Minister’s point of view
I never thought she would forgive me so easily after I did such a thing to her.
Thanks to that, I have many things I couldn’t say, but for now, I’ll just think about returning to Capital.
If the report is true, then the top brass of the Knight’s Order has not given orders to the troops because they were not working and playing around, and thus the knights are completely immobilized.
That means that the knights patrolling the castle and the Royal Magicians are on their own…
The former cannot deal with the violence because they are outnumbered and the latter seems to have accidentally shot their ally because they have turned useless after pushing all the work on Emiel.
His Majesty has Royal Guards and knights stationed around his room, but it’s only a matter of time before the people break through.
Now, what the hell am I supposed to do?
Probably, if I go back now, the mob will attack my carriage, and at worst, I will be killed.
I’m prepared to die, but at least let me die after cleaning up my own mess.
“Do you really have to go back?”
The sudden words of the Royal Guard, who had been silent for a long time, made me look back at him.
“I am the Chief Minister’s aide, you know? Returning back is my duty.”
“Is it a duty of being used as a country’s tool of revolution?”
“… Yeah, that’s correct.”
There is no denying that, to His Majesty, I am just a replaceable tool used for the betterment of the country.
But it is indeed sad to admit that I was used with the intention of discarding me from the very beginning.
The Royal Guard let out a loud sigh and looked at me exhaustedly.
“And how is His Majesty going to pay you back for your loyal sacrifice? If we were talking in terms of love, this would be akin to getting dumped by your girl.”
“That might be true, but…”
“Besides, what that man is really aiming for is not meritocracy, but equality under the King. He just wants to make sure that he will be able to order the people under him without regard to their noble status.”
“……”
“It’s time to wake up. As that former magician said, running away has its merits.”
I found myself gushing with tears as the Royal Guard desperately appealed to me.
Ah, yes. It’s true that he who runs away may live to fight another day. It’s only a matter of time before the country descends into civil war and His Majesty gets beheaded.
… I’m a coward.
Taking out a handkerchief from my pocket and wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes, I spoke to the Royal Guard with a sorrowful voice.
“To think I would get admonished by someone whose name I don’t even know… have you thought about where to run? What is your first choice?”
The Royal Guard’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and then he immediately smiled happily.
“Let’s see, don’t you think that the town of Spapa in the North sounds good? That place has a good public order and the scenery is nice, too.”
“I see. Let’s go there then… wait, I have to thank Emiel.”
We went back the way we came, and I was filled with such an exhilarating feeling of being freed from the stuff that kept piling up in my chest.