Even if the Dawn Abandons You - Chapter 19

However, the father, who had lost his son to the bullets of the Radical Republicans, was now extending a hand to the Republicans, comforting them and offering them shelter from the cold world.

Frédéric Belmartier was a person who understood the true direction of resentment. Only then did Arianne realize why Enjolras and Auguste, who were seniors and juniors respectively under the same teacher and had never attended school together, still laughed and talked about “the president” or “Professor Bellemartier” during drinking parties.

At that moment, Edmond approached and sat down beside her. From Arianne’s perspective, it wasn’t a pleasant encounter, as she had been pondering the end of camaraderie in her mind until recently, but she graciously gave up her seat to Edmond by moving aside slightly.

“Hello, President.”

“Oh, Lambert. You must have had a tough time as well, so get some rest. I’ll take care of the other students.”

“No, I believe everyone has rested enough for now, President. Could you please open the back door of the school? I know it leads to Freuse.”

“I had planned to do it after everyone had enough rest, but… Is it really urgent?”

“Actually, I came to see the situation outside.”

Just as she had thought, he must have been preoccupied with his own thoughts while everyone else rested.

“The crown prince and the suppression army are outside the school right now.”

? ? ?

One of the worst traits of Prince Henri Georges de Charleroi was his remarkable capability. However, he used his capabilities for his own benefit instead of serving Léans. Prince Henri was a cowardly, despicable, and malicious individual. It was when he personally started suppressing the revolutionary army under Antoine XIII’s orders that public support for the revolutionaries suddenly declined.

People feared  both Antoine XIII and Prince Henri. They had no qualms about exploiting the people to enrich the imperial family. After Antoine XIII’s reign, the republican faction began to rapidly gain support in the Léans Empire. Even those who lived in poverty and had no exposure to republicanism started saying, “I hope the next emperor is just two years old.” This was because among the royal family, only the second prince, Leonard, made efforts to assist the starving people through donations and charity auctions.

Instead of attacking the school directly, Prince Henri and his forces camped outside. It was predictable that the students would head to the school, but by waiting at the front, Frederic anticipated that he would be able to hide the students.

“The Crown Prince and the suppression army are outside the school!?”

Julien Gare, who was sitting not far from Edmond while he conversed with Frederic, turned pale and shouted. The whole auditorium was immediately filled with shock and began to tremble. Arianne touched her forehead. She realized that she had failed to inform everyone when it was still possible to do so. She carefully surveyed the auditorium. Panic was evident even among the professors and students who had voluntarily stayed at the school. Arianne observed Anais, who ran around with a gentle smile on her face, conversing with the young man in the hat while wearing an anxious expression. She then shifted her gaze to Edmond and Frederic.

“Mr. Correz, could you please open the back gate?”

Observing Frederic ask Jean Correz, the school janitor, to open the back gate, Edmond promptly spoke up.

“Firstly, it would be best for those with mobility issues to go to other buildings and inform them about the situation. The rest should head straight to the back gate.”

Frederic Belmartier nodded in agreement.

“Alright. That sounds good. I’ll go out and try to distract them. In the meantime, the rest of you can evacuate through the back door.”

“But speaking to Prince Henri isn’t advisable. It could be dangerous.”

“Do you think I would take this risk if I wasn’t willing to help? If you’re genuinely concerned about me, then ensure everyone’s safe evacuation. I’ll pretend to be conducting night training with the medical and nursing departments.”

Saying that, Frederic slowly rose from his seat and headed towards the auditorium door. Anais, who noticed this, exclaimed, “Father!” and ran after the president. Some people tried to stop her, warning her of the danger, but when they saw the young man in the hat who had been standing by Anais, they immediately prepared to escape again. Arianne momentarily stared at Frederic Belmartier’s retreating figure beyond the auditorium door.

She would later recall that on that day, whenever someone asked her about it, she had a vague sense that it would be the last time she saw Professor Frederic Belmartier.

