Chapter 49
The civil officer and the nun stood facing each other.
In the grand hall of the royal capitalâs castle, watched by hundreds of soldiers, the two of them locked eyes, unmoving, with meâjust freshly decorated with a medalâcaught right in between them.
âŚWhat the hell is that dialect-speaking nun doing?
My anxiety-prone stomach was starting to twist and churn with an odd kind of noise.
ââŚCalm yourself. Do not cause a stir. Look around you, Sister. Your words have sown confusion among my finest. Will you not retract what you just said?â
âI will not.â
âMino, do you acknowledge her accusation?â
âI do not.â
Their stubborn refusal to budge drew a weary sigh from the king, though his voice remained composed as he continued.
âHmm. Under normal circumstances, such a dispute would fall under the jurisdiction of the judiciary⌠However, the head of the judiciary is none other than Grand General Mino. Any complaint would be futile. That is why you bring this accusation directly before me.â
âExactly.â
âVery well. I accept the gravity of your resolve. Then, Sister Karin, present your conclusive evidence that Mino is behind this crime. Mino, my right hand, I shall give you the opportunity to defend yourself. Prove your innocence.â
âWith ease.â
The two of them stood there brimming with confidence.
Even Karin, usually so composed, to make such a bold statement before the kingâdoes she actually have real evidence, not just suspicion?
And Mino⌠not even the slightest hint of panic. If anything, she looks outright offended, as if the accusation itself is an insult.
The king glanced between them and quietly issued his command.
âThen first, Sister Karin, present your evidence.â
âYes, Your Majesty. I shall.â
Karin stood at the kingâs order, eyes downcast, and began to speak. But in those lowered eyes, a flame of unmistakable hatred flickered.
âI had the church conduct an investigation. We reviewed the records of the dead from that day, and the tragic, mourned victims.â
A tense energy spread through the hall.
Whatâs likely about to unfold is the true battlefield of a civil officer: a war of words. A duel of wit and intellectâa stage for those who live by knowledge.
âŚThough to be honest, I donât see how Karin could beat Mino in politics. Is she really going to be okayâŚ?
Karinâs smart, sure. But Mino is on a whole different level.
âGo on.â
âYes. From what we uncovered, there was not a single record of a corpse resembling a zombie. Even the âdemon soldiersâ who were said to have been killed had fresh, uncorrupted bodies. Iâve fought real zombies beforeâtheir flesh and blood were unmistakably decayed.â
ââŚâ
âIf there really had been a zombie attack, that could not have been the case. Moreover, reports claim even the national army suffered casualties in the attack⌠but the majority of those soldiers were supposed to be off-duty at the time.â
Karinâs voice was cool and steady as she laid out her findings. But Minoâs expression didnât change.
She looked more insulted than anything, as if thinking, What utter nonsense.
âIsnât it strange? So many off-duty soldiers just happened to be there at the time and even ended up deadâbut no word of it ever reached the castle? In other words, it wasnât a coincidence that those soldiers were in the town that night. The ones listed as âoff-dutyâ were, in factâthe attack force itself. Isnât that the most logical conclusion?â
With that, Karin added, âEverything Iâve said can be verified at the church at any time,â before continuing:
âMino led those so-called off-duty soldiers in an attack on the lower town. Though there were casualties, they succeeded in stealing the wealth hoarded by the townâs merchants. Then she pinned it all on the demons to cover up her crime. I am convinced this is the truth behind the attack.â
âŚNo zombie bodies? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Everything Iâd heard up to now pointed to the attackers being zombies. It did take unusually long for word of the attack to reach us that dayâŚ
But stillâMino wouldnât do something like that. Would she?
âIs that all you had to say? Then, Your Majesty, may I speak?â
âY-yes. Proceed, Mino. You may present your defense.â
The king, a bit shaken, gave Mino permission to respond. The civil officer who had listened to Karinâs claims in silence now began to speak in a quiet voice.
âFirst of all, Miss Karin has made a fundamental error. And once I point it out, Iâm certain her face will turn pale.â
âOh? A fundamental error, you say? What is it, Mino?â
âYes. Just now, she said this: âYou threatened the townsfolk, stole their wealth, and lined your own pockets.ââ
âBecause itâs the truth!!â
âNo, it is not. And I will prove her lie right here and now.â
Mino launched into her defense as fluidly as a stream flowing downhill. Unlike the king, she showed no sign of being rattled by Karinâs words.
