Mage? Magic Engineer!

Pavel Crook began his speech again, though it was much worse this time, lacking the passionate fervor he’d had in the beer hall after drinking "horse piss."

He stumbled through the speech, assuming she would understand what he was trying to do.

Libusse said scornfully, "So... you lot think the older generation did a terrible job and can’t wait to take their place, believing you can do better?"

"That’s not what the ’National Salvation Alliance’ is about... I’m an exception. For the other members, they could just wait peacefully for a decade or two and take over all the same.

"But, my dear sister, if you paid any attention to what’s happening in the world, you’d know the Empire can’t wait. It doesn’t need a stable, unchanging succession. It needs a massive, top-down revolution!

"This is what the members of our Alliance want, and it’s what the vast majority of the Empire’s citizens are hoping for." He, who should have sounded full of conviction, now spoke with a hint of uncertainty.

"’I don’t pay attention to current events? A massive revolution? The vast majority of the Empire’s citizens?’" Libusse repeated his words as if she’d heard something both laughable and infuriating. After mulling over the three phrases, she scoffed.

"If what you said were true, you wouldn’t be trying to snatch the title of Duke from my father today.

"Go on, make it massive and thorough—turn Pomerania into a republic! Give power to the people.

"If you’re willing to become a figurehead Monarch, a mere statue like in Istani or Bayern, I might just barely respect you for it.

"And if you could turn Pomerania, and the entire Empire, into a place like Valois, then I might actually believe the fine words of your precious Alliance!"

Pavel was completely caught off guard. He hadn’t expected Libusse to know about such things, much less that she would dare to say them. He was at a loss, and the Alliance stormtroopers he had rallied were all watching him.

"Libusse, shut your mouth!" Surprisingly, it was the Duke who panicked first. He had remained silent, afraid of provoking the agitated rebels into opening fire, but he never imagined his own daughter would so relentlessly get under Pavel’s skin.

After all, one man wanted to take the Duke’s title, while the other’s suggestion would mean the end of the Crook Clan entirely. Faced with this, the old Duke Crook actually said:

"Don’t listen to that girl. Pavel, you’re still young. It’s normal to be impulsive. Don’t be rash, don’t be rash.

"Like you said yourself, both the Empire and Pomerania are in turmoil right now. What you’re doing could lead to huge problems.

"We can take this one step at a time. Pavel, become my son! Tomorrow... no, no, no, today! We’ll perform the adoption today and announce you as the heir to the Duke of Pomerania! Call it off, quickly! Guns are unforgiving. If one accidentally goes off, we’re all finished..."

Libusse kept her eyes closed, but now she desperately wanted to open them and see the expression on her father’s face, to see his posture as he pleaded for his life.

True, he was her father—a decent and loving one, at that—but he was also the Duke of Pomerania and the patriarch of the Crook Clan.

Pavel was actually swayed. ’If I inherit the Duchy,’ he thought, ’I could contribute more to the Alliance. No, maybe I wouldn’t even need the Alliance to fulfill my ambitions.’

He wanted to accept the current Duke’s plea but couldn’t bring himself to speak, unsure how to respond. His head was buzzing, as if his blood and thoughts were swirling in a vicious vortex, threatening to tear his skull apart.

In an attempt to ease the tension, Pavel suddenly had an idea. He reached out with a handkerchief, intending to wipe the ghastly bloodstains from his sister’s beautiful face.

But as if she could see his every move, Libusse firmly turned her head away.

A slow, grating sound of a single person clapping echoed through the hall.

"Brilliant! Simply brilliant..."

A bemused smile on his face, Valon approached the family, about to meddle in the domestic affairs of "Pomerania’s First Family."

He stopped and patted Pavel on the shoulder, encouraging him as if he were a subordinate. "You’ve done very well."

His interest, however, was clearly more focused on Libusse. "And this... Miss Libusse, I believe? Your words just now were absolutely brilliant. Please, allow me to be the one to applaud you.

"If you were one of the Bayern people, with your background and insight, you might very well have become the second female senator." Valon’s lips curled into an irrepressible smirk, as if he’d just thought of something hilarious.

Although Libusse wanted to ask who the first female senator was and why Bayern allowed women to run for office, she was more concerned with her immediate predicament. "Who are you? And how do you know who I am?"

Valon feigned surprise. "Oh, Miss Crook! Of course a distinguished guest such as yourself would receive our special attention upon entering Bayern!

"We understood that your past visits in disguise were because you didn’t wish to be disturbed, and we respected your wishes by not receiving you publicly. But how could we dare not protect you? If anything were to happen to you on our soil, would it not be a major incident?

"And I am the one responsible for just such tiresome, miscellaneous affairs. It’s hard work, and to make matters worse, a certain superior of mine couldn’t care less about these trivialities, so it hardly counts as a meritorious deed in his eyes."

Valon shook his head with a woeful expression, but when he stopped, he was once again wearing a bright, professional smile. "Fortunately, my master has now given me an interesting assignment. And your appearance—and your speech—have just doubled the entertainment value."

He clapped his hands, and every stormtrooper in the palace immediately snapped to attention, chambering rounds in their rifles.

Pavel was stunned. ’Since when did the Alliance’s Warriors obey this man’s every command? Wait, are these even Alliance Warriors...?’ From the very beginning, he had never paid any attention to the rank-and-file soldiers, even though he had personally led this unit in the assault.

"Mr. Pavel, I think what Miss Libusse had to say was excellent.

"Since this is to be a great revolution to save the nation, why not be thorough? Why is there still a need for a Monarch from the old system?

"The National Salvation Alliance fired its first shot in Pomerania. I see its purpose is not just to shoot people, but to shatter the old structures. So please, Mr. Pavel, let the revolution begin with you."

"I... I..."

"You will renounce the position of Duke. You will declare that from this day forward, Pomerania will have no more Dukes, no more hereditary rule by the Nobility.

"You will convey your ambition and resolve to the members of the Alliance and its supporters. Our engineers have already repaired the telegraph lines at the post office. And, if necessary, we also have Casters who can use the [Radio Communication Skill]."

He produced a sheet of paper, just as he had with Pavel’s speech. "I’ll have to trouble you to copy this by hand for the historical archives. Your name, along with this document, will be as great as the future Free State of Pomerania."

"No, no..." both Duke Crook and Pavel wailed in unison.

...

The "National Salvation Alliance" uprisings across the land were met with defeat. This was especially true in the Imperial Capital, where a group of noble officers assembled in the square before the Imperial Palace to stage an "armed remonstrance." However, only cannon fire awaited them.

Before being torn in two by lead shot, some of the young lords had actually thought it was just the Emperor firing ceremonial cannons to frighten them.

William II made no official statement, merely allowing the various families to claim and collect the bodies themselves. It seemed this Emperor was learning how to rule; his silence terrified the Nobility into submission.

Just as the Alliance’s movement reached its lowest point, two pieces of heartening news were transmitted across the world by telegraph:

Pomerania, the first member State, had joined the National Salvation Alliance.

Soon after, a second State-level member appeared: Pomerania’s neighbor, Bayern, had also joined the Alliance.