Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Debate on Saving the Kingdom
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With Prince Julius's generous gift of mithril, the Spring Festival began to quietly heat up once more.
There was no need to even mention the knights or mages.
A knight's armament or a mage's artifact was like an extra life to them.
They'd probably try to cobble together some logic by adding plausible-sounding words to whatever knowledge they lacked.
And for the bureaucrats, the mithril itself could bring massive benefits to their territory's finances.
That amount was worth at least a month's income for any decent territory.
"The prince sure is going all out. Who'd think to hand down that much as a gift?"
Saladin muttered to himself, 'Wish I were rich.'
"From Prince Julius's perspective, it's a bold gamble. If the Sword Family faction wins, he'll lose face and get robbed of mithril for nothing."
In other words, this was it.
I'd already settled on the debate topic with the prince to some extent.
We'd discussed the Holy Empire's ambitions at length, so in this situation, no one could see farther on the theme of 'saving the kingdom' than me.
In short, it was Prince Julius showing his goodwill before granting Olivia.
'I won't refuse any favors you give, Your Highness.'
Money was never enough, no matter how much you had.
Unaware of the inside story, Saladin was swelling with excitement bit by bit.
"Man, with that much mithril, I could probably make whole arms for Mimi and Nene from scratch. Ugh, gotta work hard! Saving the kingdom... Hmm, with the famine and all, food production's probably the way to go."
Yeah, that's what most nobles would do. Nothing easier than spinning a topic around the most recent event.
But.
'That won't win the debate.'
Something that 'had' happened recently was in the past tense. Meaning it was already over. Closer to the present would mean it had been 'resolved.'
That wouldn't leave a strong impression.
To score high, you had to talk about what was 'about' to happen.
So Saladin's chosen topic was unlikely to draw any attention.
'Well, he's a friend, after all.'
Maybe I should give him a heads-up.
"Hey, Saladin..."
"Yeah? What? I already picked my topic, you copycat. Don't do anything harsh—shoo, shoo."
Saladin treated me like a mangy pup begging for scraps.
"......"
I quietly withdrew the hand I'd been reaching toward him, turning it back the other way.
"...Fine, good luck."
Why did that guy always screw up even when I tried to look out for him?
The final day of the debate forum announced by Prince Julius—which also marked the end of the Spring Festival.
In the banquet hall, one noble was giving a speech with all his might.
"I am Cromwell of Hamel Territory. To save the kingdom means securing food supplies so firmly that even if an unexpected famine strikes, no one goes hungry..."
Despite the eloquence of the man called Cromwell, the nobles' expressions remained listless.
As I listened to Cromwell's speech, I poked Saladin in the side.
"Oh, he's saying the same thing as you."
"...Shut up..."
Next to me, Saladin hunched over gloomily, digging into his shell.
He had no choice; this was already the fifth time including his own that Cromwell's plan had come up.
The wording and minor points differed slightly, but it was all the same in the end.
"I am Gardner of Western Nashir Territory. Saving the kingdom means filling the national treasury and fattening our territories through trade to build a strong nation..."
Or they'd trot out something that obvious.
The theme of saving the kingdom was so grand it couldn't help but be vague.
These were greenhorns who didn't even manage a territory, let alone a nation—predictable, naturally.
"Hm, it seems there are no fresh ideas worth hearing here."
Prince Julius, who had listened through the debate, rubbed his temples and began wrapping things up.
Being as sharp as he was, he couldn't be pleased with these proposals.
The prince swept his gaze over the room and naturally settled on one spot.
"Grand Young Master Victor, what are your thoughts?"
Victor, who had been sitting quietly, furrowed his brow as the question came his way.
"As heir to the Sword Family, one of the pillars 'protecting' the kingdom, I'd naturally like to hear your opinion."
There was bite in Prince Julius's tone—a jab at what had happened during the hunt.
Victor couldn't possibly miss the implication.
'This feels a bit off.'
With Victor's personality, he wouldn't let that provocation slide.
"...Saving the kingdom. Exactly as it says—saving the nation. So the first step would be..."
Victor met Prince Julius's eyes squarely.
"...placing those with the 'power' and qualifications to save it at the center. Not mere figureheads."
"......!!"
'Oh boy.'
I knew it.
The banquet hall's atmosphere froze like ice at Victor's sneering words.
No one present could fail to grasp what he meant.
The recent subtle tensions between the Sword Family and the royal house.
Victor's statement openly mocked that the weakening royals should step aside for the Sword Family at the center—that was the path to saving the kingdom.
"Grand Young Master Victor. May I ask what you mean by that statement?"
"Exactly what I said. What we protect are this nation's lands and its people. So the path to protecting those lands and people—is that not 'saving the kingdom'?"
I pressed my temples.
'Why does nothing go as I expect?'
I'd thought saddling Victor with debt would keep him quiet for a while.
Yet here he was, just days later, declaring war on the royals in front of all the next-generation nobles.
'This... I need to stop it.'
The mood was turning ugly.
I hadn't expected Victor to confront the royals so directly out of nowhere.
Julius hadn't signaled me specifically, but without any standout opinions, he'd have questioned me last.
