Chapter 34 Between Loyalty And Despair
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Al?! Are you alright?”
And she hugged him tightly. But in the next moment, Alfred shook his head as Lucia examined him, checking for any signs of being hit or looking at his skin, as if inspecting merchandise.
”No, Aneue. I have been taken care of very well. Please rest assured that I have not been harmed.”
It was a touching reunion. It was a meeting with Crown Prince Alfred, which Lucia had won through a trial.
”That was really good. How I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again.”
”I wanted to meet you, Aneue. I’m really… glad you’re safe.”
”Yeah…I went through a trial…for you.”
But there, Alfred’s gaze wavered.
”Aneue, what happened to your hair!?”
Alfred, feeling anxious, asked when he noticed that the beautiful hair that had reached her waist was cut messily around the shoulders. It was something she had cut with her own hands during the recent trial against the undead Kassandros.
”Hm? Ah, I cut it myself. There’s no need to worry.”
For Lucia, hairstyles were trivial matters. She only grew her hair long because it was considered feminine beauty according to the values of the imperial nobility. In her true feelings, Lucia didn’t care at all. In fact, she preferred shorter hair because it was easier to take care of. However, if she cut it short, she would be bothered by the sparrows gossiping, saying things like “You look like a man” or “Are you planning to become a nun?”
So Lucia quickly changed the subject and said,
”I would like to keep it like this forever, but we don’t have endless time. Tell me a few things.”
Lucia stared at Alfred with a serious expression.
”Have you not been put in a difficult situation by those people?”
”I’m fine. I’ve said it before, but I’m being taken care of very well. It’s a little lonely because I spend a lot of time alone… I was worried that Aneue might have been hurt, but I’m really relieved that you’re safe.”
”Really? Are you just being told to say that?”
Lucia repeatedly pressed Alfred, asking if it’s really true, and he paled at her words, realizing the severity of the situation.
”Could it be that something terrible happened to Aneue?”
”No… it’s not like that… it’s just the situation. I just can’t help but worry.”
Lucia shook her head vigorously.
The truth is, she has been through tough times, many times. But she doesn’t want to cause Alfred any unnecessary worry, so she lied.
”Are the others safe? Kassandros? Elaine?”
”…”
But the words that followed made Lucia falter.
She didn’t immediately know how to respond to that question. The truth about Kassandros being killed and turned into an undead, and Elaine being used as a plaything for the jailers after not being killed, was not something she could bring herself to speak aloud.
”Kassandros is dead. Elaine… you probably won’t be able to see her again.”
”Is that so…”
If he hadn’t experienced such hardship, Lucia thought it would be better for him not to know. Therefore, she intentionally concealed the information she intended to convey. As soon as she spoke, she felt a wave of self-pity and regret, but for Alfred’s sake, and to justify that she wasn’t lying, she suppressed it.
”Only you and I are safe. It’s tough, but we have to overcome it.”
The faces of Kassandros and Elaine flashed through Lucia’s mind. She couldn’t tell if they were smiling or filled with resentment, so she shook off the thought.
”Being alive has meaning. I don’t say forget. But you must not despair. You must survive. And you must return to our country alive.
Lucia took a breath and said,
”That’s because you are Alfred Ravendora Harenamerehta. The next emperor of the Ravendora Empire.”
The Harenamerehta family is not just a royal family of a single country, but the noblest lineage in the world. Its origin lies in the Holy Pacmenica Empire, a great nation to the west of the continent, and even now, three branches bearing the name Harenamerehta rule the country. The Ravendora Harenamerehta family is one of them, and Alfred is the sole male heir of this branch.
”It’s not just me who is concerned about your well-being.”
”Father, the empire, will surely come to your aid. So, endure for now.”
Lucia held Alfred firmly once again. She wanted him to always remember the warmth of being alive, even if they were to be separated.
* * *
”He certainly seems like an intelligent Crown Prince. He would have become a good Emperor in the future.”
Charles, who was witnessing the reunion of the siblings in the room where they were first introduced, openly praised the Crown Prince.
”Being able to consider others is an important quality. It lets your vassals know that you are valued.”
Loyalty is not absolute; the relationship between a lord and his vassal is a mutual one with arrows pointing both ways. Pledging loyalty to the lord with a spirit akin to chivalry is considered a virtue. It doesn’t necessarily mean that rewards must always be bestowed, such as in the form of favors or service. Simply praising and showing appreciation is enough to motivate the vassals to be more loyal.
