The Decree of Authority
“Wh-what are you talking about?” The bald merchant’s expression made it clear he didn’t understand. What a shame. For someone supposedly part of an organization that rose up against the class system and magic-based discrimination, he seemed completely unaware of what he was actually doing. Was he truly just being used? I needed to confirm one more thing.
“That magic stone you were carrying in your chest. Did you know what it actually was?”
“Th-that was just a precaution. With it, even for a moment, I could use a noble’s power……”
So he didn’t know. No matter how it was used, that thing was designed to explode. An organization claiming to fight for commoners, yet if Chloe hadn’t stopped it, who knows how many of the territory’s people would have been hurt. I’ve heard the line “sacrifice the few for the many” far too often in novels and movies. An organization that claims to exist for the people but is willing to sacrifice those very people isn’t worth trusting.
“Right. A commoner without magic might envy nobles. Might feel inferior.”
“Wh-what?” The bald merchant stared at me, unable to hide his confusion.
“But what can you do? That’s just how the world is.”
Tap, tap. I patted his empty shoulder. I didn’t know what the right answer was. This was a fantasy world with monsters, after all. If nobles earned respect because it was their duty to risk their lives fighting monsters, calling that evil would feel unfair. Not that it was my problem.
It had been a while since I thought about my past life. Other protagonists might dream of changing this world, but unfortunately, I rather liked it as it was. Most of the reasons I liked it stemmed from the fact that I’d been born with a gold spoon. Continuing this conversation wouldn’t yield anything useful.
I looked at the knight. He had worn a slightly bewildered expression, but straightened up under my gaze.
“So, what information did you get?”
“He’s definitely Red Blood, but seems to be a low-ranking member. Normally he acts as a guide for organization members under the guise of a slave trader, but he doesn’t even know who the people he guides actually are.”
“A worthless pawn, then.”
“Kuh, kuhk!”
I was disappointed, but there was nothing more to be had. The one piece of information we did get was this:
“Their destination is the Eastern Region, past the capital.”
“Yes. He didn’t know the exact destination either. His mission was simply to hand the box over to another member he would meet along the way.”
“The Eastern Region. The wasteland, then.”
Princess Amelia muttered quietly. The eastern wasteland. Barren land. Abandoned territory. Vast enough to fit two or three Brahms Kingdoms inside it. But that wasn’t the end of the continent.
“There’s a chance it’s even further east.”
“The East Empire……”
It wasn’t the typical oriental country you’d find in generic fantasy. There was no martial arts or anything of the sort. And in the Eastern Region, besides the East Empire, there were other nations one might think of when imagining desert countries. Even if it was the Eastern Region, there were multiple possible destinations. But would we even be able to reach that far? Crossing the wasteland was difficult. Even the merchant groups who made their living in the desert had raised the white flag against its dangers, to the point where massive caravans only traded once a year. And this year’s trade had already ended. Going beyond the wasteland would be hard. In that case—
“Perhaps the Red Blood group has a presence in the wasteland itself.”
“What?!” Even the bald merchant looked shocked. He probably didn’t know anything. As a cell-based organization, there was no reason to tell field operatives that much. The wasteland could easily be a decoy. Their goal might have been to make us draw exactly this kind of conclusion.
“Any testimony about the person he met when receiving the box?”
“No. He said the exchange location was a spot slightly away from the capital. And the only instruction he received was to burn that herb and place it inside the box once a day.”
“The herb?”
“We’re keeping it in storage.”
We’d investigate the herb separately. From the sound of it, they’d used the herb to knock people out and moved them here while unconscious. ……Was there anything else? I looked at the princess, but she shook her head.
“Do you think there’s anything else worth digging into?”
“No. We’ve already investigated all the minor personal details, and we’ve finished interrogating the other slaves as well. Digging any deeper here won’t produce results.”
“Is that so?”
At those words, I turned to look at the bald merchant. Seeing his terrified face made me laugh. This man wanted to kill all nobles and create an equal world. It wasn’t even possible, and even if he tried, the only future I could see was ruin. But since they’d thrown the first punch, I had to return it with an uppercut.
“Well then, there’s no point in keeping him any longer.”
“Understood.”
Did he think he was going to be released? I looked at the Red Blood commoner without magic, who was sending me hopeful glances.
“He says he doesn’t need the protection of us Blue Bloods.”
“Yes.”
The knight smiled as he looked at him too.
“Let’s let him live on his own.”
“Understood.”
Step, step. I glanced one last time at the bald merchant, who still hadn’t grasped the situation, then turned my back.
“Well then, Princess Amelia. Shall we have some tea?”
“That sounds good. That sweet tea wasn’t bad.”
“It’s my favorite. I’m honored it suits your taste.”
