Ch.25Foundation of Reform (3)

“What? One of the death row inmates escaped? And from the prison in Dijon Castle?”

“Y-yes…”

Early in the morning, as I begin my work, servants report that a prisoner disappeared this morning.

What is this nonsense?

Dijon’s prison has extremely tight security, and someone escaped from there?

“Are any other prisoners missing? Any witnesses?”

“No one else is missing except that one. As for witnesses, since death row inmates are all kept in solitary confinement—”

Then it’s highly likely some of the guards secretly helped the prisoner escape.

Being in solitary would have made it easier to avoid other prisoners’ eyes.

“For now, suspend the duties of the soldiers who were on duty at the prison during that time and investigate them one by one. Prioritize those whose wealth has suddenly increased or who had some connection to that prisoner.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tsk… I can’t believe there were still vermin remaining.

I thought we had caught them all—

Knock knock—

Just then, I hear a small but distinctly resonant knock at the door, a sound I’ve never heard before.

Who could it be? It doesn’t sound like Chloe, Leclerc, or any of the other servants.

“Your Grace, Duke of Burgundy, Ines of Lorel requests an audience.”

“Ines? Yes, come in.”

I was slightly puzzled by the unfamiliar knock, but it was from Ines’s servants.

It seems Lorel’s knocking culture is slightly different from Burgundy’s.

After my permission, Ines’s servants respectfully open the door and escort her in.

“Good morning, Your Grace.”

Ines simply smiles without saying a word, and only after approaching me with the support of her servants does she greet me according to protocol.

The proper etiquette for a noblewoman greeting her betrothed.

“Good morning, Ines. What… brings you here?”

“Does one need a reason to meet one’s fiancé?”

“Huh?”

Being busy with work, I went straight to the point, but Ines responds with something difficult to answer.

Well… she’s right.

“Ines, but this is my office.”

“I miss you so much since we rarely see each other despite being engaged. I won’t disturb you, I’ll just sit over there on the sofa, so please…”

“Uh, um…?”

When she puts it that way, I’m at a loss for words again.

I have been too busy lately to meet Ines often.

“May I… not?”

Ines says this while looking down at me with tears welling in her eyes.

I’ve always looked down at Ines from above, but now looking up at her from below feels quite different.

“…Just be quiet.”

“Yes!”

How can I refuse when she looks at me with those eyes? Sigh…

Fortunately, I finished all the harsh talk about purges and such yesterday. At least I won’t have to subject Ines to cruel stories.

Having received my permission, Ines bows her head respectfully as if nothing happened, then goes to sit on the sofa.

“…”

‘It’s too much pressure when you stare at me like that.’

Seated on the sofa, Ines sips tea served by her attendant while watching me.

Her head is completely fixed in my direction, and she’s wearing a bright smile.

Chloe does the same, but at least she stays by my side or behind me, not directly in my line of sight like that. Plus, her clothes are so colorful that they’re too eye-catching.

…This makes it hard to work.

……….

“…I present myself to the ruler of Burgundy.”

“Welcome, Luca.”

Luca seemed slightly surprised to see Ines sitting in my office, but quickly returned to his usual expression as if he hadn’t seen anything, and greeted me.

“How are our bureaucrats doing?”

“They have much to learn.”

Luca answers my question in the same language.

Although Luca’s homeland, the Commercial Republic of Vines, uses a different language from the Duchy of Burgundy, as an educated person, Luca has learned many foreign languages, so there’s no communication problem.

“Much to learn… I can imagine.”

Even I, who had no connection with paperwork until becoming a duke, including my previous life, could clearly see how terrible the bureaucrats were. How much worse must it seem to a merchant who has served as a financial advisor?

“Yes, I’ve been reminded of the meaning of the proverb: ‘Great gold comes with an equal price.'”

It’s a proverb I’ve never heard before, but I understand its meaning perfectly.

Right, there’s no reason they would give a lot of money without cause.

“Of course, I am someone who works thoroughly for what I receive. I will rigorously train Your Grace’s people until they meet my standards.”

“Your standards… roughly what level are they?”

“To explain in terms Your Grace would understand most easily… about 30% of what Lord Chloe does.”

“Huh?”

Why is Chloe suddenly being mentioned here?

I turn to look at Chloe standing behind me, and she also appears puzzled.

“The neat arrangement of information, concise yet complete sentences, and even those pictures called graphs that visualize information—Lord Chloe’s documents are flawless.”

Ah… I understand what happened.

As I instructed, Chloe showed Luca all the documents she had prepared, and Luca seems greatly impressed.

…Wait, not graphs but “pictures called graphs”?

