The Mayor's Quiet Indulgence
“And their punishment must not end with a mere hanging.”
They reluctantly dragged him out of the interrogation room and went to summon the priests. There was a medical officer who treated the wounded, but immediate results were needed.
“Is there a trial process?”
“…Normally there would be, but in their case, once the judge and the mayor stamp these confessions tomorrow, that will be the end of it.”
“I see. And the execution?”
“The judge will decide, but it will likely happen within two days at the latest.”
I told them I could assist with the execution and asked them to pass that information to the judge. They looked somewhat puzzled but agreed, and I indicated my intention to return to the consulate.
By the time night had fallen, the people who had been waiting outside the detention center had all gone home, and there was no longer any crowd gathered. Thanks to that, I returned to the consulate without much difficulty and made my way to the room assigned to me.
I had not eaten dinner yet, but the mealtime had already passed, and the cooks and other staff on duty were heading to bed, so I did not want to trouble them unnecessarily.
Once back in my room, I first set up a barrier around it, then took some rations from my bag and headed for the Library of Denatel.
“Welcome. Is something wrong?”
Rofena greeted me warmly, then asked after seeing my face.
“No. Nothing at all. Why do you ask?”
“You just seem different from usual.”
I could not understand how she could tell.
“Really, nothing happened?”
I could not bring myself to hide it from her when she asked. It was out of guilt toward her, who had to remain alone in this empty space.
“Really? The goddess Nix placed that kind of curse?”
“Yes. Because of it, Rowell and Aegina suffered for a long time.”
“Well, I suppose even the goddess Nix would not have wanted to see those kinds of creatures swarming around after her resurrection.”
Her reaction was different because her position was slightly different.
“Anyway, they had only just started to feel better, and then they had to see something like that……”
“So you dealt with those bandits?”
“They will be dealt with soon. Though that will not ease her heart.”
We talked about this and that. The Dark Temple, how my name had come up right away even though she had mistaken someone else for me, and the mayor’s somewhat incomprehensible actions. Since our time was limited, I tried to cover as many topics as possible.
However, the subject she showed the most interest in was the descendants of Rowell and Aegina. She had apparently never considered it before, and even though she knew about the curse, she kept bringing it up.
“If three children exactly like those two are born, then six will come next, and then twelve after that……”
As she continued speaking, a look of fear suddenly crossed her face. Without a doubt, dozens of Rowells and Aeginas were now standing in her mind.
“No, Rofena. Children are not born identical to their parents just because they are born.”
“R-really?”
Only then did her expression ease slightly, though a trace of anxiety still lingered.
“Of course. At best, only the direct first generation will resemble them the most. After that, they will mix with whatever husbands or wives they meet.”
Besides, even if they shared the same bloodline, I could not imagine anyone else like Rowell and Aegina existing again.
“Now that I think about it, that curse really was cast with a long-term perspective.”
Until now, I had simply thought Nix had placed the curse out of resentment for failing to achieve her goal, but perhaps it had been a calculated move in anticipation of her own resurrection.
“Exactly.”
We continued talking with faint smiles, but her expression suddenly grew cautious. I wondered if I had said something wrong, but then she asked carefully.
“But do you want children too?”
For a moment, I nearly choked.
“Cough, ahem. Rofena?”
I could not help but cough.
“You said the hero and the princess were sad.”
I knew it was a purely innocent question, but it was still an incredibly difficult one to answer. After all, the only people who had ever shown romantic interest in me—or anything close to it—were Julian and her. I had never even considered marriage, let alone children.
“…Well, having them would not be so bad.”
My own child. It would be a lie to say I was not worried, but Rowell and Aegina would always be there. If the child grew up under their influence, it would at least turn out as well as I had.
“Really?”
Her eyes, now filled with serious thought after hearing my answer, made me deeply uncomfortable. By then, quite a bit of time had passed, so I slowly rose from my seat.
“I should be heading back now.”
“You are not staying here?”
“Rowell and Aegina might come looking for me.”
Honestly, I did not think that would happen, but she was too preoccupied to question my words.
“All right. Then take care. Will you come again tomorrow?”
“I will try to make it if possible.”
The next day, when I went down to the dining hall a little late, Rowell and Aegina were waiting for me.
“Are you all right, Aegina?”
“Yes. I am sorry for making you worry.”
She was a little more subdued than usual, but she had mostly returned to her normal self.
“We are going to meet the victims today. Would you like to come with us, Anak?”
I was surprised by the unexpected suggestion. She had only just escaped her sorrow, and now she wanted to face someone else’s grief. Even at a glance, it did not seem like a good idea for her right now.
“Are you sure?”
I asked while looking between her and Rowell. Rowell also wore a worried expression, but Aegina’s attitude was firm.
“I am sure. I want to see them. Even if I cannot be of much help, I would like to offer them comfort if I can.”
I thought of the bereaved families I had seen in front of the detention center yesterday. Their eyes, filled with sorrow and rage, had still been alive, yet they resembled those of the dead. They clearly needed comfort. Unlike what I would give them, they also needed the strength and reason to keep living afterward, and if anyone could give them that, it would be Rowell and Aegina.
“No, I have to go see the mayor today. There is something I need to look into.”
“Is something wrong?”
Rowell’s eyes as he asked told me he already knew something. He had been worried about Aegina and had not shown it, but he had also sensed something strange from the size of the guard force. It was unnatural that they had failed to catch the bandits despite the damage they had caused.
“You will find out soon enough.”
I smiled at Rowell, signaling for him to leave it to me. For now, I wanted him to focus only on Aegina.
