Chapter 145: Plaudite!

In the end, I couldn’t retrieve the poison from Mother.

I shouldn’t have given it to her in the first place. But I’ve never won against her; even if I went back, she’d just make me give it to her again.

Daniel pulled his scarf higher, trying to hide his increasingly dark expression, and hurried towards the meeting place. A sense of grim resolve trailed behind his every step.

“You’ve arrived. Are those behind you all you’ve brought?”

“Yes.”

“Fewer than I expected…”

“Duke also promised to provide troops, so this should be enough. It’s still half the total force, you can’t exactly call it small,” Daniel said with a faint smile.

Daniel smiled faintly.

The man studied Daniel’s face for a moment before turning away. He simply said, “Follow me,” and started walking. Daniel followed, slowly organizing his thoughts.

As if to keep his word, the Duke had gathered various pieces of information: the Emperor’s schedule in the palace, the palace guards’ shift changes, the shortest route to the Emperor’s chambers, and more.

He even participated in planning the operation, offering his troops as a condition.

“Squad Three, follow that person over there.”

“Understood. See you later.”

“So, it’s finally starting for real. It feels surreal.”

After all the delays, things were progressing smoothly, almost anticlimactically.

The plan seemed plausible, but the Revolutionary Army couldn’t fully trust the Duke’s forces, nor could they completely rely on him for every aspect of the mission. Therefore, they decided to split their forces, with some units moving alongside the Duke’s men.

“Squad Two, with that person.”

“Let’s meet up after it’s done.”

Daniel himself hadn’t paid much attention to the specifics of the plan.

Knowing only the essential details and agreeing to participate, he now walked silently with a small group, his expression blank.

He stopped when they were surrounded by the Duke’s soldiers.

Clang!

Those blocking the Revolutionary Army’s path simultaneously drew their weapons. Sensing danger, the revolutionaries also drew their own weapons. Despite their swift actions, their eyes betrayed their confusion and anxiety.

“What in the world is going on?!”

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? This isn’t the time!”

Some of the key figures who had followed Daniel couldn’t contain their unease and raised their voices. Daniel, however, calmly scanned the Duke’s soldiers before slowly speaking.

“…Betrayal?”

-It was a trap from the beginning.

The reply came from the communicator of the man at the front.

Recognizing the familiar voice, Daniel frowned and muttered the other’s name.

“…Duke.”

“What?!”

“Is it really the Duke?”

-…I wish to have a quiet conversation with Daniel, but there are too many interruptions. It would be best to clear the surroundings first.

At the words that flowed from the communicator, the Duke’s soldiers moved.

“W-wait…!”

Thwack.

Well-trained elites cut down the revolutionaries. Startled at first, the revolutionaries fought back, but their numbers were insufficient due to the earlier splitting of forces, and their coordination was no match for the thoroughly trained soldiers who had honed their skills together.

The sounds of clashing weapons gradually diminished. Daniel, who had been standing still and observing the entire scene, turned his gaze towards the communicator.

“Surely, you also wished for the revolution…”

-Ah, that? Of course, it was a lie.

“A lie…”

-As the Duke, why would I want to relinquish my power? What I wanted from you was simply to lower the Emperor’s approval rating. That’s all.

The sounds of weapons ceased.

On the other side of the communicator, the Duke, sitting at his desk, swiveled his chair and smirked.

The Emperor mustn’t die at the hands of the revolutionaries. The Duke’s goal was to bring down the Emperor, not his death or the annihilation of the throne.

Therefore, the Duke intended to use the revolutionaries and then discard them.

“Revolution? It’s laughable. Do you think revolution is so easy? Even a simple change in power causes significant unrest in a nation.”

Even when a monarch is replaced through a proper succession, there’s bound to be turmoil for a while.

“But to completely change the political system? A world where everyone is equal? Are you trying to plunge this world into chaos?”

It was a dangerous ideology. The Duke realized this the moment he heard their claims.

The revolutionaries’ ideology was like a contagious disease. Highly addictive, it instilled belief and justified every action taken for its sake.

Their ideology would spread rapidly throughout the world.

Those at the bottom of the social ladder would fiercely push for this dangerous belief. The nobles, on the other hand, wouldn’t easily give up their privileges. In this situation, armed conflict was inevitable.

It wasn’t a conflict with another nation, but an internal struggle within one country. The outcome was predictable.

“If things go according to your ideas, this country will destroy itself. Of course, you might achieve your goals in the end. But who will guarantee the lives of those who have suddenly lost their nation?”

-…

“You must know how the citizens of a fallen nation are treated. Did they even ask for an equal world? They never said such things, nor did they desire such a world. Yet, you claim to be acting for their benefit, destroying the country of those who were living well without significant complaints. Do you really think they’ll be happy? A small minority steps forward, claiming to represent the opinions of the majority, causing a ruckus. It’s utterly ridiculous.”

-…

“Do you truly believe the revolutionaries are a group offering salvation? No. They are a malicious force trying to throw the world into chaos.”

-…

“Spouting nonsensical philosophies.”

Thank you for your service. I wish you a peaceful journey to the afterlife.

The Duke was about to end the call when he paused at the faint sound of laughter from the other side.

-We are.

