Chapter 89: On Being a Ruler
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: On Being a Ruler
Arasen’s death brought about changes that were far too great to ignore.
Beyond the protests from the women, both my identity and Rune’s were finally revealed to the public.
My situation was one thing, but from the perspective of Dakuren and the rest of Hus, it meant the successor to the Archduke had officially stepped into the role of ruler.
“Women want justice!”
“Women want to be loved!”
With protests breaking out even within the Lord’s Castle, the leadership of Dakuren City faced several pressing issues.
The first, naturally, was the punishment of Fran and the rest of the Four Handsome Heavenly Kings.
“I’m going to kill that bastard Fran, no matter what.”
Rune’s resolve was unshakable.
The question was how to kill him, and what to do with the other three.
“I’ll have him torn apart by dismemberment. I want him in pieces.”
“You cannot do that, My Lady.”
At some point, the way people addressed Rune had changed.
The old man had clearly begun organizing the new order, pushing Rune forward as an adult and the leader of the Dakuren family.
“And why not? I will quench the women’s rage by spilling his blood before the masses.”
“If you do that, you will conversely incite anxiety and resentment among the men.”
“He killed Arasen! He killed a carriage driver under contract with the Lord’s Castle, a member of an adventurer party that cleared a dungeon!”
“It was a tragedy. Miss Arasen’s death is regrettable, but she was also one of the causes of this incident through her use of extreme methods. You must take that into account as well.”
“On top of that, he’s the one who dared to make advances on me!”
“My Lady. Even Alto Bertrand, the one they called the Bloodhound, did not shed blood recklessly unless it was a Demon. He was called a man possessed by battle, but his judgment was always sound. No matter how angry he was, he viewed the situation objectively and never swung his weapon unnecessarily.”
“All of this happened because of that wretch Fran!”
“My Lady, if solving things purely through emotion were always the right path, this sinful old man’s waist would have been snapped by Alto’s hands a long time ago.”
At those words, Rune glanced at me.
I gave her a blunt nod.
The old geezer was right.
During the Final War, the old man was a literal fox.
Every time that crazy bastard came up with a plan to whittle down humanity’s strength because he wanted to take over the world after the war, I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to tear him apart with a Howling or butcher him with a Roar.
To think that same old man is now bickering with me while we work toward the same goal… life is truly unpredictable.
“Governance is about distinguishing the lower and upper limits of what can appear cold yet fair, and walking the tightrope between them. If you kill everyone because you are angry and favor everyone because you are pleased, order will never be established.”
“Then what kind of death is appropriate?”
“Behead or hang him before the eyes of all, and then put his head on public display.”
“Once he’s dead, it’s over. Just a public display of the head…?”
“My Lady. Do you not wish to become the Archduke? Do you want to instill nothing but fear in the people of Hus and hear nothing but flattery for the rest of your life?”
“Tch.”
When Rune finally let out a click of her tongue, Countess Dakuren raised her eyes and scolded her.
“Young Lady, that is not the attitude of someone who is to become the Archduke!”
“…I’m sorry.”
Mothers are terrifying.
When I first met her, she had a kind smile and told me to come find her if I was curious about unrequited love, but she was strict when it came to her adopted daughter’s education.
And so, the first meeting came to an end.
“I hate it! I hate everything! I even hate Mother!”
During the hours she wasn’t tending to government affairs, Rune refused to leave my side.
She seemed utterly fed up with the burden of her status and the complex procedures.
“Do you think so too, Alto? Just a clean end by hanging?”
“Rune, Fran committed a terrible crime, but he is a man. If you kill a man too cruelly, it could lead to domestic and international criticism of Hus.”
“How is a guy like that a man?”
“He is a man, technically.”
“Alto is the only real man. My husband. My lover.”
Rune just clung to me tightly.
After spending some time stroking her hair, I spoke to her softly and persuasively.
“Rune, you have me, and I’m doing my best to love you, so you’re mentally stable.”
“Yeah, I’m glad. I’m happy that you feel stable because of me, Alto.”
“Right, we are. But what about other women? What about lovers who aren’t as stable as us? If you tear Fran apart with dismemberment and kill the other Handsome Heavenly Kings too, men will become terrified of Hus. They might migrate to other regions or become passive about marriage.”
In fact, it was said that the behavior of men in various places was significantly better than before.
However, it was impossible to tell if that came from the heart or if they were simply afraid that a woman pushed to the brink might harm them in a final act of desperation.
“If that happens, Hus—already short on men—might see the male population dry up in a few years, or conversely, the men’s attitudes might get even worse.”
“…I don’t like it.”
“Rune.”
Mwah.
“You don’t want to be the only happy person, do you?”
Mwah.
“You don’t want to be the only happy Lord while your people live in hardship and loneliness, right?”
“……”
A kiss for every sentence.
As I soothed her like that, Rune finally relented.
“Fine. I shouldn’t overdo it.”
With that, Rune began to undress me.
