I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution

Chapter 95: 95. Revolutionary Defense War - Selfish Altruism

Alsace Front.

Damien De Millbeau's outlandish strategy—digging trenches across the river to hide, evade bombardment, and conceal troop numbers—proved remarkably effective.

Hesitant to rashly attack Damien's forces of unknown size across the river, the enemy wasted time milling about in confusion. Count Baden, who had foolishly challenged Damien to a duel out of anger and was defeated after pretending to be a knight, was truly a messenger of fortune for Damien.

Duke Gunhild, already flustered after being lured into the trench line Damien grandly named the 'Mirbeau Line,' further wasted time negotiating Count Baden's release.

Of course, Count Baden, who would bear all the blame, was thrashing about and begging to be killed instead. From Damien's perspective—needing to hold Duke Gunhild with minimal troops—the situation couldn't have been more perfect.

That is, until yesterday.

"This is absurd! This is absolutely absurd!"

Damien De Millbeau cried out, tearing at his hair.

Duke Gunhild, who just the day before had been passively negotiating Count Baden's ransom, suddenly declared the talks broken and began preparing an offensive.

Up to that point, one could assume Archduke Leopold had issued the order.The real problem came from elsewhere.

Damien looked up at the sky with cursed eyes.

A sky covered in dark clouds, pouring rain.

There was no way the hastily dug trenches, mere holes in the ground, had any drainage system. Ultimately, Damien's army had to abandon the trenches they had painstakingly dug.

Naturally, Duke Gunhild clearly witnessed that Damien's army, which had been holding him back, was extremely small.

He must be grinding his teeth, realizing he'd been deceived while already preparing an offensive.

The water filling the trenches wouldn't drain immediately even if the rain stopped. So, it was obvious that once the rain ceased and the ground hardened, Duke Gunhild's artillery would obliterate his army and cross the river.

"We're doomed now, doomed..."

Damien muttered gloomily, clutching his soaked military cap.

"Take heart, Your Excellency. You've held them off well so far. Marquis Lafayette also praised Your Excellency's achievements-"

"I should never have reported it like that!"

His loyal knight, Peter de Cassel, offered words of comfort, but Damien twisted his body, spewing belated regret.

He hadn't foreseen this situation when he reported to Marquis Lafayette as if he were fiercely fighting and holding the line.

He should have reported it as a critical situation requiring retreat at any moment. But having reported it as if there were no problems, if he were to pull out now...

Damien recalled Marquis Lafayette, who had repeatedly seized and intimidated him, and Countess Aquitaine, who had calmly uttered sinister threats. He shivered.

"My masterpiece, the 'Mirbeau Line,' was perfect, but rain, of all things. Rain at a time like this. Bad luck follows me everywhere!"

As Damien cried out in despair, Sir Cassel spoke.

"Your Excellency. It seems to be a messenger."

"A messenger? What now."

Just yesterday, he received orders to continue as he was doing well. What could change in a day?

The officer serving as the messenger, looking like a drowned rat, rode up to Damien.

"Greetings to Count Damien De Millbeau! Sent by Marquis Pierre de Lafayette!"

"Speak quickly, what is it?"

The messenger took out the order tucked tightly inside his tunic, shielding it from the rain with his body as he handed it to Damien.

"The order might get wet due to the rain, so I will relay it verbally first. The main force is abandoning Metz and retreating to Nancy, so Your Excellency is ordered to pull back the front line and join them!"

"Uh, what did you say?"

"By now, Archduke Leopold's army must have occupied Metz, Your Excellency! You must retreat to avoid encirclement!"

News close to a disaster, the enemy capturing the foremost strategic point.

But Damien's face immediately filled with joy.

"Understood! Thank you for coming to deliver the message! I'll prepare some warm wine for you! Warm yourself up for a moment. Then go ahead and tell Marquis Lafayette that this Damien De Millbeau will carry out the order immediately!"

"Uh, yes? Yes, understood..."

While the officer, and even Cassel, looked bewildered, Damien faced the enemy camp visible across the river through the pouring rain and gleefully shouted.

"Hahaha, this master of defense, Damien De Millbeau, is withdrawing! See you later, fools!"

While Duke Gunhild was bogged down across the river by rain and mud, Damien De Millbeau withdrew from Alsace without a single battle, preserving his 10,000 troops.

*

Nancy, the capital of the former Duchy Lorenne, in eastern Francia.

Spring rain drizzles down persistently, with occasional thunder and lightning flashing in the sky.

'The weather, clear just days ago, changed abruptly. Lucky for me.'

Had my decision been slightly delayed, we might not have retreated in time, collapsing under Archduke Leopold's offensive and routing in the rain.

The army would have suffered immense losses then.

However, the timely rain will instead aggravate the fatigue of the Imperial forces securing Metz and Alsace, hindering their reorganization.

Successfully concluding the preliminary skirmish against Archduke Leopold's forces, nearly double our size, with only 5,000 casualties could be considered a success. But...

I was facing a different problem.

"Welcome, Your Excellency."

I was greeted by Sir Frederic De Beaumont, now Queen Eris's royal guard knight, and her handmaiden, Jessie.

