Revolutionary Period – Are You Hearing Our Voices?
Nemours Plain, southeastern Lumière.
King Louis and the barely recovered remnants of the army encountered the eastern army led by the Duke of Orléans while returning to Lumière.
“Thank God! “I’m glad you’re safe, Your Majesty.”
The Duke of Orléans came out to meet him in a huff, but King Louis was extremely uncomfortable.
“Why are you here, Duke of Orléans?”
“After hearing the news of the defeat of the southern and central forces, we quickly withdrew and were on the move.
your majesty.”
“What about the East?”
“…I apologize, Your Majesty. However, we cannot put the central core and the capital Lumiere in danger…”
“It is probably to protect your territory.”
The Duke of Orléans kept his mouth shut at the king’s sharp words.
The Duke of Orléans’ estate is located in the southwest of the capital.
The King’s main force was defeated, so if they move north even in the unlikely event that the Duke of Orléans’ territory is in danger before the capital.
So, he must have abandoned the eastern region, which he had been in charge of under the guise of loyalty, and was returning in a hurry.
However, the king, exhausted both mentally and physically by the unimaginable defeat, did not even have the energy to question the duke any longer.
“Please give me a place where I can rest.”
“…I accept Your Majesty’s orders.”
As soon as King Louis entered the tent, guided by servants who had been ordered by the duke, he sent everyone out and flopped down on the bed, spewing out empty words.
“I lost?”
He remembered the late king who had favored him instead of his older brother, who enjoyed aristocratic luxury and sumptuous banquets.
A great king called the King of Knights. However, the son himself did not even dare to fight with the blue knight in front of his majesty.
At one time, he must have respected the late king, showed off his bravery on the battlefield, and charged into the enemy lines, but when did it get to this point?
What if the late king whom he respected so much died without appointing him as crown prince?
Or because he took the throne as king and became arrogant?
No, no.
It was from the moment the late king passed away and the knights rushed to support him by pledging loyalty.
He believed that he was the rightful heir to the throne and only cared about defeating his older brother. From the moment he accepted the knights’ loyalty and took it for granted that they served him, he became ugly.
They simply offered it in succession because they disliked their older brother, who favored flattering nobles more than brave knights, and because they were loyal to the late king, who was a great knight.
A strange voice was heard from the king’s bedside as he was filled with self-destruction.
“It is truly unfortunate, Your Majesty.”
King Louis jumped up from his seat and was startled when he saw the pitch-black pigeon, which he didn’t know when it had arrived.
“Why are you here…”
“What is so surprising about a businessman contacting a business partner, Your Majesty?”
King Louis saw the pigeon’s red eyes shining with a hint of mockery, even though it was a creature with its mouth closed and could not possibly have an expression.
“As you know, our company has provided enough loans to finance His Majesty the King’s needs. “Your Majesty, of course, sold us a reasonable ‘price’, but you know that that alone is not enough.”
“Of course I know that! But wait. “I will subdue the Marquis de Lafayette just as you wish…!”
“It may be presumptuous, but in our judgment, it does not seem possible for His Majesty the King to do so.”
King Louis gritted his teeth at the assertion of the pigeon Halfas.
“It appears that we have overestimated His Majesty’s credit rating. “We are saddened and saddened that you will no longer be able to receive the special benefits we provided.”
If you defeat the Marquis de Lafayette, especially the Marquis de la Fayette, a significant portion of the loan amount will be forgiven. King Louis believed that it was definitely possible and accepted the Abyss Corporation’s proposal.
“Of course, since Your Majesty’s ability to pay is still intact, Abyss Corporation will now have to ask Your Majesty to repay the loan.”
“what? There is still a civil war and Jim has just lost the battle. “I don’t have the wherewithal to give money to you guys right now-”
“I may be presumptuous, but your Majesty, why should we take your situation into consideration?”
Seeing King Louis widen his eyes, the dove made a cooing sound that could not be determined whether it was crying or laughing, and then opened its mouth again and made a bizarre voice.
“His Majesty has taken out loans from us and we have decided that this battle has forced us to downgrade his credit rating somewhat. Therefore, it is an extremely natural and reasonable procedure to request repayment of the loan balance before principal loss occurs.”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t have any money to give!”
“It’s up to you, Your Majesty, to sort it out. You can collect heavier war taxes, or you can ‘pay’ us more of your subjects. “The important thing is that if His Majesty does not comply, we will have no choice but to enter into enforcement proceedings.”
“How dare the demons threaten me now?”
“Oh, Your Majesty. What do you mean by blackmail? Our company is essentially a corporation and an interest group. What’s wrong with using influence to realize profits?
Of course, our company pursues common sense and coexistence with humans. Somewhat barbaric plans, such as using force to recover loans, are still in the works. Even though most of the knights the kingdom was proud of were killed and our judgment is that your country’s military power is extremely inferior.”
King Louis closed his mouth with a pale look on his face at the threat contained in the words that came out without hesitation.
“Instead, we would like to proceed in a more gentlemanly manner. It would also be effective to request a force that would be willing to seize the overseas assets of the French royal family and recover the loan balance on our behalf if a price is paid. For example, those who rebelled against His Majesty.”
“Oh, I got it! I will pay! “Wouldn’t that work?”
Pigeon Halfas made a cooing sound once again.
“A wise choice, Your Majesty. “Let’s set the anniversary for three months.”
“Three three months? “How can you raise such a large amount of money in just three months!”
“Then, we hope that you will continue to enjoy advanced technology and innovative services with Abyss Corporation.”
After finishing what it had to say, the pigeon disappeared before the king’s eyes.
