Volume 06
Volume VI
38 – Law and Violence (1)
Note: A few names might be different from previous chapters since they weren't translated by me. Among these there are:
(アイゼンバッハ) Aizenbach → Eisenbach
(伯爵) Earl → Count
Has it been a few hours since Douglas Hamilton left the room?
Ryouma, who was sitting comfortably on the sofa, enjoying the aroma of black tea from Katarina, turned his attention to the table clock on the desk. The ticking hand will signal the thirteenth hour in a few minutes.
The cease-fire, called in the name of temporary adjournment, was finally over; in the battle of wits and words that had taken place during this morning with the upper ranks of the House of Lords, including the Marquis of Halcyon.
(Almost there… This travesty is finally over…)
Just before the time for the resumption of the hearing, Ryouma sniffed vacantly. It's not that he is nervous about the battle of wits and words that is about to unfold again. It's not that he is complaining about the fact that he has been holed up in this room for several hours after returning back with Douglas to this room. He is not dissatisfied, and he understand that it's necessary.
However, although he understand that waiting is part of the strategy, it is also true that he cannot be very positive about it. He wouldn't say is a waste of time, but it feels like barren time.
After all, the man named Ryouma Mikoshiba is too busy. Originally, the job of being a lord is not an easy role by nature. After all, military, diplomacy and domestic affairs are all determined by the skill and decisions of the lord.
Of course, there are also noblemen who will do their best to enjoy themselves, imposing heavy taxes and leaving the actual work to their subordinates, but the end of such people never takes long. A rebellion will cause the house to die, or they will suffer an unfortunate illness or accident occasioned by concerned clansmen and subordinates conspiring against them.
Count Salzberg's debauchery for many years was only possible because of the exceptional skill of his consort Julia, in addition to the Count's own reputation and track record as an outstanding military man. But it's just an exception to the rule.
In the first place, if you have a conventional sense of responsibility and attachment to your territory, it is normal not to do such a careless administration. Not to mention, the territory that Ryouma got in this battle is not small. After all, most of the ten northern families that controlled the northern part of the Rhoadseria Kingdom have died.
Although compared to the area of the entire Wortenian Peninsula it is numerically less than a quarter of the area in size; the northern part of the country borders on neighboring countries such as the Kingdom of Xarooda and the Kingdom of Myest, and the land has its own residents. It's not like the Wortenian Peninsula, which was called an uncivilized magical land, the part of the peninsula that you didn't have to be aware of until now, will not continue to be the same as before.
Ryouma's workload is quite big as he has such a variety of jobs like that. Under such circumstances an opportunity was born.
Perhaps out of their concern for Ryouma's health, or maybe because they wanted him to enjoy a cup of tea and take a break, Rora or Sara encourage him to stay; but the person being encouraged, can't resist the urge to get moving quickly.
(Well, I would have more free time if I were to do things sloppier, but… I am thinking about the next battle, I want to do what I can while I can do… that is)
At that time, the sound of the bell announcing the thirteen hour can be heard outside the window. That's the signal to announce the start of Ryoma's long-awaited battle.
"Now… well then, shall we go…?"
When he said that, Ryouma leisurely lifted up from the sofa.
Led by bailiff, Ryouma re-entered the hall where the morning's battle of wits and words had taken place. The faces of the people sitting in front of him are the same as before. The same was true for the fully armed knights standing up lined by the wall. The only difference is that there is a chair by the side of the archives, which was not there in the morning.
(Perhaps they want me to sit down there…)
The construction of the chair is not too poor. It is a common item made of wood, but it looks sturdy enough to match Ryouma's physique. However, it is a delicate question if it is suitable for a nobleman.
(The thing itself doesn't look bad, but…)
After all, the wood grain is bare and there is no ornamental decoration. On the contrary, it is an item that makes you want to ask where it was stored in this House of Lords. It's possible that an aristocrat with a strong desire to show off would complain that is impossible to sit in such a chair.
(Well, I'm not telling.)
It is a wooden chair with no cushions, so it will never be comfortable, but still, it is definitely the first step in improving the situation. However, that being said, it would be too rude to sit on that chair without the permission of the Marquis of Halcyon, who is in charge of this place. No, in this case, it might be seen as a trap.
(I think I'm being overly cautious, but the situation is different from this morning…)
It's just a matter of sitting, or not, in a chair. Normally, sitting quietly in a chair would not be a big problem. After all, even though there are some differences in the titles, they belong to the same aristocratic class. At worst, it would be slightly frowned upon and marked as an impolite upstart that doesn't know etiquette. However, it is different now. Giving an excuse to the enemy in the current situation could literally lead directly to Ryouma's life.
