Crime and Punishment

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 meeting 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 one's 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 isn't a trap?" one suggested in a hysterical

voice.

Another laughed dryly. "Heh heh heh. Unlike the nobles who have

engaged in corruption, we haven't been caught doing anything. With no

crime 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 me.'"

"Two of the three dukes have fallen, and those nobles who didn't

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 doesn't 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 me to do it," another one said irately.

"It's 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 men nodded, impressed by the man's words.

"I see. He cannot keep at it for long, then."

"Indeed. When the time comes, we will push the king from power and

place someone more malleable on the throne."

"When that is accomplished, we can take things back to how they were

under King Albert's reign."

"The momentum is with that king for now. We mustn't be caught in it.

In order to wait it out, we must do as the king demands for now. But, in due

time..."

The men laughed darkly.

Then one of the men raised a question. "What do we do about the houses

of Jabana and Saracen? Haven't the heads changed?"

"Leave them be. If they displease the king and can no longer maintain

their houses, that is their concern, not something for us to get involved in."

"Of course. Now, gentlemen, 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 me."

"Got it."

Taking the papers from Souma, I went to leave the office, when...

"Liscia!" Souma called out to me.

Wondering what it could be, I turned around. Souma seemed to be trying

to say something, but it wasn't coming out. He either was trying to tell me

something and couldn't find the words, or kept opening his mouth to say

something and then hesitating.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Ah...! No, um... it's nothing."

"Okay... Well, I'll get going then."

I left Souma and headed out from the governmental affairs office. When

I closed the door, I sighed despite myself.

Souma probably felt obliged to say something to me because of what

happened with Duke Carmine.

Geez... It's not something Souma should feel responsible for...

Even when I'd been told Duke Carmine had committed suicide in the

dungeon, I hadn't lost my composure. That man I had respected like a

father and a teacher was dead, yet I felt strangely calm. That surprised me.

It wasn't that I wasn't 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 I'd had something 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 wasn't

sure what it was that I was feeling for Souma. Being a member of the royal

house, I'd never held any great hopes for what my marriage would be like.

But when I'd seen Aisha's beaming smile when she became his second

fiancée, or Juna's 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 something that two men who were important to me 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 Carmine's death, I didn't take

out my frustrations on Souma.

Duke Carmine wouldn't have wanted to hurt our relationship. That was

why, if I stayed right there at Souma's 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 judgment for Duke Vargas and Carla. As her

friend, my desire to spare Carla remained unchanged, but no matter what

decision Souma came 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 Carla's 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 me flanking him on

either side. Aisha's 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 become a queen. That inevitably meant that she was in the

center of everyone's attention, so Aisha seemed tense.

Looking down at the floor there was the former 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 Prime Minister Hakuya and Duchess Walter, facing

one another. Hakuya's role was to call for them to be prosecuted for their

crimes, while Duchess Walter was to defend Castor and Carla. In a normal

trail, the prosecutor and the defense argue over whether a crime has been

committed, but on this occasion the two's crimes were already known.

Because of that, Hakuya's job was to seek punishment for their crimes,

while Excel's job was to defend their actions and seek a more lenient

punishment. If her defense was successful, their punishment would be

lightened, and if she failed, they would face the punishment 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 me he would seek

their opinions during the trial.

I had been told their selection was random, but... was it really? The

nobles seemed to be whispering to one another.

No matter what's in store, I won't be surprised, I thought. This is a trial

that was thought up by Souma, after all.

While there hadn't 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 couldn't 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 crimes of which they were accused. "Former

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 crime 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 crime 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 Walter's advice and formally cut

ties with his family. Furthermore, in recognition of Duchess Walter's

distinguished service in the war, it had been decided that Carla's 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. Excel's daughter, who was also Carla and

Carl's mother, would serve as his advisor.

When Hakuya finished presenting the punishment he sought, it was

Excel's turn to defend the two and request a lesser punishment.

In prior deliberations, Duchess Walter's 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 former 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 crimes.

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 wouldn't show.

Having heard the arguments 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."

"There's just one thing," said Duke Vargas. "I'm the one who started the

war. Carla only followed orders. I'll take her punishment, as well. I don't

care if you torture me, or humiliate me in public. But, please, can't you

spare Carla's life?"

