Do Your Own Revolution

#048.

“Kwaaaargh—!”

Transformed into a monster, Vark was holding his ground against five magic nobles.

The nearly infinite magical power flowing from the monster’s core, along with the corruption and poison spreading from his body.

Unlike the berserk Vark, the magic nobles had many things to be careful about.

“Tch, of all places……!”

“How frustrating. If this was an open field, we could have blown him away with large-scale magic.”

The family heads’ magic was precise and powerful, but they couldn’t unleash their full destructive potential.

The location of this execution ground was at the city’s highest level.

If they used the kind of magic typically employed against monsters, they might damage the structures supporting the city.

“Kwok?! Kwaaargh-!”

However, even with such restrictions, they were still family head-level mages leading their respective houses.

As they chained together special formulas maximizing penetration power, Vark’s rampage began showing signs of defeat.

“Vark! Damn it, I need to help……!”

“Help a monster? Do you think that makes any sense?”

At the scene where magic nobles were fighting.

I blocked Claude who was trying to enter the area.

“You……!”

As I stood blocking the way with my arms spread, Claude and the Revolutionary Army members prepared their magic.

“A cadet? He’s not our target though…”

“He’s not using magic. What should we do? Should we shoot?”

Hearing the Revolutionary Army members ask this, Claude narrowed his eyes.

And Randall standing beside him… He’s not trying to subdue me right away.

“You. Why are you here again?”

“Field trip. Heard the Revolutionary Army’s second-in-command was getting executed, so I came to watch.”

“You’re blocking us for that kind of joke?!”

It’s not a joke though.

As I kept speaking in circles, Claude’s expression grew increasingly hostile.

Come to think of it, this is our third meeting already.

The atmosphere gets more violent every time we meet – next time, he might throw magic instead of greetings.

“Get out of the way! We don’t have time to deal with someone like…!”

“Congratulations, Claude Elcidore.”

When I suddenly congratulated him, Claude’s expression turned strange.

“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting? Congratulations…!”

“The fusion of humans and monsters. That was an experiment Elcidore was conducting, wasn’t it?”

I said while pointing at Vark who had become a monster.

Deliberately bringing up the deceased Lupeon to provoke Claude, his reaction became even more intense.

“Bullshit! Why would Elcidore do such……!”

“Why? Obviously because of you.”

When I said that, Claude and the Revolutionary Army members following him widened their eyes at once.

Well, first step of getting their attention – success.

I started setting the groundwork for this baseless lie.

“After losing his heir, Lupeon tried to find a new successor from the branch families but failed. No matter how much he searched the family, there was no talent like yours.”

When I said that, Claude’s face in the middle turned pale.

What’s this? Did I hit something?

Well, he was the legitimate heir of Elcidore after all, so perhaps the branch families had attempted to kidnap him.

They probably wanted to use him as a breeding stud.

“From then on, Lupeon turned his attention elsewhere. He thought if there wasn’t anyone suitable to be heir, he could create one.”

“……!”

“That’s how he came up with the human-monster fusion experiments.”

If there was an incident, there needed to be a witness.

Thinking that, I put my experience as a former Knifehead member to use and gave the performance of my life.

“It was horrible. Having to bring in test subjects every day, dispose of bodies, kill parents searching for their children with my own hands.”

I said with a cold smile.

As if I hated Lupeon for making me do such things.

As if I hated Claude, who became the cause by fleeing to the Revolutionary Army.

Maximilien fell for it, I wonder how this guy will react?

Judging by the shocked expressions of Claude and the other Revolutionary Army members, it seems my acting skills haven’t dulled.

“N-no! I don’t know! I don’t know anything about Elcidore doing such things…!”

“Just because you don’t know doesn’t make what happened disappear. That technology was created because of none other than you.”

I spoke with a stern expression toward Claude, who was backing away with a shocked face.

“The reason Vark became like that is because of you.”

Strictly speaking, it was an absurd shifting of responsibility.

Even if my lies were true, the one who committed the crime was Lupeon, not Claude.

However, Claude, as a supporter of [Revolution Empire], wasn’t the type to think that way.

