༺ I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution ༻
Written by – 카르카손
Translated by – Mara Sov
༺ Revolutionary Period – The Bargain of Lives ༻
Duchy of Orleans – Southwest of Lumiere.
After the royal army suffered a crushing defeat in the battle of Lumiere, the King fled Orleans, a territory bordering the Capital, and sought refuge in Duke’s Lorenne domain.
Immediately after, a massive army numbering 15,000 men swarmed the Duchy of Orleans, laying siege to the Duke’s fortress.
But the general of such an imposing army was throwing a fit.
“Oh for God’s sake! What a brilliant mess this is!”
His aide, Alexandre Berthier, looked at Valliant from the corner of his eyes and released a tired sigh.
“Are they seriously telling us to gather supplies from the land? Can you believe this shit? Gather. Supplies. From. The. Land?! Aren’t they basically encouraging the revolutionary army to plunder?”
While his superior continued to throw a fit, Berthier sighed deeply once more and said.
“From what I’ve heard, we’re out of money. In the Capital, the propaganda is always boasting about how we operate twice the military force of the Kingdom’s days with half of the budget. It’s a way for them to boast about how superior the Republic is compared to the old days.”
“Bloody hell! Of course, they are doing it with half of the bloody budget! They aren’t even giving us a blasted budget! And those officers dispatched by the oh-so-great revolutionary government don’t even know what they are doing! Those cunts have no clue how to manage an army! Even then, after we carefully divided the, might I add, nonexistent supplies, they have the balls to complain we’ve wasted the resources!”
“Well…They are selecting people based on their drive and commitment to their cause without regard to their background……”
Raphael Valliant chewed on his nail as he heard Berthier’s words.
“Fuck. Right, so I bet that those Germanian cunts or the Northern Alliance are already in talks with the King, negotiating how many ‘reinforcements’ they might send to him. And we are here, unable to even secure a swift victory because of this mess! If this keeps up we’re going to be screwed! Royally screwed!”
“Sigh-.”
While Valliant and Berthier were having this unfortunate conversation, the fortress wall collapsed under the continuous artillery fire.
Dust and debris filled the air, and when they settled, soldiers from the revolutionary army squeezed through the breach in the fortress wall.
“Hah! At least those fuckers are getting what they deserve now! Hahahaha! Men–Attack!”
As he watched this scene through his telescope, Valliant observed his soldiers advancing through the breach when-
“Ah, damn.”
-The breach was plugged by a couple of Knights who proceeded to slaughter every soldier that entered.
During the last battle, the Knights were unable to even do damage, as the continuous ambushes and hit-and-run tactics prevented them from ever reaching melee distance.
The Knights of Duke Lorenne were among the lower ranks of the Knight Kingdom, and since they were clad in heavy armor, they were slowed to a crawl, making them the perfect targets for the musketeers.
But that was only because they were caught off guard by a new way of engagement that they had never seen before. But for the Knights who are protecting their front with mana in such a tight space like this breach, they were near invincible against the common troops.
“Order all regiments on all fronts to attack! The Knights will have no chance but to respond to it! Tell our men to climb the wall using ropes or ladders, whatever they can find! The enemy is already short on troops, we mus-“
However, before Valliant could even finish giving his orders, the sound of a horn came from the regiment attacking the breach, and soon, the soldiers began to flee.
“No! Damn it!”
Beyond frustrated Valliant threw his telescope onto the ground and immediately mounted on his horse rushing towards the retreating regiment.
With a resigned sigh, Berthier followed behind him.
“Who is the commanding officer of this regiment!”
“I-It’s m-me General, sir.”
“Are you insane? After all that hard work to finally create an opening, you retreated instead of mounting an all-out assault?”
“B-But sir! The soldiers…T-They were getting killed by those monsters-“
Valliant was simply at a loss for words as he heard the officer’s rambling.
After a moment of silence, he asked in a resigned tone.
“Tell me, what were you doing before being recruited?”
“I… I was a painter in the capital, Sir.”
Valliant and Berthier looked at each other and soon both men let out a hollow laugh.
Since they sent Jerome Morelle and Nicolas Nera in command of a force to keep the King in check, they filled the vacancies with those sent by the revolutionary government, but not even Raphael imagined that the quality of the troops would be like this……
A moment after, Valliant said through gritted teeth.
“Listen here Chief of Staff. Tell the higher-ups in the government that I don’t need these ‘competent and enthusiastic fellows’ sent by them. Just get me some officers I can actually use!”
“Sighh-. Very well, General.”
As Berthier turned his horse and galloped away, Valliant looked at the fortress and muttered to himself.
“I think I’ll need more power.”
–
We arrived in Poitiers a day earlier, so we unpacked and waited for the leader of the moderates, the Liberal Writer Nicolas Brisseau.
However, on the following day, we weren’t greeted by him, but a messenger came to us and informed us that he would arrive two days later, and sought our understanding.
