I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution

Chapter 147: Krafte War - Converging Paths (3)

Lumiere Headquarters of the Aquitaine Merchant Guild.

“I’m back, sister!”

“Louis.”

Christine, deeply relieved, stepped forward and embraced Louis in a tight hug.

“Uh, oh, s-sister…”

Though she could feel her half-brother, who fancied himself a grown-up, stiffening awkwardly in her arms, Christine didn't care.

She had assigned guards to Louis.

Concerned he would feel uncomfortable, she had instructed only two to follow him secretly, at a distance.

But when Louis set off on his carriage trip by land, they had temporarily lost him. Only much later did the guards report that Louis’s carriage had been attacked.

Normally, Christine would have noticed immediately when the regular reports from the guards were late and responded, but with the imminent outbreak of war with Krafte, she had been too distracted, delaying her awareness.“Uh, um, sister.”

Louis, still held awkwardly in her arms, called out to her again, and only then did Christine release him.

“You’re safe.”

“Y-yes. I was lucky.”

“…Was the Aquitaine Merchant Guild that uncomfortable for you?”

“Ah, well, um…”

Louis darted his eyes around before lowering his head.

“I’m sorry, sister. I was careless.”

With a slightly troubled heart, Christine looked at Louis, who was now a little taller than her.

There was much she wanted to say, but as always, Christine expertly suppressed her emotions and averted her gaze.

“So, who might that be?”

The glance Christine sent was quite cold, but he on the receiving end greeted her calmly, as if used to it.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency, Countess Aquitaine. My name is Leon Durand. I am a mercenary from Francia, who has recently worked around the Magic Kingdom of Holland and the Germania Empire.”

“He-he’s the one who saved me from the attack and brought me here.”

Christine was well aware, having received a report beforehand.

Even so, she asked.

“You’ve done well, Mercenary Durand. As a member of the Aquitaine, I express my gratitude for bringing Louis back safely. You were hired by Louis, but I will provide additional payment in the name of the Aquitaine Merchant Guild, separately. You won’t have to worry about money for a while.”

Durand whistled and replied more deferentially.

“Thank you, Your Excellency, Countess Aquitaine. A generous reward is always welcome. It was extremely fortunate that I took this job.”

Christine narrowed her eyes and looked at Durand.

His attitude was more straightforward than she had expected, and he didn't seem to have any lingering attachments.

It seemed he understood what she was implying, so Christine nodded in satisfaction and was about to turn her attention away from him.

“Uh, sister.”

“Hmm? What is it, Louis?”

But at Louis’s call, Christine’s expression shifted completely from the one she had for Durand, and she smiled with a gentle demeanor.

“I’d like to continue employing Mr. Durand personally.”

Hearing that, her smile froze.

*

After Louis and Durand left.

Christine was lost in thought as she reviewed the information her vassals had brought.

After Louis went missing in the carriage attack and, upon arriving in a village, sent a letter, Christine had immediately gathered everything there was to know about the mercenary Leon Durand.

His real name was Richard de Dureng.

The second son of a Francian knightly family, he left after the eldest son and heir took over, and the family was ruined during the revolution.

It roughly matched the past he had told Louis, and there were records of a mercenary named Leon Durand active in the Magic Kingdom of Holland and the Germania Empire, as he had claimed.

The long gaps in his record and his unclear whereabouts weren't strange for a wandering mercenary, and it was at least certain that the mercenary Leon Durand was a real person.

Christine tapped her fingers on the desk. Tap-tap-

The attack happened just as Louis embarked on his journey by land, and a mercenary with enough skill to take down the assassins single-handedly fortuitously happened to be passing by and saved him?

As for Christine, she had been terrified when Louis went missing, then relieved, but that was that, and this was this.

On paper, everything checked out, and there were no problems.

When Christine had offered extra money to get him to step away from this business, Durand had understood immediately and had promptly intended to do so.

