Chapter 56: Revolution Era - The Saintess and the Empress
When I opened my eyes, I had already been moved to Reims.
The gunshot wound and the severe burns I had sustained appeared to have been
treated by Eris, but due to pushing my body and magic to their limits in
battle, I was advised to rest for at least a few days.
The first to visit was Raphael Ballian.
“What a tremendous battle it was, Duke Lafayette! It’s truly regrettable that
I couldn’t be there with you! To witness the faces of the enemy soldiers
getting hit by bullets from the artillery that came from the front! I should
have taken the time to learn a bit about using magic!”
“Is, is that so...”
This guy is kind of scary.
Not that I’m one to talk, but he seems crazy...
“Nevertheless, thanks to Duke Lafayette not sparing yourself and defeating the
Storm Witch, our forces have secured a complete victory. That said, I intend
to march towards Bahua as soon as the reorganization of the troops is
complete.”
Ah, so that’s why he rushed over as soon as I woke up.
I replied with a smirk.
“Understood. I’ll appoint someone to lead the southern army in my stead.”
Ballian beamed brightly.
“It’s always a pleasure how quick and to the point conversations with the Duke
are! Please take a moment to recuperate and await the good news!”
Yeah, as if I have a choice...
As Ballian, who had been all smiles, gestured behind him, his aide followed
suit and placed a large basket of apples on the desk.
“I’ll see you again soon! Thank you, haha!”
Having achieved his purpose, Ballian disappeared quickly.
But as soon as he left, one person after another kept showing up, and I had to
deal with all of them.
“Duke! You have no idea how relieved I am to see you safe! The noble sacrifice
and bravery you showed in the last battle are truly worthy of the Blue
Knight’s legacy-”
“Is that so? I was quite worried about you too, Count.”
Damien, who had been spitting out his words with fervor, suddenly clammed up
when I interrupted him.
“I had no idea where you went during the middle of the battle.”
Where are you peddling your nonsense? I wish he wouldn’t lump me together with
that damned Blue Knight from the start.
“I, I was injured in the midst of it all, my apologies.”
Damien replied awkwardly.
He seems perfectly fine to me, though I’m not sure if Eris healed him or if
he’s just using a minor injury as an excuse to joyfully fall behind, which I
find highly suspect.
“...Anyway, I’ve heard General Ballian plans to attack Bahua, and as the
commander of the southern army, you’ll be leading the charge-”
As I spoke, Damien’s eyes suddenly reddened, and tears began to flow.
“Wh-what’s the matter all of a sudden?”
“I apologize, Duke. I couldn’t help but remember Sir Hui, who died valiantly
in battle alongside you...”
Damien said this, wiping away tears with a sorrowful look in his eyes.
Sir Hui.
The knight from Mirbo who was hit by a fireball while charging at the enemy
infantry lines, if I recall his name correctly.
It feels like I’m being taken advantage of, but it’s hard to tell someone
mourning the loss of their subordinate to go back into battle...
I sighed lightly.
“Alright, you should rest, Count. I’ll assign the command of the southern army
to Sir Dezy.”
“Thank you for your deep consideration, Duke! Please take a good rest!”
Damien immediately brightened up and responded, as if his tears moments before
were just an act.
This despicable man...
Damien left behind a basket of grapes.
“Please forgive me for not being able to serve you till the end, my lord.”
“No, what are you talking about? If it weren’t for Sir Gaston, we would have
failed. I’m grateful that you led the charge. It was an honor to fight
alongside you.”
“...It was also an honor to serve under you, my lord.”
Gaston left behind a basket of oranges.
“The southern army suffered 4,823 casualties, my lord. The losses were
significant, but it was a victory worth its cost. Your leadership in the front
lines and the defeat of the Storm Witch left a deep impression not only on the
entire revolutionary army but also in the capital.”
“...Yes, Sir Dezy. Have you heard that General Ballian is advancing to Bahua?”
“...Is it chief of staff? Or the acting commander?”
“Acting commander.”
Louis Dezy sighed lightly but promptly saluted.
“I will follow your orders, my lord.”
“Thank you. Ah, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“You did well commanding the southern army in this battle.”
“It was my duty, my lord. Please take care of yourself.”
Dezy left with a bright smile, placing a basket of strawberries before
departing.
