Early in the 11th month, 1546th year, Continental Calendar - Midnight
It happened in the domain of a certain noble within the Elfrieden Kingdom.
In the manor of the important noble who was lord of that domain, twelve shadowy figures were holding a secret eting in the darkness.
What do the rest of you make of this summons? one of them asked.
Of all the nobles in the land, our fourteen families have been summoned. Most likely... the kingdom has caught on to us.
There have been reports of the black-robed ones dogs sniffing around us, as well.
Then, the intent of this summons is...
...to make an example of the others, no doubt.
To make an example? It isnt a trap? one suggested in a hysterical voice.
Another laughed dryly. Heh heh heh. Unlike the nobles who have engaged in corruption, we havent been caught doing anything. With no cri to condemn us for, that king and the black-robed one cannot bring us to justice.
I see... That is why he is making an example of the others.
Indeed, one of them agreed. To keep us in line by making us think, Tomorrow, that could be .
Two of the three dukes have fallen, and those nobles who didnt participate in the recent war have lost their influence. If he can just keep us quiet, there will be nothing left to stop that king.
Hmph... All as the king planned, one of them said. Or was it the black-robed one?
It doesnt matter which of them it was. But, if we look at it from another perspective, we can say that this was the best the king could do against us.
Heh heh heh, you are quite right, another chuckled. He added, with a sneer, That is why, for now, we must lay low. We must act in a way that will not anger that king, that will not give him reason to punish us. No, if anything, we must cooperate with what the king does.
It galls to do it, another one said irately.
Its no matter... I doubt it will take long, the sneerer replied. Once all obstacles have been removed, I am sure that king will rush forward with revolutionary policies at an even faster rate than he has been. Reform taken too quickly will breed resistance. We need only support those people from the shadows. The more of them he executes, the more that king will be seen as a tyrant, and that will only breed more resistance.
The other n nodded, impressed by the mans words.
I see. He cannot keep at it for long, then.
Indeed. When the ti cos, we will push the king from power and place soone more malleable on the throne.
When that is accomplished, we can take things back to how they were under King Alberts reign.
The montum is with that king for now. We mustnt be caught in it. In order to wait it out, we must do as the king demands for now. But, in due ti...
The n laughed darkly.
Then one of the n raised a question. What do we do about the houses of Jabana and Saracen? Havent the heads changed?
Leave them be. If they displease the king and can no longer maintain their houses, that is their concern, not sothing for us to get involved in.
Of course. Now, gentlen, I ask you to all follow the plan we just agreed on.
Yes. To take back our era.
To take back our era.
However, they had not realized that there was a watcher in the darkness.
It was a sunny afternoon. I was helping Souma with his administrative work again today.
Okay, Liscia, Souma said. Hand these papers to Hakuya for .
Got it.
Taking the papers from Souma, I went to leave the office, when...
Liscia! Souma called out to .
Wondering what it could be, I turned around. Souma seed to be trying to say sothing, but it wasnt coming out. He either was trying to tell sothing and couldnt find the words, or kept opening his mouth to say sothing and then hesitating.
What is it? I asked.
Ah...! No, um... its nothing.
Okay... Well, Ill get going then.
I left Souma and headed out from the governntal affairs office. When I closed the door, I sighed despite myself.
Souma probably felt obliged to say sothing to because of what happened with Duke Carmine.
Geez... Its not sothing Souma should feel responsible for...
Even when Id been told Duke Carmine had committed suicide in the dungeon, I hadnt lost my composure. That man I had respected like a father and a teacher was dead, yet I felt strangely calm. That surprised .
It wasnt that I wasnt sad. Actually, I felt like my heart had been torn apart. But, still, I was able to act like my usual self. That was surely... because Id had sothing like a premonition that it would turn out like this. That the Duke Carmine I knew would chose the path of ruin, taking all of the darkness that has infested this country with him. And that Souma would accept his determination to do so.
Georg Carmine and Souma Kazuya.
Georg Carmine was a great man who I held in high esteem. He was strong and noble, a warrior who epitomized everything I should aspire to be. I respected him, and I thought I wanted to be like him.
And, as for Souma... he was the man I had decided, of my own will, to support.
I had lived a life largely detached from love and romance, so I wasnt sure what it was that I was feeling for Souma. Being a mber of the royal house, Id never held any great hopes for what my marriage would be like.
But when Id seen Aishas beaming smile when she beca his second fiance, or Junas smile when he told her, I swear, I will take you (as my wife), I had felt just a little pain in my chest.
...I knew now. This was probably that sort of feeling. I felt strongly enough about Souma to be having those sorts of emotions.
This was sothing that two n who were important to had decided on. Even if it was sad, if it was painful, I had to accept it or I would be making a mockery of their resolve. I chose to believe in their decision.
That was why, when I heard about Duke Carmines death, I didnt take out my frustrations on Souma.
Duke Carmine wouldnt have wanted to hurt our relationship. That was why, if I stayed right there at Soumas side, like normal, that would be paying my respects to Duke Carmine. That was how I felt.
I would continue to believe in Souma. No matter what decision he made, I would accept it and stand by him.
Today was the day of judgnt for Duke Vargas and Carla. As her friend, my desire to spare Carla remained unchanged, but no matter what decision Souma ca to, I was prepared to accept it. No matter what tragic conclusion it might lead to.
And yet...
Hey, Souma, I thought. Why do you have such a pained look on your face?
A strange atmosphere had fallen over the great hall in Parnam Castle.
This was the place where Castor and Carlas sentence was about to be handed down.
