Karma

There were two types of nobles in the capital of Itisel. Nobles who belonged to the Noble Council, and nobles who did not.

It wasn't an absolute rule, but according to Sheryl, those with territory who had the wealth and status to set up a townhouse in the capital and engage in political activities generally belonged to the Noble Council, while those without territory who only had a family name and a manor fell into the other category.

And the Noble Faction and the Royal Faction diverged from here.

Early on, that hadn't been the case, but as time passed, those who ultimately wanted to prioritize their own territories and profits above all else grew entrenched and seized control of the Noble Council. Those without territory, or those with territory who prioritized loyalty, broke away from the Noble Council and sided with the Royal Faction. There might be some who were swept along by the tide and half-heartedly chose one side, but for someone like me who knew nothing, that was the simple explanation she could give.

Unlike me, Sheryl, as befitting a noble's daughter, had a certain degree of knowledge about these matters, and I questioned her as we were leaving the manor.

Since there was nothing to do even if we stayed at the manor, Asilie had naturally followed us out as well, but Sheryl, not minding it much, began to unravel the current situation piece by piece for me, clearing away a head full of speculation. And since Asilie and I were both nearly laymen when it came to noble law, we quietly listened as we walked.

"Of course, no matter how great the power of the Noble Council is, they can't just throw a fellow noble into prison on ordinary charges. Even though the royal family's power has been weakened by the long war, there's still such a thing as justification. The only real exception is when dealing with a being that causes harm on a national scale or someone who rebels against the royal family. That's probably why the Noble Council chose treason... Looking back through the entire history of the kingdom, this Noble Council is the first to ever choose and carry out such a reckless measure."

One of the few options where preemptive action followed by reporting was permitted. The action stemmed from the idea that they had moved urgently for the sake of the nation, not the interests of the Noble Council, so who could criticize it?

They had captured a suspected traitor, so the Royal Faction and Noble Faction should all gather and hold a trial for the nation's future to confirm whether the charges were true or false.

As we left the manor through the back door as usual, Sheryl, her brow furrowed like someone displeased with everything in the world, continued her explanation.

"Even to me, the benefits Ragnis gained by becoming entangled with the Empire through this visit are enormous. It's no different from a mere margrave, reduced to a shell after her territory and influence collapsed, being reborn as the real thing. To those who have been diligently calculating practical gains and engaging in power struggles over the past few years during this long war, the benefits they see would be far more diverse and numerous. The same goes for what would happen if those benefits fell to the Royal Faction. Considering that, it's plausible they concluded they had to forcibly nip Ragnis in the bud before her position became solidified, and then acted, no matter the method."

Alright. The part about what principles moved the Noble Council roughly matched my own speculation. Though the detailed calculations of their gains and losses were something only they would know.

But listening to Sheryl's explanation didn't resolve all my questions.

"Even so, is it even plausible to just grab anyone and slap treason charges on them? This happened and there's legally no problem at all?"

The part I couldn't figure out through my own speculation alone.

Unless the Royal Family and the Royal Faction were morons, it was only normal for things not to go exactly as the Noble Council wished. But I lacked an answer for why the situation seemed to be playing out exactly that way.

So Sheryl, who had briefly stopped walking at my thrown-out question, frowned her pickled-radish eyebrows, gathered her thoughts, and spoke up.

"Seems my explanation was a bit lacking. Of course there's a problem."

"Huh? There is?"

"If there weren't, more than half the nobles in the capital would be accusing each other of treason, and the guillotine would never have a dry day."

Sheryl, letting out a deep sigh but through it straightening her expression a little as if settling her soaring irritation, slowly continued her explanation.

"Eldmia. Let's say there's a fine sword you want to have. But that sword belongs to someone else, and you absolutely want to have it. Naturally, there would be various options, correct?"

"Suddenly? Well, yeah. I suppose so."

Assuming it was a metaphor for the sake of explanation, I answered for now, and Sheryl nodded as if understanding what I was thinking and said,

"Generally, a financial transaction or negotiation using various conditions would come to mind. But taking advantage of the other party's carelessness to steal it is also a method, and outright killing the other party is a method too. Do you agree?"

"Weeeell. You called them options. There's no particular reason to choose them, but they are options."

"That's how it is."

"...What is?"

"That's what the Noble Council is trying now. The idea is to kick away all the normal options and suddenly kill someone to steal their property."

Fortunately, it seemed the noble laws of Itisel weren't infinitely sloppy and full of holes. It wasn't a clean resolution, but thanks to her metaphor, I felt the situation in my head sorted out a little.

"So, the method is a method, but it's illegal?"