Many others came and went, and by the time the sun had fully set and darkness
fell, Eris arrived late, busily devouring the fruits piled on the table.
“Wow, you’re rich in fruits. Wonder how much all this would cost if you had to
buy it. Ha. Ah, these strawberries...yum, delicious.”
“...Could you at least swallow what’s in your mouth before talking?”
“Ugh, after treating the wounded until this hour, I’m so tired and hungry, and
here you are scolding me for snatching some fruits that you can’t even finish,
Duke, you’re such a cheapskate-”
“Alright, alright. Eat as much as you want.”
Eris covered her mouth with her hand, smirking mischievously before diving
back into her fruit feast.
Noticing the dark circles under her eyes, reminiscent of a sick person, I
didn’t bother her further.
Our battle might have ended, but Eris had been working nonstop until she
looked like this.
I received plenty of gifts, so I assumed Eris must have too, but knowing her,
she probably shared them with the wounded rather than eating alone.
After a while of nothing but the sound of her eating, Eris spoke up.
“Ah, this is bliss. I really love fruits, and it’s been a while since I could
eat my fill like this. Oh, by the way, you should be thanking me. With the
gunshot wound you just wrapped up and went back to fighting, and the burns
were so severe, at first, I thought you were someone else.”
“Yeah...”
I’m aware it was reckless.
I thought the witch’s magic was nearly depleted when I charged in, but maybe
she managed to recover some power from the collapsed magic formation.
If it weren’t for the brooch Christine gave me, I might have burned to death.
“Thanks, Eris. We would have failed without you... for treating me. Honestly,
if I had been left disfigured by the burns, I wouldn’t have been able to face
Christine.”
Eris fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“...I feel really, really conflicted.”
Her voice was so subdued, it was hard to imagine her previous lively demeanor.
“I was so happy that we won the battle and I had done my part, but then I saw
thousands were killed or injured. And I couldn’t save many of them. It made me
feel too, too...”
“Stop, that’s enough.”
I clapped my hands, and Eris looked at me.
“If we had given up fighting, we would have had to submit to them, and if you
hadn’t done as much as you did, more would have died. Feeling responsible and
feeling guilty about things you couldn’t control are different.”
Eris gave a faint smile.
“You make such distinctions clear, Duke. Is it because you’re a knight? But,
um.
The thought of becoming like you someday, it kind of scares me.”
“You don’t need to be like me. And it doesn’t seem like you could be even if
you tried. But still, I trust you more now than when we first met.”
“...Really?”
“Yes, Princess. This battle didn’t just save many lives; you must have gained
tremendous support. It will be a great asset when the time comes for you to
ascend the throne.
It might be painful now, but it’s okay to cherish your current feelings and
concerns.”
I looked straight into Eris’ translucent purple eyes, speaking in a way to
reassure her.
“It’s the growing pains of a young Saintess, who once saw the world with
nothing but pure goodness, growing into a Princess whom people can believe in
and follow. I believe that after going through all this, you’ll grow into
someone my people and I can trust without reservation.”
After a moment of silence, Eris asked with a smile.
“You kept your promise, right?”
“Yes, impeccably so.”
“The people of Francia you promised to protect, were they worth saving in your
eyes?”
I recalled the battlefield, filled with fiery zeal.
For Christine, for my people, even exploiting Eris to incite them to battle.
Even on the brink of ruin, when everyone was exhausted, those who charged,
shouting for victory.
“Yes, without a doubt.”
Eris smiled more brightly and relieved than ever before, her smile radiant.
***
In the Germanian Empire, within the Imperial Palace.
Empress Cecilia was busy processing a pile of documents in her office.
Her duties not only encompassed those of an empress but also those that would
typically be the emperor’s responsibility.
Yet, Cecilia loved her husband, the emperor.
Pitiful and foolish, yet unfortunate and pitiable, her husband.
If the Kaiser hadn’t been such a tyrant that even the empire’s loyal nobles
shunned him, all of Cecilia’s efforts would have been in vain, and she would
have remained just a foreign empress brought from abroad.
While she was deep in her paperwork, a knock on the door interrupted her.
“The Minister of Military Affairs has arrived, Your Majesty.”
“Let him in.”
The office door opened, and the stern-faced Minister of Military Affairs
entered, bowing deeply.
“Greetings to the Mother of the Empire, Your Majesty.”
