Chapter 27: Revolutionary Period - The Joker's Play

Chapter 27: Revolutionary Period - The Joker's Play

Translated by Mara Sov

Revolutionary Period The Jokers Play

Your Highness the Princess Erisliste Lilianne De Francia.

The moment she heard me, Eris paused and looked at me with her purple eyes before opening her mouth.

Speak, Marquis Pierre De Lafayette.

Should the moment when you must ascend to the Throne of Francia for the sake of this country come, will you do so?

Do you wish for me to be hunted down by those mad revolutionaries, my dear Marquis?

Her answer came so quickly that I realized this seemingly cheerful bard might actually know more than she appeared to.

Of course not. As your subject, Im merely asking if youd prepared for such a moment, should the need arise. As you know, we live in a time of great turmoil, without anyone in complete control of the Nation, and this is hardly a desired outcome.

You acted as if you had foreseen this Revolution. I demand an explanation, Marquis. I cannot comprehend why you speak of my ascent to the Throne for a country where a Revolution against the monarchy is occurring.

King Louis wont be able to stop them.

Both King Louis and Duke Loranne might still be oblivious, believing they could stop the revolution just by joining forces, but the course of the Revolution is unfolding much faster than before my Regression.

Back then, King Louiss forces and the First Princes faction were matched, so the progress of the Civil War was slow, delaying the start of the Revolution.

But this time, due to my actions and the Blue Knights survival from the Plague, King Louis lost a significant portion of his hastily assembled forces, and as a result, various domains were left with little protection.

In my past life, Duke Bretagne and Count Millbeau managed to hold their domains against the Revolutionaries for quite some time, falling only when Raphael Valliant took the lead of the Revolutionaries forces.

But the Civil War didnt end even as the Revolutionaries started to gain control over Francia.

If King Louis thinks he wont be able to deal with the Revolution on his own, he will seek outside aid.

It will probably be the Germania Empire where the First Princess became the Empress or the Northern Alliance where the Second Princess became the ruler.

Thats correct. Those nations will invade this land with the pretext of restoring the legitimate rule of Francia, but in doing so, they will crush Francia completely and bring it under their rule.

Before my regression, the Revolutionaries actually captured and executed King Louis, but the other nations, especially the Germania Empire were intensifying their threats of war constantly, stating that they would remove the Revolutionary government and place Eris on the Throne.

I dont know how the future turned out since I was executed as well, but given the situation, its clear that Francias future even after the Revolution was not good.

So I said something that Eris didnt want to hear.

The Civil War and the Revolution are not the end, Your Highness. As long as the Revolution in Francia is perceived as a threat to the other countries rule, they will continue to be a threat.

So youre keeping me around for that reason?

Yes, Your Highness. The moment they invade us under the pretext of restoring the country to its rightful ruler, we can offer the war-torn Revolutionaries a chance of legitimacy by placing a popular member of the Royal Family on the throne and avoiding further conflict.

A long silence ensued after my words.

Liar.

I havent lied to you, Your Highness. Until now I have kept all of my promises.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

You have not just lied to me. You knew I was a Princess from the very beginning, that a Revolution would occur, and the Kingdom would face a collapse at least once, and now even the future threat of another war? Tell me. What are you?

As I listened to Eriss frustrated voice, I smiled bitterly and stood up from my seat.

In the end, it will be your choice, Eris. I have no intention of forcing you.

Its quite something to hear after you say all that.

Not that I believe that simply crowning you a Queen will solve all these problems. Things could improve a little, but Im not foolish enough to say that everything will turn out well just by doing this.

If the Revolutionaries established Eris as a Queen, even if only by pretense, it might soften their stance towards the nobility in general, and it might be easier to gather the nobles who were averse to the Revolutionary government.

But on the flip side, if this situation is mishandled, theres a great chance that the innocent Eris will be sent to the guillotine just as before.

Elevating Eris as a Queen will weaken the foreign claims of legitimacy, but its still possible for them to claim that her commoner blood is not adequate for a Queen, even more so a Queen promoted by a common government.

At the very least, this would buy us some time from the likes of the Germania Empire, but it wont be a guarantee of avoiding a war.

Even if you remain as a Saint sponsored by me, it would be enough. At least this way you can live as freely as youd like.

But Im nothing like a saint.

What matters is how the people see you. So, give this idea some thought, whether as someone under my patronage or a future regent.