? ? ?

It was still dark in the early morning, but midnight had long passed, and dawn was approaching. Henri Georges de Charleroi, seated in the front of the armored car amidst the riot forces, checked his watch impatiently. He was as capable as he was ruthless, and he despised failure as much as he valued his own competence. Although he had managed to kill or capture more than half of the students and revolutionaries involved in the uprising, he had missed nearly half of them. It was a failure. His auburn hair, resembling a lion’s mane, fluttered in the wind.

Henri felt impatient and weary. He had done all he could if he wanted to capture them alive. Killing the remaining rebels wouldn’t cause his father to raise any objections. Those captured alive would be subjected to torture multiple times to extract information about the escapees, and eventually be executed. Prince Henri, who had spent the entire night suppressing the filthy university students who were oblivious to the favors of the imperial family, desired to conclude this ordeal and return to the palace.

It was common sense to assume that many college students would seek refuge in Beauharnais University, the only place they could hide at this hour. Although it was likely that someone from within had secretly opened the gates, it was also possible that a few individuals had climbed over the walls and unlocked the doors. Troubled students might also be aware of hidden passages within the school. Henri couldn’t think of any other nearby locations where the students could have fled, and there were countless possibilities that they had sought shelter inside the school.

Henri prepared himself. Students and revolutionaries in the area, including the barricade in front of the bar in District 2, where an exceptionally skilled dark-haired sorcerer had attempted to broker peace, were firing magic bullets relentlessly from behind a solid barrier. He was almost certain they were inside the university.

However, only being half-certain, he refrained from attacking immediately. Beauharnais University was undeniably the most prestigious university in the Reang Empire, regardless of what anyone said. It was a breeding ground for intellectuals of all kinds, a frontier of new knowledge. Although it also attracted individuals who were obsessed with frivolous matters like republicanism, Henry was not so ignorant that he failed to recognize the significance of Beauharnais University. It was symbolic enough to make it difficult to launch an attack straight away.

So, he tightened his grip on the gun, hoping to shoot and kill the first revolutionary who emerged from the university doors. He had learned that once you eliminate the first one, it becomes easier to overpower the rest. As his patience neared its limit, the school gates creaked open cautiously. From the darkness, a figure emerged and slowly walked toward Henri and the suppression army. By all appearances, it was an elderly man who wasn’t a student. While he had heard that several lawyers had joined the uprising, he didn’t consider this person to be of much importance since he couldn’t recall recognizing his face.

Without hesitation, Henri aimed and fired at the man. Bang!

The man who had stepped out of the school gate collapsed without uttering a sound. Henri was certain that the terrified students would now flee in a line from the gate. However, all that followed was a few seconds of silence.

“Dad!”

“President Belmartier!”

Almost simultaneously, a woman’s voice and a man’s voice echoed around. Henri was taken aback by the mention of President Belmartier in the masculine voice. Was President Belmartier associated with the Revolutionary Army? And then, he was astonished by the uncanny familiarity of the man’s voice. Henri blinked and lowered his gun. A disheveled man followed the silver-haired girl who had dashed out from behind the door. The wind blew away the hat he had tightly secured during his rapid approach.

“… Leo?”

Underneath the hat, his brother’s face was revealed.

Henri gestured to his men to lower their weapons, even as they were about to aim at the approaching figures. He stood there in silence for a while, not uttering a word. President Belmartier. The face seemed familiar, and the surname rang a bell. But what did it all mean? Henri Georges Charleroi didn’t bother to remember things that were inconsequential to him. He had no reason to recall the face and name of a bourgeois man, not a noble.

Why had a professor chosen to remain at the school at this time? And what was lacking, at least in his estimation, was why his brother was here once again. However, after a moment of contemplation, Henri remembered the most important thing and halted all further thoughts.

Then, long after he had shot Frederic Belmartier, he called out to his men behind him.

“Advance with full force!”

He didn’t even spare a glance at his brother’s collapsing form.