”I have pledged absolute loyalty to you, my lord.”
”Well said. Once you strip away the crown, an Emperor is just a mere human, an ordinary individual. Yet, I am the ruler of Babellion and its creator. Whether clothed or not, a god is still a god, and a creator is still a creator.”
Charles laughed out loud.
”But still, I am concerned about them. Especially if it’s the Emperor.”
However, seeing Satsuki who still seemed a little unconvinced, Charles thought about it a little.
”You’re such a frustrating person. It is truly unpleasant that you cannot understand my intentions. From this day on, I will relieve you of your duties as the commander of the Imperial Guards and my attendant. From now on, you shall descend to the common people as a citizen… What would you say if I told you that?”
”I would refuse.”
Satsuki vigorously shook her head.
”Why? Working as a commoner and paying taxes is also a job for my sake.”
”That is…”
As Satsuki hesitated to speak, Charles smiled faintly and said,
”That’s right. That feeling is what a ruler must understand.”
Charles looked at Satsuki.
”I know your loyalty. The reason I can call you to my side at night and expose my vulnerable sleeping figure is because I trust that loyalty.”
”I humbly receive your valuable words.”
”If I were to command, you would gladly go to the battlefield, even if it meant risking your life. But that is because you recognize that you are valued by me. If I were to receive no interest or attention for all the work you have done for me, you would naturally question the purpose of your efforts. Or if, after demonstrating loyalty for many years, you were cast aside as a meaningless sacrifice on a battlefield with no significance, you would doubt the value of the time you have spent.”
Loyalty requires a recipient. In other words, a lord must acknowledge the loyalty of their vassals. And this loyalty takes different forms for each individual. For Satsuki, loyalty means directly assisting Charles, and nothing else is necessary, to the point where it becomes an absolute conviction.
Of course, it does not mean that every desire of the vassals must be fulfilled. However, it is important to understand what cannot be compromised.
”Even if you have dissatisfaction because you were not given the role you desired, just a few words would be enough. A simple apology or a promise for the next opportunity would ease the frustration. When a lord shows concern, it allows the vassal to reaffirm their own worth, knowing that they are valued.”
It may sound like something bad to say that someone cares about you, but the more you care about them, the more they care about you.
”Being a ruler who the vassals willingly serve is also a responsibility as a ruler. If one neglects this and assumes loyalty as a given, it would be difficult to establish a stable rule, especially in the human country.”
In that regard, the Crown Prince showed a caring attitude towards his sister, whom he reunited with despite being imprisoned, he also inquired about the well-being of General Kassandros and Knight Elaine.
Those who are able to care for others in this way are also good at using their vassals. He can perceive the resentment or jealousy that can arise from using someone or using someone too much, and he can effectively manage the nobles, who may not always be unified.
And this is something Charles is also careful about. For example, Minister of the Right, and Minister of the Left. In the case of Charles being the top, they become the third seat, with Felshiol as the second seat in between. However, there is no ranking or superiority there, and there are no plans to introduce such distinctions in the future.
Babellion and Esmeralda, who were the leading figures of the dungeon, are equal in status with Faelrith. Even if one of them were to be placed above the other, they themselves might not think anything of it. However, it’s not a matter of whether there is a problem or not. It is important to not even let a tiny spark ignite.
Of course, this is nothing more than an amateur’s image of a ruler. But Charles knows that people who can pay attention to details are admired.
”Hey, you prison guard.”
”Y-yes.”
”Leave the rest to Azuriela, I will return to the castle.”
One of the purposes of coming to the “Prison (Dite)” was to see the crown prince. As demonstrated by the extent of the princess’s doting, he was indeed a clever-looking young boy, but he is still a blank slate.
There is a famous quote by Einstein that says “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.” It takes considerable effort to change the thoughts of someone whose ideas have solidified, but it is easy to implant biased common sense in a child who has not been influenced by anything yet.
It is no different from training child soldiers, where fighting with guns becomes the norm when they are trained from a young age. Similarly, raising the next generation to be excellent and obedient by making the sons of vassals serve as hostages is also the same.
Charles saw that it would be easy to paint in the color of Babellion.
