I don't intend to speak much about the person that is Remi Ulyakov.
I've spent so little time with her that I don't really understand what's really going on inside her head.
All I can say is that she was the leader of the Workers' Council, the perpetrators of the Sabbatian Revolution.
She was a mass murderer who acted out of pure goodwill.
"Why are you here? I was very surprised to see your face."
"…Remi, is that you?"
Bern Valou, who unabashedly calls himself a villain, firmly evaluated her as follows:
Remi Ulyakov is "a much more evil person than I am, even if she's not aware of it."
"I'm glad. You've safely returned to your homeland."
"No. I still don't have a homeland."
"Remi?"
But I had forgotten such an important thing.
Ignoring the alarm bells ringing in my head, I casually exchanged words with Remi.
Not grasping the situation, I was simply happy to know that Remi had returned to the Sabbath.
Without understanding why she was here.
"I will now create my homeland here."
With a laugh, Remi Ulyakov answered my puzzled face with an enchanting smile.
***
In conclusion, my position at this time was that of a prisoner of war.
Having been shot by a soldier of the Workers' Council, I received first aid and was placed in a medical facility.
Because I was detained, I was not considered a "remnant of the government forces."
They probably thought I was a female soldier who was captured while trying to betray the government forces due to my military uniform.
It seems they treated me to interrogate me, thinking I might have some important information.
However, when Remi Ulyakov came to visit the field hospital…
She saw my sleeping face and suddenly remembered me.
"Oh, my goodness. This girl is my close friend."
"Lady Remi…?"
"Please, take this child to my room."
It seems that my conversation with Remi had a significant impact on her.
Apparently, Remi had taken me to her room and waited for me to wake up.
"It's good to see you again, my little medic."
"Th-Thanks. You can just call me Touri."
"Well then, I'll take you up on that offer. So Touri, why were you imprisoned there?"
"Uh, well, that's…"
She spoke to me with a cheerful and carefree smile.
Her calming demeanor and tone of voice helped me to calm down.
It was a mysterious voice that made me want to tell her everything honestly.
Oh, this isn't good.
Just as I was about to answer Remi's question without thinking…
"Cough, cough"
"Oh dear! Are you alright, Touri?"
I coughed violently and vomited blood.
"I'll get some water. Please take deep breaths and stay calm."
"Th-thank you."
Lumps of metallic-tasting phlegm rose up my throat, causing me to vomit several times.
Even though I had undergone surgery, I had been shot in the lungs.
Trying to talk for long periods will inevitably make me cough.
I coughed violently as I reflected on my actions, and took the cloth and water from Remi.
────I would have died if I hadn't started coughing just now.
────If I had honestly told her that I had been fighting for the government forces, I would have been shot to death.
Realizing that I had narrowly escaped death, sweat poured out from every part of my body.
"I was coerced by the government army's officers into working as a medic."
"Oh my."
I didn't tell her everything.
Without telling any strange lies, I just avoided the important parts and told her what had happened up until now.
"After the decisive Battle of the North, I stayed in Othello Village."
"I was attacked by bandits claiming to be the members of the Workers' Council, I lost the family of my benefactor, and ended up raising their only son, Sedol."
"I was half forced to serve in the military, with Sedol taken as a sort of hostage."
"And on the day the information that Austin had joined the war spread, I was imprisoned on suspicion of being a spy."
"That must have been tough. Don't worry, it's okay now, Touri."
What would get me killed if I said it? What would be dangerous if found out?
I relied on my intuition to discern these things and continued to explain myself to Remi.
It was like walking through a minefield, a life-or-death interrogation
"I will guarantee your safety. Please rest assured."
"Thank you, Remi."
I don't know how much of my deception she had noticed at that moment.
Maybe she had an inkling but decided to go along with it because I had managed to cover it up well.
"I'm also worried about the bandits rampaging around the country, Touri."
"…"
"My speeches were distorted and wrongly spread. It is very difficult to correct information once it has spread."
After hearing about Othello Village being attacked by "enemies claiming to be the Workers' Council," Remi showed a genuinely sorrowful expression, shedding tears as she apologized.
Coupled with her breathtaking beauty, it was a scene as beautiful as a painting.
"Then Touri, it was I who caused your benefactor to lose his life."
"Th-that's not true."
"I'm sorry, Touri. I'm sorry I caused you such pain…"
Remi apologized repeatedly, her voice trembling.
There was no deceit in her words.
She genuinely mourned the misfortune that befell Othello Village and sincerely apologized.
Her earnest attitude struck a chord deep within my heart.
"The bandits said that it was fine to steal from the wealthy. They killed Gomuji using that as an excuse."
"That's impossible. People should never take anything from others."
"Then, what did you mean to convey, Remi?"
"My goal is a world where no one takes anything from anyone. A world of equality and peace, realized by sharing all wealth and having everyone 'share with each other.'"
This is what makes her dangerous: she possesses an innate charisma that blindly attracts people.
Bern Valou once made sure that I would never meet Remi again.
While I was drawn to Remi, I always felt a chilling fear that my life would be in danger if I got involved with her.
On that day, I understood why.
"Can such a society really be realized?"
"There's no reason why it can't be done. In fact, it has already been achieved all over the world for a long time."
"Huh?"
Her words melted smoothly into the depths of my heart.
Enchanted by Remi's unique aura and personality, I found myself believing that everything she said was true.
These were the qualities of a conman, unparalleled anywhere in history.