In response to the pleas of Duchess Walter, who had contributed greatly to the recent war effort, Souma had taken the right to judge them from the courts, and would be doing so personally. It was no praiseworthy act for a king to insert himself in the affairs of the courts, but Duchess Walter had gone so far as to return all other rewards for her service in order to make the request, so he had been able to force it through.
Now, Souma could judge the two of them personally.
People were positioned more or less where they would be in the audience hall.
Souma was seated higher than the rest, using a chair that, while not the throne, was still fairly impressive, with Aisha and flanking him on either side. Aishas position as bodyguard was no longer diagonally behind him, but directly beside him, a change made to reflect her new status as a candidate to beco a queen. That inevitably ant that she was in the center of everyones attention, so Aisha seed tense.
Looking down at the floor there was the forr General of the Air Force, Castor Vargas, and his daughter, Carla, both kneeling with their hands bound behind their backs. They both, perhaps because they had resolved themselves to accept their fate at this point, were sitting up straight.
Between them stood Pri Minister Hakuya and Duchess Walter, facing one another. Hakuyas role was to call for them to be prosecuted for their cris, while Duchess Walter was to defend Castor and Carla. In a normal trial, the prosecutor and the defense argue over whether a cri has been committed, but on this occasion the twos cris were already known.
Because of that, Hakuyas job was to seek punishnt for their cris, while Excels job was to defend their actions and seek a more lenient punishnt. If her defense was successful, their punishnt would be lightened, and if she failed, they would face the punishnt Hakuya was seeking. Therefore, there could be no finding of innocence.
Also, to observe this trial, there was a long table facing sideways with fourteen nobles seated in a single row. Souma had told he would seek their opinions during the trial.
I had been told their selection was random, but... was it really? The nobles seed to be whispering to one another.
No matter whats in store, I wont be surprised, I thought. This is a trial that was thought up by Souma, after all.
While there hadnt been many cases of the king taking the right to judge from the courts, it had happened before on occasion. However, in those cases, normally the king gave a verdict which could not be contested. This format, where the king held a trial where he would be the judge, was unheard of. It was a form of trial with no precedent. I couldnt predict anything that might happen.
Now then, let us carry out the trial of Castor and Carla, Souma declared in a quiet voice.
Hakuya read out the cris of which they were accused. Forr General of the Air Force Castor Vargas and his daughter, despite the lawful transfer of the throne to His Majesty, resisted his authority and even rejected his ultimatum, turning their swords against the Forbidden Army. The cri of treason applies in this case. Therefore, I believe it is appropriate that their land and assets be seized and they be subject to the death penalty.
I had expected this. Hakuya was pushing for the death penalty for both of them.
...Of course he was. Treason was a serious enough cri that it carried a death penalty for all relatives of up to three degrees of consanguinity.
The number of people affected was being kept to an absolute minimum because Duke Vargas had heeded Duchess Walters advice and formally cut ties with his family. Furthermore, in recognition of Duchess Walters distinguished service in the war, it had been decided that Carlas young brother Carl, who had been disowned and left in the care of the House of Walter, would inherit the House of Vargas with just Red Dragon City and the area around it as his fief. Excels daughter, who was also Carla and Carls mother, would serve as his advisor.
When Hakuya finished presenting the punishnt he sought, it was Excels turn to defend the two and request a lesser punishnt.
In prior deliberations, Duchess Walters offer to offer my head in exchange for their two lives, or turn over all of the Walter Duchy with the exception of Lagoon City had already been rejected. Taking her head was out of the question, and if he destroyed all three duchies, it would put the rest of the nobles on guard against Souma.
It was foolish for Castor and Carla to rebel against Your Majesty, said Excel. However, they most certainly did not do it in an attempt to usurp your position. It was their loyalty to the forr king, Sir Albert, and friendship with the General of the Army, Georg Carmine, that led them astray. Of course, the throne had been formally ceded to you by Sir Albert, and it is unthinkable that any of your vassals should have doubts about that.
However, the sudden change of rulers threw not only Castor but many other people into confusion. Carla only followed Castor as his daughter. Neither of the pair had any ambitions of their own. Fortunately, there were no casualties among their subjects or the Forbidden Army during the battle at Red Dragon City. Can you not spare them their lives, if nothing else?
Bowing, Duchess Walter sought to reduce the severity of their cris.
Souma just sat there listening to her speak.
He was so expressionless that it was impossible to read from his face what he might be thinking. I think, probably, he was suppressing his emotions so they wouldnt show.
Having heard the argunts of both the prosecution and the defense, Souma opened his mouth. Castor. Do you have anything to say in your defense?
No, Duke Vargas said firmly. There is no need for a defeated commander to speak. Please, part this head from my shoulders.
...I see.
Theres just one thing, said Duke Vargas. Im the one who started the war. Carla only followed orders. Ill take her punishnt, as well. I dont care if you torture , or humiliate in public. But, please, cant you spare Carlas life?
While still bound, Duke Vargas bowed so that his head nearly touched the ground.
Seeing her prideful father do that, Carlas eyes opened wide in surprise. Father!
However, Souma let out a sigh, his expression remaining impassive. Ive heard that the one leading the Air Force in that battle was Carla. I cant let that cri go unpunished, can I? You must have known this might happen when you raised the flag of rebellion.
Urgh... Duke Vargas bit his lip. However, he said no more.
This ti, Souma looked at Carla. Carla. Do you have anything to say in your defense?
...I do not. Carla shook her head weakly.
Is that all? You have nothing else to say?
In that case, there is one thing. I apologize for my lack of wisdom. Lic... The princess tried to diate between us, but we still stubbornly refused to listen. With those words, Carla hung her head.