Louis, who, in turn, trusted Durand's mercenary-like detachment, and a sense of kinship from his backstory, was the one to hold on to him.

From Louis’s perspective, he had nearly died and been saved, and it wasn’t strange that Louis, who had no experience with traveling, had grown close to Durand after receiving his help during the long journey.

At least with the mercenary Leon Durand himself, everything was clean, almost to a fault.

But that, in fact, was what made it more unnatural.

While Christine's information-gathering abilities were unparalleled, tracking the past of a mercenary who had left Francia a long time ago should have been difficult, yet she obtained it without much difficulty.

One could dismiss it as a simple coincidence, but…

Christine’s brow narrowed slightly as she looked at the investigation results on Richard de Dureng.

A mercenary from Francia, whose past resonated with Louis, just happened to approach him, his record conveniently and cleanly arranged without any room for doubt?

That was a coincidence?

At the very least, Christine was not of a temperament to be so optimistic.

Even she had a habit of investing in and securing individuals who seemed useful as future assets, even if not immediately.

There was a limit to what one could do with a hastily prepared asset, so it was a natural attitude for someone who handled an intelligence organization.

So, if the enemy was a schemer of her own kind.

If they had grasped Louis d’Aquitaine’s movements and personality, and then chose the most suitable identity for this kind of work from a set of pre-prepared assets.

Then it would be possible to infiltrate so naturally, with all the pieces falling into place as if interlocking.

An ordinary human wouldn't use such a method with no guarantee of success, but for a human of this world, it would be just one of countless assets, where success is a bonus and failure is just that.

The problem was.

Christine raised a hand to her forehead.

If this was a plot, why Louis of all people?

If they were going to orchestrate such an elaborate plot, there was no need for the target to be Louis.

Whatever Christine's thoughts about Louis, what value did Louis have from the perspective of the nation of Francia…?

None at all.

If this was Krafte’s doing, even Christine had no idea what benefit there would be in the war with Francia by attaching an agent to Louis like this.

That was what made it impossible to be certain whether Leon Durand was a spy or just a simple coincidence.

And that was what made it difficult for Christine to rashly refuse a request from Louis, who rarely asked for anything.

Christine was aware that she was a bit soft when it came to Louis.

Still, her brother, who had always been withdrawn in Aquitaine, had finally taken a liking to someone, and she was reluctant to drive that person away by giving a reason the boy couldn’t understand.

In the end, after a long hesitation, a sigh naturally escaped Christine's lips.

Louis, having graduated early from the Magic Tower, had returned to the country and said he wanted to be of help, expressing his desire to participate in the war.

Regardless of Leon Durand’s suspicious origins, his skills were undeniable. If he could help protect Louis's life on the battlefield, Christine would welcome it.

Besides…

Christine took out a piece of stationery and began writing a letter to Pierre.

If a person is suspicious, it is sometimes safer to keep them close and within reach.

*

Autumn was in full swing.

With the outbreak of war with the Krafte Kingdom imminent, a general mobilization order for the reserves was declared in the capital city of Lumiere, in the name of the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army, Pierre de Lafayette.

The Revolutionary Army, mobilized from across the kingdom, began to gather in eastern Francia.

A massive force of a staggering 250,000 troops was to be mobilized for this war.

Combined with reinforcements from the Iberian Brotherhood, the total force amounted to an overwhelming 300,000.

In response, the Krafte Kingdom also mobilized an army of 200,000.

Despite having only half the territory and population of Francia, their army's overwhelmingly superior proportion of elite standing troops made everyone in the Revolutionary Army tense.

Louis d'Aquitaine, who had now officially enlisted in the Revolutionary Army, also swallowed nervously.

“Are you alright, Hire Master?”

“I-I’m fine, Mr. Durand.”

“Oh, it’s Sergeant Durand now.”

“R-right. Sergeant Durand. But then, shouldn’t you be calling me Second Lieutenant Louis instead of Hire Master?”

Durand smirked and replied.

