Chapter 146: Plaudite! (5)
Chapter 146: Plaudite! (5)
"Why do you think I spoke openly about such a dangerous matter? Because I'm about to die and feeling wistful? Impossible."
Why did I deliberately declare that I'd make a move at this turbulent time?
The chaotic political landscape, the Duke's head bound to be tangled with it. One of the few moments when the Duke's judgment would falter.
Was it truly coincidence that I moved at that exact moment?
"I've been sending you hints all along, Your Grace."
- .......
"I've appointed a successor."
BANG! The sound of a fist slamming a desk came through the communicator.
Daniel giggled like a child who'd succeeded in a prank and added,
"I passed on all of my knowledge, including the statements I laid out earlier. Despite the limited time, the child was exceedingly lovely and clever, and absorbed it all in an instant."
- .......
"This means my personal rage toward the Emperor won't carry on, but the rage born of 'injustice' will."
He had won.
The Revolutionary Army's core ideology was 'creating a world where all people are equal.' In serving the many, it was already tantamount to having the majority's support. Who would reject an ideology that serves their own interests? Unless they were drawn in by that sickly sweet scent, perhaps.
Paul—he had stressed the importance of education to that child, so even when the child became the leader, this ideology would continue unbroken. Ultimately, as long as the injustice known as the 'class system' did not vanish, the 'rage' would persist.
- ......You used my forces to cut out the tumor inside the Revolutionary Army.
"Didn't you previously use my forces to pressure the Emperor? No—was it using the Emperor to keep the Revolutionary Army in check?"
He shrugged, referencing the incident some time ago when Saelin had incited one of the Revolutionary Army's top brass and cost them one-ninth of their military strength.
Those who gathered in fury against the Emperor were, in the grand scheme, no different from a tumor within the Revolutionary Army. As the first leader of the Revolutionary Army, he ought to tidy up at least this much for the sake of his successor.
In the end, half the troops Daniel had led out here were entirely that sort of malignant lump: those who embezzled or dealt corruptly, siphoning off and selling explosives the Revolutionary Army produced internally, or who were so consumed by the goal of killing the Emperor that they ignored even the leader's words and tried to pressure him instead.
"And you, Your Grace, were also an obstacle blocking the Revolutionary Army's path forward."
- I understand you intend to sever the leash I had on you with this... but do you think that your single life is enough for me to let the rest go peacefully? Especially those with such dangerous ideas? That's foolish.
"Why do you think I came to a place where I am to die, even going so far as to appoint a successor?"
The premise was wrong.
Daniel hadn't come here merely to excise a tumor, creating a successor and even sacrificing his life in the process.
- What do you...
- Your Grace, urgent report!
"Oh, it seems word has finally reached you."
He'd wanted to see the Duke's reaction at least once before dying, and thanks to this, a small wish had been fulfilled.
The rustle of paper being unfolded could be heard. Soon enough, a shout unable to contain its fury burst through the communication stone.
- Daniel!!!!!
"Judging by your reaction, it seems it was done properly."
The reason Daniel had come here.
It was to focus the Duke's attention on this location.
So that the majority of the forces near the Duke would be concentrated here. So that the Revolutionary Army could relocate its base and launch surprise attacks on the Duke's territories, striking at his military strength.
Ultimately, the primary objective was to decisively shake off the Duke; cleansing the internal tumor was a secondary objective. It was shaking off the Duke himself—he had to stake at least his own life as the head of this side as bait.
"I calculated it so he'd lose at least half no matter what; I'm curious about the result. Did it really turn out that way?"
Since this side was losing half its forces, the other side had to yield at least half for the arithmetic to balance.
Of course, the catch was that what this side was losing were useless troops.
"For your information, Your Grace, your current location is the very last on the raid schedule."
- KWA-BAANG!!
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of an explosion came through the communicator.
Ignoring the panicking enemies around him, Daniel leisurely curled the corner of his mouth upward.
