Civil War – Dark Clouds
“What?”
Damien de Mirbeau, the second son of the Count Mirbeau, furrowed his brows when he saw the four men running this way along the road.
He was completely defeated in the last decisive battle with the Marquis de Lafayette and gave up the ransom and taxation rights, and his feet were on fire.
His enraged father tried to cover up the fact that he had given up the right to taxation by hiding it and sending military funds, but to make up for it, Damien continued to plunder diligently without stopping.
Meanwhile, I heard that there were people who appeared to be travelers on horseback, so I thought I would take just the knights and horsemen and try to rob them, but instead, they were running this way.
“Are you crazy? Gather your troops!”
“ancient!”
There are three people running with swords drawn and one person following them without a weapon.
There may be three knights, but this side also has three knights, including him, and troops.
Damien did not take it too seriously and ordered his knights and cavalry to respond to them.
That is, until they come right in front of us.
“I am Peter de Casel, a knight of the Count de Mirbeau! …uh?”
“I am Jerome de Hue, a knight of the Count of Mirbeau! …Huh?”
His two knights, who confidently rode out at the head of the cavalry, charged at the opponents on either side, but were knocked off their horses almost simultaneously with a single blow.
Damien screamed as he saw the face of a man charging in from the center with his sword drawn while the cavalry suddenly became agitated.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m sorry. “I just happened to be passing by.”
The Marquis de Minor, who sometimes appeared in his dreams and made him tremble, laughed.
“Have you earned any ransom money so far?”
A smile that is utterly evil.
Damien shuddered, feeling the nerves in his entire body stand on edge.
–
The situation was resolved in an instant.
When the two knights who were at the forefront were knocked off their horses by Gaston and Frank at the start of the battle, the cavalry became agitated and the cavalry also collapsed as the two knights jumped in.
When Mirbeau’s second son saw the scene, he turned his back and began to run away, and the army that had gathered behind him fled and disintegrated without even thinking about fighting.
I slowly drove my horse and approached the village.
Eris was kneeling in the middle of the village with her hands clasped together.
Although it appears as if she is praying to God, she said that she performs miracles by relying on her own prayers, not on God.
After a while.
Light radiated from Eris, who was concentrating, and spread out, covering the village.
Even though the light is just enough to briefly brighten the already dark sky, it surprisingly does not feel dazzling.
And the residents who were groaning in pain where the light passed were surprised to see that their wounds had healed.
“Oh oh oh miracle miracle….”
“Priest…?”
“She is a saint!”
“Thank you, saintess!”
As the villagers enthusiastically expressed their gratitude and praised me, I realized that Eris’ eyes were looking at the villager who, despite her abilities, was lying on the ground.
The villager was probably already dead before she could use her powers.
The residents were so passionately praising her that they even came up to her and hugged her, so I rode the horse to Eris’s side and made them retreat.
“great job.”
As if my words were a signal, Eris took off the veil she was covering as if she was frustrated.
Her hair, shining silver in the moonlight, pours down like a waterfall, and her exposed face has pale lips.
“It wasn’t that difficult, right?”
“…okay.”
Even so, I don’t like the way she struggles to smile with her pale white skin and a face that looks even paler due to fatigue.
“At least I wasn’t empty when I said it wouldn’t be a hindrance.”
As she said, I won the battle so easily that it was meaningless to try to avoid the battle.
Eris’ ability gave me strength and vitality far beyond my normal condition, and she herself surprised me by dealing with ordinary soldiers quite convincingly.
Still, I didn’t like the way Eris stumbled while trying to get up, so I took out the remaining beef jerky in my pocket and threw it to her.
“Ah, thank you…”
It’s a strange feeling to see him using his abilities to the fullest and eating eagerly, probably because he’s hungry, even though he’s noticing my feelings.
I was concerned about the villagers, who couldn’t take their eyes off her unique appearance, so I got off my horse and approached her.
“Huh?”
When I picked Eris up, she struggled a little, but when I put her on my horse and held the reins, she quickly became calm and focused on cheering up by chewing on the beef jerky.
“So is it good?”
“What about the Little Marquis?”
“…It’s not bad. But work as hard as you can.”
“yes?”
I took the puzzled Eris out of the village on a horse and approached the place where Gaston and Frank were guarding.
