Chapter 286: Half-baked Revolution (1)
‘Time goes so fast.’
No, in fact, if I were to think about it, not much time had passed.
However, it felt like two years had passed. A lot of things around me had changed, so it was not unreasonable to feel like this.
Perhaps it wasn’t just me who felt this way.
‘Charlotte.’
I think she would be feeling the same way.
Of course, speed was the most important thing in this work. Moving in secret was important, but moving fast was even more important.
Before the Republic could intervene.
Before the imperial family could respond in any way.
I had to get ready to blow this thing before Charlotte got anything more up her sleeve.
It was no wonder she also agreed with this idea.
We didn’t say anything to each other, but I agreed to match her actions, and she agreed to move according to my will.
It had been decided to form an implicit alliance.
It was a bit vague if one was to call it sleeping with the enemy, but I was now on her boat, as she said before.
I had united the foreigners, the Pope’s side, and some nobles, and she united the awakened civil representatives and the nobles of her own forces.
Meanwhile, I began to move the imperial people simultaneously across the continent.
Not only did I quickly spread the ideas written on the Sacred Democracy, but I awakened the hidden aspirations within them.
If I were alone, I wouldn’t have been able to get things going so fast.
I thought it would be difficult to enlighten the imperial people, but this idea began to spread from the moment the foreigners settled on the continent.
The current was rising way faster than I imagined.
If she moved to the East, I went to the West, and if she moved to the South, we went to the North.
Was the difference moderate, or more radical?
If I were to think about it, it certainly meant that she was getting on the same page as me.
It was impressive that Charlotte also borrowed the Sacred Democracy. Thanks to this, it was easier for me to assemble the imperial people.
After some thoughts had taken root, the imperial family also began to notice my movements.
While designating Sacred Democracy as a forbidden book, they began digging behind me, and the problem was that the Emperor had appointed Charlotte as general manager of this matter.
The general manager was thinking differently, so there was no way they could catch me. Although there was time to flinch once, the outpost of the revolution had already begun.
Numerous secret societies that Charlotte and I did not intend were created, and they showed their activities to enlighten all imperial people.
Cardinal Basel of the Pope’s side decided to ride on the imperialists’ backs to become the next Pope, and some nobles with whom I was close to also agreed with my plan.
It hadn’t been easy to persuade the nobles. It came to the point that I even thought about getting rid of them if things went wrong. However, Count Castle Rock and Duchess Catherine, feeling tired of the ways of the imperial family, eventually accepted my words.
‘Our power will remain even after the revolution is over.’
Even if a sacred democracy would begin, they would not lose power.
The same went for the nobles, some bourgeois classes, and us foreigners. Rather, I presented a vision that they would gain greater power, so they nodded.
Though they shook their head at the dangers of the real democracy Charlotte wanted, they had no choice but to recognize the benefits behind it. In the meantime, Oscar, who had been picked as the next leader, began working hard to fulfill her responsibilities.
This woman, called a symbol of democracy by some groups, was also one of those who made me feel the passage of time.
Perhaps she had gotten even busier than Charlotte.
It would never have been easy for her to become a symbol of democracy, coming from a maid. The undeniable fact was that she tried harder than anyone else.
It was effective as she followed my words properly.
When I first adopted Alice, I hadn’t been expecting much, but she was surprisingly in line with my set conditions.
As I glanced toward the window, I saw her staring blankly at the sky - a short-haired with a sword worn in her waist.
All she learned was refined swordsmanship, but she achieved results within a short amount of time. Thanks to her hard work that is beyond her talent.
As I quietly called her name, she looked back in a hurry.
In fact, her expression or face itself was not all that different from before. However, the strangely changed vibe, and the emotions reflected in her eyes prove that my plan was indeed the right one.
“Oscar-nim.”
“Ah… Honorary Bishop. You said you’d call me Alice when we were alone.”
“Haha. Yes. I did. I must have been a little bit distracted as we have a big thing ahead.”
“Don’t worry too much, Honorary Bishop. Everything will work out. I will do my best to make your plan come true.”
“Haha. Thank you for the words. And… Thank you so much for sharing this big burden with me.”
“No. You don’t have to say that. Actually, when the Honorary Bishop first called me, I was surprised, but now I feel very happy. I feel a sense of duty for what I am doing now. Yes. I really do.”
“I don’t know what to say as you think so.”
“I’m the one who should say it.”
“Maid Alice, no… Alice -nim, too.”
“No. No! It’s better to call me Maid. I like it better.”
“But…”
“No, please. When there’re only us, please call me like that. If even the Honorary Bishop calls me Oscar… I think… I’ll get a little confused.”
“I understand. If you say so…”
“Come to think of it, did you eat? If you didn’t, I have to hurry to prepare…”
“No. No. It’s fine. Actually, I just came here to make sure that Maid Alice is doing well.”
“Then I’ll serve you some tea!”
It was not bad to be served tea from the symbol of imperial democracy.
This was why I couldn’t hate Alice.
Since she polished various skills under Charlia, the tea had been prepared in an instant. It felt as if all kinds of fatigue were gone by just taking a sip.
“Do you like it?”
“Of course, Maid Alice. Come to think of it. You kept looking outside, so perhaps…”
“Yes. I’m worried if my mother and my younger siblings are doing well.”
“You don’t have to worry. The Blue guild members are already protecting them. If I get into trouble, Alice-nim’s family will be protected.”