While still bound, Duke Vargas bowed so that his head nearly touched

the ground.

Seeing her prideful father do that, Carla's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Father!"

However, Souma let out a sigh, his expression remaining impassive.

"I've heard that the one leading the Air Force in that battle was Carla. I

can't let that crime 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 time, 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 mediate between us, but we still stubbornly

refused to listen." With those words, Carla hung her head.

While Carla had been in prison, she'd said she didn't want to become a

burden by having us intercede on her behalf. She probably felt the same

way now.

"You won't beg for forgiveness?" Souma asked.

"I will not. Judge me 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 me, the current king. What do you think is the appropriate judgment

for these fools? I would very much like to hear your unreserved opinions."

Souma said that with a look that, even to my eyes, seemed a little

frightening. For a moment, something seemed off to me. 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 can't 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, implementing 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 meant 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 don't want this to

happen to you, then obey me." 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 crime is already

decided!"

The speaker was a young man with a masculine face. He was maybe

around the same age as Halbert. But he didn't have the same roughness as

Halbert. He seemed 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 crime. 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 same

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 person's name. "The head of

the House of Jabana, Sir Owen Jabana."

"O Black-robed Prime Minister," the man responded. "Duke Vargas over

there has defended this country for over a hundred years, which is longer

than I've 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 couldn't be helped because it was done in the

name of friendship?" Hakuya glared at him.

"No, no," Owen said, shaking his head. "That's not what I'm saying.

The throne had formally been passed to His Majesty King Souma, so I can

only say that Duke Vargas acted rashly. It's not a crime that can be

pardoned. However, Duke Vargas has already been stripped of his position,

his fame, his lands, and his assets. Is it not, perhaps, a little much to now

take both his and his daughter's lives on top of all that?"

"'Forgive the traitor'—is 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 Owen's words, Piltory began to argue forcefully

once more. "Sire! You yourself said, 'If you have a gift, I will put it to use,'

didn't 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 somehow 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 moment,

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 some 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 don't want to displease the

king like those two."

...

I... was having a hard time understanding it. True, the nobles who had

remained feared Souma, and they would have a hard time plotting against

him. However, when I compared the two who'd 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. Don't doubt him. I decided to believe in Souma, didn't I?

I pinched my thighs. As I desperately tried to suppress my internal

conflict, I heard Souma whisper, "This is something... 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 Walter's 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.

Machiavelli's The Prince was called "the devil's 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 Clemency, and Whether it is Better to be

Loved Than Feared."

Chapter VIII had as its theme "even though a good, upstanding ruler can

lose his country, one who seized his state through vile and treacherous

means 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 men 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 meant "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 meaning of this? Recommending 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 devil's book,

its content wasn't closely considered, with extreme statements 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 comes to the

content, he only listed historical examples, and at no point did Machiavelli

himself say, "Do it like this!"

It was the same in Chapter XVII. He credited Hannibal's wonderful

deeds to his inhuman cruelty, but he didn't 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 women." Then, in the same section, he said, "When it is

necessary to proceed against the life of someone, he must do it on proper

justification and for manifest cause."

This could be reworded, "Even if a prince has just cause, he shouldn't

lay a hand on his subject's land, assets, or women, 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 men 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 came 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-tounderstand example.

When Nobunaga's younger brother rebelled against him, Katsuie sided

with the younger brother at first, but later surrendered and became his

vassal. From there, Katsuie rendered distinguished service under Nobunaga

and became his chief retainer. However, if his efforts had been deemed

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 meant when he spoke of

"cruelty" wasn't "Make sure you kill all who oppose you," or anything like

that.

Therefore, what exactly did he mean?

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 hometown of Fermo, Oliverotto deceived

and killed his uncle who was his patron along with the citizens of influence,

then held Fermo for a mere 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 aforementioned 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 members of the same camp,

but would have got in the way of one's policies.

The father who stood in the way of one becoming a prince.

And finally, the ones who had reconciled and become one's allies, but

who could not be trusted not to turn on one again.

Those sorts of troublesome allies, or to put it more strongly, potential

enemies within one's own camp, were the target of Machiavelli's cruelties.

