Chapter 10: Ceasefire Negotiations between the Demi-god and the Imperial Prince Part 3

"... What is a king, royalty, and nobility?"

　Lute's question was thrown abruptly in the heavy silence.

　To this, Klaus could not give an immediate answer.

　The situation is what it is. The question itself has no context, but because I don't know how Lute will react depending on the answer, I can't speak out carelessly.

　In this tense atmosphere, it was impossible for Lute's question to be meaningless.

　Therefore, Klaus pondered. In order to derive an answer that meets Lute's wishes as quickly as possible.

　However, that reaction was not what Lute wanted.

"...... huh. Don't be so alarmed, Your Highness Klaus. This is just an introduction to explain my thoughts. I'm not angry about what happened earlier. I'm not so short-tempered as to lose my temper over something like that."

"Oh, is that so?"

"... I wonder if the first threat worked too well."

　Klaus' expression of surprise makes Lute's cheeks twitch.

　I wondered what kind of tyrant impression the members of the progressive army had of me.

　Rather, it made him want to explain to Klaus and the others for a short hour that he was a prince with a sense of closeness to the common people.

"Seriously, don't worry. The idiots who call themselves my subjects are much ruder than I am on a regular basis. Right, Heinrich?"

"Ha ha ha!" That is not true, Your Highness. We, your highness, have always treated your highness with the utmost respect."

"... Well, it's like this. For some reason, my retainers are a bunch of old men who say things they don't mean. It's really helped to build up my patience."

　Looking at Lute, who was half-eyed as he said that, Klaus felt his shoulders naturally relax.

　The image of Lute carrying a full smile from behind is, I see, certainly persuasive without feeling false.

　After all, his appearance reminded me not of a prince, much less a wizard of the demi-god class, but rather of the kind of young, emaciated soldier I often see in the imperial barracks.

"Well, if you find it difficult to answer the question, let's change the way it’s asked. What does the emperor mean to you, Your Highness Klaus? What is your own royal family? What are the nobles of your country?”

"His Majesty the Emperor is the 'Froysel Empire' itself. His majesty illuminates the entire empire, and he is an absolute symbol that brings order and peace. We, the Imperial Family, are the hands and feet of the Emperor, who with our blood and position, give peace and tranquility to the nation. And the nobility are the loyal subjects who manage the territories given to them on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor.”

　The question was once again posed by Lute. Klaus answered the question without showing any sign of distress.

　One of the factors was that Lute was more forgiving than expected, but more than that, Lute's question was a lesson that Klaus had been hammered into since he was a child.

"You're much faster this time."

"It is natural. I respect His Majesty the Emperor, and as a member of the royal family and a member of his subjects, I have it engraved on my soul that this is how it should be. There should be no worries."

　Lute nodded in satisfaction at Klaus' affirmation,

"──That's it. That's the difference between me and His Highness."

　He continued.

"……What do you mean?"

"It's simple. To His Highness, "emperor," "royalty," and "nobility" are all special. He gives each of them a role. Each has its own independent meaning. That specialness is the decisive difference between them and me.”

"Lute-dono is different?”

"Yeah. If you take authority, power, and responsibility out of the equation, it's all the same in my mind. No, if I add more, even the chiefs of the villages are essentially in the same category."

　At those words, Klaus felt as if he had been hit directly in the brain with a hammer.

　Even in an empire where meritocracy is pervasive, Lute's remarks are outrageous,  a bombshell that could be held up as a criticism of the social system.

　In fact, if he hadn't known about Lute's true identity, Klaus would have been furious.

"The Emperor is the same as those village chiefs, ......? On what basis do you speak of such a thing, Lute-dono!”

"Uh, again, I'm talking about the 'essentials,' okay? Just because you're doing something similar, you can't say that everything is 'equal'."

　With that preface to Klaus, who was about to fill him in, Lute began to talk about his own perceptions.

"Let's take "The Village" as an example. There were more than a dozen people in an empty wilderness. One of them happened to be good at organizing people's opinions, so he acted as a representative to organize other people's opinions and decide the overall policy. If they followed the representative's policy, they soon had stable food, clothing, and shelter, and their lives became affluent. The wilderness became a village. The representative became known as the village chief and was treated a step above the other villagers. ......What's the difference between this and kings, royalty, and nobility?"

"No, no, no, no! These are the people who rule the country and these are the representatives of the village! Obviously they're not the same!"

"Why? What we are doing is the same, right? He decided on a policy for the community and group to which he belonged. He developed an empty wilderness and enriched it to a size that could be called a village. In the process, there must have been attacks by foreign enemies. There must have been famines, cold waves, and other natural disasters. Overcoming them, he enriched the lives of the villagers. Would you say it would be different if ...... these villagers were replaced by noble lords, kings or royalty would be replaced by the people?"

"Huh...!?"

　A word from Lute. That point was too sharp, and caused a clear crack in Klaus's common sense.