That tea had received terrible reviews from Father and my brother, after all.
Clang! The sound of a massive iron door closing echoed. Behind me and the princess, I could hear the knight slowly walking as well. The door to that prison holding the Red Blood who didn’t need our care wouldn’t be opening anytime soon. Hm? What about the bald merchant inside? Well, he’d figure it out himself. He was Red Blood, after all—he didn’t need our help.
Hear ye, all subjects of Franz.
Avon Franz, Lord of Franz, commands: From this moment until the day Avon Franz returns,
all authority over Franz is hereby delegated to Leoric Franz.
“Leoric Franz. The man who carries the sun’s legacy upon his back.”
……What was with that ridiculous title? Was it just my imagination, or were the titles people gave me getting more grandiose by the day? Regardless, I turned my head at the sound of my name and looked at Princess Amelia.
“Did you think about that even in your daily life?”
“Think about what?”
What else did I think about besides women?
“……About that discrimination.”
“Ah, discrimination.”
It was a funny story. Well, someday in the distant future, there might be a different political system than the one we had now. Democracy or communism might appear, or perhaps an entirely new system altogether. But that was a matter for the future, not something I needed to worry about. My descendants could handle it. It wasn’t like environmental preservation or anything.
“Who knows?”
“……I don’t understand. I can’t tell what you’re thinking. What you said earlier was something I’d never heard before.”
“Was it that unusual?”
I smiled at Princess Amelia, who was looking at me with a blank expression. I couldn’t read her thoughts either. Was that blank face just her natural personality?
“Even now, discrimination caused by lack of money exists. Commoners who can’t pay taxes becoming slaves, and the merchants who buy and sell those slaves, are part of that.”
“Is that so……?”
Leaving Princess Amelia tilting her head in thought, I had my own work to do. Even if we weren’t their target, someone who had detonated a magic stone on Franz land had to pay the price.
“Chloe.”
“Yes.”
I’d given her a full day to rest, but Chloe had already changed into proper attire and approached my side.
“There are those who dared to trample on our land. We can’t forgive them, can we?”
“No, we cannot.”
A smile appeared on Chloe’s lips as well. A smile filled with killing intent. The other knights around us also radiated heightened bloodlust. This wasn’t just anyone—it was the resistance opposing Blue Blood, the Red Blood, who had done this. Of course they wouldn’t have good feelings about it. There was no noble house that would simply let this slide. Looking back now, it might have been better to leave the slave caravan alone and see who they contacted, but that was hindsight talking.
“Investigate the Red Blood and eradicate them completely. Start with Franz.”
“Understood.”
Starting from Franz, the capital of the Franz territory. We would investigate every place they had passed through and every contact they had made.
“It’s going to get noisy for a while.”
“Bahn will get noisy too.”
We didn’t know yet, but Bahn, which had definitely infiltrated the palace, was about to face a storm of blood. That was the feeling I got from Princess Amelia’s quiet sigh. That aside—
“And still no word from Father? It should be about time he arrived.”
“If it’s that, it’s over here.”
So it had come. It hadn’t been that long since they departed, after all. Father hadn’t gone alone either, and since an army was moving, they couldn’t have been far. Since a knight had delivered the letter directly, it wouldn’t have taken much time either. I received the letter Chloe handed me. It must have arrived while we were in the prison. I unsealed the letter, which had been sealed with Father’s magic.
—Fwoooosh!
“Hm.”
As expected of Father. Golden magic light burst from the letter, and a golden lion appeared.
—Thud!
All the knights around us dropped to one knee. Even Chloe knelt and bowed her head. The only ones in this place who remained standing, just like before, were me and Princess Amelia. I looked at her. It was a signal regarding how to act from now on. The princess nodded and straightened her posture. She hadn’t been slouching before, but from this moment on, what I was about to say wasn’t my own words—it was the words of Avon Franz, my father and the lord of this land. I gathered magic in my throat. Father’s magic from the letter mixed with my own. From this moment on, the declaration I was about to make was directed at all the knights, vassals, and subjects in this land.
“Ahem.”
I confirmed that my voice had changed due to Father’s magic. Hearing Father’s voice come from my mouth felt strange, but I opened the letter without hesitation. The content was simple. Too simple, in fact……
“Hear ye, all subjects of Franz.”
“Avon Franz, Lord of Franz, commands: From this moment until the day Avon Franz returns, all authority over Franz is hereby delegated to Leoric Franz.”
All the knights rose and raised their swords.
—Thud!
“Salute to our rightful ruler, Leoric Franz!”
“Victory to Franz! Success to Franz! Prosperity to Franz!”
“All for Franz!”
Receiving the knights’ salutes, I closed my eyes.
…………No, where did my peaceful daily life go? Damn it.