Do Your Own Revolution

#046.

“So, are you ready Eugene?”

“Anytime.”

With tense voices, Kyle and I simultaneously looked at a single point.

What the two of us focused our attention on was a single piece of paper in each of our hands.

It was the comprehensive grade report for the second-year midterm evaluation.

“One… Two… Three!”

With Kyle’s countdown, I opened the tightly sealed grade report and-

“Ah, aah…! Aaah…!”

“Kyaaah-!”

I cheered while looking at the contents written on the grade report.

[Eugene Lorentz]

[Class Rank: 1/472]

Perfect scores in all theory evaluation subjects! Solo first place!

This blockhead who had scored 466 on the college entrance exam finally achieved first place with my own strength.

I had broken through the massive wall that was mathematics!

“Eugene!”

While I was marveling at these amazing grades, the main contributor to my grades was running over from a distance.

Erich Eismann.

I just studied according to the plan he taught me, but I really got perfect scores in all subjects.

It wasn’t for nothing that he was called the brain of the Revolutionary Army.

I thought he was a Pokémon but he turned out to be Doraemon!

“Finally did it! Passed the physical fitness test!”

Of course, he hadn’t taught me without getting anything in return.

Looking at Erich’s grade report showing C grades in basic fitness and sparring subjects, I let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad it worked.”

“It’s not just working! I’ve never felt this energetic in my life!”

Erich’s body speaking those words had changed a bit from when we first met.

Though his small frame remained the same, the fat was gone and muscles had formed here and there.

It was the result of pushing him like a hoop over the past few months.

“Thanks Erich! My grades went up because of you!”

“To think they’d go up by 20 ranks, that’s amazing.”

“Yeah! I didn’t fail!”

As the trio who hung out together started clinging to him, a sheepish smile spread across Erich’s face.

Not just helping me but tutoring other kids as well, a ray of light had entered Erich’s school life.

An environment where he received sincere advice and encouragement instead of the contempt and disdain from his peers.

Thanks to that, Erich’s expression was the brightest I’d ever seen it.

To the point where I couldn’t even remember that gloomy face from when we first met.

‘I’ve gathered all the talent I could.’

After somehow getting through that damn inauguration ceremony, I had already become a second year.

Of course, nothing particularly changed just because I moved up a grade.

Theory classes, physical training, sparring, and magical power training.

If anything was different from first year, it was that sleep time was reduced by two hours from the existing schedule.

And one more thing… conflicts between noble and non-noble students had significantly decreased.

“Why, you ask? Isn’t it because of us?”

“Us?”

The one who explained the reason was Kyle, who was watching the freshman initiation from a distance.

“You and I were co-valedictorians in first year. Among us, especially me, Kyle Raikard, heir to the Raikard Count family, personally associating with non-noble students. While the two highest-ranking nobles are doing this, no idiot would dare mess with non-noble students.”

“Ah…”

Personally associating, he says.

It was a truly noble-like self-centered and arrogant statement, but I roughly understood what he meant.

‘Since there’s a powerful third force mixing nobles and non-nobles, the existing noble and non-noble factions are being cautious with each other.’

I looked at Kyle while thinking that.

Looking at how he read this subtle confrontational structure before me, Kyle was no ordinary noble.

Though I don’t know why he suddenly started bragging while explaining why second years don’t mess with freshmen.

And don’t subtly elevate yourself to co-valedictorian.

You’re second place this year, you know?

‘How interesting. Just picking up useful talent regardless of status caused such a butterfly effect.’

While I was thinking that, I shook my head seeing two groups growling at each other behind the dormitory.

“Of course, fundamentally nothing has changed.”

Though they weren’t fighting openly, the animosity between both sides hadn’t decreased at all.

Once I and my friends who ended up becoming a restraining force disappeared, they would soon start fighting each other again.

‘At least no one turned to the Revolutionary Army like our senior class, so I guess that’s fortunate.’

I had no intention of taking any particular action here.

Even if I stepped in things wouldn’t change, and I didn’t particularly want to change them anyway.

My job was to gather useful people from these cracks and quietly slip away.

Class conflict and student power dynamics weren’t my business.

“Eugene. Look over there.”

Meanwhile, Guille who was looking toward the school gate pointed somewhere.

“Isn’t that the instructors?”

“They’re taking all their military gear, doesn’t look like they’ll be back soon.”

“Skipping again? We already have five cancelled classes.”

After the midterm evaluations ended, the school atmosphere became very unsettled.

The Magic Corps mages serving as instructors kept leaving, and the security forces were reduced compared to before.

Moreover, unlike previous years, the break given after midterms was extended to about a week.

Originally it was just one weekend outing.

“Isn’t it strange that the instructors who couldn’t stand seeing us rest are all rushing out like that?”

“Something must be happening in the capital. Something important enough to need all the military academy instructors.”

Listening to Matt and Guille’s conversation, I thought.

Something important enough to pull out all the mages remaining in the capital.

If there was such an important matter in the Empire right now, there could only be one thing.

‘Are they executing the Revolutionary Army members captured during the last incident?’

The Emperor assassination attempt at Lupeon’s funeral ceremony.

The history that should have happened was distorted, and the Revolutionary Army’s operation failed.

They couldn’t easily kill rebels who committed the unprecedented act of attacking the Emperor.

Therefore, the Imperial Family was planning to execute the imprisoned Revolutionary Army members as an example of treason and as bait to lure out the remaining Revolutionary Army.