"How is Her Majesty the Queen?"

"She asked to let you in if you came."

"...Alright. Then let her know."

Jessie bowed to me and knocked on the door.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Lafayette has arrived."

"Come in."

The voice from inside the room was far from the bubbly, bright tone Eris usually had.

A thin, weak voice.

I took a light breath and stepped inside.

The room was softly lit by a magic lamp.

Eris greeted me while sitting up in bed.

"Welcome, Marquis."

"...Your Majesty."

I sat on the chair placed beside the bed.

Eris's skin, usually pale to the point of being white, was slightly flushed.

Her purple eyes seemed a little hazy, and I lightly bit my lip.

"Are you alright... You don't seem to be, Your Majesty."

"I suppose so. I... don't think I'm alright."

Eris seemed to have trouble holding her head up, then asked with an awkward smile.

"Can I just talk lying down?"

"...Please do, Your Majesty."

Eris didn't hesitate and lay down in bed, looking up at me.

"...Your Majesty."

Eris looked at me silently before speaking.

"For now, can't you just... treat me like usual?"

'Like usual, she says.'

"You are the Queen now."

Eris smiled faintly and said.

"...I'm sick right now, so cut me some slack."

"If that is what you wish."

"Thank you."

Eris slowly blinked her violet eyes, staring blankly at the magic lamp on the ceiling.

"You said you were so healthy you'd never even caught a cold."

"I guess I... overdid it a little."

During the last battle, acting as a firefighter between Metz and the Moselle Plains, Eris used her divine power to directly protect the main force fighting on the Moselle Plains.

For two days, she exerted her divine power, collapsing from exhaustion multiple times, until she finally fell completely ill.

'This is something I completely overlooked.'

When I first met her, Eris faltered, reaching her limit just by healing a few dozen injured people in a small village.

But now, she has reached a level where she can single-handedly block a significant portion of the Germania Empire artillery's bombardment.

I don't know if her divine power grew as she matured, or if the reverence of those inspired by her deeds strengthens her power as a Saint.

The very existence of a Saint is so rare in history that little is known about it.

But ultimately, Eris's abilities surpass what could be considered irregular, proving incredibly helpful tactically.

Before unhesitatingly relying on her just because she wanted it, I should have considered whether such abilities truly came without a price.

"...You pushed yourself too hard. You don't even know the price of your power, Eris."

This is clearly different from just being a little sick with something like a cold.

Lying there, Eris looked utterly devoid of vitality. The inherently pigment-lacking, pure white Saint appeared as if she might vanish.

After staring blankly, Eris slowly opened her mouth.

"Still, wasn't I helpful?"

"...You were helpful. Immensely."

The forces Archduke Leopold brought weren't just numerous.

Their training level didn't seem high, perhaps a limitation of hastily assembled troops, but their equipment was actually better than ours.

Especially since they had a lot of artillery, if Eris hadn't properly blocked them, our losses would have been far greater.

"But I wanted you to be helpful, not push yourself to this state on the battlefield. Moreover, you are the Queen now."

"...It's not like I'm dying, so what does it matter if I'm a little sick? The lives of the hundreds I saved are far more precious than one queen."

Eris said this with a faint smile, but I firmly refuted it.

"No, your life is more precious."

Eris's expression froze, but I continued.

"Losing hundreds of soldiers doesn't mean losing the war. But if you die by chipping away at your own life like this, the hundreds you could have saved dozens of times over will eventually all die, and tens of thousands will lose morale."

"That's a bit... harsh."

"You were the one who asked me to hide your illness before I could even judge. It's not like you're completely unaware."

Eris frowned and covered her eyes with her hand.

After a long silence, Eris spoke.

"I'm having a really hard time right now. I know you're saying this for my sake, Marquis, but somehow I really hate it."

Eris's pleading look, revealing her barely twenty years of age, made me give a bitter smile.

"...Alright, I'll stop. Once the rain stops and we rendezvous with Count Milbeau, we'll abandon Nancy too and retreat to Valois."

"What? We're abandoning this place too?"

"Verdun, with its military fortress, might be defensible, but holding here requires another field battle. That's impossible given your condition."

'The difference in troop numbers is still large, and the disparity in artillery pieces is severe. It's better to give up eastern Lorenne and Alsace to buy time for Eris to recover.'

"I'll be fine after a little rest. If we just give up this much territory, the soldiers' morale..."

I let out a sigh.

"Haven't you looked in a mirror? You look like you could die any second. Why push yourself so hard for?"

"My mother..."

"Because you lived comfortably in the palace for a brief childhood, you have to serve this country even by eroding your own life? Did your mother really wish for that?"

A cold silence fell, and I stood up from my seat.

"...Sigh, I'm sorry. Get plenty of rest. This isn't something to say to someone who's sick. I'll be going."

"Don't go."

Eris called out weakly. Turning my head, I saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

"My story. ...Will you listen?"

"If you wish."

"My mother was a truly wonderful person. She was kind to everyone and graceful. Even while being loved by Father in the palace and enjoying luxury, she always taught me about the poor people outside, telling me I should be grateful."

