novelraw Chapter 73: Directory Government - Requiem (1)
Chapter 73: Directory Government - Requiem (1)
The next day.
Countless people attended Jidor's funeral.
Many mourned and respected the politician, once feared, who died defending the revolution.
Eris's clear voice sang a funeral dirge as an endless procession laid flowers on Jidor's coffin.
Christine and I walked along the procession and reached Jidor's coffin.
Christine placed her flowers and stepped back, covering her mouth with a fan as she looked at me.
Her eyes, usually coldly submerged, held a soft spark that seemed to say she was on my side, no matter what I did.
I looked back at her, then turned and slowly reached out.
I offer flowers, while alive, to the man who sentenced me to death before the regression.
An act that symbolizes how much has changed after the regression.But just as my actions have changed many things, he too has changed me.
Jidor seemed asleep in a sea of flowers, his face serene.
Having neither wife nor children, only his fellow deputies from the Revolutionary Party stayed by his side.
Still, his unwavering commitment to his beliefs until the end, and his lasting yearning for the revolution's well-being, will never be forgotten.
I stepped back from the coffin, watching the next person lay flowers, then turned my head.
"Christine."
I extended my hand to Christine-
"Pierre."
She naturally placed her hand in mine.
I escorted her away from Jidor's coffin.
"Thank you. And I appreciate it."
Speaking to Christine, she subtly averted her gaze and replied.
"It was my plan, after all. I even received much advice from you, but he was more formidable than I thought, and we almost failed.... I am ashamed."
"No, if it weren't for the time you bought, the resistance in the National Assembly would have failed. You moved carefully to avoid provoking the Northern Army, minimizing bloodshed, and most importantly..."
I looked directly into Christine's eyes and said.
"You are safe, and that is enough for me."
Christine opened her fan and covered her mouth.
Then, with a slightly flushed face, she fanned herself unnecessarily a few times before speaking again.
"...Will the disappearance of those two be positive for your plan?"
"I wonder."
Maximilien Le Jidor and Raphael Valliant.
Everyone in the National Assembly considered them my adversaries, yet...
I turned my gaze to Eris, who was giving a somewhat awkward blessing to Jidor's body at the request of the priests.
If tried to put Eris on the throne, Maximilien Le Jidor would certainly have opposed it.
"I don't know."
But what if he knew Eris's accession could prevent or delay the war, and the people approved?
Lying in the coffin, he cannot answer. I cannot know what choice he would have made.
As I remained silent for a moment, Count Anjou approached.
"You have done a great deed, Marquis Lafayette, and Countess Aquitaine."
"Count Anjou."
Count Anjou, approaching us, had a bright face.
The anger he had shown at my actions in the National Assembly, actions seen as betrayal for passing the treaty with King Kroxx, was now completely gone.
Count Anjou smiled faintly.
If it weren't for the funeral, he might have laughed heartily as always.
"Congratulations on your victory, Marquis Lafayette. I am relieved not to see that mercenary flaunt himself as a commander equal to you."
"...Thank you, Count."
"Now, those who have been bothering and trying to trip us up at every turn in the Assembly will also lose their spirit."
Indeed, the allegations raised by Raphael Valliant.
The suspicion that Christine had conspired with the Abyss Corporation to poison Richelieu and her own father was buried under the shocking news of Raphael Valliant's treason and Maximilien Le Jidor's death.
Even as time passes, few would bother to dig it up.
"You have no idea how surprised and secretly terrified I was in the National Assembly. Still, I am always amazed by the Countess Aquitaine's remarkable skill. While no one else in the National Assembly noticed, the Countess was dealing with the traitor's dagger."
"Raphael Valliant moved so quickly that I regret not informing you in advance, Count Anjou. But as you know, the situation was precarious, I hope you understand."
When Christine politely asked for his understanding, Count Anjou replied with the face of a good-natured man.
"Some may misunderstand, but of course, I understand both of your positions. Still, the path for us and the central party will be much brighter now. So, I believe our friendship will remain unchanged, as it has been in the south."
Although he could not hide his hostility towards the southern heretics he had fought directly, he was politically astute enough to listen to his children, give up his territory, and instead take a seat in the revolutionary government.
We passed a proposal that opposed the opinions of those who were once our allies, and we did not inform them about this potentially dangerous incident.
Nevertheless, because we were victorious, Count Anjou dismissed it as a minor misunderstanding and asked to continue as allies.
"Of course, Count. We look forward to your continued cooperation."
Count Anjou smiled at my answer.
"Yes, your words put this old man at ease. Then, I shall take my leave as an unwelcome guest. May the deceased rest in peace."
Christine, watching Count Anjou leave, waved her fan and spoke.
"Count Anjou is still on the better side. There are already many who have defected and are trying to align themselves with you."
"...I must leave again."
King Kroxx was more generous to me than I expected, therefore I can no longer delay my departure. I can't send anyone else when he has done so much just for me.
"I entrust the selection to you, Christine."
"Is the policy expansion of influence? Or."
