Chapter 427
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Interlude Comedy (Main Act)
Translator : PolterGlast
I, who was rejoicing at having unexpectedly met an 『outstanding figure』 in the Royal Capital of the Cain
Kingdom, was visited by new guests once again. However... this time, the
circumstances seemed a little different compared to earlier. First of all, the
commander of the Cain Kingdom Army who acted as the intermediary had
blatantly changed his attitude toward the visitors compared to when he
introduced Alicia-denka
earlier.
「We too once refused such a rude
request for a meeting this late at night, saying 『even passing it on to Archduke-heika would be a breach of etiquette』, but...」
Saying so, he distorted his mouth and began to speak
apologetically to me. The commander in question behaved toward me exactly as if
toward his lord, and showing not a shred of respect for the visitors, he
whispered information and points of concern regarding them into my ear
beforehand.
「I see. If that's the story, it's
better to meet them tonight. We should finish the 『cleaning』 before we depart the Royal Capital, and could you leave the
judgment to us?」
Seeing him nod and bow deeply at my words, I permitted this 『rude meeting』. However, before meeting them, I gathered the key figures
to discuss, set four basic policies regarding them in advance, and then faced
the meeting.
·
Basically, the Commander will
handle their reception, and I will watch the direction of the discussion while
observing the situation.
·
I will not announce who I am until I
myself judge it necessary.
·
Against those who barged in relying
on numbers, limit the number of people facing us and permit only the
representatives to meet.
·
To confirm whether their attitudes
and speculations match the prior information, let them speak as they please up
to a point, after observing and shaking them up.
Under these policies, with the throne behind us, Aral,
Raphael, myself, the Commander, Mars, and Danke sat
in a single row on the platform facing them; in addition, the commander of the Cain
Kingdom soldiers leading the infantry unit who acted as intermediary, the
commander of the Vile Kingdom soldiers entrusted by General Golpa,
and Sean stood lined up behind us. Adding to that, armed guards in the
hall applied silent intimidation.
「......」
The Commander silently looked down at them as they
were invited in, but they did not flinch at that, nor did they express any
gratitude for the meeting being granted, nor did they show any courtesy
themselves whatsoever. Truthfully, the Commander's silent pressure is...
quite something, you know. I myself experienced it firsthand when offering
surrender in my second life, after all. Do they have the courage to even parry
that, or are they looking down on us right from the start...
「Thank you for permitting this
meeting. We represent the merchants of the Royal Capital and have come to make
a request, for you to take necessary measures 『for the future of this country』.」
Hahaha. Barging in with a large group late at night out of
personal greed, and it's 『for the future of this country』? Moreover, their attitude is blatantly that of a 『demand』 rather than a 『request』. Although, it seems they have no intention of trying to
gloss over that either... Just from their first words, I already felt my mood
dampening.
「With our departure tomorrow, we too
are quite busy. Despite the late hour, we responded this time because it was an
earnest request, but what is this urgent matter you wish to propose to us?」
Exactly as the words the Commander uttered with a
hint of anger right off the bat, it was a rude visit to begin with. To beg for
a meeting late at night and barge in with a large number of people without a
prior appointment and without being invited is itself an act that would
normally make one doubt the other party's sanity.
「It is precisely because it is now.
We ask that you immediately cancel the distribution of wealth, which is said to
take place as early as tomorrow. To begin with, much of the recaptured wealth
was stolen from the royal family and the major merchants of the Royal Capital.」
I see. This part matches the prior information. It's a story
that hasn't been announced yet, but did they catch wind of it from somewhere
and come rushing over with changed complexions?
「However... if the wealth is not
distributed, there must be those whose lives tomorrow will not hold up, right?
The same goes for small-scale trading companies. Is it not the path to
rebuilding the Royal Capital to save them first?」
This answer from the Commander is also our basic
policy. It is the first step of the measures taken under Alicia-denka as the banner, and an important
step toward reconstruction.
「To begin with, the wealth to be
distributed is what the invaders stole from us. If so, wouldn't reason dictate
that you first return it to us before distributing it!」
「Please do not forget that the
ownership rights to the stolen wealth lie with us. We are the keystone of
commerce in the three countries; without our cooperation, the economy of the
Royal Capital will not hold up, you know?」
「If you keep what you stole and do
not return it, even if you call yourselves a liberation army, are you not
plunderers just like them!」
「Rather than leaving a bad name for
the future, don't you think it's a better plan to make the correct decision
here and obtain our cooperation?」
Hahaha, they are saying whatever they please quite a bit.
