༺ I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution ༻
Written by – 카르카손
Translated by – Mara Sov
༺ Revolutionary Period – To the Person You Are ༻
In a dungeon where the sun didn’t reach.
Creeeak-.
With the creaking sound of the dungeon doors opening, the echo of footsteps grew closer.
Halphas tried to suppress the shivers that coursed through his body, but it was of no use.
When the demon saw the one approaching him was a woman in a black dress, Halphas felt a faint sense of relief.
“……This… is a little exaggerated.”
Christine frowned as she approached Halphas’s shackled body.
“Ugh…The smell.”
The demon trembled in equal parts shame and humiliation when Christine covered her nose as she approached.
Bound to a chair, unable to even relieve himself, it was only natural for Halphas to be steeped in all sorts of foul odors.
Usually, he would have torn this weak human to shreds, but now, his body had become extremely frail due to the long torture sessions, while the shackles sealed his mana.
With a frown on her face, but having gotten used to the smell, Christine soon sighed and offered the prisoner a bottle of water.
Halphas didn’t even hesitate as he bowed his head, frantically drinking from the bottle offered to him.
Only after quenching his thirst did Halphas realize his current condition was no different from a bird being fed by humans, as he was seized by a burning sense of self-loathing.
The anger felt towards his torturers had long since faded. The demon was simply too exhausted to harbor such emotions towards these barbarians.
Never before had he resented the overflowing vitality characteristic of the demonkind as he would now.
‘Wouldn’t it be better to die, than to suffer like this?’
Just as Halphas entertained such thoughts, Christine opened her mouth.
“There’s some good news for you, Halphas.”
“……G-Good…News?”
Halphas frowned at the sound of his own hoarse voice, but Christine continued.
“The Abyss Corporation reached out to us. It seems they don’t want us to hand you over to the Holy Theocracy.”
Halphas sighed in relief as he heard the news.
While Abyss Corporation wouldn’t hesitate to cut their losses, even if it meant disposing of one demon in the process, However, they seemed against the idea of a High-ranking demon being handed over to the Holy Theocracy.
Without even looking at him, Christine resumed her speech.
“Honestly, I don’t have any personal grudges against you demons since I’ve been dealing with the Abyss Corporation for a while now. It would be more profitable for me to hand you over to them. The Marquis, however……”
Halphas’s entire body shuddered just by hearing the mention of that man.
As she watched the demon squirm, Christine let out an awkward laugh.
“……As you know, as a Knight he naturally despises demons. Moreover, he’s been brooding over the fact that he knows the information you gave to him was false.”
Halphas’s face went from a ghastly pale to a nauseating blue.
Initially, Halphas believed that Christine and Pierre were in cahoots.
However, compared with the demented individual who always made him wish for death, Christine, who visited him occasionally only made a light conversation without causing him any harm. Because of this, Halphas naturally became more predisposed towards her.
“As I said, I would much rather send you back to Abyss Corporation, should the Marquis agree, of course. I know that Abyss Corporation would skimp on such matters, and it would be too much of a loss for me to cut ties with them just because of this.”
Christine’s tone was filled with feigned regret.
“But as we know, the Marquis will never agree with me until he believes he has extracted everything of value from you……I’m sure you understand what I mean. I certainly don’t desire a scenario where the enraged Marquis loses control and ends up killing you.”
Halphas nodded as fervently as he could upon hearing Christine’s words.
He was on the brink of losing all hope when faced with the unimaginable fate of being sold to the Holy Theocracy after nothing but the most excruciating torture. But now, if he managed to return home, he could have a new opportunity, even if he lost everything he had worked so hard for.
Even the worst punishment handed to him by Abyss Corporation would be better than being sold to the Holy Theocracy.
When the faint glimmer of hope was restored in his eyes, Christine smiled, her own deep black eyes twinkling in response.
“Very well then, I hope to bring you even better news soon.”
–
The tenacity and vitality of demons displayed by Halphas were more remarkable than I thought.
Unless you destroy their head or their core – the equivalent to a human’s heart – a demon was capable of regeneration from nearly any wound, given some time.
Thanks to the shackles, his regenerative abilities were greatly diminished, so I simply believed I could torture him to death, but he proved to be unexpectedly tough.
In the end, after consulting with Christine, we agreed that I would play the role of the stick and she would come forth with the carrot, and extract some information out of him.
Even so, it took a large amount of time to check the authenticity of this information, but by the time spring neared its end, we had gathered a lot of useful intelligence.
As of now, I was on a carriage with Christine, heading to Poitiers, a city near the central part of Francia.
In order to make contact with the Revolutionaries.