While Carla had been in prison, shed said she didnt want to beco a burden by having us intercede on her behalf. She probably felt the sa way now.
You wont beg for forgiveness? Souma asked.
I will not. Judge as you see fit.
...I see.
Souma looked away from the two of them, then said to the nobles seated in the rear, Now, I would like to hear from those of you gathered here. These people have, in their thoughtlessness, raised the flag of rebellion against , the current king. What do you think is the appropriate judgnt for these fools? I would very much like to hear your unreserved opinions.
Souma said that with a look that, even to my eyes, seed a little frightening. For a mont, sothing seed off to . The way he said it, it was as if he had already made up his mind. Though he said he wanted to hear their opinions, it was as if he was saying, I cant imagine any of you would dare object to executing these traitors, would you? in order to intimidate them. It was as if he was acting to constrain the nobles watching the trial...
Normally, Souma would listen to any opinion, implenting it if he felt it was right, but what he was doing now was the exact opposite of that.
When I considered that and looked at the nobles, they were all from houses with dark rumors swirling around them or houses that had repeatedly declined to get involved when there was a crisis. Could it be that Souma ant to use Carla and her father to make an example and force these people to swear loyalty to him?
He was showing off his power and saying, If you dont want this to happen to you, then obey . That was the impression I got.
Then, one of the nobles stood and raised his voice. Your Majesty! When you say it like that, you make it seem as if their cri is already decided!
The speaker was a young man with a masculine face. He was maybe around the sa age as Halbert. But he didnt have the sa roughness as Halbert. He seed to be a serious, good-natured young man.
Who is that person? Souma asked.
That is the head of the House of Saracen, Piltory Saracen, Hakuya said.
Piltory said, I understand this to be a place to determine the weight of their cri. If you do this, forcing your will on the rest of us, then this trial has no purpose!
Ga ha ha! Well said, young Saracen! another of the nobles said, rising to his feet. With his ash gray hair combed back, and a thick beard the sa color as his hair, he was a big, muscular man just starting to show the signs of old age.
Hakuya narrowed his eyes, calling out that persons na. The head of the House of Jabana, Sir Owen Jabana.
O Black-robed Pri Minister, the man responded. Duke Vargas over there has defended this country for over a hundred years, which is longer than Ive been alive. He may lack maturity, but I doubt his feelings towards this country have changed. He rose against His Majesty not out of personal greed, but because he was prepared to die for his friendship with Georg Carmine.
You suggest his treason couldnt be helped because it was done in the na of friendship? Hakuya glared at him.
No, no, Owen said, shaking his head. Thats not what Im saying. The throne had formally been passed to His Majesty King Souma, so I can only say that Duke Vargas acted rashly. Its not a cri that can be pardoned. However, Duke Vargas has already been stripped of his position, his fa, his lands, and his assets. Is it not, perhaps, a little much to now take both his and his daughters lives on top of all that?
Forgive the traitoris that what you are saying?
Old as I am, I think it would be regrettable not to, Owen said. Duke Vargas is a person who could command troops for another two, three hundred years. Is there anyone in this country who could lead the Air Force as well as he?
Perhaps emboldened by Owens words, Piltory began to argue forcefully once more. Sire! You yourself said, If you have a gift, I will put it to use, didnt you?! Are you going to lose a rare gift like his?! I cannot believe that Duke Vargas, a man who bared his fangs against you because he trusted in his friend, is sohow inferior to us nobles who opportunistically refused to take a side! I beseech you, do as Duchess Walter has said and lighten his sentence!
Having listened to their words, Souma closed his eyes for a mont, and then... gave the order.
...Take them away.
In an instant, soldiers surrounded the two and removed them from the hall. Owen quietly obeyed the soldiers with a disappointed expression, while in contrast, Piltory continued to cry, Sire! Please, reconsider! even as he was being escorted out.
Once they were taken away, an unpleasant silence fell over the hall. Everyone held their breath, unable to say anything until Souma broke the silence.
Are there any other opinions?
The other nobles opinions were all so variant of Sentence both of them to death.
The law is the law.
If you let this pass, it sets a poor example to your other vassals.
Any fool who would oppose Your Majesty can be of no use.
...And it went on like that. While what they were saying sounded reasonable, it was clear they were thinking, We dont want to displease the king like those two.
...
I... was having a hard ti understanding it. True, the nobles who had remained feared Souma, and they would have a hard ti plotting against him. However, when I compared the two whod been expelled with the twelve who remained, I had to question which group would really of more benefit to Souma and to the country.
...No. Dont doubt him. I decided to believe in Souma, didnt I?
I pinched my thighs. As I desperately tried to suppress my internal conflict, I heard Souma whisper, This is sothing... that has to be done.
Souma?
I understand your positions. Souma stood and raised his right hand up high.
When they saw that gesture, Duchess Walters eyes went wide, the nobles held their breath, and Castor and Carla lowered their heads in resignation.
Souma swung his hand down as he gave a short order. Do it.
In the next instant, there was the sound of a blade slicing through the air and a splash of blood. And then...
...twelve heads fell to the ground.
The book I referred back to when deciding how I should act as king was The Prince.
Machiavellis The Prince was called the devils book, and for hundreds of years after it was released, it was attacked by the Christian church. The parts most often singled out were, Chapter VIII - Concerning Those Who Have Obtained a Principality by Wickedness and Chapter XVII - Concerning Cruelty and Clency, and Whether it is Better to be Loved Than Feared.