However, only the young man waiting behind the four of them remained silent,
observing their state with a sullen expression.
「We too have no intention of leaving
the stolen wealth as is. We are moving to carefully examine it, first pay lump
sums to the people so they can manage their immediate lives, and provide
subsidies to merchants to support their business, though?」
At these words from the Commander, one man stepped
forward. According to prior information, the four who spoke earlier seem to be
major merchants based in the Royal Capital of the Cain Kingdom,
manipulating the kingdom's economy from the shadows and allegedly exercising
influence even over the royal families of each country. Perhaps because of
that, a blatantly arrogant demeanor oozed from the ends of their words.
「But that is only temporary;
furthermore, do you not know how much money moves daily in our business? To us
who are troubled even for tomorrow's business, it sounds like you are telling
us to wander the streets! We ask that you return the full amount immediately!」
「Silence!」
The Commander shouted and glared at the five of them.
Then, deliberately emitting anger, he continued his words.
「Did you think we didn't know? What
does the full amount refer to? The wealth recaptured from the Holy Knights
is not all of it. The invading army is still holding a large amount of wealth
and moving in other directions, but are you perhaps telling us to return
everything including that to you?」
「「「「......」」」」
They are quite impudent guys, aren't they. Do they think we
know nothing and consider us merely errand boys? Just like the prior
information, it doesn't seem necessary for us to be favorable. And the stories
that the position of military men is low in the Cain Kingdom, and that
merchants even manipulated the royal family, I can nod to as very plausible
stories.
「No... we are speaking about the
wealth your army recaptured this time and is considering distributing.」
「Oho? You said the full amount
earlier, but you are correcting that?」
「Th-That is not what I meant. Much of
the wealth recaptured this time originally belonged to us; we would like at
least that to be returned in full.」
That is true. As things understood from investigations so
far...
・ The Holy Knights mainly plundered wealth centered
around the wealthy, such as the nobles and major merchants of the Royal
Capital.
・ Conversely, the soldiers of the Orthodox Theocracy
mainly plundered wealth from small-scale merchants, shops, and the general
populace living in the Royal Capital.
Therefore, much of the wealth we recaptured was stolen from
the royal family, nobles, and major merchants. In that sense, their words are
correct, but where did they catch wind of the information about the wealth we
recaptured? Does it mean there are those among the bureaucrats trying to curry
favor with them, or colluding and committing fraud?
「But then, won't many of the people
who are troubled even for tomorrow's living end up wandering the streets?」
Yes, that is why we decided to carefully examine and
distribute it fairly. Well, there are other major reasons too, though.
「Of course. To support the lives of
the people living in the Royal Capital as well, we plan to provide jobs by
giving compensation based on the returned wealth, and provide loans to those
who need them.」
Tch, those bastards. Are they intending to utilize this
opportunity to devote themselves to business? Moreover, without even thinking
about relief, they'll probably just strengthen their control through
exploitation and loans.
「Oho? Are you saying you will relieve
the people in place of the country?」
「The four of us are merchants
representing the three countries, and are also in a position to support the Cain
Kingdom. So to speak, 『we are one with the kingdom』; we also have the 『responsibility』 to bear the future of this country, so...」
There's a limit to how brazen one can be. I can't believe
these are the words of guys who crushed the kingdom's future and were wagging
their tails even at the enemies occupying the Royal Capital until just a while
ago. The Commander unconsciously smiled wryly too. But he was just
exasperated; they had already stepped on the dragon's tail.
「We cannot help but sympathize with
the circumstances of this country, and we want to extend some sort of hand.
This is an understanding common to us. However... the recaptured items also
include the wealth of the royal family. For the sake of this country's future,
those must be entrusted to an appropriate person.」
As the exchange of words between the Commander and
the merchants continued, the man who had remained silent with a sullen
expression until earlier distorted his mouth. Could it be he was waiting for
these words? If so, that's quite a shrewd method. I was able to arrive at that
thought precisely because I had been told beforehand who this man was.
「Hahaha, the words of this person are
also reasonable. Then you should now fulfill the words you yourself spat out.」
When he said so, the four merchants moved left and right to
open a path, taking a posture of showing blatant respect to the fifth man.
「From me, first I command you. Just
as your words say, entrust all recaptured wealth to the appropriate person.
