༺ I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution ༻
Written by – 카르카손
Translated by – Mara Sov
༺ Revolutionary Period – The Burden of Sin ༻
“Unlike those fools who keep handing pearls to pigs, I’m sure that we could achieve something worthy of legends, Marquis. Wouldn’t you like to be remembered through the ages? To have your name engraved in this world?”
As I stared at his stretched hand, Valliant simply took a look at my face and withdrew his hand.
“Well, that’s not the reaction I expected.”
“Did you believe I would join you?”
Valliant scratched his chin sheepishly.
“Honestly, it was a fifty-fifty chance, you know? Considering what the Countess of Aquitaine went through……”
As soon as he said those words, my eyes sharpened while Valliant raised his hands.
“Hey, Hey! Don’t get me wrong here, my friend. Even if we have some sort of fight, I would never dream of laying a hand on our dear Countess.”
Valliant shrugged his shoulders before adding.
“I do wish to live a long and happy life, after all.”
Only then did I smile at him.
“That’s good to know. As you should’ve known, General Valliant, I have rejected the National Assembly and their order.”
During my rampage, I slaughtered both the members responsible for Christine’s assassination attempt, as well as their entire entourages.
It was something unforgivable in the eyes of the law, and even I wouldn’t consider my actions to be justified.
“However, this doesn’t mean I loathe the National Assembly itself……At least, not yet.”
Ultimately, even Jidor realized the flaws within their order and changed his stance.
Though it was the result of my efforts, the National Assembly compromised with the people of the western regions and accepted them.
“Hmm? Not yet?”
“Indeed, not yet.”
Now that the war has ended, there will be changes within the Assembly.
If they repeat past mistakes and lose their senses, I might just do as Valliant said and overthrow them.
But the Republic was barely established through countless sacrifices, and the National Assembly, despite its flaws, has its ideals.
If one day I were to overturn the Assembly, I must present a better path to not spite those sacrifices.
“Still, I’m not interested in your proposal, General Valliant.”
Valliant raised his eyebrows at my words.
“What is the issue with it?”
“General Valliant, you are overestimating the capacity of Francia.”
“……”
“We just survived a long Civil War. Although we have defeated King Louis through the power and high morale of the Republic, It will take a long time for the country to be restored to a stable state.”
Valliant furrowed his brows at my words.
“Doesn’t this make a new order even more necessary? We need to overthrow this inefficient system.”
“You may be correct. But as you know, I’ve been making great efforts in improving the inefficiencies of the National Assembly. For me to discard all this work and join in your plan….I’ll need some guarantees, General Valliant.”
How could I abandon all the work Christine and the others have done in the National Assembly to strengthen the Central Party, just to join hands with Valliant?
“Listening to you speaking about such plans, makes me wonder if you’re overestimating yourself, General Valliant. Or perhaps, you’re underestimating our enemies.”
For the first time since we started talking, Valliant’s face hardened.
“You are without a doubt, a genius, General. I do not doubt that your tactical prowess surpasses even me. But even with all of this, are you truly confident in facing all the other Empires or Nations in this continent and emerging as the winner?”
As Valliant said, just by teaching the cavalry how to harness their mana already enabled us to outperform the Germania Empire’s cavalry.
Of course, these cavalry were all seasoned warriors, second only to Knights so their progress was guaranteed. While it would be far more challenging to teach a lowly soldier.
However, if all our soldiers could use their mana, the Republican Army might be strong enough to accomplish the things Valliant speaks of.
But our enemies aren’t fools.
We may have the upper hand in the initial engagements. But eventually, they will learn from us and adapt.
“Should the Grand Duke hear of this, he would teach his hussars how to use mana. And I think we already know how that would go for us……”
After all, wasn’t I the same as well?
Learning from your enemy isn’t anything novel.
Before my regression, I learned Valliant’s strategies after being defeated by him in numerous battles, and after my return, I implemented them to great success.
“If our troops defeat them again and again, even those old coots will try the same. How long do you think your advantage will last, General Valliant? If we’re lucky, it could take a few years for them to learn……But it could also last a single war.”
Valliant listened to my words with a serious face, after I finished speaking, he opened his mouth.
“You’re forgetting that our enemies are a bunch of foolish nobles. Just look at King Louis. Those guys are obsessed with their privileges, so do you really think they would allow ‘mere’ peasants to wield mana? The same mana they’ve been safekeeping for hundreds of years?”
If we’re lucky, that just might be the case.
But why would I wage a senseless war just for my own prestige? Isn’t that the exact thing my father would do?
“I disagree with such a thought, General. Do you truly believe our enemies will be as foolish as King Louis? Should their privileges be threatened by us, I don’t doubt they would choose the lesser of two evils for the sake of survival.”
