Do Your Own Revolution

#056

“What’s going on…”

“What’s happening? Why isn’t he using magic?!”

The eyes of the Revolutionary Army members gathered at the Zicklinte mansion focused on one place.

Imperial Army officer, Eugene Lorentz.

Although an enormous magical power had left his body, there were no magic circles or formulas visible around him.

“…No, it can’t be.”

While everyone was puzzled, only one person who had been fighting him all along could notice it.

This heat that could be felt from outside the building.

And something. The sensation that something enormous was watching over them!

“…!”

Claude looked up at the sky and couldn’t help but stay rooted to the spot.

Light streaming through the gaps of the collapsed roof.

The source of that light was a massive magic circle covering the entire mansion from the air.

And what suddenly appeared in the center of that magic circle was-

“…The sun?”

As they saw the brightly shining sphere, the color drained from the other members’ faces.

A shining sphere, extremely condensed and continuously spewing heat and magical power.

Anyone could see that it was the ‘sun’ itself.

“Impossible. Creating a sun with magic? This kind of formula…!”

Five stroke. It’s impossible without magic higher than that.

Thinking this, Eugene pulled out six magic bullet casings from the tilted gun cylinder.

“That’s why I told you.”

Eugene raised his gun toward the sky and, as if giving a starting signal for a race, slowly pulled the trigger and-

“If you can, try to survive.”

As the condensed artificial sun exploded, tremendous magical power and heat engulfed the Revolutionary Army.

Wide-area suppression formula, [Solar Wind Manifestation]

One of the magic spells engraved in Eugene’s fifth magic imprint had fully revealed itself.

The heat spreading in all directions melted the mansion walls entirely, and the tremendous heat struck the defenseless Revolutionary Army.

“Aagh?! Aaagh–!”

“Save me, save me-!”

Revolutionary Army members without magical power had to taste the pain of their entire bodies burning the moment they were exposed to the heat.

The mages who belatedly deployed defensive magic were slightly better off, but even that didn’t last long.

“Damn it, the defensive magic…!”

“It’s collapsing…!”

As the defensive magic shattered, unable to withstand the heat, the bodies of the Revolutionary Army members who had been somehow enduring the magic instantly became balls of fire.

And so, after the red flames spreading from Eugene engulfed the entire mansion.

What remained in the mansion were the corpses of numerous Revolutionary Army members turned to ashes.

And only Claude and the executives who had completely collapsed from exhaustion.

“Huff……”

Eugene looked around and slowly exhaled.

The magical power that hadn’t been fully discharged was expelled along with the heat.

“Five stroke? A five stroke magic imprint…?”

Eugene’s gaze stopped at one place as he looked around.

The one muttering with a bewildered expression was Claude, who was sitting on the ground.

Looking at his comrades who had turned to ashes, he wore an expression as if he had lost everything in the world.

“Was it a fight we could never win from the start? Then what have I been doing until now?! Are you, are you playing with me! Eugene-!”

“Claude!”

As Claude tried to walk toward Eugene with staggering steps.

The one who stopped him was Miles, a Revolutionary Army member who had been with him since headquarters.

“Look at the situation, Claude. We need to gather whoever has strength left and escape!”

“Let go, Miles! It’s not, it’s not over yet! I, this time I’ll surely… get revenge for the Belkers branch people…!”

Miles’s fist struck his abdomen, and Claude’s body, which had been rambling, went limp.

Miles hoisted Claude onto one shoulder.

Having prepared a defensive formula, he looked at the faces of other Revolutionary Army members lying around.

‘Ren, everyone……!’

Most of the members who survived that massive flame were collapsed in a state of Magical Power Exhaustion.

Red chains summoned by Eugene were slowly binding the bodies of his comrades.

He couldn’t take them with him.

No, even escaping with just himself and Claude was almost impossible…!

“What are you doing? Hurry up and go.”

While thinking this, Eugene, who had turned his back, spoke to Miles.

“…What did you say?”

“You saw me use six magic bullets. My magic imprint is overloaded. I don’t have the energy to chase you in this state.”

It was a lie.

Even with Miles’s quick glance, the magic imprint looked fine, and Eugene only seemed slightly out of breath, showing no signs of fatigue.

In other words, Eugene was saying he would just let him and Claude go.

“What’s your scheme? Why are you letting just us go while leaving the other comrades…!”

“And Miles. When that guy wakes up, there’s one thing I’d like you to tell him.”

“……”

So he has no intention of answering the question.

There’s no point in refusing anyway.

As Miles slowly nodded, Eugene smiled and said.

“Don’t trust Randall Dean Clark.”

“…!”

“Just deliver that one message. Then I’ll let you go.”

Miles took a sharp breath, and Eugene looked at him with an inscrutable expression.

With their comrades captured, there was no choice.

Miles nodded as if understanding.

“Good, that’ll do.”

Eugene smiled with satisfaction and pointed in one direction as if indicating the exit.

Feeling the gaze of three people staring at him, Miles began walking in the direction Eugene had indicated.

There were no Imperial soldiers blocking the way.

‘Come to think of it……’

And so, how much time had passed?

As if just remembering something, Miles stopped and looked at the distant Zicklinte mansion.

“That Imperial officer named Eugene Lorentz……”

How did he know my name?

***

“The rebel suppression operation was successful. We captured numerous executive-level mages, but Claude, the four stroke magic imprint holder, escaped.”

They say precise reporting is a virtue of Imperial soldiers.