“Yes, Second Lieutenant Aquitaine of the Revolutionary Army Mages.”

“Ah, not Louis, but Aquitaine.”

Louis rubbed his face with his hands and took a deep breath.

“I can’t bring shame to my sister’s name…”

“Haha, in any army, a mage is a high-value asset. In Francia, where the mages are a dime a dozen, someone like you, Second Lieutenant Aquitaine, who graduated from the regular course at the Magic Tower, will be more than welcome by any commander, so don’t be too nervous.”

“Phew, thank you. Mr. Durand, I mean, Sergeant Durand…”

Louis walked past the people glancing at him and pushed aside the flap of the command tent, his destination, and went inside.

Then, after taking a deep breath, he saluted crisply and shouted.

“For Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, loyalty to the National Assembly and Her Majesty the Queen! Second Lieutenant Louis d'Aquitaine, assigned to the Southern Army Command as of today, reporti—”

Louis, who had been shouting earnestly, gasped in surprise as the general strode toward him.

“Ooh, you’re here! Welcome! Hahahaha! Good to see you, very good to see you!”

“Y-yes?”

With a dazed expression, he questioned the man with a broad smile, then instinctively clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Glad you could make it, Second Lieutenant Louis d'Aquitaine! I am the proud commander of the Southern Revolutionary Army, Count Damien De Millbeau! You’ve of course heard the praises sung about me, ‘Master of Defense,’ ‘Guardian of Dilrus,’ right?”

“Y-yes? Uh…”

Of course, Louis, having just returned from the Magic Kingdom, had no idea.

Whether Louis was flustered or not, Damien De Millbeau chattered on with a beaming smile.

“Just between us, the one who recognized my abilities and recommended me as Southern Army Commander was none other than! The beautiful, wise, and exemplary Countess Aquitaine! Hahahaha! And now she has sent her beloved brother, isn't this proof that Countess Aquitaine trusts and relies on me, Damien De Millbeau?”

“Y-yes…”

Unaware that Louis was losing respect for his superior from their very first meeting, the excitedly chattering Damien De Millbeau flashed his shiny white teeth and gave a thumbs-up.

“So that the esteemed brother of Countess Aquitaine will want for nothing during his stay, I, Damien De Millbeau, will personally! Specially! Meticulously! take care of everything! You don’t have to worry about a thing during your stay! I look forward to working with you! Hahaha!”

“I-it’s an honor… Your Excellency the Commander…”

Damien shook the utterly bewildered Louis’s hand and turned away.

Only then did Louis’s eyes fall on a woman with the rank of Major, looking at Damien with an expression of extreme regret.

A female field-grade officer, no less. It was of course the first time he had seen her, yet she seemed familiar. As he looked at her, she cleared her throat.

“Ah, f-forgive me, Major! Second Lieutenant Louis d'Aquitaine!”

Then, she spoke with a feigned, kind smile.

“Welcome, Second Lieutenant Louis d'Aquitaine. I am Major Giselle Davi, aide and staff officer to His Excellency, Count Damien De Millbeau.”

Only then did Louis realize why she had looked familiar.

-If I’m going to die anyway, I’d like to at least hear the name of my benefactor. I swear, I will never speak of it.

-Ellen Davi, you overestimate your will. Have you had professional training to endure torture? A human’s will is weaker than you think. When you die, are you confident you won’t resent your little siblings? With that kind of resolve, it would be better for you to quit now. I have many other assets to use besides you.

This was the person who had looked up with defiant eyes after hearing his sister's words. The major, whose stubborn eyes resembled hers, smiled kindly and said.

“His Excellency Count Millbeau has a somewhat… overbearing personality, but he is a capable man. I will help you adjust. I, too, am indebted to Her Excellency, Countess Aquitaine.”

Louis stared blankly for a moment at the hand Giselle Davi offered for a handshake, before belatedly taking her hand and shaking it.

“…I look forward to working with you, Major Davi.”

As he said that, he felt as if a thorn had been lodged in his throat.