Valliant filled his empty glass once more, his face was already flushed.
“Ah, tsk-. tsk-. Why is it so hard to argue with you, Marquis? Is it because you’re the center of your little band of innovative nobles?”
After taking another sip of his wine, he looked at me and said,
“Well, it seems I won’t be able to convince you, Marquis.”
“I’ll believe that what you have spoken today was merely an outcome of your drunken mind.”
After all, Valliant and I are not completely at odds yet, and he is a talent that this country desperately needs in preparation for the upcoming war.
Since I’ll be keeping an eye on the Assembly as well, there might come a day when I will join him. But that day is not today.
As he swirled the wine in his glass, Valliant asked.
“Well, I have one last question for you, Marquis. While the other nations prepare for war, we both know that the Assembly will be preoccupied trying to recover from the Civil War, and they might want to keep you in check, since you’re a noble and all of that nonsense. So, you must have a plan since you refused my offer, don’t you?”
I smiled at him.
“I do.”
And that was the biggest reason for my rejection.
I do have an airheaded bard, who turns out to be the lost Princess of Francia after all. And she will greatly weaken any sort of pretense the Germania Empire will have, while also easing the strife within the National Assembly. And the said Princess would never agree to a plan to overthrow the Assembly and wage a continental war.
–
The procession escorting King Louis headed towards Lumiere.
King Louis felt a burning thirst and a severe hunger after emptying the contents of his stomach several times by now. But the poor royal couldn’t even beg for some relief.
Regardless of his condition, the jail-cart carrying him rattled along the path, as the rebels encircled the transport.
Instead of a comfortable and warm bed, his broken body was sheltered on the cold hard floor of his cart.
The rebels never once cleaned his royal body as they only seemed to scowl harder under the intense stench of his foul vomit.
No matter how much the King was angered by this treatment, the mana-sealing shackles on his ankles prevented him from resisting.
The extreme pain coupled with his anger and shame shattered any sort of vanity or authority the King had.
Trapped in his moving prison, King Louis could only gaze at the horizon through his blurred vision.
He hadn’t always been this despicable. Had he been so from the beginning, no Knight would follow him, and his father, the ‘Knight King’ wouldn’t have favored him over his elder brother.
But over the years, as he continued to compete with his brother for the Throne, he changed under the pressure of reality and the urgings of his close allies.
After all, once he ascended to the Throne, he would rule these lands.
And for this goal, King Louis discarded his values and ideals.
In the name of compromising with this cruel reality, he fell into corruption, a stain so great that his younger self would surely kill him for it.
Even after seizing the Throne, he was still crushed by the burdens and grudges from his past.
Nothing had changed.
After all that effort, he only managed to hold his crown for two short years.
Even then, he never once enjoyed his power, always being preoccupied with fighting the remnants of his elder brother’s faction and the insurgents.
Tears of bitter regret streamed from his eyes.
For what reason does he so greedily covet the crown?
Instead of wails or sobs, the King only managed to voice some weak groans.
What had he done wrong to suffer this horrible fate?
As he continued to wallow in his misery, the procession came to a halt.
“Men! We’ll be taking a break here to eat and rest for a while. After that, we will continue!”
The rebels’ voices reached his ears, but King Louis remained limp on the cart floor.
After some time, someone opened the doors of his prison.
“Excuse me.”
A familiar and soft voice.
One he had grown used to.
As another weight settled against his cart, a white robed figure entered King Louis’ gaze.
It was a pleasant contrast, while everyone simply looked at him with hate-filled eyes, this figure looked at him with some form of affection and even……Respect?
Initially, King Louis had poured his hate and fury towards this Saint.
But as they neared the end of this journey, none of those feelings remained.
“You must be thirsty.”
The King nodded frantically.
Seeing his response, Eris removed the bandage around his chin, tilting the water flask she held to wet his throat.
King Louis quenched his thirst with the water she so graciously offered, making sure he didn’t choke.
Tears naturally marred his face.
Here he was, a King being treated like an animal by everyone other than the Saint. Only she regarded him as a person.
After the water, the Saint fed him a thin and cool porridge with the same care as before.
After being fed, the King reached out to the Saint, slowly grasping her extended hand.
He then proceeded to trace words in her hand.
Although he was unable to speak, due to his missing jaw, he could still communicate with the Saint.
[ Are we close to Lumiere?]
“Yes. We should arrive by tonight.”
[Will I be executed?]
“……probably.”
While the King couldn’t discern the Saint’s expression through her veil, he could see the shimmer of her mystical purple eyes.
After she answered him, a heavy silence befell the cart.
