[At your command, a comprehensive infiltration plan targeting the Ruperkan Grand Region unfolded with unprecedented efficiency.]
[Hundreds of elite guards, personally selected by Taylor, shed their military uniforms for civilian clothes and silently blended into the various towns of Ruperkan.]
[They acted as volunteers for the Workers' Party, making contact with underground organizations that had lain dormant for years, and ignited the flames of organization in every corner.]
[A general strike of unprecedented scale began.]
[From steel mills to mines, from textile workshops to farmlands, all production activities ground to a halt.]
[Machines stopped turning, furnaces gradually went out, and carriages laden with goods filled the warehouses. The entire economic lifeblood of Ruperkan was caught in the unyielding grip of an invisible hand.]
[Erak Congreve's territory was instantly plunged into chaos.]
[Government agencies couldn't collect taxes, decrees couldn't be enforced, and guards were dispatched to disperse the striking workers, only to find themselves running ragged, their efforts as futile as punching cotton—finding no purchase, they were left completely on the defensive.]
[Meanwhile, Serafina's propaganda machine went into full operation.]
[Countless cheap editions of 'My Struggle' and pamphlets exposing Erak's crimes found their way into thousands of homes.]
[On the radio, rousing speeches alternated with depictions of the happy lives in Wasser Fief, painting Erak as a greedy, foolish, and obstinate representative of the old order.]
[And you, Lacey, were portrayed as the only hope for bread and dignity.]
[The hearts of the people had been won; the tide had turned.]
[Erak Congreve, this pampered Elector, was like a captain trapped on a sinking ship, forced to watch helplessly as the hull was swallowed by the sea, inch by inch.]
[He realized he was utterly deserted, his rule now a candle flickering in the wind. An unprecedented panic seized his heart.]
[In the tower, you received the latest intelligence from Ruperkan, which consisted of a single, short sentence: "The furnace is cold, waiting only for new fuel."]
[You understood that the time was ripe. It was time to introduce your spokesperson and deliver the final, fatal blow to the cornered beast that was Erak Congreve.]
...
Heiligenburg, the capital of Ruperkan.
The central avenue, normally bustling with traffic, was now frighteningly quiet.
All the shops along the street were closed for business; only a few of the bolder shopkeepers were peeking out from the cracks in their doors.
The street was filled with people.
They were workers, farmers, small artisans—all the exploited people of this city.
They stood in silence, thousands upon thousands of them, converging into a suffocating force, their eyes fixed on the Elector's tower not far away.
On the top floor of the tower, Elector Erak Congreve was raging.
He smashed a priceless antique vase on the floor, sending shards flying everywhere.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
He roared at the trembling guard captain before him: "What do I feed you for? You can't even handle a bunch of peasants!"
"If they strike, you arrest them! If they march, you whip them!"
"Hang the ringleaders in the square for me! Let's see who still dares to cause trouble!"
The guard captain's face was pale as he answered with a tremor, "My lord... we tried."
"But... there are too many of them."
"We arrest one, and ten more stand up to take their place."
"We whip them, and they just lie down on the ground, blocking our path."
"We... we can't tell who the leaders are. They all... look the same."
"Look the same?"
Erak was trembling with rage. He rushed to the window and pointed at the dark mass of people outside: "Then arrest them all! Kill them all!"
The guard captain was so frightened he dropped directly to his knees. "My lord, we mustn't!"
"That would trigger a mutiny! The families of more than half of our soldiers are in that crowd!"
Erak slumped back into his chair, gasping for breath.
He finally realized that things were beyond his control.
This was no ordinary riot; what he faced was the betrayal of his entire fiefdom.
"Lacey... it must be that bastard's doing!" he snarled through gritted teeth.
That commoner who came from Ruperkan was now strangling him, bit by bit, in a way he could not comprehend.
...
Meanwhile, at the back of the crowd, in an inconspicuous tavern.
Several men dressed in ordinary workers' clothes were sitting around a table, talking in low voices.
One of them was the most capable Action Team captain under Taylor, a burly man with the codename "Hammer."
"A message from 'Crow,'" Hammer said, keeping his voice down.
"That idiot Erak wanted to get murderous, but his own guard captain stopped him. He's nothing but a mad dog in a cage now."
"Our volunteers have already taken control of all major transportation routes and communication nodes," another man added.
"If we want, we can cut off all contact between the tower and the outside world at any moment."
"Good." Hammer nodded. "Have you received Minister Gertrude's orders?"
"Received. 'Push the candidate to the front.'"
A smile appeared on Hammer's face.
He looked out the window. In his eyes, that tower was already a tomb.
"It's time," he said.
"Go and ask Mr. Rudolf to come out. Tell him the people are waiting for his voice."
...
Half an hour later, a sudden commotion erupted in the crowd below the clock tower of Heiligenburg's town hall.
An old man with graying hair but a vigorous spirit, flanked by several young people, ascended the steps in front of the clock tower.
"It's Professor Rudolf!" someone in the crowd recognized him.
"My gods, it's Rudolf! Wasn't he thrown into the black cells by Erak?"
"I heard he was rescued by a group of mysterious people a few days ago!"
Rudolf, once the most respected law professor at Heiligenburg University, had been imprisoned and tortured for publicly criticizing Erak's tax policies.
His appearance instantly ignited the emotions of the crowd.
Rudolf looked down at the faces below—excited, expectant, or enraged.
He cleared his throat, picked up a tin megaphone, and with his old but powerful voice, began his speech.
He spoke of his own ordeal and that of those around him, denouncing the greed and tyranny of Erak Congreve.
"...They stole our bread, tore down our homes, and polluted our rivers!"
"They treat us like livestock to be slaughtered at will, turning our blood and sweat into the jewels on their hats!"
"We have been silent for too long, we have endured for too long!"
"Today, we stand here not for violence, not to overthrow anyone!"
"We are only here to take back what is rightfully ours—our dignity as human beings!"
"Erak Congreve! Listen to me!" Old Rudolf pointed towards the distant tower, his voice suddenly rising.
"You are no longer fit to rule this land! You are no longer our Elector!"
"You are just a thief who has stolen the people's wealth! A butcher with blood on his hands!"
"Get out of Ruperkan!!"
It is unknown who shouted the first cry, but it was followed by a tsunami of roars that thundered through the sky above Heiligenburg.
"Get out of Ruperkan!"
"Get out of Ruperkan!!"
"Get out of Ruperkan!!!"
The wave of sound, almost tangible, crashed against the walls of the tower again and again, and against the heart of Erak Congreve, which was already filled with terror.
He sat slumped in his chair, his face ashen.
He knew it was all over.
The deafening roar from outside was his death knell.
In the tavern, Hammer put down his mug of ale and spoke calmly into the communicator: "This is Hammer, reporting to the Lord. The candidate is in position, public sentiment is at its peak."
"Erak Congreve has nowhere to run."
________________________________________
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