SPRFG 01

Chapter 1…

Prologue (1)

March of the 17th year of the Imperial Calendar—the first Day of the War God.

“Long live the Republic!”

Even draped in a dress so deep a red it almost looked black, topped with a tight bonnet that completely hid her hair, the girl ran like the wind. Haa, haa… Her lungs burned and her heart hammered so hard against her chest it echoed right in her jaw. She stole a quick glance over her shoulder.

“Catch her!”

“Treason! An intruder’s in the palace—don’t let her get away!”

The immaculate white marble statues lining the paths stared blankly ahead, looking as indifferent as ever. Behind hedges that the royal gardeners had trimmed into pristine cones, cubes, and spheres, blue-uniformed Imperial Guards were closing in. Horrifying hound dogs—more like feral wolves, really— sprinted through the crowd with bloodshot eyes. Beyond them, thick smoke coiled up toward the sky above dainty, sugar-craft houses. Off in the distance: a crisp blue sky and the gleaming gold dome of the main palace.

BOOM!

The bomb went off. It was only a split second, but it gave her just enough time to let out a little smirk. The girl scoffed and turned to shout at her pursuers:

“Down with the tyrant!”

Then, she sprinted.

She was dressed up like a delicate little doll, but every time her skirts fluttered, the shoes peeked out from underneath—and honestly, no one could call them pretty. They were made of fabric so faded you couldn’t even tell what color it used to be, tightly laced up like the boots coachmen or dockworkers wore to stay quick on their feet. Even if she was breaking into the Imperial Palace, she wasn’t about to trade comfort and mobility for style. Especially when her goal was to toss a bomb.

“After her! The traitor’s heading into the gardens!”

“Don’t kill her! She’s with the People’s League!”

The hounds barked fiercely at her heels. Bred for generations to fetch birds, rabbits, and foxes for their noble masters, the dogs caught the scent of gunpowder and blood, panting wildly with their tongues hanging out as they gave chase. The guards, already gasping for air, unholstered the flintlock pistols at their belts. Some dropped to one knee, others aimed on the fly.

“We need her alive to find out who’s pulling the strings! Aim for her arms or legs!” an officer yelled.

Even then, the girl darted through the grounds like a rabbit running from a lion. The moment she cut around a corner, the furious guards dug deep and pushed themselves to top speed to catch up.

BANG! BANG!

Gunshots rang out. They were firing blind, so none of the rounds hit her. She squeezed out one last cry:

“Long live the people!”

The wind whistled through the branches as if taking in her words.

“Why, that little…!”

Guard dogs leaped straight over a soldier who had tripped and fallen on his face. Lose a criminal who just bombed the Crown Prince’s villa—and a confirmed rat from the ‘People’s League’ underground, no less? Absolutely out of the question. The guards pushed themselves to the limit. They never imagined catching a girl in a frilly lace dress would be this much of a nightmare.

What happened that afternoon wasn’t the first incident in the history of the Ilgentavita Empire, nor would it be the last.

Elderic I—the supposedly ‘Merciful Emperor who watches over all his subjects like a loving father’—had set off on a campaign the second he took the throne, conquering every kingdom on the continent. After nearly two decades of brutal conquest, he had wiped out every neighboring nation and turned them all into imperial colonies. The Ilgentavita Empire was now thriving, more gorgeous and grand than any civilization since the dawn of recorded history. Magnificent palaces, sleek and sophisticated noble fashions, delicacies so rich they dissolved the moment they hit your tongue… The imperial capital of Ilgenisglar had it all. Yet, even in this ‘golden age,’ a rebellious faction determined to voice their outrage was quietly gathering strength and biding their time.

The girl who had just lobbed a bomb into the summer villa built for the Crown Prince was one of those very rebels. She couldn’t have been older than sixteen or seventeen. Thick, beautiful curls billowed out from under her bonnet, and sweat was starting to bead along her forehead. Running full tilt through the air felt cool despite the summer heat. Comrades, I did it, she whispered under her breath, a message no one else could hear. She grit her teeth and kept pushing forward.

That very morning, she had strolled right through the front gates of the palace in that exact crimson dress. Taking in her simple ribboned hat and out-of-date gown, the gatekeeper had asked which family she served. Having memorized the names of every noble family that frequented the palace, she tossed out the name of the house with the largest servant staff. The guard let her right in without a second thought. Honestly, who could have guessed that a naive-looking maid was actually a high-ranking member of the largest underground revolutionary network in the Empire? Rich folks and nobles loved bringing back dark-skinned girls from the colonies to use as maids or show off like exotic accessories.

Because of that, the guards didn’t even bother checking the basket she was carrying, which she claimed contained treats for her mistress. If they had lifted the lid even once, they would have spotted the bomb right away.

Honestly, it was almost funny. She knew she wouldn’t be able to pull off the same trick twice, but it worked, so who cared? Even with the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth from running so hard, she couldn’t help but smile.

Dammit, just how big is this garden?

When you’ve been running at a full sprint for over ten minutes, your face kind of takes over. The muscles twist into a forced grin even if you don’t feel like smiling, looking just like someone giggling at a funny joke. Her chest felt crushed, her legs were screaming, and she felt like she was about to bite her own tongue off. She gritted her teeth and pushed on.

