Episode 69: The First Domino
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Rushing to the market, I found a terrible situation.
Dadinga was being beaten to a pulp, and merchants were being killed by the dozen.
They were even making people perform a fumie on copper plates engraved with a picture that looked exactly like me.
(They’re really taking the piss.)
Even the sister with the stimulating body was being held down on the ground.
The fact that she seemed to be sparkling was a little concerning, but that could wait.
The people, for some reason, were kneeling and shedding tears.
Wasn’t their reaction a bit excessive?
I wasn’t the saint they seemed to think I was…
And the man who was beating Dadinga.
He had a bizarre hairstyle that looked like he had coral on his head.
I was still racking my brain about how to settle things.
“Sh-Sharka-dono, isn’t there some kind of misunderstanding? Bangwall will be under the control of our Court of Justice. The Lanecki Consulate has decided so. There’s no role for Sharka-dono to play anymore. Return to Ortenatris immediately.”
The man from the Court of Justice said to me with a strained face, but in an arrogant tone.
Normally, a Satella-Class wouldn’t act so high and mighty towards a Stella-Class, but this kind of thing often happened with the Lanecki’s Satella-Class.
By the way, I hadn’t received any such information from my father.
“In that case, there should be an official document. Show it to me.”
“Tch…”
The man from the Court of Justice looked a little embarrassed and spread out a document for me to see.
At first glance, it looked like an officially issued document, but the most important part was blank.
“As you can see, an official letter has been issued from the Court of Justice.”
“Hmm, my father’s signature is missing.”
“…Kuh, so what? A signature can be added later!”
The Court of Justice was a joke.
He was practically admitting that the document was invalid.
How could he brazenly show me such a fabricated document?
“A confession of forging official documents? I’m appalled that someone who administers the law would commit fraud.”
“S-Shut up! The Court of Justice’s judgment is never wrong! Just obey quietly!”
“I see. So this whole commotion is the Court of Justice’s own doing?”
Given the situation, this commotion was almost certainly the work of the Court of Justice.
“What’s the point of asking that?!”
“It’s obvious—to decide your fate.”
To kill them, or not to kill them.
The decision here would have a major impact on the relationship between the houses later on.
Simply killing the Court of Justice as a simple act of revenge would likely lead to a messy aftermath.
I wanted to make a calm decision here.
“Fate? Fate, you say?! It’s absurd for a mere guardian to decide the fate of us in the Court of Justice! Don’t spout such nonsense!”
I sighed weakly.
What was the point of a group that was only full of pride?
“The Court of Justice is truly a worthless existence.”
“What did you say?!”
Before making a final decision, I wanted to have a few more elements to convince myself.
So that I wouldn’t regret anything later.
“Hey, would there be any benefit to Ortenos if the Court of Justice was left intact?”
“You, what do you think you are! Don’t measure the Court of Justice with profit and loss! Our very existence is supreme! You are merely benefiting from it!”
“Is that really the case? Take a look at the people who are here right now.”
At my question, the man from the Court of Justice looked around.
What dwelled in the eyes of the people was—hostility.
The frightened gazes from earlier were nowhere to be seen.
“You lot! What are those eyes! Are you planning to defy us?!”
They were being looked down upon by fragile beings.
That thought wounded the man’s pride.
But the people were still giving the Court of Justice members harsh looks.
“Why, why are you looking at me like that…!”
The man was stunned, and then he understood.
Sharka’s existence had given the people small fangs.
“I guess Ortenos doesn’t need you after all. Now I can do this with a little less hesitation.”
“Huh?!”
When I fought with the Court of Justice five years ago, I was careful not to cause any deaths.
I got scolded a lot, but in the end, it ended with a skirmish.
(This time, that won’t be enough.)
Even if I dealt with the Court of Justice here, there would be tough work waiting for me afterward.
The question was whether I could complete it.
I might cause trouble for my father and Elmia…
(Alright, I’ve decided.)
Something that had to be done someday was just being brought forward a little.
I took a gold coin out of my pocket and flipped it straight up.
“What are you doing?!”
“…Just a charm.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Such an insult to us, the Lanecki Consulate will surely…”
I caught the gold coin in the middle of the man’s words and clenched it tightly.
I had decided on a course of action for the future.
“You guys are going to die here.”
These guys were the first domino in what was about to collapse.
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Uzelashi couldn’t understand the meaning of those words.
What on earth was the young noble in front of him saying?
“…Haha, have you finally gone mad?”
“Didn’t you hear me? You’re going to die here now.”
It wasn’t a mishearing.
From the moment the boy caught the gold coin, the atmosphere had clearly changed.
A sense of suffocation that made it hard to breathe, and cold sweat ran down his back.
It was the first time the word “die” had felt so real.
“…Do you understand what it means to lay a hand on us? You’ll be antagonizing the Court of Justice, and by extension, the Lanecki Family!”
“Yeah. I’m going to crush the Court of Justice when I return to Ortenatris, and then deal with the Lanecki Family after that.”
Uzelashi didn’t understand what Sharka was saying.
It was as if he was saying that he wouldn’t mind taking on the Lanecki Family.
And without any emotion, matter-of-factly.
Because of that, a certain sense of reality was born.
That fact greatly fueled Uzelashi’s anxiety.
“You…are you crazy?”
“…Who knows, but I’ve already decided.”
His throat was parched.
What Uzelashi felt was impatience.
“D-Don’t decide on your own! That shouldn’t be allowed!”
“You don’t need to be allowed, since you’re going to die now.”
“…Tch!”
He sensed the presence of powerful Magical Power being built up.
He was serious.
(He’s really going to kill me!)
“W-W-Wait! I won’t antagonize you!”
“No, you’re already my enemy. I’ll deal with you here.”
Damn it, he wasn’t someone you could reason with!
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Fruga-sama had said that Sharka would just cry and give in if he was threatened!
Why, where did I go wrong?