First, open the path to the throne behind you. There is already only one person
who should sit there.」
I mean... is this guy an idiot? The guy who did nothing but
run and hide when the army of the Orthodox Theocracy was here is
asserting his authority at this late stage? In addition to that, the
surrounding sycophantic merchants are also completely looking down on us while
glossing over their words, right? As expected, just as I heard, the merchants
hold great power in this country, even the royal family studies their
expressions, and the military men are treated like pet dogs, huh? Such a system is nothing but a harmful effect on a country
that will be unified under a new King. Since we're at it, shall I try provoking
them a little?
「Do you think there is anyone
appropriate to sit on this throne other than our lord?」
Here I deliberately tried participating in the conversation.
From their perspective, they probably see the Commander as the
commanding officer of the dispatched army, and me as nothing more than one of
his subordinates.
「Of course, brat! Do you understand
the weight of the throne? The throne is that which only the supreme one
possessing a noble bloodline is permitted to sit upon.」
「Assuming that is true, are you
saying there is someone worthy of occupying the throne of the Cain Kingdom
present? I don't think so, though.」
「What a disrespectful fellow you are.
Normally, just your words right now would be worthy of ten thousand deaths. I
will offset your statement with the merit of having struck them down and
forgive you the first time, but there will be no second time. From now on, 『look at who you are speaking to』 and be careful how you speak!」
Hey, hey, what's with that condescending attitude! Besides,
I don't mind at all even if you don't forgive me. Since I have the chance,
shall I try provoking him a bit more?
「Well now... I do not know the style
of this country, but the King and royalty were struck down by the invaders, and
past conventions have vanished. Conceding a hundred steps, if you wish to
regain past glory, don't you think reason dictates that you first beg for mercy
from us, the liberation army?」
「W-What is a mere watchdog saying!」
「That is quite an interesting
expression. Even though you were someone who wouldn't know what tomorrow holds
if we hadn't recaptured the Royal Capital. Or are you saying that in this
country, it passes as reason not to bow even to a lifesaver?」
I had been observing their state the whole time since they
entered the throne room. However, not a word of gratitude has come from
anyone's mouth. Of course, it's not like I was expecting such words either,
though.
「You incorrigible fellow, a mere
small fry talking big. Didn't you merely strike the backs of the ones who went
out? Do not boast of recapturing the Royal Capital—something anyone could do—as
a deed of arms.」
Hahaha, he says quite interesting things. I almost burst out
laughing, didn't I.
「I am relieved to hear that. Tomorrow
we will lead the entire army and depart the Royal Capital, but if it's a Royal
Capital that 『anyone
could recapture』, there
are no anxieties for the future, right. After this, it would be good if you
fought the formidable enemy yourselves.」
「W... What does that mean?」
What? For all that big talk, your expression turned pale in
an instant, didn't it. Were you perhaps intending to have us stay on guard just
like that as watchdogs?
「The six thousand cavalry of the Holy
Knights that wielded violence here are still running rampant in the
surrounding areas. In addition, the approximately thirteen thousand enemy
soldiers that went out will likely return if they learn the wealth was recaptured,
right.」
Well, half of that is a lie, though. The Holy Knights
were annihilated in a place they don't know about.
「......」
Oh? Silenced by this level of bluff? Where did the momentum
from earlier go? Shall I corner him further?
「We are not your country's watchdogs.
We are free to leave, and we couldn't care less what happens to the Royal
Capital after that.」
「W-Wait! There's no way you have such
authority!」
「From the beginning, the future of
the Cain Kingdom is none of our concern. Even more so, if we cut ties
with people who don't even say thanks despite us recapturing the Royal Capital
for them, and merely come pestering for money, we can have peace of mind going
forward.」
「Y-You insolent fool! Is that an
attitude toward the King of a country!」
I am well aware that I'm being malicious, but this boomerang
prince is somehow interesting. The Commander and Raphael have
solemn faces, but they are actually desperately suppressing their laughter.
「This is a strange thing to say: the
King of Cain attempted to flee the Royal Capital taking all the royalty
with him, was unfortunately captured, and all of them, along with the royalty,
were executed... A truly tragic event.」
「That's right! Because of that, the
sole surviving successor to the throne is I. With this the farce is over. Open
the path to the throne, and return the wealth to me as the one who should sit
there. As King, I will grant you the duty of defending the Royal Capital.」
That's right, maybe I should end the farce on this side soon
too. Just to be sure, I toyed with him in various ways to confirm the stories I
heard beforehand, but he's just a man exactly as his prior reputation
suggested.
