Chapter 61: Revolution Era - The Weight of Sin
“Unlike those who let their treasures rot in their hands, unaware of the
possibilities they’re wasting, it is entirely feasible with me and the Duke
to work together. Duke Lafayette, wouldn’t you like to join me in writing a
myth that will go down as the greatest in history?”
I silently looked at the hand Ballian extended to me, and seeing my
expression, Ballian awkwardly withdrew it.
“Hmm, not quite the reaction I was expecting, was it?”
“Did you think I would take it positively?”
Ballian scratched his head awkwardly.
“Honestly, I thought it was a fifty-fifty chance. Given what the Countess of
Aquitaine has been through...”
My eyes must have sharpened unwittingly, as Ballian immediately raised both
hands in surrender.
“Whoa, don’t get me wrong. Even if we come to a point of conflict, I would
never dream of laying a hand on Countess Aquitaine.”
Ballian said, shrugging his shoulders before adding,
“I do want to live a long and glorious life, after all.”
Only then did I give him a slight chuckle.
“Indeed. As General Ballian knows, I have denounced the National Assembly
and the order they have established.”
In my fury, I annihilated not only the lawmakers who attempted to kill
Christine but also their attendants.
Such acts are utterly unacceptable by the National Assembly and the
Republic’s laws, and I do not consider my actions justified.
“However, that doesn’t mean I despise the National Assembly itself.”
Ultimately, even Maximilian Zidor recognized their issues and changed
their stance.
Although it was due to my efforts, the National Assembly compromised with
the people of the western regions and accepted them.
“Hmm, not yet, is it?”
“Yes, not yet.”
Now that the war with foreign forces has ended, there might be some changes
within the National Assembly.
If they fail to come to their senses and repeat the same mistakes, as
Ballian said, I might consider overthrowing them entirely.
But the Republic, built through countless sacrifices and holding onto its
ideals, would need a clearly better alternative before considering
overthrowing the National Assembly.
“I do not find your proposal attractive enough to overthrow the National
Assembly, General.”
This time, Ballian’s eyebrows twitched.
“What seems to be the issue?”
“General, aren’t you overestimating the capacity of Francia?”
“...”
“We have been embroiled in civil wars for years. Though we defeated King
Louis and repelled foreign forces with the strength of the levee en masse
and the high morale of the Republic, it doesn’t seem like the devastated
domestic situation will be restored anytime soon.”
Ballian furrowed his brows in rebuttal.
“That’s exactly why we need to dismantle an inefficient system like the
National Assembly and opt for efficient reorganization, don’t you think?”
“You make a valid point. However, as you know, General, I have put a lot of
effort into improving the inefficiencies of the National Assembly. To throw
all that away and choose you, there needs to be something substantial
guaranteed...”
Christine has been tirelessly working in the National Assembly for us,
strengthening the Central Party’s position with her reliable capabilities
and character. And now he suggests we abandon the foundation she has built
to join hands with him?
“Listening to the general’s goals, it seems you’re underestimating our
enemies. Or perhaps overestimating us.”
This time, even Ballian’s face hardened.
“General Ballian indeed possesses tremendous military talent, perhaps
superior to mine in that regard. But does that guarantee victory against the
empires and foreign lands of the continent?”
“At least, I don’t think we’d lose to those outdated rulers of the old
regime.”
“Yes, we might win initially. If we educate the common folk in magic and
lead soldiers who believe in and follow the revolutionary banner, victory is
inevitable. But do you truly believe that will be enough to topple them all
and become the conqueror of the continent?”
As Ballian mentioned, teaching magic to our cavalry has already shown we can
hold our own against more numerous imperial cavalry forces.
Of course, these cavalrymen, being second only to knights in training,
learned faster and were more apt, whereas it would be harder for the average
soldier.
Still, if all our soldiers could wield magic, we could indeed achieve
revolutionary combat effectiveness, as Ballian suggests.
But the enemy is not foolish. They might be taken by surprise at first, but
eventually, they will adopt our methods.
“Leopold the Archduke, having faced us in battle, would surely consider
teaching magic to his loyal and well-trained cavalry, second only to his
knights.”
I myself am proof of that.
Having learned from my defeat to Ballian in a previous civil war and
employing his techniques after my return, I have made a name for myself.
“If our magic-adept soldiers keep winning, those in power under the old
regime would at least try to teach magic to their loyal forces. How long do
you think the advantage General Ballian and we hold will last? At most a few
years, or perhaps just one war.”
Ballian, with a serious expression, listened to my words and then countered.
“Well, look at King Louis and those foolish nobles. Would those obsessed
with preserving their privileges easily allow commoners to wield magic,
something they’ve blocked for centuries?”
Maybe, if we’re lucky.
But to start a war just on that hope, for personal glory, to build a great
empire? How is that different from what the Blue Knight did?
