The Only Sorrow

The chairman, Akaad, called out.

“Count Ulbera Consilius, would you please come to the witness stand and tell us your story?”

He had singled out Consilius rather than Ferda.

The reason he had seized Consilius rather than Ferda was that he intended to bring up the past, not the present.

Since this had been discussed and shared in advance, Consilius calmly rose from his seat.

“I am Ulbera Consilius, lord of the Consilius domain and the twenty-fifth head of House Consilius. I ask for your understanding, as I was called here so suddenly that I had little time to prepare.”

The polite bow of his head carried the gravity of a knight.

Oldin responded to the greeting.

“I sincerely thank you for dedicating yourself to the Empire as lord of the Far East.”

“I, too, thank you for recognizing my contributions so generously.”

“But unfortunately, despite those words of gratitude, we must discuss something unpleasant.”

Oldin took out the materials he had prepared in advance.

“Upon examining the Far East’s financial records, I found instances of negligence and embezzlement in each domain in the past. I would like to ask for an explanation. Would that be acceptable?”

“If necessary, I will answer at any time, but I do not believe this is the time to dredge up matters from the past, is it?”

Consilius was asking why he was trying to change the subject to such an unpleasant matter.

“If we merely intended to bury the past, this postwar conference could never have taken place. I believe the current crisis was caused by the Far East’s failure to maintain a proper watch—in other words, it was a man-made disaster.”

Oldin insisted that the two matters were bound to be connected somehow.

“If you insist on connecting them, that leads to a highly contradictory conclusion.”

“What contradiction?”

“You said that the Far East’s financial records were irregular in the past. However, until then, no demons or monsters had crossed over from the Far East. Until that point, we could be said to have fulfilled our duty.”

“So are you saying that makes you right?”

“Please hear me out. In the recent financial records, no problems were raised in any domain after the Grand Duchy became active. Is that not so?”

It could not have been otherwise.

Ferda had used their corruption as leverage, and to survive, they had needed to become competent.

Proving that competence had left them not even enough time to embezzle.

“Yet monsters crossed over during that period. Twelve of them, to be precise, surrounded the Far East in the blink of an eye. This was an extraordinary situation far removed from a simple failure of vigilance. If you truly insist on connecting the Empire’s past corruption with the monsters, you will arrive at the absurd conclusion that, for the Empire to be safe, its administrators must neither work nor be honest.”

“Are you admitting that you neglected your duties before then?”

“If you wish to punish us according to Imperial law, you may do so.”

Though he said he would accept it calmly, Consilius knew that Oldin could not touch him, which was why he had made the offer.

Such administrative punishments were traditionally delegated to superiors, and Ferda had already suspended all those involved.

Therefore, those who had already been punished could not be subjected to a second penalty.

Even if they tried, it would only be possible if Ferda accepted it.

Consilius’s bearing possessed a spirit no less formidable than Oldin’s, the Hero of the Counterattack.

They had brought him forward to rebuke him, but all they had done was reveal how much resentment had accumulated against the Empire.

Oldin found it difficult to speak, and the next questioning was taken up by Joseph Faust, the leader of the Alte Church.

“There is a record that you worked with the head of Escolleia. I understand that you shared a monster-prediction device with the Grand Duchy, produced it, and distributed it to each domain.”

“That is correct.”

“Why, despite having this prediction device, did you fail to detect the monsters before the Empire did?”

“The range in which it can detect the formation of a rift is limited to the area around a village. It cannot detect as far as the Far East, or anywhere the Valdrova Grand Duchy reaches.”

“Why not?”

“It is a limitation of the technology. That is something Escolleia’s representatives should explain, so I have nothing more to add.”

“I see. I understand.”

He had merely reinforced the reason they could not detect the monsters early.

Unlike Oldin, the leader of the Altesinists seemed genuinely curious.

“I would like to ask about the magitech infantry.”

This time, Valdemar spoke up.

“It is recorded that the reason the temporary alliance and the Far Eastern alliance suffered such a clear difference in casualties was the presence of that infantry.”

“Yes. Princess Olivia Arken and William, the captain of the guard, established the method of operating them.”

“I know that Lord William was responsible for it.”

“If I had to put it another way, Princess Olivia smoothed out the rough edges.”

“There seems to be no need to bring up that story.”

As soon as Olivia’s name came up, Valdemar quickly brushed it aside as though it were unrelated to the subject.

There was no doubt that the old man was the one who had orchestrated her being made to look incompetent.

“Why did the Far Eastern alliance not receive this equipment?”

“It was not that they failed to receive it. We chose not to give it to them.”

“Why?”

“The infantry’s method of operation does not fit the alliance’s current tactics. We were concerned that it might disrupt the chain of command, and we reached an agreement about this with both the alliance and the Regent.”

“If you had prepared the rifles sooner, could you not have stopped them?”

