Chapter 81: Upheaval

The news of the Ireon Kingdom’s surrender, swift to the point of feeling futile, spread across the continent like wildfire.

Unsurprisingly, it reached the ears of the Revolutionary Army almost instantly, a group whose attention was already glued to the Empire’s every move.

The members of the Revolutionary Army seethed in silence.

What was the origin of the Revolutionary Army? Wasn’t it a group of individuals who rebelled against and were enraged by Emperor Eudoard’s forced conquests?

More than anything, most of them hailed from kingdoms that the Emperor had brought to ruin.

The Emperor’s relentless advance, culminating in the surrender of yet another kingdom, felt like rubbing salt into the Revolutionary Army’s raw wounds, bringing back agonizing memories.

The bitter eight-year war, during which numerous kingdoms vanished from the map. And among those ‘numerous kingdoms’ was their own.

‘It’s been quite a while since we halted all activities. How long do we have to keep lying low like this?’

‘Even if we can’t kill the Emperor, I’d be satisfied just messing with him.’

‘Why the sudden halt in activities? Wasn’t our goal all along to create cracks in the Emperor’s forces and diminish his support, rather than outright assassination?’

‘What on earth is the leader thinking?’

They yearned to move. To create fissures in the Emperor’s power. To witness the Emperor’s face twist in despair.

The Emperor’s actions ignited the flames of the Revolutionary Army’s desire for revenge.

However, the leader’s response to this news and the Revolutionary Army members’ reactions was simple.

[No change in directives.]

They were to maintain their current strength and remain in reserve.

Unsurprisingly, many protested. But the leader’s subsequent words silenced them instantly.

[Prepare to take the Emperor’s head.]

A new wind began to blow within the Revolutionary Army.

***

Meanwhile, Daniel, the leader of the Revolutionary Army who had issued all those directives, was quietly preparing to leave the headquarters. His face, etched with fatigue, held a subtly grim expression.

He let out a faint sigh as he put on his coat.

‘I’m tired.’

His body could endure, but his mental exhaustion was immense.

He had long known and accepted that controlling those consumed by anger and eager to charge forward recklessly would be challenging, but the feeling was growing more difficult with each passing day.

The longer the decisive moment was delayed, the more precarious his position would likely become.

Honestly, it was frustrating.

‘Whose doing is it that we haven’t splintered and fallen apart until now?’

With members hailing from different kingdoms, it was inevitable that factions would form.

Amidst those divided into factions, clashing and bickering, Daniel was the one coordinating and holding them together.

If even that single thread snapped, the Revolutionary Army would fail to unite and would scatter.

“Brother.”

“Ah, Paul.”

“Are you going to see Mother?”

“Yes. So wait here. I’ll be back.”

Leaving Paul behind, he walked out into the dark path. As he traversed the path devoid of light, a characteristic of an old secret passage, all sorts of thoughts ran through his mind.

And he recalled once more the reason the Revolutionary Army had formed.

The beginning was for a very simple reason.

[My kingdom has fallen. I am angry and want revenge, but there is no royal to serve as the rallying point for raising an army.]

The ruthless Emperor had sought out and killed every last member of the royal family, even those from distant branches. And if anyone who wasn’t royalty possessed enough influence, they were also mercilessly eliminated.

They wanted to rise up, but there was no central figure to lead them.

As they suppressed their desires and cautiously observed their surroundings, someone stepped forward, seemingly voicing their collective sentiment.

[I will kill the Emperor. Those who wish to join me, gather. Origins do not matter.]

The goal of killing the Emperor aligned with their own, and the final statement about not discriminating based on origin was crucial.

Countless individuals gathered.

More than imaginable. It felt as if they could achieve their objective at any moment.

But then, even before they had accomplished anything, concerns about what would happen after their success arose in the minds of those who had gained some composure.

[If we kill the Emperor and all the royals, who will take their place?]

They couldn’t install the Crown Prince or Princess as puppets. They had to die.

However, if one of them were to take that position, it would create its own set of problems.

This was a group of people from various kingdoms trampled by the Emperor. If someone took the throne, those from other kingdoms would undoubtedly harbor resentment.

As they engaged in subtle power struggles without proposing any clear solutions, someone spoke up.

[Do we even need to fill the void? Can’t we just eliminate the ‘position’ itself?]

Simply killing the Emperor would only make them rebels.

Let’s create a new system under the banner of ‘revolution.’ Let’s take this opportunity to abolish the class system and create a world where everyone is equal.

This statement garnered the agreement of the majority and became the core ideology of the Revolutionary Army.

Thus, the radical and violent group born from vengeance and rage transformed into the current Revolutionary Army, which gained support not only from those who had lost their countries but also from civilians and even some imperial citizens and scholars.

‘It’s only natural that they were captivated by something that appealed to so many people.’

Those enraged by the loss of their countries were drawn to the violent aspect of killing the Emperor.

Scholars were captivated by the novel concept of abolishing the class system.

Civilians were entranced by the dreamlike future of a world where everyone was equal.

But did they truly know?

That all these processes and outcomes were not coincidences but rather the result of someone’s meticulous planning.

Daniel paused briefly before the door he had reached, and then raised his hand to knock.

-Knock knock.

“Mother. It’s Daniel.”

“Come in.”

The ‘someone’ who gathered people under the pretense of ‘killing the Emperor’.

The ‘one person’ who, amidst concerns about what would happen after the deed was done, suggested, ‘Instead of filling the void, let’s create a world where everyone is equal.’

Daniel had known about the concept of ‘a world where everyone is equal’ for a long time.

A world without kings and nobles, without a class system. A world where everyone is the owner of the country, where everyone is a worker for the country.

“Welcome, son. Are you hurt anywhere?”