‘It’s because of me. If I… If I hadn’t run away……!’

The massacre of Lupeon’s territory residents that happened in the original story.

After all, Claude had endlessly cursed the noble blood flowing through him while witnessing those horrific scenes.

‘Besides, well, it’s not like I’m telling completely made-up stories.’

Elcidore conducting human-monster fusion experiments?

That’s true.

No talent as good as Claude after the heir disappeared?

This is also true.

Vark becoming a monster… Well, strictly speaking that’s because of me but.

Whatever.

Might as well pin this on him too.

I blocked the bullets flying toward me with a barrier.

One of the Revolutionary Army members following Claude had shot them.

“You bastard, spouting such nonsense……!”

“No need to listen to him, Claude! There’s no guarantee what he’s saying is true!”

Though the Revolutionary Army members were encouraging Claude while saying this, even they couldn’t hide their confusion.

“But considering what kind of person Lupeon was, it’s not an impossible story.”

“If what that bastard said is true…!”

“Those magic noble bastards, doing such things to Vark……!”

Claude was visibly confused, and anger toward the magic nobles was spreading among the Revolutionary Army members following him.

That’s enough.

The fact that the mastermind who transformed Vark into a monster was a magic noble.

If just that fact gets imprinted, the Revolutionary Army’s top priority will become the magic nobles.

“B-Brother Randall…….”

“The members are right. Calm down first, Claude.”

Randall calming down the confused Claude.

‘He looks like something isn’t going according to plan.’

Looking at Randall making a subtle expression, I was certain.

‘As expected, he’s the only one who could have planned this.’

An agent of the Westraine Republic.

And one who would rise to become an influential figure in the Empire through revolution.

I couldn’t guess what plans he was scheming, but that doesn’t matter anymore.

‘Try to refute it if you can.’

While it’s true that Elcidore researched monsters, they never conducted research on transforming humans into monsters.

Rather, the place with the most advanced monster research is the Westraine Republic.

Unlike the Empire with abundant resources and land, they didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to bring down the Empire.

‘I directed the blame for this incident toward the magic nobles, and personally volunteered as a witness. They’ll have no choice but to believe it.’

Refute it?

Go ahead and try.

To prove my words false, you’d have to reveal that this is Westraine’s technology, but would you reveal your identity that you’ve hidden for decades just to refute my words?

‘No, there’s no way.’

The ‘Randall Dean Clark’ I saw in the game would never take such a risk.

You can tell just by how he put up Claude as a figurehead instead of directly taking control of the Revolutionary Army himself.

That guy always makes sure to leave himself an escape route.

An explosion sound rang out from the sky.

Looking up, several airships that had been floating in the sky were falling to the ground engulfed in flames.

“Damn it, the anti-air guns are back…!”

“The armored trains have started moving. Claude! We need to retreat!”

Right, it’s about time to retreat.

The rescue target Vark has become a monster, so they can’t take him with them.

However, Claude seemed unable to leave, frozen in indecision.

“No… We can’t leave Uncle Vark……!”

“Claude.”

Randall, who grabbed Claude’s shoulders, glanced at me and spoke.

“That’s not Vark anymore. If what this cadet said is true… We have no way to turn him back.”

“……!”

Randall didn’t refute my words.

Mission accomplished.

While I was internally rejoicing, Randall looked at me intently.

“…….”

A gaze as if searching for something.

I stayed alert thinking he might launch a surprise attack, but Randall turned his back without saying anything and left the venue.

“With this, I’ve laid enough groundwork I suppose.”

The Revolutionary Army has found the cause of Vark’s transformation into a monster, and will burn with revenge against the magic nobles.

Toward ‘magic nobles’, not the ‘Empire’.

And because of this small difference, Keiren’s imperial army and the imperial family would be able to observe the fight between the two groups.

The Revolutionary Army and magic nobles.

They would continuously clash and be consumed, just as they did in the original story.

And then suppressing both groups after they’ve been consumed would be…

‘The Emperor. And the military under Keiren’s control.’

While I was thinking that.

With a huge explosion, the entire execution ground began to shake.

