I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 163

Became a Genius of the French Royal Family Chapter 163: No Confidence (163/355)

< No Confidence >

Emotions dramatically surfaced on Chartres’ face, who had been in an almost detached state, having given up on everything.

Frankly, anyone would react that way if they had been manipulated for nearly 10 years.

What if you toiled in the lab for 10 years, only to find out that your professor never intended to approve your thesis from the start?

You’d probably smash his head with an ashtray and send him to heaven.

At this point, even the court would probably give you at least a suspended sentence or an acquittal.

“Still, don’t misunderstand. I anticipated things ending this way, but it’s not like I was determined to eliminate you no matter what.”

Of course, at first, he intended to exploit Chartres thoroughly and then discard him.

However, as time passed, his mind slightly changed.

It wasn’t because he suddenly understood the heart of a father willing to sacrifice his life for his child… but because Chartres’ abilities were better than expected.

He kept having lingering feelings that if he could completely suppress his ambition and make him loyal, he would be a valuable asset.

You could call it a collector’s desire.

No matter what, it was difficult to simply cut off talented individuals with exceptional abilities.

In that light, this incident could also be seen as a way to sever the lingering attachments that had been holding me back.

“Now, it’s almost time. Tomorrow, you’ll be transferred to Versailles, and after the rebellion is suppressed, you’ll be brought to trial. If you have anything you want to say or are curious about, speak now.”

Chartres, who had been frowning and staring blankly, suddenly came to his senses and opened his mouth.

“…From my perspective, no matter how I think about it, I don’t understand. Wasn’t it before the American Revolutionary War that Your Highness ascended to the title of Duke of Orléans? Did you know from then that the class conflict in France would explode and the commoners would go crazy?”

“That’s right.”

“No, that doesn’t make sense… If that’s possible, it’s no longer in the realm of wisdom or intuition.”

“Not even in the realm of humans,” Chartres added, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“You and I have different perspectives on the world. It’s no exaggeration to say that there’s a fundamental difference that can’t be bridged.”

“Hoo… I see. If I had known that from the beginning, I could have suppressed this vain ambition, but it’s a pity.”

Chartres smiled self-deprecatingly and held out his empty glass.

“Since it’s my last journey, I’d like to drink some expensive wine to my heart’s content. Would that be alright?”

“Of course.”

“By the way… In situations like this, offers to spare my life if I pledge allegiance often come up, but does that not apply to me?”

“No. I don’t believe in empty words. What proves a person’s character is not words, but actions. It’s regrettable, but I gave you enough opportunities. Do you perhaps think I’m being harsh?”

“…No. It’s too late for me to beg to be spared in an unsightly manner. I was out of line to try to compete in wisdom with someone like Your Highness from the start.”

Within Chartres’ mind, I seemed to have solidified as an extraordinary human being who he should never have dared to oppose.

However, looking at it coldly, the gap between me and Chartres wasn’t that great.

If we were to look purely at intellectual level, there wouldn’t be such a big difference, no matter who was higher or lower.

However, as I said, my perspective on the world is different from not only Chartres but anyone else in this world.

Moreover, I know most of the major events that will inevitably happen in the future.

The decisive difference between Chartres and me was right here.

No matter how smart and knowledgeable you are, how can you predict the paradigm of ten or twenty years from now?

No matter how plausible the reasoning, what a person can foresee is only about a year or two ahead.

Especially not in a turbulent era like now, when Europe is transitioning to modern times.

Looking back, this rebellion can also be seen as an extension of that.

I already know that the unsolvable financial problems and the accumulated dissatisfaction of the bourgeoisie [middle class] and commoners will explode.

And the nobles who think, ‘Surely, even if I think so, the commoners wouldn’t really dare to unite and rebel, would they?’

It is fundamentally impossible to bridge this gap in perception.

Although there have been many changes and the detailed flow has changed, the major currents of history do not change easily.

This difference in perception will surely be my greatest asset in the future.

Even if I just use my head for a moment, there are many opportunities to profit in the future.

For example, China.

Currently, most European countries recognize the Qing dynasty as the strongest country in the East that cannot be easily touched.

Of course, when the Qing dynasty was at its peak in the past, it was more powerful than any country in Europe.

Even now, the potential emanating from a population of over 300 million was better than that of the European powers.

But the problem is that the corrupt officials and the imperial family, rotten to the core, cannot draw out even 10% of this great nation’s capabilities.

Until the Opium War broke out, the European powers did not properly recognize the decline of the Qing dynasty.

At this point in time, I am the only one who knows all these facts.

When that time comes, the people who used to say that the Qing dynasty was a sleeping lion of the East will be looking at me with the same face as Chartres.

“Anyway, Duke Chartres, I also quite enjoyed the mental game with you. As compensation, though it may not be much, I will take measures to ensure that you can close your eyes comfortably without pain until the last day you go.”

“…Thank you.”

After confirming that Chartres’ glass was empty, he gestured, and soldiers approached Chartres.

Standing up from his seat, he turned back to this side before following the soldiers out.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked with an awkward smile.

“This seems like it will be the last question of my life, so I will ask one last time. You said that you enjoyed the mental game with me… Was I good enough to be considered a worthy opponent to Your Highness?”

It seemed that this was the question Chartres wanted to ask the most.

Even though he was embarrassed to ask such a thing himself, he was watching for the right moment until the very end.

I understood what kind of psychology he was in.

Even if you know that the other person is an unbeatable strongman, you still want to hear things like, ‘You lost, but you fought well.’

Duke Chartres, Louichristian, winner of the Rival d’Or award! [A fictional award, implying Chartres was a worthy rival]

Would he be satisfied if I said something like that?

