Game Chance Becomes Reality Episode 89
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Game Chance Becomes Reality Episode 89
24. Holy Sword or Lightsaber (4)
It's only natural that the Prius Republic would be in an uproar over State Council Chairman Garcia Valen's conspiracy petition scandal, but why was the royal family of the Kingdom of Rhinehearts in an uproar?
The reason is simple.
The Prius Republic government, bearing a grudge over my actions, had declared economic sanctions.
"Marquis Lawrence has a reckless side that doesn't think about the consequences! And this time, his actions have even harmed the Kingdom, so we must clearly establish where responsibility lies for this matter!"
Thanks to that, I was now summoned to a place that read "strategy meeting" but was actually a hearing, taking a beating from high-ranking nobles.
The venue was the Noble Assembly Hall, hosted by the King, with 31 high-ranking nobles of Count rank or above, the Crown Prince and Second Prince, and even other princes and princesses rarely seen at official functions in attendance.
The King and the Second Prince were looking at me with expressions of exasperation, while the Crown Prince kept turning his head away now and then, clearly trying to suppress a laugh at whatever amused him so much.
The other princes and princesses seemed largely uninterested in politics, perhaps because they had been pushed out of the succession race.
"If we let this situation pass in silence, Marquis Lawrence will surely repeat the same mistake! I believe it is our duty as his elders and seniors in noble society to teach him right from wrong through disciplinary action!"
By the way, was it Marquis Allie Trenton?
I've never made an enemy of him, so I have no idea why he's coming at me so hard.
He's a Grand Mage who stands as the second-in-command after Duke Heins, and he belongs to the same Second Prince's faction as I do, no less.
Could he genuinely want to bring me to repentance as a senior?
Or is it that, since my standing within the faction has begun to threaten his, he intends to crush me while he has the chance?
I can't say for sure, but seeing the Second Prince staying silent and several nobles within the faction nodding in agreement, it was clear he had come prepared.
"Hmm."
"Your Majesty the King!"
"Oh-ho! I'm not deaf."
In response to Marquis Trenton's forceful argument, the King seated at the head table looked troubled.
He seemed worried that he might have poked a mad dog and caused it to run amok.
Besides, if I were just some ordinary noble house, maybe, but wasn't I now the hottest noble in the Kingdom and a rising power?
At that, Margrave Otis, who had been quietly listening, raised his hand and drew everyone's attention.
"Speak, Margrave Otis."
As the King quickly passed the baton, Margrave Otis, who had fought alongside me on the battlefield in the last war, stepped forward to defend me.
"The Prius Republic and our Kingdom don't have much trade volume anyway. In fact, it's even less than with our neighboring Jordy Kingdom. Even if they declare sanctions, the damage doesn't seem significant. We could just ignore them isn't this just making a mountain out of a molehill?"
"The Prius Republic has deep ties with the Triton Continent. They will surely bring them in. Margrave Otis can't possibly be unaware of how much weaponry and artifacts our Kingdom supplies to the Triton Continent, can he?"
"That may be so, but these are people who came to petition Marquis Lawrence because they're shocked by the war with the Bringham Empire externally and the revolutionary army's offensive internally. Would the Triton Continent really want to pick a fight with us over such a chaotic republic?"
At Margrave Otis's argument, it was actually the Crown Prince's faction nobles who showed signs of agreement.
At this rate, I can't even tell whose side is whose.
"Margrave Otis seems to have a short-sighted view and an overly optimistic mindset. Looking at the current situation, the Republic won't be destroyed by the war anyway, and once the war ends, the revolutionary army that took advantage of the chaos will be cleaned up as well. The Triton Continent nations surely know that too. There's a real possibility they'll join in."
"Then wouldn't that be the time to discuss discipline? What does our Kingdom of Rhinehearts lack that we should cower in fear at the bluster of a pseudo-state like the Republic? If those bastards bring in the Triton Continent, we'll just band together with our own allies."
Calling the Republic a pseudo-state with this being a feudal-led world, all sorts of things get said.
This is all an image created because of corrupt Republic politicians.
I was grateful she was taking my side, but Margrave Otis's words left a bitter taste in my mouth.
As Margrave Otis and Marquis Trenton clashed fiercely, the faces of those with differing views shifted in various ways.
And then.
"Huh?"
"What?"
An unexpected figure raised their hand.
At that, all the nobles including the King looked puzzled, and even I couldn't help but be surprised.
"Count Klein, you may speak."
The reason being that the one who raised their hand was none other than Arcia.
"Wasn't she the shy type?"
"Was she? I thought she was mute."
"This is the first time I'm hearing her voice."
"Quiet as she is, it seems she wants to protect her own fiancé."
Murmurs could be heard from all around.
No matter how high-ranking the nobles were, they were still ordinary people.
'What is this? This discriminatory gaze.'
Noticing that the atmosphere and the way people looked at me were strangely different, I furrowed my brow.
Many shot me looks laced with negative feelings, but the gazes directed at Arcia all carried a hint of fondness.
Was it because most of the high-ranking nobles were men?
But I soon understood their reaction.
"With someone like her, she could have any man she wanted. Yet she stays by the side of a ticking time bomb like that."
It was a backlash triggered by my image.
My brow twitched, but once Arcia, who had been granted the floor by the King, opened her mouth, I focused on what she was about to say.
"I'm having trouble understanding something… What exactly did Marquis Lawrence do wrong?"
Her question was so fundamental that it left everyone dumbfounded.
At that, Marquis Trenton, who had been pressing me just moments ago, gave a fatherly smile and spoke.
"Because the Marquis recklessly exposed the Republic government's secrets to the world."
"But he didn't lie he simply conveyed the facts as they were."
"That's exactly the problem. Because of it, the Republic government has been put in a difficult position."
