Reborn As The Villain-Chapter 334: SS - 18 Part 2: Finalization

Kohana, Rasuke, Soryu and Arnold were gathered at the top floor of the dojo. There was a serious atmosphere in the air and even some tension since tomorrow is going to be the end of Ko's tyrannical rule.

Kohana was doing all the talking and Arnold listened to her silently.

To sum it all up, Kohana asked trusted members of a non-profit organization to use the carriages—which were loaded with the explosives that Lian created—to transport food around the city. this food would be handed out to the needy which pulled a lot of attention. The workers were instructed to leave the carriages at the spot they handed the food out. Of course, they made sure to tell the people who came for the food to attend the banquet in case there were people who didn't know the palace will open its doors to all during the banquet feast.

The district blocks should be empty once the plan is officially underway.

Chief Soryu will lead a squad of martials—all of whom will be wearing the blue robes recovered from the morgue. The emperor has no doubt heard of the dead martials spotted outside the city so Arnold's attempt to shake Ko up a little might've just been for his selfishness alone since he felt so frustrated.

Anyway, Rasuke will be amongst them as well. Arnold didn't know why he was so eager to join since it was all performative and they won't actually go into battle with Ko's army. He had hope that his illusions won't engage in combat if the inner martials leave the palace to fight off the invaders while he deals with Ko.

"—And then that leaves you, Lord Arnold." Kohana looked at Arnold, "You have arguably the biggest role in all this."

'No, that would be Ruria and Lian.' He thought to himself. The two of them are going to be looking for the secret room. They must've already started. Once they find the room, all that would be left is unlocking the room, which is where Ruria comes in with her thievery skills.

Arnold will only keep Ko busy since the bastard could ruin everything if he suspected a thing. For someone like Arnold, handling Ko isn't going to be a big deal since he's faced off against two demigods and one demigod-level threat in this single journey alone. He was confident he could handle anything fate throws at him.

"I always thought we would be depending on Rasuke to fight that fiend." Soryu said with a wry smile, "Until now, he was the face of the revolution alongside his sister." There was a certain bitterness in his voice, as if he didn't want Rasuke to go through with it anyway. These past five years has been tough for the siblings and he began to see them as his own children. Kohana's role was to unite the country as Empress while Rasuke's was to fight off the strongest threats.

Rasuke, knowing this, silently looked at the retired martial who he grew to see as his own grandfather.

"I'll reach Ko's level one day." Rasuke suddenly said, making everyone look at him, "Until now, I've been training nonstop with impatience weighing heavily on my heart. But now that we have Lord Arnold on our side, I can take the proper steps to becoming stronger since time is on my side."

The trust was obvious in his words and his sincere gaze.

This desire for strength and pure heart...

'The developers put this much thought into the siblings.'

Whether that means they have some importance to the storyline remains to be seen but Arnold could tell they were deeply loved by their creators. Both siblings were flawed but very loved by their people who looked past those flaws to see them for who they are—a talented martial and a natural-born leader.

How they managed to survive so far despite their flaws, Arnold could only wonder. Maybe it's because they had each other all this time.

"Just don't let your desire for revenge make you lose your rationality and try to fight Ko with me."

"...." Rasuke scratched his cheek and averted his eyes.

'He was seriously thinking of doing that!?' Kohana looked at her brother incredulously.

Arnold merely shook his head.

"I'll make sure he doesn't leave my side." Soryu vowed, "Remember boy, this isn't some skirmish but a battle that will start our revolution. It's a military coup against the emperor so there are rules to follow and a formation to hold. As the commander for the Revolution, I will not let anyone jeopardize this young man's plan to obtain the book. Understood?"

"...Yes, sir..." Rasuke said in a smaller voice than Arnold expected to come out of him.

He wouldn't let Rasuke interfere not just because it was his role as a commander to ensure everyone is placed in suitable roles but also as a concerned grandfather.

Rasuke was in no way capable of fighting Ko, that much Arnold knew from a glance.