Ryouma stood in the same position as he did in the morning and bowed to the nobles sitting in front of him acting as inquisitors.
"I am grateful for the time I had to rest. I would like to thank you all profusely."
The Marquis of Halcyon's clicked his tongue at Ryoma's appearance. Probably, he was afraid that it would be the same thing that happened in the morning. However, the only people who heard the sound were Marquis Halcyon himself and the senior members of the House of Lords sitting on his left and right, Count Eisenbach and Count Hamilton.
The Marquis of Halcyon himself probably never wanted people to hear it, so the sound was quiet. It's just that his irritation unintentionally came to the surface. However, it was certainly loud enough to reach the Ryouma's hears, who has a keen sense of hearing to begin with.
(Well, the Marquis Halcyon's frustration should be natural, since he was chewed so hard by a low ranking person that he was forced to grant an unscheduled pause in the hearing… And if start as in the morning, it's only natural to be wary.)
There was no deep meaning behind it, but if the other party is that cautious, it would not be a good idea to move poorly. That's because you could be blindsided by an unforeseen situation or due to a trivial misunderstanding.
Ryouma slowly raises his lowered head. The first thing that he notices was Marquis Halcyon's face, which looked like he had been bitten a bitter worm. The face of Count Hamilton sitting next to him exudes anger and murderous intent towards him. It was only but a moment from Ryouma bowing until he raised his head.
They also know how to hide their emotions. It seems that he was very angry at the fact that he demanded that the custody and treatment of Douglas Hamilton to be left in the hands of Ryouma, as a sign to clear up any suspicion against the House of Lords and ensuring fairness. Indeed, there are few aristocrats that would obediently obey a request to hand over their relatives.
Even if they were involved in some kind of crime, it is the pride of the aristocrats to keep them out of your reach by saying that they will take care of it themselves, and you would have to deal with the Head of the Family instead. In that sense, it could be said that it is quite unusual that Count Hamilton obeyed Ryouma's request and handed over to him, Douglas, a relative.
(Anyway, I guess he gave Douglas because he calculated that there was no way I would get rid of him in the House of Lords. Well, If he had refused me like that, the hearing itself would have broken down, so I guess he didn't have any other choice.)
Ryouma's expectation was that the House of Lords was thinking of putting an end to all this with this hearing. Originally, he had been planning counter measurements on the assumption that this was the most likely scenario, but now that we have seen the series of movements in the morning, it is more of a certainty than an expectation. Of course, "end to all this" in this case does not refer to reconciliation or the conclusion of negotiations, but rather the literal end.
In short, the lawful execution of Ryouma Mikoshiba would be their ultimate goal. From the beginning, they had no intention of letting Ryouma return home alive. If you think about it, it all makes sense. Breaking with aristocratic conventions without a second thought, putting Ryouma under a state close to house arrest, or being also the reason why the questioning was so bad. The Marquis de Halcyon's words that the harassment was not initiated by the upper echelons of the House of Lords may also be true. However, he didn't think it was as irrelevant as they claimed.
(Well, since it was decided that they would eventually execute me, I suppose they acquiesced to it as a way to vent their minions before that.)
It is proof that they have already done the final adjustments to match the final result. However, even if the adjustments can be done to that extent, the human heart is not tamable. Although the wanted results can be obtained in the next few hours, the anger and hatred towards Ryouma could not be suppressed. Even if it is only a momentary event. In comparison, Count Eisenbach seems to be sufficiently calm and composed to be considered a quintessential example. However, Ryouma felt the hatred swirling within Count Eisenbach.
(His crossed hands quiver and quiver. It looks like he's hoarding a lot of hatred too)
Still, the gentle smile on his face may be due to his qualities or maybe it's because in this morning battle of wits and words, they couldn't force the arguments of more than two people. But in any case, there was no fairness in the hearing led by them.
"Well… it seems that Sir Mikoshiba's concerns have been dispelled, so let's get the hearing on this case underway again"
As he said this, the Marquis Halcyon tapped a wooden sounding block with the mallet gavel he was holding. This wooden mallet, which is not used in Japanese courts, is always used in Western courts.
(I see… It's certainly a perfect tool to attract people's attention.)
It's unclear whether if it was something that flowed from the earth and took root, or whether if the same idea was born independently in this earth world, but it seems certain that they are not hitting the mallet with vainglory or madness.
As Ryouma was thin ing about that, Marquis Halcyon slowly opened his mouth.
[1] TL's Note: This is how the author describes the sound of a mallet hitting the wooden block, I don't understand this Japanese reference.