༺ I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution ༻
Written by – 카르카손
Translated by – Mara Sov
༺ Civil War Period – Pierre De Lafayette ༻
In the northern territory of Francia, near the capital, Lumiere.
I shivered as I rode my horse against the blizzard.
The cold pierced through my armor, ignoring the leather mesh within, and seeped into my skin.
Despite the absurdity of waging war during the winter, the armies of both the First and Second Princes’s factions remained stationed in the north.
They have fought for too long, and as such no side could trust each other to organize a retreat in the winter.
Moreover, the foolish nobles believed that this wasteful position proved their loyalty toward the prince they supported.
They hope that by currying favor they will increase their share of spoils after this war is over to compensate for their losses.
For reasons like these, the people of this kingdom are suffering to feed these armies stationed across the battlefields.
After a long horse ride, I finally reached a military base where banners emblazoned with the roaring lion, the crest of Lafayette, were fluttering amidst the frozen winds.
Despite the cold, the soldiers standing on guard were disciplined, and as they recognized the crest on my breastplate, they cleared the way for me.
Their sharp and precise movements showed their experience tempered by numerous battles.
From their looks, one would never think that these soldiers were fighting in a prolonged war.
Though I had been here once, I found myself wandering around the camp until a Knight came to guide me.
“Welcome, Young Master. His lordship the Marquis awaits you.”
The face of the Knight who now served as my guide was somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t remember his name.
Perhaps I knew him, but that doesn’t matter now.
Well, this in of itself isn’t strange.
After all, after my ‘disgraceful’ duel against Sir Gaston, I had been confined in the mansion.
But then a sudden thought came to me.
After the death of my father, I was the one leading the forces of Lafayette.
And for me to not know the name of this man, a Knight, it must be because……
He died before I took command of the army.
“Very well, I’ll ask you to guide me then.”
Despite my musing, my mouth opened on its own.
It was at this moment, I realized this was a dream.
A memory from the time before my regression, from when I was summoned by the Marquis and had to visit the frontlines.
I followed the Knight until a giant tent came into view.
A luxurious tent that befitted the renown of the ‘Blue Knight’, the strongest Knight in the kingdom.
The Knight then asked me to wait a moment before he entered the tent, and after a short while, he came out with an ambiguous expression and bowed to me.
“His Lordship the Marquis invites you inside, Young Master.”
I already knew why he had that expression.
Despite this, I entered the tent.
Bear skins and fine carpets adorned the floor of the tent, giving the illusion that this place was not a camping tent, but a noble’s residence.
Looking around I could see that the tent was decorated with all sorts of treasures bestowed by the late King of Francia to the ‘Blue Knight’, who managed to defeat the armies of the Emperor and his princes in the war against the Germania Empire.
It was very much like my father to carry these things whenever he went and to arrange them in a place where his visitors could see them.
Passing by the trophies, I walked deeper into the tent.
The gleaming dark blue armor, the symbol of the ‘Blue Knight’, a large number of swords, and other weapons either gifted to him or taken as spoils adorned the wall.
Beneath them, stood a dining table so lavish that it had no place in this war camp.
A bottle of wine alongside a full roasted pig and chicken that were already half-eaten. Even in some noble manors, one would normally not have this level of opulence.
Turning my head a bit more, I could see a bed as extraordinary as the rest of this tent.
My father, the Marquis of Lafayette was sitting on the bed, clad only in a loose robe.
Behind him, a naked woman covered her body with a blanket as she looked at me curiously.
I don’t know how many mistresses the Marquis had, since I didn’t recognize this one.
No. Since this is a dream, there’s a chance I’ve seen this woman before.
Standing before the bed, I bowed my head towards the Marquis.
“Pierre De Lafayette, the heir of Lafayette, greets his Excellency the Marquis, the great ‘Blue Knight’, Hubert De Lafayette.”
The voice coming out of my mouth was tense and my tone wavered slightly.
Then, the Marquis opened his mouth and a cold detached voice came out.
“Pierre.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“You’ve requested to reduce the amount of military supplies to be sent. Explain.”
The Marquis’s cold voice was like a knife to my heart, cutting through my insecure and timid past self.
However, while my ‘dream self’ trembled in fear, I simply watched these events unfold.
“M-My apologies, Your Excellence, but the harvest in the Marquisate is prejudiced due to the large deployment of troops, and looting has become frequent in the other territories. In such a situation, with the Civil War causing the deterioration of the people’s lives, to provide the full amount of supplies you have requested is—”
During my speech, the Marquis bent his frame.