"Good grief..." Kohana frowned at her little brother, "Now that my idiot brother knows his place in this plan, shall we proceed? Lord Arnold, I heard from Lady Lian that your clones are capable of fighting humans. If the inner martials split up to help Ko deal with the 'invaders', can we rely on them to face the inner martials?"

"Sure."

'An instant reply... I supposed it's useless getting surprised by everything he can do.'

"Here are the locations for each of the explosives. Since we're short on time, we need to make sure there aren't any residents in the streets when they go off. Please assign a martial to every block, Chief Soryu."

"Mm, I will tell the lads."

"The city guards will be the first to respond. They will most likely head toward the areas where the explosions occurred. Leave the area immediately after confirming there aren't any civilians on the streets. We don't want the city guard on our backs while Ko's private army attacks our front. Most of the people we gathered aren't strong or experienced enough to handle such an attack."

"So, is the palace a no-go?" Rasuke asked with a gulp, impatience evident on his face, "This is my one chance to get back the heirloom sword grandfather left behind for me."

Someone might attempt to steal it during the chaos caused by the "invasion".

"It's the most heavily guarded place in times like this, brother. Security is even tougher after the lockdown. Not to worry. I was planning on heading there anyway so I can retrieve it..."

"Are you mad, girl!?" Soryu slammed his hands on the table, "You will be a trophy to those people! You know the reward on your head is high!"

"I am well aware, Chief." Kohana answered calmly.

She didn't look at her brother's face and instead gave Arnold a side glance. His attention wasn't on the map of the empire that was laid out. Rather, it looked as if he was staring somewhere distant even though his gaze was directed at the map.

His pondering expression was kind of cute in her eyes.

In reality, Arnold was using the system's tracker to see where Lian and Ruria were.

'All I'm seeing is a dot moving on a screen. I should've studied that map Kohana drew of the palace.' he grimaced within.

"Ignoring how mad you'd have to be to go through with this, how can you even get in and out of there safely!?" the chief protested again.

"You've only recently arrived so it's understandable that you wouldn't know about our new ally's resourcefulness, Chief." She smiled thinly before calling out, "Lord Arnold."

"Hm?" hearing Kohana's voice, Arnold made the transparent screen go away and looked at her.

"May I have your teleportation artifact, please?" Kohana asked. Before Arnold could say anything, she continued hurriedly, "I would like to enter the palace to speak with the nobles. For the small amount of time that Ko is away, I would like them to know there is still hope for our country and empire."

He foresaw this. After all, what better time to do this than during such chaos that the "invasion" will cause?

"Sister..." Rasuke was about to say it was dangerous to reveal herself but couldn't continue when he saw her expression.

The fire in her eyes reminded Arnold of Siana a little. Thinking about both of their situations, they were very similar in that regard as well. Both were princesses away from home because of some tragedy that befell their people. Both had others that believed in them. And both of them somehow ended up meeting him.

Maybe it was because of their resemblance that his answer was:

"...Alright. I'll try to keep him away from the palace for as long as I can. Use that time to convince your people to stand with you."

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"Thank you!" Kohana bowed her upper body gracefully.

"But you must execute them if they still show resistance. A compassionate leader is fine as long as he knows when to punish and when to forgive."

"...I will keep that in mind." In reality, she was scared of such a possibility.

How could she execute the people her father once called allies? Many of the traitors were people Kohana met during parties and other social gatherings. She befriended their children, making unforgettable memories. Of course, Kohana secretly met with these same children years later while an outcast.

There was little help they could provide in the Revolution but she appreciated their company and moral support. Many of their parents would be opposed to this and demand they reveal Kohana's location.

It's those very same nobles that Kohana will need to execute...

Whatever is expected of her as empress during this time, she will go through with it. She must.

"Let us prepare for the Revolution, everyone."

I now have the support to help me do anything, after all, she thought as she glanced at Arnold again and smiled to herself.