Chapter VIII had as its the even though a good, upstanding ruler can lose his country, one who seized his state through vile and treacherous ans may, thereafter, live out the rest of his life in peace, without facing rebellion from his people. In it, Machiavelli said, I believe that this follows from cruelties being badly or properly used.
Also, in Chapter XVII, he reasoned that n are self-serving creatures, and if asked to harm one of two people, they would chose to harm a person they love over a person they fear. This ant it is much safer to be feared than to be loved.
He also said, When a prince is with his army, it is quite necessary for him to disregard the reputation of cruelty, noting, Hannibal of Carthage faced no dissension among his troops or against himself, whether in victory or in defeat. This arose from nothing else than his inhuman cruelty.
The Christian church, which preached love, attacked these portions, saying, What is the aning of this? Recomnding that princes, who should rule through virtue, engage in acts of cruelty! It angered them, and The Prince was banned.
Then, partially because of its established reputation as the devils book, its content wasnt closely considered, with extre statents being given the most focus. It got to the point where misreadings like, The Prince approves of the use of cruelty, or, The Prince says to massacre all who oppose you, went unchallenged. It also saw occasional calls to reevaluate this tendency.
However, what I want to say firmly is: Machiavelli did not go into extensive detail about cruelties.
In Chapter VIII, he did say, An usurper ought to examine closely into all those cruelties which it is necessary for him to inflict, and to do them all at one stroke so as not to have to repeat them. But when it cos to the content, he only listed historical examples, and at no point did Machiavelli himself say, Do it like this!
It was the sa in Chapter XVII. He credited Hannibals wonderful deeds to his inhuman cruelty, but he didnt elaborate on what cruelty was. Now, what were these cruelties that Machiavelli said were to be done all at once, or the cruelty that was the burden a prince must bear?
First, Machiavelli said in Chapter XVII that, A prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that he avoids hatred, and noted that, to avoid being hated, He must abstain from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their won. Then, in the sa section, he said, When it is necessary to proceed against the life of soone, he must do it on proper justification and for manifest cause.
This could be reworded, Even if a prince has just cause, he shouldnt lay a hand on his subjects land, assets, or won, and killing is only permissible with proper cause. (Which is to say, killing without a proper cause is not permissible.)
In other words, when Machiavelli spoke of the use of cruelties, he limited it to the killing of those for whom you have just cause. Therefore, how far can those justifiable killings be permitted? Was he saying, as the church condemned him for, that you should kill all of your enemies?
I am well aware that opinions are divided on that point, but I believe the answer is No.
That is because, in Chapter XX of The Prince, Machiavelli himself said this:
Princes, especially new ones, have found more fidelity and assistance in those n who in the beginning of their rule were distrusted than among those who in the beginning were trusted.
With those who may have been hostile at first, if they ca to need assistance to support themselves, they could be won over with ease. Once they had been won over, they would work desperately to dispel the bad impression they had left, and so they were much more useful than those who, having not opposed the new prince at first, lived in security.
For an example in Japanese history, the fierce general who had served under Nobunaga Oda, Katsuie Shibata, should serve as an easy-to-understand example.
When Nobunagas younger brother rebelled against him, Katsuie sided with the younger brother at first, but later surrendered and beca his vassal. From there, Katsuie rendered distinguished service under Nobunaga and beca his chief retainer. However, if his efforts had been deed insufficient, he might have been banished like Hidesada Hayashi, who had surrendered with him. That must have been part of the reason Katsuie worked with such desperation.
Now, getting back on topic, what Machiavelli ant when he spoke of cruelty wasnt Make sure you kill all who oppose you, or anything like that.
Therefore, what exactly did he an?
To answer that, we must look to the historical examples Machiavelli used of cruelties being used well.
When Syracuse was attacked by the Carthaginians, Agathocles deceived and killed the senators and people of influence, and then, once he had solidified his own power, he fended off the Carthaginian attack.
In order to seize the rule of his hotown of Fermo, Oliverotto deceived and killed his uncle who was his patron along with the citizens of influence, then held Fermo for a re one year.
As for the man Machiavelli held up as his ideal prince, Cesare Borgia, he murdered those he had reconciled with and solidified his power. Among those he killed was the aforentioned Oliverotto.
Machiavelli approved of these actions. And what we can see from these examples is that the target of cruelties was allies within your own camp.
The senators, who might have been allies as mbers of the sa camp, but would have got in the way of ones policies.
The father who stood in the way of one becoming a prince.
And finally, the ones who had reconciled and beco ones allies, but who could not be trusted not to turn on one again.
Those sorts of troubleso allies, or to put it more strongly, potential enemies within ones own camp, were the target of Machiavellis cruelties.
The sa can be said of the cruelty in Chapter XVII.
Hannibal was said to be feared by his n due to his inhuman cruelty, but if we are to judge the quality of that cruelty, by looking at the contrasting example he gives of Scipio, what he ans begins to co into view. Scipio was a great general, but his n betrayed him, and the people under his rule rebelled against him. The reason was that his too-great forbearance kept him from punishing his followers when they engaged in abuses.
In short, Machiavelli was saying that Hannibal, who was Scipios opposite, was able to properly condemn his allies, which made him feared by those who served under him, and regardless of whether he won or lost, they never betrayed him.
If we think of the target for Machiavellis proper use of cruelties as being allies who might in future beco enemies, along with his other assertion in The Prince that when neighboring states are at war, you should clearly state which side you are on, because if you attempt to remain neutral, you will generally fail, we can begin to see what Machiavellis underlying thoughts were.
Basically...
Dont trust opportunists who join whichever side is winning at the mont.
...Thats about it.
Machiavelli had served as a diplomat in a ti when Italy was rife with scheming and treachery.
