Revolutionary Period – Wild Card
“Her Royal Highness Princess Esiliste Liliane de Francia.”
After hearing those words, Eris looked up at me with her unique transparent purple eyes and answered.
“Please speak, Marquis Pierre de Lafayette.”
“If there came a time when you had to ascend the throne for the sake of this country, would you do so?”
“…Do you want me to be killed by the angry revolutionary army, Marquis?”
The answer that came out so without hesitation made me feel that this bright-looking bard saint surprisingly knew reality well.
“Of course not now. However, as a subject, I asked Her Majesty the Princess if she would be prepared to do so if the moment came. As you know, these are times of great chaos, and a throne without real power would not be a very coveted position.”
“…You acted as if you had predicted the revolution that had just occurred. I demand an explanation, Marquis. “For me, I don’t understand what the Marquis is saying about having to ascend to the throne for the sake of this country, where a revolution against the monarchy took place.”
“King Louis will not be able to suppress them.”
King Louis and the Duke of Lorraine still do not know the reality and believe that they can prevent the revolution if they join hands, but the revolution is developing much faster than before the regression.
At that time, our military power was similar to that of King Louis, and the war was sluggish, so the revolution itself was delayed and took quite some time to spread.
However, this time, due to the presence of me and the Blue Knight, King Louis lost a significant amount of the army he had raised, and the defenses of each territory were weaker than before the return.
The Duke of Brittany and the Count of Mirbeau, who were immediately attacked by me, defended their respective territories for quite a long time and resisted the revolutionary army before returning, but fell when Raphael Balian led the revolutionary army in earnest.
However, even if the revolutionary army gained victory throughout Francia, the war did not end.
“If King Louis decides that he cannot stop the revolution with his own strength, he will ask foreign countries for help.”
“…It would be the Germania Empire, where Her Highness the First Princess is the Empress, and the Northern United Kingdom, where Her Highness the Second Princess is the Queen.”
“you’re right. They will invade this land under the pretext of returning Francia, which was under the control of the revolutionary army, back to its rightful kingdom. Of course, despite the superficial justification, they will try to put Franzia in such a way that it cannot recover and bring it under their influence.”
In fact, the revolutionary army eventually captured and executed King Louis, but foreign countries, especially the Germanian Empire, were threatening Frangia every day, saying they would overthrow the revolutionary government and put the first princess on the throne, heightening the atmosphere of war.
Since I was executed, I don’t know what the future holds, but given the circumstances, Francia’s future after the revolution would not have been bright at all.
I told Eris something she didn’t want to hear.
“The civil war and revolution are not the end, Your Majesty. Even if the revolutionary army disposes of King Louis, as long as Francia is accepted as a threat to the system by the leaders of neighboring countries, they will threaten us until the moment of our destruction.”
“…So you’ve secured me?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. “The moment they try to invade us under the pretext of restoring the rightful throne, we propose to the revolutionary army, which has been devastated by a long civil war, to place a royal family member supported by the public on the throne in order to avoid war.”
There was quite a long silence.
I was bowing my head to her as a noble, and when I slowly raised my head, Eris’s eyes were red.
“fraud.”
“First of all, I didn’t lie and I kept all my promises, Your Highness.”
“You didn’t just lie. I approached him knowing from the beginning that I was a princess, I knew that a revolution would occur, and I was even sure that the kingdom would collapse at least once, and even go to war? “What on earth are you?”
When I heard Eris yell, I smiled bitterly and got up.
“Of course it’s your choice, Eris. “I have no intention of forcing you.”
“I can say that without saying anything until now.”
“No really. I don’t think that just because you become queen, all your problems will be solved. “Things might get a little better, but I’m not irresponsible enough to say that that alone will change everything for the better.”
If the revolutionary government crowns her as queen and makes her a monarch in name only, it will be a little more conciliatory toward the nobles and it will be easier to unite nobles who are resistant to the revolutionary government.
However, on the other hand, if you touch it wrongly, there is a risk that innocent Eris will be sent to the guillotine just like before she returned.
If Eris is crowned as queen, the justification for foreign countries to interfere with the Frangian throne will be weakened, but there is still a good chance that they will fall for the legitimacy of the illegitimate queen who was appointed to the civil government.
