NOVPUB
Chapter 480
“It’s not that I didn’t try to persuade them. I even tried to convince them with lies. But no matter what I said in order to force them to choose Edina, they eventually learned the truth.
“I don’t know what you two think, but... People hate the Demon King much more than we imagine. It’s common for people to hate him enough to want to kill him. In fact, some people hate him so much that they would rather die themselves,” Riana said.
Both Harriet and Charlotte knew that people hated the Demon King enough to want to kill him. But they could also hate him enough to want to give their lives up.
Saving someone had inevitably led to someone else’s death. To save someone, someone else had to be killed. To protect something, something else had to be destroyed. Riana had had to kill those she had managed to save with her own hands.
Riana had been hiding this for about a year. Having knowingly sent subversive elements to Edina in the refugee transports, there had been numerous assassination attempts on the Demon King. If this extreme opposition to the Demon King continued to grow in Edina, it could eventually lead to Edina’s downfall.
After realizing that information about Port Mokna and Edina was spreading, Riana had begun to actually kill those who declared they would rather die than live under the Demon King’s rule. Riana’s hardened expression contained a resolute determination that could neither be broken nor marred. There was no grief or despair.
She knew that if she started getting entangled in such emotions, she would only flounder in endless despair. All she displayed was the resolve of someone who had decided not to think about such things.
“Whatever you wanted to know, this is the truth,” Riana said, looking at Charlotte. “So, what are you going to do now?”
Charlotte quietly met Riana’s gaze. “Why didn’t you tell Reinhart about this issue?”
In response to Charlotte’s question, Riana crossed her arms. “Do you know how Reinhart has been these past two years?”
“I don’t,” Charlotte answered calmly.
Riana furrowed her brow and looked out the window. “He never showed any sign that he was struggling, not even once.”
“...”
“The one who was probably going through the hardest time among us spent those two years without showing any sign of it. He only thought about what needed to be done and kept moving forward, never taking a break.”
Riana continued to meet Charlotte’s gaze.
“He clearly believes that everything happened because of him, yet he never speaks about it. Watching him, I realized that the silence itself was a sign of just how much he was struggling. When someone doesn’t say anything, it becomes even more apparent how hard it is for them.”
“...”
Saving some people inevitably led to killing others.
“If Reinhart knew about this, he’d probably tell me to send them to Edina anyway, claiming that he’d handle the threat of assassination and other internal issues himself. But I don’t want Reinhart to be burdened by such things anymore. I also don’t want to send more extremist elements to Edina, which could potentially tear it apart in the long run. I’m not saying this is the best choice, but I don’t think it’s the worst choice either.
“Do you think I don’t know that every possible solution to this problem is a terrible one? So, as the Demon King’s border czar and the commander of the front lines, I made a decision. I decided that Reinhart must never know about this issue. I have no intention of burdening someone who’s already likely tormented by the current situation with even more responsibility and anguish.”
Riana did not want to burden the Demon King, who was undoubtedly already struggling, with yet another dilemma. If she could save others by putting herself at risk, she would choose that. Riana did not want either Reinhart or Edina to be in danger. Therefore, she had actually killed the ones among the people she’d saved who hated the Demon King enough to wish for death.
No news of the massacres occurring in Port Mokna ever reached Edina. Riana dealt with them discreetly, so even the survivors who went to Edina did not know who among them had disappeared.
Riana had saved many people, yet because she had saved, she had also had to kill. In fact, there might have been those who could have lived a little longer if Riana hadn’t found them in the first place.
She never explained the dreadful feeling of killing those people with her own hands. Just as Reinhart refused to show any signs of struggle over the past two years, Riana did not speak about the finality of the slaughter she had committed or the pain it caused her.
She had just done it because she had decided to do it.
Riana de Granz, the seemingly impenetrable Thunder Queen, and the Demon King’s border czar...
Charlotte observed her quietly.
“You’re Reinhart’s friend, right?” Charlotte asked Riana calmly.
“Yes.”
“But above that, you do understand the relationship between sovereign and subject, don’t you?”
“... Yeah.”
In this case, before friendship, one had to consider the sovereign-subject relationship. Riana could not refute Charlotte’s statement that it was not enough just to consider herself as a friend and nothing more.