In the next moment, something flashed before my eyes.
Only when I barely regained my balance, did I see a woman’s shoe on the ground before me.
“Ah–”
I don’t know if the woman whose shoe was thrown made that noise, or if it was me.
Along with the searing pain, I could feel the unpleasant sensation of blood trickling down my forehead.
“You useless fool. The fate of our family hangs on the Civil War, and you speak this nonsense.”
For someone whose entire fate depends on the result of this Civil War, he seemed to be living rather well.
The sharp words I thought of weren’t spoken by my ‘dream self’ to my father.
“You will collect the additional supplies and send them to me.”
“B-but your Excellence, the Marquis! If we continued as such we could incite a rebellion among the peo–”
“If there’s a rebellion then you will squash it. Why do you think I even entrusted you with the Lordship of the territory? Even you should be able to quell a rebellion of mere peasants.”
There was not even a trace of passion or honor in the eyes of the man who taught me the duties and responsibility of a noble before he received the rank of Marquis and the title of ‘Blue Knight’.
What was now before me was nothing but a hungry beast craving more things to satisfy his ego and arrogance.
Before I could say anything, the Marquis spoke once more.
“If you are concerned about such petty things, then lead the troops and plunder the other territories. Just as they have done, you will do as well. This way you will provide my funds.”
In the end, I followed the Marquis’s orders and plundered the other territories to procure the military funds.
I ignored the wails from those whom I plundered from, consoling myself that it was better for them to suffer than my subjects.
The blood that trickled from my forehead reached my chin and dropped on the carpet with an audible ‘plop’.
Seeing this the Marquis clicked his tongue and said.
“Tsk. That should be enough for you to understand. You may leave now. I hope you will not fail me again.”
“……I apologize, Your Excellency. I shall take my leave.”
As I stumbled my way out, the Marquis called out behind me.
“I have fought my way to the rank of a Marquis through my sword alone. If you are indeed my son, get your act together.”
Whether this was due to a sense of remorse or concern for his wounded son, or simply an excuse to reassure himself that he was in the right, I didn’t know.
The strongest Knight in the Kingdom, the one who rose from nothing and became a Marquis.
This was a legend that my father himself constructed.
However, the tale of an earl who gave his only daughter to his favorite soldier, a man who showed his valor on the battlefield, was forgotten.
The story of a mother, who devoted everything to her family so that her husband could become a war hero and ascend to the rank of a Marquis as she died in a lonely room because her beloved son was considered a failure……Was also forgotten.
From the tent, I could hear the moaning sounds of that woman and the heated tone of my father.
Outside of the tent, the cold winter chill seemed to gouge into the wound on my forehead.
With this exact feeling of this piercing chill, I awoke from the dream.
—
Raising my hand, I quietly touched my forehead.
Around this time, before my regression.
I had no scars from the Marquis’s summon after I sent him a letter requesting a reduction of the quota.
The only thing that now remained the same from that time, is the cold winter breeze entering through the opened window.
“The report you requested, Young Master.”
I received the report from Baron Domont and read it.
The small village that was attacked by the soldiers of Millbeau didn’t come out unscathed, but they gained some stability under the management of the new village chief, Jhon Miller.
The report even contained a lot of praise towards me because the villagers could safely endure this winter thanks to the help I provided, which brought a spontaneous smile to my face.
“Good work, Baron Domont. They may have directed their praises at me, but it was all thanks to your administration and the officials who appropriately handled my requests.”
Baron Domont’s eyes widened as they soon became filled with tears.
“Sniff. Th-thank you for your words, Young Master. Seeing how you have grown into a fine man, I feel that I won’t be ashamed if I finally meet, Lady Yuria.”
The middle-aged man with a protruding belly and a tear-stricken face mentioned my mother’s name without realizing it as looked at me with reddened eyes to gauge my reaction.
I couldn’t help but laugh at this absurd scene I was presented with.
“Since you, Baron, have served my mother’s family long before the Lafayette house came to be. I am also grateful to you.”
As soon as I said that, the Baron burst into tears again, and I had to spend a long amount of time comforting him before sending him out.
Even after he left, I continued to handle the affairs of the domain.
The territory was relatively peaceful after fending off the raiding attempts, and our autumn harvest had been decent.
