The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom, page 11
Satsuki pointed an accusing finger and glared at Rakunu. “I have already been informed that you abandoned your duty and fled while my husband headed to his death! To show up with a forgery and pass it off as his will... You are beneath contempt!”
Rakunu fled? That’s a big deal.
I didn’t know the finer details, but I knew that the right to refuse a kingeagle strike was different from fleeing the battlefield entirely.
The only reason the Ek family was able to openly collect taxes from their fief and order their subjects was because the Ho family had given them that right. In exchange, they had an obligation to join battles and obey the orders of their lord. So although a kingeagle strike might not have been part of the deal, he was still obligated to continue with his ordinary duties even after refusing. Fleeing would have meant abandoning the majority of soldiers—the ones without eagles—and leaving them to fend for themselves.
And Rakunu hadn’t just wandered off while they were marching; he’d fled from a besieged and isolated fortress while he was riding on a kingeagle. That amounted to desertion in the face of the enemy.
Everything began to make sense to me. Oh, now I get it. Fleeing was all part of his plan.
“Enough of your nonsense!” Rakunu cried. “Lord Gok entrusted the Ho family to me and asked me to escape so that I could deliver his will!”
So that’s the story he’s come up with. He’s given it some thought.
“How ridiculous! I have it on the word of several soldiers that you deserted! If you’d been entrusted with the family headship—”
I’d expected her to finish with, “...then you’d have told someone before running off,” or, “...before you withdrew,” but Rakunu cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
“How dare you speak down to me about a battle you never attended! A soldier preparing for a kingeagle strike would never write their will in front of their men—the effect on their morale could be the difference between success and failure!” he bellowed.
He obviously prepared all his arguments in advance, and his voice is so loud that Satsuki has no chance of arguing him down. Hmm...
“This will was brought back to us by Sir Shula Rosk! Do you mean to cast suspicion on a member of the Rosk family when the Ho family trusts them above any other?” Satsuki replied.
“To hell with them! You have them all in your damn pocket!”
What a way to talk to your lord’s widow.
I started to feel sorry for Satsuki. Rakunu kept her on the defensive with a carefully prepared story and a comeback ready for every objection. Satsuki, on the other hand, hadn’t been ready for this onslaught. Coming up with the right responses was hard for someone who lacked the talent for it. This situation didn’t demand rational thought; it required someone with the ability to quickly understand the structure of an argument and point out the flaws.
When debating in front of an audience, the atmosphere of the room was everything. I’d seen many cases where a smart person with all the right facts failed to keep up with their opponent’s fallacious reasoning and ended up a laughingstock when they appeared to lose the debate. It was pointless to reflect on what should’ve been after being argued into a corner.
To make matters worse, the blood was clearly going to Satsuki’s head. Rakunu had her at a clear disadvantage.
Their argument went on like that for about thirty minutes.
“Well... What evidence do you have that your forgery is the real will?” Satsuki demanded.
“I need no evidence because Lord Gok handed it to me himself. There can be no greater proof,” Rakunu shot back.
The debate was slowing down and starting to go around in circles. There was no hope of a resolution. It was obvious that neither could verify the authenticity of their will.
I’d expected the fingerprints on the parchment to act as proof, but close inspection revealed that they were too smudged to make out the fine details. Parchment lacked the smooth surface of printer paper, and its fuzzy surface caught dirt and soot that made fingerprints hard to examine. The only evidence anyone had was spoken testimony.
“If you have no evidence, then we must assume that your will is fake,” Satsuki concluded.
“Your testimony has been suspicious from the outset. Who is to say that the Rosk family weren’t deceived by your wiles?”
“You dare besmirch the honor of other families?! The Rosks have treated you well for generations!”
“They have, but this discussion isn’t about them. You know that!”
Rakunu took his eyes off Satsuki and glared at the lords in the room.
“I would never make these claims in jest. I stand here before you because Lord Gok bequeathed his will to me! I have no patience for fools who try to claim otherwise!”
Hmm... Now he’s putting pressure on the lords. They don’t look like a bunch of cowards, but even though they’re not afraid of Rakunu, they’re not willing to defy him openly.
I understood that their fence-sitting was the smart thing for them to do. The lords who’d gathered here didn’t hold any particular love for Satsuki, Rook, or me... Well, not that anyone was thinking about me in the first place.
Rook had abandoned the path of knighthood, so he obviously wasn’t a qualified knight. They probably didn’t think he was a bad person, but in their eyes, he was more like a merchant or a farmer. Why would they want to be led by people like us?
As for Satsuki, she was nothing more than Gok’s wife. While she might have been chairing the council, she was merely a facilitator. It wasn’t like she commanded any particular respect.
From the other lords’ point of view, Satsuki’s will would just mean that Rook would become the next head of family. It wasn’t a particularly promising future. You could argue that Rook was the more legitimate heir in terms of bloodline, which might’ve earned him the support of strong believers in that method of inheritance, but that was about it.
