Ch.271To the Edge of the Cliff (11)

[“Your Majesty, as commanded, we have removed your portraits from various church schools and eliminated the various loyalty oaths conducted in church schools and universities.”]

[“The dismantling of the statue erected at Dijon University has been completed. The metals used have been processed into ingots and will be stored until a use for them is determined. However, there are too many statues being voluntarily erected by the people to control them all.”]

[“The deification work of Your Majesty that was being carried out by various lords has been terminated. However, the people’s voluntary praise remains strong, and even if we tried to stop it, we have no justifiable grounds to do so.”]

[“The culture that ‘individual lives are insignificant compared to the glory of Your Majesty and Lotaring’ has become deeply rooted among the people. Time appears to be the only solution to eliminate this culture.”]

[“Currently, most people believe that their social status was rightfully determined by God from the beginning. While this is certainly good, it has gone to such an extreme that they not only overlook but consider it natural for those of higher status to commit illegal and unreasonable acts. To create the rule of law that Your Majesty envisions, this mindset needs to be moderated to some extent.”]

[“The various churches within Lotaring that sought to regard Your Majesty as a saint and semi-prophet have ceased their activities. According to our intelligence network, the church authorities have voluntarily stopped such practices… I suppose Your Majesty issued orders to them.”]

[“Although Your Majesty’s maternal lineage, which had been fabricated through deification efforts, has been restored, the people consider this to be slander against Your Majesty and have become excessively aggressive. City dwellers who have had access to various information about Your Majesty show less of this tendency, but in rural areas where such information was scarce, it’s simply impossible…”]

[“The people are greatly dissatisfied with this policy. They want to worship Your Majesty as a saint and demigod, and they want to regard the Lotaring Empire as their primary community.”]

Sigh…

This is too difficult. Far too difficult.

I’ve been trying everything to normalize the madness of Lotaring, but if I proceed any further, it’s going to give me a headache. If I ignore the people’s explicit dislike and continue, it will not only provoke their resistance but might even backfire, making things worse than if I had done nothing at all.

‘…I suppose I have no choice but to give another speech.’

The people of this era are tremendously moved by the mere fact that a high-ranking figure like myself mingles with them. Of course, modern people are similar, but this tendency is much stronger in the medieval period.

They react as if a miracle has occurred just by being spoken to once.

Didn’t they become emotional just from reading a public notice I wrote, saying how could such a noble emperor make requests to lowly beings like themselves?

In other words, using this tendency of the people could greatly help normalize the rigid state of Lotaring.

However…

‘But what if this backfires too?’

The issue is whether the people will take my speech at face value or not. Given the numerous precedents, many people are likely to not think as I intend.

For example… if I say not to build statues, they might distort it to mean that poor quality statues are worse than none at all, and end up building even larger and more magnificent statues.

…I wish I could go somewhere private and curse at the top of my lungs.

Still, I have no choice but to try.

“One month from now, I will give a speech in the square in front of the palace. Send word to all regions that people who wish to see me should come to Dijon by then.”

“…Your Majesty?”

Since Lotaring’s court culture changed to unconditional obedience—precisely since Leclerc retired—servants who question my orders have disappeared, but not this time.

Hmm? He probably thinks Dijon will be overcrowded with people.

If that truly happens, it’s no joke—people could be crushed to death under the weight of others.

“Of course, Dijon doesn’t have space for all of them. I will order the local officials and lords to admit only a certain number of people from each region.”

But that’s not what the servant is thinking.

My reason for gathering people from all over Lotaring is simply that I want my words and actions to be vividly remembered and spread throughout the regions.

Since stories become distorted as they pass from person to person, the only way to convey my thoughts accurately throughout Lotaring is to gather people from the provinces and explain directly to them.

“P-please kill me! I, a mere servant, failed to understand Your Majesty’s intentions and needlessly—”

“Enough, enough! Why would I kill you for asking one question? My ears hurt, so stop making such noise!”

“Y-yes…!”

Really… servants these days are so strange. Making such a fuss over nothing.

I miss Leclerc, who would occasionally deliver cynical remarks… I should visit his estate with a gift soon.

……….

“Your Majesty… what brings you here?”

“What do you mean? Does a monarch need a reason to visit a loyal subject who is recuperating?”

“Heh heh… Indeed, you’ve become quite monarchical, unlike in the past. I’m proud.”

If an ordinary nobleman had said to me that I’ve become more monarchical, it would be beyond disrespect—it would be like asking someone to kill them. But Leclerc is different.

Leclerc naturally has the experience to make such judgments and the qualifications to say such things.

Judging by his speech, he still seems healthy, which is fortunate.

“Well… it may be belated, but are you truly satisfied?”

“What do you mean?”

“The compensation. Isn’t it too little for your years of loyalty to our family?”

“Are you bringing that up again? My children have all received fiefs, and haven’t I received compensation every year while serving in the palace?”

“Come now… you know I’m not testing you or anything like that.”

“Yes, I know well. That’s why I cannot accept more.”

I tried to grant him a fief as a form of retirement payment, to elevate Leclerc from a legal nobleman to a landed nobleman, but he firmly refused.

He said there was no need since his children had already received fiefs through the emperor’s grace.

Of course, I forcibly gave him the title of duke instead, but it’s just a title without actual land, which still weighs on my mind.

“Well… I’m glad to see you’re still the same. It looks like you could live another ten years. I hope you’ll accept your overdue title before then.”

“Ten years? Isn’t that too optimistic?”

“Seeing how articulate your retorts are, you seem quite healthy.”

Ah, this old man who can’t even straighten his back on his own still has such a sharp tongue.

Until I came here, I missed Leclerc’s wit because the current servants are too bland, but facing reality now, I realize it was mostly nostalgia.

Ugh… servants who simply follow orders as instructed are heavenly in comparison.

“With such wit, you must be in quite good shape. Why such a fuss… have some confidence.”

“Haha… I’d like to say that, but… unfortunately, that’s not the case. Can’t you see that I’m unable to rise from my bed even when Your Majesty has come? Do you still say such things after seeing this?”

Leclerc’s gaze points to his own body.

His body, which was once lanky but muscular, has now become simply lanky.

Not only that, his hair has become like straw completely drained of moisture, and his skin is wrinkled and has lost its luster.

“Ahem… at times like this, you should just say you’re fine.”

“Haha, how could I lie to Your Majesty?”

…Really, don’t casually drop such remarks.

Though he always chose the most biting words, Leclerc’s loyalty never once dimmed.

Our first meeting was… well, given my background, I was quite disliked, but that was a natural reaction for Leclerc, a medieval person and the head butler of a high nobleman, so I hold no grudges.

“But… there is one thing I have lied about. And it was a critical lie.”

“…Huh?”

What’s this now?

I was just praising your loyalty in my heart, and now you suddenly say something that contradicts it… Even bad jokes have limits.

“To be precise, it wasn’t a lie but a failure to report… but well, there’s no difference in that I deceived Your Majesty… *cough*!”

“…”

Unfortunately, it seems this is no joke. Leclerc is approaching the conversation with utmost seriousness.

Sensing an important conversation ahead, I look around to dismiss the servants, but they have already all gone outside.

My servants had stayed outside from the beginning to avoid harming the patient Leclerc, but even Leclerc’s own servants, essential for his care, have suddenly disappeared… This wasn’t a spontaneous decision.

“Originally, I intended to take this to my grave… but doing so would be not just disloyal but a grave sin against Your Majesties.”

“Take to your grave? That sounds quite serious— Wait, ‘Your Majesties’?”

Your Majesties?

What does that—

“It’s about what Miss Chloe did.”