Mirbo’s second son, his knights, and several of Mirbo’s wounded soldiers are lying injured.
“Ugh, it hurts…”
The two knights were only lightly injured by a single blow from falling off their horses, but Mirbo’s second son was hit by an arrow while running away, so his injuries are quite serious.
No ransom! I felt a bit uncomfortable chasing after something that was running away while saying the same thing and trying to catch it with an arrow, but I took a risk so I should get my money’s worth.
I pulled out the broken arrow stuck in Damien’s body and turned my attention to Eris.
Get to work, therapist. In the sense that.
Eris looked at me with a strange look on her face, chewed the beef jerky she was chewing, swallowed it, and got off the horse.
And the light gathered in her hand and took the shape of a whip. It is the same as the one used when dealing with the soldiers in the previous battle.
“uh?”
The whip of light flew in with a booming sound and struck Damien de Mirbeau, who was lying on the floor.
“Aaaah!”
“What should I do if they tell me to treat them and they try to kill me?”
“It’s therapy.”
“what?”
I was dumbfounded and when I looked again, Damien, who had been lying pale and groaning on the floor, had regained some color in his face.
I was so shocked that I was whipped out of nowhere and my eyes were filled with tears, but it seemed like the blood had stopped flowing because the arrow was pulled out.
First of all, it looks like the treatment is right….
“…Do you really have to treat it like that?”
“All you have to do is treat it.”
As Eris smiled brightly and pulled the whip straight, Damien shouted urgently.
“Now wait a minute! I will give you everything, including compensation and ransom! “Just don’t hit me!”
“I do not need it!”
No, I need it.
There’s no need to refuse if you’re so kind and willing to give generously, right?
While I was listening to the crackling sound of a whip and muffled moans and wondering whether I should stop it or leave it alone for treatment, a group of people came this way.
Coat of arms of Count Lionel. You’re late.
“I am Gilles de Lionel, son of Count Lionel! Those in front, please identify yourself!”
“This is Pierre de Lafayette, son of the Marquis de Lafayette. “The territory of the same First Prince faction was being plundered, so we supported the defense as allies.”
“Oh, that’s right. I was rude, Marquis. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of His Excellency the Count. But…”
“Hmm?”
Lionel’s eyes turned to Eris, who had not yet noticed because she was busy swinging her whip at Mirbeau’s injured people.
“…What is that doing?”
“….”
Thanks to the shape of the whip, which is filled with unnecessary sacred energy and shining golden, it does not look like a simple beating.
After a moment of silence, I answered, feeling my face getting hot.
“…It is a ritual to repent those who plundered innocent citizens.”
“Is that so?”
Damn it, why is the shame on me?
Funny enough, the reaction to our conversation came from Damien.
“100 million! I will repent! “I won’t loot again, so please stop hitting me!”
…Was it really a ritual to bring about repentance?
–
After the situation was roughly resolved, Gilles de Lionel invited us to the Count’s residence.
Although he wanted to quickly return to the Marquis of Lafayette territory, he could not refuse it because it would be a problem for the prestige of Count Lionel if he did not treat the ally who saved his territory properly.
And at the dinner party, I was able to hear news from the North that I had not heard before.
“…His Royal Highness the First Prince passed away from the plague.”
“That’s right. “I asked His Highness the Second Prince for a truce, but it doesn’t seem to work.”
Despite the changed circumstances after the return, the first prince died and the second prince survived.
Up to this point, it’s the same as the future I knew.
However-
“His Excellency Count Lionel is returning to his territory. “Perhaps His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette feels the same way.”
The ‘Blue Knight’ Marquis Lafayette. It seems that my father survived the plague and did not die.
I quietly bit my lip.
“okay.”
“The details have not yet been decided, but if His Majesty the Second Prince ultimately refuses to compromise, we may have to wage a resistance fight to preserve his title, centered around His Excellency the Duke of Lorraine, who was a close associate of His Majesty the First Prince.”
“All right. As a member of the First Prince faction, I will also assist His Excellency the Marquis of Lafayette and do my best to overcome this crisis together with the Lionel family.”
“It is reassuring to hear the Marquis So, who protected the village in our territory, say so.
“It seems that rumors cannot be trusted.”
I think he was probably referring to a rumor about the shame of nobles, but I couldn’t pay attention to him because I was looking at Eris enjoying the dinner with a happy face.