That way, he could back the matter I'd requested.
But Victor's outburst had soured the atmosphere.
'In that case, I should step in first...'
The moment I prepared to interject and smoothly shift the mood.
A small hand rose from the back of the eastern nobles—the royal faction.
"Um... I don't think that's right."
"?"
"?"
The prince had seemed to address everyone except me and Victor.
But at the unfamiliar voice, all heads turned toward the source.
"Ah, sorry for interrupting the serious mood. No, um. I'm Dwayne of House Hasway."
Dwayne of House Hasway in Kelton Territory.
He'd participated without drawing notice—no one felt his absence as odd due to his faint presence—but every noble here knew his name.
Not because of outstanding talent or a great house.
Son of Baron Hasway, the eastern noble who had long supported royal administration.
That was his modest footprint, but he was famous here for another reason.
'The pants-wetter?'
'The one who pissed himself...'
Right after the hunt ended, when he'd returned with yellow-stained(?) pants.
Victor spoke coldly to Dwayne, who mumbled without confidence.
"We're in debate with the prince, and all sorts butt in. This isn't a place for the likes of you."
"B-but... this debate forum gives all nobles equal speaking rights... Surely the grand young master of the Sword Family knows that...?"
"...What did you say?"
"N-no... I just thought remarks ignoring the royals are overstepping, even for the Sword Family... That's all I meant..."
"......"
Victor's forehead vein bulged as Dwayne said his piece in a voice like crawling ants.
"...Entertaining. Tell me exactly how I disrespected the royals. If you can't explain properly, you'll be punished for daring to insult our house."
Dwayne had only questioned Victor's words, but that didn't matter.
To Victor, insulting him was insulting the Sword Family.
"Ah, uh. Sorry, my throat's dry."
Unfazed by the threat, Dwayne downed a glass of wine from the table and began.
"Grand Young Master Victor implied the Ikenia royal family is all show. But this kingdom has a thousand years of storied history."
Whether from the wine or patriotic fervor, Dwayne's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Isn't calling such a royal family 'mere show' an overreach? If anything, following your words would lead not to saving the kingdom, but its ruin."
The western nobles paled at Dwayne's statement.
A low eastern noble's whelp was humiliating the Sword Family heir, who wielded unchecked power.
"...This is amusing."
Victor's attention had shifted from Julius to Dwayne.
"Fine, fine. I like it. Dwayne, was it? Then you explain what saving the kingdom means."
Victor's menacing aura crashed over Dwayne, but he didn't flinch.
'Ho?'
I focused on Dwayne.
Pants-wetter? He had more backbone than expected.
"That's simple. Employing talents and placing them where they're needed most. That's the foundation of saving the kingdom."
"Anyone can say that."
Victor shook his head, displeased.
"I'm not just talking nobles. For example... folks like Grand Young Master Saladin behind Grand Young Master Jerome."
"Huh? Me?"
Saladin, gloomily gnawing turkey legs amid the talk, blinked wide at his mention.
"Righteous ones among the Black Lions with Heterogenous Powers. We must gather them to bolster national defense."
Dwayne's face reddened further as he pressed on.
"The Continental Alliance treads a wrong path. The north's Holy Empire overflows with what they call history's strongest superhumans, yet the Alliance ignores our own powerhouses, the Black Lions."
"......"
Listeners began leaning into Dwayne's words. Saladin's recent incident made it all the more captivating.
Beyond that, the pants-wetter Dwayne had something compelling.
"It's insane. Even uniting the whole nation—no, the continent—we might barely match the Holy Empire! And no one orders the subjugation of pirates gnawing at our rear."
'Well, now.'
I was quite intrigued by Dwayne the pants-wetter's opinion.
He was saying exactly what I'd planned to.
"Yet this kingdom can't even secure that basic foundation I mentioned. Ugh. Using talents optimally? Ha! Everyone's too busy jockeying for faction positions."
Excited, Dwayne's sentences shortened.
"Why did you set saving the kingdom as the topic, Your Highness?! No one gets it!! Bunch of idiots... Hngh."
His voice rising, Dwayne suddenly rolled back his eyes and slumped over.
From the faction talk, heated Victor had unleashed his aura without restraint.
Dwayne, who couldn't take a goblin, naturally crumbled instantly.
Even so, passing out that fast.
"......"
"......"
Even Victor, who'd projected the aura, watched incredulously before withdrawing it moments later.
"...Ha. What am I even doing."
He glanced at Prince Julius.
"Your Highness, I overstepped today. Please forgive me."
Victor gave a curt bow, not waiting for a reply, and left the banquet hall.
The nobles from seven western and southern territories followed, greeting Julius hastily before fleeing.
"...Judging by the mood, we'll evaluate the debate at tomorrow's festival close. I apologize to you all. That's it for today."
Julius, deep in thought from Victor's declaration of war, had no intention of continuing.
In the now-empty banquet hall remained me, Saladin, and.
"Snore... Phew..."
Dwayne, passed out atop the table, snoring peacefully in his sleep.
"......"
Saladin finally muttered watching him.
"...Unbelievable."
Tell me about it.
Truly unbelievable.