Volume 2 Chapter 13 The Kingdom's Government - A Price Too High
Prime Minister Dill Weissman is pacing back and forth in his office, unable to sit still. Even though it's late at night, he isn't working; he's just wandering around.
The reason is...
"...What's going on? Why haven't I received any reports?"
The dark side agents he sent to Count Hartfield's territory haven't returned yet. In fact, there's been no contact at all.
"It's been ten days since then."
Dill finally sits down in his office chair, but he can't hide his frustration and keeps biting his thumbnail.
The Rail River divides the kingdom into north and south. They should have arrived quickly using the waterways, much faster than by carriage or on foot. Yet, there's no sign of them coming back, not even a letter.
Even as Prime Minister, he has some ideas about why they haven't returned. He knows, but admitting it would mean accepting his own downfall.
(It's just a coincidence. Maybe the road is blocked or something unexpected happened...)
Just as Dill puts his hands together and closes his eyes in hope, there's a knock on the office door. He looks up, and relief washes over his face.
"Come in──."
It took a while, but they finally returned. Dill looks toward the open door, and there stands a manservant.
"Sir..."
The man bows, and for a moment, Dill looks disappointed, but he leans in to hear the message.
"...His Majesty is calling for you."
"Huh?"
What he hears is something he never expected.
"...His Majesty is calling for you. A carriage is already waiting in front of the mansion."
"Why...?"
Dill, confused, hears the manservant stutter, "I don't know, but we shouldn't keep them waiting..." Dill glances at the grandfather clock. The day hasn't changed, but being summoned at this hour is unusual.
Unusual... The thought makes Dill's face go pale. Something serious is happening around him right now.
"Could it be...?"
He stumbles over his words, but it's too late. Following the manservant's lead, Dill hurriedly prepares and rushes out of the mansion to the waiting carriage.
"Prime Minister, His Majesty is calling for you."
The messenger bows respectfully, but just as Dill nods, several shadowy figures appear silently around him. They are definitely the dark side agents, and Dill collapses in shock.
"Sir──."
The manservant tries to rush to him, but the messenger raises a hand to stop him.
"Your Excellency, His Majesty is calling for you."
With that, the dark side agents help the stunned Dill into the carriage.
A master who has collapsed.
A late-night summons.
The manservant and other staff, not understanding anything, watch as the carriage carrying Dill disappears into the night.
* * *
When Dill arrives at the palace, he is taken to the usual meeting room.
Unlike usual, the room is dim and quiet, with only the King waiting for him, standing out in the shadows.
"Uh, Your Majesty..."
Dill speaks cautiously, and King Gerald opens his mouth with a look of anger.
"Prime Minister, you've caused a terrible mess."
Dill can almost hear the grinding of Gerald's teeth. Faced with the King's furious expression, Dill can only rush forward and bow deeply.
"N-no, that's not it──."
As Dill presses his forehead to the floor, Gerald throws a letter down in front of him.
"What do you mean it's not true?"
Gerald says, and Dill, trembling, picks up the letter he caught a glimpse of and quickly reads it.
The text written there was the investigation results of Count Hartfield's territory by the dark side.
At that time, the report obtained by the Marquis family clearly showed the innocence of the Hartfield family.
Dill, holding the report, trembled and started to mention the export of slimes and evil plants, saying,
"W-well... it's true that breeding beasts and trade are not prohibited, but──."
Gerald looked down at Dill with a cold gaze as he made excuses.
"No, they say it's for cosmetics."
Gerald cut off Dill's excuses with a sharp remark. Dill could only respond with a confused, "Huh?"
"They say slimes and evil plants are materials for cosmetics."
Gerald opened his mouth again and began to explain that the products were offered by the small territory of Dukedom and the Hartfield family.
He said that in starting a new business, they would use beasts from Count Hartfield's territory and process them with Dukedom's technology.
He said that this product was hoped to lead to further development of the kingdom and Dukedom.
He said that as proof, they would present new cosmetics to the royal family and the duke family.
"Do you understand? It's not military supplies, just cosmetics. And at least they followed the rules... unlike you."
Gerald snorted and made a face as if he had bitten into something sour, but he couldn't even imagine how much wealth this could bring.
"Yet, you acted on your own and broke the ancient pact..."
Saying this, Gerald handed another letter to Dill. It was undoubtedly an official document stamped with the Count Hartfield family seal. Dill, looking at the letter with fear, froze.
What was written there was anger over the treatment of the Count family, who had followed the rules. It also mentioned that Braubelg was involved in opening up sales channels for this business.
"Do you understand? It's not just Hartfield; even the Marquis Braubelg family knows that the pact has been broken!"
The breaking of the pact was known to 2 noble families. This meant that it wouldn't be surprising if these two families teamed up to rebel against the royal family right now.
Moreover...
"W-wait, if it spreads to other noble territories──."
As Dill's pale face showed, if the news reached other noble territories, the central authority could become completely isolated. The noble territories each swore loyalty to the royal family, and there wasn't much connection between them. However, an infringement on their pride of autonomy could lead to their alliance.