"They are all essentially the same. The head of a village, the head of a territory, the head of a country. They are leaders, tasked with guiding the groups they lead, protecting their livelihoods and enriching them. The only difference is the number of groups and the weight of the lives they bear. To put it another way, it makes no difference who sits on the throne as long as the people's lives can be maintained without making mistakes in judgment. Even if a poor person is sitting on the throne, if there are excellent experts under him or her, and if he or she can listen to their voices and make the right decision, he or she is a great "king," Your Highness Klaus."

　Lute’s argument is outrageous. Klaus, as well as Lambert and Heinrich, who stood back, found it difficult to accept Lute's thesis, which could shake the very foundations of the class society. They were all in the same boat. ......, but for some reason they still couldn't deny it.

　At any rate, what Lute said was not a logical fallacy. Because everyone in this place felt that it was an "extreme theory" rather than an outrageous argument.

"... no, but...!"

"Of course, the reality is different. This is just a question of 'what is politics?’.A poor person without knowledge cannot make such a decision, and a village chief does not have the political vision to see a vast territory on the scale of a nation or a fiefdom. That is why the royalty and nobility who can do so are so precious. I understand the preciousness of blood.”

　Even so, Klaus was still trying to hang on, but Lute added a supplement with a wry smile.

　It is not that Lute totally denies the existence of royalty and nobility. The "authority" that comes with the blood that is passed down from generation to generation among them and the "knowledge" that is inherited along with the blood are both extremely important elements in governing.

　People obey because they have authority, and they can manage the territory because they have knowledge.

　That is why even though royalty and nobility and village chiefs are essentially the same, they are in fact quite different. If the size of the reign is different, the authority and knowledge required for it jumps up.

"......but aren't we all a little hard-headed? Why are you so upset over something like this?"

“Talking about His Majesty the emperor and a village head on the same level, normally you would be upset!”

"No, I don't think so. If you follow the genealogy of any royal family, there's a good chance they're commoners. Did you read the Founding Chronicle properly? If I'm not mistaken, the founder of the empire was a shepherd in an ancient country, right?"

“Ngu……!?”

　Klaus involuntarily choked on his words at Lute's correct argument, while Lambert and Heinrich responded convincingly.

　As Lute said, there are a relatively large number of countries whose founding ancestors were commoners in the modern sense of the word. In some cases, they were slaves.

　From there, the process of going through some special experience, twists and turns, and then the founding of the country is, in a sense, a standard.

　In that sense, many of the royals and nobles could be said to have the bloodline of commoners, if not for the authority that blood clings to.

"Well, that's why I think of the 'king,' 'royalty,' and 'nobility' as mere leaders. I think they're wonderful. I respect them. But I don't see them as absolutes. ──That would cloud your thoughts and turn reality into a dream, a folly equivalent to drinking『Poison』”

　To Lute, royalty and nobility are just people who wear the 'clothes' of authority.

　Great but not special. We respect them, but we do not revere them. Because they are people. They make mistakes.

　That's why Lute only recognizes royalty and nobility as leaders of the group. "Authority" is extremely important, but excessive special regard can cloud judgment.

　In order to correctly evaluate and trust them, it is necessary to place importance on their "leadership accomplishments," which cannot be falsely called governance. Excessive authority is a hindrance to this.

“I have said many times that I admire their readiness to bear the lives of their subjects and all the people of the country. Sometimes I see fools who declare that they envy the nobility, but that is absurd. I don't envy them the position of being looked up to by so many people. And they are taught pretentiousness and courtesy to the marrow of their bones, and are bound to be tied down by interests and factions, you know? Is it worth it just to be able to live a more luxurious life than the commoners?”

　That would just be a living hell, asserts Lute, who holds up "laziness" as a maxim of life.

　There is no such thing as "freedom" because we are always busy with work and obligations. The heavy pressure of the loss of so many lives if he neglects his duties is something that Lute does not even want to bear.

　Occasionally, there are fools who escape from their duty and indulge in debauchery, but in such cases, they cannot escape from their duty after all, because they are physically beheaded by a blade from "below" or "above”.

　The price of negligence is the life of oneself and possibly of one's relatives. After all, such a position is not something one should take on.

"That's why, after understanding that, those who have the determination to carry the territory and the country on their backs are qualified to be 'rulers'. Isn't that true of His Highness?”

"... Ah. I won't deny that. I have no intention of sitting on the throne, but I am also a member of the royal family. I am prepared to dedicate myself for the sake of my beloved homeland and people."

"It's a splendid response without hesitation. It's really wonderful. It's almost dazzling to me who just couldn't muster that kind of resolve."

Lute praised Klaus from the bottom of his heart as he declared without hesitation that he would devote himself to his homeland.

　Klaus, who had undertaken endless hardships and had taken on many lives on his shoulders throughout his life, was an undeniable hero to Lute.

　Therefore,

"──That's why there shouldn't be a country ruled by unqualified people. Don't you think so?"

　Lute threw a new question at Klaus with an extremely cold voice.

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