Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 52: The King Takes Action
“I see…”
The prime minister nodded as he listened to Garfish’s explanation.
“Then you’ll help?”
Garfish asked with hope in his voice.
“It isn’t that simple. The ironclad rule is that matters within a noble’s territory are resolved by its lord. Even I can’t interfere in the judgments passed in another noble’s domain. At most, I could send a petition in my personal capacity as Duke Barriera. That might work if the viscount listened to reason, but his territory has been gaining strength rapidly since it began producing mithril. I only hope the success hasn’t gone to his head…”
“Surely he wouldn’t dare insult a ducal house.”
“Perhaps not, but the nobility is divided into factions. Does it help you understand if I tell you that Viscount Saisi belongs to Marquis Halagulla’s faction?”
“The faction opposed to Your Excellency…”
Garfish grimaced bitterly as the situation became clear.
“Hmm. In that case, we have no choice but to ask His Majesty to act.”
“His Majesty?!”
Garfish had assumed that merely reaching the prime minister would resolve everything. He could only stare in surprise as the matter grew larger.
“Many nobles outside my faction also enjoy Reversi. I’ll gather them and ask them to sign a petition. We can request the queen’s support as well, and perhaps have Prince Fleue play a part…”
The arrest of one ten-year-old commoner had grown into an affair involving the kingdom’s nobility, and now it was poised to move the royal family itself.
Prince Fleue was furious when the prime minister told him what had happened.
His friend was in danger.
He couldn’t sit still.
However, his aide Sebas stopped him.
Sebas warned that it would be unwise to appeal directly to the king without first involving the other princes. Each of Fleue’s elder brothers had a faction supporting him from behind the scenes, and bypassing them could provoke resentment from those factions.
“All right. I’ll speak to my brothers. I’ll ask Mother as well.”
Reversi had become popular not only among nobles but also among the royal family, and it was particularly fashionable among women as one of the accomplishments expected in polite society.
The heated match between Prince Fleue and the prime minister had contributed greatly to that popularity, but it had only been possible because of a young instructor named Tauro Satou.
Word that the boy who had spread Reversi was in danger raced through the palace by way of the women’s gossip.
The king took action.
Petitions poured in from every direction.
The king played Reversi occasionally, but knew little about the boy who had served as instructor.
He had found it amusing that his fifth son, Fleue, had become so absorbed in the game that he defeated Prime Minister Duke Barriera. Apparently, this boy had been the person behind that achievement.
Moreover, he heard that Viscount Saisi had known of the boy’s close ties to the prime minister and the prince, yet had still framed and arrested him.
If the king ignored the matter, it could spark a struggle between factions. He couldn’t leave it alone.
Having reached that conclusion, he summoned Viscount Saisi to the royal palace.
“Viscount Saisi, do you know why you were summoned today?”
“N-no, Your Majesty…”
The viscount lay prostrate, but his nervousness was obvious.
“I’ve heard that you falsely accused and imprisoned a boy who taught Reversi, the game now popular among the nobility. People distressed by his plight have petitioned me without end. What do you think I should do?”
“W-well, that is…”
Viscount Saisi faltered, too shaken to give a clear answer.
“It’s your territory. How you apply the law to your subjects is your concern. But when so many people plead for a man said to be innocent, even I can’t simply turn a deaf ear.”
The viscount’s ragged breathing was audible throughout the chamber.
“W-we recently discovered that he’s innocent, and the procedures for his release are already underway! I deeply apologize for causing Your Majesty such concern and inconvenience!”
Cornered, the viscount lied. Tauro had been arrested on his sole authority, and a single word from him could have secured Tauro’s release.
“I see. So you’ve found him innocent. I’m relieved to hear that from you. You may withdraw.”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty!”
Viscount Saisi hurried from the chamber without once raising his head to look at the king.
“Will that suffice, Gret?”
Prime Minister Gret Barriera, standing beside the king, nodded.
“Your Majesty merely expressed concern. The decision was the viscount’s own, so there’s no problem.”
Thus, Tauro’s release was decided in the distant royal capital.
Three months had passed since his imprisonment.
I wonder what kindof of skill he’ll get out of this.
Hold up he been in prison for 3 months bruh
What makes that interesting is that it’s relatively un-heard-of for a non-noble non-adult to last that long before admitting guilt (under torture) to one or another crime with a death penalty attached.
It’s a subtle point, but a remarkable one… and one that will linger in the back of the minds of people whose careers depend on a certain subtlety.