「Then I confirm once more: as the
King of the Cain Kingdom, you succeed those responsibilities, and formally
entreat our lord for the defense of the Royal Capital, is that it?」
「That is incorrect. As the King of
the Cain Kingdom, I am commanding you!」
Good grief... what an unreasonable story. To begin with,
even if he were the King, he has no right to command us. He probably thinks of
us as something like the remnants of the already ruined Vile Kingdom.
Actually, half the soldiers who recaptured the Royal Capital are Vile
Kingdom soldiers, after all.
「Our country has quite a few debts
owed to it by the Vile Kingdom, so from here on you shall follow my
commands and offer your lives!」
Even I snapped at these words. The battles so far, an
expedition that started from my selfishness, but even though we say they are
negligible sacrifices, there have been sacrifices among the army I led. They
did not die to put a guy like this on the throne.
「Then I will confirm once more: you
ascend to the throne as the new King of the Cain Kingdom, and succeed
its responsibilities (crimes), right?」
「Of course! That is the duty as royalty.
I have gone through the trouble of coming out here in order to succeed the
responsibilities (authority and wealth). Therefore I command.」
「What? I'll let you say it.」
「Welcome me with courteous treatment
as King, immediately capture this insolent fool, and throw him in prison! I
should have said earlier, 『I will forgive you the first time, but there will be no
second time』!」
Receiving these words, the Commander nodded towards
me. It seems the Commander's anger had also reached its limit?
「Immediately correct the rudeness of 『this person』, bind him, and throw him in the dungeon!」
The man, who made an expression full of joy for just an
instant upon hearing the Commander's words, came to know firsthand
exactly who 『this
person』 referred
to in the next instant. The soldiers rushed towards the man all at once, held
him down, and forcefully made him kneel on the floor.
「W-What are you doing! What rudeness
toward the King of a country!」
The man, twisting his body and resisting the sudden
incomprehensible situation, continued to raise his voice and spew words of
accusation while still being held down.
「O you who self-proclaims to have
succeeded the throne of the Cain Kingdom. You shall bear the crime of
invading the territory of the Griffonia Empire as King, and serve your
sentence as a war criminal to be judged at a later date. It is commendable that
you announced yourself voluntarily, but as a representative of the Empire,
I cannot leave you be.」
「W-Whaaaaaa!」
Perhaps astonished by my words, the man let out a
high-pitched scream and crumbled. Similarly, the merchants who had propped him
up also began to tremble.
「Good for you. Originally, your rank
as a successor to the throne was thirteenth; exactly as such a you desired, you
succeed the throne, fulfill the responsibility 『make amends for your crimes as King』, and through that you can save your subjects. You should be
satisfied with this.」
The guy who heard those words from me was surprised for just
an instant, then glared at me again with eyes filled with anger. Yes, because
we were told beforehand, you see. To begin with, he is the son of the late
King's younger sister; therefore his rank in the order of succession to the throne
was low, and due to his poor conduct, he wasn't even treated as royalty. That
he colluded with major merchants, maneuvered in secret, and caused tremendous
harm to the kingdom. Partly due to his bad reputation, when all the royalty
attempted to flee, he was left behind, and because of that, he is the sort of
fellow who barely picked up his life...
「It is not something the likes of you
should say! Hmph, a liberation army, how laughable. In the end, are you not
also just a bunch of fellows borrowing the authority of the Empire to
scavenge for wealth!」
「Silence, you lowlife! To begin with,
this person here is the sworn ally of the Next Emperor of the Empire,
and a person who is the legitimate King of a nation, entrusted with the
punishment of the three countries of Cain, Vile, and Lute
that conducted unjust invasions!」
「!!!」
「To begin with, he is not someone a 『hasty』 upstart like you can speak to as an equal, you madman!」
Hahaha, the Commander is sharp too. Though 『hasty』 is quite an apt expression.
「I... I never heard such a story!
Things like a King... I, I will absolutely not recognize it.」
Yeah, I have no intention of having you recognize me either,
so. I don't mind at all if you think that way.
「I want to save the people of the
three countries suffering under invasion; by such mercy from our Lord, we are
liberating the three countries, but the ones we save are the people, not the
royal family. Know your place!」
Well, setting aside whether we'll actually hand him over to
the Empire, it's also necessary to eliminate this sort of fellow in
order to unify the three countries. In terms of the order of succession to the
throne, she is of a higher rank: the fifth in line, Alicia-denka, will unite the Cain Kingdom,
and this is also part of the political strategy to make it easier for King Crajyu
to move.