“On the contrary, General, do you assert that all our enemies are as foolish
as King Louis and his nobles? If their privileges are threatened by us, they
will eventually consider the lesser evil to win.”
Ballian, his face flushed with drink, refilled his empty wine glass and took
another sip.
“Well, this is something. Coming from a duke who stands at the center of
innovation yet belongs to the nobility, it leaves me with little to argue.”
Setting down his glass, Ballian looked at me and finally spoke.
“Well, it seems I have yet to convince you, Duke.”
“I’ll take your words as those of a man buoyed by spirits.”
For now, there hasn’t been a complete confrontation between him and me, and
considering the upcoming war, he is an indispensable talent for this
country.
I’m keeping an eye on the National Assembly, so regardless of the war, there
might come a day when I’ll have to join hands with him.
Ballian, swirling his wine glass, asked,
“So, I’d like to ask you something, Duke. The foreign powers are preparing
for war, and the National Assembly, oblivious to the end of the war, will
want to keep a noble like you in check. Do you have an alternative, having
refused my proposal?”
I gave him a slight smile in response.
“I do.”
And that’s the biggest reason I rejected Ballian’s proposal.
With a princess who can significantly weaken the justification for Germanian
Empire’s ambitions while also alleviating the class conflicts within the
National Assembly, it’s unlikely she would agree to overturn the assembly
and wage war for the sake of establishing an empire.
***
The convoy heading to the capital, Lumière.
King Louis, after vomiting several times, felt a burning thirst and severe
hunger, but he was in no position to express it.
Regardless of King Louis’s condition, the carriage rattled along, and the
rebels walked beside the prisoner transport carriage he was confined in.
His body, used to resting on a comfortable and soft bed, now ached and
slumped from the constant shaking on the hard wooden floor of the carriage.
The rebels surrounding him, rather than cleaning his body, which had become
filthy and smelly from lying in his own waste several times, only expressed
contempt and hatred.
Initially, he was enraged by their attitude, but with shackles suppressing
his magic around his ankles, he didn’t even have the energy to break the
wooden carriage.
Extreme pain and disdain shattered the vanity and sense of authority he had
wallowed in, as if those things he had so desperately protected were
worthless.
Trapped helplessly in the rattling carriage, King Louis could only look down
at the passing ground through his blurred vision.
He wasn’t always this pitiful. Had he been so from the beginning, knights
wouldn’t have followed him, nor would the former king, his father, have
favored him, the second son.
But over the years, competing with his brother for the throne and amid the
lengthy civil war, he changed bit by bit under the pressure of reality and
his close aides.
Once he ascended the throne, once he could rule this country.
For that eventual moment, he gradually abandoned and discarded the values
and ideals he held when he first aspired to the throne.
In the end, the excuse of compromising with reality led to his corruption,
and the remaining figure was repugnant even to himself.
Even after seizing the throne, he was crushed under the weight of the
burdens accumulated over the years, and nothing changed.
The time he enjoyed as king was barely two years.
Even then, he couldn’t properly enjoy the power of kingship as he was busy
fighting against the remnants who supported his brother and the rebels.
Tears streamed down King Louis’s eyes for no reason, endless and without
purpose.
What was it all for, this relentless pursuit of power?
The sound that escaped his constricted throat was barely a cry, closer to a
guttural scream.
Where did he go wrong, to suffer this much?
The rattling of the carriage ceased, and the convoy came to a halt.
“A break! We’ll eat and then move on!”
The chatter of voices faded away, but King Louis lay lifelessly on the
carriage floor, turned inward.
After some time, the bolt of the carriage door was undone.
“Excuse me.”
A now familiar gentle voice.
Careful hands turned King Louis onto his back on the carriage floor, and a
figure in a white robe with a hood and a veil covering their face entered
his line of sight.
Unlike him, who received nothing but hatred and loathing from all in this
convoy, this person was met with reverence and respect.
Initially, King Louis too had spewed venom and hatred at the saint.
But at the end of this arduous and painful journey, none of those feelings
remained.
“You must be thirsty.”
King Louis nodded desperately.
Hearing his response, Eris slowly unwrapped the bandage around his jaw and
tilted the water bottle she held to his lips, carefully pouring water so he
wouldn’t choke.
King Louis quenched his thirst with the water she gently and steadily let
flow, ensuring he didn’t choke.
Tears welled up involuntarily.
In this convoy, where he was treated more like an animal than a person, the
saint was the only one who treated him with any human decency and care.
The saint carefully fed King Louis porridge, mashed and boiled to the right
temperature, in the same considerate manner.
Finally catching his breath, King Louis slowly reached out his hand to the
saint, who then extended her own in response.
King Louis conveyed his intentions by tracing letters in the palm of the
saint’s hand.
Even without a jaw, he wished to express himself in this manner, but only
the saintess responded.