He must have seen countless cases where things were brushed under the rug because soone didnt want to make a big deal of them, only to see the ones whose transgressions had been overlooked beco a major source of trouble later. That was why he said that, even if it was deed cruel, the source of the illness needed to be cut out at its root.
That was why I had the twelve nobles decapitated.
More than ten n clad all in black stood behind the twelve beheaded nobles. Their faces were covered in black cloth, and they wore black clothing that resembled ninja outfits. In their hands they held bloody swords, making it plain to see that they were the ones who had decapitated the nobles.
The sudden intrusion and murder made everyone present gulp. My expression remained unchanged. Hakuyas did not change, either. We were the only ones.
Huh?! Souma! Liscia exclaid.
Sire! You knaves, who are you?! Aisha cried.
Liscia and Aisha both drew their blades and stepped forth to protect , but I just put a hand down on each of their shoulders.
Its okay. These are my subordinates.
Liscia stumbled, Your subordinates... Huh...?
While Liscia was still looking bewildered, one of the n in black approached. While the other n all wore nondescript black clothing, this one alone wore black lacquered armor. He stood nearly two ters tall, with a muscular build that was apparent even through his armor. From his neck down, he looked like so sort of dark knight, but his face was covered with a black tiger mask. The man in the black tiger mask knelt before , bowing his head. Master. The mission is complete.
The man in the black tiger mask had a low voice that suited his appearance.
Liscia inhaled in surprise. That voi... Ow!
Liscia started to say sothing, but I gripped her shoulder tighter. Liscia looked at with surprise, but when I shook my head... it seed she figured out what was going on. She quietly sheathed her sword.
When I looked over to Excel, she seed to have grasped the general situation, too. There was a slight anger not quite hidden in her smile.
I am going to insist... on a proper explanation for all this later, she seed to be silently saying. When a beauty like her got angry, it was an incredible sight to behold.
I felt a chill run down my spine as I tapped Aisha, who still hadnt relaxed her guard, on the shoulder. Aisha, you put your sword away, too.
B-But...
His na is Kagetorashadow tiger. He is the leader of the intelligence agency, the Black Cats, who report directly to .
When I said that, the agents of the Black Cats held up their swords in front of themselves in unison.
I had been caught out by the Empires secret service in Van, the capital of Amidonia, so I had recently organized this unit under my direct command to focus on intelligence operations.
To be more precise, I had greatly increased the number of agents Hakuya already had, refined their skills, brought on Kagetora with his superb abilities as a commander to lead them, and then reorganized them into a unit under my direct command.
They were a unit with many mysteries. The identities of the mbers were unknown. It was also unclear why, though the unit had only formally been organized the other day, they could act in such unison.
The greatest mystery was Kagetoras identity. The way he commanded his unit as if they were his own arms and legs... it was almost like he were a veteran general of so sort, but was there anyone like that in this country?
Just who could he possibly be? No one knew his true identity.
...Hey, Souma, Liscia said slowly. Is Kagetora...
No one knows his true identity. Got it?
Ah, right...
Liscia looked like she didnt know what to say, but she nodded. I imdiately gave an order to Kagetora and the Black Cats.
Once the nobles bodies have been disposed of, contact the units from the Forbidden Army lying in wait around their mansions. They are to charge in and secure evidence. If there is any resistance, suppress it.
By your will, said Kagetora.
The Black Cats began to clean up the bodies, imdiately departing.
Kagetora looked to Liscia one last ti, then left the great hall. Once they had left, Liscia gave a slightly harsh look.
...Youre going to explain all this for , right? she demanded.
I know, I said. But Im not sure where to begin...
Maybe you want to start with why you killed the nobles.
Well, yeah, that would be your first question... I said.
I began to slowly explain my reasons for this murder.
Now, as for the reason those twelve had to die, they were also connected to Amidonia, I said. Thats sothing that both Hakuya and Georg had confird through their independent investigations.
They were spies for Amidonia, you an? Liscia asked.
I shook my head. Thats not quite accurate. I said also, didnt I? They were connected to Amidonia, to the corrupted nobles, and also to our side.
Huh? What do you an by...
They were opportunists, I said. They side with whoevers winning.
Those nobles had always cooperated with whoever was on the winning side, in order to avoid trouble themselves.
When the kingdom had been in decline, theyd had underground connections to the Principality of Amidonia. When the civil war had broken out, theyd supported the corrupt nobles from the shadows, while remaining uninvolved themselves. They had always fonted discontent while securing their own safety like that. Only thinking of their own profit and self-preservation.
They profited by providing supplies and personnel with resistance groups, and if the winning side shifted, theyd crush their current allies to win acclaim for themselves, I said. If suspicion turned on them, they would font rebellion elsewhere, so as to keep the investigation from catching up with them. It seems they did it again and again under your fathers reign.
Having learned what was going on behind the scenes during her fathers reign, Liscia was at a loss for words. No...
Now, what made them dangerous was that they never directly rebelled themselves, I said. When the advantage was on our side, they acted almost like loyal vassals, so it was hard to bring them to justice. Thats because when things were going our way, they actually did their jobs.
The more confident a ruler is in his ability to maintain power, the more forbearance he has, the more he wants to trust his vassals, the more he will fall into a trap like that. If I can build a stable administration, it should be fine. Theres no need to reduce the number of allies I have, hed think.
But... you had them killed, right? Liscia asked.
Thats because I dont see my rule ever being stable, I said. In fact, I think soday I may be forced to stand at the crossroads of fate. When that ti cos, I guarantee you that those opportunists would have hurt . I dont want you, or Aisha, or Juna, or any of the people I care about to get hurt, and then think, If only I had disposed of them back then. If that ever happened, Id probably go crazy. Thats why, here and now, I decided to nip it in the bud.
