The Art of Disarming
Wilson could not understand the situation unfolding before his eyes. He simply could not accept it.
The odds were overwhelmingly in his favor. He had twenty knights and over fifty cavalrymen at his back.
A force of this size could hold its own on a proper battlefield, let alone in a skirmish. They were more than capable of wiping out any ordinary band of bandits on their own.
Even if Edrin had caught wind of the plan and tried to hide in the village or flee, they should have been able to hunt him down and eliminate him without fail.
While the future of the knights who joined him in this venture remained uncertain, Edrin's death, at least, should have been a guaranteed certainty.
Yet, here they were.
Why is Selen standing by his side, and why are my soldiers wavering...?
All he had to do was order the charge. They could have trampled forward, utilizing the sheer momentum of their mounts, ignoring any potential civilian casualties. That would have been enough.
But he could not simply abandon Selen. Nor could he openly speak of what was essentially treason while so many eyes were watching.
The moment Edrin opened his mouth, the plan shattered. With eloquent words that perfectly matched his breathtaking appearance, Edrin was completely controlling the situation.
Wilson knew it instinctively.
The only enemy Edrin had left in this place was Wilson himself.
"I have heard of what Irene did while I was unconscious," Edrin said. "Even before that... I rarely busied myself with the administrative duties required to maintain power. If Irene were to disappear right now, this territory would fall apart."
Wilson bit his lip hard.
This is absurd...
Of course, Lady Irene wielded immense influence over the territory. As one of her loyal followers, Wilson knew this better than anyone.
But that was only true under the assumption that Lord Edrin wanted a 'whole and prosperous Arcteria.'
If Irene refused to cooperate, the territory's military strength would wane. People might die from monster invasions.
There was no one else in the territory capable of taking over the various administrative tasks she handled. The administrative system would collapse.
But... why would a man like Edrin care about such things?
Just because people died from monster attacks did not mean the territory would collapse immediately.
He could just let them die. The gold collected from taxes might decrease slightly, and the number of conscriptable soldiers might dwindle, but that would be the extent of it.
The same went for the administrative system. In fact, if moderate corruption redistributed wealth and caused the commoners to direct their hatred toward others rather than the lord, 'Lord Edrin' would have no reason to oppose it.
The future of Arcteria might grow bleak, but it would not harm 'Lord Edrin' as long as he remained safely holed up inside his castle.
"Irene knows that," Edrin continued. "She knows that is what I want. And I know she has no intention of trying to clumsily oust me using such methods."
Wilson told himself not to be fooled. It was a devil's whisper. A voice so sinister it could bewitch anyone who listened.
Yet, he could not ignore it. He tried to cover his ears, but his hands wouldn't rise. He wanted to draw his sword and charge, but his arms refused to move.
It felt as though even his warhorse, a companion with whom he had shared life and death countless times, was listening intently to Edrin's words.
"Do you honestly think... I would believe a word you say?!"
"Of course not," Edrin replied. "I never expected you to. If you couldn't even trust Irene's words, there is no way you would believe mine."
Those words shook Wilson to his core.
Because the warning that they wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath of killing Edrin—that victory achieved through such means would guarantee no future—had come from none other than Irene herself.
Though he loathed to admit it, he was suddenly forced to realize that the profligate Edrin and the noble Irene were indeed siblings sharing the same blood.
"These are turbulent times," Edrin said. "Whether it is me or Irene, if we do not secure a whole and stable Arcteria, we will be ousted in the blink of an eye. Either by the attacks of other lords or by being slowly eaten away by monster raids."
They were too alike. It was heartbreaking, but Wilson had no choice but to acknowledge it.
It wasn't a matter of eloquence. It wasn't even about the overwhelming pressure the young noble was exuding.
Sigh...
Edrin Silverline. A tyrant to his subordinates, insatiably greedy, a scoundrel who associated with the worst crowds. Wilson knew the old Edrin all too well.
Yet, he had to admit it.
That man...
