In the bridge deck of the Burnyi Class Destroyer. Alexander was staring at the telegraph papers transmitted by the Command Ops.

"Seriously?" Alexander chuckled stiffly, his hand clenched, crumpling the papers slightly. "Basically everyone at Europa declared war on the Ruthenia Empire."

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Sevastian asked a nervous expression etched on his face. He didn't expect that this was the ultimate plan of the Black Hand, to crush the last emperor in Europa, which is Alexander. Once he was gone, then it would be considered a success for the Black Hand, ultimately leading them to control the world.

The Black Hand knew that if only one country were to wage war on the Ruthenia Empire, it would surely lose against it due to technological superiority and Ruthenia having the best military personnel in the world. It wasn't an exaggeration. In the war against the Yamato Empire, the Ruthenia Empire only suffered hundreds while the Yamato lost tens of thousands of troops all the while decimating their air and naval forces.

But what if it's not only one country? Like eight of them? The Ruthenia Empire would be overwhelmed by the coalition forces alone. Fortunately, the Ruthenia Empire has access to a weapon that unlike the world had seen before. Even Sevastian was terrified by its power. A single drop of it in a city would utterly annihilate it before its citizens can even react.

Using the information at hand, Sevastian can read the Black Hand like a book. And he knew they were getting aggressive. Defeat the Ruthenia Empire, exterminate the royal families, including him, and install a puppet leader that would work for the Black Hand.

He doesn't want that to happen. He has to set aside his ambition of taking the throne for himself and help Alexander and Ruthenia get through this challenge.

"Your Majesty, don't you find it odd?" Sevastian spoke. Prompting Alexander to glance over his shoulder with his eyebrows raised.

"What do you mean?"

"Like the progress of the situation. It's happening too fast! How come each country believes that its kings and emperors are dead without having to conduct an investigation? Like everything is planned.""Elaborate on that idea, Sevastian," Alexander said as he turned to face him. "You are getting somewhere here."

"You were suspicious of Her Majesty, Anne Edinburgh right? Even going as far as to claim that she's affiliated with the Black Hand? Do you remember it, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, I did mention that," Alexander agreed.

"Then we also know that the Black Hand is an international organization, where it has agents in every country with a shepherd acting as its leader. What if the Black Hand already infiltrated every government of the country that declared war on us? Like for example, their prime ministers working under Black Hand?"

Alexander rubbed his chin as he pondered. Sevastian has a good point. Everything is happening too fast and almost simultaneously. Like it's all well coordinated. Somebody is pulling the strings behind the scenes and Anne is one of the puppets.

"Was the president of the United States part of the casualty or not?" Alexander asked.

"Not that we know of, Your Majesty. It seemed to me that only monarchs, with the exception of the president of the Francois Republic, were killed in the Britannia Empire…"

Alexander clicked his tongue. "According to our investigation, the Black Hand was founded in the United States by one of the founding fathers. There's a high chance that the puppeteer is in the United States, most likely, the president. If they are going on an offense then we should get on the offensive as well. I'm tired of getting on the defensive when we can be the ones charging at the enemy."

"You're right, Your Majesty. I think it's time that we end this Black Hand once and for all," Sevastian said resolutely. "But first, how do we tell the people of the Ruthenia Empire that their motherland is at war with all of Europa?"

Sevastian is right, they got sidetracked for a moment there discussing how to deal with the Black Hand. Alexander has a country to run and it is his responsibility to protect it. Informing them of their current situation is a priority. But, it will cause widespread panic to the point it could collapse the economy. For example, fearing that every nation would come to the Ruthenia Empire, citizens of the Ruthenia Empire might rush to the bank to withdraw their money, which could collapse the bank. There is also a possibility of them hoarding supplies where they buy more than they need, resulting in a shortage of necessities like food and water.

Simply put, Alexander can't just inform the country that they are at war. He has to choose his words carefully without instilling fear and panic in the populace. This is going to be his greatest challenge as the emperor of the Ruthenia Empire.

After all that pondering, Alexander looked up with a determined look. "Captain, how far are we from the Baltic Fleet?"

"Five hours, Your Majesty at full speed," the captain replied.

"Okay. As soon as we link up with the Baltic Fleet, I'll board a plane in the aircraft carrier and send me to the nearest Ruthenian territory, Lithuania preferably. And from there, I'll board the plane bound for St. Petersburg and take control in the Command Ops. For now, we will keep the situation under the lid until I get there. So contact every media agency in the Ruthenia Empire. I don't want them spreading the news that could cause panic. Execute the National Defense Act. Focus all of our production efforts on the military," Alexander commanded.

Sevastian was blank for a second. Alexander was speaking so fast that he didn't quite get much of what he had said. Nevertheless, he understood the point and so he spurred into action.

"What can I do, Your Majesty?" Rolan walked up to him and asked. "As the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Guards, I know I can't help much other than protect you. But if there's anything, please tell me."

"Rolan…" Alexander uttered. "Well, if you really want a job so badly, then I'll give you one."

"Anything, Your Majesty," Rolan said with a serious expression.

"How confident are you in your fighting style?" Alexander asked.action

"Pretty much 100 percent, Your Majesty. I'm not overestimating my skills. I'm just stating the facts."

"Good because you'll need it," Alexander said and continued. "Now, I have a hunch that the emperors, empresses, kings, and presidents in the Britannia Empire weren't dead but were simply contained somewhere around London. Find them and report."

"But how will I find them, Your Majesty?"

"By infiltrating Buckingham Palace," Alexander stated. "Where the Queen resides. We believe that she is affiliated with the Black Hand. If she turns out to be the one, I want you to get information out of her."

"Understood, Your Majesty," Rolan bowed his head.