Shocking Truth

After resting for a while, I heard that Richard-sama was ready, so I headed to his private room.

When I entered, everyone else had already been dismissed, and there were some light refreshments on the table. I assumed they were there so we could have a little something to eat since dinner would be a bit late.

Lucian had already arrived, too.

I greeted Richard-sama, asked Roger to wait in the hallway, and sat down on the sofa.

“Now, I heard you had something to discuss with me, Leon-kun. What is it?”

“Yes. Thank you for making time for me. First, do you know about Arthur-sama’s situation?”

“Yes, Lucian told me. I’ve also been gathering as much information as I can about the Duke Preaubert household. They’re the leading family in the opposing faction.”

“In that case, I’ll skip over that part. I believe I’m partly responsible for Arthur-sama ending up in his current situation. I want to find some way to help him, so I’d like to give him a certain magic tool.”

When I said that, Richard-sama’s expression softened slightly as he replied.

“First, this isn’t your responsibility, Leon-kun. The Preaubert household has recently been treating commoners appallingly. But the fact that I haven’t been able to put a stop to it is entirely my responsibility, as someone in a position to govern the country. I’m sorry. However, nobles wield great influence, and it isn’t easy to hold them accountable. People say nobles and commoners should help one another, but in recent years, that principle has become little more than words... It’s truly tragic. From what I’ve heard, the boy named Arthur seems like an admirable person. It’s unacceptable that someone like him can’t put his abilities to use, but this is the country’s responsibility. I feel sorry for Arthur, too.”...