We all knew the importance of this meeting.
The place chosen for this meeting, Poitiers, supported the revolutionaries but was also friendly towards the Aquitaine merchants, which made this city a perfect place.
Even then, since this city supported the revolutionaries, we couldn’t consider ourselves safe here, and then, he’s going to make us wait two more days here?
Although we could proceed with some business Christine had in the North, this was hardly a desired outcome.
–
In a dark room, only illuminated by the faint ray of light coming from the half-closed window in the corner.
While I was thinking about our situation, I questioned my partner.
“What do you think, Christine?”
“Honestly, it’s a bit early to draw some conclusions.”
After saying this, Christine seemed to think about something before she continued.
“But considering their situation and plight, It’s unlikely that they will brush us out now.”
The revolutionary government’s moderate faction is much weaker than the radicals.
Since the Revolution began as a way to punish the King and the Nobles for oppressing the people and even selling them out to demons, the weaker influence of the moderates is understandable.
They must be desperate to exert any influence they can when confronted by the violent nature of this Revolution.
“Should this deal go through, they would cement their influence over the radicals.”
For the revolutionary government that only controls the Northwest of Francia, pulling us from the South would double their influence.
Moreover, currently, Christine is the wealthiest woman in this kingdom, and my fame gained from the Civil War’s final battles was also considerable, making us desirable allies.
“Perhaps something urgent has occurred, preventing Brisseau from leaving his post.”
Something urgent……
Perhaps the Germania Empire has declared war on Francia?
While I considered such matters, my gaze wandered towards Louis who stood beside us with a intimidated expression.
A young boy with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed like a servant.
Despite the ten-year gap, he didn’t resemble Christine in the slightest. Perhaps both had inherited their looks from their respective mothers.
When Louis met my gaze, he flinched and lowered his head.
Well, his reaction is not unexpected, since the last time I saw him, my soldiers followed Christine’s orders and executed his mother’s family.
So instead of tormenting the poor kid, I looked at Christine.
She was veiled, dressed in a simpler outfit more adequate of a mere merchant and not her usual elegant black dress.
Even I was dressed like a simple mercenary.
We rented a simple house on the outskirts of Poitiers, with me acting as Christine’s guard and Louis as her servant.
After a moment, someone knocked on the door.
“M-My Lady? I’ve arrived.”
“Good. Come in.”
The door opened, and a plain-looking commoner woman stepped inside.
She must have come of age recently. She was younger than Christine or her maid, Lina. After she stepped inside, the woman glanced nervously around the dark room.
Sitting in her chair, Christine began to speak slowly, as Louis stood behind her like a servant would.
“Ellen Davy?”
Christine’s tone was more indifferent than usual.
“Yes….That’s me, My Lady.”
After a deliberate pause, perhaps done to affect the mood of this conversation, Christine said.
“I heard you bear a grudge against Jean Malo.”
Just by hearing this name, Ellen’s face hardened.
“……My…My parents worked in one of the nobles’ mansions in the Capital and were killed by the Revolutionaries.”
Christine remained silent, as Ellen’s words became heated and an angry expression took hold of her face when she retold her tale.
“T-That man, Jean Malo….He…He led that mad crowd. He laughed when my parents begged for their lives! He said that since they worked for the nobles just to feed their family, they should die with the nobles as well……”
Making a brief pause to regain her breath, Ellen continued.
“He incited and killed countless innocent people like that, but now, he lives in luxury, getting all the praise by the common folk as if he was a national hero.”
Christine’s expression remained indifferent even as she heard Ellen’s words.
She simply let Ellen work out some of her anger as she listened to her story.
After she had calmed somewhat, Ellen asked her.
“……You’re the one who has been supporting my family’s living expenses till now, aren’t you My Lady?”
“Yes. And I am also the person who can give you the chance to avenge your parents.”
Christine’s voice, posture, and even her veil, made her look like a mysterious woman way older than she was.
Letting her words sink in for a moment, Christine said.
“I’ll be honest with you. I can help you get your revenge, and after that is done I’ll take care of your family. But even if you succeed you will not be able to live for long…Knowing this, would you still do it?”
Ellen swallowed a lump in her throat.
“……W-What if I give up on my revenge?”
“I will cut all support for your family, and that will be it. But if you agree, I’ll give your family enough money for them to live the next five years without worry, and I’ll reallocate them far away from Lumiere. Should you succeed in your revenge I’ll increase my monetary reward by five times.”
Ellen seemed to be in deep thought, however, with a defiant expression, while sweating she asked.
“What if I take your money in advance and just run away with my family?”
At her question, A beaming smile could be seen from within Christine’s veil.
“You can try.”
Ellen lowered her head, her entire body trembling. But when the young woman lifted her head, her eyes contained a burning desire for vengeance.
“I’ll do it, My Lady. But I have one final request.”