In Machiavellis The Prince, he said this: I hold it to be true that Fortune is the arbiter of one-half of our actions, but that she still leaves us to direct the other half, or perhaps a little less.
In this world, a persons rise or fall will be decided by whether their actions are suited to the era in which they live. However, that can only be judged by those who co later. Nobunaga Oda, Napoleon... Even if they are geniuses in their ti, once the tis no longer suit them, they will be destroyed.
Machiavelli had likened fortune to a raging river.
He said that, though the sudden change of fortune cannot be stopped, if one prepares for that change in advance, its flow can be made less unrestrained and dangerous.
The important thing was to not be optimistic about ones situation, but to be resolute and do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
In regards to this, Machiavelli said, Fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under it is necessary to beat and ill-use her, a way of putting it that would upset any feminist who heard it. Setting aside his choice of words, in order to ensure that the roots of calamity didnt remain, I had given the order to strike down twelve nobles here.
When she heard my explanation, Liscia slowly nodded. I understand your reasoning, Souma. What will you do with the Houses of Saracen and Jabana, the ones you had leave?
Allow to explain that, Hakuya said, stepping forward. The Houses of Saracen and Jabana had worked alongside the other twelve under their forr heads, but that connection between them was broken with their deaths. The present head of the House of Saracen, Sir Piltory, is a fine young man who excels with both the pen and sword, while the head of House Jabana, Sir Owen, is a sober and honest hotblooded man. They can be counted on to serve His Majesty without duplicity. I believe you could see that from the way they acted while being led out of the great hall.
...So you showed so discretion about who was to be executed, then, Liscia said.
That is correct. Hakuya nodded. The ones executed were all up to sothing-or-another. Now we are investigating their mansions in the capital, collecting evidence of what that was for each of them. The punishnt for the cri and the finding of evidence are in the wrong order, which is hardly praiseworthy, but I ask you to understand.
With that said, Hakuya bowed his head.
He was probably trying to back up. By telling her I hadnt murdered twelve people on my suspicion alone, he was trying to keep it from doing anything strange to my relationship with Liscia.
Liscia seed to understand that, too, so she didnt press the issue any further. Okay, I understand the twelve, but what if the other two had agreed with you, Souma? Would you have killed them, too?
Hakuya shook his head. In that event, the plan was for to provoke them. Though, if they had attempted to curry favor with His Majesty like the other twelve houses, we would have had little use for them after this.
Youd thought it through that far... Liscia looked at , scandalized.
No, this sort of plan that involved reading the vagaries of peoples hearts is Hakuyas departnt, I thought. I dont have that nasty a personality... I think.
Seeing avert my eyes, Liscia let out a sigh of resignation. So, what happens to Carla and her father now?
...Im getting to that. I walked over to stand in front of the bound Castor. Having seen everything that had just unfolded, he looked dumbfounded. The blade hed expected to fall on his own neck had fallen on anothers. It was little wonder he was so bewildered.
Castor Vargas, I said. Because you refused to heed my ultimatum, you are guilty of treason.
Castor bowed his head. ...I understand.
Then he bowed his head even lower than before, grinding his forehead against the floor this ti. Thats why, I beg you. The cri is mine alone. So, please, spare just Carla.
You are not the one who decides that, I said coldly. This is your judgnt. Your cri of treason is plain to see. ...However, as both Piltory and Owen said earlier, I will recognize your contribution to this country in the more than one hundred years you have protected it. I have already taken your post, your lands, your assets, and even your family na from you. Therefore, I will spare you your life, and that alone.
I turned to Excel, who was silently watching to see how things developed.
Castor will be left in your custody. However, he is forbidden from entering the forr Duchy of Vargas, and also forbidden from contacting his son Carl, or the boys mother, Accela. Excel, your son-in-law is the one who did all this, so you must keep a proper watch on him.
Ah! ...Yes. It will be as you command. There were tears forming in Excels eyes as she gave a proper bow.
When she raised her face, I saw her mouth the words Thank you, to . I showed no reaction, moving on to Carla.
Even though her father had been spared, Carla still wore a quiet expression.
Carla, I said, you are guilty of the sa cri. Whats more, you dont have Castors distinguished record of having protected the country for one hundred years. Im sad to say it, but I dont see any way I could lessen your punishnt.
...I understand, she said quietly.
W-Wait! Then kill ! Castor exclaid, grinding his face against the floor in desperation. Carla turned her blade on you at my orders! So let my record be used for Carla...
Take him away.
My attendants dragged him from the room. He kept screaming Ill take her place! until he was out of the room, but I was under no obligation to listen to him.
Once things had quieted down, I continued. You have clearly committed the cri of treason. However, if I let the mastermind, Castor, live, it would reflect poorly on to kill his daughter. Therefore, I will spare your life, but you will live as a slave. Your owners will be the royal familythat is to say, Liscia and myself.
The second most heavy punishnt in this world was forced labor as a convict slave. There was no such thing as life imprisonnt. Those who beca convict slaves, unless they were granted an amnesty, would be forced to do endless hard labor in the coal mines. Though, in Carlas case, because I had chosen to give ownership of her to the royal family, she would be spared the coal mines and kept in the royal house as a servant who had to be absolutely submissive.
...Okay. Carla accepted my order, nodding weakly.
Excel was about to say sothing, but she held it in. She must have decided it was better than her being killed, at least. Hakuya closed his eyes in silence, while Aisha was flustered by the atmosphere in the room. And finally, Liscia watched what I would do in silence, her expression unchanging.
