Mage? Magic Engineer!

That night, the organization calling itself the "Citizen City Hall," which had successfully occupied the municipal building, reached an agreement with the Royal Family. They accepted King Albert Ludwig’s reform plan but insisted on not surrendering the City Hall they had shed blood to take, demanding it be converted into the Bayern Senate.

At the same time, the post and telegraph offices under the control of the "Citizen City Hall" sent telegrams to Newren, Wertzburg, and Kempson. They broadcast the King’s full declaration, calling on all regions to end the turmoil, negotiate with the original City Hall administrations, and prepare for the first Senate election.

In Lansite, the First Legion and the Special Zone forces, locked in a tense standoff, each received orders from their respective superiors to withdraw. The First Legion immediately marched for the capital, Munich. Learning that the regular army could arrive at any moment, most of the rioters either dispersed or reached agreements with the City Hall. The entire night passed amidst the anxious glow of fires.

The surprise came the following day. Citizens who had been shut in their homes finally received the news: the King had compromised. However, the various groups involved in the movement held different ideals and demands, and a second wave of discontent erupted.

In particular, the pro-Republic factions with close ties to Valois mobilized once more. This time, they had obtained guns and ammunition from the armories. They proactively blockaded the streets near the workshops and the university, posturing as if they were prepared to resist the First Legion to the bitter end.

The "legitimate" coalition, formed by the Citizen City Hall and the old City Hall, called out to the dissatisfied youths and workers, urging them to see the situation clearly and avoid further pointless sacrifices.

"Fuck you! You betrayed the workers!" "Get lost, you lackeys of the King!"

The first insult was directed at the Citizen City Hall; the second was aimed at the representatives from the old City Hall.

The would-be "peacemakers" all scrambled away from the block, because the impulsive youths actually raised their guns and fired. They didn’t care about their aim, or whether their target was a local dignitary or an office worker—all that mattered was that they dared to shoot.

"They’re a bunch of lunatics! The army should just blast them to bits with cannons!" The envoys, having barely escaped with their lives, all agreed that this was no job for a human being. But the newly-formed "legitimate" coalition had to bite the bullet and find a solution. With the overall situation in Munich now stable, they needed to prove their competence before the army stepped in.

Otherwise, the people holding power today would never be trusted with seats in the Senate.

The localized chaos continued until nightfall. University students are natural night owls, and their frenzied excitement carried them deep into the evening. They began to plan a nocturnal operation. The City Hall issued a curfew, citing the need to prevent spies sent by Valois from infiltrating the capital to cause destruction and threaten public safety and property.

’They issue a curfew, so we’ll launch a night operation. We’ll take down both the new and the old lackeys at once!’ Such was their plan.

Deep in the night, when the Security Team lookouts were dozing off and yawning nonstop, the students moved out in groups. They planned to retake the telegraph office. According to a reliable tip from a "mysterious source," Bayern’s telegraph network had a direct line to Valois. They intended to pledge their allegiance to the Republic and request support, letting the "Beacon of Reform" know that a Fire Seed was burning in Bayern, too!

Then, the people leaving the block were struck by something unknown. The world instantly started to spin, and they would stumble as if stepping into nothingness even on flat ground. At the same time, it felt as though a giant hand had seized their stomachs and squeezed hard, causing everything sour and salty inside to come spewing back up.

This was a classic case of plans failing to keep up with new developments. "Guaranteed-to-Vomit" Scrolls from the Special Zone had been delivered by the truckload during the day. Now, every member of the Security Team was carrying five of them.

HEEAVE—HUUURL...

Some scrolls were used to precisely target the "diehards," while others hit teammates in cases of friendly fire. There were even people who didn’t know about the curfew or hadn’t made it home in time. In short, everyone on the streets was vomiting uncontrollably, writhing and slipping in the filth. It was the first time the Munich Security Team had ever used such a wonderful thing as a Scroll. It’s just... the effect was utterly disgusting.

On that sweltering night, the sharp, sour stench of vomit permeated the entire city, which went down in Bayern’s history as the "Night of Vomit." This memory also had two lasting side effects:

In order to keep working, the Security Team members all tore off scraps of cloth to cover their faces, and from that day on, "cops" in Bayern were also known as "the Masked." Furthermore, any Bayern who traveled to the northern Empire thereafter would gag at the smell of sauerkraut.

By dawn, the dust had settled. Munich, at least, had returned to a state of calm, with only horse-drawn water carts shuttling back and forth, endlessly washing the streets. The commander of the First Legion, the Crown Prince, was ordered to assume the King’s duties while the King was away from Bayern visiting the Empire. In effect, he was stripped of his direct command over the legion.

In Newren, things passed rather uneventfully. The City Hall there miraculously managed to control the situation without relying on the army. Of course, the city was never at the heart of the political struggle to begin with. The chaos there lacked any powerful driving force; much of it was stirred up by Manor Lords and farmers trying to get out of paying this year’s taxes. Once they saw that Munich had quieted down, they immediately dispersed.

After Elizabeth left Wertzburg, Amelia no longer had a powerful Mage protecting her. Bart rushed over in a panic, only to be astonished to find his darling wife sitting at the head of the negotiating table.

The division in Wertzburg was even more severe than in Munich. As both a university city and a city of wine, it had ample supporters for both the Empire Faction and the pro-Republic faction. It was common to find parents and children in the same household holding opposing political views.

Yet, there was one person who stood apart. Her royal birth earned her the approval of the Royal Family’s supporters. Her marriage to the heir of the Balderom Chamber of Commerce won her the favor of the great merchants. And her youth, combined with her disregard for the prejudices of bloodline in "marrying down" to a commoner, made her immensely popular with the younger generation. The reputation Bart had built in Wertzburg as its Town Mage had, in a way, been inherited by his wife, Lady Bart, following his transfer.

Moreover, her grand wedding had been held in Wertzburg, representing the city’s last memory of glory, prosperity, and beauty.

Princess Amelia thus became the delicate stitch binding three factions that could all, somehow, accept her. When she bravely stepped forward amidst the chaos to call for restraint and negotiation, her image of courage and composure quickly captured the hearts of Wertzburg’s citizens.

The media had already begun to build momentum, sparking heated debates about whether she, as a woman, could run for election, and if she could represent the northern electoral district of Bayern, with Wertzburg as its core.

Bart was completely floored. At this rate, the chances of him becoming the husband of the first female parliamentarian in the continent’s history were higher than his own chances of becoming one.

Second Prince Otto had not left his rooms since the banquet.

"They say the Second Prince’s mental state is somewhat unstable." Hearing this news about Otto, Feuerbach seemed to recall something.

Elizabeth nodded, her expression grim. "The men of the Ludwig Clan have a history of... bouts of madness."

’This...’ Rorschach felt a pang of guilt. After all, when he had first arrived, Prince Otto had been the one most eager to connect with him and had offered his support. He was a sharp, intelligent young man. Compared to his elder brother, who was noted for "excelling in the art of leading troops," Otto was seen as the more promising future ruler of Bayern.

"Maybe I should go visit the Prince..."

Feuerbach shot him a sidelong glance. "You’d best not go and provoke him. When it comes to problems of the mind, Magic either can’t solve them at all, or it solves them... permanently."