“Please refrain from saying that. I don’t want the Honorary Bishop to get hurt. Okay, now… Is it time to leave?”
“Yes. Let’s leave, Oscar-nim.”
“Yes, Honorary Bishop.”
‘Cute.’
The way she bit her lips tightly was cute in her own way.
However, her face started to get serious.
Probably as far as the last part was ahead, she’d have mixed feelings, too.
‘It must have been hard.’
However, it must have been that rewarding.
It felt like I was looking at someone else. I got goosebumps for some reason when I saw Oscar with a stiff expression.
When I opened the door, the first people I saw were Max and Jung Hayan, who both looked very nervous.
I thought they would be nervous since I explained every single day how important this was.
In Jung Hayan’s case, she glanced at this side and inflated her cheeks, so she didn’t seem to like Alice very much.
Of course, Jung Hayan never did like any woman, but as the time spent with Maid Alice was getting longer recently, she’d been feeling under the weather.
‘I have to give her some attention.’
As much as she had endured and worked hard, I had to soothe her after this work was over.
I gently waved, and she smiled in return.
Next to her, Max, the museum manager, was jumping with both arms up as if he’d thought I waved at him. When I sent the signal asking if it was ready, he made a circle with his arm.
Sun Hee-young, Ye-ri, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who I hadn’t seen in a long time, were also present.
Except for the newbies that went to protect Maid Alice’s family, and Cho Hyejin, who was called by Kim Hyun-sung, all the Blue members were gathered.
Of course, democratic fighters ‘Bark Teoku’ and Ahn Ki-mo were still waiting to blend with the imperial people.
It was then that the Maid Alice, no, Oscar stepped to the podium.
‘It’s now beginning.’
It seemed that she had already memorized everything as I saw her speaking without looking at the speech that I’d written.
Charlia, who hadn’t even tried that much, came to mind.
‘She’s a hundred times better. Much more capable. Yes.’
I wanted to focus on the last part of the speech, but I had to head to where Jung Hayan and Max were as I had other work to do.
Lee Jihye spoke to me while I was moving. Her voice pierced through the cries of Oscar and the imperial people.
“It’s beginning.”
“Yes, I guess.”
“I’ve been curious to death, but I can finally see it. I was really curious if, by any chance, Charlotte could calm down the imperial people, because that’s the most important thing.”
“If she can fix the one blow I prepared, I will call Charlotte a god.”
“So, you must be confident, right? Honestly, I don’t mean I don’t understand what you’re thinking… it’s just not very likely to be realized. Historically, it’s not there wasn’t anything that could be called an honorary revolution or a bloodless revolution at all…”
“Wasn’t there one in England?”
“Ohh. The one that made James II exile abroad? That didn’t mean democratization was achieved. It is meaningful that the Bill of Rights was drawn up, but… and I think that one has spilled blood, too. I don’t know if Charlotte knows this, but if she’s taking that as a model, I guess we can say it is. Corrupt, incompetent, and of course, a self-righteous imperial family mixed with religious issues… the people are also complaining.”
“I don’t know much about world history…”
“You don’t need to know. It’s obvious, anyway. Although it has changed a lot, the plan is to recover the imperial people who have risen, release the troops that have been built up, and go with the people to press the Emperor. In the case of the British bloodless revolution, there is a difference that the troops came from outside, but I don’t think it’s that different. It will spill blood, but we can minimize it. That’s a good plan. It’s a good idea… Personally, I don’t think Charlotte is stupid. In fact, I even have respect for her.”
“I didn’t think you would say that, but it’s surprising.”
“Originally, historical philosophers, innovators, and idealists are like her. The example must be different, but would those who have put industrialism to the world, or who have chosen it as a state system, have made that choice because they were stupid? It’s not just those people. Most of all, political idealists are what can be called geniuses.”
“You are right.”
“The problem is why these people fail.”
“I think I know that, too.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a personal thought.”
“If it’s a personal thought, it’s rather welcome.”
“They believed that other humans would also pursue their ideals.”
I was no longer interested in what Charlotte thought, but it was a bit heartbreaking to find out that she believed in the imperial people and those in her camp.
I bet some in her power did not agree with her ideas.
However, what mattered right now was not her internal circumstances, but what route my boat took to its destination.
It had been her who had been running the boat so far, but from this moment on, I would.
At the moment, our Oscar was giving an interesting speech.
I thought it was just the right timing.
“Hayan, Max, release the video.”
We couldn’t watch this good thing alone.
A magical hologram large enough to be seen from outside the window appeared.
The screen created in the air was large enough to be seen by all the capitalists’ imperialists, which revealed Oscar standing in front.
Lee Jihye, staring at the scene blankly, looked at the video in front of her and turned her head toward the hologram that Max was preparing with a rather astonished face.
“W-What is that?”
“What else could it be? This is the video to be released next time.”
“I know that. The question I am asking is… what would the content be?”
“It’s a list of the nobles and their activities going in and out of the black market I run.”
“Y… you’re crazy. Oppa… this is really…”
“Puh-ha-ha-ha-ha.”
“I-I think you went too far. This is… too…”
“Why? Nuna… Do you think that’s too much?”
“No… It’s good. To be honest… I got a little wet.”
I didn’t know what exactly she meant by that, but Lee Jihye’s voice had begun to tremble subtly.
Naturally, I smiled.
I was sure it wouldn’t take too long for the anger of those who were staring at the magic hologram to explode.
Anyone seeing this video with a vested interest would definitely think that way.