"The father goes to work, the mother looks after the house, the older brother tills the fields, and the older sister looks after her younger siblings."
"…Uh, yeah."
"And any assets that the father earns are divided among the family, and everyone gets an equal share. That's something that happens in every family."
Remi's speeches make heavy use of analogies.
She could easily convey her ideas even to the uneducated masses by relating politics to familiar concepts.
"I'm just trying to apply to politics what every family does as a matter of course."
"Ah, yeah. I see."
"In the new Sabbath, everyone is family. The neighbor is a lover, the person walking down the street is a best friend, and the child playing in the vacant lot is a son. This is the new way of the Sabbath that we are going to realize from now on."
There's no way that something like that can be easily achieved.
I should have known this well from the history of my previous life.
"Do you think we cannot achieve what every household can?"
"When you put it that way, I guess."
"If we love our neighbors and everyone stops fighting, wars will end. We will all become family." "That's a wonderful idea, I think…"
And yet…
I was overwhelmed by Remi Ulyakov's charisma and found myself agreeing with her sweet-sounding words.
Sylph Nova had once said:
"The world the Workers' Council aims to create can only function under the assumption that there are no liars. It's a hellish ideology where anyone who isn't a fanatic will be excluded."
However, facing the woman in front of me again, I couldn't help but think…
"Right? Isn't it a wonderful idea?"
"Y-Yes."
"Touri, I knew you would understand!"
That it might actually be possible.
With Remi Ulyakov, she could turn the entire nation into fanatics and genuinely create an equal and peaceful society.
"Touri, won't you lend me your strength as well?"
"Uh, um…"
"Let's work together to create a peaceful world! With you by my side, I feel like I can work harder."
Remi Ulyakov's eyes sparkled as she grabbed my hand and eagerly leaned in.
"You were the first person to understand my thoughts. I need you, Touri."
That might be nice.
Working with Remi to create an ideal society might be enjoyable.
It was a very enticing future [fantasy]─
────Quickly take your hands off that ticket to a sinking ship heading straight for hell.
Those thoughts quickly vanished thanks to the cold advice from someone within me.
"I'm sorry. I still have comrades in Austin."
"…Ah, yes, that was the case."
This is all that I know about Remi based on my interactions with her.
She slips right past your guard as if it's the most natural thing in the world, grabs your heart, and never lets go.
In this era, there were many Sabbatian people who were so devoted to Remi that they would even sacrifice their lives for her.
Young boy soldiers risked their lives to fight against government forces without even a second thought.
I had wondered why morale was so high, but talking to Remi directly made it clear.
"I wanted to have acquaintances who would see the same scenery as I do."
"I'm sorry, Remi."
She is, without a doubt, a woman of supernatural allure.
Even just declining her offer caused me considerable emotional distress.
I even contemplated seriously joining this terrorist group, the Workers' Council.
…If I didn't have "him" inside me, I might have become a terrorist alongside Remi here.
***
"May I ask a question of my own?"
"Yes, please go ahead."
"Did the Sabbatian forces… did the government troops that had been holding me captive lose?"
"Yes. They've already retreated."
After managing to decline such a devilish invitation, I asked Remi about what had happened to Sylph.
"I heard they were thrown into utter confusion when they heard that Austin will intervened."
"What…?"
"It was truly fortunate. To be honest, there was no plan to actually have the Austin forces come all the way to Josegrad. It was just a bluff, but it turned out to have been extremely effective."
According to what I heard, the government forces, upon learning of Austin's intervention, fell into a state of panic and retreated.
This is… somewhat perplexing.
After all, Sylph Nova had seen through that bluff the moment she heard about Austin's intervention.
"By now, they must be in a frenzy, digging trenches in fear of the Austin forces that are never going to come."
"Haa."
"…It was a tough battle. Many civilians were sacrificed. However, we miraculously achieved a turnaround victory."
Saying this with a relaxed smile, Remi's demeanor only made my head spin with questions.
Why on earth did Sylph choose to retreat?
We had worked so hard and made so many sacrifices to finally occupy this city.
"Did they really retreat? Is it possible that they faked their retreat?"
"From what I've heard, they truly have gone back."
However, it appears that Sylph has indeed retreated.
Could it be that her superior, General Blake, went rogue again?
No, from what I've heard, he was a proud, naturally optimistic person. If Sylph had persuaded him, he would have agreed to continue the offensive.
"…"
So why are things turning out so well for the Worker's Council?
It's amazing how in just one week they were able to magically turn back the government forces from a position so remote that they were on the brink of defeat.
From being on the brink of defeat, the government forces were made to turn back as if by magic.
It's as if a "genius" was working behind the scenes, and we were only being shown the results─
"…Excuse me, Remi."
"What is it?"
"Who was the commanding officer in charge of this defense battle?"
"Oh? Sorry, that's confidential information."
The reason I asked was partly intuition, partly conviction.
I had heard from Sylph that the enemy commander was General Truk.
I also knew he was an exceptional commander skilled in defense who had been active on the Western Front.
"Why are you interested in that?"
"I thought maybe I'd come across a name I knew."
But at this time I…
I couldn't help but ask, thinking that a completely different name might come out of Remi's mouth.
"Captain Bern Valou. Did he have a hand in this?"
"Oh, oh my."
The moment I mentioned that man's name, Remi's face blossomed into a radiant smile.
"Didn't you know? He's already been promoted to Major."
That was all she told me.