Charlotte continued to watch Riana. “A subject deceiving the sovereign for the sovereign’s sake... Is that the logic you’re using?”
Though it oversimplified Riana’s and Reinhart’s situations, it wasn’t far from the truth.
“Yes. You could say that.”
“Then, by that same logic, Harriet here, I the regent, Olivia the leader of the Unified Holy Order, and Airi the Succubus Queen could all be allowed to deceive the sovereign. Is that right?”
“...”
“We can do that because we want to lessen the sovereign’s burden, to alleviate his sense of responsibility and guilt, because he should not need to know about the miserable and dirty things happening in the nation. Is that what you’re saying?”
Charlotte kept her gaze on Riana.
“If a sovereign’s subjects deceive him under the guise of serving him, covering his eyes and only showing him what is pleasing, beautiful, and satisfying, while hiding the dirty truths, keeping him ignorant of these matters and believing that everything is going well, what do you call such a sovereign? A ‘fraudulent ruler,’ isn’t it?”
Riana’s expression hardened.
“Riana de Granz, your intentions might be those of a loyal subject, but your methods are those of a treacherous one. The moment a subject dares to shield the sovereign by hiding things and covering their eyes, you are turning Reinhart into an incompetent ruler, even if that is not your intention.
“Reinhart will never doubt you. He will believe everything you say and will not be curious about what lies beneath. Why? Because you are a trusted ally. A friend. Regardless of your intentions, you proceeded to deal with such a significant issue without first discussing it with the sovereign, but acting independently, for a very long time.
“Reinhart trusted you, but you doubted him, afraid that he might crumble. In the end, you betrayed Reinhart’s trust in you. I’m not here to discuss whether your handling of this matter was right or wrong. But you should have discussed this issue with Reinhart, without fail. That was your mistake, and your error.”
Once a subject started to deceive their sovereign, regardless of their intentions, it could happen a second or third time.
Riana, having deceived the sovereign herself, would have no grounds to speak against others who might deceive the sovereign for similar reasons.
Thus, if each of those who followed Reinhart hid things under the pretense that it was for his sake, Reinhart would become a ruler who was ignorant of what he needed to know.
Charlotte quietly watched the silent Riana.
‘You can be a friend, but you must not approach such matters from a friend’s perspective.’
Riana understood that Charlotte was not merely trying to establish a specific hierarchy.
“The sovereign needs your loyalty, not your consideration.”
One could keep a friend in the dark under the guise of consideration, but keeping a sovereign in the dark under the guise of consideration was akin to treason.
“The ethics that a state is built on, and the responsibility for them, belong to the sovereign. You cannot make such judgments and take such actions on your own, nor is it your place to bear the consequences alone.”
“...”
Charlotte was stating that Riana’s actions would lead to Reinhart becoming a fraudulent ruler. She was saying that intentions did not matter, and that if Reinhart’s subjects continued to take such actions under the guise of serving him, they would only tarnish his ability to rule.
Riana could not find the words to respond. She had to acknowledge that her choices, regardless of right or wrong, were a significant mistake that had endangered not only their sovereign-subject relationship, but also Reinhart’s ability to rule.
“So, what is it you want to say? Do you want to remove me from my position or suggest to Reinhart that I need to be punished for my wrongdoing?”
Despite the hostility in Riana’s words, she was acknowledging her mistake.
“I suspected something like this might be happening, though I didn’t know the specifics. What I want to convey is that there should be no more secrets of this kind, under any pretext,” Charlotte replied calmly.
Charlotte did not comment on the morality of Riana’s actions of massacring the survivors.
The main issue was that Riana had proceeded to act independently without discussing such an important matter with her sovereign. Charlotte was pointing out the problems that could arise from such actions.
“I will report this to Reinhart. However, knowing Reinhart’s personality, he won’t say anything about punishing you or removing you from your position.”
“...” 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
“And this is my judgment as regent,” Charlotte continued, looking around. “Until Reinhart returns and addresses this issue himself, it would be best to suspend the search for survivors around Port Mokna.”
There might still be survivors that they could reach. However, rescuing these survivors would inevitably lead to the massacre of some of them. There was still the option to continue these search-and-rescue operations to save some of them, but it was also an option not to save anyone because it might result in the need to kill some of these innocent people.