One glared with eyes burning with hatred. The other smiled faintly, expressionless. Sparks flew between them, and thenâ
âYour Majesty, if you would. Look to the preamble of the city law we enacted.â
âRead it aloud.â
ââCreatures classified as âhumanâ living within the city shall not be required to pay taxes. Therefore, they are not entitled to protection as citizens.ââ
ââŚAnd what does that mean?â
âThere are no citizens living in the lower town, Your Majesty.â
âWith Minoâs unbelievable statement, the entire hall froze solid.
"What⌠do you mean by that?"
"Well, the people who live in the castle town are exempt from paying taxes, but in exchange, they are not entitled to receive benefits from any public institutions. In other words, those who live in the castle town are not classified as citizens. They are treated the same as beasts or monsters."
Karin wasn't the only one shaken by the declaration made by the Grand General, Mino.
I stood there, mouth agape. Rexâs eyes narrowed sharply, and the king widened his eyes, his voice trembling.
"âŚMino? My right hand, what on earth are youâ"
"Your Majesty, you personally approved this, did you not? When this article of law was enacted, I distinctly recall obtaining your signature."
It took me a moment to fully comprehend what that bureaucrat girl was saying.
There are no citizens living in the castle town? Thatâs absurd. Even now, the surviving merchants are living there. Souta and the others are doing everything they can to rebuild the place as quickly as possible.
And yet⌠you're saying there are no citizens in the castle town? What the hell does that mean�
"No way⌠donât tell me, youâ!"
"Those wealthy merchants operating businesses in the castle townâescaping the burden of taxesâthey were simply regarded as a circulating reservoir of national funds."
"You⌠you really did it!! Youâre the one who led the assault on the castle town, arenât you!?"
"âAssaultâ sounds so malicious. We merely âprocuredâ supplies from a resource-rich hunting ground, in order to prepare for the approaching threat of the Demon Kingâs army."
"Youâre the one!! You massacred the people who lived in that townâthe merchants, the women and childrenâyou slaughtered them and plundered their property! You planned all of it, from the very day you were put in charge of reforming the castle town!!"
My head was spinning. The unbearable truth spilling from Minoâs lips drove me to my knees.
What the hell is going on? Mino, werenât you the one who nurtured the castle town with such care? That boyâhe was so grateful to you.
And now you're telling me⌠that you were the one who attacked that same castle town? That it was you who killed Soutaâs brother, the one who sold fake apples?
"Think about it calmly, Karin. Ten days ago, the vast majority of our ignorant citizens didnât even believe the Demon Kingâs army existed. I, on the other hand, was convinced by the intelligence you all gathered and began implementing wartime measuresâraising taxes, collecting resources from the nobility. But hardly anyone cooperated."
"âŚSo what?"
"Karin, what would you have done? Without resolving the funding problem, we couldnât equip or feed our soldiers. Defeat would be inevitable. Yet no one acknowledged the Demon Kingâs threat. Some even went so far as to plot a coup."
"Then⌠then just force the taxes somehowâ"
"Far too little. The shortfall in funding was overwhelming. The nobles and citizensâfoolish as they wereârefused to accept fear, lacked even a shred of urgency. Now, if there were a way to solve all of that at once⌠what would you do?"
"âŚ"
"The truth is, the castle town was raised for exactly this kind of situation. When a war broke out and we needed funds, when we needed to instill fear. That demon type the generals reportedâcalled âzombiesââwas perfect for impersonating humans. All you had to do was change your skin tone."
"Donât give me thatâŚ"
"So I had the soldiers disguise themselves as demons and assault the castle town. We seized all the non-citizens' wealth, gave our troops real combat experience, and since they werenât classified as citizens, the nation suffered no official losses."
Minoâs explanation flowed out, matter-of-fact. And it wasnât the kind of excuse Iâd hoped forââI didnât do itâ. No, what she said was:
ââShe admitted to everything, but insisted none of it was illegal.
"In short, Karin, from a policy-making perspective, there was no reason not to attack the castle town."
"âŚDonât give me that crap!! Slaughtering innocent peopleâhow does that make you a leader!?"
