#073
Clank- Clank-
A small lantern was emitting light in a corner of the dark train cargo car.
What the light illuminated was an Imperial newspaper published 2 months ago.
The front page was filled with images of uniford soldiers marching while being welcod by citizens.
Heroes who drove back the Republic’s invasion and achieved an unprecedented victory in Imperial Army history.
The newspaper praised the marching army as such and displayed the face of a young officer.
“Eugene Lorentz.”
That na quietly flowed from the lips of the man looking at the newspaper.
However, that mont was brief.
“Claude.”
Miles, who appeared beyond the light, tapped his shoulder.
“How long are you going to stare at it? You’ll burn a hole through it.”
Hearing those words, Revolutionary Army supre leader Claude de Lascol closed his eyes tightly and put down the newspaper.
“Huu……”
“A guy who was just a rookie officer is now the rising divine figure of the Empire. It’s not even funny.”
After saying that, Miles put down the newspaper that was delivered before departure.
[1st Armored Infantry Division, Annihilated! How far will the Special Magic Unit’s march continue!]
[Death before Defeat! Interview with Special Magical Power Unit warrior, Sergeant Leopold!]
[Special Magical Power Unit 3rd batch recruitnt begins. Those who seek honor, join us!]
After the street parade two months ago, the Special Magical Power Unit that returned to the front lines was steadily increasing its numbers and stacking up victories.
The first news of victory from the frontlines where only Knight Order withdrawals and consecutive defeats had been repeated.
Imperial citizens were enthusiastic about the ergence of a new hero, and the Imperial newspapers were frantically spreading the hero’s actions as if they were fanatics.
On the surface, to dispel the defeatism prevalent in the Empire.
But the real reason was…
“To cover up the people’s uprisings occurring everywhere and divert people’s attention.”
“And anwhile, they think they’ll have the Knight Order finish us off.”
The one who joined the conversation with those words was a man with a neat face.
“Jake.”
When Miles called his na with narrowed eyes, Jake responded with an awkward smile.
The imprint specialist brought directly by Randall to replace Rennie who was captured by Imperial forces in the last battle.
The imprints of Claude and other Revolutionary Army mages were being managed by his hands.
“Put up a fake hero to divert attention, then try to annihilate us in the anti… It’s certain that the nobles and imperial family are in cahoots. Right, Claude?”
Jake asked Claude, declaring his words were correct.
‘Imperial Army… Eugene is in cahoots with magic nobles?’
It sounds plausible at first listen.
But the more Claude pondered those words, the more he couldn’t shake off a suspicious feeling.
If that was really true, why did he let him and Miles go at the Zicklinte mansion?
If the goal was to exterminate the Revolutionary Army, there was absolutely no reason to let him live there.
His actions afterward were also strange.
‘Don’t trust Randall.’
How did he know about Randall’s existence?
Why did he specifically convey that ssage to him?
“Supre leader-!”
While his thoughts were chaining together, the train engineer who opened the cargo car door called out to Claude.
“5 minutes until arrival! I’m counting on you again!”
“Got it!”
5 minutes until arrival.
Hearing those words, Claude set aside the thoughts that had erged in his mind and looked at his comrades.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Of course.”
“Naturally.”
mbers giving thumbs up while looking at him and beginning combat preparations.
Magic bullets were loaded into each weapon, and dormant magic circuits began awakening one by one.
“Huu-!”
He still couldn’t figure out what his intentions were.
But that doesn’t an he can just stand still here.
With a deep breath, his magic circuits activated, and the magic imprint containing Claude’s magical power began glowing red.
“Watch over , Maxim.”
After a final tribute to the master who raised him, Claude changed his gaze and shouted toward the engine room.
“Open the door-!”
Whoosh-!
As the door opened with the supre leader’s order, a train station covered in flas and smoke revealed itself.
“Waaaah–!”
“For the revolution-!”
“For the revolutiooon–!”
Revolutionary comrades who were on standby in the territory were continuing resistance while surrounding key strongpoints.
And at the center, knights gathered around magic nobles were spewing magic toward the Revolutionary Army.
We won’t go down so easily.
“Let’s go!”