[ Have we reached the capital? ]
“Yes. We’ll arrive by tonight.”
[ Am I to be executed? ]
“...Yes. Most likely.”
King Louis couldn’t see the expression of the saintess behind the veil, only
the shimmering of her violet eyes from behind it.
After that exchange, a moment of silence followed.
As the saintess packed away the water bottle and the bowl of gruel she had
fed him, King Louis unwittingly reached out and grabbed her arm.
Turning to face him and extending her hand, perhaps thinking this might be
their last interaction, King Louis wrote again in her palm.
[ Could I at least see your face? ]
Slowly retracting her hand, the saintess reached inside her hood and lifted
her veil.
King Louis’s eyes widened at the sight of the saintess’ face for the first
time.
Transparent violet eyes, with hair that appeared white or silver.
King Louis was aware of the saintess’ famously mysterious appearance, having
heard of it.
However, his surprise stemmed from her striking resemblance to someone he
knew.
The face resembled that of a courtesan who became a concubine to his father,
the former king.
Although it was hushed within the palace, as a prince, he knew that her
daughter was sensitive to sunlight, with violet eyes and silver hair, making
the connection not difficult.
Stunned, King Louis couldn’t move his fingers until Eris spoke up.
“Princess Essiliste Lillian de Francia greets you, my brother.”
Regaining his composure, King Louis slowly formed words with his fingers.
[ You were alive. ]
“Yes.”
[ What about your mother? ]
Eris smiled bitterly and shook her head.
[ I’m sorry. ]
After a silence, King Louis wrote again.
[ Am I going to hell? ]
“...”
Eris didn’t respond.
Hesitantly, King Louis asked again.
[ Would you not give me confession? ]
“I am not a priest.”
[ But as a saintess closest to God, if you were to confess for me, surely
God- ]
Before King Louis could finish, Eris laughed bitterly.
“I don’t know. Can someone who isn’t the sinner absolve another’s sins?
Would that change one’s destination from hell to heaven?”
King Louis looked at Eris blankly.
“I don’t really believe in that sort of thing, you know. That one goes to
heaven for doing this, to hell for doing that.
Because...”
Eris laughed bitterly again.
“My mother committed suicide. According to the priests, she would be in
hell, right? But she was a good person; that shouldn’t be the case.”
As Eris slowly extended her hand, a warm and soft light enveloped King
Louis’s body. The stiffness and lingering pain in King Louis’s body
dissipated, bringing a slight vitality back to him.
“So I was incredibly angry at God, but it seems I still wield His power
quite effectively.”
King Louis slowly wrote in Eris’s hand.
[ The saintess harbors resentment towards God? ]
“Yes. And yet, just in case, in case my mother really is in hell, I wondered
what to do. So...”
Eris said with a bright smile.
“I’ve been helping people. I truly don’t know, but if, just if there really
are a heaven and hell, and where one goes depends on their actions, then
maybe by doing many good deeds, I could somehow atone for my mother’s sins.”
Eris added playfully.
“This is actually a secret. There’s someone who helps me, and they always
look puzzled as to why I live this way. If they knew I was being good for
such a selfish reason, they’d surely be disillusioned.”
King Louis remained immobile, and Eris, her smile fading, spoke up.
“So many have suffered because of your actions, my brother, and I can’t
presume to forgive you on their behalf. That is a burden you must bear.”
[ Can my sins not be forgiven, even with penance? ]
“Penance isn’t about expecting forgiveness for one’s sins; it’s what one
must naturally do because they have sinned. Whether those affected accept
your remorse and apology, that’s for them and the divine to decide.”
The sister neither absolved him nor suggested he could turn away from his
responsibilities.
As King Louis wept, Eris reached for the place where his jaw had been. Light
wrapped around his jaw, and King Louis writhed from the intense pain and
indescribable sensation.
When the light faded, King Louis slowly reached up to feel his jaw, now
restored.
“Ah, ah. My jaw...”
Overwhelmed by the sound of his own voice for the first time in who knows
how long, King Louis was in shock, while Eris spoke softly.
“This is all I can do for you. I’ve given you the opportunity. Whether you
atone for your sins when faced with those who harbor hatred and desire for
revenge against you, that’s for you to decide. Whether they forgive you,
that’s for them and the divine.”
As tears streamed down King Louis’s face, leaving him speechless, Eris
reached out and firmly grasped his hands.
“Still, I will pray for you. That those who bear hatred and vengeance
towards you may find some peace in their hearts, and that you may find some
measure of tranquility in the embrace of the divine. If a God who continues to empower someone like me exists, He might be
more forgiving than you think.”
Eris gazed off into the distance, perhaps towards the heavens, and murmured
softly.
“If not, then I will serve and do good deeds for the people of this land on
your behalf. May it lighten the weight of the sins you bear, even if just a
little.”
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