1914, under the rule of Nicholas II, the Tsarist Empire was already facing both internal and external troubles.
Amid increasingly acute social conflicts, the 46-year-old Nicholas II signed a declaration of war. Ignoring opposition from the people, he ordered the empire into battle.
Thus began the First World War.
While the eyes of the world were focused on the European battlefield, hidden beneath this human meat grinder of a war, massive upheaval was unfolding within the Tsarist Empire.
Cabinet reshuffles, land reforms, wartime controls, and planned economies...
Relying on the trust of the Tsar and Tsarina, Lucan Luvist—only twenty years old and once an Orthodox clergyman—demonstrated astonishing political talent.
He promoted countless capable individuals from the lower classes, shattered the long-standing rigidity of the Tsarist aristocracy, and nationalized all goods, earning the hatred of profiteering merchants and nobles.
Many called him a "demon," for he conducted ruthless purges to eliminate dissent.
But some saw him as a savior—a saint sent by the Lord.
He was the Archangel Michael, the Viceroy of Heaven.
—Excerpt from Langwen Index: The Russian Empire, 1689–1917
...
[You step into the central palace of the Kremlin—this is the council hall of the Emperor and his ministers]
[At the moment, the Emperor is absent, and the Empress presides over state affairs. You hear the anxious debates of gathered ministers. Their faces are red with argument, seemingly out of concern for the empire, but you know—]
[They are fighting for their own interests.]
[Such is the way of aristocrats. You've spent years in the palace and are well-acquainted with their masks. Entering the council chamber, you do not intend to entertain them. Instead, you smile at Empress Alexandra on the throne. She descends in awe and clutches your hand, begging for guidance.]
[You say: "Since the divine has sent me to this land, it is to offer revelation."]
[You think: What's the big deal? Pretending to be a prophet is easy.]
[Your smile eases her anxiety. Her gaze turns hazy as she looks at you. Beneath her Victorian gown, her full figure trembles slightly, and she presses her chest forward, knees close together.]
[You think she's doing it on purpose.]
[The ministers regain their composure. They know who you are, but they do not recognize your authority. The empire is deeply religious, but not devout—they value profit above all.]
[They demand your dismissal.]
[So the Empress declares—]
"From this day forth, I appoint Mr. Lucan Luvist as the Empire's First Minister and Chairman of the Ministerial Council."
The ministers fall silent. Empress Alexandra, crowned in laurel, gazes down with such regal bearing that none dare meet her eyes, even as they inwardly resist.
They look down on Lucan Luvist—the young man crowned a "sage" by both Tsar and Tsarina. To them, a religious figure is no more than a decorative jewel.
But with the Tsar absent, the Empress's word is law.
And even if the Tsar were here, they knew he would support Lucan unconditionally—he and Alexandra both held him in reverence.
After subduing the court, Alexandra looked at the young priest standing to the side.
Lucan smiled.
A blush crept onto the Empress's face.
[That night, you did not return to the library. Instead, you went to the Empress's bedchamber to discuss state affairs through the night.]
[The next morning, you left the chamber refreshed and returned to the council hall.]
[That day, you announced the dismissal of all ministers. Outrage followed, but backed by the Empress's full support, the dismissed nobles left in anger—yet not before leaving you a mess to clean up.]
[They expected you to fail.]
[But you organized everything with methodical precision—as a magus wielding the supernatural, you had many means.]
[You became the Minister of Finance, Transportation, Agriculture, and Industry.]
[You carried the Empire's core administration alone, yet nothing collapsed.]
[Some were stunned, others fearful.]
[The old ministers, watching from the sidelines, called you a devil. They accused you of using demonic powers and consorting with noblewomen. But Alexandra didn't care—she didn't believe the rumors.]
["If even I haven't succeeded, how could anyone else?" she supposedly said—though the two of you had grown considerably closer.]
[Many noble girls rushed to your side, hoping to win your favor, but you rejected them all.]
[You found it troublesome.]
[The nobles were astonished.]
[March 1915]
[Your power in the palace peaked—you held life and death in your hands, unopposed.]
[April 1915, you implemented wartime control and planned economy. You promoted young officials of humble origins and initiated land reform.]
[Despite immense resistance, you balanced factions and used Alexandra's trust to your advantage. You were no lone hero—you built alliances.]
[You knew your power was finite—even magic had limits. You did not flaunt miracles. You merely accelerated your thoughts with mystery.]
[Through reshuffling the hierarchy, your reforms temporarily eased national tensions and brought clarity to the empire's internal situation.]
[Tsar Nicholas II sent letters from the front. In them, he praised you, revered you, and pledged his loyalty.]
[You found the flattery nauseating.]
[Your fame reached new heights—even the German Kaiser praised you as Russia's Bismarck. Travelers from the East called you "the Zhang Juzheng of the Western world."]
[But many feared you.]
[You heard the old noble class, led by former ministers, was planning your assassination.]