‘However, exactly what kind of incident could occur remains unknown.’

The game history I knew was distorted at the point when I killed Maximilien and Lupeon.

With even the Emperor surviving who was supposed to signal the start of the main story, what events would unfold from now on was truly unknown.

What kind of butterfly effect would the numerous turning points I created return as… I couldn’t predict no matter how much I tried.

“Eugene!”

As I entered the dormitory room lost in thought, Irene who was waiting for me held out a letter.

“It’s from Lord Keiren!”

“Keiren?”

Asking that, I received the letter Irene handed over.

A letter written with the name of an Imperial Army Lieutenant General and sealed with the Buckenheim seal.

There probably weren’t any bold instructors who would inspect such a letter.

I immediately broke the seal and checked the contents.

[There will be an important event in the Imperial Capital. Keep your schedule open during the break period.]

An important event in the Imperial Capital.

What I had only been guessing became reality.

***

“Woooow…”

Irene looking up at the sky couldn’t close her open mouth.

Bugs will get in like that.

No, what if you eat them after they get in! Spit it out, spit it out! Shoo shoo!

“Good grief… I can’t tell who’s serving who here.”

“She’s just a maid in name. In reality we’re practically family.”

The one clicking his tongue watching me like that was Kyle who followed me here.

He repeatedly massaged his stiff neck, seemingly unable to shake off the tension.

A sharp appearance wearing a cloak, military cap, and even a ceremonial sword.

The two people wearing formal uniforms for ceremonial events passed through the crowded main street and reached the massive Imperial Palace entrance.

“Pass confirmed. Young masters of the Buckenheim and Raikard families.”

“The venue is that way. If you’d like, I can call guards…”

“No, that’s fine.”

After passing through the guards full of fawning attitudes, we got on the elevator.

The elevator slowly ascending with heavy engine sounds.

When we reached the upper level where the venue was located, the magnificent view of the Imperial Capital entered our eyes at once.

“Well, seeing this view, even I would be slack-jawed.”

It was just as Kyle said.

The lower level of the Imperial Capital bustling with people.

At the station installed above it, hundreds of airships were densely docked.

And following that airship fleet were numerous small balloons, and armored trains ascending via elevators.

It was an overwhelming sight as if all technological products created by the Empire were gathered in one place.

“Eugene. Over there!”

Kyle who was poking my side pointed to one spot. A man in luxurious robes was walking with a solemn gaze.

“Magic Noble 10th Seat, Count Drexler. And behind him…”

“The Blue Lance Knight Order. I know without you telling me.”

That wasn’t all.

Rank 8, Count Dvorak’s symphony orchestra.

Rank 12, Margrave Gloucester and his followers.

Duke Buckenheim visible in the distance, his heir Carlos, and the many nobles following them.

Most of the Magic Nobles scattered throughout the Empire were gathered in one place.

“I’m going Eugene! See you later!”

While passing by so many nobles, Kyle who found his family waved and disappeared into the crowd.

I wonder why he’s so nervous.

He’s not even an adopted son like me, he’s just meeting his own family members.

“Eugene.”

While thinking that, Keiren wearing an Imperial Army uniform grabbed my shoulder.

Military uniform rather than ceremonial dress with a shabby trench coat.

Seeing that appearance, it seemed he hadn’t arrived long ago from the frontlines.

“You said it was an important occasion, aren’t you wearing ceremonial dress?”

“Ceremonial dress? You mean that armor covered in medals? I’d rather bring the plate mail decorating my room.”

After substituting greetings with brief jokes, Keiren and I exchanged recent news for a while.

I’m maintaining first place to live up to expectations.

Forget grades, visit home when you get a break. Don’t you feel bad for Mari being alone?

Has the Major General returned?

No. I’ll probably be killed by Mari too when I go home.

While such trivial personal matters continued, Keiren looked at me with subdued eyes and said:

“It’s more like a theater than an execution site. Don’t you think?”

“Yes. It’s completely different from the funeral.”

Hundreds of airships filling the sky, and anti-aircraft guns of armored trains surrounding the Imperial Palace.

The luxurious venue that seemed to be overflowing with money, and the mages filling that venue.

The Revolutionary Army’s execution site was on an incomparable scale to when the Emperor attended.

As if trying to emphasize the difference between Magic Nobles and the Imperial Family.

“Watch carefully, Eugene.”

“…”

“That is the enemy we must face from now on.”

Shortly after Keiren said that.

When a trumpet sound came from the center of the venue, the Magic Nobles who had been in the midst of conversations took their seats.

A moment of silence.

In that silence, people with shackles on their limbs were dragged one by one onto the platform.

The rebels who attempted to assassinate the Emperor.

And prisoners captured through the ‘rebel suppression operation’ carried out over the past 2 years.

“Vark.”

Looking at the man standing in the middle, I muttered his name.

Vark Urgon.

The man who was second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army was sitting on the ground in a haggard state.

“Eugene. Eugene.”

While thinking if this meant the Revolutionary Army would completely disappear,

Irene sitting next to me pulled on my shoulder.

“What is it?”

“Those people over there.”

What Irene’s hand pointed to were the prisoners receiving their sentences.

Looking at them all hanging their heads, Irene tilted her head.

“Why do they have something similar to me?”

“…What?”

Having something similar to Irene?

The Revolutionary Army?