The Great Emperor's Passing

As the Prussian-Russian negotiations reached a deadlock, another event occurred that would alter Europe's political landscape.

On May 15, 1881, Alexander II was assassinated in Saint Petersburg. The time and place had changed, but the outcome had not.

It was not that Franz's butterfly effect had been too weak; the key was that Alexander II had brought this upon himself. Knowing full well how many people he had offended, he still wandered about everywhere.

As early as several years ago, with a three-digit number of assassination attempts to his name, Alexander II had been dubbed by the press the "King of Assassination Attempts."

Assassination attempts came every other day. Perhaps because he had experienced so many, Alexander II had grown accustomed to this life. He still went his own way and frequently appeared in public.

Walk the night roads often enough, and sooner or later you would encounter a ghost. Having finally won the war and before he could reap the fruits of victory, Alexander II had no choice but to leave this world with regret.

Alexander II was dead, but the assassination case was not yet over. The Tsarist Government had been slow to provide a clear answer regarding the culprit.

The assassin's public identity was that of a member of the People's Will Party. Whether anyone else believed that or not, Franz certainly did not.

To remain unharmed through more than a hundred assassination attempts, Alexander II's security could not possibly have been poor. Under normal circumstances, any stranger who approached would certainly have been intercepted by the guards.

For the assassin to rush within a few dozen meters and throw a bomb—were the guards all eating shit?

The ability to draw away the guards and create an opportunity for assassination clearly indicated the involvement of insiders, perhaps