All in all, opposing Rakunu—and thus drawing his ire—wasn’t a smart idea. He would probably hold a grudge, and who knew what might happen to people who angered him. On the other hand, anyone making an enemy of Rook and Satsuki could rely on their good natures. They were unlikely to retaliate too harshly against anyone who apologized and declared their support after the fact.
Everything about this situation puts Rakunu at an advantage.
There was no chance of turning the situation around with a verbal argument. What I wanted now was to hold a strategy meeting.
“Dad, dad.” I tugged on Rook’s sleeve, who was sitting next to me, looking very uncomfortable.
“What?” Rook asked, moving his ear closer.
“Why don’t we take a break?”
“A break?”
The idea didn’t seem to please him. He’d have to get in between the two butting heads to ask for a recess.
I guess it’s not that easy. But there’s got to be a way...
“I need the toilet.”
After a little thought, I’d decided that natural bodily functions were a convenient excuse, as embarrassing as it was.
“What? Now?”
“Yes. I can’t help it. Could you ask them to take a short break?” I pleaded.
“Well, I...”
“Please. I’m g-gonna pee myself...”
Now it was really embarrassing.
“Fine.”
Phew. I moved my mouth away from Rook’s ear.
Rook hesitated for a moment, then he steeled himself and stood up. The argument between Satsuki and Rakunu immediately stopped.
“Sorry, but might we take a short break? My son needs to use the bathroom.”
Hey! You didn’t have to call me out!
“Oh... You do?” Satsuki looked at me, taken off guard.
“Yes... Sorry about him,” Rook apologized on my behalf.
My dad’s blunt approach made my head spin. I’ll get through this, but if you had a daughter instead of a son, she’d have definitely resented you for it.
“It has been quite some time since the council started. Might we?” Rook asked again.
“I suppose...” Satsuki agreed.
Never mind supposing. Just take a break. It’s not like you’re making any progress here.
“Let’s take a short break. After which, we’ll resume.”
✧✧✧
“Huh? Don’t you need to go to the bathroom, Yuri?” Rook asked.
“Please take me there, dad.”
I didn’t actually need the toilet, I just needed to talk to my dad alone.
“Oh... You don’t know the way? Do you mind, Satsuki?”
“Hm?” Satsuki blurted out.
She seemed a little frazzled. Her brain must have gone into sleep mode as soon as she was suddenly released from the intense stress.
“I’m going to take my son to the bathroom.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Though please be quick about it.”
“Pardon us for one moment,” I said with a bow of my head before leaving the room with Rook.
Once we were out in the corridor I said, “Okay, dad. Is there an empty room somewhere around here?”
“Hm? Don’t you need the toilet?”
“I was lying.”
Rook was taken aback. He had no way of knowing why I’d lie like that.
“Then what’s wrong? Did you want to eat something?”
Dad... Is that how you see me?
“I wanted you alone so that the two of us could discuss our family’s future.”
“Oh? Well, sure...”
Rook opened the door to a nearby room. He knew the family home well enough to find an empty spot.
I remained standing while Rook sat down on the nearest chair.
“Are you going to accept and become head of the Ho family?”
“That depends on whether they vote for me.”
So there really is an election. Figures. They wouldn’t have gathered all the lords if there wasn’t, and it would’ve been odd if Satsuki made the decision alone.
“Maybe you should forget the whole thing. Why don’t we just go home?” I suggested.
Rook looked at me in surprise. “But why? I can’t leave right now. This council’s important. If you really want to leave, I could get someone to take you back. How about that?”
No, that’s totally missing the point...
“Dad... Are you really ready to accept the result without thinking it over first?”
“Well, yes. I don’t like the idea because I’m no knight, but I can’t ignore my brother’s wishes. He must have written that will for a reason.”
I figured he’d see it that way. Rook had a lot of respect for his brother.
“And what if you lose? Wouldn’t it mean that Rakunu rules over the whole province? Won’t he have our household killed as revenge?”
“Uh...” Rook started to speak, but then stopped. As expected, he had to think about it. “I don’t think he’d do that...”
“Are you sure? History books are full of stories of the winner disposing of the losers after battles for authority.”
I wasn’t just referring to Earth’s history either—a quick skim through books on the history of the Shanti people revealed many such cases too. Although the Shanti’s bodies functioned a little differently, their customs barely varied from those of humans. I’d encountered a good number of odd practices, but everything they did turned out to have a reasonable explanation. Shanti thinking wasn’t fundamentally different from human thinking.
“Don’t worry about that. If it comes to it, I’ll work something out,” Rook tried to reassure me.
I’m sure Rook would do whatever it takes to protect us in the worst-case scenario. He’s no fool, so he’d probably come up with a solution if push came to shove, but that doesn’t mean we can kick back and relax. You can handle a problem with a noisy neighbor that way, but this is different.
“I believe in you, dad. But wouldn’t it be better to prevent trouble from starting in the first place? At the very least, we shouldn’t get on Rakunu’s bad side.”
“I haven’t done that... Have I?” Rook sounded somewhat concerned.