"Then isn't the fault theirs for doing something that became a problem once the truth came out, not our Marquis Lawrence's?"
"Well…"
It was a childlike, honest question but it struck squarely on the facts, making even the seasoned politician Marquis Trenton hesitate.
'Arcia has grown.'
I let out a silent admiration.
And Arcia's statement drew an unexpected wave of agreement.
"That's certainly true."
It was the King.
He nodded, seeing no issue with Arcia's words.
At that, dismay crept onto the faces of those who had been pushing for my punishment, with Marquis Trenton at the center.
"Y-Your Majesty. Even if the deal was unsavory, exposing it to embarrass the other party is an act that goes against propriety."
"That's only the case if we had agreed to an unsavory deal ourselves."
"...."
"If Marquis Trenton had his money stolen, and I pointed out the thief who stole it, should I be held accountable for making things difficult for the thief?"
"Your Majesty, that comparison is far too much of a stretch."
It was indeed exaggerated, but it wasn't a wrong analogy.
In this case, the Republic government was the thief, I was the informant, and the people were the victims.
Arcia, who shared my way of thinking, tilted her head as if she didn't see what was wrong, while Marquis Trenton shook his head in exasperation.
But then.
"Hahahaha! Count Klein's words are right, and Margrave Otis's words are right too."
It was the Second Prince, who had been quietly watching his own faction's internal squabble, who cut in with his characteristic hearty laughter.
"Marquis Lawrence's writing put the Republic government in a bind, but that's just them getting burned by their own wrongdoing. A personal complaint might be one thing, but state-level sanctions would be an excessive venting of anger. And as Margrave Otis said, we're not weak enough to fear sanctions from the Republic's rabble."
You knew that all along and stayed silent?
I let out an inward sigh.
And perhaps the Second Prince was annoyed that the Crown Prince had stolen his thunder by playing leader?
The Crown Prince hijacked his words.
"Therefore..."
"I see no need to hold Marquis Lawrence accountable. If the Republic dares to impose sanctions on our Kingdom, we will meet them head-on and work with our allies. For now, let us issue a statement condemning the Republic's choice."
At that, the Second Prince gnashed his teeth and glared at the Crown Prince, but the King was relieved that, whatever the case, opinions had converged into one.
The fact that this reaction came about was all thanks to Arcia's remarks.
She even knows how to speak proactively like this I'm glad she's grown so much.
"But may I ask one thing?"
"Hm?"
Once again, an unexpected figure took the floor in the meeting, where the storm had drawn closer.
Everyone's gaze turned to the King's left, where Princess Diana could be seen raising her hand.
Princess Diana was the King's fourth child and first daughter, ranking third in the line of succession.
Of course, the gap between third and second place was far too wide for her to be a real contender, but she was once called the treasure of the royal family.
That woman looked straight at me and asked.
"What do you have faith in, to remain so at ease even while your punishment is being discussed?"
Receiving an unexpected question, I felt the gazes of people filled with animosity pouring down on me, as expected.
I scratched the back of my head, put on an awkward expression, then shrugged my shoulders.
"I have some materials prepared, just in case."
"Materials?"
Saying it would be better to show rather than explain, I brought up a video.
It showed the scene of my meal with Princess Sia Rin the day before yesterday.
[I must decline that proposal.]
[BANG!]
[What is the meaning of this!? You must properly convince me.]
[You seem to be mistaken this is the Defteron Continent.]
[What do you mean?]
[Why would I do something that would harm the Bringham Empire? I support the Bringham Empire, which belongs to the same continent, in this war. What I mean is, I have no reason to solve internal problems in the Prius Republic that would work to the Bringham Empire's advantage in the war.]
[Isn't that a matter between other nations anyway? Wouldn't it be better for Marquis Lawrence to think about the gains he can secure for himself?]
[In the long run, earning the Bringham Empire's displeasure seems like the greater loss. And shouldn't domestic issues be resolved by the government on its own? If the people are lending their ears to an illegitimate group, there must be a reason for it. I think it's a matter that would be resolved simply if you stepped in and handled it.]
As the projection showing the conversation with State Council Chairman Garcia Valen was revealed, the meeting hall stirred.
"Haha!"
Amidst it all, only the Crown Prince let out a laugh.
I shouldn't show too much fondness for him if the Second Prince catches on, what then?
"So that's what the hashtag 'Scared of the Bringham Empire' on your online diary post meant?"
Normally he used a more respectful tone toward me, but the Crown Prince was someone who spoke casually in meetings full of people.
That was only natural, since he and I were supposed to belong to opposing factions.
"Yes, that's right."
"Truly meticulous. If this video is made public, the Bringham Empire will have no choice but to step in. They value face too much to fail to protect someone who took a loss on their behalf."
With a single video, the Bringham Empire had become my ally.
Of course, if they simply chose to ignore it, that would be the end of it, but given the Empire's disposition, I trust they won't.
"Does that so-called State Council Chairman not guard against recording and filming when he goes about?"
"He probably did, but they got through it anyway. After all, the opponent was a Grand Mage."
"If they had such materials, they should have revealed them earlier. We just ended up wasting our breath."
"His personality really is strange."
When I posted on SNS, I only wrote about what State Council Chairman Garsia had demanded, and deliberately did not include the conversation that took place during that process.
The reason was that I anticipated this kind of reaction and was curious who would say what.
With this, the lines between friend and foe within me became all the clearer.
However, this matter seems to have worsened my image among the nobles.
They apparently can't shake the feeling that they were played by me.
But regardless, staying true to my own pace, I looked at each of the nobles led by Marquis Trenton who had pushed for my punishment, one by one, and made a gesture with my finger indicating I would remember them clearly.
Those singled out, as if they had never worn such expressions, broke out in cold sweat.