Do Your Own Revolution

#026.

“…Huh? What did you say?”

“I said I refuse.”

Ah, I know that expression well.

It was the typical expression of someone experiencing rejection for the first time in their life.

“Y-Young Lady Mari? My sincerest apologies, but Young Master Eugene is currently studying…”

“Maybelle, be quiet for a moment!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.”

Maybelle, who was standing beside her, tried to smooth things over, but even that didn’t work.

By the way, Mrs. Maybelle? You were freely throwing harsh words at me just earlier about having ‘no basics’ and ‘no proper education,’ but now you’re as meek as a lamb in front of the young lady?

‘Well, she’s not a completely bad kid though.’

I recalled Mari’s first request to me.

She had proposed to help me with my lacking studies if I would teach her magic.

Rather than a one-sided order, she had proposed a somewhat reasonable deal.

In this world’s context, that alone would put her in the top 10% of nobility in terms of character.

It seems Major General Keiren has done a solid job raising our precious child.

And look at her now.

Her face is bright red like she’s about to explode, but she’s still trying her best to hold it in.

“Eugene. She’s weird. Her face is really red.”

“She’s experiencing and enduring rejection for the first time in her life. Watch her with warm eyes.”

“…Eugene’s words are too difficult.”

While I was having such a casual conversation with Irene who was hiding behind my back.

“Huff…”

Mari, who had finished her intense internal struggle, managed to suppress her boiling anger.

Compared to other noble children her age, it was an remarkably mature attitude.

“Why, why…?”

She asked me with a forced smile while suppressing the anger seeping from her face.

“Because I don’t want to teach you.”

“Hey–!”

She exploded the moment she heard my answer.

Well, she did well to hold out that long.

While giving her three mental claps, I asked Mari a question.

“First, let me ask you something. Young lady, you don’t really need to learn magic from me, do you?”

“Huh, what?”

Buckenheim holds the first seat among the Empire’s 12 great magic houses.

If Keiren wanted to teach his daughter magic, he could have lined up the Empire’s finest professors to teach her.

“If you’re seeking me out instead of a magic instructor, doesn’t that mean Major General Keiren hasn’t given permission?”

“Ugh.”

“How can I do something the Major General has forbidden? Give up.”

When I said that, Mari hung her head low as if at a loss for words.

Her hands were trembling, and it seemed like she might cry if pushed any further.

“Young lady. Usually, if you can avoid joining the military, it’s better not to join. While other noble children would be making a fuss about not wanting to join, you should consider this a good opportunity…”

“No!”

Mari shouted and said through her tears.

“I… I want to be a soldier…!”

“…”

“I’ll become a soldier… and crush all those who bully and bad-mouth my papa!”

“Hmm?”

Bully?

As I wondered about that word, Mari spoke as if she had expected this reaction, sniffling.

“You, do you know how amazing my papa is?”

“Well…”

A villain who constantly tormented the protagonist and Revolutionary Army throughout the late game.

A master of defensive warfare who could only be defeated through aerial infiltration and assassination because he was impossible to overcome through strategy and tactics.

And the Empire’s final guardian.

That’s about all I know.

“All the soldiers on the Eastern Front know my papa! They call him a hero!”

Hero.

It was a title quite different from the Keiren I knew, but it wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

The Empire’s eastern plains, infested with large monster habitats.

It was Keiren’s 72nd Division that was personally holding back the monsters pouring out from that contaminated land.

“But whenever papa returns to the main family, people whisper everywhere. They insult him, calling him a fool who couldn’t awaken magical power.”

“Ah.”

Only then did I realize why Keiren belonged to the Imperial Army rather than the Knight Order, and why he didn’t participate in the succession race for the Buckenheim duchy.

The third son of a magic noble family, born without magical power.

It was obvious how the family would have viewed him.

“But I have magical power! The doctor said I could become a really powerful mage with training. So…!”

“You want to become a mage in Major General Keiren’s stead, and achieve military accomplishments to raise Major General Keiren’s honor. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, that’s it! Exactly that!”

When I helped finish her thought, Mari answered excitedly.

A daughter wanting to join the military for her father who is despised by his family, and a father trying desperately to keep that daughter away from the battlefield…

It was truly a heartwarming father-daughter relationship, but sadly, I couldn’t just watch them warmly.

‘In the original game, the character Mari isn’t mentioned at all. In other words, this child is a character who will disappear before the main story begins.’

Mari, who proudly declares her dream of becoming a soldier.

Her vanished traces, without leaving any mark.

And Keiren’s endless hatred toward the Revolutionary Army in the original story.

As I alternately recalled these things, I could guess how this father and daughter’s fate would unfold.

“You understand now? So hurry and teach me magic…”

“No.”

Five years until the main story begins.

Within those five years, probably…

“Absolutely not.”

…this child will be killed by the Revolutionary Army.

***

The first meal with all four family members gathered.

Perhaps because the Major General himself was attending, the dining table was even more abundant than usual.

“Nom… nom…”

“Eat slowly, Irene. You’re getting food everywhere.”

“Okay!”

“You should swallow before answering.”

“Okay!”

Am I eating dinner or raising a child right now?

Irene holding her fork and knife in both hands to cut her steak, and me wiping her mouth.

