༺ I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution ༻
Written by – 카르카손
Translated by – Mara Sov
༺ Revolutionary Period – The Saint and The Empress ༻
By the time I opened my eyes, I had been moved to our Headquarters in Reims.
The gunshot wound and the severe burns around my body were treated by Eris, however, since I had gone past my limits in that battle, both my body and mana needed a few days to recuperate.
The first person who visited me after waking up was none other than Raphael Valliant.
“What a remarkable battle, Marquis! Ahhh, how sad it is for me to not have seen it myself! If only I had taken the time to learn how to control my mana or how to wield magic….Hehehehe, I would be able to see the faces of those poor sods getting blasted by point-blank artillery!”
“I-Is that so……”
This guy…He can be very scary sometimes.
I mean, I’m not one to talk as well, but he’s crazy.
“Ah, right! Thanks to the Marquis Valliant efforts in eliminating the Storm Witch, our army was capable of achieving a complete victory! Complete and utter Victory, I say! With that being said, as soon as I reorganize the troops, I’ll advance to Vauquois.”
Ah, so that’s why he rushed here as soon as I woke up?
With a knowing smirk, I replied.
“I see. I’ll appoint someone to lead the Southern Army in my stead then.”
Valliant smiled like a maiden in love.
“That’s why I love to talk to you, Marquis! Truly we are fateful partners! You’re always so quick to understand my motives! Please, rest well and recuperate while you wait for some good news on my part!”
Right…As if you’d want it any other way……
Valliant – Who always bore that disgusting smile – gestured to his aide and let him place a large basket of apples on the desk.
“Then, I hope to see you soon, Partner! Thank you for everything! hehehhehe-.”
After saying this, Valliant quickly left.
But as soon as he left, people started to come in one after another…..And I had to greet them all, leaving me with no time to rest…
“Marquis! You have no idea how relieved I am to see you! Your noble sacrifice, your bravery! Indeed you share the same blood as the mighty ‘Blue Knight’, and-“
“Really? I was also very worried about you, Count.”
Damien, who had been regurgitating his word salad, as his mouth spewed torrents of saliva, clammed up when I cut him off.
“I couldn’t find you at all after the initial engagements.”
Even if he’s trying to butter me up, I wish he wouldn’t lump that damned ‘Blue Knight’ with me.
“I, I suffered a great injury in the middle of the battle, m-my apologies.”
He managed to say that with such a sincere face…
After all, for someone who had suffered a ‘great injury,’ he seemed very healthy. I doubt that Eris’s healing would have left him with such energetic behavior.
“……Regardless, General Valliant will be moving towards Vauquois, and as the commander of the Southern Army, you will de deploying as well-“
The moment I finished saying this, Damien’s eyes watered, as he cried.
“What is it now?”
“Sob-. M-My apologies, Marquis! B-but I just remembered Sir Hugh’s noble sacrifice as he charged in battle, following your lead, and…….”
Damien continued to cry as he wiped the corners of his eyes.
Sir Hugh.
He must have been that Knight from Millbeau who got taken down by a fireball.
While it’s true that sending a grieving commander to fight is not optimal, I do have the feeling that he’s playing me……
Sigh-.
“Very well then. You should rest, Count. I’ll entrust the command of my army to Sir Desaix.”
“T-Thank you for your consideration, Marquis! This subordinate is in awe of your mercy! Please, rest well!”
Damien’s complexion changed completely as if he had never cried in the first place.
This fucking bastard……
At least he left me a basket of grapes.
“Please forgive me for not being able to assist you until the very end, My Lord.”
“What nonsense are you speaking? If it weren’t for you, Sir Gaston, the plan would have failed as well. I should be the one thanking you for your efforts, opening a way for the rest of us in that battleground. It was an honor to fight by your side.”
“……It’s been an honor to serve you, My Lord.”
After saying this, Sir Gaston, the ever-serious, left me a basket of oranges.
“The casualties of the Southern Army number 4.823, Sir. Though our losses were significant, we have achieved victory. Your battle against the Storm Witch left a great impression in the hearts of the soldiers, your deeds have traveled far. The whole Capital should be singing songs about your battle.”
“……I see, Sir Desaix. Have you heard about General Valliant’s next move?”
“…Will I perform my duties as your Chief-of-Staff? Or perhaps as the acting commander?”
“Acting Commander.”
Louis Desaix sighed, but he saluted me.
“Then, I shall follow your orders, Marquis.”
“Thank you. Oh, one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“You’ve done a good work commanding the Southern Army during the battle.”
“It was my duty, Sir. Please take care of yourself.”
With a faint smile, Desaix left, leaving a basket of strawberries behind.
Many others came and went, and by the time they stopped, the sun had already gone down.
Then, a wayward saint entered my room and started devouring the fruits I had received.
“Wao-. Look at all these fruits. I wonder how much it would cost to buy all of this! Munch- Munch- Hmmm-. Those strawberries look so yummy…Yum-. Hmmm~~~Delicious.”
