Karma
Karma
After a thousand and one Eldmias pooled their collective intelligence, I reached a conclusion: there was exactly one thing I needed to investigate first and absolutely confirm.
"Your Excellency, how much do you know about me concretely?"
"I know about the rumors that floated around Ogwen, the reputation you built while working at the capital's adventurer's guild, and so on. And that you harbor a strong vendetta against the Demon King's Army, of course."
Contrary to my expectation that he'd consider it an unexpected question and there'd be a bit of a delay, Duke Lesrom answered immediately. That meant he was saying he knew quite a bit, aside from my personal private matters... It felt a little strange, but I liked that it reduced what I had to explain.
"The matter concerning the Demon King's Army commander is certainly about revenge, but it's also tied up with my personal convictions. I think it'd be better to explain them before I get to my point. Would Your Excellency care to listen?"
"Convictions, you say. Isn't that the most helpful factor when trying to understand someone? I'd be grateful if you'd tell me."
Duke Lesrom had a well-honed knack for phrasing things that could be said high-handedly in a roundabout way. Maybe you needed that kind of skill to serve as the head of the Noble Council.
"First of all, to me, revenge is not the goal, it's a means."
"Then what is the goal?"
"My goal is the reaction of people who learn that a little eight-year-old brat, even after more than ten years, never forgot his enemy, tracked him down, and delivered death without giving a damn about the man's status or power. Your Excellency, if you heard such a story, what would you think? Assuming it's not a lie."
"Haha. I certainly wouldn't want to get tangled up in a hostile situation with you."
That was obvious. Even I wouldn't want to get tangled up with a bastard like that. At that perfectly normal reaction, I gave a light nod.
"That's what I'm after. Making people think that avoiding me is the best option, rather than weighing the pros and cons and wondering whether to mess with me."
"But wouldn't there be too many obstacles to that? No matter how justified your revenge is, it would mean something entirely different to those who suffer from it. If they acted like you, the chain would never end."
It was a perfectly sensible question. They didn't say revenge begets revenge for nothing. Of course, I knew that much. But it wasn't a problem at all.
"If I wanted perfection, it would be a problem, but I'm not after perfection. If I just sat still after having one thing taken from me, then someday ten people who learned about it would swarm me and take ten. But if I have one thing taken and I take five from the one who took it, wouldn't those who want to take something from me either drastically decrease or at least think twice?"
The difference was between becoming a village drum anyone could just run up and beat, and a drum only a handful of people would dare to strike after steeling themselves.
I had never thought that making myself untouchable would make me an absolutely inviolable existence. Even the gods have the Demon King popping up and getting on their nerves, so how could a mere human manage that? Even in a fantasy world, that was close to impossible.
Still, you could at least change it so that instead of a hundred people looking down on you, only fifty did. The name 'Demon King's Army commander' carried that much weight.
And if you repeated that a few times, the day would surely come when, unless I threw the first punch, the number of people who dared to touch me would shrink to a handful. I wasn't going around slaughtering innocent people or raping and pillaging; if I lived a decent life, there was no reason for my enemies to endlessly multiply.
It was entirely possible. That was why I kept up this shit.
"That is also why I'm targeting a Demon King's Army commander whose face I don't even know. Obviously, he wasn't the one who personally wiped out my village, but he was the one who gave that military order, so he's the one who should pay the price. And that applies not just to Demonfolk, but to anyone who gets involved with me and becomes my enemy."
My conviction to hammer "Never mess with Eldmia Ega" into the world wasn't up for compromise or negotiation. Not even for a duke.
I lifted the cup Duke Lesrom had poured me, intending to take a sip, but since I didn't know what kind of trickery he might have pulled, I decided to just savor the aroma and set it back down. Keeping my hand near my waist, ready to grab my sword hilt at any moment, I looked Duke Lesrom in the eye and asked.
"So, to be certain, I want to hear it from you directly. This 'boar' you mentioned—did he act on Your Excellency's orders?"
You'd called it a boar, not cutting off the tail, but from where I stood, that was just wordplay. In the end, you were still sheltering him all the same.
