Sovereign

“General Richstoff of the Lieplatz Emergency Government initiates severe crackdowns in the Duchy of Moldheim, especially in the “Twin Academy Cities” of Rumpaltz and Eventia. These crackdowns seem to be targeted against the multitudes of arcane schools and universities that dotted the twin cities, alongside the magical industries that these cities boasted. We fear that this would be another form of atrocity by men against magic, just as the way that the Provisional Government bombed Thein all for a deranged goal of wiping out our greatest ability.”

- The Arcane Updates

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July 18, 2024

Kingdom of Lieplatz

Duchy of Moldheim

City of Rumpaltz

00:24 Hours

A young woman, a “researcher” at the Rumpaltz Dimensional Institute, watched as the raving soldiers of the Lieplatzan Army raided the Institute’s experimental laboratories that housed their “Dimensional Drive” research. It was an appalling sight, as the Institute was also filled with equally shocked men, engineers, and scientists, involved in the cooperative research to create humanity’s way of reaching the stars - a project that involved both the application of theoretical physics and magic, who watched as their fellow men conducted indiscriminate acts all in the name of their war for “men’s rights”.

“Sir! This facility is off-limits!” Shouted Von Mackerstat, the Head Administrator of the Institute. All around them, students in their almost full-white uniforms from the nearby University of Saintess Edna watched with shocked faces as well, as troops dismantled the advanced machinery and experimental magical artifacts inside the blue-lit room.

Silently, she transmitted what was happening through their “Astral Network”, all while keeping her mana emissions on the down-low to avoid having her halo glow. She really needed her sisters in the Unit here now.

She heard a pulse of mana from the Astral Network that contained information in her mind.

We’re coming. Keep watch.

“Madam! We have already warned you yesterday! Any further research on magical matters could potentially be deemed as unofficial support to counter-revolutionary sentiments. That was clear as day, yet this operation hadn’t been ceased!”

“Cease? Our righteous research is for the benefit of common humanity. Can you not see how important this would be for the space programs of Lieplatz and Orland? We can grasp the stars soon.”

“Space? How ridiculous. Those problems aren’t the priority. You can resume this research once everything settles down.”

“Settles down? When? When your new government finally crushes magic in her neck?!”

“We’re having no political discussions here, Countess. This facility is shut down, until further notice.”

“Then why are you confiscating everything?”

“All arcane items are to be deemed as potential weaponry until the current emergency measures are lifted.”

The Countess seemed even more appalled and almost began another set of her angered tirades at the officer, who held his hand up.

“If you want to talk further, talk to my hand, Lady Von Mackerstat. This discussion is over.”

She seethed and pulled out her wand. Immediately, multiple soldiers fired their rifles in her direction, which she blocked with her hastily casted shields.

“WHAT DID YOU DARE SAY?!”

She was about to aim her wand at him and blast him off the face of Pollos when a pulse of blue light was generated by a soldier holding a strange cylindrical device in his hands. Immediately, the women in the room dropped in extreme pain, and so did the “researcher”.

What the…what the hell was that? My head…it almost felt like something popped inside.

It was a jammer. She knew that much, as her active mana was almost cut in half, and her connection to the “Astral Network” was severed. Still, jammers didn’t do that. They didn’t harm, nor did they stun. They jammed magic by disabling active mana. This…this was different.

“Fool, you almost killed yourself. Men! Arrest her for counter-revolutionary activities. Scour all of the women of this Institute and confiscate their wands. I do not want to see any magic in this Institute until we deem this city clear of rebellious elements. Move!”

Immediately, the soldiers under him rushed into a frenzy, dropping every woman down and confiscating their wands off of them forcefully. The few male researchers present either stood down with their hands raised or foolishly stood up to defend their fellows, taking up valiant but pointless fights with the soldiers.

The boot dropped into her neck, as she struggled to keep her wand to herself. She really needed that help now.

…

Three OIA agents and a platoon of Lieplatzan Secret Police operatives moved through the packed hallways of the Institute. Their faces were obscured by their masks and glasses, and they each held a Porter Type-X SMG, all fitted with holographic sights, lasers, and suppressors.

They passed through panicking and cowering faculty staff in the hallways, shouting profanities to get them out of their way.

Most civilians were already exiting the Institute, as unmarked vehicles that unloaded soldiers, OIA agents, and Secret Police flooded toward the complex. All in all, the raid was turning into a scathingly noisy affair.

One of the OIA operatives spoke to his radio.

“We’re now en route to ‘The Core’, over.”

“Copy that, make haste. We suspect that the cache is hidden there.”

The OIA operative nodded at his radio and pointed at a turn in the hallways. The Lieplatzan Secret Police moved in to secure the area, keeping their attention on every corner and room that they passed through.

It was a pristine facility and seemed almost a hub of every advanced technology and magic for mankind. The shiny white walls and the bluish auxiliary lights, coupled with the constant red lights as alarms of all kinds went out gave an atmosphere of urgency to the men moving quickly through the building’s tightly packed walls.

The Institute after all was a joint establishment of House Ludendorf and House Reintz for the research of Dimensional Magic. It was one of the most dangerous magic for any man seeking to fight a woman. It was almost impossible to counter and gave any mage a mobility advantage that no doctrine could hardly have a chance to face.

And that was what worried the group. They were facing a force that was only removable through extreme applications of superior firepower. In other words, if they faced a Dimensional Mage, they bombed the hell out of her. Which wouldn’t be possible with the amount of civilians inside the institute.