This meant isolation for the central authority. Realizing the seriousness of the situation he had caused, Dill looked at Gerald with lifeless eyes.
"Fortunately, it seems they will keep it confidential from the other noble territories."
Gerald let out a sigh of relief and handed over one last letter. It had the seals of both the Hartfield family and the Braubelg family. A joint letter... which meant this was also a move made by Marquis Lucian.
What was written there was, using the violation of the pact as a shield,
To stop the offering of the products they would sell in the future.
To allow free trade of their products.
But what caught Dill's eye the most was the last line.
"...Mercy for Prime Minister Dill Weissman. 'Mistakes can happen to anyone'."
Dill took a moment to understand what it meant as he read it. In other words, it was saying to overlook this incident and let him continue serving as Prime Minister.
(Mercy... is not what this is. They find it more convenient for me to be here.)
Even Dill could understand this much. The other side was not showing mercy; they wanted to use his weakness to make it easier to get their opinions through to the central authority.
(A puppet...)
That word came to mind. And of course, the king understood this as well.
"Normally, I wouldn't accept such a ridiculous demand. It would be better to offer your head to them."
Gerald muttered bitterly, and Dill trembled at the thought that without this line, that might have actually happened.
"However, if we execute you without any reason, other nobles will start to question us... in other words, there's a risk that your broken pact will become public."
Gerald let out a big sigh and glared at Dill again.
"Listen. We have no choice but to accept this proposal. So, don't think you'll have any say in the council from now on."
With that threatening look, Dill could only nod silently. Because of his own actions, he had almost caused a civil war, and now he was being asked to become a puppet in return.
A puppet... For someone as proud as Dill, this was probably the most humiliating future he could imagine.
"If you understand, you can go home for today. Don't do anything foolish. Remember, you are being watched."
After saying that, Gerald collected 3 letters and left the council room, leaving Dill behind.
Dill remained there, still in shock and showing no signs of moving. Just then, a man opened the door to the council room.
"Prime Minister. Your carriage is ready for your return."
At those words, Dill weakly nodded and slowly walked toward the door... As he passed through the door next to the man, he heard,
"Don't worry, when the time comes, we will send you to our goddess... and it will be quite grand."
That chilling voice surely belonged to someone from the dark side.
He wasn't allowed to die on his own, his pride was taken away, and in the end, a cruel death awaited him.
It was a situation that could only be described as a living hell, and Dill let out a broken, dry laugh, saying, "Ha, hahaha..."
"Hahahahaha... hahahahahahaha..."
That eerie, dry laughter echoed in the quiet hallway for a while, unheard by anyone.
* * *
"I have returned."
In the office of Marquis Braubelg, the one who knocked on the door was Cedric, the son of Marquis Lucian and Liz's brother. He was the one managing the dealings with the Hartfield family on behalf of Lucian.
"You're back."
"Yes. I brought thanks from His Excellency Count Hartfield to Father."
Cedric smiled, and Lucian smiled back, asking, "Are you well?" After exchanging some information, Lucian suddenly spoke up.
"By the way, you made quite an interesting move."
Seeing Lucian laugh, Cedric exaggeratedly sighed in relief, saying, "It seems I was able to meet Father's wishes."
Yes, Cedric was the one who ultimately shaped the final outcome of this incident.
Originally, Lucian and Count Hartfield had agreed not to inform other noble families about this matter. If they did, anger would spread to other nobles, causing chaos in the country.
They couldn't involve the people in unnecessary conflicts.
If a fight broke out, it would delay the business that was finally on track.
If the business was delayed, it would also trouble Victor Territory.
All of these were situations both families wanted to avoid. It goes without saying that involving the people in chaos was unacceptable, and causing trouble for other nobles who trusted them with business was out of the question.
So, they intended to handle this situation quietly. However, if they executed Dill, there was a risk that the reason would be questioned.
He was a minor figure who wouldn't be a problem if left alone, but they wanted to get some kind of revenge. That's where Lucian's son, Cedric, came into play.
Lucian wanted Cedric to gain experience in political maneuvering as his successor. The result was the downfall of Prime Minister Dill.
By making Prime Minister Dill a puppet, Cedric had clipped the opponent's wings. At the same time, he didn't forget to secure freedom for future business.
But the truth was even deeper.
"A puppet... is just a bluff, right?"
With a sly smile, Lucian asked, and Cedric widened his eyes in surprise before laughing.
For Lucian and Count Hartfield, opinions from the center no longer mattered. It was more convenient to make them think he was a puppet while completely eliminating the position of Prime Minister.
It's foolish to control someone who is already seen as a puppet. It's like showing your cards to the opponent. But making them think they are a puppet can be useful.
If they think they are a puppet, they won't give the Prime Minister any real power. A fake leader can sit in the Prime Minister's chair. This means the real Prime Minister is basically not there. This is very convenient.
Even if they replace the Prime Minister, it could just help the central power come back stronger.
"When it's time to crush them, it's best to do it all at once."
Lucian looked out the window, and in his eyes, the palace that shouldn't be visible was clearly reflected.
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