The fact that the Marquis returns to his territory alive means that, unlike before his return, I cannot immediately take charge of Lafayette as the Marquis.
As the lord’s representative, there are certain matters I have guaranteed, but the Marquis is not someone who cares about my prestige or the family’s trust.
If the Marquis realizes the value of Eris and tries to use her…
“Ah, I didn’t know that the Marquis So had such a great healer. Haha, when I heard the report, it was truly amazing. “I am a little envious of where you found someone like her, so much so that the people praise her as a saint.”
The words of Count Lionel So, who followed my gaze, woke me from my thoughts.
“You were lucky, Count So. “If you don’t mind, can I ask you to keep quiet about the matter regarding her?”
“Why? A person like that would be detrimental to the prestige of the Lafayette family….”
“There are circumstances. Instead, let me give you a percentage of the ransom we will receive from the Mirbo family this time.”
“Hmm, if you say that much, I will completely silence you.”
Unlike the Anjou family in the south, which was neutral in the civil war and had no special exchanges, there was a high risk that words coming out of the Lionel family, which was part of the First Prince faction, would go straight to the Marquis.
There is no way that the local people’s presence will be perfect, so even though it is a temporary measure, at least we can avoid the story being relayed to the Marquis right away.
If the Marquis seems to be interested in Eris, he might have to consider leaving Eris in the care of Christine. Because she can be trusted.
The survival of the marquis who died in vain from the plague.
Even though his father is alive, there is more concern than joy.
I looked at the dark sky outside the window.
“…It’s going to pour out in droves.”
–
Lumière, the capital of the Kingdom of Francia.
A city where gloomy rain pours down from a sky full of dark clouds.
The splendor of the past was not visible on the streets, where the scars of exploitation and poverty remained.
And a meeting was being held in a building in that dark city.
“I thought that the long civil war would finally end with the death of the first prince, but since the civil war will continue to end the remnants, it seems that God has taken away the last remaining sanity of the Frangian royal family.”
Arnaud Richelieu, a rarely respected bishop within the Kingdom of Francia, sighed deeply.
“Those damned royal families all deserve to die. What are these authors but rats eating away at Franzia! “God took away one, so we have to get rid of the remaining one with our own hands!”
“Royalty and nobles who cling to the old system and eat away at their country. Now that the enemies of the people have become clear, all that remains is bloodshed.”
Journalist Jean Malraux and lawyer Benoît Reverie each spoke out.
“Well, not all nobles deserve to be killed. Recently, young nobles in the south have been getting quite good reviews. The Countess of Aquitaine, who became a new lord, is building ties with cities by supporting trade and conducting charity projects, and the Lesser Marquis of Lafayette has a very good reputation these days.”
While the so-called radicals, Marlowe and Reverie, frowned at the words of Nicolas Brissot, a famous liberal and writer, the leader of the radicals opened his mouth.
“Hung Aquitaine are just people who bought titles with money and earned a place in a corrupt kingdom, and don’t we all know what kind of person the Marquis of Lafayette is?
“The ugliness and evil deeds accumulated in Lafayette’s name are already too much to grant indulgence to such a young son.”
Brissot frowned after hearing the rebuttal of the famous lawyer Maximilien Isidore.
“Well, everything may be rotten and crumbling, but the kingdom is still strong. Rather than being hostile to everyone, it would be better to compromise with those with whom you can communicate.”
“Well, he’s just a blue-blooded noble. Only when we overthrow the old system that deserves to be toppled will it be revealed that what they used was not true sympathy for the people, but a mask of hypocrisy. What is more important now is that we are left with no choice but to act.”
After saying that, Isidore gave a longing look to Richelieu, the leader of this meeting.
“Despite the long civil war and the damage caused by the plague, those crazy royal families and nobles are trying to make ends meet to enrich themselves. Now we must face the fact that no matter how much blood is shed by the Franzian people, they will not change. “Otherwise we will all die!”
Richelieu, who had been listening to the story with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes.
“Yes, the people have been nothing until now. That’s why I want to become something.”
The respected bishop paused for a moment and then spoke.
“Get ready. If they clash again to taste the last drop of Franzia’s blood, then that will be our chance to stand up.”
After a heavy silence, everyone spoke in unison.
“In the name of liberty, equality and fraternity.”
?