Neither option was perfect. There was only a decision to be made.
“From this point on, all operations other than base defense are suspended,” Charlotte declared.
Until Reinhart overturned it, the forces at Port Mokna would limit themselves to base defense. That was the decision of Charlotte de Gradias, the regent.
“Can you accept my decision?” Charlotte asked.
Riana looked at Charlotte quietly. In the end, Riana had to acknowledge her mistake. Therefore, she had no choice but to accept the regent’s judgment.
“... Yes.”
With the conversation now over, Charlotte stood up, and Harriet awkwardly followed suit.
“Hey,” Riana called out to Charlotte just as the latter was about to leave.
“... Yes?”
“You know I don’t like you, right?” Riana said softly.
“...”
Charlotte quietly looked at her. “I figured you wouldn’t have a reason to like me, and only reasons to dislike me. I thought that might be the case,” Charlotte said.
She merely continued to look at Riana as if to say, “So what?”
“Has that thought ever crossed your mind?” Riana asked.
“What thought?” Charlotte replied.
At some point, Riana’s eyes had turned bloodshot.
“Don’t you ever think that I no longer have the right to hate you, and the empire?” Riana muttered after a long silence, as if she were spitting out the words.
“...”
Charlotte’s gaze settled on Riana’s bloodshot eyes. She quietly observed Riana, whose gaze was empty. It seemed as if she were looking at something invisible, like dust in the air.
Riana knew the true cause of her father’s death. The empire had killed Riana’s father, Duke Granz, and pinned it on the Demon King, all because Duke Granz had been one of the key figures in the Revolutionary Forces.
The Revolutionary Forces had possessed the potential to plunge the entire continent into the chaos of war. Moreover, the place where Duke Granz had been found was believed to have been secured in preparation for a meeting with the remnants of the demon forces. The Revolutionary Forces had been willing to ally with humanity’s enemies for the sake of their revolution.
To avoid war and prevent countless sacrifices, the empire had killed Duke Granz and disguised it as the work of the Demon King. Thus, Riana hated the empire and everyone involved in her father’s death. For that reason, she disliked Charlotte, a member of the imperial family.
However, Riana had also killed countless innocents under the pretense of serving Edina and supporting the Demon King by avoiding war with the empire. Riana had essentially just confessed to Charlotte that she no longer felt she had the right to hate the empire or the imperial family.
The logic that led the empire to kill Duke Granz was the same logic Riana had used to justify her massacre of innocents. In both cases, avoiding greater sacrifices was the logic used to justify their actions.
Riana knew that she had lost any justification for her own hatred. Just as Reinhart hadn’t expressed his despair, Riana was also tormented by despair over the terrible things she had done with her own hands, although she hadn’t spoken of it.
Charlotte quietly observed Riana, whose eyes were red with tears. “Well...”
The right to hate.
The right to despise.
“I’m not sure if hatred and resentment require any justification in the first place.”
Hatred and resentment can arise even without strong justification.
After all, didn’t humanity hate and despise the Demon King all because of a misunderstanding?
“So whether or not you continue to hate me or the empire... Perhaps it’s inevitable...”
Charlotte kept her gaze on Riana. “The fact that you’re contemplating the moral purity of your own hatred and resentment, though... Isn’t that a bit arrogant?”
The idea that her previous hatred and resentment had been morally pure, but she had lost the moral grounds because of what she had done... Charlotte’s suggestion that even contemplating such an idea was arrogant made Riana bite her lip.
“You really are annoying,” Riana said, her tone a mix of criticism and reluctant acknowledgement.
Charlotte chuckled at Riana’s reaction.
“It’s probably not good for a regent to get along too well with those who are important to the sovereign. For my sake, for yours, and for Reinhart’s.”
Charlotte seemed to consider it better for her to be seen as an annoying but unavoidable presence.
“But no matter what, it won’t change the fact that you all are far better people than someone like me,” she concluded.
The difference between those who believed in Reinhart and her inability to believe in him...
Charlotte knew very well that she could never bridge that gap.
With those words, Charlotte exited the command center of Port Mokna.