The Revolutionary Army likely wouldn't be able to kill the Duke. Still, his military forces would definitely be reduced. That much was enough.
Because while the Revolutionary Army gathered its strength, the Duke would also be too busy pulling himself together to target the Revolutionary Army.
"The leash must be severed definitively. Wouldn't you agree?"
By now, the Revolutionary Army's base would have been completely relocated.
With the leader of the Revolutionary Army—the sole point of contact who could communicate with the Duke and allow a tail to be attached—dying here, there would no longer be anything that could be called a link between the Revolutionary Army and the Duke.
'Creating a new link is impossible, too.'
With the first leader dead by 'the Duke's betrayal,' the second-generation revolutionaries would have no reason to join hands with him.
It was, in the truest sense, a clean severance.
- Kill him now!
Seeing weapons closing in from all sides when a single person stepping forward to kill him would have sufficed, Daniel smiled faintly. Perhaps because of his thick scarf, they were aiming for his heart instead of his neck.
He had deliberately laid out his thoughts, instilling the recognition that he was someone who absolutely must die, and provoked them. He had disrupted the Duke's reason so that a situation where the Duke took him hostage would not arise.
Daniel himself was fully aware of the first leader's value.
'Now then, Paul.'
Under the guise of serving the Revolutionary Army's future, this hyung of yours dared to write a kill list.
Who has the authority to arbitrarily decide another's life or death within the Revolutionary Army? I, who defiled the Revolutionary Army's ideology, will die alongside those consumed by personal sentiment. I hope you will carry nothing but pure rage against 'injustice' and go forth well.
He had no regrets.
Ah, just one thing. Something that weighed on his mind.
'Not being able to take back the gift I gave my mother.'
That alone weighed on his mind.
Could a mother's love for her child become a connecting thread, binding them as one?
Even before the news of Daniel's death arrived, the mother who had lost her child was already wailing.
Who asked you to realize my ideals? When did I ever say I wanted your sacrifice?
Could it be that you, ever so clever, truly failed to grasp the meaning behind this mother's words when she wrapped that scarf she knitted herself around your neck?
"You fool, you wretched fool...!"
What remains for a person who has lost their beloved spouse? What did you think I have been looking at to live this long?
You didn't have to become someone great; I simply wanted you to go on living. Watching my son, my child, grow up and live his life was the joy of mine.
I killed you.
"I am a sinner...."
It felt as if her heart were being torn to shreds. It was so agonizing that having her limbs torn from her body while still alive couldn't be this painful; unable to hold herself upright at last, she collapsed, tears streaming down her face.
You must have thought you'd never once bested me. But you were wrong.
Is the adage that no parent can ever best their child said for no reason? If I could have bested you, I would have made you quit that dangerous Revolutionary Army long ago.
But I ended up losing, watching you move with a face full of life and overflowing ambition, and so I left you be.
"I am a sinner......."
I shouldn't have said such things in the first place. I should have refrained from remarks that might cause you to question the class system, and even if they slipped out, I should have at least stopped you from putting them into action.
The poison I requested from you under the guise of a gift was this mother's final stubbornness. It was for the safety of my son Daniel, which he sought to secure by holding his mother's life hostage. It was only that; and now that even that has failed, what value is there in my life?
"......This mother will follow you shortly."
My child, who has so many enemies—what if he is tormented by vengeful ghosts even in death?
She took out the poison she had once demanded and received from Daniel. Hearing footsteps outside, she tipped it into her mouth without hesitation and swallowed.
Not long after the liquid passed down her throat, drowsiness overtook her. The way sleep washed over her painlessly revealed Daniel's own effort—he could not bring himself to give his mother a false drug—and with a faint smile, she closed her eyes.
'Did you think a mother wouldn't know her own child's thoughts?'
He was a child she had carried in her womb for ten months and raised with love. As a mother who had anxiously watched his every step, his thoughts were all too obvious.
He must have intended to entrust this mother to the next leader after his own death. He probably spoke of it already. The sound of those urgent footsteps was proof of it.