I will give you further directions later, but, for now, I have an order to give you, I said.
...As you wish.
I walked over to Carla, who was hanging her head, crouched down and whispered a certain order, quietly, so that only she could hear. Carlas eyes went wide.
When Souma quietly whispered the order, I doubted my own ears.
If it cos to it, kill .
When he saw my eyes widen in surprise, Souma needed to with a serious look on his face. Not now, of course. If I beco a tyrant, I want you to be the one to stop . With your martial ability, you could kill easily, right?
Kill him if he becos a tyrant...?! Why would he suddenly say that to ?!
I kept my voice low, asking him, Why would you say that? And why to , of all people?!
Because Liscia and the others might not be able to, Souma whispered, a troubled smile on his face. At so point, I found myself surrounded by many people I care about. Just recently, I got engaged to another person on top of Liscia. Its Aisha, over there.
He got engaged to that dark elf without hearing about it? I thought, stunned. Has Liscia accepted it? Well, knowing her personality, shes probably being pragmatic about it...
Well... Congratulations? I whispered.
Thanks, he whispered back. So you see, I have more and more people I care about. In itself, thats a good thing, but when I think of what would happen if, soday, I grew drunk on power and beco a tyrant... it starts to scare . If that ca to pass, I worry whether Liscia and the others could stop like they should, you know?
Liscia would stop you, I whispered. You know her straight-laced personality.
Would she? he retorted, still whispering. Sure, if I started indulging in too much debauchery, or started massacring the townspeople, shed admonish for it, but what about if I had a good justification, like I did this ti? Individual purges arent that much of a problem on their own. But when they happen repeatedly, eventually you reach a point of no return. When it cos to that, will Liscia and the others be able to abandon ?
Thats... No, probably not, I realized.
Its not my place to say it, but... Liscia is head over heels in love with you, I whispered. If you fall into hell, Im sure shell be right there beside you.
Liscia was too serious and too devoted a girl. Probably, no matter what happened, she would follow Souma loyally to the bitter end.
Souma nodded. I know, right? Aishas sort of the sa way. Do you think Juna would do it, maybe? Anyway, there are a lot of people who would try to suffer alongside . I dont want that. If there were a revolution in response to my tyrannical rule, it wouldnt just be who got executed, it would be Liscia and the rest, too. I dont want Liscia and the others to turn out like Marie Antoinette.
Marie... who?
While I still had a question mark hovering over my head, Souma whispered with a serious look, Thats why, Carla, before those I care about can suffer with , I want you to take on the role of putting an end to .
...Im a slave now, I whispered. If I kill my master, the collar will kill , you know?
Yeah, he whispered back. So, please, only do it if youre prepared to die, too. And, if I manage to hand the crown on to the next generation, I will set you free.
This man... he says the most incredible things as if they were nothing. I was stunned.
Souma had told , if he beca a tyrant, to beco the blade that struck him down. Then, having killed him, to die myself. By keeping at his side as his slave, he was hoping to use as a personal deterrent against his becoming a tyrant.
You really... dont show any rcy, I whispered.
I only hold back for those I care about, he whispered back.
I ant towards yourself, I whispered. Though I suppose the aning still got through.
I had thought the sa thing in the battle with Amidonia, but this man treated himself far too poorly. If he didnt take better care of himself, he was going to cause no end of worry for those around him.
Liscia, youve fallen for a real troubleso guy... I thought to myself.
That was right. In order to keep my best friends love life from a sad future, I decided to act as his deterrent.
Sitting up straight, I bowed deeply. I have received your order. Until the day cos that I must act on it, I will work my hardest for you, praying that that day never cos.
Souma nodded in satisfaction at my response. At this mont, we have no work ant exclusively for a slave. For now, you will join the maid force... But... Well... Uh, get the details from the head maid yourself.
When he gave that order, he sounded a bit hesitant towards the end. I wondered what was up, so I followed Soumas gaze to see a beautiful maid who seed to be around twenty years old smiling happily.
When I wondered what it was about her, I realized Liscia was looking in my direction, an expression of utter pity on her face.
...Huh?
With the trial of Castor and my friend Carla over, Souma, Aisha, and I were returning to the governntal affairs office when suddenly, Souma stumbled in front of us.
Souma! I cried.
Sire! Aisha shouted.
When Aisha and I tried to support him, Souma put a hand on the wall. Im fine. Just stumbled a bit, he said, motioning for us to stop with his free hand.
But... I said.
Its all right, he said. ...Id like to be alone for just a little while,
Then he went into the governntal affairs office by himself.
From the glimpse I got of his face in profile, he looked pale and unwell. Left on our own out in the hallway, I struck up a conversation with Aisha, who had likewise been left behind and was standing there in a daze.
He was his usual self just a mont ago, I said. What do you think happened to him all of a sudden?
I am not entirely sure myself, said Aisha. However...
However?
He looked like a soldier returning from his first battle, she said, looking troubled. Like one... who had just killed for the first ti.
You an hes feeling bad over how he killed the twelve nobles? I asked.
But Souma had done that because hed believed it to be necessary, hadnt he? If so, he had nothing to regret. Besides, Souma had experienced his first battle in the war with the Principality of Amidonia. Hed struck down Prince Gaius VIII of Amidonia, and hed had the corrupt nobles executed after that. This wasnt a first for him.
