As the High Priest, he wasn’t in a position to lie.
Liselotte swept her gaze over the Emperor’s face with a thin look.
But surely, the scriptures didn’t say it that way.
Even if not the former High Priest himself, it must have been written by someone long ago.
“Then why is it written that way in the scriptures?”
“How should I know?”
At the sight of the Emperor shrugging his shoulders, Liselotte pressed her lips tightly together.
Meanwhile, the Emperor quietly gazed at the vase on the table and murmured.
“He was satisfied with the world as it was, so there was nothing to be done. I only regret that he left this world early.”
Even when he tried to sound casual, the sincerity that surfaced from time to time didn’t feel false.
“The nomads were those who worshipped the dragon at that time. Fearing the influence it might have on humans, they chose to live in isolation of their own accord.”
“That is far too different from what I knew.”
“Humans are weak by nature, are they not? They wish to lean on something, and they are quick to pick at those who have something, simply because they have it.”
Smiling faintly, the Emperor asked the two of them,
“You both know that well, do you not?”
Perhaps Eren knew, but did that really apply to Liselotte?
Unlike Liselotte, who had been discriminated against for lacking divine authority, was it not her previous life that was more similar instead?
Liselotte forced down the strange feeling and asked,
“Are there any surviving historical records?”
“Well, Chebu said as much.”
So everything traced back to the former High Priest.
With a groan, Liselotte pressed her forehead.
The evidence was admittedly thin, yet she still wanted to believe the Emperor’s claim.
She glanced sideways to check Eren’s expression.
She desperately hoped that those tormenting him were not nomads.
‘If he had to kill his own fellow nomads, that would be cruel in its own way.’
Eren had always been someone who hovered on the fringes within the Empire.
Even within the North, opinions had split into factions about him, so if he were rejected even by fellow nomads, would that not be unbearably tragic?
She had thought they would be the ones to embrace him instead…
‘Just when I thought we had moved away from the original story where Eren goes mad…’
It felt as though his limits were being tested in a different way instead.
Separate from the Emperor’s words, Liselotte had her own grounds for believing they weren’t nomads.
Had it not been said that nomads wandered alone?
Even calculating the number of assassins she had seen so far along with the people that died in Gelloa Village, it was difficult to view them as a small group.
‘If they were nomads to begin with, they would have sent nomads rather than humans given an incomplete transfusion.’
Since Eren could clearly use the Word of Command properly, there was no reason to send such half-measures.
No one knew the Word of Command better than he did.
Rather, if they kept losing their lives every time, there was nothing to gain.
Liselotte let out a sigh.
Judging by how he kept circling around the topic like this, it seemed he had no intention of revealing information about House Diconu after all.
“Haa, all right. I understand what you are saying, Father. Then you have no intention of helping us find the instigator, correct?”
“No?”
Contrary to her expectations, the Emperor’s reply was light and brisk.
“My daughter says she will capture the rebels for her father, no less. How could I not help?”
‘Please, just pick one attitude!’
It felt as though he was enjoying her reactions for some reason, but Liselotte smiled brightly for the sake of securing evidence.
“Oh my, how wonderful! Father, that is a wise choice!”
“You are saying things you do not mean at all.”
Judging only by his gentle tone and expression, there could hardly be a more affectionate father.
Watching him, she finally understood why Eren had said they resembled each other.
‘So this is how you toy with people from above…’
Apparently finding the situation amusing, the Emperor asked with curiosity.
“Since you are here, why not pay your respects to your wet nurse as well? I had her moved to the Capital.”
“Huh? Did she not leave for her hometown?”
The wet nurse who had looked after Liselotte briefly in her childhood had been in poor health and returned to her hometown.
The last thing Liselotte remembered was hearing that she had passed away shortly before her marriage.
After she left, she had no memory of seeing her again.
“I thought you might want to see her, so I moved her to the Capital. She stayed by your side her whole life, so should she not be given that much consideration?”
It was someone she hadn’t seen since childhood. Could it really be called a whole lifetime?
Though the doubt arose, she had been someone who had cared for her warmly back then, so Liselotte nodded without resistance.
“I will pick a day and go soon. Thank you for telling me.”
The Emperor simply smiled as if nothing were amiss and lightly tapped Eren’s knee.