Since the emperor is elected and has no choice but to worry about other electors in the Germanian Empire, it may at least buy time, but it cannot be guaranteed that war will be completely avoided.
“Just as long as you remain a saint receiving my support, you will be of sufficient help to me. Then you will be free to live as you like and help people.”
“…I’m not a saint or anything.”
“What matters is what people believe. So, think about it carefully, artist I support.”
After saying that and turning around, Eris asked a question from behind me.
“If I sacrifice my freedom and take risks like that, will that help the people of this country?”
“If you are willing to do that, I will definitely do my best to help you make it happen.”
“Then I will do it. “If I can do that and give the people of this country a better future.”
When I turned my back, Eris was looking at me with extremely calm eyes.
I asked without even realizing it, as there was no wavering in the transparent purple eyes that looked deep into them.
“…why?”
-Please, Marquis. I’m here because I don’t want to feel like I’m ignoring people I could save.
Words similar to the plea that Eris once said to me flashed through my mind.
A person who grew up in the palace without even being known for his entire life, left the palace just before the civil war and lived quietly, but went out of his way to help the people in Franzia, which was in chaos due to a plague and revolution, and ended up being sacrificed.
If there is someone who deserves to be called a saint, even if she is unfaithful, it is definitely her.
So I was just curious.
He despises the Blue Knight, who got countless people involved for his own sake, but died satisfied and without any regrets.
I hate nobles who exploited others without hesitation just for their own greed.
Because I long to be a different person from him, I am trying to prevent my people from being sacrificed without value. I want to prove my worth through that.
But Eris won’t be like that. Without any connections, she is freer and at the same time shows good will to those who have nothing to do with her. I can never be driven by pure good will like her.
Why does she do this?
Eris was quiet for a moment, then smiled awkwardly and spoke.
“When I was young, I was loved at the palace and grew up in comfort and luxury.”
“…okay.”
“At that time, my mother always said. “Everything I enjoy comes from the people of this country, so don’t forget to always be grateful to them.”
“Now you have been away from the palace for a long time, and the people have started a revolution to kill the royal family?”
“Still, most of my talents I learned from my mother when I was living comfortably in the palace under the favor of His Majesty the late King, and since I am a princess, Uncle Frank is probably protecting me until now. … After all, the Marquis gives me special treatment because I am the princess.”
I smiled bitterly at Eris’ answer. I definitely have nothing to say.
Besides, she is still young. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that her mother’s teachings played a big role in her life.
But can that be done with just that?
It was a bit difficult for me to understand, but I still answered out of consideration for her.
“…Yes, you were a good mother.”
Unexpectedly, Eris’ expression hardened after hearing what I said.
This was my first time seeing Eris make that kind of expression, so I was wondering what the problem was with what I said, but Eris smiled and answered.
“I guess so?”
It was a sad smile that looked like it might burst into tears at any moment.
–
Lumière, the capital of Francia.
The point at which winter ends and spring approaches.
The leaders of the revolutionary government sat together in the conference room with serious faces.
“Is Bishop Richelieu absent today as well?”
“Hmph, I don’t need that indecisive guy anymore. “After all, since the revolution has occurred, there is a limit to what a docile person can do.”
“But there is no doubt that he is respected by the citizens. “The more chaotic the situation is, the more we need someone to keep us centered, but I don’t want to be that weak-hearted.”
At that time, Benoît Reverie, the first president of the Republic, who was quietly standing there, slammed his fist on the table.
“That’s not important now! “Didn’t the King and the Duke of Lorraine join hands and their army is now advancing towards Lumière?”
After hearing the president’s words, there was a moment of silence in the conference room.
President Reverie made eye contact with each person seated in the conference hall and then opened his mouth again.
“The army commanded by the Duke of Orléans and the Duke of Lorraine is as large as 8,000 strong. There is no doubt that they are elite soldiers since they are an army that went through the civil war, and if they are allowed to enter Lumière, the revolutionary government will immediately collapse.”
The faces of the leaders of the revolutionary government all became stiff.