The group passed through another room which an earlier unit secured. There were arrested researchers, mostly women, but some men, being guarded by Lieplatzan soldiers. They seemed agitated beyond belief, but the group of OIA agents and Lieplatzan Secret Police didn’t heed them any mind.

They needed to reach the cache quickly.

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Halia, Kingdom of Orland

Queen’s Bunker

00:35 Hours

“I see, so they’re launching the raid already?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. It seems that they want a dance with us again. Rest assured, we will take care of this.” Marie's voice replied.

Amelie herself didn’t remove her eyes from the multitudes of screens presented to her inside the Situation Room. She had personally ordered this operation when Marie notified her of the OIA plot.

And of the plans of Queen Wesley’s loyalists.

“Remind me, how many of you are in the Academy City again?”

“Twenty of my agents are around the Institute, Your Majesty. Worry not, we may seem outnumbered, but my agents and I are well-trained for these combat environments. These men won’t stand a chance.”

“The Loyalists?”

“They’re still organizing. But we are in contact with them.”

“The cache?”

“In good hands.”

Amelie sighed deeply as she turned back to William, who watched the affair with a stony, silent gaze. He seemed to be observing each and every movement of both the OIA and Marie.

“Another mess,” Amelie complained to him. William didn’t react much, as he turned to face her.

“Should have expected it. They’re being very loud in their raid.”

“That’s an understatement, William. Look at them…it’s like they want the civilians around the Institute panicking. Won’t people ask questions?”

“Ask what? General Richstoff wouldn’t mind. He is already cracking down on the movement of information in Lieplatz. Whatever is happening there would not leave the Academy City.”

“Except for the fact that we have eyes on the ground.”

“Indeed.”

The entire affair was a mess. The City of Rumpaltz was supposed to stay out of the conflict, due to her peaceful nature. Much of the city was dedicated to teaching the next generation about magic and science, and it was more of a research hub than a strategic city that would house arsenals of war machines, or industries that supported the production of weapons.

Moreover, the previous Leiplatz Provisional Council didn’t touch the twin cities and gave them effective autonomy for the time being. So much so that House Mackerstat and House Eventia held nearly complete temporary control of the Rumpaltz and Eventia, which could both trace their lineages to House Ludendorf.

The two Countesses in charge of the Academy Cities were thus a sort of distant relative to Amelie, which was why it was difficult for Amelie to deny them when they asked her aid.

But the biggest factor was the moves undertaken by Duchess Emily Von Moldheim. Driven by the month of paranoia and instability in her country, she had organized concealed cells of the remaining Loyalists to Queen Welsey Von Reintz (who was currently in exile in the Kingdom of Lorathia) and began planning for a counter-revolutionary insurrection, hoping to replicate Princess Xue’s exploits in the ongoing Hebeian Civil War.

And then the Leiplatz Provisional Council was deposed in yet another coup d’etat (and Amelie at this point was utterly tired of men staging these types of nonsense everywhere), further speeding up the escalation of conflict in the Duchy of Moldheim. Alongside it of course was the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the second Lieplatz Junta (as the first one only lasted days after the coup after the Lieplatz Provisional Council reinstituted civilian rule) and Orland’s Royalist government.

Now, Rimpler and Heindhöff are pulling them into their sphere of influence. I know these moves, I’ve seen them many times before. But it’s simply so devious. To depose a government just to install a more tyrannical one, all to bring them to your deranged war. I’m starting to rethink the idea of pardoning these Putschists.

Currently, she had declared a general amnesty for every Putschist soldier or officer who surrendered or defected. It was all in an effort to increase the rates of defection from the Provisional Government, which Amelie believed would be necessary to beat them (and also reduce the deaths on both sides).

But if this was how they would act…

Whatever. As long as they fail to gain complete control of Lieplatz, and Duchess Emily succeeds, we have a chance.

After all, why would Lieplatz join the Provisional Government if they were deposed at best, or faced severe internal resistance at most? There was no way even for General Richstoff to join Rimpler and Heindhöff if he needed to fight rebels in his home. No way.

She already sent her bets. Marie had to make this work, or else Amelie might face the risk of having another front opened to her disadvantage. That would not be acceptable. Moreover, she didn’t want to give the Putschists a port to potentially lengthen their raiding campaigns in the North Allas Ocean (and complicate Albert’s upcoming strike mission to sink the ONS Matriarch). It was a dirty fight, and she would play dirty now that it was clear that she had to.

“Marie, can you hear me?”

“Yes. I am currently moving with my agents to the Institute though. Do make it quick.”

Marie’s words nearly made Amelie pause. While she had full trust in her friend to pull this off cleanly, this was still combat with the OIA and the Lieplatz Secret Police. That was not something to be taken lightly. Lack of magic was something the OIA suffered from, but she knew that those men were still a dangerous kind.

“I want you to capture one of them, and bring him to me.”

“You mean their leader?”

“Preferably.”

“It shall be done then. Though, we already hold dozens of them in our Headquarters in Eutstadt. Imprisoned.”

“No, those men hold outdated information. I want these men.”

“I see.”

“Oh…and please, be careful.”

“They call me the Demoness. I don’t die. I kill.”

“That’s not something my old friend would ever utter…”

“Times have changed. I have seen too much blood to know that a better world would not materialize without removing the agents of evil first. Anyway, we’re about to enter the Institute.”

“Stay safe.”

The comm-link terminated.