“What? What’s going…!”

Looking at the center of the execution ground, I could see the tattered ground and exposed city structures here and there.

One of the pipelines flowing under the city must have burst.

Though not enough impact to collapse the entire upper level, it was sufficient to momentarily break the encirclement focused on Vark.

“Kugh?!”

“The monster is escaping!”

The center of the execution ground was clouded with dust from the explosion’s aftermath.

Through that smoke, the nearly dead Vark was running toward me.

“Kwaaaaargh—!”

“?!”

Vark charging while directing both eyes at me.

No, were those even eyes?

His skull was so grotesquely twisted that it was hard to tell if what was looking at me were eyes or something else.

“Cadet, run away from there!”

“That guy, Eugene…?”

“Damn it, the binding formula……!”

The family heads who had been in the middle of battle couldn’t react in time to the sudden situation.

However, watching Vark running toward me, I could notice one thing.

His eyes directed at me.

The closer he got, the better I could tell what state he was in.

Vark was maintaining his sanity right now.

***

“It’s almost over now.”

Watching Vark staggering while lying face down on the ground.

Looking at him, the family heads of each house were lost in thought.

“So, what do we do now?”

“That monster… It would be a waste to just kill it like this.”

They hadn’t even considered the possibility of not being able to subdue him.

Here were five magic nobles.

If not for the location being the imperial capital’s upper level, even one person could have easily subdued him.

“A waste, what do you mean by that?”

When Count Drexler frowned and asked this, Margrave Gloucester pointed at the monster with his wrinkled finger.

“Look at that.”

The monster struggling to get up.

However, that monster was moving what appeared to be organs visible through its mouth.

“Run… away… Claude… Run……”

“That monster. Is it not maintaining its sanity?”

“……!”

It seemed that way to them too.

A monster muttering something with focused eyes while on the verge of death.

Seeing this, Margrave Gloucester’s mage-like curiosity was piqued.

“How about leaving the disposal of this monster to me? If I take it to my territory for research, I think we could get quite useful results…”

“That won’t do, Gloucester.”

The one who interrupted his words was the magic noble second seat, Duke Nachtval.

“In the Empire, the only treatment monsters receive is execution. I will not permit any rash actions.”

“Permit? How strange. Though this old man may be from the frontier, I haven’t declined so much as to need permission from another magic noble to act.”

Margrave Gloucester who said this glared at Duke Nachtval.

A silent warning not to cross the line.

However, the duke also began slowly drawing up magical power as if unwilling to back down.

“Having maintained sanity even after fusing with a monster, isn’t this quite useful material?”

“We of the Dvorak family will escort this prisoner. To waste such valuable research material like this……”

“Out of the question. Buckenheim will take responsibility for this monster…”

Since they had already subdued the monster, now it was time for the aftermath.

The family heads of each house began debating over Vark’s treatment.

“Grrrr……”

But then. Vark, who had regained his sanity, felt fear watching them.

‘Will I meet the same end…?’

Those who wanted to capture him alive and use him as an experiment subject.

Like they did to my sister, like they did to my parents, I’ll become a noble’s plaything too?

‘No.’

Vark’s gaze, clinging to his last remaining sanity, turned toward one place.

The retreating Revolutionary Army, and a boy watching them.

And a single gun holstered at that boy’s waist.

“Max… im……”

His weapon.

The man who showed him the possibility of revolution.

His only friend.

He was standing there, beckoning to him.

“Kwaaaaargh-!”

With a roar, he kicked off the ground and ran.

His friend who seemed momentarily surprised soon drew his pistol and aimed it at him.

Yes, Maxim.

That’s it.

Hurry and…

Me……!

“I was going to do that without you telling me.”

Along with the familiar voice, the hazy veil lifted.

A boy with cold eyes was aiming a gun at him.

The boy from Vark’s memories.

“If I hand you over to the magic nobles alive, it would be troublesome in various ways.”

After saying that, Eugene pulled the trigger without hesitation and.

The guilt and anger he had carried throughout his life disappeared with the gunshot.

The Revolutionary Army’s second-in-command, Vark Urgan.

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