King Louis was unable to say anything, then raised his hands and wiped his face.
“Abama, what foolish thing have I done….”
–
Lumière, the capital of the Kingdom of Francia.
The city fell into chaos when tax collectors declared that a special war tax would be levied by order of the king and that anyone who failed to pay would inevitably be punished.
It is already a secretly known fact that those who fail to pay their taxes on time are ‘sold’ to Abyss Corporation as punishment.
“No more! What kind of money do you have to pay such ridiculous taxes? This is a declaration that we will all be sold out to those devils!
“We can no longer stand by and watch as the king ignores the law and spreads tyranny!”
“The King is coming right here to Lumiere with his defeated army. If they don’t arm the citizens before they enter the city, there will be carnage! If you do, you must do it before that!”
Amidst the numerous outcries, Bishop Arnaud Richelieu, who had been leading them with benevolence and prudence, was sweating with a pale face.
He was the one who published ‘Theory of Identity’ with the help of his close friend Sieyes.
At a time when most of the clergy were corrupt and depraved and only sought to enrich themselves, Richelieu truly felt compassion for the people of Francia.
That’s why I hoped they would wake up. Each commoner was weak and nothing, but he believed that if they awakened consciousness and united, they could change this miserable kingdom into a better place.
In the end, what the bishop wanted was for the Third Estate to come together and pressure the king to correct his and this kingdom’s wrong ways.
However, at some point, they naturally started pouring blood into their mouths.
“Now the people of Francia must arm themselves and defend our lives.
From none other than the oppressors!”
“The king must die! No, all those who exploited the Third Estate!”
Even Bishop Richelieu, who heard the king’s order, doubted whether he was the prince he once was, but even so, the bishop never thought that the seeds he had sown would lead to something like this.
Those who finally gained the will to act simply looked fearful in Richelieu’s eyes.
The anger and hatred that filled this space prickled the old bishop’s skin.
Where is Sieyes, who gave warm advice and encouragement to his friend Richelieu, saying that he was the true servant of God and friend of the people?
The eyes of those who looked up to the benevolent bishop with reverence became bloodshot, and their throats only let out sounds filled with murderous intent and wrath.
“Please make a decision, Bishop.”
Maximilien Izidorman spoke softly.
To Richelieu, the cold swirling in Isidore’s eyes seemed more dangerous than the hot burning flames.
Nevertheless, everyone gathered here has already lost control.
If he says they are wrong and tries to stop them, he will also become one of the many ‘first estates’ in their eyes.
Richelieu said almost as if he was sighing.
“…May freedom, equality and fraternity be with you.”
–
On a dark night, the night sky of the capital Lumière became bright as day.
“We were nothing all this time!”
Countless crowds march through the city holding torches.
“They didn’t see us as humans!”
The sound of the crowd singing in unison shook the entire city.
“Are they listening to us?”
The tax collectors who usually roamed the streets, going from door to door and scolding them, disappeared.
“Are you listening to our angry voices!”
The priests who had been exploiting God by selling his name ran into the dark confessional of the church and sought God’s mercy.
“The voice of the people who want to never be slaves again!”
The honor of noble chivalry has disappeared everywhere, and the nobles who pounded their fat, swollen bellies hide in the basement dragging their bloated bodies and tremble in fear.
“Now you have to listen!”
A procession of countless crowds arrived in front of the armory in the capital Lumière.
“If you don’t listen, we’ll engrave it on your body!”
The defenders guarding the armory were aiming their cannons at the enraged crowd.
“People of Francia-”
Even though they were quite far away, the small number of soldiers aiming their cannons were all tense as they felt the heat that threatened to burn the city down.
“Come out to the streets and join us!”
Realizing that the heat of the crowd was directed at them, they just swallowed dry saliva.
“Let’s build a new life together!”
The soldiers, pale and frightened, looked up only at their commander.
“Those who do not participate are those who join with those oppressors!”
The commander realized that the hand holding the sword sheath was shaking, overwhelmed by the cries of the crowd who could not even hold a decent weapon.
“Fall with them or join our crusade!”
Finally, the crowd’s chorus ended and their murderous gaze turned to the commander and soldiers.
The commander pondered.
Even if they try to maintain this position with only loyalty to the kingdom, they are severely lacking in troops, food, and ammunition.
Above all, the families of the soldiers guarding this place might be among that crowd.
“Guarantee the lives of me and my men. Then I will open the armory.”
“Oh, that’s a great choice. “I will accept it.”
Hearing the words of the person at the head of the crowd, the commander felt some remorse but also breathed a sigh of relief and ordered his men to put down their weapons.
however.
As the commander and soldiers were about to leave to avoid the crowd, one of the crowd jumped out and hit his subordinate on the head with a club.
“What are you doing! “I promised-”
“The tax collector.”
Amid the crowd’s attention and silence, the man holding the club was shedding tears.
“They said that last month. There will now be no additional taxes this season. So I sold Lucy and that child to save my family.”
The man raised his head after shedding tears, and now there was blood in his eyes.
“And what did the king say today? Why do we have to keep our promises when you guys break your promises like devotion?”
Lumière’s citizens robbed the capital’s arsenals and armed themselves, and then the capital’s noble houses and churches began to be raided.
Countless priests and nobles died, and among those who died, there were quite a few who were neither priests nor nobles, but were killed just because they were in their mansions.
The crowd finally reached the central street and were marching with the severed heads of commanders, soldiers, and nobles hanging on poles.
Bishop Richelieu, who looked out the window at the scene, collapsed in his seat.
“What on earth do we….”
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