“……Could you at least finish eating before talking?”
“Sigh-. After treating everyone, I’m sooooo tired and hungry! And here you are, scolding me! How can you be so heartless, Marquis?! I’m just taking care of these – Munch, Munch – juicy fruits that you won’t even eat since you’re such a bore some-“
“Alright, alright! I get it, eat as much as you want.”
Eris covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed, then continued to devour all the fruits I’d received.
Her eyes were equal to those of a sickly person, so I didn’t bother her any further.
Our battle may have ended, but Eris continued to work until now.
I may have received many gifts, so it’s likely that Eris did too, but with her personality it wouldn’t be strange if she gave those to the wounded rather than eating them.
After a few minutes of eating, Eris spoke again.
“Ah, that’s so good. I really, really, really love fruits you know? And it’s been such a long time since I could eat my fill like this. Oh, that’s right, you should be thanking me, Marquis. You were really sloppy with your arm, that’s not how first aid works at all! And your burns! Gosh, I could barely recognize you!”
“I see……”
I was aware of my recklessness.
I thought the Witch’s mana had been depleted when I charged, but maybe she had siphoned some power from the broken circle.
If it hadn’t been for the brooch Christine had given me, I might have been burned to death.
“Thank you, Eris. Without your help, we would have failed…Also, thank you for taking care of me. Honestly, if my burns were as bad as you say…Then I wouldn’t be able to face Christine.”
Eris kept silent for a moment, then spoke.
“……I’m feeling, rather conflicted.”
Her tone was frail, her once exuberant behavior nowhere to be seen.
“I, I was so happy we won the battle and that I’ve accomplished my part…But even when we won, thousands died, and even more were injured. I could only save some of them. T-That, makes me feel so……”
“That’s enough.”
When I clapped my hands, Eris looked at me.
“If we had given up fighting, we would have been annihilated. And if you hadn’t performed so well, many more would have died. Remember this Eris, It’s one thing to feel responsibility for our actions, but to feel guilty for things outside our control is beyond foolish.”
Eris smiled weakly.
“You seem to be very experienced with such things, Marquis. Is it because you’re a Knight? However…Ahh-. How should I say this….
Somehow…The thought of becoming like you scares me.”
“There’s no need for you to be like me. And I doubt you could even if you tried. But, I trust the person you have become more than I did when I first met you.”
“……Really?”
“Yes, Your Highness The Princess. Not only did you save many lives in this battle, but you also racked tremendous support. This will be of great help when the time comes for you to ascend the Throne.
Your doubts, dilemmas, and emotions, painful as they may be, are things to be cherished, those are valuable qualities for a leader to have.”
I looked straight into Eris’ mystical purple eyes, as I continued.
“Those are the growing pains you must endure. From a young saint who once saw the world in nothing but black and white, benevolence against wickedness. To a Princess whom people can trust and follow. It’s my most sincere belief that after enduring these tribulations, you will grow and become someone worthy of ruling both myself and my people.”
After a moment of silence, Eris smiled as she asked me.
“Your oath to me. Do you remember it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“These people, the sons and daughters of Francia, the ones I asked you to protect, were they worth your protection?”
I recalled the scenes I hd witnessed during the battle.
For Christine’s sake, as well as for my people, I used Eris as a way to motivate the soldiers and even brought her to the battlefield.
Those soldiers, even when they faced certain death, even when they were exhausted, even when they were injured, still cried out for victory and charged head-on with a fervor that rattled even me.
“Yes, without a doubt.”
Eris smiled brighter than ever, her face filled with relief.
–
Germania Empire – Imperial Palace.
The Empire’s Kaiserin, Cecilia was busy dealing with a pile of documents in her office.
She had to handle not only her duties as the Kaiserin but also the duties of her husband, the Kaiser.
Even then, Cecilia loved her husband.
He was foolish, weak, pitiable, undeserving of his position. However, he was hers.
Had the Kaiser not been such a foolish tyrant that even the Empire’s loyal vassals turned their backs on him, Cecilia’s own efforts would have been meaningless, and she would be nothing more than a trophy wife from abroad.
While Cecilia was engrossed with the documents, someone knocked on her door.
“The Minister of Milliary Affairs has answered your summons, esteemed Kaiserin.”
“Let him in.”
The servants opened the door and the Minister of Milliary Affairs, entered, his face was stiff as he bowed to her.
“This one greets the Mother of our Empire, our Esteemed Kaiserin.”
Cecilia put aside her paperwork and stood up, picking a battle report from her desk.
“Tell me, Minister, what are your thoughts about this?”
The Minister hesitated, unsure of what to say, but he apologized after a couple of seconds.
“I beg your pardon, Esteemed Kaiserin.”
Cecilia struggled to suppress the urge to throw the report on his head,
But a Kaiserin mustn’t act in such a childish way.