The same can be said of the "cruelty" in Chapter XVII.

Hannibal was said to be feared by his men 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 means begins to come into

view. Scipio was a great general, but his men 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 Scipio's

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 Machiavelli's "proper use of cruelties" as

being allies who might in future become 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 Machiavelli's

underlying thoughts were.

Basically...

"Don't trust opportunists who join whichever side is winning at the

moment."

...That's about it.

Machiavelli had served as a diplomat in a time when Italy was rife with

scheming and treachery.

He must have seen countless cases where things were brushed under the

rug because someone didn't want to make a big deal of them, only to see

the ones whose transgressions had been overlooked become a major source

of trouble later. That was why he said that, even if it was deemed "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 men 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. Hakuya's did not change, either. We were

the only ones.

"Huh?! Souma!" Liscia exclaimed.

"Sire! You knaves, who are you?!" Aisha cried.

Liscia and Aisha both drew their blades and stepped forth to protect me,

but I just put a hand down on each of their shoulders.

"It's okay. These are my subordinates."

Liscia stumbled, "Your subordinates... Huh...?"

While Liscia was still looking bewildered, one of the men in black

approached. While the other men all wore nondescript black clothing, this

one alone wore black lacquered armor. He stood nearly two meters tall,

with a muscular build that was apparent even through his armor. From his

neck down, he looked like some sort of dark knight, but his face was

covered with a black tiger mask. The man in the black tiger mask knelt

before me, 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 something, but I gripped her shoulder tighter. Liscia

looked at me with surprise, but when I shook my head... it seemed she

figured out what was going on. She quietly sheathed her sword.

When I looked over to Excel, she seemed 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

seemed 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 hadn't

relaxed her guard, on the shoulder. "Aisha, you put your sword away, too."

"B-But..."

"His name is Kagetora—'shadow tiger.' He is the leader of the

intelligence agency, the Black Cats, who report directly to me."

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 Empire's 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 members

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 Kagetora's 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 some 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 didn't know what to say, but she nodded. I

immediately 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, immediately departing.

Kagetora looked to Liscia one last time, then left the great hall. Once

they had left, Liscia gave me a slightly harsh look.

"...You're going to explain all this for me, right?" she demanded.

"I know," I said. "But I'm 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. "That's something that both Hakuya and

Georg had confirmed through their independent investigations."

"They were spies for Amidonia, you mean?" Liscia asked.

I shook my head. "That's not quite accurate. I said 'also,' didn't I? They

were connected to Amidonia, to the corrupted nobles, and also to our side."

"Huh? What do you mean by..."

"They were opportunists," I said. "They side with whoever's 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, they'd had underground

connections to the Principality of Amidonia. When the civil war had broken

out, they'd supported the corrupt nobles from the shadows, while remaining

uninvolved themselves. They had always fomented 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, they'd crush their current allies to

win acclaim for themselves," I said. "If suspicion turned on them, they

would foment rebellion elsewhere, so as to keep the investigation from

catching up with them. It seems they did it again and again under your

father's reign."

Having learned what was going on behind the scenes during her father's

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. That's

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. There's no need to reduce the number of allies I have,' he'd think."

"But... you had them killed, right?" Liscia asked.

"That's because I don't see my rule ever being stable," I said. "In fact, I

think someday I may be forced to stand at the crossroads of fate. When that

time comes, I guarantee you that those opportunists would have hurt me. I

don't 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, I'd probably go crazy. That's why, here and now, I decided to nip

it in the bud."

In Machiavelli's 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 person's 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 come later. Nobunaga Oda, Napoleon... Even if they

are geniuses in their time, once the times 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 one's 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 didn't 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 me to explain that," Hakuya said, stepping forward. "The

Houses of Saracen and Jabana had worked alongside the other twelve under

their former 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 some discretion about who was to be executed, then,"

Liscia said.

"That is correct." Hakuya nodded. "The ones executed were all up to

something-or-another. Now we are investigating their mansions in the

capital, collecting evidence of what that was for each of them. The

punishment for the crime 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 me up. By telling her I hadn't murdered

twelve people on my suspicion alone, he was trying to keep it from doing

anything strange to my relationship with Liscia.