At least this year, there should be no worries about the Winter.
The conflict between Millbeau County and Lafayette became well-known in the neighboring territories, as such there is no lord daring to mess with us.
The urgent need for war funds was also taken care of, so there was no need to raid and pillage others.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I’m a tad curious about how the second son of Millbeau might be fairing……
On another note, Christine, or Countess Christine Aquitaine has rewarded me quite generously for helping her secure the Aquitaine County and has formed a secret alliance with me.
Thanks to her, I was able to price the war funds my father demanded and even managed to acquire some to prepare for the future.
With time on my side, I was able to reorganize the Marquisate’s administration with the help of Baron Domont and also get rid of the corrupt officials.
After finishing today’s paperwork, I walked to the window and looked at the training grounds in the distance.
I could see soldiers practicing with muskets.
Until the Revolution, hot weapons were undervalued. At best, only cannons were used, and even then, they were only used in sieges.
The stopping power of a musket is strong, not only they were expansive, but their ammunition was also hard to come by, and charging Knights could easily protect themselves with their armor enhanced by mana.
And as a single-firing weapon in the battlefields of Francia, where Knights were the main force, the guns were even worse than bows.
Moreover, due to the accuracy issue of muskets, it was best if the shooters remained in dense formations, which also made them an easier target for any mage out there.
Even a third-rate mage could conjure water on top of the musketeers and neutralize a platoon because of the gunpowder’s weakness.
Because of this, muskets were at best, weapons for the city dwellers or lowly nobles who couldn’t afford Knights and Mages.
However, during this Civil War, the number of Knights the kingdom prided itself had decreased and will continue to do so. In contrast, the Industrial Revolution brought by the Abyss Corporation unleashed an unprecedented mass production of weapons.
The Mana-wielding Knights of the Francia Kingdom are certainly worth a hundred common soldiers. However, unless they are the ‘Blue Knight’ there is only so much a single knight could face.
Even If Knights can jump into the fray and protect themselves with their mana, at best, their protection can only go as much as his perception.
A bullet shot from a blindspot cannot be blocked, and in the face of overwhelming mass like a cannonball, both Knights and foot soldiers are equal.
As a result, the main focus on the battlefield has shifted from individual Knights to whole armies, and from the moment armies clashed, the gunpowder weapons unleashed their terrifying might.
Knowing this, I’m prepared to take full advantage of them.
The greatest strength of a musket is that even a fresh recruit, with a little training, could kill seasoned warriors.
Turning my head away from the soldier’s training, I opened the letter from the Marquis.
The Marquis must be enjoying a luxurious life while stationed at the main front on the north, and he seemed to be quite pleased with the amount of war funds sent and the partial repayment received from the Aquitaine County.
Furthermore, since I’ve defeated the forces of Millbeau County, which is associated with the Second Prince’s faction, there seemed to be a lot of praise for me within the First Prince’s faction.
Even though they were the ones who scorned me as the shame of nobles, who lost to a commoner.
After going through the letter, I threw it in the fireplace.
As I watched the letter being burned to ashes, I picked my dagger, the one I practiced throwing a thousand times over, and flung it towards the door.
The dagger landed exactly on the forehead of the target dummy propped by the door.
Cowardly tactics that fooled the enemy into complacency, giving me the perfect opportunity to crush them.
Guerrilla tactics to ambush an incoming force.
Archery, the way of combat shunned by most Knights thought to be cowardice.
Even the ability to throw daggers, the tools of assassins.
These were all the skills opposed to the chivalry way of the Knight Kingdom of Francia, where honor and virtue lie in charging and meeting your enemy valiantly.
Everything I have learned is out of spite towards the Marquis, the ‘Blue Knight’ who is the epitome of what a Knight in the Kingdom of Francia should aspire to be.
All of this makes up me.
Pierre De Lafayette.
I failed once.
Despite all my efforts to be different from those hypocrites Knights and nobles, In the eyes of the commoners, I was no different from them.
Spring is coming.
With the advent of the plague, the spark of the Revolution that will rapidly escalate and consume this war-torn kingdom to ashes awaits.
Now.
It begins.
TL Note: Annddd that’s it for this non scheduled drop!
Hows the novel going guys?
Im loving this shit more than Villain if I’m being honest.
With the Plague arc we will be seeing more of Pierre’s past and will get to know more of his character!
So drop a notice fat 5* for mweeeee pwease???