While Rowell and Aegina went to meet the victims’ families, I headed for the council hall in the center of the village where the mayor’s office was located. The countless people gathered there since early morning made walking difficult, but it was still easier compared to Rowell or Aegina.
The moment all eyes turned toward them, I quickly slipped toward the less crowded side and hid, causing the crowd to surge even more toward Rowell and Aegina. That allowed me to slip away.
The council hall was quite large for the size of the village. It was obvious that the original building had been expanded. When I asked a guard, he confirmed that the mayor’s office was on the top floor of the newly built section.
It was not particularly lavish, but the unnecessarily ornate staircases and murals here and there clashed with the surroundings and only made it look worse.
“Lord Anak. What brings you all the way here?”
I ignored the secretary who tried to stop me and opened the office door. The mayor’s face briefly twisted, but he soon put on a bright smile as if pleased to see me and stood up. Judging from both the secretary’s and his reactions, he had probably been about to say something about the sudden visit, but upon realizing it was me, he had switched to managing his expression.
He guided me to the reception table and ordered the secretary to bring tea.
“I have something I would like to ask you, Mayor.”
“Ask anything you like. If it is something I know, I will answer to the best of my ability.”
Yet despite his words, a hint of irritation showed on his face. It did not seem like he was hiding some great secret so much as he simply hoped that minor issues would not come to light.
“It is about the bandits we captured. Why were they not caught earlier?”
At my question, his expression hardened.
“That is……”
He then offered the same unnatural excuses I had already heard from the guard captain. If he was not better at hiding his expressions than I thought, there did not seem to be any particularly large secret. Of course, that did not mean there was nothing at all.
“Then, would it be possible for me to examine a few documents?”
When I mentioned specific documents, his expression changed completely.
“Those are important municipal documents. No matter who you are, Lord Anak, you cannot see them without the council’s approval.”
He refused with a stern expression and a heavy tone.
“Hah.”
His attitude was laughable. He was clearly twice my age, and as someone who took pride in his position as mayor, he was probably the authoritarian type. And above all, since I was not Rowell or Aegina, he felt free to act this way.
But precisely because I was not Rowell or Aegina, his attitude toward me was a grave mistake.
“It seems you are mistaken, Mayor. Although we were not granted official positions or territories, the Allied Council at the time recognized our right, in the name of each kingdom, to investigate any incidents occurring within their territories and, depending on the matter, to carry out direct punishment. This applies even if the target is a lord or a member of the royal family.”
Though not widely known, this was the truth. It was a privilege granted out of respect from the Allied commanders and kings, based on their absolute certainty that we would not abuse it, and their oath that they would never commit any wrongdoing we could take issue with.
“I-is that true?”
His face twisted, and clear panic showed. Yes, that was satisfying to see.
“If you wish, you may send a letter to the royal family right now to confirm, but in that case, I will also have to mention that you were uncooperative with the investigation. And that I found it regrettable.”
“Y-you may look at anything you like!”
He quickly stood up and, without even calling the secretary, began searching for the documents himself. He rummaged through the filing cabinets with such force that it looked like he might knock them over. When a few documents were missing, he desperately started calling the secretary’s name. The sight was truly ridiculous.
And when the documents were finally handed to me and I examined them one by one, a bitter smile appeared on my lips.
“So this was all it was?”
I had expected there would be no great secret. But the reality was far too hollow and bitter. According to the documents I found, funds had been sent every month under the pretext of support for repelling the bandits and aiding the victims, and most of that money had been used for village operations—particularly for populist measures toward the residents.
Some of the funds that should have gone to neighboring villages had instead been used for the city’s operating expenses, and while it was only a small portion, there were also signs that a certain amount had gone into his own pockets. The amounts missing from several documents were too precise to be simple mistakes.
Of course, as I had said, the majority seemed to have been used for village operations, and the amount he had apparently taken for himself was relatively small.
It was enough for him to replace the furniture in his house or order a new barrel of wine each month—not particularly expensive wine. Even if that money had been spent where it should have been, it would not have amounted to even half a single small coin per resident. Still, it had clearly benefited him.
“You bought the villagers’ favor with populist measures and reported the bandit problem as the guard force’s responsibility.”
He had probably also wanted to solidify his position as mayor. While he was winning over the residents, if he reported the bandit issue as simply a matter of insufficient guards or personnel, those receiving the reports would only send more support funds and would have no reason to consider replacing him.
“I-I am sorry.”
“Well, I did not think this amounted to some enormous corruption either. From your perspective, it was probably just a minor loophole. At least the village under your management suffered no direct harm, and the residents became happier thanks to the increased support. The amount you embezzled was also small enough that it probably did not weigh too heavily on your conscience compared to the support funds you brought to this village.”
Most people in high positions did not commit wrongdoing because they were evil. They simply did not consider it a serious problem or wrongdoing. Just as even a tiny amount of money that could not buy a single loaf of bread could become a significant sum when collected from many people, the small wrongs committed by those in power also produced large consequences.
“However, no matter how much you rationalize it to yourself, it remains a problem. Especially since there are victims.”
The face that had only just begun to regain some color gradually turned pale. I told the mayor’s secretary to summon the judges and the guards. I also had someone called to deliver a letter to the central royal family.
I had no intention of punishing him under the same charges as the bandits. That would have been unfair. I simply planned to report this matter directly to the central royal family. If I did, his position would be revoked, and after a brief stay in prison, he would be exiled to another region.
Of course, whether the result of my actions would benefit or harm the villagers of this town remained uncertain. But at the very least, it was closer to the right thing to do. Even if that was not the only reason I was doing it.