Just as a soldier's desertion isn't carried out on a superior officer's orders, Duke Lesrom could have been nothing more than a victim—but I had to nail it down now so he couldn't later squirm out of it by saying, 'I never said such a thing.'
Because of that boar's schemes, Ragnis had to go into hiding at a young age and was even kidnapped; Gies the wyvern pilot had been saddled with debt and got involved without knowing it was treason. If I'd been weak, I could have lost my life to those four apprentice knights, just as Delt had calculated. The fact that I survived didn't mean I could laugh off attempts like that.
The bastard who touched me hadn't paid the price yet. And now this was exactly what I needed to confirm. Who was it that touched me? The traitor boar? Or Duke Lesrom?
"...And if it were?"
"The traitor would receive the kingdom's punishment for treason, but Your Excellency wouldn't live to see it."
'Because you'd die by my hand today.'
Even as he watched my actions, whose meaning was obvious, Duke Lesrom didn't so much as change color. Even at that moment, the act of drinking his tea carried an air of grace.
Just when I began to wonder what he was thinking behind those eyes that stared straight at me for a moment, he opened his mouth.
"I am completely unconnected. If anything, the Noble Council is also divided between the New Noble Faction and the Old Noble Faction, with everyone watching each other. I imagine you know who belongs to which faction without me spelling it out."
Not feeling any particular need to speak, I simply answered by placing my hands back near my knees. Without any reprimand, Duke Lesrom, still looking intrigued, spoke up.
"May I ask just two things?"
"Of course."
"Why did you tell me your convictions beforehand? Doesn't that only increase the chance that I'd spin a lie to avoid immediate death? And if you had brought up this topic after receiving the written oath I mentioned, you might have been in a more advantageous position. Why bring it up now?"
I'd wondered what big thing he was going to ask, but thankfully it was nothing much.
"The first is because I felt I had to explain that I don't act out of revenge by weighing profit and loss—only then would it feel sincere. Even if Your Excellency's words were false, you'd have merely bought yourself a reprieve, so it didn't matter to me at all. As for the second, a situation like 'My business with you is done, so die.' just doesn't suit my temperament. That would make me no better than a pack of bandits, wouldn't it?"
Giving the gift of life to those who cooperate well—that was one of my mottos in life.
"Wait while I prepare the written oath."
I didn't know if my life motto had struck a chord or what, but Duke Lesrom nodded, immediately rose from his seat, and went to his desk.
◈
Duke Lesrom, who wrote at an extremely rapid pace, didn't take long to finish the written oath and even had me double-check it. Moreover, just as he'd initially mentioned, the oath was composed of clear words and sentences without any vague expressions, leaving no room for misunderstanding. It even included a clause stating that if it wasn't properly fulfilled, Duke Lesrom would forfeit his own life. Thanks to that, I barely managed to restrain myself from unnecessarily putting my brain into full gear again.
"Just in case, I'll mention that the wording, the seal, and my handwriting can all be verified at the royal castle. Lies claiming forgery won't work, so don't worry."
When I finished checking and handed it back, Duke Lesrom neatly rolled it up, sealed it with wax, and personally handed it to me as he spoke.
"I look forward to the day when we can share the many stories I wasn't able to tell you today."
"Given that you're of the Noble Faction and I'm helping the Margrave of Levien, I doubt that day will ever come."
"Well, you might see it sooner than you think."
Smiling with that cryptic remark, Duke Lesrom rose from his seat, graciously opened the door for me, and concluded the conversation.
"It was a pleasant conversation, Eldmia. Drop by if you're bored. You're welcome anytime. Next time, I hope we can clear up the misunderstandings and share tea amicably."
Just as I was about to pass by Duke Lesrom, who was so cheerful it made me wonder if he truly grasped that he'd nearly died by my hand moments ago, one of his legs slowly moved to slightly block my path.
"The boar must not die until this trial is over."
"...?"
"But the rest doesn't matter at all. Most of the evidence has already been collected. If something happens after you leave, remember that it has nothing to do with the will of the Noble Council."
Watching Duke Lesrom close the door, leaving behind that advice to watch out for surprise attacks with a benevolent smile, I tucked the written oath into my clothes and exited the Noble Council.
With each step, I reaffirmed the profound realization that I really mustn't get entangled with politicians.