“The rifles are still unstable weapons. They require continued research, including loading time, preheating, and manufacturing. What if we accepted them without understanding them, and an innocent soldier became a bomb, causing casualties among our own forces?”

Consilius’s concern was entirely reasonable and more than convincing enough.

“So are you saying the soldiers’ deaths were inevitable?”

“Their deaths weigh heavily on my heart, but I do not regret what I did.”

Consilius answered boldly.

“They died because they trusted their commander. They believed I would create a better future and provide for their families even if they were gone. Since they gave their lives to uphold that faith, I do not wish to leave their deaths as a regret.”

Valdemar’s attempt to assign responsibility to someone was stopped just like that.

“I understand.”

“Thank you for understanding. Do any of the other commissioners have questions?”

“It seems not. You may leave now.”

Although it seemed that Consilius had put up a very good fight, concern settled over his face.

“It is strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Grand Duke Golt had truly been determined, he could have torn me to shreds…… I find it surprising that he backed down.”

Was that so?

Ferda did not know what had happened between Consilius and Valdemar, so he could not even speculate.

The chief commissioners began speaking among themselves.

They exchanged brief opinions for about five minutes before moving on to the conclusion.

“Crown Prince Alexander Arken, would you please come forward?”

“Yes.”

The man who had to become the culprit in this incident.

Even if they were targeting Ferda, Alexander could not avoid punishment.

“I believe that, while performing your duties as the Emperor’s proxy and bearing authority greater than that of a Crown Prince, you have handled state affairs admirably.”

“Th-Thank you.”

“However, you failed to properly prepare a scenario for dealing with monsters, and your tactics were not properly executed. We cannot overlook the fact that, despite your own mistake, you attempted to shift the blame onto your aide’s incompetence, nor that you killed a valuable talent out of spite.”

Alexander’s thick neck bobbed violently.

It seemed even he did not know what punishment would be handed down.

“Therefore, I sentence you to one year of disciplinary confinement and suspend you from your duties. All authority you currently possess will be delegated to the Second Prince, Ureas Arken. Do you accept?”

Only one year.

In a situation where he would have had no grounds for complaint even if his head had been cut off, he would probably regard it as a slap on the wrist.

Yet Alexander’s expression was a sight to behold.

He looked as though he could not understand why such a severe punishment had been imposed.

“I-I will abide by the committee’s decision.”

But anyone who truly held power knew.

One year was by no means a short time.

His authority had been suspended, and to make matters worse, it had been delegated to his rival, his younger brother.

It was more than enough time to change a person’s mind.

“Next, Regent Ferda Valdrova.”

Ferda rose from his seat as though he had been waiting for this.

“The crisis that occurred in the Far East could have swallowed us up after the colossal monsters formed a siege around us. I regret that the Empire was unable to respond to this crisis swiftly.”

He could feel it coming.

This apology was merely being used as momentum to launch the words that would follow.

“However, this crisis has shown that the Far East’s function as a barrier could be lost at any time. Therefore, the Emergency Response Headquarters has reached the following conclusion.”

It was a decision that revealed their ugly greed.

“The magitech technology being developed in the Far East will be officially provided to the Empire, and its chief researcher, Marquis Burnell, will be dispatched here for three years. Do you accept?”

It was almost as though they were asking about something obvious.

The answer had already been decided, but Ferda paused for effect before responding.

“As the representative of the Far East, I find this order difficult to accept.”

Ferda refused, and the audience seats erupted in confused murmurs.

In a situation like this, the Emergency Response Headquarters was the most powerful authority after the Emperor.

Ignoring its orders was unthinkable.

Murmurs rose among the audience, but the chief commissioners remained silent.

As though he had naturally expected this, Akaad adjusted his glasses in feigned confusion and spoke the prepared words on his lips.

“Regent. Why do you refuse?”

“Magitech is not merely Marquis Burnell’s property. It is a shared asset created through cooperation with Escolleia, the Pascal Trading Company, and Blue Eyes. It is my duty to manage that asset, and doing so is how I show respect for our current allies.”

“Are you saying you cannot provide it, then?”

“That is not what I am saying.”

Ferda did not stop there. He offered an alternative.

“Therefore, rather than dispatching him, if you wish to purchase the blueprints needed to manufacture the equipment, you should coordinate and cooperate with Escolleia and the Trading Company.”

“We are not fools, either. The important thing in magitech is mana stones, is it not? Are you saying you will provide information about those mana stones as well?”

“That is something I cannot do.”

“Why not?”

He did not want to give it to them, but he also had a suitable excuse.

“Because Marquis Burnell is still the only person who fully understands this information.”

“That is also what we have determined. That is why we are asking you to dispatch him to the Empire, is it not?”

Yes, that was why they wanted him sent away for three long years.

They intended to extract every bit of that technology or seize some weakness they could use to bind him here.

If they lost Burnell, the Far East would lose the driving force behind its development.