Liscia seemed to understand that, too, so she didn't 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 me 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."

"You'd thought it through that far..." Liscia looked at me, scandalized.

No, this sort of plan that involved reading the vagaries of people's hearts

is Hakuya's department, I thought. I don't have that nasty a personality... I

think.

Seeing me avert my eyes, Liscia let out a sigh of resignation. "So, what

happens to Carla and her father now?"

"...I'm 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 he'd expected to fall on his own neck had fallen

on another's. 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 time. "That's why, I beg you. The crime is mine alone.

So, please, spare just Carla."

"You are not the one who decides that," I said coldly. "This is your

judgment. Your crime 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 name 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 former Duchy of Vargas, and also forbidden from contacting

his son Carl, or the boy's 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

Excel's eyes as she gave me a proper bow.

When she raised her face, I saw her mouth the words "Thank you," to

me. 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 same crime. What's more, you

don't have Castor's distinguished record of having protected the country for

one hundred years. I'm sad to say it, but I don't see any way I could lessen

your punishment."

"...I understand," she said quietly.

"W-Wait! Then kill me!" Castor exclaimed, 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 "I'll 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 crime of treason. However, if I let the mastermind, Castor,

live, it would reflect poorly on me to kill his daughter. Therefore, I will

spare your life, but you will live as a slave. Your owners will be the royal

family—that is to say, Liscia and myself."

The second most heavy punishment in this world was forced labor as a

convict slave. There was no such thing as life imprisonment. Those who

became convict slaves, unless they were granted an amnesty, would be

forced to do endless hard labor in the coal mines. Though, in Carla's 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 something, 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. Carla's eyes

went wide.

◇ ◇ ◇

When Souma quietly whispered the order, I doubted my own ears.

"If it comes to it, kill me."

When he saw my eyes widen in surprise, Souma needed to me with a

serious look on his face. "Not now, of course. If I become a tyrant, I want

you to be the one to stop me. With your martial ability, you could kill me

easily, right?"

Kill him if he becomes a tyrant...?! Why would he suddenly say that to

me?!

I kept my voice low, asking him, "Why would you say that? And why to

me, of all people?!"

"Because Liscia and the others might not be able to," Souma whispered,

a troubled smile on his face. "At some point, I found myself surrounded by

many people I care about. Just recently, I got engaged to another person on

top of Liscia. It's Aisha, over there."

He got engaged to that dark elf without me hearing about it? I thought,

stunned. Has Liscia accepted it? Well, knowing her personality, she's

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, that's a good thing, but when I think of what

would happen if, someday, I grew drunk on power and become a tyrant... it

starts to scare me. If that came to pass, I worry whether Liscia and the

others could stop me 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, she'd

admonish me for it, but what about if I had a good justification, like I did

this time? Individual purges aren't that much of a problem on their own.

But when they happen repeatedly, eventually you reach a point of no return.

When it comes to that, will Liscia and the others be able to abandon me?"

That's... No, probably not, I realized.

"It's not my place to say it, but... Liscia is head over heels in love with

you," I whispered. "If you fall into hell, I'm sure she'll 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? Aisha's sort of the same way. Do you

think Juna would do it, maybe? Anyway, there are a lot of people who

would try to suffer alongside me. I don't want that. If there were a

revolution in response to my tyrannical rule, it wouldn't just be me who got

executed, it would be Liscia and the rest, too. I don't 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, "That's why, Carla, before those I care about

can suffer with me, I want you to take on the role of putting an end to me."

"...I'm a slave now," I whispered. "If I kill my master, the collar will kill

me, you know?"

"Yeah," he whispered back. "So, please, only do it if you're 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 me, if he became a tyrant, to become the blade that

struck him down. Then, having killed him, to die myself. By keeping me at

his side as his slave, he was hoping to use me as a personal deterrent against

his becoming a tyrant.

"You really... don't show any mercy," I whispered.

"I only hold back for those I care about," he whispered back.

"I meant towards yourself," I whispered. "Though I suppose the

meaning still got through."

I had thought the same thing in the battle with Amidonia, but this man

treated himself far too poorly. If he didn't take better care of himself, he

was going to cause no end of worry for those around him.