Woof, woof! The dogs barked louder.

The hedges loomed twice as high as a grown man. The roaring splash from artificial ponds and towering fountains did a great job masking her footsteps. The girl ducked deep into the gardens.

“Damn it! Where’d she go?”

“Keep moving!”

Where did things go wrong?

She retraced her steps from the day she received the order, double-checking if she had missed a step or messed anything up. She had personally measured the powder, built the device, hidden it in the basket, left the hideout that morning, and carefully checked for tails all the way to the palace. Everything had been carried out exactly as instructed.

Assassinate the Crown Prince. Don’t worry about the escape—we have an insider in the palace who will help you get out.

It was supposed to be a foolproof plan. Acting on intelligence that the Crown Prince spent all day in his summer villa, she threw the bomb straight through the drawing room window where he was supposed to be sitting. She even saw it crash through the glass. It must have gone off right under the coffee table. A deafening explosion, shrapnel flying everywhere… The moment her ears went numb from the shockwave, she turned on her heel and sprinted, drawing a whole army of blue-uniformed guards and attack dogs right behind her.

The clear blue sky, the lazy white clouds floating by as if the world below didn’t exist, the glittering gold dome of the palace—it was all a blur. She just ran. Where did it go sideways? Did the insider get caught? Am I completely on my own now?

Before she knew it, she had run straight into a hedge maze.

Separated by just two thick walls of greenery, the rebel girl and a platoon of Imperial Guards were standing practically face-to-face. But since she held her breath and kept dead silent, the guards assumed they had lost her track entirely.

Even if they catch me now, it’s fine. I killed the Crown Prince. She took a deep breath, preparing to find the exit and make one last dash.

“Word from the main palace! His Highness the Crown Prince is safe!”

“He was visiting the Emperor at the main palace! The Prince isn’t hurt! All units, keep searching!”

The guards shouted back and forth, and her mind went completely blank. This wasn’t her first attempt on the Crown Prince’s life. And just like before, he had somehow slipped through her fingers effortlessly, almost as if he were mocking her. This is impossible. Dodging one attempt could be called luck, but twice? Was this tyrant really that lucky?

The sharp barks of the hounds echoed nearby—they had caught a whiff of her scent. Woof! Woof! The heavy crunch of combat boots against gravel was right around the corner now. She looked around in a panic.

The very hedges that had offered cover were now blocking her off entirely. Guards were closing in from both sides. This was really it.

So this is how it ends.

No regrets.

She closed her eyes tightly and slowly raised her pistol, just as she had prepared to do.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her, as if she had just stepped under the cool shade of a tree. But a tree couldn’t just walk up out of nowhere—

The girl snapped her eyes open.

A tall man in his mid-twenties was standing over her, looking down. He bore the same mark of divine punishment she did—he was a colonial, too. In this empire, dark skin was treated like a curse from the heavens. Right here in the middle of the palace? Her mouth fell open in shock.

The man spoke softly.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Am I too late?”

She was so stunned her voice completely gave out. She just blinked in disbelief before shaking her head.

“Sounds like she’s over there!”

The net was tightening around them, but the man just smiled, completely unbothered. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. She instinctively brought a hand to her breast, only then realizing her skin was raw and blistered—liquid explosive had leaked over her hands while tossing the bomb. It stung terribly, but the pain didn’t even register. She just stared at him.

“I’m getting you out of here,” he said. “I’ll be using teleportation magic. To stay within my range while keeping us safe, the outpost near the Anderschönen River sewer line is our best bet. Change your clothes there, patch up your injuries, and wait for further instructions. Think you can handle that?”

“I… I can do that,” she managed to stammer. “B-but what about you, comrade…?”

The man let out a easy grin. “I’ll get out fine on my own. Don’t worry about me.”

“I… I failed today! The Crown Prince… I couldn’t kill him!”

She felt like she had to confess. The second she saw his gentle smile, a wave of guilt hit her. I don’t deserve this kind of care. I don’t deserve a warm smile like that. She blurted it out desperately, like a criminal confessing to a terrible crime.

The man simply shook his head, brushing it off like it was nothing.

“It’s alright. There’s always next time. But to have a ‘next time,’ you need to stay alive first, right?”

“…!”

“Alright, time for us to part ways. You did great today. Until next time—take care, comrade.”

Snap. He flicked his fingers. In the blink of an eye, she was pulled from the middle of the imperial gardens and dropped right at the mouth of the Anderschönen River sewer. The man was nowhere to be seen.

Back in the garden, the guards finally pushed through to the end of the maze, only to find an empty clearing. Furious, they turned around, cursing under their breath. Had the traitor vanished into thin air or swallowed up by the earth? As they angrily thrashed through the bushes to double-check, every footprint left by the girl was trampled away. Any trace of the man who had stood there just moments ago vanished without a trace.

After filing their reports, the guards forgot about the whole ordeal soon after. Aside from the fact that the rebel girl had two different colored eyes, there wasn’t a single clue left to track her down. To top it off, the Crown Prince—who had escaped untouched by sheer luck—didn’t even punish them for the lapse.

The man forgot about it, too. He had met and saved plenty of comrades just like her over the years.

But for the girl, that day would stay etched in her memory for a very, very long time.