“Many researchers are currently conducting their work in the Far East, centered around Valdrova Castle. At a time when they need momentum more than anything, forcing them to prepare for a move and adapt to a new environment could lead to poor results.”

“Then are you saying you can dispatch him once the project is complete?”

“That is correct.”

“When would that be possible?”

“I do not know. Even at the earliest, it would be ten years.”

“Are you saying you will not send him for ten years?”

It was no different from playing with words to say that he would not send him at all.

Yet even in the distant future Ferda had seen, research into mana stones continued without end.

The committee’s ruling was being ignored, and the true power behind it, Valdemar, spoke up.

“Regent Ferda. This is not directed at you alone.”

His expression as he faced Ferda was heavy with meaning.

He had the face of a general who seemed to command tens of millions of soldiers behind him.

He threatened Ferda boldly.

“The Regent has come here as the Grand Duke’s proxy, and as his representative, he has a duty to speak for the Grand Duchy as a whole. If you refuse this ruling, not only Regent Valdrova but the entire Grand Duchy may suffer serious consequences. In the worst case, the committee may conclude that the Grand Duchy is seeking secession and independence.”

Secession and independence.

The very words sent a chill down one’s spine.

For the Empire’s nobles, it was the most fatal charge of all.

Treason against the Empire meant the destruction of one’s family for three generations, regardless of the reason.

Vassals and all the nobles under them alike.

Even the people of the domains who knew nothing were not exempt.

Those merciless Imperial laws forged unity, while simultaneously giving rise to incompetence.

Valdemar threatened to crush Ferda beneath that same incompetence.

But Ferda had anticipated even this.

Ferda answered the threat.

“Ever since the Dragon-Demon War, monsters have been continuously created at the edge of the Far East. The colossal monsters that threw the Empire into such chaos with only twelve of them continue to come from beyond that land. Each one is powerful enough to tear through the Empire’s walls like paper. They have constantly tried to conquer human lands. Who has stopped them all this time? The Empire? No.”

Ferda spoke.

“All that security was provided by my fiancée, Valdrova, the Aspect of the Great Fire. It is possible because she stands on a lonely mountain in the Far East, rather than behind the walls surrounding this Golden Council and the entire capital.”

Ferda turned his head toward the audience as well as the chief commissioners and shouted.

“In the Land of Demons beyond the Far East, colossal monsters capable of destroying the Empire’s walls pour forth without end. She has fought them silently, without showing her suffering to anyone. Some have belittled it as something suited to a mad dragon who simply enjoys slaughter.”

Ferda remembered the battles he had watched since he became her fiancé.

Her agile movements and overwhelming strength.

Flames that seemed capable of purifying everything.

Undefeated in every battle.

Majestic.

A true sovereign.

“I want to ask you all this. If she truly enjoyed slaughter, if she did it simply because she was happy to kill one more bug, why would she have any reason to fight while taking those wounds upon herself?”

Even if she was invincible and undefeated, that did not mean she could not be wounded.

There had been many days when Valdrova was injured.

Sometimes she would fly away with a broken claw or half-shed scales dangling from her body.

She used to say this.

That it hurt, but she was used to it.

That it would heal after one night.

Ferda hated even that.

“She could have abandoned that duty. She could have demanded rightful compensation. Yet I have watched her silently bear nothing but wounds. The way she seemed as though, even if she died one day, she would blame no one and simply accept it……!”

Because it was not only she who felt pain from those wounds.

“It is the only sorrow I feel.”

The chamber fell silent.

But it was far from the coldness of a tense confrontation.

They were captivated by Ferda’s voice.

Until he declared his refusal, Ferda’s voice had been rational and cold.

Yet the more he spoke about Valdrova, the more emotion entered it.

Ironically, the voice in which reason was crumbling became even more compelling.

If that voice had been magic, they would have called it a spell somewhere between brainwashing and enthrallment.

“I bet on the possibility of magitech to soothe that sorrow and lessen her wounds. I developed all of this not merely for the Empire’s safety, but for the peace of Cerdès.”

Ferda looked at the chief commissioners again as he spoke.

“So I will say this once more here. Magitech is not the Empire’s asset, but a shared asset. And if it is not even to be considered a shared asset, then it is an asset for my future partner, the Aspect of the Great Fire and protector of the Far East. If refusing to hand over magitech makes me a damned traitor……”

Ferda placed a hand over his chest.

“I will gladly accept that punishment.”

The moment Ferda finished speaking, everyone felt it.

The balance had tipped.

The chairman wore a troubled expression, looking as though he could do nothing either way.

His eyes kept flicking toward Valdemar.

Valdemar sent a signal that he had made his decision, and Akaad opened his mouth.

“Given the seriousness of the situation, we will postpone this decision and resume tomorrow. This concludes today’s postwar conference.”

With the chairman’s words, the day came to an end.