“On your way out, tell my aide. I have had him standing by in advance, so he will hand over the documents.”
“I will accept it without refusing.”
At Eren’s blunt reply, he shook his head.
“No. Did you not also follow my orders without complaint?”
For some reason, it felt as though he was more affectionate toward Eren than toward Liselotte.
Feeling petty for no reason, Liselotte hooked her arm through Eren’s and pulled him close.
Making a point of it, she left a polite farewell to the Emperor.
“Since we are busy preparing for the trial, we will be leaving first. Thank you for your help.”
As she rose from her seat and greeted him while lifting the hem of her dress, the Emperor remained seated and quietly watched the scene.
Just before reaching for the doors of the audience chamber with Eren.
From behind them, the Emperor’s voice stopped her.
“Lise.”
It was a nickname, not her name.
When she paused for a moment where she stood, his gentle voice continued.
“If it gets hard, come find me anytime.”
Was this just a formality? Or was it sincere.
He had never said anything like this to the Liselotte of the past, had he?
Or was this also something she simply didn’t remember?
“This father of yours endures for that very reason. Should I not remain steady so that you may lean on me whenever you wish?”
Throughout the audience, he had been the Emperor of the Perida Empire, yet for the first time, he felt like a father.
At the warmth of words she had never heard before, the back of her throat stung for no reason.
She had never leaned on anyone. She had always lived proving that she could carry her own share alone.
At that single sentence, her lips trembled.
Liselotte turned her head, smiled brightly, and replied with polite courtesy.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
With her farewell, thud, the doors of the audience chamber closed.
In the now-quiet audience chamber, the Emperor stared endlessly at the closed doors.
“That is a relief. She grew up well.”
After gazing for a long while at the place Liselotte had left, only after several hours did he close his eyes and lean his head back against the sofa.
“Chebu. You were right.”
***
The documents the aide handed over were flawless.
Perhaps prepared in advance, the rise and fall of House Diconu had been organized in meticulous detail.
Without even being asked, reports concerning Gelloa Village and information related to nearby monster subjugations were also thoroughly included.
Having returned to the North, Liselotte couldn’t hide her admiration as she read through the documents.
“When did they manage to organize all of this?”
Even the sources of House Diconu’s funds were listed. It was enough to make her wonder how they had found out.
“Do reports submitted by noble Houses normally go into this much detail?”
Hedmilton, who had been waiting to collect Liselotte’s preparatory documents for the trial, shook his head.
“No. That is not the case. This was one hundred percent investigated separately by His Majesty.”
“How did he know?”
Though the question arose, the movements of her hand as she drafted the preparatory documents only grew faster.
※ Summary of the Defendant’s Claims
The gist of the defendant’s preparatory brief is as follows:
- This dispute arose after the plaintiff caused an explosion at a magic stone mining site and incurred liability for nonperformance, and was initiated in order to shift that responsibility onto the defendant;
- The grounds for contract termination claimed by the plaintiff do not constitute obligations of the defendant; and
- Since the contract for damage recovery after the last joint subjugation was concluded as a verbal agreement, compensation for damages must be paid accordingly.
However, these claims by the defendant completely fail to take into account the defendant’s long-standing and repeated unjust conduct, instead attempting to place the burden entirely on the plaintiff.
Accordingly, the defendant’s claims are rebutted with the evidence below.
- House Diconu was delegated by proxy to carry out subjugations within the Eastern region, which is managed by the defendant as the ruling House.
Despite the fact that responsibility for Eastern subjugations lies with the defendant, House Diconu proceeded with nearby subjugations using investment funds.
(Evidence No. 20)
- Evidence of subjugation activity in Gelloa Village within the Eastern region and omissions in the defendant’s reports.
Traces of subjugation were discovered in Gelloa Village, yet these details were omitted from the reports submitted by the defendant to the Central authority.
(Evidence Nos. 1, 12, and 15)
- Omissions in reports during the course of communication with the plaintiff.
Even in reports concerning border regions, just as in the reports submitted to the Central authority, the defendant deliberately omitted information such as the scale and location of the subjugation force.
(Evidence Nos. 2, 3, and 4)
※ Closing Statement
With a soft tap, Liselotte set down the pen and handed it to Hedmilton with satisfaction.
“All right. Let’s begin the lawsuit with the East.”