Love and pride were deeply etched on Eris's face as she spoke.

"...Father must have worried that if he passed away, Mother and I would be swept up in succession disputes. So he ordered Uncle Francois to have us leave the palace."

Eris paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"Of course, I didn't know the circumstances. I vaguely thought we were going on a trip. We brought some jewelry, but neither Mother nor Uncle, being upper-class people, knew anything about managing a household."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"So we hired servants. Maybe because we were too naive, they ran off with the jewelry during the night. From then on, it was hard. We had lived enjoying all sorts of luxuries in the palace, but suddenly had no skills to earn money, and even finding cheap food that didn't suit our tastes was difficult..."

"Sir Beaumont managed to stay, though."

"Uncle had secretly admired Mother since his royal guard days."

"Wha- What?"

Eris chuckled lightly.

"...It wasn't that kind of relationship. Uncle was a rigid and loyal knight. Still, watching him from the side for a long time, it was obvious."

"I see..."

"I was immature back then too. I think I just whined and complained to Mother. Thinking back now, Mother must have been just as stressed as I was, coming out after only knowing luxury, having to hide for fear of being harmed if other royals found out."

Eris's face grew wistful.

"Mother quickly fell into severe depression. Maybe she became exhausted by the reality so different from the ideals she held, but... seeing the always elegant and kind person become like that, I regretted my actions belatedly. From then on, Uncle and I just started learning any work we could to support Mother somehow. Fortunately, we only met good people, so we managed to make ends meet."

"So that's probably why you didn't hold any particular resentment towards commoners."

'Normally, if royalty who enjoyed luxury were robbed by servants and became destitute, it wouldn't be strange to resent them.'

"...Well, I did. Mother's depression worsened day by day, cursing the servant who stole and blaming immature me. She became unrecognizable from the person who taught me to serve the people back in the palace. ...She gradually deteriorated until Mother was essentially dying..."

Eris smiled.

"It was an incredibly selfish thought, you know? Immature me tormented Mother at her lowest, causing her to become like that. When I pleaded with God for help because I couldn't bear it, my wish was granted."

That smile somehow flickers like broken glass, making it impossible to look away.

"When I used my power to save my dying mother, her depression completely vanished, and for the first time in a long time, she became the gentle and warm person she was in the palace. I was overjoyed, thinking, since God helped me, I should do many good deeds to repay Him."

Even while smiling, tears flow endlessly.

"Mother also smiled and said she hoped I would live like that. But the next day, after I came back from healing the sick in the village, she had hanged herself."

"..."

"I still don't know why. Was my power insufficient, causing her depression to return quickly? Or was it revenge against her bad daughter? Or perhaps, was it a punishment from God for receiving divine power with a selfish heart?"

Only the sound of sobbing filled the air for a while.

After a moment, Eris spoke again in a choked voice.

"I... I'm a completely bad child. Mother too, probably a bad person. She was a good person, she must have been, but because I was such a bad child, Mother died as a bad person."

'It's not your fault.'

Saying it is easy, but should I, a third party, utter such words lightly?

Only after a long while did Eris regain her usual cheerful tone.

"...The princess praised as a Saint is actually this selfish, foolish, and bad child."

But to me, it sounded like she was struggling to imitate a bright and cheerful tone.

"...I'm not someone worthy of you saying I'm better than hundreds of lives, Marquis. There must have been people more qualified than me, but I received an ability beyond my station. Because Mother said she hoped I would live doing many good deeds. Maybe if I work this hard, God will forgive my sins and Mother's."

Eris looked at me and smiled.

"I'm doing this for such selfish reasons, so please let me do as much as I can. ...I, I have no choice. Not for others, but for myself."

'So it's an extremely selfish altruism.'

I remained silent for a moment before answering.

"Alright, I'll let you do as much as you can. But I make the decisions regarding the battlefield."

Eris blinked slowly.

"Queen, Saint, or whatever. If you stand on the battlefield, you follow the orders of me, the military commander. I won't tolerate you acting recklessly and collapsing quickly, becoming useless. Above all, if the most valuable piece tries to destroy itself, letting that happen disqualifies me as a commander."

"...You have a strange way of telling me not to overdo it. So, you're really abandoning this place and retreating?"

"Yes. Land lost can be retaken if you have people. But if you lose people defending land, nothing remains in the end."

I looked straight into Eris's violet eyes and said.

"I make the judgment, and I take responsibility. You, as the Queen, doing your best to protect the soldiers on the front lines is enough. I will handle you appropriately so you can save as many people as possible for as long as your ability allows. Until the moment you can say with your own mouth that you've done enough to be proud."

"...What's that? A general ordering the Queen around as he pleases?"

"Since Her Majesty the Queen is full of motivation but lacks self-management, as a loyal subject, I have no choice but to offer some assistance. If you're going to exercise selfish altruism anyway, I'll help you be more efficient. Forcibly."

Eris laughed, her face streaked with tears, looking incredulous.

"I should have known from when you were the swindling supporter, you're an unreasonable subject."

"What a coincidence."

I smiled back at her.

"I happen to think I have quite an unreasonable Queen myself."