Chapter 71: Presidential Government - Guardians of the Revolution (3)
“Coutess, the third outpost has been overtaken!”
Upon receiving the report, Christine Aquitaine marked the third outpost on
the map, now completely covered in Xs, with another X.
She had not let her guard down, not in the slightest.
Yet, the movements of Raphael Ballian and the Northern Army, prepared for
confrontation, were as swift as lightning.
The Northern Army, which had seemed so docile, stationed quietly at their
base, moved across the city in an instant. They launched surprise attacks on
the Southern Army’s strongholds, overpowering and disarming them.
In the brief moment it took for the report to reach Christine, all forces at
the Southern Command, except for those with Sir Gaston, had been
overwhelmed.
Christine bit her lip in silence.
Should she have declared the Northern Army the enemy and prepared for their
assault?
No, that could have backfired, with Ballian making the Southern Army appear
as the aggressor, potentially leading to a civil war.
However, without any chance to respond, all the contingencies Christine had
prepared were exhausted, and there was nothing more she could do as a
commander.
Though she had bought enough time, the result of facing the adversary alone
was her defeat.
Slowly rising from her seat, Christine stepped out of her office.
“Countess.”
“Please inform the Saintess that it’s time to end the performance.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Walking through the corridor, Christine glanced through a window towards the
distant National Assembly.
She had received the summons for the National Assembly. Yet, attending now
would only make her the perfect hostage for Ballian.
Her role now was to head to the Southern Command with Eris, protect it, and
hope the National Assembly could hold out.
* * *
In Front of the National Assembly.
The guards keeping watch over the assembly eyed the imposing procession of
the Northern Army marching through the heart of Lumiere with tense gazes.
One guard saluted Ballian, who led the procession, before speaking.
“Co, Commander Ballian, what brings you to the National Assembly?”
Ballian answered with a pleasant smile, but the words that followed were far
from pleasant.
“Ah, what hard work you’re all doing! I’ve come to denounce the fraudulent
elections conducted against the will of the people and the allegations of
collusion with Abyss Corporation at the National Assembly.”
The guards swallowed hard. They were not blind or deaf.
It wasn’t just the words that were alarming, but the fact that Ballian,
having brought an army with him, was initiating what could only be
understood as a coup, was not lost on them.
“My apologies, Commander Ballian. Allow me to inform the assembly of your
visit and seek permission-”
Ballian, still wearing a friendly smile, interrupted.
“Now, guard. You should understand by now, right? Let’s not waste any more
time and clear the way.”
“I’m sorry, Commander Ballian, but our duty is to protect this assembly.”
“Is that so? Everyone, prepare to fire.”
As Ballian gave the order, even the soldiers of the Northern Army seemed a
bit taken aback.
“Co, Commander!”
Amidst the startled and horrified guards, Ballian glanced at his hesitating
subordinates with a slight furrow in his brow.
“The Francia Republic that we’ve fought so hard to protect is in peril.
Soldiers! Do you trust me, who has led you to victory, or the National
Assembly that has only offered theories and chaos?”
The soldiers flinched. None of them would likely think so.
“Can I trust you!”
“Prepare to fire!”
At Ballian’s shout, his loyalist Jerome Morel echoed the command, and the
soldiers raised their muskets, aiming at the guards.
“Commander, please!”
“I’ll say it once more. Clear the way, guard. The fault lies not with you,
the innocent, but with the corrupt National Assembly.”
Trembling, the guards, reassured by Ballian’s words that seemed to absolve
them of responsibility, eventually opened the doors and stepped aside.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
Ballian, with a slight smile, confidently entered the National Assembly,
escorted by his guards.
The bustling National Assembly, already in disarray due to the day’s events
in Lumiere, fell into a sudden hush at Ballian’s arrival.
In the midst of all members’ focused attention, Raphael Ballian removed his
hat and bowed respectfully.
“Good day, esteemed members of the National Assembly, I am Raphael Ballian,
commander of the Northern Army.”
Even the Revolutionary Party and the Freedom Party, which had been favorable
to him as the commander of the Northern Army, did not welcome Ballian’s
unsolicited entry into the National Assembly, especially after hearing about
the turmoil in the city.
Instead, Count Anjou, the head of the Central Party who had been openly
hostile, confronted him.
“Commander Ballian. The National Assembly did not summon you, what brings
you here uninvited?”
Ballian responded with a slight smile.
“As a guardian of our proud republic, I could not overlook the injustices
that have been ignored.”
“Injustices?”
“What are you talking about, Commander Ballian!”
“Do not forget, this is the assembly of the people! We were in the midst of
discussing the events you orchestrated in Lumière today!”
Ballian glanced sideways, looking towards the seats of the Central Party
members.
As expected, Christine Aquitaine’s seat was empty.
Surely, she wasn’t foolish enough to corner herself into coming here to be
captured.
“I cannot help but express my regret that, despite the occurrence of an
election against the will of the people within the National Assembly, the
Assembly has chosen to overlook and move past it.”