I was making him worry about how the situation looked from others’ point of view.
“I think things have gone well so far. It’s just that Satsuki might convince you to use some strong words against Rakunu. That could cause problems.”
“You’re right. Hmm...”
“Honestly, I think the best plan is to just leave right now... But since they’re waiting for us, please try your best not to make an enemy of Rakunu.”
That was my biggest fear.
“All right. You sure worry a lot,” Rook replied.
Who wouldn’t? This could tear the whole family apart.
“All right, let’s head back,” I said.
Our discussion had gone smoothly, but when we opened the door of the room we were in, we found Satsuki waiting for us. “What were the two of you talking about?”
The pressure she was under made it sound like this was an interrogation.
“S-Satsuki... We didn’t talk about anything,” Rook stuttered. He looked scared of his sister-in-law, but it was more likely just guilt.
“Rook, you’re just causing more problems for me. We need to face him head-on,” Satsuki sighed.
No, that’s what’ll cause problems.
I decided that I needed to talk to Satsuki.
“Satsuki... Do you mind if I call you that? I want to talk to you about something. Could you spare a moment with me?”
“Oh? But I’m rather busy...”
“I think we need to hold a strategy meeting. If you’ve got a plan, would you be able to share it with me?”
“Well...all right,” Satsuki reluctantly accepted.
III
That night, I headed to Rakunu’s room alone.
Rakunu had boldly claimed a room for himself within the manor once he’d realized that Satsuki didn’t have full control over any troops of her own.
As I reached the area where Rakunu’s room was located, I saw a pair of soldiers—presumably his forces—standing guard. They each held a spear in one hand, with the blade sheathed and the butt resting against the floor, but they were currently relaxing against the wall.
“E-Excuse me...”
“Hm? Whose child are you?” a young soldier replied.
His approach was cautious as he tried to figure out whether I was one of the children brought along by the nobles.
“I’m Yuri, Rook’s son,” I said with an overly deep bow of my head.
“Ah. Rook...?” He seemed unsure how to react, as if I’d just told him that I was on the side of the enemy. I got the sense he was a good guy. “Do you have some business here?”
“My dad told me to come here to give a message to Rakunu. Is Rakunu here?”
The two soldiers looked at each other. They were probably thinking, He sent his own son here by himself? Is he for real?
Truth was, I hadn’t told Rook I was here.
This time it was the second, older soldier who replied. “No, he’s not. He’s out.”
As expected, Rakunu wasn’t here. That was predictable, really. Only a brainless candidate would be slacking off on the eve of an election. That also explained why there were only two soldiers stationed—security could be relaxed while the master wasn’t here for them to protect.
“I believe it’s urgent business. Would you allow me to wait here until Rakunu returns?” I pleaded.
“Ohh...” the younger soldier mumbled vaguely before the other soldier raised a flat palm to gesture to him to stop.
The two turned their backs on me and conferred in whispered voices, but their discussion ended quickly.
“Fine. You can wait in this room over here.”
The soldiers showed me to another nearby room. Inside, I found the room lit by the flames of a hearth. It was the complete opposite of a parlor room from Japan’s Heian period—it was a luxurious-looking guest room filled with furnishings made by artisans. Nothing in here looked like the rough work of a local carpenter, only further serving to demonstrate the family’s wealth.
I wasn’t sure what they did to earn all that money, but even Rook still had to pay substantial taxes to maintain his noble status, so taxes gathered across a broad region must’ve been a good source of income.
“Take a seat and wait here,” a soldier instructed.
“Thank you.” I gave them another over-the-top bow and then trotted across the luxurious room to sit on the sofa.
The younger of the two soldiers remained. He closed the door and then waited by the entrance as if guarding over it. He must have wanted to keep an eye on me so that I wouldn’t cause any trouble. I was actually glad at how little suspicion they’d shown.
“Can I call you ‘sir’?” I asked the younger soldier. He only looked about twenty years old.
“Sure. What’s up?” He spoke to me casually, suggesting he was good with kids.
“Can we talk since there’s nothing else to do? I want to know what it’s like to be a knight.”
“A knight? I’m guessing your dad’s never told you?” It sounded like he had some knowledge of Rook’s unusual background.
“He never has. But he said that he might send me to the Knight Academy and I’m a little scared.”
That was a lie. It didn’t really scare me, it just sounded like a real pain. My real aim was to get to know this soldier a little through conversation so that he might stand up for me if Rakunu ever wanted me killed.
“Oh, the Knight Academy... Wow, yeah...” The young knight suddenly looked down at his feet, seeming at a loss for words.
What’s with that reaction?
“Oh, man... I wish I was still there...” He let out an emotional sigh, as if to say, Those were the days.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Is his life really that much worse now?
“You really liked the academy?”
“Oh, you’ll understand once you go to the royal capital, kid. The royal capital’s nothing like this place... See, this here’s the middle of nowhere.”
“Kid”? Did he mean me? He sounded like a Tokyo University graduate who’d gotten a job back home and pined for his student days in the big city.
