Volume 1
Chapter 71
The Downfall
of the Gilmberg Family was Decided
Translator : PolterGlast
【Akana's POV】
"Father...?"
Overwhelmed by the
shocking words from In-san, I collapsed onto the ground.
"Akana-sama..."
In-san also sat down
beside me with a worried expression.
But... it can't be...
My father.
───I did not make it in
time.
I had heard reports
that my father had fallen into a coma. When I heard the news, I immediately had
a carriage prepared and headed towards the capital───but I was attacked by
bandits and failed. Later, after Runa-san told me to understand the current
situation, I realized that if I went to see my father now, I would lose the
trust of the people in the town and end up in a worse situation, so I gave up
on going to the capital. My father, who had never given up in the face of
countless difficulties───I told myself that he
would surely hold on until I gained the trust of the townspeople.
But that wasn't the
case. Reality is cruel, and it flows in a direction I don't want. I never
thought that he would disappear so quickly and so unexpectedly...!
As I fell into despair───
"………Akana-sama,
that's not all. There's one more thing I have to report."
In-san opened her
mouth.
"……………Huh?"
"………"
"In-san, what?
What happened?"
"………Akana-sama"
"Tell me, In-san.
What else could have happened...?"
"The downfall of
the Gilmburg family has been decided."
I heard something else
crumble inside me.
□□□
【Akana's POV】
"Down...fall...?"
"Yes"
"───Wait a second!"
I stopped her at the
sudden words.
"Wh-why? Why so
suddenly... Why on earth!? Because Father died!? But! I'm still alive, and so
is my mother! The blood of the Gilmburg family hasn't died out yet!"
"A-Akana-sama!
Calm down───"
"Calm down!? How
can I be calm!! Why is this happening───Why, why, why!!"
"What happened
here is the reason!!!!!"
"……………Huh?"
"The riot that's
happening right now in this town───the rebellion against the nobles was the final blow, and due to repeated
neglect of your own territory, the downfall of the Gilmburg family has been
decided."
"………"
It took me a few
seconds to understand what she was saying.
"W-Wait. You
mean, the reason is... the riot that happened today!!?"
"Yes, so I was
surprised when I arrived in town. When I heard this from the current head of
the family───Arie-sama, your
mother, I thought that Akana-sama was already in danger. Arie-sama believed
that Akana-sama was safe, entrusted me with a message for you, and sent me off.
───But when I finally
arrived after several days, a riot was in full swing in the town. I was
confused at first too."
"That's right!
It's unfair! Why am I being punished for a crime that hasn't even been proven
yet!?"
"I believe you've
been framed."
"───!"
At that moment, I
remembered Runa-san's words.
[The higher you climb,
the more you'll be surrounded by desire and conspiracy. If you want to be a
noble, you must be prepared to deal with anything that might happen, anytime.]
"There are those
who have tried to bring us, the Gilmburg family, down. There's no doubt that
they instigated this. Yes, I know that. But... even if we try to defend
ourselves, we have no evidence. And we don't have much time to find any."
"………"
It's not fair that
innocent people are punished because there's no evidence...！
But, as In-san said,
the Gilmburg family has lost its credibility and position. To have our voices
heard, we need solid evidence. Without that... no one will listen to us───
Wait a minute.
Then, I noticed
something else that was strange.
No time? The downfall
was decided by royal decree, right? It wasn't something that had been whispered
about for a long time. And yet, there is no time? It's not completely
illogical, but... something feels off.
"In-san, what do
you mean by no time?"
"Huh?"
"The downfall was
decided by a royal decree, right? It wasn't something that had been whispered
about for a long time, and it was decided only then, right? Were we given a
grace period before the downfall? If so, I understand why you mentioned time...
but..."
"………"
"Hey, In-san, why
did you say that? Because of who you are, there must be a reason for what you
say. I know you're a very intelligent person. So, there must be some intention
behind mentioning time."
"………"
"Answer me,
In-san... Answer me!!"
"───"
In-san gritted her
teeth and distorted her expression at my insistence.
"………Akana-sama, please
calm down───no, I already know
that's impossible. But please, I beg you to remain calm."
"………"
I've had a bad feeling
about this from the start. However, In-san's introduction further fueled the
despair within me.
"………By the king's decree,
in order to calm the people of this town, as a form of apology and to make an
example───"
"It was decided
to execute all the bloodlines of the Gilmburg family───That's what I was
told."
"───"
Apparently, reality
wants to push me to the bottom of the pit as much as possible.
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