「W-What... do you intend to do with
this country!」
「We too are people who should be
liberated. It is only natural that there should be support for us as well.」
「If you intend to liberate the
national territory, we ask that you immediately return our wealth as well!」
「Our cooperation is indispensable for
future governance, you know!」
The merchants, who had become spectators partway through and
intended to gorge on profits as the new King's backers, hurriedly began to
raise their voices. But I had heard stories about them beforehand as well.
Including the reasons why they are not worthy of having wealth returned to
them... Therefore, I merely responded coldly.
「I'll give or loan you the wealth
necessary for minimum business as a subsidy too. However, I have heard that
some major merchants willingly offered their wealth to the invading army to
secure the safety of their own bodies. I have no intention of criticizing that
or holding you accountable for the crime, but it's only natural that what was
presented, rather than stolen, will not return, right?」
「Such a...」 「That is too...」 「Is that not tyrannical?」 「We too did it to survive!」
「Besides, didn't you just say earlier
that 『you are
one with the royal family』?」
Yes, these villainous guys intended from the beginning to
take our 『words as a
pledge』. However,
they weren't the only ones trying to take 『words as a pledge』.
「If we follow the words you spoke,
wouldn't it mean that you betrayed the royal family you are supposed to be 『one with』 and curried favor with the invaders? Even if I turn a blind
eye to that, you cannot escape the crime of the Cain Kingdom invading
the Empire. Because you are one and the same, it will be necessary for
you to bear the crime, right.」
「「「「......」」」」
「We will not pocket the recaptured
wealth ourselves. After proceeding with careful examination, a portion will be
returned, and all the rest will be entrusted to an appropriate ruler for the
future of the new country, to be used for the reconstruction of the national
territory.」
Honestly speaking, nothing good will come of returning it to
those guys. Because I believe it will only lead to further exploitation by
major merchants, and I also thought the state of this country, controlled by
merchants, was a problem.
「Currently, you guys do not worry
about the future of the people of this country, but are merely running on
personal greed. We do not need the favor of such people, and you are nothing
but a hindrance to the governance of the new country.」
「S-Such a...」
「That is too...」
「Is that not villainous?」
「Are you going to be hostile towards
us!」
Who's the villainous one here! To begin with, you're the
ones who responded in a hostile manner! I almost let such words out, but
somehow swallowed them.
「For our part as well, it is not our
true intention to simply increase the number of criminals any further. If you
back down here, I do not intend to question 『what you have done』 up until now. However! I intend to strictly watch 『what you do』 from here on out, though.」
When I announced this with a resolute attitude, they
uniformly hung their heads. The subsequent degrees of severity and extenuating
circumstances can be left to Alicia-denka
and the new King Crajyu. And then... the man ranked thirteenth in the
order of succession to the throne was led out of the throne room. I said he'd
be thrown in prison, but neither the Commander nor I intend to go that
far. We just intend to put him under house arrest and leave the handling of
this man to Alicia-denka as
well. The next day, it will be after we depart, but it's already a decided
matter that Alicia-denka will
step before the populace as the position to tentatively govern the Cain Kingdom.
※
The unpleasant meeting is over. However... I don't think it
will end just like this. It was the same with the restoration faction in the Kyle
Kingdom, but the roots put down by fellows like this are deep, after all.
Especially the merchants; there is a possibility they might scheme something.
「Sean, we are departing early tomorrow morning, but do you think
it will settle down just like this?」
「No... right now they are desperate
too. I believe they will come with some sort of sabotage operations.」
「Right, so I'll leave some 『insurance』 with you, Sean. I'll leave its operation to you, and
for immediate governance, I want you to consult with Alicia-denka and handle it. Everything is under
my responsibility; it's tentative, but I'm entrusting you with full authority
over governance, so.」
「Ha! To ensure I do not tarnish Archduke-heika's name, I will tackle this staking
my life on it!」
「No... you don't have to be that
worked up, you know.」
It ended with a bad aftertaste leaving some anxiety, but I should think of it as having laid the groundwork for a new system. We still can't let our guard down, though. To construct that system as well, as a precondition, we must completely eliminate the Istoria Orthodox Theocracy Army from the three countries. Thus, the second act of the interlude comedy closed its curtains. From the perspective of third parties including us, it was a comedy; for the parties involved, it took the form of a tragedy...
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
Nepheos
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Jake Seagraves
Matthew Fraser
Tbaum56
Xavier O'Donoghue
Anton Lim
Baelee
Christopher Feliciano
Ctdela
Curious Panda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Sébastien Dionne
Z
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
