Extalia, Royal Palace.
"Your Majesty, news from the humans has arrived. They failed. Anima has completely collapsed."
A tangerine-colored Exceed stood upright, using its front paws as hands to hold the report, its tone tinged with pity.
The humans had lost even their last sliver of usefulness. Perhaps it was better for such a lesser race to disappear altogether.
"Hmm."
Queen Shagotte replied indifferently, her eyes shifting toward the council of elders.
One of the elders gave a respectful bow before speaking cautiously:
"Your Majesty, since the humans' Anima project has failed, should we rescind the increased taxes and grant them clemency, to win back their loyalty?"
This proposal was met with immediate outrage from the other elders.
"Not! Humans are wolves at heart. The taxation already made them resent us. If we cancel it now, not only will they not be grateful, but it will only feed their greed.
Perhaps that is precisely why they sought to destroy the world in the first place."
"If they believe we are weakening and dare to wage war against us, it will be our people who suffer. Taxes must not be canceled! I propose we increase them further, to crush the humans' will to resist entirely."
"Our measures before were too lenient. In the face of such a dangerous future, we must act decisively, strike first, and snuff out threats while they are still budding!" one elder declared fervently.
The other elders frowned, voicing their views.
"Reducing taxes is out of the question, but increasing them may not be wise either. The humans have just suffered a crushing defeat, and their kingdom is unstable. If we push them too far, we may drive them to desperation…"
The council split into three factions, launching into a heated debate.
The ministers below barely reacted. This was nothing new. To them, Queen Shagotte was merely a puppet, without will of her own—the real authority in Extalia lay with the Elder Council.
In the end, neither the tax-reduction faction nor the tax-increase faction won. The policy would remain unchanged.
Judging by the calm expressions of the tax-increase faction, however, it seemed they had achieved what they wanted anyway. Their extreme suggestion may have simply been bargaining leverage for future negotiations.
"Very well, let us leave it as it is." Shagotte nodded once the elders reached consensus.
Then Nichiya turned to the next page of his report and continued:
"Your Majesty, the humans, along with their intelligence, have also made a request."
The elders immediately scowled. The humans dared to make demands?
Were they already growing restless?
Shagotte was not one to think so deeply. Curious, she asked simply:
"What is their request?"
"They claim that King Faust no longer has the right to rule. They wish to overthrow him and install you as their supreme queen, while establishing a council to govern their kingdom.
They also pledge to pay annual tribute to Extalia, and even promise to increase their taxation by another ten percent."
Nichiya flipped another page, his tone carrying faint approval. He appreciated the humans' apparent compliance. Though adding an empty title of "queen" was meaningless—since Shagotte already ruled over both humans and Exceed—extra money and resources were always valuable.
The tax-reduction elders instantly realized they had been played, glaring at the other factions. But they didn't despair for long. Their thoughts shifted quickly. The plan seemed useful. The more the humans exhausted themselves, the safer the Exceed would be.
And nothing drained humans faster than war.
"So, they seek the Queen's support?" one elder asked Nichiya, ignoring Shagotte altogether.
"Indeed. They hope for the Queen's endorsement, and ask that we provide them resources and dispatch several Exceed commanders to lead their armies." Nichiya nodded, satisfied with what he read.
Not bad. This newborn regime already looked superior to Faust's crumbling Edolas Kingdom.
"Resources we can spare, but commanders…"
The council fell silent. Extalia's population barely exceeded one hundred thousand, most being ordinary citizens or Fallen. Their military strength was weak—barely a few thousand in the Queen's Guard, more ceremonial than practical, rarely engaged in real war.
Hardly any Exceed possessed true command experience. By contrast, the humans of Edolas had endured repeated wars of annihilation, producing countless battle-tested generals and soldiers.
The armies may fear exceeding too much to rebel, but in terms of strategy and battlefield experience, the humans surpassed them tenfold.
Sending Exceed "commanders" into the human armies risked disaster. Worse, it might expose how shallow Exceed's military strength truly was.
Distance—keeping aloof and untouchable—was the best way to maintain mystery and authority.
"Then perhaps we should refuse part of their request," Nichiya suggested tentatively.
"No. We will send Exceed along—not as commanders, but as overseers. They will not give direct orders. Instead, they will observe the humans' military methods, secretly record them, and report back without being discovered."
The elders rejected Nichiya's caution. Avoidance would solve nothing. If Extalia wished to maintain its supremacy, it needed hard power.
They might despise humans, sometimes even deluding themselves into believing their superiority… but deep down, fear never let them forget: everything they had was fragile.
Honor, glory, power—nothing more than castles built on sand.
One wave of war, and it would all wash away.
And war was indeed coming. With their knowledge of humanity, this civil conflict was inevitable. Even without Extalia's meddling, humans would tear themselves apart.
So better to back one side, crush the other, and reap both profit and strength.
Shagotte hesitated. She disliked involving Exceed in this war. But with the elders' decision already made, she could only comply.
"So be it. Just make sure you choose reliable ones."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Every Exceed will gladly give their life for you, and for the glory of Extalia!" Nichiya bowed deeply, his vow firm and resounding.
"Down with the tyrant king! God is with us—glory eternal!"
In an unknown town, a massive crowd gathered. On the platform, a man raised his arms and cried out, his voice thundering.
The crowd echoed in unison:
"God is with us—glory eternal!"
"God is with us—glory eternal!!"
The chant roared like crashing waves, shaking the very air.
The prayers and cries went on and on, reaching their climax only when an Exceed appeared.
"God will protect you. Fight for the Queen."
The words were flat, almost disdainful, as if the humans weren't even worthy of dying for the Exceed queen.
But the crowd was already delirious, their frenzy drowning out the contempt.
Then someone shouted one word:
"Kill!!!"
The mob erupted like boiling water. Several prisoners were dragged onto the stage—local officials who had opposed or hesitated to join the uprising, all already arrested in secret.
The moment they appeared, stones and clubs rained down upon them. One after another, they were beaten to death before the crowd's eyes.
More prisoners followed.
And so, the fires of Edolas's human rebellion were lit—beginning in a single small town.
And spreading like rot.