In the room, a woman with a refined air sat in a rocking chair, greeting him. Eyes as clear and deep as the ocean, seeming to see through the very fabric of the world, and finely etched wrinkles suggesting a frequent, gentle smile.

The woman, who seemed to have been knitting, placed a nearly finished scarf on her lap and met Daniel’s gaze. Her eyes curved into a soft smile.

Daniel, who stood there, mirrored her eye-smile as he broke his stance and walked forward.

“I am not. How is your health, Mother?”

…His mother was a young noblewoman from a prestigious family who had eloped with a commoner.

It would be wrong to dismiss it as just a tale of someone madly in love. She was considerably, no, extraordinarily intelligent.

Falling in love with a commoner, she questioned the fundamental rules that no one had ever dared to challenge.

Beyond basic rules, it was an ideology closer to the very foundation of society.

The class system.

From a young age, Daniel had listened to his mother as she sat him on her lap and shared her thoughts.

Even as she led a simple married life with his father, even when his father was caught in the crosshairs of a noble and died, even when his mother, deeply stressed, became frail.

She always laid out her thoughts and methods to Daniel, and Daniel meticulously stored that knowledge in his mind.

And watching his mother grow weaker with each passing day, he made a vow.

To show her the world she envisioned before she closed her eyes forever.

“I am fine, dear. What brings you here today, son?”

“I am planning to visit Ireon.”

Daniel said, kneeling at his mother’s feet, mentioning the name of what was now a territory of the Empire, not a kingdom.

They needed to further increase their strength before the decisive moment.

Unlike during the eight-year war, the king of Ireon and his bloodline were still alive, but the fact remained that the Empire had forced their surrender. Naturally, there would be those who were dissatisfied with this outcome. If they were lucky, they might even receive support from the king.

‘Or perhaps they’ll be wary because of the Revolutionary Army’s ideology.’

Even if they didn’t get support from the higher-ups, it would be enough if they could attract those who were disgruntled with the current situation.

“That will be dangerous.”

“Many have died.”

He rested his face on his mother’s lap and slowly closed his eyes.

The faces of those who had sacrificed themselves flashed through his mind.

“…At this rate, we cannot achieve our goal. We need to replenish our forces.”

“Daniel.”

“Mother, I am a sinner.”

He was the one who provided the bombs, telling them to at least not die alone if things went wrong, and he was the one who made them do things that were obviously suicidal.

And sometimes, when news came that civilians had been caught in the crossfire and killed, Daniel would suffer in agony all day.

He opened his eyes. Daniel’s gaze was resolute as he murmured softly, as if not even noticing the hand gently stroking his hair.

“Even for their sake, we must achieve our goal.”

“Are you planning to go yourself?”

“Yes. How else can I earn their trust without going in person?”

“The Emperor will be expecting this. He might even have soldiers lying in wait.”

The Emperor was intelligent. There was no way he wouldn’t know the Revolutionary Army’s thoughts.

Unless he was too busy with other matters to focus on this… well.

“…The Emperor will wage war again. I’m certain of it. He won’t stop. He’ll go all the way this time. So….”

He continued to lay out assumptions he himself was skeptical about.

“He won’t be able to focus on us. Besides, the Revolutionary Army hasn’t caused any major incidents recently, so he might have pushed us down his priority list.”

As if sensing his inner thoughts, the woman offered a kind smile instead of arguing.

“You don’t need to convince this mother of yours. Do what you feel you must, son.”

“Ah….”

“But before you leave, there’s one gift I would like from my son… could you give it to me?”

“If it is what you desire, Mother, anything.”

The woman’s lips, curved in a smile, parted, and the words that followed drained the color from Daniel’s face as he listened.

…….

“Brother, you’re back?”

“Yes. Nothing unusual happened?”

“No.”

“Ah, Paul. Could you ask Iram to select a few capable individuals? And of course, you’ll be coming with me.”

“Huh? Yes. But are you alright, Brother? You don’t look well….”

“Ah.”

He instinctively touched his face.

“…It’s nothing. More importantly, Paul, there’s one more thing I need you to do.”

“Yes?”

“Get me some poison… one that ensures a painless death.”

…!”

“Please.”

Daniel gave a bitter smile at Paul’s shocked expression.

This was the best he could do.

[What mother could live normally after losing her child?]

[Son, you must return safely.]

[If my son dies, this mother will follow him to the grave.]

He couldn’t dissuade his mother.

***

Contrary to expectations, the Emperor wasn’t even concerning himself with the Revolutionary Army. During the second convened meeting, each noble, valuing their head, had brought forth proposals regarding the Revolutionary Army.

There seemed to be a surprisingly wide variety of ideas. After listening to each proposal, the Emperor chose the most viable one and left the subsequent tasks to others. Thus, there was no need to waste his energy on such matters.

‘When the Ireon Kingdom is conquered, the Revolutionary Army will likely set foot there, so we should have troops waiting,’ or something like that.

He probably said something along those lines.

So he vaguely tossed out a word of instruction, as he recalled.

[Send the Lofty Knights.]

Also known as the Killer Knights.

There were two reasons for specifically sending these lunatics.

The first was that they caused too much trouble, and cleaning up after them was a constant chore.

Out of boredom, frustration, joy… they came up with all sorts of reasons to cause mayhem daily, making his already bad headaches even worse. Why did they break perfectly good buildings, and why did they insist on juggling iron swords, almost slicing off the arm of a passing servant—and not even their own arm?

And the second reason was….

‘Who else is there to deal with these lunatics?’

The Killer Knights were a self-proclaimed group of madmen. And the Revolutionary Army were, in a different sense, equally insane.

Shouldn’t madmen be dealt with by madmen?