After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 76
Chapter 76: The Old Lady in the Flower Garden
“We have no right to make innocent people slaves!”
“They invaded our country without reason, committing atrocities from looting and destruction to kidnapping and murder. Isn’t that a crime?”
Several nodded deeply. It would be too much to call them “innocent.” Well, her intelligence level was revealed by her overly emotional first statement. She’s what you’d call living in a fantasy world.
“Well, soldiers have no choice but to obey orders from their superiors. Forced actions aren’t their fault!”
“I see. Indeed, the invasion itself was ordered, and it would be harsh to hold each of them accountable. However… did their superiors order them to plunder from the people, to assault young boys and girls?”
“Ugh…”
With this kind of rebuttal, this old lady, who was turning red with anger and embarrassment, seemed rather shallow in her thinking. The queen is a wise and thoughtful person, but why would she keep someone like this around?
“Even if they have some guilt, every human should be allowed to act by free will. You have no right to deny that!”
“I see. So you propose letting them act freely. But have you forgotten that as a result of their actions, the people of Belzenbruck were oppressed? We can’t let such things happen again… If capturing and enslaving them is not an option, then we have no choice but to take the second option.”
“The second option?”
“Yes, of course, that would mean exterminating them all. With the fire magic of my mother, we can incinerate them all while they are unable to move.”
“Truly tyrannical! To think of only killing or enslaving!”
Tyranny, huh? Well, to those who haven’t actually fought, we might seem like violence-loving people. Oh, wait, I mustn’t forget the original purpose of defeating this old lady.
“What about you, Lady Natalie? How would you deal with the enemy?”
“Force them to drop their weapons and return them to their hometowns.”
“I see, but surely within a month, they will receive conscription orders from the Empire and return to the army. It will create a fully trained and battle-hardened force for the Empire, which can be considered a very good proposal.”
“If they promise not to return to the battlefield…”
“Provided the Empire has the integrity to keep its promises.”
“Smooth and mutually beneficial relationships are formed by trusting the other party.”
“Your war resulted from trusting the Empire and the Duchy. Your Majesty, without being complacent about the victory of twenty years ago, showed kindness to the devastated Empire with a heart of love. I think that was commendable, but it shows that the Empire lacks the wisdom to try to change its attitude towards us.”
“Are you trying to disparage Her Majesty’s intentions?”
“Not at all. It’s appropriate for a king to offer a generous hand even to a barking dog. But if that dog bites the hand offered, it should be given the training befitting a dog, don’t you think?”
“For a man, you sure talk a lot…”
Already, steam was rising from her head like a boiling octopus. She undoubtedly noticed the sarcasm behind my mention of “dog” referring to the Empire. Hey, lady, barking so much despite having no authority is all on you.
“So far.”
A chilly atmosphere echoed in the command post. The emotionally lacking face, likened to a porcelain doll, was directed towards me and the old lady.
“Lord Ludwig. Assuming you have acquired tens of thousands of slaves, how do you intend to treat them? Do you plan to sell them to foreign countries?”
“Selling them off would indeed be a good way to recoup the costs of this war.”
“Wha…”
Once again, the old lady started to react, but Beatrice silenced her with a cold stare. Seriously, how conceited can this old lady be to interject in the conversation of royalty? Well, it doesn’t matter now. Beatrice is supporting my proposal, so that’s all that matters.
“But we won’t be selling them this time. Let them work within the borders of Belzenbruck. I’ve heard that there’s a shortage of manpower for southern development.”