When I pointed that out, Aisha shook her head. This is re speculation on my part, but the ti with Gaius was a case of kill or be killed. The corrupt nobles had clearly manifested their intention to rebel against him. However, in the case of those twelve nobles, they were not imdiately attempting to harm His Majesty. Even if he knows it would be harmful to leave them alive, he questions whether or not it was the right decision to kill them. In his heart, perhaps he cant quite co to terms with it.
Aisha looked worriedly at the door to the governntal affairs office.
He cant co to terms with it... huh.
...Yeah. I thought Aishas interpretation of it was correct. Id heard Souma had co from a peaceful world. There hadnt been a war there in so ti.
Because he had co from a world like that, Souma absolutely hated to have people die. But he wasnt so unduly optimistic that he thought everything could be taken care of without sacrifices. That was why the policies Souma took were always focused around minimizing the sacrifice while maximizing the reward.
It was a natural fra of mind for the ruler of a nation. However, in Soumas own heart, he wasnt so insensitive that he could accept even those minimized sacrifices.
Hey, Aisha, I said. What do you do to support a soldier like that?
Well... I have never been a part of the military, so I am no expert on these things... but I often hear it is best to make them forget about it.
Make them forget about it? I repeated.
I hear that their superior officers and the older soldiers will invite them out for wine and won to help them vent, Aisha said. It is the sort of thing that only ti can heal, so they keep them from thinking about it too deeply and breaking down.
Wine, or the other thing... huh, I thought to myself. In that case...
The trial had begun at noon. Now it was most definitely night ti.
I lay alone in my bed, the governntal affairs office completely dark with all of the lights turned off.
There was a lot of work for to do. But, just for today, I had asked Hakuya to let shirk my duties. I just didnt have the will to do anything. Hakuya understood that. I wished I could just go to sleep. But, contrary to that hope, I was wide awake.
If I used my head just a little, that might help, so I decided to think through whether the execution was justified or not.
I thought that executing the twelve nobles had been correct, examining it in the long term. If Id left them alive, and if anyone had been hurt by the seed of calamity they would sow, I was sure I would have regretted that. But, well, now I was desperately holding my chest, trying not to regret that I had killed them.
All cruelties should be carried out in one stroke.
A prince need not concern himself over a reputation of cruelty.
In order to avoid destruction, it is better to choose to fight.
When the ti of your demise cos, it is too late for regrets.
I went over Machiavellis ideas over and over again in my head. But all I was doing was looking for an excuse.
If I was going to regret sothing, I preferred to it be that I had chosen a path that didnt hurt those I cared most for. I thought I had convinced myself of that before making the decision, and I resented my own heart for still wavering despite that.
While I was pondering, the door suddenly opened. I moved just my head to check, and Liscia and Aisha were standing there.
In rather provocative attire.
Huh?! I reacted in shock.
They were both wearing what looked like thin bathrobes that only went down to a little above the knee.
Maybe they werent wearing anything underneath the robes, because the cleavage that poked out from where the collar t, as well as the bare thighs that stuck out from beneath, were captivating. In the light that ca in from the hallway beyond the open door, their silhouettes were accentuated in a provocative way. It made Aishas height and her shapely figure stand out all the more, while Liscias well-balanced body was beautiful, too.
It was a little too much for to take in all at once, and I stared for a while, entranced.
...Honestly, if I hadnt been feeling so down at the ti, all reason would have likely gone out the window in an instant. However, in my current state of mind, it all seed more like a bad joke.
...What do you think youre doing? I demanded.
My tone was so scary that I startled myself. No, that wasnt what I ought to have been saying, and I knew it. It was like I was taking my frustration out on them.
I kept my tone as calm as I could manage and corrected myself. I believe I asked you two to give so ti to myself.
We cant leave you alone when youre like that, now can we? Liscia paid my objections no heed as she ca over and sat down on the edge of the bed where I was lying down.
Aisha also said P-Pardon my intrusion, and ca around to the opposite side from Liscia before politely taking a seat.
Whether I turned my head left or right, there was a beautiful girls bottom. I could only cover my eyes with one arm, looking straight up. What is this...? What do you two want...?
Thats, well... we want to help you forget, you could say... Liscia said.
Co again? I asked incredulously.
Anyway! You can do whatever you like with us! Liscia burst out.
I-It is my first ti doing such a thing, so I am counting on you, Your Highness! Aisha cried.
You can do what you like with us... I am counting on you... what are these two saying?!
Listen... Im not in the mood right now, I said.
Ohh, if only wed had Madam Juna here with us, Aisha said sounding disappointed.
No, Junas busy going through the procedure to transfer here from the Navy right now, okay? I sighed... Oh, whatever. Im sure theyre doing it because theyre concerned.
While I was thinking that, Liscia started fidgeting. Um, Souma...
What? I asked.
Its a bit chilly, so can we join you under the covers for now?
She was shivering, huh... Well, it is almost winter, after all. They must be cold in those outfits.
Before I could say It wouldnt be a problem if you had dressed properly to begin with, the two hurried under the covers. It was a single bed, making it was a tight fit for three people. Inevitably, the two of them ended up pressed up against . Close enough I could feel their hearts beating.
Whew, Liscia said. This is nice and warm, huh.
Indeed, Aisha said. I could fall asleep just like this.
This is my room and office, though, you know... I could only put on a wry smile in response to their comnts. But, well... it really was warm.
My worries from before seed to be lting away. That was how great the warmth of others was. Just by having soone there next to , my heart felt lighter.
I could remind myself that I was protecting them. That I wanted to protect them.
You two, I said.
Hm? Liscia said.
What is it? Aisha asked.
Thanks.
When I said that, the two of them smiled, one on each side of .
Then, perhaps because we were tired, the three of us soon drifted off to sleep.
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