"It would be more accurate to call it an extreme situation where legality or illegality is determined by the outcome. Unless Ragnis's guilt of treason is completely proven, the minimum punishment dealt to the noble who first raised ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the issue will be the stripping of their title, and in some cases, they'll be charged with causing internal chaos during a wartime situation and executed for insurrection."

What I'd thought was irrational law enforcement—filthy, lopsided power being wielded unilaterally—was actually an all-or-nothing showdown. One they'd initiated on their own while taking a massive gamble, at that.

"No, wait. Then isn't that even weirder? No matter what tricks they pull, this is a fight the Noble Council loses, isn't it? Why is everyone so serious about it?"

"Rather, that's precisely why Father and everyone else is taking this matter seriously."

Sheryl, who turned to look at me with a face considerably more composed than before, held my gaze for a moment before answering.

"Because the Noble Council does not fight battles they have no chance of winning. If someone who had never once fought a losing fight suddenly appears before your eyes holding an obvious move that can only result in defeat, how would you take it?"

As if there was no need to hear an answer, Sheryl moved her feet again, and knowing there was no need for me to answer either, I silently followed her.

It was obvious I'd be racking my brain at full capacity, wondering what other unknowns were out there.

"Sheryl? Is it alright if I ask a question?"

"Yes, Asilie. If it's something I can answer."

Asilie, who had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠walking with us while silently mulling things over, fiddled with her own ear and opened her mouth.

"In a situation where proving innocence means the Noble Council's defeat, and proving guilt means Ragnis's defeat, what happens if a situation is created where there's only suspicion and not enough evidence? Of course, I don't think Ragnis would have done that, but underhanded tactics are common in political fights, aren't they? Fabricating nonexistent facts or committing perjury, for example."

"There might be differences in degree, but honestly, since no one's ever brought treason charges with such ambiguous evidence before, it's hard to get a feel for it. Usually, things tend to lean decisively one way or the other."

Sheryl didn't stop walking, but her definitely slower pace seemed to show the depth of her contemplation.

"Still, if I had to guess... it seems unlikely either side would receive a punishment considered truly severe. However, given the situation where it's already hard to erase suspicion, great restrictions would be placed on Ragnis's movements. And I imagine they'd examine the circumstances more closely later and go to trial again. At that point, even if Ragnis's innocence were proven, the accusing noble would likely receive no particular punishment, having been judged to have had sufficient grounds for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠misunderstanding. A fine and compensation, maybe?"

I suddenly wondered what the hell they taught at that school that stuff like this was already in her head. Did the Kingdom Academy teach those kinds of things too?

Receiving both Sheryl's gaze, which seemed to ask if she had more questions, and my curious gaze at once, Asilie brought the hand that had been fiddling with her ear to her mouth, frowned slightly, and asked,

"What happens if such a conclusion is reached in a situation where the Empire is trying to build friendly ties with the Kingdom through Ragnis?"

"Well, obvi...ously..."

"Normally, wouldn't they keep their distance, to avoid suspicion of being involved in treason, until a clear conclusion is reached? What do you think?"

Sheryl, who had finally stopped walking and frozen in the middle of the main street, answered with a face that had turned serious again.

"If they keep their distance like that... the threat the Noble Council felt from the Empire's intervention due to this incident... would be postponed for the time being. That alone would provide a political reprieve for the Noble Council. It's a sufficiently plausible story. I hadn't considered it could apply even under a serious charge like treason, but from the perspective that they can buy time with a far smaller blow than they should have taken... but who would willingly volunteer for such a shield role...?"

After a little murmur, Asilie, who had been quietly watching Sheryl ponder something intently, gave me a slight nod and said,

"Yeah. She's definitely similar to Eldi."

"What is it this time?"

"She's the same age as Eldi, right? But it feels like talking to a noble in their mid-twenties."

Well, the kid... did have some parts that were excessively smart or just unfathomable. If she felt they were similar in that respect, I had no words this time.

"If that's what the Noble Council is aiming for, surprisingly, wouldn't a few problems be solved just by Eldi stepping in?"

"I also thought that might be the case, so that's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why I prayed like that earlier... we'll have to wait and see."

The parts related to Delt and cooperation with the Empire could probably be sorted out on my end, but there was no way that was all there was to it. Resolving not to think too optimistically for now, we headed back towards the guild.

We reached the guild later than expected due to the repeated discussions and worries, but ultimately, we had to leave without any particular gain.

The only information that could be said to relate to the Demonfolk, aside from the attack on Mandeli Port, was the Pavarei forgery incident that Sheryl and I had joined together, and the abandoned dungeon secret quest I had undertaken alone.

Even that, I only knew was connected to the Pavarei incident because I'd taken that secret quest. The information the desk receptionist gave me was entirely about Mandeli Port.

In the end, Sheryl was greatly disheartened, and it fell to me to comfort her.