With those words, I turned around and prepared myself to leave, but Eriss voice stopped me.

If I sacrifice my freedom and take this burden, will it really help the people of this country?

If you are prepared for this, I will make sure it helps.

If by doing so these people can have a better future. ThenIll do it.

In the traditional Knight Kingdom of Francia, the ones charged with leading the troops were usually the Knights or nobles.

Naturally, most of the nearby nobles and some Knights were culled during the Revolution.

Ugh, we shouldnt have killed them just because of their status. If we want to run a proper state, we should have spared at least some of them, to use as officers.

At these words from the liberal writer, Nicolas Brisseau, the de facto leader of the moderate faction, the radical Jean Malo snorted.

Hmph, the enemies of the common people got what they deserved.

Sigh-. Fine, let us assume that is the case. It doesnt change the fact that the new government lacks anyone with proper experience in commanding a large force. What if we employed some of the captured nobles who have shown good behavior?

Ha! How could we trust those blue-bloods with our army! Have you forgotten that we declared the abolition of the cursed feudal system? How can we be certain that they wont betray us the moment they encounter the Kings army?

So we are just going to send out the soldiers to fight and hope for the best? These are highly trained forces of the King! Theyre not your run-of-the-mill guards that tried to stop us when we broke into the nobles mansions!

Who doesnt know that?! But to employ those blue-blood scumwouldnt that be like taking bribes from them?

What? What are you even talking about, you madman?

As the back and forth between those seated in the council chambers became heated, the moderates and radicals started exchanging all manners of insults and slanders with each other.

Seeing this, President Benoit Levier furrowed his brow and pressed a hand to his forehead.

The Revolution had seized the Capital and most of the North, spreading through the Kingdom, but the head of the movement was still in utter chaos.

Just as the meeting was about to devolve into a fight, Prosecutor Maximillian Le Jidor spoke with a cold and calculative voice.

I have a suitable candidate in mind.

A candidate, you say?

President Levier brightened at Jidors words.

Hes not a noble but has a history of serving as a mercenary in various places. At the end of the Civil War, he served under the Duke of Orleans, leading 1,000 men into the City of Rheims, so hes well familiarized with the command styles of both Dukes.

With a gesture from Jidor, his secretary distributed the dossier of this candidate, and the President studied it before speaking.

From what I can see, he has worked in quite a few cities in recent years. Leading 1,000 men, huh? Its not a small force, but its not even close to the army we have at our disposal, is it?

Do we have any other alternatives? Or is there someone among us who could lead a force of this size properly?

Sigh-. It might be worth a meeting with him.

As the president gave his reluctant approval, Jidor who seemed to have been waiting for this gave a signal to his secretary.

After the secretary left, the doors of the chamber opened after a brief moment, and everyones eyes watched a young man enter the room at a calm pace.

Isnt he too young?

Are the rumors about your experience true, lad?

Amidst the questions and skeptical gazes, the handsome young man who appeared to just have entered his 20s placed a hand over his chest and bowed respectfully.

Its an honor to meet the esteemed members of the Revolutionary government. I am Raphael Valliant, the one in charge of commanding the militia in the city of Reims.

Hmm, RaphaelValliant. Youve had quite the nomadic lifestyle, havent you? Moving from one city to anotherDid you encounter trouble often?

On the contrary, good sir. There were many who offered me a higher pay.

So if the King offered a higher pay, would you switch sides?

Ah, one of the most important characteristics of being a mercenary is that you cannot trust an employer who keeps promising a higher pay. Besides, you think the King can afford a higher pay now?

As the atmosphere relaxed a little under Valliants joke, with some even laughing, President Levier opened his mouth with a serious expression.

So, Valliant. I trust that you came here with the intention of leaving your mercenary days behind to serve the Revolutionary Army.

Yes, esteemed President. Both my men and I are sick of the mercenary life. And honestly, wed like to climb to a higher position as well.

Chuckle-. What an honest fellow.

Honest? I call that uncultured

As divergent opinions rose, President Levier spoke up.

If we entrust you with command over our forces, are you confident you can defeat the Kings army that threatens Lumiere?

At his question, Valliant simply smiled before saying.

Ill show those relics of the old era the power the peoples army holds.

TL Note: Time for sum good modern fighting-style mfs.

Lets pull an WW2 on those french twats

/genesisforsaken