

Not only was he burdened with what he needed to say, but it also felt like he was utilizing Jenis’s funeral politically to present his ambitions. How should one suppose to think about leveraging a disciple’s funeral in such a manner?

“I…”

Jeongjae swallowed hard.

In fact, perhaps it was a foolish dilemma.

One cannot live doing only what one wishes or enjoys. This was a truth he was already aware of on Earth, but it had struck him even more strongly in this new world.

If he must use it, then he would use it. Just as Rose did, just as Jinie encouraged him to do.

“I will do what needs to be done.”