Julius continued to speak. “However, it is your country that is now infringing on our borders. As signatories to the Mankind Declaration, it is our right to request that the Empire work to return our territory to us.”
“…So says Julius, but what’s the Empire’s take on it?” I asked, turning the conversation over to Jeanne.
She shrugged. “The Empire would prefer not to help Amidonia, who are really only getting what they deserve… but, as signatories to the Mankind Declaration, we have no choice but to respond to their request.”
“Basically, you are saying that the Empire will request that we return all occupied territories, including Van?” I asked.
“That would be what it means, yes.”
Yeah, I thought. I figured the Empire would take that position. It’s a little irritating seeing Julius act as if it was a matter of course that they would, but this is all within the range of what I expected. So, let me give them the answer I expected to give, too.
“I refuse.”
“Wha…?!” Jeanne gasped.
Julius was at a loss for words momentarily. Maybe he hadn’t expected such a clear rejection. However, he immediately rallied and took on a furious expression, saying, “Are you sane?! Thinking to defy the Mankind Declaration!”
“My intention isn’t to defy the Mankind Declaration,” I said. “However, I can’t abide the way Amidonia does things. First you invade Elfrieden territory, and then when we launch a counter-invasion, you whine about us changing the border by force. That doesn’t stand up to reason.”
“That’s… It was all decided by the former ruler Gaius, on his own…” Julius sputtered.
“That’s pure sophism, and you know it, don’t you?” I asked.
Julius seemed at a loss for what to say, at first, but then he responded, “Say what you will, it will not change the fact that the people of my country are living under your occupation. I, as the ruler of this country, must liberate my people.”
That was his argument. Liberation from occupation, huh…
“I question whether the people of Van want to be liberated,” I said.
“What?” Julius sputtered.
“Sir Julius,” I said. “Did you not see the streets of Van on your way here?”
In response to my question, Julius’s eyes went wide, and he immediately glared at me. “Van is the city that birthed and raised me. I know it better than you.”
“Do you now…? Well, what do you think of the color of Van now?” I asked.
“The color?” he asked hostilely. “I did see a number of houses with their roofs and walls painted in garish, tasteless colors, but what of it?”
Yeah… Well, maybe it wasn’t unfair to describe them as tasteless.
“We each have our sense of aesthetics, so I won’t comment on that,” I said. “However, Sir Julius. If the people were choking under the yoke of our oppression, do you think they would want to make their roofs and walls more colorful?”
I chose my next words carefully, so as not to drive Julius into a rage.
“If a ruler is oppressive, the people will try to act in a way that doesn’t stand out. That’s because, if they were to catch his eye by doing something showy, there’s no telling what kind of disaster might befall them. So the more oppressed the people, the less you will hear them complain. They don’t show their feelings or attitudes, keeping their true feelings bottled up deep inside their hearts. They would never dream of doing something like painting their roofs and walls in showy colors.”
There, I paused for a moment to look Julius in the eye.
“Now, tell me, what color were the colors of Van like when you and your father were here?”
In response to my question, Julius clenched his jaw. Of course he did.
When I’d entered Van, the color I’d sensed here was gray.
The labyrinthine streets, not even properly divided into districts, had had only houses with gray walls and earthen roofs, without the slightest hint of personality. Even though they hadn’t been part of a unified color scheme, they had all appeared standardized because the residents of this city had not been free in spirit.
“Between Van under my rule, and Van as it was under your rule, which really looks more like it’s ‘under occupation’?” I asked.
“You… Are you trying to say we were oppressive?” Julius shouted.
“Yes, because it’s a fact that you were,” I said. “It looks like most of your national budget was going to military expenses. The taxes your people pay are supposed to be returned to the people in the form of welfare. Instead of maintaining your city, or your roads, or supporting industry, you bled your people with heavy taxes that only went into the military. What is that if not oppressive?!”
“You cur!” Julius screamed, lunging for me.
“Sir Julius!” Jeanne snapped, reaching out a hand to stop him.
While Julius did stop after only taking half a step, he still gnashed his teeth in frustration. I hadn’t permitted them to carry weapons during the audience, but it would have been a risky situation if Jeanne hadn’t intervened.
“Aisha, you take your hand off your hilt, too,” I said.
“…Yes, sire.”
I had been able to feel the bloodlust behind me, so I’d put a stop to it. Her voice sounded dejected, like a child who had been scolded.
She didn’t have to let it get her down so badly, though. The reason I could brazenly tear into Julius like this was that I felt safe in the knowledge that, if it came down to it, Aisha was there to protect me.
“Sir Souma… I would ask that you refrain from agitating Sir Julius,” Jeanne objected, with a sigh.
“I only spoke the truth,” I responded. “Governing the nation and providing relief to the people… those are the two duties of a ruler. They, however, taxed the people heavily to pay for their wasteful military spending. That is the very definition of oppression.”
“And whose fault was that?!” Julius shouted. “If the royal family of Elfrieden hadn’t stole land from my grandfather…!”
“Not this again…” Hearing Julius trot out the same tired arguments, I let out a sigh. “The royal family of Amidonia calls out for revenge against Elfrieden at every turn, but neither you, nor even Gaius, were party to those events. What’s more, I haven’t been in this world that long. What grudge could you possibly have had against me?”
“Ah! That’s…”
“If anything, your country is the one that’s continuously tried to bring harm to mine,” I said. “…Hakuya.”
“Yes, sire.” Hakuya pulled out a piece of paper that was rolled up inside a cylindrical tube and handed it to the two of them.
On the paper was written a number of names. When they saw those names, Jeanne seemed confused, but Julius had a look on his face like he had just bitten into something unpleasant.
“What… is this?” Jeanne asked.
With a bow, Hakuya explained, “The names you see written here are nobles of the Elfrieden Kingdom who were incited to sedition by the Principality of Amidonia. Some of them rose up during the reign of the former king and were put down. Amidonia incited them, fomenting rebellion, tempting them into corruption, and encouraging them to adopt an uncooperative stance towards the royal family.”
“Oh, my…”
When Jeanne turned a cold look towards him, Julius clenched his jaw.
It had seemed like they’d been trying to stir up the three dukes, so I’d had Hakuya look into it, and, boy, had we ever found some shady stuff. I could see the names of corrupt nobles who had taken part in the uprising on the list, but some of the names I saw belonged to nobles who had refused to take a side in the recent conflict. When I returned to the royal capital, I was going to have to do something about that.