And Mari, gritting her teeth while staring intently at me.

For the first family meal together, the atmosphere was quite chilly.

“…Mari. Why are you suddenly so angry? Did Eugene do something wrong to you?”

“Wh-What? I’m not angry! Eugene didn’t do anything wrong to me at all!”

When Keiren asked that, Mari pretended not to know anything.

“Right, Eugene?”

She probably wants to keep what happened during the day a secret.

While teaching Irene how to use a fork and knife, I casually played along.

“Yes. Nothing happened.”

“Which means, something did happen during the day.”

When Mari blurted out what could be ‘Phobos Magazine’s #1 line spoken by angry women,’ Keiren gave a bitter smile as if giving up.

“I won’t ask what happened. However, I won’t tolerate fighting between siblings. You understand, Mari?”

“Yes~”

“Good. As long as you understand.”

Well, at least she listens well.

Keiren smiled contentedly at his daughter and began to focus on the meal before him.

He probably thinks it’s just a minor quarrel that happened while the children were playing.

“Come to think of it, Mari. An invitation came for you from the Elcidore family.”

As if trying to change the chilly atmosphere, Keiren waved an ornate letter in his hand.

“An invitation? From Elcidore?”

Looking at Mari’s reaction, it seems the tension has mostly passed.

Major General Keiren smiled at this and said to Mari.

“Count Elcidore’s funeral ceremony will be held three months from now. It’s an invitation asking you to attend and grace the occasion.”

“W-Wow!”

As he said this, Keiren listed the attendees of the funeral ceremony.

From the Nachtval duchy’s special envoy to the heads of each noble family, and even a parade of knights from each noble house.

Most importantly, Keiren and Mari had been selected to lead the delegation from the Buckenheim duchy.

‘…This is becoming more and more similar to the original story.’

However, from my perspective as I overheard the details, this funeral ceremony three months from now was deeply concerning.

‘While regular noble families are sending their heads directly, the magic nobles are adjusting their level of participation by just sending delegations.’

The true significance of the funeral ceremony isn’t to mourn the deceased Lupeon.

The real significance is that this will be the Emperor’s first public appearance since his coronation ceremony.

This funeral ceremony has become a venue for announcing the Emperor’s existence to the entire Empire and sorting out the subtle relationship between the Imperial family and magic nobles.

‘Not only the elder nobles buried in their territories, but delegations and mourning parties from various countries will visit to have an audience with the Emperor. There couldn’t be a better opportunity for politicians…’

In such a situation, only the heads of magic noble families were keeping their distance from this huge event, merely maintaining appearances.

They were barely saving face by sending expendable third sons or branch family members as mourning delegations.

It was chilling how the current situation was flowing in exactly the same pattern as the original game.

“Then we’ll have that too, right? The soldier uncles’ parade! I want to see that!”

“Hahaha, then we’ll need to get you a new dress. Right, Mari?”

“Yes!”

Mari’s expression brightened at the prospect of visiting the capital after so long.

However, even while smiling at his daughter, Keiren’s gaze remained fixed on the invitation.

‘Keiren must sense something suspicious too.’

His years of military experience seemed to be warning him of something.

If Keiren has similar thoughts, I shouldn’t hesitate anymore either.

“Major General Keiren.”

Having finished my thoughts, I called out to Keiren with a serious expression.

“Eugene. I told you to call me father.”

“…I’ll do so when I get used to it. But more importantly.”

Just as when suggesting operations at the Knifehead, I spoke while looking into Keiren’s eyes.

“For this upcoming funeral ceremony, would it be possible for me to attend as well?”

“…You?”

Keiren’s eyes narrowed at my request.

You want to go to Elcidore’s funeral ceremony?

Really?

To his questioning gaze, I slowly nodded.

‘The funeral venue is practically guaranteed to be infiltrated by the Revolutionary Army.’

‘We’ll need to extract Young Lady Mari when the opportunity arises, won’t we be short on manpower?’

When I spoke in a quiet voice so Mari couldn’t hear, Keiren nodded as if seeing the point.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

“Thank you.”

When Keiren gave his permission, I bowed my head, and Mari looked at me with a sullen expression.

“Lord Keiren.”

As dinner was nearing its end.

Butler Walter, who had entered through the dining room door, spoke to Keiren with a respectful gesture.

“Word has come from the family members who will be accompanying the delegation. They say they will oversee the funeral ceremony preparations from this mansion, and wish to stay here during that time…”

“Ugh.”

The nobles of House Buckenheim who would head to the imperial capital with Keiren.

When she heard they would be visiting, Mari’s face scrunched up about three times more than when dealing with me.

“Let them do as they please. It’s not like we have the right to refuse anyway.”

Keiren also didn’t seem very pleased, but he waved his hand as if there was nothing he could do.

Come to think of it, this mansion belongs to the family, not an individual.

What a pitiful situation for the third son who’s just living here.

“Isn’t it nice to meet your relatives after so long?”

I approached Mari, who was irritated to the point of bursting, and asked.

Mari recoiled as if I had said something absurd.

“Nice? What’s nice about it! Everyone in the family is stupid! They’re bad people who say mean things to my papa!”

Hmm. Good. Friend or foe identification complete.

Everyone except Keiren and his subordinates are enemies, it seems.