Cecilia set aside the documents she was working on, stood up, and picked up a
battle report from one side of her desk.
“What are your thoughts, Minister?”
The Minister hesitated, unable to speak, and then apologized.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
Cecilia struggled to suppress the urge to throw the battle report in the
Minister’s face.
She couldn’t do that.
Since being sold to this arch-enemy nation, she had been erasing everything
about her former self, Princess Cecilia of Francia.
All the customs she had learned, the dreams she harbored, and even her
personality had to be emptied out.
In their place, everything the Empire and the Germanian people desired in an
ideal Empress was meticulously crafted.
Empress Cecilia was known to be compassionate and wise, more Germanian than
the Germanians themselves, an Empress adored by the Empire.
There was no room for personal anger in the perfect image of her.
Knowing that those who praised the ideal Empress Cecilia would point out her
origins at the slightest flaw, Cecilia’s fists trembled with restrained anger,
yet the tone that finally came from her mouth was utterly calm.
“Archduke Leopold is a hero and the pride of the Empire. We cannot allow his
reputation to be tarnished any further due to the foolish King of Francia and
the passive Northern Union Kingdom. What are your thoughts on the withdrawal
of the Imperial forces, Minister?”
“Your Majesty’s words are most wise.”
Cecilia nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
“Then, I take it you agree. We shall discuss this further at the council
meeting.”
“It shall be as you say. Glory to the father and mother of the Empire.”
After the Minister of Military Affairs withdrew, Cecilia slumped back into her
chair in the office.
She wanted to scream in anger.
She had ambitiously nurtured and even poured the royal treasury into the elite
guard cavalry unit she sent.
She had never imagined they would suffer such a defeat, let alone the
commander falling in battle.
The battle report laid bare how irrational and harrowing the fight had been.
Even without military expertise, Cecilia could tell that it wasn’t Archduke
Leopold’s incompetence that led to this outcome.
Louis, the king, was crushed, and Ballian, a young genius who emerged as a
great tactician, toyed with the armies of three countries, twice the size of
his own, like children.
The son of the Blue Knight, Duke Lafayette, who led the revolutionary army,
broke through everything, and killed the sage, forcing the Empire’s pride,
Archduke Leopold, to retreat.
And then there was the Saintess of Francia, officially recognized by the Holy
Church.
All of them, appearing in the same era from a feudal kingdom of knights
considered outdated in these times.
While the Empire might have dismissed the other two, they had seriously
underestimated the Saintess.
When the Holy Church suddenly recognized a girl of unknown origin, who had
been treating plagues in southern Francia, as a Saintess, they thought it was
merely because Duke Lafayette, her patron, had heavily bribed them.
However, following the last battle, the Saintess of Francia became an
undeniable force.
There were even whispers within the Empire wondering if the gods were watching
over Francia.
Cecilia could only let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
The story of the Saintess who saved Francia from destruction by the Demon King
hundreds of years ago was all too well-known.
Now, with Francia facing another crisis, the entire nation is ecstatic about
another Saintess appearing to save the country.
In this era of peril, three heroes have emerged to protect Francia, and people
believe this to be proof of the divine protection over Francia by the gods.
The gods watching over Francia, is it?
What did these so-called gods do when she was sold to the enemy nation?
Alone in a distant foreign land, with no one to rely on, it was she who saved
herself.
Not some deity.
Cecilia clenched her teeth.
This time, they had won.
The unimaginable defeat was painful, but thanks to King Louis, frightened by
Duke Lafayette’s breakthrough and babbling nonsense about the return of the
Blue Knight, retreating, the Empire had a pretext to withdraw as well.
With their withdrawal, King Louis’ doom was certain.
While her foolish brother met his downfall, she needed to soothe and persuade
the shocked nobles of Francia’s strength.
To convince them, to start the real war to reclaim her rightful place.
Cecilia coldly smiled as she read the name ‘Saintess Eris’ in the battle
report.
Saintess, Saintess. Just because she was born with it, received nothing but
love and blessings from the people, still being praised to this day.
If there truly exists such a being as a god, and if there’s even a speck of
fairness in them,
Shouldn’t they grant her, who was abandoned and sold to the enemy, who had to
forsake everything just to cling to the position she has now,
The right to retaliate against those who stripped her of everything and sold
her?
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