"The kind of bottom-tier people who cluster in the castle town⌠even if we let them live, theyâre of no benefit to the nation. So whatâs the problem with treating them like an unregulated treasury that keeps multiplying?"
I donât want to believe this. Thatâs not who you are. Youâre supposed to be kind, someone who truly cares about the peopleâsomeone with the integrity to endure slander without complaint.
Surely, like always, thereâs a reason youâre pretending to be the villain, right? That night when we talked honestlyâwhat you told me, it wasnât a lie, right?
That you once tried to protect the people of the frontier. That you believed in the value of their lives.
ââOr was it?
ââWas it not a lie?
Did Minoâdid that womanânot lie about anything at all?
Could it be⌠that to her, the people, their lives⌠meant onlyâ
"Their deaths were not in vain. Thanks to them, we raised enough funds to mobilize our forces. The citizens and nobility were finally roused to action. And as a result, we successfully repelled the first wave. Donât you think thatâs a âworthy deathâ?"
"âŚâŚ!!"
Human life⌠was nothing more than a resource to be converted into profit.
That night, she kept the castle town assault a secret because it was a military operation. But she hadnât lied about anything.
She had tried to protect the frontier villagers only because their deaths wouldnât have been worth it.
Look at her. Minoâs faceâcompletely unrepentant.
Calmly, like she was guiding a foolish subordinate. She stood there, defending her actions as just and proper before the king.
"The merchantsâ stockpiled supplies are now in the national treasury. The soldiers protecting this country are well-equipped, and the dull-minded citizens have been alerted to danger. Isnât that, overall, a tremendous benefit to the nation?"
Whatâs so wrong about it?
What exactly is mistaken?
I thought I could hear Minoâs twisted inner voice whispering.
âSheâs insane.â
Rex muttered in a voice so cold it could freeze your bones. I was left speechless, unable to follow up.
Minoâthe most dangerous Grand General of the National Army. Known for her calm demeanor, sharp intellect, and the reserved smile she always wore while standing a step behind the scenes.
In truth, she was a psychopathic lunatic who didnât see people as people.
ââââââA-Ah. Mino, your fate will be temporarily entrusted to meââ
âMy fate, Your Majesty? Iâve acted in full accordance with the law, without a shred of impropriety, tirelessly securing funds for the nation in its time of crisis.â
âB-But... but this is...â
âYou yourself approved it, didnât you? My legislation, tailored for the capital district. Under the law, I cannot be charged with any crime.â
The strategist smiled fearlessly, her fingers gently brushing a flower pinned to her chest.
A gift from the boy whose brother she killedâa token of gratitude to Mino.
To him, a sincere thank-you for giving the Sota family a new place to run their business... to the very person who had slaughtered his family.
âI drafted the legislation to make it happen.â
Why are you shamelessly wearing that flower on your chest? Why are you standing there, grinning like nothing happened?
Why are youââââ
âWe're leaving. Flatche, Mei, Karin.â
Suddenly, cutting through Minoâs rationalizations, the Sword Saintâour leaderâstood up mid-ceremony.
âThis is sickening. Absolutely revolting. If I have to keep looking at that womanâs face, I might just cut it clean off. Weâre going back to the base.â
âWhaaat? Rex-kun, whatâs gotten into you? If you leave now, all the time I spent healing you will have gone to waste.â
âI canât stand the sight of your damn face anymore!! You lunatic!!â
My legs were unsteady. My stomach churned. I felt like I was going to throw up.
Can such a grotesque human being really exist? What does she think human emotions are?
Because she was happy. That woman was genuinely overjoyed when she received the flower from meâthe token of appreciation from the boy whose brother she had murdered.
Fuaa, fuaaahh... Is it really, really okay?
She felt absolutely no guilt. None. She was just thrilled to obtain a rare and precious Lily Flower Decoration, completely oblivious to the boyâs feelings.
Fuaaaaah...
This womanâthis woman!!
âThink it over, Rex-kun. Youâre an irreplaceable asset in protecting the capital. âŚAt the very least, leave Flatche behind.â
âDonât speak to me with that filthy mouth of yours. It makes me want to kill you on impulse.â
âSo scary, so scary. Geez, this is why people who think only with their emotions are so troublesome...â
Mino looked down on Rex with exasperation, entirely unaware that she herself was the one who was twisted, who was wrong.