...is looking at the same horizon as Irene Silverline. Standing in the same position, he is watching out for the tidal wave approaching from afar.
Wilson was not.
"But... but! What do you expect me to do?! Things have already gone too far!"
There was no turning back for Wilson. He had already mobilized the troops without authorization and acted on his own.
Punishment awaited him. Not just for Wilson, but for every knight and soldier who had participated in this operation.
If he had to pay the price for a noble and honorable cause, for Irene, he would have gladly accepted it. But he did not want to pay that price for something completely meaningless.
"We can just pretend nothing happened and head back," Edrin said.
"Pretend nothing happened? Edrin, have you lost your mind? How could that possibly be allowed?! The moment you report this—"
The beautiful, golden-haired noble shook his head, completely unperturbed.
"Why do you think it's impossible?"
"Once you return to the estate... if you tell anyone about this, we are all dead men!"
"And then what? Would Irene accept that? Would you?"
It was terrifying. Frightening. Overwhelming.
Even though there was no reason to view Edrin this way, Wilson could feel his entire body and mind trembling.
A massive pressure weighed down on him. He was crushed by an immense aura, as if a sage who had lived for thousands of years was mocking his shallow thoughts.
"Did you plan to stand before a judge and shout, 'I swear to God, it is true that I tried to kill Edrin! Please punish me!'?"
Edrin offered a bright smile. It was a face beautiful enough to captivate any woman, but Wilson felt only terror in that smile.
"If you... if you make the accusation, Edrin..."
"You can just deny it. Do you not know how noble trials work?"
"With this many witnesses?"
"They are all mere commoners. We simply don't accept them as witnesses."
A trial was merely a political battle in a different guise.
Who was chosen as the judge, who sat on the jury, whose testimony was accepted, and even whether the trial was held at all—everything followed the logic of power.
"A political struggle will happen regardless," Edrin said. "I have no intention of hiding this. But it must happen in a way that avoids draining Arcteria's strength as much as possible, and ensures that whoever loses can at least keep their life."
"..."
"So, whatever you attempted to do here today is nothing more than another 'excuse' added to my ledger."
"But with so many onlookers, rumors will spread!"
"Ah, rumors. Right. It is a bit unfortunate that bad rumors might spread about Irene. However..."
Edrin shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I have quite a few weaknesses of my own when it comes to 'bad rumors.'"
Wilson let out a hollow laugh.
The list of misdeeds Edrin had committed was so long that a tavern bard could sing of them all night without reaching the end. They were countless.
And naturally, Edrin's position was not threatened by mere rumors.
"After all, Irene and I are siblings. If we start dragging up dirty rumors and launching personal attacks against each other, there will be no end to it."
Wilson bit his lip.
He felt himself believing it. It sounded absurd, and if he took a moment to think calmly, he would surely find the flaws in the logic. Yet, right now, he couldn't find a single word to refute him.
"And if we were to hold a proper trial... there is no evidence here that you attempted to attack me."
No swords had clashed, and no one had died.
Even if Wilson claimed, 'I came here to safely escort Lord Edrin because the situation has become unstable due to Count Wilhelm's passing,' Edrin had no evidence to disprove it.
"It is as simple as that."
Wilson's hands trembled violently. He wondered if he should stop thinking and just draw his sword right now.
He doubted whether he, too, had been deceived, just as Selen had been, and just as his soldiers had been swayed by a silver tongue.
Silence stretched. After a long moment, Wilson made his decision.
"...Young Master Edrin."
"What is it, Sir Wilson, knight of my dear sister Irene?"
Wilson bit his lip. This was nothing but a ridiculous farce. A deception that fooled absolutely no one.
It was no different from being dragged along by Edrin's design. It was no different from blindly accepting the decision and solution he offered.
Even so, this was the only choice he could make.
"There has been an incident at the castle. Count Wilhelm has passed away. We shall escort you back safely."
"Thank you. Let us make haste."
Boarding the carriage, Edrin wore a relaxed smile, as if he had anticipated all of this from the very beginning.