Before Ballian could even finish, Maximilian Zidor spoke up in a cold tone.
“Do you also refuse to accept the voting results of the Assembly, which has
been delegated authority by the people?”
“If we proceed under the name of democracy without clarifying obvious
suspicions, how is that different from a dictatorship conducted in the name
of democracy?”
A stir spread through the National Assembly, and Maximilian Zidor furrowed
his brow.
“Are you daring to insult the Assembly itself now?”
Instead of responding directly to Zidor’s question, Ballian continued with a
different point.
“The respected Bishop Richelieu had also intended to denounce this situation
but has suddenly fallen into a coma. Quite coincidentally.”
Ballian then turned his gaze towards Christine Aquitaine’s seat, and
naturally, the members’ attention followed.
“While it may be a coincidence, the symptoms are reportedly similar to those
exhibited by the previous Count Aquitaine before his death... the father
whom the current Countess Aquitaine tragically lost to Abyss Corporation.”
There’s no evidence. From the beginning, Christine had confiscated and used
Harphas’ remaining belongings, none of which were purchased from the Abyss
Corporation.
Ballian himself didn’t entertain the slightest hope of finding any evidence.
However, suspicions would certainly arise, and that was all he needed.
“As you are well aware, dealing with the demons of the Abyss Corporation
constitutes a grave crime within the republic. It’s curious, then, that she
chose to be absent from the assembly today.”
“Such unfounded slander! Bishop Richelieu was no frail old man unexpected to
die at any time!”
“Is there any assurance that Bishop Richelieu met with an accident because
he shared your intentions?”
“No, but listening to Commander Ballian, there seems to be more than one or
two odd points, doesn’t it?”
“Countess Aquitaine, I’ve been uneasy about that woman from the start.”
“Why else would a woman who regularly attends the assembly suddenly abstain?
She must have something to hide!”
Though the Central Party was irate, members of other parties, who had not
been fond of Christine, seized the opportunity to jump on the topic.
Ballian struggled to suppress a sneer.
Such is the nature of the esteemed National Assembly, swayed by plausible
lies mixed with a sprinkle of truth.
What value is there in preserving such a flawed system?
Better a system led by someone like him, who could guide these fools onto a
much better path.
“Esteemed members of the National Assembly. As a guardian of the republic, I
have always been at the forefront of protecting our country. And now, even
as the National Assembly harbors these suspicions amidst confusion.”
Ballian glanced at Christine’s empty seat and Maximilian Zidor’s stern face,
then added,
“I propose to temporarily dissolve the assembly, led astray by a few
untrustworthy individuals, and to announce a new constitution, thereby
electing a more reliable new government through the people’s vote.”
The government he would lead as president, more efficient and grand.
Silence filled the National Assembly for a moment.
However, when the silence passed, the response from the members of the
National Assembly was not as he had anticipated.
“Absurd!”
“How is this different from treason disguised as patriotism!”
“Commander Ballian, I’ve misjudged you!”
Taken aback by the outpouring of anger and criticism, Ballian had planned to
isolate and remove the corrupt members of the existing assembly and soothe
or incorporate those who were silent or supportive. To his surprise, the
entire assembly erupted in outrage against him.
“Let’s remove this traitor of the republic!”
As some assembly members kicked their chairs and rushed towards him,
Ballian, too, clicked his tongue and shouted.
“Morel!”
At Ballian’s call, Jerome Morel, who had been waiting outside with soldiers,
burst in.
“To bring weapons into the assembly, what kind of madness- Ah!”
An assembly member who had been grasping at Ballian’s collar and shouting
fell to the ground after being struck by the butt of a gun, causing the
other members to retreat in shock.
“This is madness!”
“This is a coup!”
Ballian straightened his disheveled collar and spat out in disdain.
He hadn’t wanted things to turn into such a mess, but it had come to this.
Yet, in the name of the Republic’s hero, Raphael Ballian, the National
Assembly stood powerless before him, holding military authority.
Once he overthrows it by force and establishes a new government, that Duke
Lafayette will surely seek a compromise at some point, rather than plunging
the homeland into civil war again.
Just as Ballian thought this, a resounding shout echoed through the
assembly.
“Loyal soldiers of the Francia Republic! Open your eyes and see the
situation! Is what this man doing protecting the Republic, or is it pointing
the barrel at the Republic?”
Maximilian Zidor, standing in the middle of the assembly, shouted with veins
bulging in his neck, causing the soldiers, who had blindly followed the
heroic Raphael Ballian, to widen their eyes in realization.
Ballian internally cursed and immediately retorted.
“Do not listen to that nonsensical rhetoric! He is the very culprit of all
the bloodshed in the name of the National Assembly and the one who sought to
bury all misconduct under the guise of democracy!”
“Trust only what you’ve seen with your own eyes! Who among us in this
assembly is wielding weapons? Who is the one threatening unarmed assembly
members with weapons?”