“What is it?”
“……If I’m to die. I wish to hear the name of my benefactor. I swear I’ll never disclose it.”
Christine’s smile turned into a smirk.
“Ellen Davy, you overestimate yourself. Do you believe yourself to be impervious to torture? The will of a human is far weaker than you might think. Besides, are you confident that you won’t resent your younger siblings since you’re the one fated to die? If your determination only amounts to this, then it might be better for you to give up now, while you have the chance. Besides, I have many other pawns I can use.”
A flicker of defiance crossed Ellen’s eyes, but it was quickly extinguished.
“……I apologize, My Lady. Please forget I even said anything.”
Christine simply continued as if this didn’t matter to her.
“I’ll send someone to you soon, so pack up your things and return to the Capital. After receiving the advance payment, I’ll make the arrangements for you to work as an employee at a club Jean Malo frequents. You will work there for a month, and when the time comes you will have your revenge.”
“……Understood, My Lady.”
As soon as Ellen left the residence, Louis released the breath he had been holding.
“You are a frightening woman, sister.”
Christine smiled at him.
“Why would you think so, my dear Louis?”
“……By giving her that money in advance you created a false sense of hope, leaving her with no choice but to follow your plan, and if the job succeeds, you don’t even need to pay her more, right?”
“Hmmm, now why do you think like that?”
“……Because there’s no need to honor an agreement with a dead woman…..”
As Louis answered her question with a slightly trembling voice, Christine shook her head.
“You’re wrong. Your subordinates will remember this deed, and because of your actions, they will always have some doubt as they carry your orders.
That woman may be just another one of my many pawns, but can you guarantee that others I may use won’t know her? If you don’t honor your deals, you risk your integrity for a measly amount of money. You just lost the trust of your vassals, possibly alienated some other pawns, do you see it, Louis? It’s not worth it in the end.”
“……I apologize, sister. I was short-sighted.”
Sensing that Louis had become exhausted, Christine called for a servant to escort him back to his quarters.
And once again, I was left alone with her.
“We’ll have to keep changing our meeting places to avoid suspicion since I’ve prepared another five people with cases similar to hers. The assassination method will be poison, using the products of Abyss Corporation. It’s perfect since Jean Malo was the one who instigated the raid of the Abyss Corporation branch in Bretagne. I also made sure to use different contacts and routes to minimize the chances of this being traced back to us.”
After saying this, Christine let out a bitter laugh.
“So……What do you think? Like I told you, this wouldn’t be chivalrous at all……Are you disappointed in me?”
Christine looked tired.
Yet, for all her pretenses, I think her actions were largely different from those of rotten nobles or dishonorable Knights.
Though she yapped about using people as her pawns or maintaining her subordinate’s trust in her, in the end, she gave them all a choice without using false pretenses to manipulate them.
Not that I would say this to her, for right now, she didn’t need my consolation.
“I’ve already told you. I trust you. I will support you in anything you deem something necessary.
I won’t say one thing to you, just to do another.”
Upon hearing me, Christine let out a small but honest smile as she said.
“Even If I handle Jean Malo, who is the most radical of the bunch, we can’t do anything against Prosecutor Maximillien Le Jidor. He is known to be ‘The Unbribable’, a radical for sure, but a seemingly fair one.”
Prosecutor Maximillien Le Jidor.
Before my regression, I believed he was just like the other radicals since he was the one who ordered my execution.
However, according to Cristine’s investigation, If Levier is considered the tame one among the radicals, and Jean Malo is the extremist, then Jidor positions himself somewhere in the middle of the scale.
Even after squeezing Halphas for information, we have nothing to use against Jidor.
He might as well become our worst enemy within the revolutionary government.
“Well, it can’t be helped then. The radicals won’t vanish into thin air even if we manage to end all three of them. So our only hope is to strengthen the moderates as much as possible to make our negotiations somewhat feasible.”
–
On the day of the meeting.
We finally had the opportunity to meet with the leader of the moderates, the Liberal Writer Nicolas Brisseau.
“It’s a pleasure to meet one of the heads of the Republic, Senator Brisseau.”
“The pleasure is mine to meet you in this location, Marquis Lafayette.”
Brisseau’s expression was a little strange, which put me on alert, but after greeting me, he naturally exchanged some pleasantries with Christine.
However, in the next moment, I realized why his behavior was so odd.
My gaze became fixed on the man disembarking the carriage, a man dressed like an attendant.
Normally, one wouldn’t be able to recognize him, due to his disguise……
But I-
How could I ever forget his face?
The leader of the radicals, Prosecutor Maximillien Le Jidor, disguised as a simple attendant, came to our meeting as well.
TL Note: Bruh Raphael is such a mood.
And The guy who offed the MC on ch1 will take the wheels now lads!
Bruh Zack Hemsey is such a gud composer. This chapter was done with only him as em sound track.