With those words, Claude and his comrades rushed out of the train.
The people’s uprisings occurring across the Empire and the Revolutionary Army’s surprise operations targeting magic nobles.
The Revolutionary Army’s struggle to change the Empire was continuing even now.
***
“Huu-!”
The Revolutionary Army’s strategy of launching surprise attacks on magic nobles was simpler than expected.
When simultaneous popular uprisings occur in various local regions, the local lord requests help from magic nobles.
While the Knight Order is away to suppress the popular uprising, mages including himself quickly infiltrate and eliminate the central magic noble. An operation to infiltrate and eliminate the head of house.
If they send the Knight Order to suppress the uprising, they target them from behind, and if they don’t send them, they lose control of the territory due to the popular uprising.
A deadly dilemma constantly forced upon the nobles.
Magic nobles, skilled but lacking in numbers, had no choice but to be defeated one by one by this strategy employed by the Revolutionary Army.
“Hah… Hah……”
Viscount Dwitch, who was a minor lord in the provinces, was also a case of falling for this strategy.
The only difference was that the popular uprising that occurred in the region was suppressed unusually quickly.
However, that didn’t affect the Revolutionary Army’s victory.
The knights guarding him couldn’t withstand Claude’s magic, and Viscount Dwitch was just gasping for breath, having fallen into a state of Magical Power Exhaustion.
“Filthy noble.”
“The Revolutionary Army sentences you to death.”
“N-no… Wait……”
Bang-!
Before Claude could give any instructions, a heated revolutionary mber put a bullet in his face.
Viscount Dwitch losing his life and collapsing to the floor.
However, even though the magic noble had died, sothing felt off about the atmosphere in the territory.
“Claude.”
“Yeah. I feel it too.”
In other territories, the death of knights and nobles was a joyous occasion.
The territory’s residents would rush out to cheer at the joy of eliminating an evil noble.
But here, there was none of that.
“What’s going on?”
While Claude was thinking that as he walked around the unusually quiet territory.
“So what exactly is the problem here! Huh?!”
From one alley corner, shouts from revolutionary mbers could be heard.
Two revolutionary mbers surrounding what appeared to be a farr.
Thinking sothing was wrong, Claude imdiately walked over there.
“We just requested food support. Why exactly can’t you do it? Didn’t we liberate you from the nobles’ hands……”
“You’re the ones who burned down the mansion used as a granary! Our year’s harvest is ruined because of you bastards! And now what? Requisition?! Talking nonsense……”
“What we burned was the filthy noble’s mansion! The tumor of the Empire stained with greed……”
“Do you even know what kind of person Viscount Dwitch was to say such things, you foolish bastards!”
Cutting off the revolutionary mber’s heated words, the man’s outburst made Claude flinch.
Even the two mbers pressuring the man flinched, and the man’s enraged outburst continued.
“He was soone who bought and distributed food from the city whenever there was a bad harvest. There’s not a single person in Viscount Dwitch’s territory who doesn’t owe their life to him!”
“…!”
“He worshiped together with the territory residents on rest days, plowed fields together during farming season, and enjoyed festivals together after the harvest was done!”
“And such a person, what? Revolution? Evil noble? What about you lot! Invading a well-off territory, spouting nonsense about revolution and liberation……”
Smack-!
Perhaps they couldn’t bear to hear more of the man’s words.
The thoroughly flustered revolutionary mber roughly pushed the man down.
“Y-you pig raised by nobles!”
“Not understanding the values of the Republic, selling your soul for the scraps nobles throw you!”
“Because of people like you, countless citizens of the Empire……”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing-!”
Sensing the mbers’ gazes changing after pushing down the man, Claude imdiately released magical power to stop them.
“Kuk?!”
“S-supre leader……”
Perhaps they hadn’t even noticed his approach.
Looking at the startled mbers, Claude shouted in absolute fury.
“We Revolutionary Army rose up to save the Imperial citizens! For such Revolutionary Army to assault ordinary citizens, what kind of nonsense is this!”
“…Tch.”
“Yes yes, excuse us.”
The mbers frowning as if they’d picked the wrong fight.
Seeing their disrespectful attitude, Claude felt his head going cold.