As confusion spread among the soldiers, even Ballian’s loyal friend Jerome
Morel appeared unsure of what to do, prompting Ballian to shout urgently.
“Soldiers! I command you in the name of Northern Army Commander Raphael
Ballian! Drag out those who’ve been conducting fraud in the name of the
people!”
“Before being soldiers of the Northern Army, you are soldiers of the
Republic! Freedom! Equality! Philanthropy! Aren’t these the values you
sought to protect? Your loyalty, risked your lives for, is not meant for
those who turn their guns against the state!”
Even faced with the orders of the Republic’s hero, the soldiers hesitated.
“Do not be swayed by slick words! He is no better than a murderer who has
sent as many to the guillotine as the corrupt of the old regime!”
As Ballian gritted his teeth and shouted, Maximilian Zidor retorted.
“Yes! Under the name of Maximilian Zidor and the National Assembly,
countless blood has been spilled. I bear responsibility for the mistakes
made in the name of democracy. But because of that! I must fulfill my
responsibility to the end! Here, in this National Assembly, according to the
will of the people, for the people!”
What erupted from Zidor wasn’t merely words.
“If I am ever to be judged, it will be in a court established by the people,
at the hands of the people, not by a soldier who committed treason in the
name of patriotism!”
Rather than anything else, it was akin to a blood-spitting confession.
“Soldiers! Before you are soldiers, you are citizens of Francia! Why do you
point your guns at the people’s assembly? Do you understand the reason, the
meaning behind your actions?”
“Damn it, a plausible idealist who only brings chaos to the republic with
his incompetent hypocrisy! Morel! Shut that man up immediately and drag him
out!”
Despite Jerome Morel’s startled approach, Zidor firmly held his ground with
both hands, shouting.
“Citizens of Francia, remember the spirit of the revolution! This is a
betrayal of the spirit of the revolution, of the republic, of the citizens
of Francia! You are witnessing a dictator who seeks to steal the revolution
and overthrow the representation of the people!”
“Damn it, enough!”
Even as the robust cavalry general Jerome Morel attempted to drag him away,
Zidor, with a determination unbeknownst from his slender frame, resisted
fiercely, veins bulging in his neck.
“Do not give up! Resist! Stand against this tyranny without righteousness or
justice! Firmly reject those who seek to steal away the revolution’s victory
earned through so much blood! I will resist them until my last breath!”
“Ah, fuck it. Then just die.”
A gunshot sounded.
Zidor, released by the shocked Jerome Morel, staggered, and blood flowed
from his chest.
“...Protect the revolution.”
As Zidor murmured stumblingly, he slowly fell.
“Governor!”
“Zidor!”
“Stop the bleeding! Quickly!”
Ballian, with trembling eyes, looked at his smoking pistol and bit his lip.
An action done in a moment of unthinking rage.
He had resorted to violence because he was verbally outmatched by this
worthless man?
No, that couldn’t be it.
He was a hero.
A hero prepared to lead this foolish and pathetic republic to a greater
path!
Paying attention to the nonsense of that talkative man would only lower the
morale of the soldiers, so he made a rational decision.
That was all there was to it.
In the midst of the chaos that enveloped the assembly, Ballian, gripping his
pistol, gasped for breath as he menacingly intoned.
“Does anyone else wish to suffer the same fate?”
No one responded.
Yet, not a soul among the National Assembly made a move to leave, clutching
their seats firmly instead.
The assembly members, as well as the Northern Army, were simply shocked,
their gaze fixed on the fallen Zidor.
Ballian felt a boiling rage.
Those who only spoke truthfully but were a hindrance rather than a help to
this country in its hour of doom, those incompetent, contradictory fools!
Under his rule, this country could become so much greater, yet they
obstructed his work until the end with their vain idealism?
“All of them-”
“Commander!”
Just as Ballian was about to speak, Nicolas rushed in breathlessly.
“General, what’s-”
“Our southern bases have been ambushed! A significant portion of our forces
guarding those positions have already been disarmed!”
“What?”
Had they replicated his action? Even if the Countess Aquitaine wielded
command, it would only work on what remained of the Southern Army.
Sneaking into a base and forcing disarmament through rank and command
authority is not something the Countess Aquitaine could mimic, not being a
military commander.
It’s entirely dependent on rank, a tactic not viable unless clearly
identified as enemies in a non-civil conflict, so how?
“It’s Duke Lafayette! He has returned to the capital and is leading the
Southern Army!”
The Duke? Him? Risking his political career to break the peace agreement he
had passed and return to the capital?
Before Ballian could fully organize his thoughts, a magically amplified
shout echoed from outside the assembly.
[Pierre de Lafayette, the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army, declares!
The illegal occupation of the National Assembly by Northern Army Commander
Raphael Ballian constitutes a clear act of treason against the Republic of
Francia! Those who do not cooperate with his treason are urged to surrender
immediately! Those who do not surrender will be considered traitors!]
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