ââââNo. To someone like Mino, who doesnât even have emotions, maybe nothing is wrong.
This woman has no understanding of human emotion. She canât comprehend what it means to care for someoneâbe it family, a lover, or anyone dear.
Sheâs a machine, functioning purely on cost-benefit and national interest.
âThatâs right!! I heard, Rex-kun. Isnât it your dream to be pampered by a maid?â
With Rex glaring at her like a demon out of hell, Mino spoke in a light, casual tone, like she was making a jokeâand snapped her fingers.
In response, one of her subordinates approached and handed her a small maid outfit.
âIf youâd like, Iâll wear this and pamper you myself! So letâs protect the capital together, alright? Even for someone like you, who acts solely on emotion, wouldnât the deaths of countless people leave a bitter aftertaste?â
ââŚâ
Mino smiled sweetly and spread out the provocative maid costume right in the center of the grand hall. It was a skimpy, overly revealing outfitâexactly Rexâs type.
ââŚAh.â
Cold sweat poured down my forehead. Why is that outfit here?
Thatâs right. Thatâs the maid outfit Rex himself designedâthe one Natal should be wearing at the base right nowâââââ
âHey. If theyâre really important to you, maybe you shouldnât leave them all alone?â
Mino, the militaryâs most notorious menace, let out a mischievous giggle like a prank had just gone off perfectly, all while still wearing Natalâs spread-out maid outfit.
âThey were your dear friendâs last keepsake, werenât they?â
My vision went black.
She got them. Natalâmy precious familyâfell into that monsterâs hands. Iâd left her back at our hideout, just in case, when I heard the capital might come under attack.
âNow then, letâs get back to the ceremony. Congratulations, Ms. Flatche.â
Frozen, speechless, I couldnât move. Standing before me, Mino gently pinned the ceremonial feather ornament to my chest.
Should I cut her down? Should I strike this demon, this madwoman, down right here and now with my own hands?
...No. I canât. I canât lay a hand on her until I know for sure that Natalâmy little sisterâis safe. I canât take her head just yet.
ââŚHmm? Ms. Flatche, why the grim face?â
Mino tilted her head, genuinely puzzled, as I clutched the ceremonial sword she had just bestowed to meâmy hand trembling uncontrollably.
The militaryâs most dangerous woman looked at me as though none of this were out of the ordinary.
The next day, in a royal office.
âSo all that happened while I was gone. âŚYouâve been through a lot, Emma.â
âNot at all. Iâm just glad youâre safe.â
The great man, freshly returned from an extended campaign, was listening to his strategist Emmaâs report. She explained the full extent of Minoâs rampageâand the damage it had wrought.
âThank you for holding down the fort during such a difficult time. Youâve done well.â
The man, known both as the Grand General of the national military and the peopleâs protector, embraced his belovedâa young girlâand offered her his thanks. Yet his expression remained tense throughout.
âThey sent me off to war at a time like this because Iâd have been trouble if I were guarding the capital. Thatâs what this was, wasnât it?â
âThe likelihood is high. With someone as perceptive as you around, Mr. Penny, thereâs a strong chance you wouldâve sensed the attack before it happened.â
ââŚThey think Iâm a joke.â
The first thing the returning "Hero of the People," Penny, saw upon his return was a field of corpsesâhis people, slaughtered.
He passed through the ruins of the capitalâs lower districts, where screams of grief and curses against the Demon Kingâs Army rang through the air. He saw the bodies of childrenâprecious little lives discarded like trashâand his sorrow turned to deep, seething fury.
ââŚEmma. Come with me. Iâm going to see him.â
âYou mean the Sword Saint?â
âYeah. We need his strengthâif we want to stop any more senseless bloodshed.â
Even as blood dripped from the clenched fist at his side, Penny didnât lose his composure. He quietly donned his cloak and left the room.
He was headed for the chambers of the Sword Saints.
âHey, Emma. Will you follow me no matter where I go?â
âOf course. Iâve already given everything I am to you, havenât I?â
âThank you. Then Iâll leave the preparations to you.â
With a quiet voice by her ear, Penny spokeâeyes hiding a deep and solemn resolve.
âWeâre going, Emma. To save as many lives as we can.â
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