Do Your Own Revolution

#118

“The contact has been lost?”

At the Buckenheim mansion.

Upon receiving the report from the messenger who was trembling like an aspen tree, Duke Buckenheim’s eyes narrowed.

“J-just now, we lost contact with the agent we had infiltrated. There was a report about kidnapping Brigadier General Eugene’s lover, but that…”

“Failed. How foolish.”

The news that his planted spy had been cut off meant that the coup they had been planning had also failed.

Nothing seems to be going right.

He thought it was the perfect timing, but did it fail?

If so, the main reason was…

“Eugene Lorentz… In other words, it’s because of the Emperor’s arrangements.”

With a short sigh, the Duke closed the book he was reading with a sound.

With this, the plan to draw the North into the Round Table had to be scrapped.

Rather, Korhonen was more likely to cooperate closely with the Emperor.

‘Gloucester entrenched in the East and Korhonen in the North… The two Margraves guarding the Empire’s frontiers are supporting the Emperor.’

What an unpleasant scenario this brings to mind.

Muttering thus, the Duke spoke to his servant.

“Contact Duke Nachtval.”

“Y-yes, yes!”

If this situation is left unchecked, the standing of magic nobles in the Empire’s power structure will gradually diminish.

It means the Emperor at the center and the Margraves at the frontiers will surround us.

‘If that happens… The Empire will return to that day.’

When Emperor Franz wasn’t a toothless tiger like now, but was called the Iron-Blooded Monarch.

That must not happen.

The magic nobles are heroes who saved the Empire, and furthermore, the continent.

It was none other than us who saved the world.

The rulers of this Empire must also be of our heroic bloodline.

“We cannot let the Emperor take power from us now.”

To prevent that, we must unite.

That’s why we revived the Round Table as a noble alliance.

“Though it’s irritating how Nachtval, the second seat, keeps complaining about everything, they also understand the necessity of the Round Table. They should know this isn’t the time for factional fights among magic nobles…”

While the Duke was in the middle of his monologue.

When the messenger who should have rushed to contact Nachtval didn’t move, the Duke let out a rough sigh and opened his mouth.

“What are you doing! Why aren’t you going…!”

But at that moment.

The Duke noticed something was wrong with the state of the prostrated messenger.

“Kuh, kuhkuh…!”

His body twisting this way and that.

“An assassin?”

Seeing this, the Duke immediately drew up his magical power.

Pook-!

The magical power crystal shot without delay.

After piercing the heart to cut off his breath, the dead messenger’s corpse began to stagger up.

“I’m relieved to see your responses are still quick.”

Not the messenger’s voice, but someone else’s.

Hearing the high-pitched female voice, the Duke’s eyes narrowed.

“I was wondering if your judgment might have dulled due to your advanced age.”

“Hmph, nonsense.”

Snapping thus, the Duke thought while listening to the voice flowing from the dead messenger’s body.

‘Possession magic. Moreover, judging from the flow of magical power, the mage controlling it is outside Buckenheim territory.’

An imprint with enough precision to move a corpse from such a distance… There’s only one.

[The Jester of the Thorn Forest]

One of the five imprints that Informant M. Maximilien stole from the Imperial Archives.

And now… it was also a seven stroke imprint possessed by a Republican mage.

The Duke could immediately recognize who this person was.

“I didn’t expect Agent No. 2, who’s the talk of the town, to come looking for me.”

“I’m honored you recognize me, Your Grace.”

“So what is it? Have you come to take my head before breaking the armistice?”

“Of course not.”

The messenger let out a chuckling sound and gave an exaggerated bow.

“If that was my intention, I wouldn’t have used such a weak vessel. Please take this rather as a sign that I have no intention to harm…”

But the moment those words were spoken.

Screech-!

With a sharp cutting sound, the messenger’s head fell off.

In the Duke’s hand was the crystal sword, a secret art of the Buckenheim family.

Crunch, crunch

The messenger’s severed head.

What was writhing at the cut surface was a centipede.

In that short time, it had eaten the brain and was controlling the corpse.

“You dare to prattle on while preparing to aim for my head at any moment.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to notice so quickly.”

The messenger – no, the head twisted its face grotesquely as it said this.

“However, Your Grace. It’s also true that the Round Table is in a tight spot.”

“In a tight spot?”

“Yes. According to the information I’ve obtained…”

The head trailed off, showing a slight smile before continuing.

“The Magic Corps is planning to betray the Round Table soon.”

“…What did you say?”

Looking at the Duke who frowned deeply, the head smiled slightly and opened its mouth.

“How about engaging in a joint venture, Your Grace?”

“…”

“Like the ‘deal’ Your Grace made with us decades ago.”

The Republican agent brought up a shameful incident that had been long forgotten.

No, one that had been trying to be forgotten for a long time.

Though the Duke ground his teeth, he soon looked at the messenger’s head with a sigh.

“Speak.”

Though his anger was rising.

Deals with these people had never disappointed him.

***

Sniff-!