On the other end of the communicator, Daniel, whose hands firmly gripped the shoulders of the person holding the device connected to the Duke, smiled, his eyes shining brightly.

“Revolutionaries.”

Not philosophers, but revolutionaries.

“Philosophy? I know nothing of it. The philosophy I know is what privileged people sit at their desks and babble about. Revolution is what happens when the hungry rise up in anger against injustice.”

-…That’s a derogatory remark aimed at all the philosophers in the world.

“It can’t be helped. How could the starving and uneducated understand the sublimity of philosophy?”

Daniel shrugged casually and turned around.

The corpses of his comrades on the floor were the first thing he saw. Raising his gaze slightly, he saw those who had finished off the revolutionaries glaring at him, their swords still drawn.

Escape was impossible.

Daniel smiled calmly.

“You were worried about the chaos after changing the political system.”

-…You’re talking too much. Are you trying to buy time? It won’t change the fact that you’re going to die.

“I just want to have a conversation before I die. We haven’t been able to talk openly before because we’ve been hiding our true intentions. Surely, you won’t deny a dying man his last conversation, will you?”

-…Continue. I’m listening.

He hadn’t planned on returning alive anyway.

Therefore, Daniel leisurely began to lay out his thoughts.

“Humans are creatures of adaptation. Anything, when first implemented, seems like it will turn the world upside down, but eventually, people adapt, and with time, they take it for granted. If we were afraid of chaos and never tried anything new, humanity would never have progressed this far.”

-…But it doesn’t necessarily have to be now. What with the current situation.

“You’re right.”

The Duke was silent at the easy agreement.

This didn’t align with his actions or words at all.

His time-wasting tactics and the contradictions in his statements… It wasn’t for nothing that the Duke had allowed Daniel to speak. He was using this opportunity to find the source of this odd feeling. Meanwhile, Daniel continued.

“Shall we move on to another topic? You also mentioned your concern about the nation falling. My goal isn’t to destroy the nation, but to eliminate the throne. That’s why I’ve been thinking.”

Was there a way for the nation to function properly even with everyone being equal?

“The answer was simple: divide the power.”

-…And you think the nation will function properly that way? What happens when those who hold the power disagree?

“Why wouldn’t it? Don’t entrust power to individuals, entrust it to institutions. Multiple people working within a single powerful institution. Of course, there would need to be someone in charge of that institution…”

“I said divide the power. Create multiple institutions with power. Too many, and they won’t be able to coordinate, and the country won’t function. Two, and they might end up opposing each other and tearing the country apart. So, maybe about three?”

Like rock, paper, scissors. You’ve played that before, haven’t you?

“Human greed is unreliable. So, by giving each of the three institutions different powers, they can keep each other in check. And the heads of each institution… yes, it would be best if the free citizens of this nation elected them.”

Dangerous. The Duke stared intently at the communicator, silently clenching his fist.

It was fortunate that Daniel was going to die here. If he had been given more time, who knew how far he would have taken his plans. It was unimaginable.

Just then, Daniel’s voice murmured from the communicator.

-Of course, since those institutions are still run by humans, there will inevitably be loopholes… but it’s far better than one person holding all the power. And that part can be left to future generations…

Future generations?

Amidst his doubts, the Duke slowly spoke.

“Not a philosopher, but a daydreamer.”

-It’s because I’m not just daydreaming but actively trying to realize it that makes me a revolutionary.

“…What made you question the class system?”

-It started with my mother. But after that…

……

-Once the question was raised, it wouldn’t stop. Why are people born with predetermined classes and statuses? Just by being born, depending on luck, their social standing is decided. It felt unfair. Some noble once blamed it on sins from a past life, but how can you prove or believe that? It’s not like this country is a theocracy that deeply believes in religion. So, I got angry.

The noble’s remark about ‘sins from a past life’ didn’t sit well.

It sparked a sense of rebellion.

-Why, just because they were lucky enough to be born into a good social class, do they try to blame our past lives?

……

-Why do they try to taint even our souls…!

……

-Actually, I even suspected that they themselves know this is wrong, that’s why they say such things.

It’s a relief this person isn’t giving speeches in front of the Imperial citizens.

His voice was deeply persuasive. Even the Duke himself felt a moment of agreement. What would the Imperial citizens’ reaction be if they heard these words?

As the Duke once again felt relieved that Daniel would be killed here, the voice continued.

-The current Emperor abolished slavery. Isn’t that because he also knows that dividing people by status and using fellow humans is wrong?

The conclusion was reached.

“…You truly are a dangerous individual.”

-Haha.

Daniel laughed lightly. It was a carefree laugh, as if he had shed all his burdens.

He quickly scanned the soldiers pointing their weapons at him, then reached out and almost snatched the communicator from their leader. Perhaps because the Duke had allowed the conversation, the soldier readily handed it over.

Daniel stared directly at the communicator, even though the person on the other end couldn’t see him.

“Now that I think about it, I said something foolish before.”

The day he insisted on carrying out the plan.

“I said that anger wouldn’t pass down to future generations, so dragging things out would cause the movement to lose momentum.”

-…

“I’ll correct that. The Revolutionary Army’s momentum will not be broken.”

Finally, the Duke understood the source of his unease.

-But that changes nothing, does it?