Reincarnated with the Country System

Maria and Alberto stepped into the grand halls of the palace.

Alberto turned to Maria. "Queen Maria, can you tell me if there is any safe place here?"

Maria answered without hesitation. "There is a reinforced chamber beneath the throne room. It was built during the old wars—hidden, fortified with both steel and enchantments. If anywhere in this palace is safe, it will be there."

Alberto nodded. He turned to Carl. "Contact BNS Independence immediately. Tell them to dispatch air support and prepare for bombing."

Maria's eyes widened. "Emperor Alberto, are you thinking of bombing the capital?"

"Yes," he replied. "If we don't act now, these undead could spread beyond our control. We need to eliminate the threat before it escalates."

Maria took a step closer, her tone urgent. "But there are still civilians here—our people. I will not allow such devastation."

For a moment, Alberto was silent. His military instincts told him she was wrong. That hesitation could cost lives. But he saw the resolve in her eyes, the unshakable determination of a ruler who refused to abandon her people. Also, it wasn't his concern. He sighed. "Very well. As you wish."

Maria exhaled, but there was little relief. "We must hurry. I need to get to my daughter and son. We must take them to the reinforced chamber."

Alberto simply nodded, and the group pressed forward into the depths of the palace.

As they made their way toward Elina's room, the corridor grew eerily silent.

Then, suddenly, two palace guards appeared from the side corridor, their faces pale with terror. Their uniforms were stained with blood and sweat.

"What happened? Why are you so scared?"

"Q-Queen! ..... The palace has been attacked by monsters!" one of the guards stammered. "They have killed so many! You must escape before they reach us!"

Maria's eyes narrowed. "Calm yourselves! What do you mean? How did they enter the palace ?"

But the guards did not answer. Instead, as if driven by pure instinct, they turned and fled down the corridor.

"Stop!" Maria commanded. But her words fell on deaf ears. The two men ran as though their very souls were being pursued by death itself.

A cold dread settled in Maria's chest. If even her palace guards, trained to fight and protect, were reduced to such fear, then the threat must be worse than she had imagined.

They moved forward again, this time at a quicker pace. As they turned the next corner, the sight before them made Maria's breath hitch.

Bodies.

The corpses of soldiers, maids, and servants littered the floors. Pools of blood spread like ink, darkening the pristine tiles. Some bodies were slashed open, their organs spilling out grotesquely. Others had been torn apart, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles.

The scent of death was thick, clinging to the air like an invisible force pressing down on them.

Maria felt her hands tremble. {Oriento, Elina—please be safe..... }

Alberto surveyed the carnage with grim detachment. He had seen battlefields filled with the dead before, but this was different. This was not war. This was slaughter.

They pushed forward until they finally reached Elina's room.

Two bodies lay at the threshold—the guards who had been stationed here. Their throats had been slit, and their armour, though sturdy, had failed to protect them from the sheer brutality of their attackers.

Maria swallowed hard and hesitated only for a second before pushing the door open.

The moment her eyes landed on the scene inside, her body froze.

Alberto glanced at the ISSD members, and two of them entered the room. After checking for any danger, they signaled for the others to come in.

They entered and were all shocked by the scene inside.

The room was drenched in blood. The silk curtains were torn and stained crimson. The luxurious carpet had become a canvas of death, painted with the bodies of those who had fallen.

And there, in the centre of it all, lay a child's body.

Oriento.

His small body was sprawled across the ground, his head half-crushed. The wound was severe, his skull shattered, brain matter exposed in a way that made their's stomach churn. Blood soaked his white hair, turning it into a red, sticky mess. His innocent, lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling, forever frozen in time.

A strangled gasp left Maria's lips. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, crawling toward him as if she could somehow undo the horror before her.

She reached him, trembling hands cradling his broken body. Her breath came in ragged sobs as she pulled him into her embrace.

"Oriento…" she whispered, her voice cracking with unbearable grief.

Alberto watched in silence. He had seen many people die—comrades, enemies, civilians caught in crossfire. He had learned to suppress his emotions, to push forward despite the horrors around him. But this… this was something else.

A mother mourning her son.

It was a pain he could not comprehend, a depth of sorrow he had never experienced.

Still, he knew that lingering here would accomplish nothing.

He placed a hand on Maria's shoulder, his voice steady. "Queen Maria… what's done is done. We can't take it back. You must be strong."

Maria did not respond. She clutched her son tighter as if she could shield him from reality.

Alberto exhaled and stood. He glanced around the room, taking in the rest of the carnage.

A maid's body was pinned to the wall, impaled by a spear. Her face was nearly unrecognizable, contorted in agony, blood running in thick rivulets down her cheeks.

Knights lay scattered, their armour dented and broken, their weapons still clutched in lifeless hands.

"It seems like this was all a plan," Alberto mused, his voice low. "They used the Undead to get our attention and took advantage of this opportunity to attack here."

Alberto then looked at the bodies again and said "Which one is the princess's body anyway?"

Alberto had never seen Elina so he didn't know what she looked like. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire