SHV 05

Chapter 5

Uninvited Guest (2)

“Tax reform is something we must do. Why should only we be paying taxes? Those people should be made to pay somehow too!”

“And how do you propose we do that? Didn’t the Finance Minister try to improve the treasury by making nobles and clergy pay taxes—only to get dragged into court? The court ruled it illegal and blocked forced collection.”

“They’re all in it together. Aren’t the judges nobles too? Of course they’d rule it illegal—they don’t want to pay taxes themselves!”

“Exactly. That’s why the Estates-General is being convened, isn’t it?”

“But what’s going to change just because the Estates-General opens?”

“Then what do you suggest we do? Sit there and come back doing nothing?”

There were 32 participants in the leadership meeting of the Lechef Party. It wasn’t some classroom meeting, so why was the leadership so bloated? Worse, no one was organizing the scattered opinions into anything coherent—the atmosphere was utterly chaotic.

“Why aren’t you saying anything, Representative Karayan?”

One of the party’s top committee members, Emmanuel Danton, suddenly called me out.

The noisy room fell silent in an instant, and all eyes turned toward me.

“I’ve been carefully listening to everyone’s opinions.”

“Is listening enough? This is a place to share ideas together—please speak more actively.”

Danton clearly wanted me to talk.

I glanced around the room, briefly thinking about how to begin—and also why Danton was so eager to hear from me.

Emmanuel Danton would become the first head of state after the republic was established. Just like his bulldog-like appearance, his personality was bold and aggressive.

He belonged to the radical faction within the party and would later strongly advocate for the king’s execution. He would build a powerful faction of his own and clash sharply with me—since I would oppose executing the king to avoid war with foreign powers.

With that knowledge in mind, I looked at him.

There was curiosity in his expression.

It was clear he wasn’t trying to support me. More likely, he was wary of me—someone who had unexpectedly risen to the leadership.

“It might be good for me to speak, but wouldn’t it be more appropriate to hear Representative Danton first?”

I didn’t fully know what Danton was thinking. And regardless of what I said, selecting the main agenda was the responsibility of the top committee member.

“Hmm.”

Danton exhaled, clearly unsatisfied, and looked around.

At least I’d avoided the worst.

Danton had strong support within the party, making him extremely influential. If I said something completely opposite to his views, it would only make things troublesome for me.

Besides, the first Estates-General would end without any real result anyway.

And more importantly, my mind wasn’t focused on the agenda at all.

It was filled with the mission:

“Dance with a clergyman.”

What on earth did that even mean?

Did I actually have to go find a priest and dance with him?

“Well, if you insist, I’ll speak first.”

Danton responded leisurely, drawing everyone’s attention.

I pushed the mission to the back of my mind and listened.

“It wasn’t the Finance Minister who strongly wanted this Estates-General—it was the nobles. Why? Because they know that under the current voting system, no matter what we say, tax reform will never pass.”

A known issue.

That’s exactly why the Estates-General would end without meaningful results.

Its voting system was bizarre.

For example, if they voted on tax reform:

The First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobility), and Third Estate (commoners) would each vote separately.

If the clergy rejected it, the nobility rejected it, and the commoners approved it—

The final result would be 2 to 1.

The reform would fail.

That’s why the nobles wanted the Estates-General so badly.

“I believe this: we must not shout for tax reform right away. What we should aim for is changing the voting system itself. How many clergy and nobles will even attend? Twenty? Thirty at most. But how many are we? We alone are 32. And the Claude faction will bring similar numbers.”

I nodded as I listened.

I knew where this was going.

A general vote.

“General voting! If we stick to estate-based voting, we have no chance. We must count all votes equally—only then can we win!”

Exactly as expected.

But even after three sessions, the royalists would never accept changing the voting system.

And that would lead to the citizen revolution—

…Wait.

During the revolution, the National Assembly would be formed.

The National Assembly succeeded because the clergy—the First Estate—joined them.

“Dance with a clergyman.”

…Was that what it meant?

But then why was this mission given so early?

“Now then! Since I’ve shared my thoughts, shall we hear Representative Karayan’s opinion?”

After receiving applause, Danton passed the spotlight to me.

“I agree. Otherwise, we won’t be able to do anything.”

“Did you hear that? Even Representative Karayan—arguably the most brilliant among us—agrees! Then we need no other agenda. Only general voting! That is what we must fight for!”

The room erupted into applause and cheers of Danton’s name.

They hadn’t achieved anything—but the room burned with the illusion of accomplishment.

Meanwhile, I stayed cold-headed, watching Danton enjoy the moment.

I already knew he was intelligent—and skilled at showmanship.

But this…

He was even more political than I expected.

I hadn’t expected such a hollow statement to draw this kind of reaction.

Even using me to elevate himself—it was probably all planned.

“Representative Danton!”

A woman suddenly raised her hand.

Her name was Platini Jane Marian—one of the few female characters I had created.

In the novel, she was usually called Madame Marian.

“Oh! Madame Marian.”

Danton responded immediately.

He might’ve ignored others—but not her.

Madame Marian was a bourgeois woman who owned a salon. The party’s moderate faction revolved around her.

Naturally, Danton couldn’t ignore her.

“I understand changing to general voting. But how do you plan to do that? The nobles and clergy aren’t fools.”

Her words instantly cooled the room.

“Indeed. Now that we’ve set the direction, discussing how to proceed is important. Don’t you think so, Representative Karayan?”

Danton, you sly bastard—using me as a shield again.

“Yes, exactly. Wasn’t the plan to decide the main agenda today and then discuss how to implement it?”

I wasn’t going to take that hit directly.

“So it seems, Madame Marian.”

Danton passed my words along without hesitation.

But Marian didn’t look pleased.

“So you’re just throwing out ideas without proposing concrete methods? Are we supposed to figure it out ourselves?”

She remained calm, piercing Danton with a sharp gaze.

It was exactly as I had written her:

Beautiful—and brilliant.

“Of course not. The key to this agenda is you, Madame Marian.”

Danton smiled slyly.

“…Me?”

She frowned, confused.

Others began whispering as well.

But I immediately understood his intention.

Her greatest weapon was her salon.

In her salon, she met influential figures from all walks of life—intellectuals, nobles, clergy.

She knew their strengths and weaknesses intimately.

Danton was trying to use her network—and make it his own.

The more I understood him, the more dangerous he seemed.

“Please share information on nobles and clergy who lack strong backing.”

Just as expected—he said it outright.

His justification was perfect.

If she refused, she could lose her standing in the party instantly—labeled as selfish for withholding information for the greater cause.

But if she agreed, she’d only help Danton shine.

“….”

She couldn’t answer easily.

Just as I expected.

Then—

Was my mission related to this?

If Danton used her information to win over nobles and clergy…

And changed the voting system…

Then the citizen revolution might never happen.

If nobles and clergy paid taxes, the burden on the people would decrease.

Public anger might disappear like bursting bubbles.

That was bad for me.

It meant I’d have to personally sabotage the party’s success.

A sigh escaped me.

If I moved to complete the mission, I’d be branded a reactionary.

Whoever gave me this mission had a twisted sense of humor.

It felt like I was being pushed toward death rather than allowed to live comfortably.

If the story didn’t follow what I had written, it was as if something inside me would reject it.

Bang!

All the lights in the meeting hall went out at once.

“What the—what’s happening?!”

“W-Who did this? Did someone bring a mage?!”

“Why are the lights out?! Turn them back on!”

“Which idiot hired an expensive mage for a prank?!”

“What kind of nonsense is this in a sacred meeting hall?! Stop this at once!”

Darkness fell suddenly, bringing fear.

Even I was caught off guard.

There had been over thirty lamps in the room—

And all of them went out simultaneously.

This wasn’t a simple prank.

Blinding 32 people at once meant someone intended to steal something—

Or harm someone.

There was nothing to steal here.

So that meant—

“—!”

Something cold and sharp stabbed into my side.

The pain was so intense I couldn’t even scream.

But I couldn’t just stand still.

I reached out and grabbed the attacker’s arm.

If they twisted the blade or drove it deeper, it could tear my organs apart.

“Ahhh!”

Some of the members had begun adjusting to the darkness.

Someone screamed after seeing me.

“What is that?! Grab him!”

“Representative Karayan!”

“Don’t let him escape!”

The attacker desperately shook off my grip.

I thought I had him—but my strength was fading from the wound.

My vision blurred.

“Representative Karayan!”

It felt like blood was draining from my body.

My back hit something cold—

I must’ve collapsed.

Someone was shaking my face…

My senses were fading.

Is this… the end?

I’ve only completed one mission…

This feels incredibly unfair…

— To be continued —