After thinking for a moment, I came up with a suitable answer and nodded.

“Yes. If I had to fight someone like you before I established my foundation… I probably would have died about three times.”

By my standards, this is a sincere compliment.

However, Chartres stared blankly with wide eyes, and then burst into laughter.

“Keukeuk, what is that strange expression? Dying is dying, how can a person die three times?”

No. It’s possible, that…

Still, perhaps my sincere compliment was conveyed even a little, Chartres, who had been laughing for a long time, turned around with a satisfied smile.

“Anyway, it seems that I was someone with that much ability. I feel relieved.”

With that, Chartres was led away by the soldiers and disappeared from my sight.

Goodbye, Chartres.

You were an interesting opponent until the very end.

※※※

“Your Highness. I have finished all the work as ordered.”

Napoleon, Lan, and Davout, who entered as if replacing Chartres, sat in the empty seats in front of me.

Having taken off their military uniforms and changed into suits, they seemed a little excited, perhaps because they were aware that they had made some achievements.

“But is it really okay to spare Marquis Lonnay?”

“I said that if he tells me everything he knows, I will spare his life, so I have to keep my promise.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like that guy will be a threat even if he’s spared.”

Davout, whose battle with Marquis Lonnay was so anticlimactic, unusually made a scathing assessment.

In fact, Napoleon and Lan had expressions that were not much different from Davout’s.

They expected a fierce battle to suppress the rebellion, but they probably didn’t expect it to end so easily.

“Alright, gentlemen. Still, don’t be too relieved as not everything has been finished yet. According to Marquis Lonnay, the number of nobles who agreed to cooperate with Chartres was higher than expected.”

Now that they have decided to lend a hand to the rebellion, their only option left is to revolt.

Since they have already expressed their intention to cooperate with the main culprit of the rebellion, they cannot avoid the guillotine ending even if they pretend not to know.

Perhaps if Marquis Bellile plausibly instigates them once, those driven into a corner will raise their troops in droves.

There were even general-level officers among the group who plotted treason, so I could guess the scale to some extent.

“Your Highness. Perhaps Your Highness is thinking of purging all the nobles with this opportunity…”

“Davout, I know what you’re worried about, but that’s a foolish question. Everyone here except Lan is of noble birth. And that’s no exception for me either. But if I were to wipe out all the nobles, I would have to blow my own head off first, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes. I apologize for asking a pointless question.”

“There are three main purposes for letting Marquis Bellile go this time.”

The first is to clearly distinguish between the nobles who will side with us and those who will not.

To carry out reforms, that much financial resources are needed, and funds are ultimately needed to reward the nobles who follow me.

If France was really a country short of money, it would be an unsolvable problem, but this country boasted the highest level of wealth in Europe when it came to its assets.

In other words, it’s not that the country doesn’t have money, but that there are too many thieves.

If I had to express it, wouldn’t the noble word redistribution of wealth be more appropriate than a purge?

And the second is to make my confidants heroes who suppressed the rebellion and give them positions befitting that.

I had told them about this in advance, so they easily understood.

“Of course, I am aware that it is not a very moral method in that the blood of our own people will inevitably flow. But in reality, the damage to ordinary soldiers will not be that great.”

“I think so too. After all, the ones who will have their heads cut off are the nobles who started the rebellion, not ordinary soldiers. If we win the first battle overwhelmingly, all the soldiers will run away.”

As Lan said.

The morale of the hastily gathered troops will cleanly evaporate with one defeat.

And if we achieve such a great victory, the fame of the children of Orléans will soar through the sky.

That was the third reason for letting Marquis Bellile escape.

No matter how much Napoleon and the next marshals have built up their achievements so far, it happened in the remote American continent.

It’s not just a matter of simple achievements, but most European countries, as well as the French themselves, do not properly recognize our power.

If we ambiguously strike down the nobles and a bloody storm of purges blows, the surrounding European countries will predict that France’s power has been greatly reduced.

It’s not good to be overrated in the international community, but being underrated is a poison that can’t even be compared to that.

So, at this moment when all the European dynasties are watching with unprecedented interest, we must show our strength.

We will instill the conviction that France will not be shaken at all by this level of rebellion, but will rather become much stronger.

From the moment this rebellion is suppressed, all of Europe will not be able to take their eyes off the names of Napoleon and the next marshals of France.

“But, Your Highness.”

Napoleon, who had been listening to my words quietly, suddenly put down his silverware and asked.

“As the number of nobles who participated in the rebellion is quite large, the number of troops they will raise will surely be greater than ours. We didn’t bring all the troops from Nouvelle-France [New France, a former French colony in North America], but only about half.”

“It’s realistically impossible to bring all the troops. I thought that would be enough for you guys, but is there a problem?”

“No. I was wondering if you were going to bring in additional troops. I’m relieved to hear that you’re not.”

It’s not just a problem-free level, but rather relieved?

This is a slightly unexpected answer.

Perhaps guessing my feelings that I wanted him to give me additional explanations, Napoleon continued nonchalantly.

“Wouldn’t we have to achieve a great victory under these conditions to receive a proper evaluation?”

Ah… Is that so?

It was a word that felt incredibly chuunibyou-ish [a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur], but because the person speaking was Napoleon, it felt incredibly trustworthy.

As expected, the feeling is so different depending on who the speaker is, even if it’s the same word.

Looking at the three people in front of me and Massena and Berthier, who would be coming up from the south, I felt so reassured that I felt full even without eating.

Frankly speaking, I had no confidence that I would lose, not just to the rebels, but even if I were to go to war with any country in this world right now.

No confidence.

End of < No Confidence >