"...Accept only those who you think will be helpful. We do not need unnecessarily many."
Christine's eyes curved delicately.
"Wise."
There is no benefit in blindly expanding our forces just because our rivals have disappeared.
Our goal is not to establish dictatorial power by increasing our strength.
An excessively large and miscellaneous force will have its own expectations and demands, which will be a burden in itself.
Rather, a force of a level that cannot exert great influence without us, as we have now, is just right for us. That way, we can push through proposals that oppose the party when necessary, as we did recently.
While I was thinking this, a young deputy approached us.
A leading figure of the Revolutionary Party, who had witnessed Jidor's last moments.
Maurice Talleyrand, the man mentioned as a strong candidate for the next leader of the Revolutionary Party.
"Marquis Lafayette, Countess Aquitaine."
"Councilman Talleyrand."
Talleyrand greeted Christine and me politely before speaking.
"Thank you for attending Jidor's funeral."
"...May the deceased rest in peace."
Talleyrand looked at me quietly, then slowly spoke.
"I apologize in advance, Countess Aquitaine. If it is not too much of an imposition, may I ask Marquis Lafayette a few questions?"
"Of course."
When Christine answered lightly, Talleyrand immediately looked at me and asked.
"...Excuse me, Marquis Lafayette. You said that the Councilman, in the end, asked you to take care of the Republic."
I told the deputies who asked about his last words.
It wasn't exactly the same words, but I thought that's what he would have said to the deputies, not to me.
"That is correct."
Talleyrand briefly lowered his gaze, then looked directly at me and spoke.
"I am questioning, Marquis Lafayette. Some may consider it a noble last testament befitting Deputy Jidor, but you were in opposition to Deputy Jidor."
The man I vaguely assumed to be one of Maximilien Le Jidor's aides asked the question with a rather sharp face.
"Was the testament you conveyed respect for the deceased, or was it the legitimacy you would take as the hero who became the guardian of the revolution?"
I looked at him quietly.
Talleyrand's face does not show even a hint of wavering.
Did he know in advance about the anxiety Maximilien Le Jidor felt towards me?
I see.
Maximilien Le Jidor certainly changed me.
If so, his influence must have remained even more deeply in the Revolutionary Party that followed him, particularly after the radicals who did not follow his control were killed by me.
I smiled slightly.
"Jidor was wary of me."
"No, we all are, Marquis. Now that all your adversaries are gone, it is no exaggeration to say that what you feel is one of the most important factors in the fate of the Republic."
It may have been a groundless fear that this side would run wild in the National Assembly after the disappearance of Maximilien Le Jidor and Raphael Valliant.
"As long as you do not betray the spirit of the revolution, I will continue to protect you."
I looked at Talleyrand, whose eyes widened, and slowly added.
"That is the answer I gave to him."
Talleyrand slowly closed his eyes, then opened them.
"I hope that Jidor's noble sacrifice and your determination will remain for a long time. ...For the sake of the countless blood that has flowed for the Republic."
"I hope so too."
As if to match it, those surrounding Jidor's coffin began to sing a funeral dirge.
Talleyrand briefly turned his head and listened to the song resounding for the guardian of the Republic.
Only after the song ended did he turn his head back to me and speak.
"The Republic, upholding Jidor's will, the people of this country, will never tolerate a second Raphael Valliant. We were defenseless this time, but we will never be so again."
Maximilien Le Jidor died, but his sacrifice created countless people who would follow him and protect the revolution.
Talleyrand looked at Christine and me, one after the other, and then added.
"I believe that the two of you will also be willing to help for the sake of the Republic and the people of Francia."
Christine and I simply nodded in response.
Only then did Talleyrand mention another topic.
"I have taken too much of your time. ...We plan to nominate you as the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army."
"I see."
"What do you think should be done about the commanders of the Northern Army?"
"First, they should be relieved of their duties, but in wartime, they should be reinstated, even at a demoted rank."
We are already short of competent officers, and if we dismiss everyone simply for participating in Valliant's coup, the army will be paralyzed.
"We will discuss your opinion within the Revolutionary Party. The decision will be made in the National Assembly."
Talleyrand replied, and after a moment of silence, he spoke.
"Then, what about Raphael Valliant?"
*
The old, rusty iron gate creaked open, making an unpleasant metallic sound.
In the underground prison, where sunlight barely reaches, only the faint light from the burning torches exists.
The stench from the walls covered in mold stings the nose.
The hard texture of the stone floor under my shoes is far from comfortable.
Feeling a strange sensation, I walk forward.
Finally, I reached the room in the familiar location.
The only difference is that I am looking down from the outside, and he is looking up from the inside.
"Oh, my."
Still speaking in a cheerful tone.
"I thought you would have already left by now."
But his voice is somewhat hoarse, and the former cheerfulness cannot be found.
"I am pleased that you have come to visit me in person, Marquis Lafayette."
"...Valliant."
In the prison where I was once confined, Raphael Valliant smiled with a pale face.