After the revolution was successful, it was obvious that the king would aim to recapture the capital, so the revolutionary government passed a nationwide conscription system to secure troops in response.
“We have enough troops to fight them. The problem is the officer resources to command them.”
In Francia, a traditional knightly kingdom where remnants of feudalism remained until almost the end, most of those who commanded troops were knights or at least nobles.
Naturally, most of them were wiped out during the revolution.
“Okay, so you shouldn’t have just killed everyone just because they were nobles. “If we were to run a proper state, we had to keep a minimum number of officers alive.”
Jean Malraux, a radical, scoffed at the words of Nicolas Brissot, the head of the moderate faction.
“The enemies of the people just paid the price.”
“Ha, okay. Let’s say yes. But still, there is no one in the current revolutionary government who has properly commanded a large army. “Why not hire some of the captured nobles who have a good attitude?”
“under! How can we trust those green bloods and entrust them with the revolutionary army! Have you just forgotten that we declared the abolition of feudalism? “What guarantee is there that they won’t hold their swords upside down when they encounter the King’s army?”
“No, you’re only going to send out soldiers to fight? They are the regular army of high-ranking nobles! “They aren’t minnows who can just storm into a mansion and kill them!”
“Who doesn’t know that? But aren’t you saying that hiring nobles means taking bribes from them?”
“what? “Are you done?”
After words were exchanged a few times, the people who were opposing each other as moderates and radicals began to argue, exchanging all kinds of insults and slander.
President Reverie, who saw this, frowned and placed his hand on his forehead.
The revolution quickly took control of the capital and the northwest and was spreading throughout the kingdom, but the leadership was still in chaos.
In the end, when the conference room was at a standstill and turning into a mess, Maximilien Isidor, who was watching the scene with cold eyes, opened his mouth.
“There is one suitable appointment.”
“Is this an appropriate appointment?”
Isidor nodded slightly to President Reverie, who looked pleased.
“He is not a nobleman, but he has a history of serving as a mercenary throughout the city.
“At the end of the civil war, he served under the Duke of Orléans, leading 1,000 troops in the city of Reims, so he knows the commanding style of the two dukes well.”
Isidore gestured, and his secretary handed out information about the appointment. President Reverie looked at it and opened his mouth.
“You’ve worked in quite a few cities in recent years. 1000. “It’s definitely not a small number, but isn’t it ridiculously small compared to the army you will be in charge of this time?”
“There is no other alternative, is there? “Has any of us ever properly commanded even that many troops?”
“Ugh, I guess it’s worth meeting him once.”
In the end, when the governor spoke reluctantly, Isidor gave instructions to the secretary who was waiting as if he had been waiting.
A moment after the secretary left, the door to the conference room opened, everyone’s attention was focused, and a young man walked in with a very relaxed-looking gait.
“You’re that young?”
“Is it true that you have a lot of experience?”
Amidst suspicious glances, the handsome man, who only appeared to be in his mid-20s, bowed his waist and placed his hand on his chest.
“It is an honor to meet the respected figures of the revolutionary government. “My name is Raphael Balian, and he was in charge of commanding the militia in the city of Reims.”
“Hmm Raphael… Mr. Balian. “I moved around a lot from city to city, but did I get bad reviews?”
“Haha, it’s the opposite. “There are many places that offer higher wages.”
“If the king calls for a raise in pay, I guess we can switch?”
“The most important thing while working as a mercenary is not to be an idiot who just believes the employer’s high price. “Is it possible for the king to pay compensation now?”
As laughter broke out here and there at Balian’s antics, and the atmosphere relaxed a little, President Reverie opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Yes, Balian. “I believe he came here because he was willing to quit his mercenary life and serve as a regular soldier in Franzia.”
“Of course, respected governor. “I and my subordinates are sick and tired of living day to day. I would like to rise to a higher position.”
“Hahaha, I’m an honest friend.”
“Tsk, so uncultured….”
President Reverie opened his mouth amidst conflicting opinions.
“If we give you command, do you have the confidence to defeat the King’s army that is now threatening Lumière?”
Balian answered with a confident smile.
“Let’s show those old-timers the power of the people’s army.”
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