Oh my, look at that runny nose.

I took out a handkerchief from my chest and pressed it to Irene’s face while saying.

“Here, blow.

Huff~ ha huff!

“

“

Sniiiff-!

“

Oh, how good our Irene is.

Looking at Irene giggling with a red nose tip, the sea of blood I saw when I first brought this kid seemed like an illusion.

‘P-please… spare me…!’

“Hee, heehee…! Heeheeheehee…!”

What sat among the pile of corpses were some knights driven mad with fear and a woman named Emma who had completely lost her mind.

Though Colonel Sandal was planning to take custody and interrogate them… honestly, I didn’t expect much meaningful information to come out.

What could come out of torturing someone who had already lost their mind?

“Good! More this way! That’s it-!”

While I was thinking that, preparations for departure toward the rupture were entering their final stages.

The drilling equipment set up in the middle of the glacier.

At the end of the massive cylindrical equipment was installed a mechanical device that could push 20 automatons into the rupture simultaneously.

“Checking the range of motion, Your Lordship. Move your leg this way… Yes. Good.”

Looking toward where the voice came from, Margrave Kassel was preparing to enter the rupture interior, surrounded by technicians.

“It’s heavy. Even with auxiliary power, it’s this much?”

“Our power system technology is far behind the Republic’s. Please extend your arm this way as well.”

“Ughh…”

Armor.

No, Margrave Kassel wearing something similar in appearance to the Republic’s Armored Infantry that we faced in the war.

He was being equipped with a pressure suit based on the Republic’s Armored Infantry enhancement suit to command the puppet corps.

I guess they want to prepare as much as possible since you never know what might pop out in the Great Rupture.

“Though knights from the autonomous territory have cleared the monsters at the drop point, according to the advance team’s report, monster incursions have become less frequent at some point.”

“Hmm…”

“Do you understand what this means?”

At first glance, it seemed safe to enter.

However, the Margrave, who had fought monster hordes for a long time, spoke as if he sensed something.

“It means the enemy knows we’re coming.”

“…”

“Not attacking the advance team deliberately is to lure us in. They’re saying ‘come if you dare.'”

The rupture subjugation in the game was like that too.

The rupture interior is virtually a monster stronghold.

Probably the moment we enter the rupture, monsters lying in wait will charge in.

“There’s practically no information about the terrain, and we can’t even guess the scale of the enemy forces.”

It’s a hellish space that no commander with common sense would ever step into.

But I looked at the Margrave and said.

“If we don’t do it now, we’ll never be able to do it, right?”

The Margrave nodded heavily.

“Though Reina’s qualities are certainly remarkable, that child isn’t as proficient at multi-control as I am.”

“…”

“A puppeteer who can control over a thousand puppets simultaneously… coincidentally, I’m the only one throughout Korhonen’s history.”

The reason Korhonen completely cut off external connections and just accumulated power.

The reason they created a puppet corps by mobilizing industrial technology at its peak and his seven stroke magic imprint.

All of it was for this moment.

To deal with this rupture that had been threatening the North.

“I will protect the North.”

Looking at the massive drilling equipment, the Margrave said.

“This is a mission shouldered by my generation, no one else’s. We cannot leave that terrible monster breeding ground to the next generation.”

The technicians bowed their heads as if with determination.

And the knights.

While receiving their gazes, the technicians checking the Count’s enhancement suit gave a thumbs up.

Entry preparations complete.

Now it’s really time to depart.

“The moment His Lordship arrives, we’ll immediately send in the puppet corps. But until then…”

“I must protect His Lordship. I understand well.”

Hearing my words, the technician immediately activated the mechanical device and lowered the elevator.

“It’s likely to be a one-way trip, yet you’re quite brave to enter this death trap with me.”

“Well. Rather, think about it the other way around.”

“The other way?”

In the elevator descending into the rupture.

To the Margrave’s question, I said.

“After putting on such airs, how could you think about dying first on your own?”

“What do you…?”

The moment the Margrave wondered at those words.

“Ah!”

“Q-quick! Catch her!”

“Lady Irene is jumping in without protection!”

Along with the knights’ screams, something jumped into the drilling equipment.

“Eugene-!”

Seriously, I told her to jump quietly.

Thinking that, I immediately adjusted my posture to catch Irene’s body.

Thump-!

As I caught Irene’s body falling into the elevator, the Margrave’s eyes widened at the sight.

“W-what is this? That girl…!”

But that was only for a moment.

The Margrave’s eyes wavered in confusion as he faced Irene.

“That… girl…?”

The alien yet simultaneously familiar energy felt from Irene as we got closer to the rupture.

Mana core.

The moment he noticed its presence, the Margrave’s gaze hurriedly turned toward me.

“Now that we’ve come this far, I should reveal my hidden card too.”

Irene, who buried her face in my chest while wrapping her arms around my neck for whatever reason she found so pleasing.

After glancing slightly at her, I said to the Margrave:

“With this kid here, we should be able to make it back alive.”

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