Liscia, you've fallen for a real troublesome guy... I thought to myself.

That was right. In order to keep my best friend's 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 comes that I must act on it, I will work my hardest for you, praying

that that day never comes."

Souma nodded in satisfaction at my response. "At this moment, we have

no work meant 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 me that order, he sounded a bit hesitant towards the end. I

wondered what was up, so I followed Souma's gaze to see a beautiful maid

who seemed 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 governmental 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.

"I'm fine. Just stumbled a bit," he said, motioning for us to stop with his

free hand.

"But..." I said.

"It's all right," he said. "...I'd like to be alone for just a little while,"

Then he went into the governmental 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 moment 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 time."

"You mean he's feeling bad over how he killed the twelve nobles?" I

asked.

But Souma had done that because he'd believed it to be necessary,

hadn't he? If so, he had nothing to regret. Besides, Souma had experienced

his first battle in the war with the Principality of Amidonia. He'd struck

down Prince Gaius VIII of Amidonia, and he'd had the corrupt nobles

executed after that. This wasn't a first for him.

When I pointed that out, Aisha shook her head. "This is mere

speculation on my part, but the time 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

immediately 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 can't quite come to terms with

it."

Aisha looked worriedly at the door to the governmental affairs office.

He can't come to terms with it... huh.

...Yeah. I thought Aisha's interpretation of it was correct. I'd heard

Souma had come from a peaceful world. There hadn't been a war there in

some time.

Because he had come from a world like that, Souma absolutely hated to

have people die. But he wasn't 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 frame of mind for the ruler of a nation. However, in

Souma's own heart, he wasn't 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 women to help them vent," Aisha said. "It is the sort of

thing that only time 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 time.

I lay alone in my bed, the governmental affairs office completely dark

with all of the lights turned off.

There was a lot of work for me to do. But, just for today, I had asked

Hakuya to let me shirk my duties. I just didn't 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 I'd 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 time of your demise comes, it is too late for regrets."

I went over Machiavelli's ideas over and over again in my head. But all I

was doing was looking for an excuse.

If I was going to regret something, I preferred to it be that I had chosen a

path that didn't 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 weren't wearing anything underneath the robes, because the

cleavage that poked out from where the collar met, as well as the bare

thighs that stuck out from beneath, were captivating. In the light that came

in from the hallway beyond the open door, their silhouettes were

accentuated in a provocative way. It made Aisha's height and her shapely

figure stand out all the more, while Liscia's well-balanced body was

beautiful, too.

It was a little too much for me to take in all at once, and I stared for a

while, entranced.

...Honestly, if I hadn't been feeling so down at the time, all reason would

have likely gone out the window in an instant. However, in my current state

of mind, it all seemed more like a bad joke.

"...What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

My tone was so scary that I startled myself. No, that wasn't 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 me some time to myself."

"We can't leave you alone when you're like that, now can we?" Liscia

paid my objections no heed as she came over and sat down on the edge of

the bed where I was lying down.

Aisha also said "P-Pardon my intrusion," and came around to the

opposite side from Liscia before politely taking a seat.

Whether I turned my head left or right, there was a beautiful girl's

bottom. I could only cover my eyes with one arm, looking straight up.

"What is this...? What do you two want...?"

"That's, well... we want to help you forget, you could say..." Liscia said.

"Come again?" I asked incredulously.

"Anyway! You can do whatever you like with us!" Liscia burst out.

"I-It is my first time 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... I'm not in the mood right now," I said.

"Ohh, if only we'd had Madam Juna here with us," Aisha said sounding

disappointed.

No, Juna's busy going through the procedure to transfer here from the

Navy right now, okay? I sighed... Oh, whatever. I'm sure they're doing it

because they're concerned.

While I was thinking that, Liscia started fidgeting. "Um, Souma..."

"What?" I asked.

"It's 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 wouldn't 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 me. 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 comments. But, well... it really was warm.

My worries from before seemed to be melting away. That was how great

the warmth of others was. Just by having someone there next to me, 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 me.

Then, perhaps because we were tired, the three of us soon drifted off to

sleep.