"......But hyung asked me personally to look after his mother. Even if I put things off a little, I ought to visit her in person, apologize, and serve her."
The footsteps halted in front of the door.
Knock knock.
"It's Paul, an acquaintance of Daniel. May I come in?"
"......."
"......Why no answer... Madam? Are you there?"
"......."
"Madam?"
"......."
"......I'm coming in!"
BANG. The door swung open. The momentum, as if he were about to rush in, faltered—it seemed he had spotted her with her eyes closed.
"......Iram, fetch a doctor."
"H-huh?"
"Hurry!"
A buzzing, distorted voice—as if submerged in water and thick with urgency—rang out.
What use was it to entrust herself to an organization without her son? As time passed, it was obvious her presence would become a troublesome burden they couldn't bring themselves to discard.
'Our son, so soft-hearted to the very end.......'
It seemed he was planning a fresh start, yet here he was, leaving behind this remnant of the past.
──That was the last thought she had.
[Side: I Shall Protect You Even in Death]
The revolution of the Revolutionary Army must not succeed. Because Deon was under the current Emperor's protection and patronage.
But he could not lead the Duke to victory either. Because the Duke sought to kill Deon.
The Revolutionary Army and the Duke alike—both presented a situation where they would cause Deon Hart harm.
So he calculated.
Click. Tap.
Chess pieces moved back and forth. Thick-knuckled fingers, long and graceful, grasped the pieces of both sides and shifted them in turn.
Green eyes whose depths were unreadable watched on as the pieces moved without rest.
A black piece attacked a white one. The white piece struck back and devoured the black one just as fiercely. A black piece drove out a white piece and took its place, only for another white piece to push it away and occupy the square again.
Tap.
"Checkmate."
The leader was dead.
Cruel picked up the black king, which sat on the square of death, and rolled it in his hand. His green eyes, as if deep in thought, took in the chessboard where the war had ended.
The victor was White, but judging solely by the pieces remaining on the board, Black held the advantage. Unlike White, who had lost the majority of its operational forces, Black had only lost a portion of its pawns.
The Revolutionary Army, which had lost its head but retained its main strength.
The Duke, who had lost forces but retained his head.
These two had to be pitted against each other. It would be best if they completely self-destructed, but since that wouldn't happen, it was better to calculate things so that the blow was as massive as possible. If a situation arose where both were too busy putting themselves back together to even glance at Deon, it would be a success.
From the moment he had stepped onto the tightrope of psychological warfare with the Duke, Cruel had been prepared for death. It was a lifeline that could snap at any moment without surprise—why would he simply wait with folded hands for Deon Hart to die of natural causes?
He moved as if he would live only for today, and precisely because of that, he had his eyes on the far future.
'I must find a way for that child Deon to be safe even after I am dead.'
A future where Cruel himself was dead and gone.
Looking at the way the era was turning, true safety would be difficult; he had to at least clear away some of the countless hazards on the child's path forward. Thus, he put his mind to work.
The demon realm was beyond his reach, so he detached his gaze from it cleanly. He fixed his eyes on the Empire and searched for the greatest threats to the child.
'The Duke... and the Revolutionary Army.'
The Duke alone was more than enough trouble, but on top of that, the Revolutionary Army.
The bleakness was fleeting. Daniel was the leader of a single organization called the Revolutionary Army, and the Duke was a seasoned politician who rivaled the Emperor himself. It was a relationship where they had joined hands for their respective interests, not bound by promises based on affection or trust.
The calculation was quick.
'Didn't I hear that the Revolutionary Army leader's mother was in poor health?'
An investigation revealed she was even coughing up blood.......
He hesitated for a moment, reminded of his own frail younger sibling, but soon resumed his thoughts.
'They say the leader still doesn't know that fact.'
He'd heard that all the revolutionaries attending her had kept their mouths shut at his request. But there would be limits to that. It was certain to come to light someday.
The psychological shock the leader would receive then was obvious without having to see it.
He gave the order.