After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 191
Chapter 191: Corner the Final Boss
While sweat dripped from his temples, the Chancellor continued to argue strongly.
“This is… to prevent the prisoners of war from becoming a threat to the future of the kingdom!”
“That sounds like it could lead to great chaos. Why are you justifying it, my lord?”
“Right now, they’re subdued and obedient because they’ve just lost the war, but soon they will become dissatisfied with their treatment and start to rebel. If the thirty thousand prisoners, including over seven thousand wizards, unite and cause a disturbance, the kingdom’s peace will be in danger. However, if we pit the Imperial and Duchy prisoners against each other, after they’ve weakened each other, we can deal with them with fewer troops.”
“That is one way to see it. But do you have the authority, my lord, to cause a disturbance in the provinces without the approval of His Majesty?”
Liese’s questions continued sharply.
“I’ve been granted wide authority over domestic affairs by His Majesty. This matter is part of that. I intended to report to His Majesty after the slaves begin their conflict. Isn’t that right, Minister of the Interior?”
“Yes, that’s correct…”
“We were aware of this too.”
“As the legal officer, I also participated in the decision.”
The Chancellor tried to emphasize that this was not a unilateral decision, and his lackeys followed suit. Just because they had deliberated together, it didn’t mean they could act without His Majesty’s approval.
“You all know that I despise causing harm to the people, don’t you?”
The Queen’s voice grew low.
Yes, though the Queen is kind, she has a virtue: she is gentle to the people under her rule. Even if the prisoners might pose a future risk, if a report of causing infighting and oppression among them reached her, she would never approve. And of course, the ministers knew this.
“Of course, my lady. But the prisoners are not our people. They will eventually return to their homeland, and they are slaves. If they cause harm to the future of our good Berzenbrück citizens, it is clear which is more important.”
The Chancellor boldly declared this, and the Queen was at a loss for words.
This middle-aged noblewoman, who seemed like a monster, had an absurd argument. “Harm to the future…”? That was just a possibility created in the Chancellor’s mind. Even if that possibility existed, the logic of harming prisoners who have committed no crime and are working hard to develop undeveloped land is fundamentally flawed.
However, when such an argument is presented so confidently, it almost seems to have some merit to those around them. High-ranking nobles didn’t think of war slaves as human beings.
“Well, I think the Chancellor’s approach was a bit harsh, but if it’s for the future of the kingdom, it may be unavoidable…”
“After all, it’s only the slaves who will suffer.”
“Those who have served Berzenbrück well until now shouldn’t be punished too harshly…”
Gradually, the atmosphere in the hall shifted towards calling for leniency. Of course, those who supported the Chancellor were guiding this change. The Chancellor grinned, a sly smile creeping across his face.
Cutting through this atmosphere, Liese raised her voice loud and clear.
“I see, it seems the long-standing court monster has many followers. However, the crime of attempting to assassinate Princess Beatrice cannot be excused, no matter how you try to defend it!”
Indeed, harming a member of the royal family, for any reason, has never been allowed. In the kingdom’s history, the entire family was usually executed in such cases.
“Heh, of course, if it is said that I conspired to kill the Crown Princess, I will willingly offer this wrinkled head. But the real culprit in that incident was a young priestess, and it was the discontented Baron Verdan who instigated it. Furthermore, the Baron, fearing his own guilt, took his own life. I have no involvement in this whatsoever.”
“Took his own life?” Of course, the real masterminds likely killed him to cover their tracks, just like lopping off the tail of a lizard.
“Or perhaps, my lord, Lady Annaliese will testify that I gave such an order?”
The Chancellor’s lips twisted into an ugly grin. He was confident that no concrete evidence would ever come to light. Liese, however, pursed her pink, well-shaped lips and remained silent.
“What say you, Lady Freudenstadt?”
The Chancellor, previously trying to maintain a veneer of dignity, now took the opportunity to intimidate her. It was known that this Chancellor, whose family was a marquis, had opposed the Freudenstadt family’s promotion to marquis status, which had been pushed through by Liese’s mother.
But Liese didn’t flinch from the threat. Instead, she smiled slightly.
“Indeed, this is a matter of treason. To convict a noble of such a serious crime, proper evidence must be presented.”
“Foolishness! There is no such evidence!”
“You continue to deny it, I see. In that case, there’s nothing more to say… Bring her here.”
At a signal from Liese, two knights slowly opened the hall doors. Standing there, clad in priestess robes, was… of course, it was Tsetilia… or Zeri.