After briefly reporting to his direct superior Feilun, Feilun’s reply came shortly after.

– Confirmed. As reckless pursuit would make it difficult to secure civilian safety, minimize pursuit and focus on controlling the scene.

Ah, right right.

Civilian safety comes first.

“I’ve weeded out all of Randall’s pawns here, so let’s see what Claude will do next.”

Saying this, I looked at the Revolutionary Army mages we’d weeded out from the mansion.

“Damn you, Imperial dog…!”

“If you’re going to kill us, do it quickly! I’ll tell you in advance, we have no information to…”

“Not needed.”

Passing by the Revolutionary Army mages who were growling at me, I stopped at one point.

“Rennie Schreier. Right?”

“…!”

The one I spoke to was Ren, the Revolutionary Army’s imprint coordinator.

Hollow eyes behind large glasses looked up at me.

Among the many NPCs that the Revolutionary Army could recruit, a rare companion with imprint coordination ability.

Unlike the others, they were too valuable to simply return to the Revolutionary Army.

“Eugene.”

Once I confirmed their face, that was enough.

While I was thinking this, Guille approached and whispered to me.

“We got a communication from the Magic Corps. The rebels mixed in with the protesters are disappearing one by one.”

“From the Galphren branch?”

“No. Judging by their behavior, they seem to be informants dispatched from headquarters. Should we pursue?”

I see.

Randall’s informants operating on the outskirts of the territory.

Now that the situation is over, they’ll probably try to flee to somewhere with communication to deliver information to their master.

“No, no need.”

However, I waved my hand dismissingly.

Why am I observing their escape? The reason was simple.

After all, they won’t be able to leave Galphren territory alive anyway.

***

“Situation terminated. The Imperial Army has recovered the Zicklinte family’s imprint.”

“Only Claude and Miles survived… Not good.”

Starting with the civilians’ non-violent protest, the protest site had taken on a festive atmosphere.

Revolutionary Army spies who received the retreat communication were quietly slipping away from the protest site, blending in with the civilians.

“How’s the situation?”

As they entered a remote alley, a man with exotic features unlike an Imperial citizen was waiting for them.

An informant dispatched from Westraine.

Upon confirming his face, the spies immediately began sharing what they had learned.

“The Imperial Army essentially condoned the Revolutionary Army’s activities. It seems they were trying to use the Revolutionary Army to deal with the magic nobles.”

“We dealt with the target Zicklinte, but the additional objectives failed.”

Their additional objectives were simple.

To incite large-scale massacres by Imperial forces to further agitate the already turbulent public sentiment.

And through that, make the Revolutionary Army and Imperial citizens recognize the Emperor and magic nobles as being on the same side.

Perhaps from their perspective, this was an even more important operation than killing a minor noble like Zicklinte.

But Eugene.

Due to the deal he proposed to the Revolutionary Army, the fundamental premise of the plan had collapsed.

“We tried to induce armed conflicts by attempting attacks during the protests… but the Imperial Army commander wasn’t easy to deal with.”

Several informants tried to incite the citizens, but the results weren’t good.

Feilun, commanding the Imperial Army, calmly rooted out the instigators while imposing no sanctions on the citizens’ protests.

“This is ridiculous. At this rate, aren’t the citizens and Imperial Army cooperating in the protest against the Zicklinte family?”

An anomalous situation that arose because the Revolutionary Army’s influence in controlling the masses was high, and the Imperial Army handled it rationally.

Though it was a bitter result for them, they hadn’t gained nothing.

“An Imperial Army officer making backroom deals with the Revolutionary Army, that’s quite good bait for those magic noble bastards, isn’t it?”

When one spy said this, sinister smiles spread across the others’ faces.

Contact with the Revolutionary Army is high treason.

And they had evidence of Eugene and Claude’s contact.

So now, if they just deliver this to Randall…

“…Huh?”

At that moment, one informant tilted his head in confusion.

“Hey. Why is one person missing?”

“What?”

The Westraine informant looked around at those words.

But after checking, he was gripped by an even stranger feeling.

“Not one person… Two are missing.”

“What are you talking about? I’m sure we confirmed everyone was here…”

“Try magical power communication. There’s no way they suddenly disappeared…”

The informant’s voice cut off mid-sentence.

When they turned around wondering what happened, the spy who had just been reporting the situation had vanished.

“Hee hee.”

That’s when they heard a small laugh.

An outsider? Impossible. Only we should know the meeting place.

Thinking this, they turned around to find a woman standing at the end of the alley.

A girl in a neat black casual dress with long, wavy black hair.

“…!”

An ominous feeling crept over their entire body.

Something, something was wrong.

The informant who felt this strange sensation immediately turned around and-

“…!”

There was no one behind them.

They were alone in the alley.

The numerous spies they had just been talking with had vanished without a trace.

“What, what the hell is…!”

As they said this and turned their head again, the girl who had been standing at the end of the alley was gone.

Instead, what filled their vision was hundreds of teeth bearing down right in front of them.

“Huh?”

Before they could feel fear, the informant’s body was devoured by the shadow and disappeared.

A dozen or so informants vanishing without a trace.

Looking around the cleaned-up alley, the girl smacked her lips in satisfaction.

“I’m full. I’m happy. As expected, Eugene is the best in the world.”

I should go back and get praised.

I should ask for some cookies too.

Thinking this, Irene moved with light steps.

As she emerged onto the street, she exuded the fresh atmosphere unique to girls her age.