“I’m upset because Alto didn’t take my side. Comfort me. Love me.”
“You have to make the final decision tomorrow, though. Will you be okay?”
“It’s fine.”
Rune kissed me first, a seductive smile playing on her lips.
“Instead, do it excessively. Very excessively. To the point where my lower half won’t close.”
My girl, who had once been so innocent, had grown into a woman with enough allure to crack crude jokes to her lover.
I filled that night for her as robustly as she desired.
* * *
“I shall now deliver the verdict.”
A week later, at a trial held in the plaza, Rune made a solemn declaration.
“Fran, you pushed and murdered your primary wife, who had cared for you even while serving your military duty in your stead. While it is true that your wife, Arasen, initiated a hostage situation, that too was a result of your long-standing abuse. Though you are a man, the nature of your crime is grave.”
Rune raised her gavel.
“Fran, I sentence you to death by hanging, and your head shall be displayed in the plaza to appease the soul of Arasen, who was a carriage driver for the Lord’s Castle, and to serve as a warning against the excessive behavior of men. Furthermore, the three men, including the son of Viscount Lote, are sentenced to one year of house arrest.”
Bang, bang!
As the gavel finalized the verdict, Fran began to thrash his entire body in a frenzy.
“I’m a man! I’m a man! That bitch tried to kill me! It was self-defense! That’s what it was!”
“Shut your mouth, Fran!”
The one who rebuked him was Benjamin Lote, the son of the Viscount and the leader of the Four Handsome Heavenly Kings.
The three of them, including Benjamin—who had shaved off all of his long hair—humbly accepted the verdict.
It was a surprising change in attitude, but most people were inclined to wait and see.
“You sons of bitches! You only got to act like big shots because of the money Arasen earned! Arasen was the one who covered for you when you almost got fucked over at the salon! But I’m the one dying, and you guys just get house arrest?! It’s unfair! It’s unfair!”
“You are paying the price for not cherishing your wife!”
“Not cherishing her? You guys brought your concubines, and I brought mine, and we all shared them! We brought them to the salon and shared them! What’s the difference? What?!”
“Y-You bastard…!”
Faced with certain death, Fran began to blabber, lashing out in every direction.
As their dirty laundry was aired before the world, Benjamin’s face turned beet red with shame.
But did he really need to be?
Everyone already knew.
Even Diane and Eris knew.
They said nothing like that had happened since they were threatened with exile, but that remained to be seen.
“You guys paid them off, didn’t you? Right? You did! You did! You did—!!!”
He was right.
Viscount Lote had come to me personally, kneeling before me and my women to beg for leniency.
After the old man Dakuus personally helped the weeping father to his feet, Rune admonished the three men to work on correcting the behavior of other men, stating she would sentence them to house arrest instead of exile.
In exchange, Viscount Lote made a massive donation.
What else could he do? He had to save his son.
And us, for accepting it?
Well, what could we do? It wasn’t just about the money; we had to send a signal to the men that if they behaved, things wouldn’t end like this.
This was also why I couldn’t say much when Rune complained about how frustrating and annoying it all was.
“Respected Judge and rightful successor to the Archduke of Hus, I would like to say a word.”
Fran’s wild thrashing was making it difficult to carry out the execution.
We had agreed to kill him relatively cleanly, but since he was twisting his whole body, it was hard to hang him or behead him.
Blood would fly everywhere, and it would be a mess.
At that moment, Viscount Lote, who was in the lead juror’s seat, requested the floor.
“Speak, Viscount Lote.”
“First, I sincerely apologize for the trouble my son has caused and promise improvement.”
After starting with those platitudes, Viscount Lote pointed a finger at Fran.
“However, that man does not acknowledge his crimes and is instead spewing curses at the citizens of Dakuren gathered here! This is an insult to the sacred trial! The judge and jury of Dakuren City intended to grant the prisoner a quiet and orderly death out of respect, but since he refuses it himself, I request that those curses and insults be purified through burning at the stake rather than hanging!”
“He’s right! He’s right!”
“Burn that man who sucked the lifeblood out of Arasen!”
Stupid Fran.
Because he had provoked them, even the women were now siding with Viscount Lote’s request.
Rune glanced at the old man, and he gave a nod, signaling to end this quickly.
“Very well. We shall uphold justice through burning at the stake!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Everything moved swiftly after that.
Fran panicked even more and screamed at the top of his lungs, but no one was listening anymore.
Since we had agreed to play it by ear, dry wood and oil were brought out in an instant, and a thick wooden stake was erected to bind Fran.
“Execute the sentence.”
Torches were tossed onto the woodpile, and Fran was soon obscured by thick smoke.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh—!!!!!!!!!!”
A horrific scream echoed from within the smoke.
But the people, if anything, grew more excited.
“Save me! Save me—!!”
In a cruel twist of irony, the person the sinner Fran called out for at the very end…
“Araseeeeeeeen! Save meeeeeeeee—!!!!”
…was the lover he had killed, the woman who had tried to love him until the very end.