Inside the soundproofed carriage, wrapped in a blackout curtain to prevent anyone from both hearing and seeing us, we relied on a lamp to read the documents.
While we looked through the documents I opened my mouth.
“Are you alright with it, Christine?”
“With what?”
“Bringing your brother along with us, are you truly fine with it?”
Christine had just brought her recently turned 10-year-old brother with us.
“When I was his age, I was already managing a company. He needs to see how things are done and learn from it.”
It was just like Christine to say such things in the most nonchalant form possible.
“In any case, it would be difficult for him to endure the vassal’s stares in the mansion without me there.”
“I see.”
I agreed with her. Christine may act tough, but she had a soft spot for her brother.
With a chuckle, I returned to the documents.
“The Revolutionaries are a mess too.”
Benoit Levier, the one who was most passionate about advocating for courage and freedom against foreigners was elected the President during the National Assembly.
His close associates sold nobles, their servants, the royal army soldiers as well all of those deemed ‘anti-revolutionaries’ to the Abyss Corporation, and Levier was indulging in the delicacies and pleasures brought with the money gained from this.
I wonder if Levier himself knows the source of this money, and the people of Francia, already traumatized and who shudder at the mere mention of the word ‘demon,’ would react should they find out about this.
This wasn’t an isolated case among Levier’s associates. Even some of the moderate party whom we were in contact with had deals with the Abyss Corporation.
“……Our plan is to provide this information to the moderates through Nicolas Brisseau.”
Nicolas Brisseau had shown an interest in us before, and we had been in indirect contact several times. But this time, we were on our way to meet him in person.
“This information might give them more leverage to expand their influence.”
As I nodded in agreement, Christine narrowed her eyes and said.
“Indeed. But I’m worried. Weakening the radicals by striking at Levier and strengthening the moderates is possible, but the radical influence in the government is too strong. Even if Levier is ousted, it’s unlikely that the radical party will lose all their influence.”
After saying this, Christine held up two documents.
“There are two possible candidates from the radical party that could replace Levier: The Journalist, Jean Malo and the Prosecutor, Maximillien Le Jidor.”
“Both are dangerous for us.”
Malo is an extremely radical figure, using his newspaper ‘Voice of the People’ to advocate the annihilation of all nobles and royalists.
And Jidor is the very person who took charge of my execution.
In hindsight, Levier is more tame than those two, but without sacrificing a big fish like Levier, it will be difficult to strengthen the moderates. Without their help, we won’t be able to cooperate with the Revolutionary government.
While I was lost in thought, Christine began to speak.
“I think I may have a plan.”
“……What plan?”
Christine smiled coyly.
“Beware, it might not be the most chivalrous plan.”
“I trust you, Christine. If you think something is necessary, then I’ll do it.”
My choice was instantaneous and natural.
Hearing this, Christine’s smile widened just a bit before her mask of composure went up as she spoke.
“But first, I would like to hear some things from you.”
“About what?”
“The Aquitaine County comes from merchant origins, people who bought their way into nobility. If there’s a chance for a greater gain, they would gladly sell their lands. In a sense, our ideals almost overlap with the Revolutinary’s goals.”
Christine paused for a moment, letting her words sink in.
“But that is not the case for you. Even if the Marquisate of Lafayette is a new house, barely two generations old, your vassals who were loyal to the Earl of Toulouse, would never accept this proposition.”
Her words reminded me of Baron Domont and the other vassals. When I informed them about the possibility of having their land ownership sold or transferred to the new government their opposition was so fierce some even had their mouths frothing.
“If I were in your place, I would rather join hands with King Louis than with the revolutionaries. After all, aren’t you an outstanding Knight? I’m sure you could take on a hundred commoners with ease. And yet here you are. Tell me, Marquis, do you truly intend to stand on equal footing with the common folk?”
After she said this, Christine stared at me, awaiting my answer.
Her question had merit. Could I, a Knight who has been graced with the gift of mana, truly consider the common folk as my equals?
“……The noble Knights of Francia will uphold their power to protect the people, because of this, the people must submit to them.”
This saying has been passed down for hundreds of years in this Kingdom.
It is also a statement that showcases the superiority of Knights over the common folk, ensuring the continuation of the feudal system. Even if such a system is already waning in other countries.
“The way I see things is simple. I’m a Knight. But unlike you Christine, I’m not adept at managing finances or dealing with information.”
The lamp hanging from the ceiling swayed with the carriage’s advances, creating an illusion that Christine’s pitch-black eyes were also trembling.
“Commoners educated in paperwork have been assisting nobles who are inexperienced in such matters for a while now. If human superiority must be determined by our ability, then why base it solely on martial strength? Even among the common folk, some could match our strength if given the chance.”