“Pictures called graphs? Is this your first time seeing graphs?”

“Yes.”

This is quite surprising.

A man who knows how to use all sorts of methods when preparing documents—double-entry bookkeeping, tables, and so on—didn’t know about graphs?

“I certainly made the right decision coming abroad. When my contract ends, bringing the concept of graphs back to my country will be a wonderful gift for my countrymen.”

“You, who only criticized before, are now giving praise.”

“Because it’s worthy of praise. By chance, did Lady Chloe invent these graphs?”

“No, I taught her.”

My answer seems unexpected, as Luca’s eyebrow twitches slightly.

Luca’s gaze shifts from me to Chloe beside me, then quickly returns.

“In that case… the Duchy of Burgundy has only ascension ahead. If you need any funds, please let me know. I can contact my countrymen back home immediately—”

“No, that’s fine. We won so much from our victory against Caroling that we won’t be short on funds for a while.”

This guy. True to his merchant nature, he immediately tries to do business.

Luca’s homeland, the Republic of Vines, typically uses methods to induce debtor countries and then leverage those debts to secure all kinds of rights. It’s an effective but much-hated approach that earns them many enemies.

…This makes me a bit uneasy.

Just to be safe, I should have someone keep an eye on Luca.

……….

“Your Grace, I’ll never do it again. Please, please!”

“You damn bastard!!!”

“…This is the end.”

The day of execution has finally arrived.

Death row inmates typically fall into three categories: those who beg for their lives, those who curse freely since they’re going to die anyway, and those who calmly accept death. These three types.

The nobles who rebelled seem very displeased about being executed alongside embezzlers whom they consider common criminals, but why should I care what they think?

“Waaaaaah!!!”

Following the victory over Caroling and now the rebels, the citizens of Dijon, excited by these consecutive victories, are cheering loudly for this big event of mass execution.

…Did I misjudge this?

I clearly intended to use the fear created by mass executions to deter crime, but not a single person in that square appears frightened.

“Your Grace, executions have traditionally been used as tools to instill fear, but they have also served as the finest entertainment.”

Noticing my doubt, Leclerc speaks up beside me.

“The common people have few amusements. While those of noble blood enjoy banquets, horseback riding, reading, board games, and many other entertainments, the pleasures available to them are limited to sexual gratification, alcohol, and stimulating spectacles like executions.”

“Hmm…”

Come to think of it, I may have heard something like this before.

Weren’t executions before modern times attended by many spectators?

Even in ancient Rome, the most popular entertainment among citizens was the bloody fights of gladiators.

‘Sigh, it can’t be helped.’

I wish people could find enjoyment in things other than such cruelty… but I can’t think of any alternatives.

Let’s just get through the executions first. But before that—

“Chloe, Ines. We’re about to begin the executions. Are you sure you don’t want to go inside?”

“It’s fine, Master. As your personal maid, I cannot leave your side during working hours.”

“Yes, I cannot become a good duchess if I turn my eyes away from such things.”

“Sigh… Neither of you needs to force yourselves… If you start feeling unwell, tell me immediately, alright?”

“Yes.”

Chloe, who faints when stressed, and Ines, who’s like a princess from a fairy tale—there’s no way they’ll be fine watching this.

I’d like to force them away, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to impose anything on Chloe and Ines. Ah well.

“Alright, proceed with the execution.”

“Execute!!”

As I resignedly tell the servant beside me to begin the execution, the servant shouts loudly to relay my order to the executioners waiting with their hands on the handles.

“Aaaah—”

THWACK!!

The screams disappear one by one with the sound of the massive blade coming down.

The severed heads, propelled by the impact, roll across the front of the execution ground before being picked up by the executioners and placed in wooden boxes.

‘Well, well.’

The spectators seem bewildered by the executions that ended in the blink of an eye.

I can hear them murmuring, some in disbelief, others jeering.

“W-what…”

Unlike the confused spectators, the death row inmates waiting their turn are wide-eyed with surprise.

Ah… this is what we call a guillotine.

Why are you all so surprised?

While it’s partly to finish the executions quickly, I designed this with you in mind.

“I was displeased that some die quickly while others suffer, so I personally designed this execution device. What do you think? I plan to standardize all executions with this method from now on.”

“…It’s quite impressive.”

Luca, who is observing the executions, responds in a somewhat flat voice.

I’ll take that as a compliment.

The condemned walk forward as if on a factory conveyor belt, ending their lives by placing their necks on the guillotine.

The citizens, who at first jeered at how boring it was, now seem quite sickened by this organized and systematic method of execution.

This vast square, which should be noisy, is filled with silence except for the screams of the condemned and the sound of the blade coming down.