From the moment she was sold to her nation’s greatest enemy, she had erased everything that once made her a Princess of Francia.
The customs she learned, the dreams she once had, even her personality.
She clad herself in the ideal image of an Empress, of a Kaiserin, that the Germania Empire would need, trying to fill the void she had herself created.
Esteemed Kaiserin Cecilia, the wise and loving mother of the Empire. A woman who was more Germanian than the Germanians themselves. A woman adored by her people.
There was no room for personal feelings in the mask she had crafted.
Because she knew that should she allow herself to appear vulnerable or weak even for a single moment, then those who praised the ideal Kaiserin would bring up her foreign origins, undermining her authority.
Cecilia’s fists trembled, but the words that came out of her mouth were bathed in an utterly calm tone.
“The Grand Duke Leopold is the Empire’s war hero, our pride. We can’t allow his reputation to be tarnished by the fool who has seats on the Throne of Francia, nor by the slothful Northern Alliance. What are your thoughts on the withdrawal of the Imperial troops, Minister?”
“The Kaiserin’s words are wise, as always.”
Cecilia nodded her head.
“Then I believe you agree with me. We shall discuss this in more detail during the next council meeting.”
“It shall be done, My Kaiserin. Glory to the Mother of the Empire!”
With this, the Minister of Milliary Affairs left, and Cecilia slumped back into her office chair.
In truth, she wanted to tear her hair out, she wanted to scream in rage, she wanted to……
She had cautiously nurtured the Imperial Mages, even allocating a part of the Imperial budget to it.
Never in her wildest nightmares she had imagined a defeat like this, much less the thought that a commander of the Imperial Mages would fall in battle.
The report in her hands had described in detail the brutal and insane battle that was fought.
Even without professional knowledge in the military arts, she knew that it wasn’t the Grand Duke’s incompetence that led to this result.
The young genius, General Raphael Valliant, the one who crushed King Louis’s forces and toyed with the armies of three nations as if they were children, the man who became a legendary tactician.
The son of the ‘Great Blue Knight’, Marquis Lafayette, the Knight who made the Grand Duke retreat, and led the revolutionaries, crushing everything in their way and ultimately the one who slayed the Storm Witch.
And least of all, the Holy Maiden of Francia, the Saint who was officially anointed by the Holy Theocracy.
All those figures who rose from a feudal nation of Knights, a Kingdom in decline, a Kingdom that fell to their own people.
Of all three, the Empire had not taken this ‘Holy Maiden’ seriously.
When their intelligence discovered a girl of unknown origins wandering across the Southern territory of Francia during the plague curing people, such rumor was dismissed. When the supposed ‘Saint’ was taken in by the son of the Blue Knight, they didn’t care, after all, why would something like this matter? When the girl had been recognized as a Saint by the Holy Theocracy, the Empire simply believed that the Marquis, her patron had bribed them.
However, after this battle, the Saint had become an undeniable threat.
Whispers within the Imperial Court suggested that the gods themselves were looking after Francia.
Cecilia could only scoff at such absurd rumors.
The tale of the holy maiden who had saved Francia from utter destruction by the Demon King centuries ago was a well-known legend.
And now, as Francia faced another crisis that threatened their existence another Holy Maiden arose and saved the day, causing the nation to erupt in fervor.
In this chaotic era, three heroes appeared to protect the Kingdom, their presence heralded proof of the god’s care for that rotten nation.
‘Gods looking over Francia, huh?’
If such a thing was true, then where were those gods when she was sold to their greatest enemy?
Where were the gods when she was alone in a distant land, with no one to rely on?
Where were the gods when she cried for help?
In the end, she had to save herself.
There is nothing divine about it.
Cecilia clenched her teeth.
This time, they had won.
This defeat was a bitter one, but seeing King Louis soil his pants at the Marquis Lafayette’s breakthroughs, his panicked retreat, and his ravings about the second coming the Blue Knight, gave the Empire a pretext to withdraw.
If they withdrew, King Louis’s downfall was certain.
So, while her foolish little brother faced his doom, she must soothe and cajole the shocked Lords who have witnessed the power of Francia.
She would have to convince them, to once again restart the war to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
Cecilia laughed as she read the report detailing the feats of the ‘Holy Maiden Eris’.
Holy Maiden indeed! The girl who was naturally adored and blessed since the day she was born, the girl who was being praised to this day.
One had been lucky to be born.
While the other was born lucky.
Therefore, since she was sold to the enemy and had barely reached her position through sheer wit and cunning,
Shouldn’t a ‘Holy Maiden’ like her be granted the right to retaliate against those who took everything from this Kaiserin?
Authors note:
The Inspiration for Cecilia’s character came from Madame de Pompadour + Catherine the Great rather than Maria Theresa.
TL Note:
In Cecilia’s part of the chapter, they really didn’t use the word ‘Saint’ to describe Eris, but Holy Maiden.