“But these bastards……”
“Claude!”
Just as Claude was contorting his face and about to take another step forward, a familiar voice grabbed his shoulder.
It was Jake, the imprint specialist.
“Don’t scold them too harshly. They’re comrades after all.”
“But still……”
“You two hurry back to your positions! Quick!”
When Jake shouted that, the two mbers left their spots with dissatisfied looks.
anwhile Miles approached the fallen man to help him up but.
Smack-!
The man roughly brushed it off before getting up on his own, dusting off his body.
“You said you’re the Revolutionary Army? Thanks to you bastards, one thing has beco clear.”
Saying that, the man looked at the burned down Dwitch mansion while trembling with clenched fists.
“Because of the revolution you bastards trumpet about, all the grain we harvested has turned to ashes. And you killed the Viscount who would have helped us in tis like this. Along with the fools seduced by you lot.”
“T-that is……”
“Thanks to you, we won’t survive this winter.”
After glaring at Claude with eyes full of hatred, the man turned his back and disappeared into the alley.
Looking at the windows scattered throughout the territory, Claude could finally read the strange atmosphere he had felt.
“……”
“……”
Countless eyes watching him and the Revolutionary Army through gaps in the windows.
The emotion in those eyes was not that of looking at liberators.
Eyes looking at fearso and hateful invaders.
Confirming this, Claude grit his teeth at the regret washing over him.
“This is what we were prepared for, Claude.”
The one who spoke to such a Claude was his long-ti comrade Miles.
“Whether he was good or evil doesn’t matter. Our goal is to cut off the Knight Order’s supply lines by saving the people.”
“I know. I know that.”
Viscount Dwitch didn’t die because he was evil.
He died because he was a noble.
A small sacrifice to accomplish the cause of revolution.
That responsibility would have to be fully shouldered by himself as the commander of the Revolutionary Army.
Having desperately rationalized it like that, Claude saw mbers carrying rifles in a corner of the village.
The mbers who had been harassing the farrs earlier.
They were new revolutionary mbers who had joined from outside under Randall’s lead.
‘He said we need as many comrades as possible.’
While accepting mbers with unclear backgrounds and experience, Randall had said that.
That anyone who could participate in the revolution should be accepted without discrimination.
However, this wasn’t right.
Letting such people be ans the Revolutionary Army would rot from within.
Why did Randall make such a decision……
‘Don’t trust Randall Dean Clark.’
And then what ca to mind was those words that Eugene had conveyed to Miles.
‘Could it be that he knew about this situation?’
For a mont Claude’s thoughts reached that far, but he shook his head denying it.
To think that bastard would co to mind even while thinking about internal Revolutionary Army matters.
It seed that day’s defeat had been imprinted much more deeply than Claude thought.
“We’ve finished everything we needed to do.”
Putting his complicated feelings aside, Claude ordered the mbers.
“Revolutionary Army, full withdrawal……”
However at that mont.
“This is Raikard 1st Knight Order Commander, Kyle Raikard–!”
Along with a clear and resonant voice, a group of knights appeared.
A fairly large group of about twenty, with a man at their center.
That figure was a face that existed in Claude’s mories as well.
Kyle Raikard.
The heir to House Raikard, one of the 12 Great Magic Nobles.
The noble youth who had fought against him alongside Eugene during the military academy infiltration operation.
With his appearance alongside the knights, the atmosphere of the territory residents who had been wary of them changed completely.
“Young Master Kyle!”
“The young master is here!”
“We’re saved!”
What in the world was this situation.
The territory residents who had been so afraid of the Revolutionary Army as liberators, cheering at the appearance of a magic noble?
While they were confused by this first-ti situation, the Knight Order that had ford ranks drew their swords toward the Revolutionary Army.
“Eliminate the rebellious mob that attacked the territory without rcy-!”
“Kuuh……”
“Enemy reinforcents! Combat ready! Combat ready–!”
Along with the resonant shout, Kyle charged in with his imprint glowing.
Against such a Kyle, Claude’s imprint emitted a red light.
The hero who saved the Empire, and the nobles eating away at the Empire.
It felt like those positions he had believed in had been reversed.
Author's Thoughts
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