Chapter 455: Chapter 452: Valois’s Ambition
"Huh? My turn?" Rorschach hastily swallowed his duck confit, the slick piece of meat forcing its way down his throat. "A pleasure, Geo... Mr. Commissioner of War."
George Jacques didn’t seem to mind. "I didn’t expect you to be so young. Over the past year, our neighboring country seems to have undergone immense changes, and our preliminary investigations all point to a single key figure. We also discovered that you studied at the Tower of Stars for a year."
This Commissioner of War had approached Rorschach to promote his long-advocated proposal: the Sister Republics plan.
With Valois’s recent string of victories, the Republic was on the "last mile" of expelling the Empire Army from its territory. Now, fanatics in both the Mountain Faction and the Conservative Faction were beginning to clamor for exporting the fruits of the great transformation to the entire continent.
Even the Conservative Faction believed that the Valois Army’s initial defeats at the hands of the Empire had been the failure of the Old Kingdom Army. But the National Guard... as long as the Tricolor Flag was flying and they were the ones charging, the Republic’s forces were invincible.
This fantasy of exporting the great transformation to the world (by violent means) gave rise to two seemingly more practical theories:
The first was the theory of natural frontiers: The Republic’s borders should stretch from the northern coast to the Central Mountain Range, and from there to the banks of the Tams River. In other words, they ought to swallow all disputed territories with the Empire, expanding until they reached the natural barriers formed by great mountains and rivers.
The second was the concept of the Sister Republics, for which George Jacques was a fervent supporter and chief proponent. He believed that Valois should support any populace wishing to overthrow their Monarch, especially the States within the Empire, helping them cast off the Emperor’s rule through a similar transformation.
This would not only weaken their enemy but also secure natural allies for the nascent Republic. Valois, of course, would be the "big sister," while the others would be the little sisters, a group that would include the small coastal nations to the south of Valois and the various small States to its north.
Oh, and there was one "super little sister" with the potential to become a powerful ally: Bayern.
In George Jacques’s eyes, the so-called revival of an Evil God on the battlefield was no threat at all—why not just push the front lines into the Empire’s territory and be done with it?
The Commissioner of War delivered a passionate speech, swirling the wine in his glass. This was how he always pontificated in the National Assembly and at club salons. Unfortunately for him, his audience today—the assembled Mages—contained neither supporters to applaud him nor any fierce detractors.
When he had spoken himself hoarse and paused to wet his throat with wine, the only sound in the room was the clatter of cutlery on porcelain.
Fortunately, George Jacques remained unfazed by the awkwardness. He smiled and asked Rorschach, "So, what does Rorschach Mage think of our proposal?"
’He was just rambling on about "exporting the transformation" and the "Sister Republics," all dressed up in pompous language. He’s just using the same slogans on us that he uses on the masses.’
’Pascal and Paul might get swept up in all the passionate, blood-boiling rhetoric, but I’ve seen this playbook before in my past life. Shouldn’t they completely defeat the Empire *before* trying this stunt?’
Rorschach returned the smile. "Sir, could you first answer two questions for me?"
"Please, go ahead."
"First, when will your nation fully reclaim its territory? Second, what does any of what you just said have to do with me?"
George Jacques’s smile and passion remained undiminished. "I can answer both of your questions at once: In Valois, every single citizen feels their fate is inextricably linked to that of the Republic. For that reason alone, I am certain Valois will soon be victorious over the Empire."
"Similarly, from what I understand, your influence on the fate of Bayern, Rorschach Mage, is not to be underestimated. If you can facilitate progress in Bayern, I guarantee that Valois will give both you and the newborn Bayern its utmost support. We will also grant you the title of Honorary Citizen of Valois."
...
「One day later.」
Rorschach and Caroline’s trip down memory lane came to an end. They bid farewell to everyone at the Tower of Stars and opened the Teleportation Gate to Bayern.
With a Great Mage assisting, the return journey was swift and smooth. By the time they emerged from the workshop in the Rorschach Mage Tower, the Teleportation Array on their end was still intact.
For Caroline, everything that had happened since she’d stepped through that damned gate had been both unforgettable and utterly exhausting. Returning to Rorschach’s Mage Tower actually gave her the same sense of relief as coming home after a long business trip.
Here, there was none of the fast-paced research of the Tower of Stars and its Alchemy Department, none of the blood and carnage of the battlefield, and certainly none of the chaos of the Imperial Capital or the heart of the Republic. Everything was peaceful and orderly.
The only thing she didn’t understand was why Rorschach had gone along with that Commissioner of War’s "blank check." "Rorschach, I remember you told Bart and the others that you were trying to get the Special Zone recognized as a Free State within the Empire. But now you want to make Bayern a republic..."
"I’m not powerful enough to change Bayern into whatever I want just by saying it, and neither is that pot-bellied commissioner." Rorschach held out his hands. It wasn’t as if he were playing some grand strategy game where he could just click a button and make a nation transform on a whim.
"He was talking a big game, so I just played along. But the reason I agreed is because I do, in fact, need a little help from Valois... Teacher Caroline, a Wise Man from the East once said, ’People always tend to compromise...’"
Most human traits follow a normal distribution. Magic Talent is one, as is intelligence. And... judging by the experience in Valois, the political alignment of most people tends to be moderate.
Therefore, for the moderates in Bayern, supporting the transformation from a Kingdom into a Free State under the Emperor would seem like a radical step. But if calls to become a Republic were to grow louder, people would suddenly find that remaining under a Monarch’s rule—but one who is far away, allowing them to maintain their independence—is actually a fantastic option.
As if overnight, a flood of pamphlets from their southern neighbor poured into Bayern. The printing quality wasn’t refined, but it was clear enough to show they weren’t pirated copies. At the same time, numerous tabloids began to appear throughout the land, publishing seditious articles.
In the past, this might not have amounted to much. But now, Bayern’s economy outside the Special Zone was looking bleak. Many workshops had shut down, and it was the lean season before the harvest. The people, with their half-empty stomachs, were simmering with anger. In large cities like Munich and Newren, where every street had its beer hall, every beer hall was now filled with crowds engaged in fierce debate.
Their arguments were generally split into two camps. One side believed they should integrate more quickly into the Empire’s system to restore former trade levels. The other waved the pamphlets and papers from Valois, loudly spouting rabid, anti-Monarchist sentiments.
The stark contrast between the war records of the Valois Kingdom and the Valois Republic against the Empire, in particular, became proof of the great transformation’s superiority.
Wertzburg, being a university town, was a stronghold for this latter faction. They had long been following the Republic’s every move with keen interest.
If that were all, it might have been manageable. But the Royal Family and the city governments suddenly realized that the literacy campaign they had run when forming the new army corps had an unforeseen side effect—damn it all, why were the military training manuals and the heretical pamphlets advocating for a republic *both* written in the common tongue?
As summer began, Bayern started to come down with the "Valois sickness." In stark contrast, the Special Zone, where the standard of living was steadily improving, remained exceptionally stable and harmonious—so quiet it was almost unnatural.
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