This was proven correct by none other than Sir Gaston. All humans possess mana.
The superiority of Knights over the common folk is merely because they had been educated and taught to harness this power.
But could they overwhelm the commoners by force? Doubtful. It wouldn’t have been easy even before the Civil War, but now? with most of the Knights dead? It’s hopeless.
In Francia, most nobles aspire to be Knights, so the majority of mages within the Kingdom are commoners employed by the nobility.
The fact that commoners could become Mages meant that they could also become Knights.
However, the nobility would never allow this to happen.
“Most of all the great Knights do not even possess half of the domestic skills of their vassals. They are less capable of managing their resources than the merchants they scorn. The fact that being a good knight does not translate to being a good ruler has been well proved by none other than King Louis himself. In the end, Christine, the notion of human superiority is nothing more than a logic put forth by the privileged to serve their own interests.”
These supposedly great Knights, deemed vastly superior to the common man, were defeated by Raphael Valliant due to their own hubris and arrogance.
By that logic, shouldn’t Raphael be superior to them? Being the one with the rightful right to rule? Christine seemed to think about my words before speaking.
“I understand your thoughts, Marquis. But if you think about it, the revolutionary government is not much different. The wealthy hold all the power. They merely replaced the nobles being the privileged ones, fattening their own bellies with the spoils taken from the nobility. Look at all the trouble we are going through just to join them, but you…You never once doubted, never once wavered in this path.”
After staring at me for an uncomfortable amount of time, Christine sighed and continued.
“Even I, a girl born into a merchant family, sometimes have my doubts whether this is the right path. So how can you, a genuine noble, be so certain of this? Tell me, Marquis, are you perhaps a prophet?”
With a bitter smile, I answered her.
“No, no. In fact, I don’t hold much hope in this revolutionary government.”
As soon as I said this, Christine frowned, but I continued.
“But one thing I’m sure of. If I had joined hands with King Louis and tried to stop this revolution, even if we had won, we would have drenched this land in blood and would certainly become a puppet for the other nations, the Germania Empire most likely. Had we lost, I, along with all my people would have been sacrificed before the wrath of the revolution.”
At least of this, I’m sure of, having both lived and seen the future of this rotten kingdom.
“This revolution is a bloody one. Although the anger of the commoners built upon the oppression of the old regime is justified, the chaos they are causing isn’t. Clearly, they are a problematic group, immature and one that risks running rampant. We will pay a hefty price to stand with them despite our nobility. Failure could even mean death.”
Even then, the things I’ve experienced after regressing, and the truths I’ve undercovered only served to strengthen my conviction. There will be no future for this land if we maintain the old regime.
“But the possibility is there. Despite the sacrifices we might make, the possibility of having a better future is not a lie. Even if it’s the hands of people too immature to consider their past, or too desperate for something new. We have to try, I have to believe in them.”
Before my regression, those who followed me all met a wretched fate just because I carried the blood of the Earl of Toulouse. I want to change that.
“Perhaps I’ve only chosen the lesser evil. But I’m certain that this was for the best. Because of this, I came this far, persuading those who would doubt the path.”
I could still hear the jeers, the ridicule, and the hatred of the crowd as they invalidated all that I assumed to be right.
“So, I will join them. Even if I have to sell the lands that nobles hold dear, even if I have to dirty these hands with blood, I will endure any hardship to reach a better future than this miserable one we would have.”
At the very least, when death claims me, I wish to say that I was a better person than my father, who sacrificed countless people just to further his legend.
“I’m not a prophet, Christine. I’m merely a human struggling to avoid the worst and striving for a better future. It’s somewhat embarrassing to admit this since I’ve come this far, but……that’s why I desperately need people’s help, your help.”
For a moment Christine simply stared at it, but then, she allowed a beautiful smile to decorate her face.
That smile was not the one she usually had, the fake noble smile she uses……No, this one was more sincere, more fitting for a person of her age. And I continued to dumbly stare at it, she said.
“Pierre. You finally feel human.”
“……And please, pray tell, I felt like until now?”
“…Hmmm…Like a devil who knows everything and manipulates young maidens from behind the scenes?”
I couldn’t help it but a dry laugh burst out from within me at her words.
While I laughed, Christine reached out her hand toward me.
With a sincere smile, I took her hand.
TL Note: Lads and Lasses, Mama wants to thank ya’ll for the support given to my New project! I’m already doing ch 45 as this goes out. Shoooo gib more Genesis-friendly reviews on NU!
Also how ya’ll thinking of dis novel? Plase leave sum comments I….I have a little addiction to reading comments……I check the Discus page every 4-5 hours…….