As the Saint packed away the water flask and the porridge bowl, King Louis reached out to her once more.
Thinking this very well might be the last time he sees her, King Louis traced his last wish in her hand.
[ Could you show me your face?]
The Saint retracted her hand and slowly reached towards her hood and veil.
As she lifted the veil, King Louis widened his eyes as he gazed at her face.
Mystical purple eyes, akin to gems, a hair so white that bordered into silver.
The King had heard of the Saint’s beauty before,
But his surprise came from the familiarity of her face.
A face so similar to one of his father’s concubines.
Through the hushed whispers in the Court, he had known about the concubine’s daughter’s sensitivity to the sun, her beautiful eyes, and her exotic hair. So it was rather easy for him to make a connection.
While King Louis remained stunned Eris spoke up.
“Princess Erisliste Lilianne De Francia greets you, brother.”
Only then, did King Louis manage to write a single question while his hands shaked.
[You’re alive.]
“Yes.”
[Your mother?]
Eris smiled sadly at him, shaking her head.
[ I’m sorry.]
Silence ensued once more, as King Louis continued.
[ I’m going to hell, aren’t I?]
“……”
Eris didn’t answer him.
So, the King hesitated before writing again.
[Will you grant me salvation?]
“I’m not a priest.”
[ Isn’t a Saint the one closest to God? If you grant me-]
Before the King even finished writing, Eris scoffed.
“I don’t know. Can a Saint even absolve another’s sins? Can I change the destiny of someone? Save them from hell and send them to heaven?”
King Louis gazed at Eris with vacant eyes.
“I don’t believe in any of that. Simply because……”
Eris scoffed once again, but this time, her next words were filled with prejudice.
“Did you know? My mother committed suicide. According to the priests, she should be in hell, shouldn’t she? But she was a good person, so that’s not fair.”
Slowly, Eris extended her hand, and a warm, gentle light enveloped King Louis.
The stiffness and pain in his worn-out body eased, and a bit of his vigor returned.
“So while I may use this power, I hate God for all he’s done, and all he’s not done.”
Hearing this, King Louis traced more words in her hand.
[ A Saint that hates God?]
“Yes. But just in case. If my mother is really in hell……”
Eris smiled brightly.
“I’ll help people. I’ll save everyone. And if things like heaven and hell are real, and it’s divided by people’s actions, then maybe, just maybe, by doing many good deeds, I could pay for my mother’s sins.”
As the King remained motionless, Eris erased her smile and opened her mouth once more.
“Many have suffered because of you, Brother. And I dare not forgive you on their behalf. That shall be your burden to bear.”
[ Are my sins so unforgivable to receive no atonement?]
“Atonement is not about expecting salvation for one’s sins. But doing what must be done to correct them. When you, Brother, truly repent and seek forgiveness, it will be up to the people and the Gods in heaven to decide whether to accept it.”
The Sain- No, his sister neither granted him forgiveness nor did she allow him to turn away from his responsibility.
While the King wept, Eris reached out her hand towards his missing jaw.
At that moment, an intense light emanated from her hands, and King Louis felt an incredible amount of pain.
When the light faded, the King reached up to feel his jaw.
It was completely restored.
“Gasp-. M-My……”
The privilege of hearing his own voice again, for what seemed like an eternity, left the King stunned, as Eris spoke.
“That is all I can do to you. I gave you a chance, now it’s up to you, Brother. Only you can decide whether you will atone for your sins when you face those who harbor hate and seek vengeance. Whether they forgive you or not is their decision alone, and that of the Gods.”
Unable to say a word as tears streamed down from his eyes, Eris reached out and firmly held King Louis’s hands.
“I’ll pray for you. I’ll pray that those filled with hatred may find some peace of heart and that you, Brother, may find some respite in the embrace of the gods……Since even someone like me still receives their grace, there may be a chance of finding your salvation through them.”
As she looked into the distant horizon, Eris murmured softly.
“If not, then I’ll just shoulder your karma and pay for your sins by doing good for the people in your stead. Perhaps that will lighten some of your weight.”
TL Note: Welp for this week this is it.
Sorry guys, but lemme explain why.
There’s a big announcement cummin for genesis, and to prepare for it we’re increasing all prem chapter count. So I need to increase our count from 10 prem to 30.
SO I need to translate a LOT, and I mean a lot of chapters, That’s why we do be getting low releases. I’ll aim for a 8-10 chapter mark next month. But I apologize if it may be less, however since the ‘big’ thing is supposed to cum at May 1st ya’ll be getting a bigass chapter dumb on that day, regardless if the ‘big’ thing comes or not.
Mara is a a woman of her word!