* * *
In a dimly lit stone space filled with a warm, musky scent, Elaine stared motionlessly at the image floating on the wall.
The s*men that coated her entire body dripped onto the floor, but she made no move to wipe it away. Her two h*les continued to exude the evidence of her humiliation, while Elaine focused solely on the image on the wall without blinking.
’That was really good. How I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again.’
The image that appeared immediately after the prison guards who had swarmed and violated her left showed her lord embracing his beloved younger brother in a scene of joyous reunion.
’I wanted to meet you, Aneue. I’m really… glad you’re safe.’
From the gap in her bangs, plastered against her forehead, her dilated pupils peeked out, dominated by a hatred as if she were gazing upon her parent’s murderer. Her face, constantly violated by the prison guards one after another without respite, had become completely worn out, a far cry from the dignified knight she once was.
”Quite a sight, isn’t it? It’s like the climax of a play, the two of them having an emotional reunion.”
A voice came from behind. The iron bars opened, and the clattering of footsteps echoed on the cobblestones.
Elaine didn’t turn around. She knew immediately who had come, but she didn’t even feel curious.
Lucia tightly embraced Alfred with a face filled with blissful relief.
Elaine couldn’t even remember how she used to smile. The first time she was violated by the guards, she cried and resisted while calling out her fiancé’s name, but now she couldn’t even remember his face. It’s not that she had forgotten, but he had become a being that doesn’t matter. There was no point in clinging to him; he couldn’t save her and was not even worth wiping oneself with.
The current Elaine spent her days enduring the emotionless routine of being gang-r**ed, without shedding tears of shame or bearing the pain.
In a sl*ve-like existence, where she eats meals with s*men on a plate for dogs and brings it to her mouth with s*men-covered hands, and where excrement is freely released on the spot and washed away with a hose when the jailer commands, urine is vomited out through the throat or buttocks.
It is only natural that any sense of her pride as a knight or dignity as a noble would be lost.
”I wonder if Princess-chan remembers. That you sacrificed yourself for this reunion.”
Azuriela’s whispered voice entered Elaine’s right ear and gripped her mind, causing her lips to tremble.
’Yeah…I went through a trial…for you.’
Although it was a coincidence, it was as if Lucia in the video answered Azuriela’s question as her voice could be heard.
”Well, it seems like she has forgotten about you after all. I mean, she doesn’t really care about you, who has served her since childhood,”
Azuriela chuckled in Elaine’s ear. From the corner of Elaine’s vision, a black world surged like waves, reflecting only the image of the wall.
In the next moment, a cracking sound echoed. It was the sound of Elaine’s molar chipping, but she didn’t notice the blood seeping from her bitten gums.
”Look at that face.”
Azuriela’s breath tickled her ear.
”She looks so happy. Anything is fine as long as she can reunite with her precious little brother. Even though She has taken care of you like a sister while being a vassal, you’re insignificant compared to her little brother. Whether you’re violated by prison guards, burned alive, or even eaten, it’s all fine as long as her little brother is safe.”
’Kassandros is dead. Elaine… you probably won’t be able to see her again.’
”Kusukusu, as expected, she has no intention of ever seeing you again.”
Azuriela is known as the “torturer.” Torture involves not only physical pain but also mental anguish.
If she had mentioned helping Elaine, she would have said, “That’s a lie. You were abandoned, after all.” Manipulating Elaine’s mind, which had been severely affected by repeated humiliations and dominated by anger, is not difficult for her.
”You becoming a mere tool of torture for the prison guards means you are no longer yourself. Elaine, the knight who used to be her subordinate, has died. She thinks it’s more important to meet her younger brother, considering you as worthless trash not worth saving.”
The smiles of Lucia and Alfred cling to Elaine’s retina, refusing to fade away.
”…Maybe it’s fine now. Is loyalty to those two really necessary? Once someone betrays, they will betray again and again. After all, they don’t consider ‘you important enough’ to keep around.”
The moment those words reached her ears, Elaine distinctly heard something shatter within herself.
”If that’s what you desire… I will grant you something good.”
Azuriela whispered, the sound licking Elaine’s brain. Like being handed a sword in front of a rolling enemy, Elaine tightly grasped the hem of Azuriela’s clothes.
Azuriela: “Hey, don’t touch my clothes with your dirty-covered hands!”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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