CH 441

The Royal Council

In the royal house of the Kingdom of Sunkland, Solecsudo castle, there was a room with a rectangular table. Around it sat seven men. The person who was sitting in the middle was tall and strong, with gray hair and sharp eyes. The way he dressed showed that he was King Abram Sol Sunkland.

Abram frowned as he heard his headmaster give a report.

“You say that a group of thieves that are unusually good on horses…”

“Yes, Your Majesty, that’s right. They were able to get away from our best mounted troops. These are not your average thieves. I think they are working for that wandering Equestrian Kingdom.”

“That’s interesting. Sion, tell me what you think about it.”

Sion sat up straight when his father looked at him.

“Yes, your highness. I think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions too quickly.”

“…And why are you being careful?”

“Many people will suffer because of wars between countries. It is too soon to say that the Equestrian Kingdom is to blame. I don’t think they would attack us just for fun, and they have no other reason to.”

“Ah, Your Highness is wise, but still young,” said Count Lampron, a nobleman who loved Sunkland and was very loyal to his king. He laughed out loud. “Not all rulers have as much knowledge as Your Highness. You shouldn’t think that other countries will act as wisely as our glorious one.”

“The actions of many countries are driven by mindless expansionism. There are plenty of stupid rulers who will attack other countries for no good reason just to get more land.”

“Your words are a little bit too rude for these calm times, Count Lampron. To some ears, they might sound like the words of someone who wants to start a war,” said another speaker.

“Oh? I didn’t think that would come from you of all people.”

The Royal Council was a group of nobles who got together to talk about politics. Sion had no plans to get involved in government until he graduated from Saint-Noel, so he never really cared much about the assembly. But his time at school had made him see things a little differently. He was most influenced by the princess of Tearmoon, who was the same age as him and was actively trying to change things in her kingdom.

What are Mia and the others doing right now?

In his mind, he saw her again, dressed in purple. But the voice of a different girl reached his ears.

If I don’t tell her now, I’ll be sorry later, huh…?

The words of Tiona, which were so serious and important, rang in his head. There were definitely things he wanted to say to her.

Based on how often Mia is on my mind, I’m probably… But do I have the right to tell her how I feel as I am right now?

His mistake in Remno still makes him feel bad. Bitter regret, made even worse by the fact that he knew he was immature, pushed down on his chest like an anvil, stopping him from saying anything.

I’ll make up for my mistakes, but I’ll have to work for the chance. I said that, and I still believe it to be true. But…

A rapid change in the mood of the room stopped him from thinking. The whole council was upset by what one member said.

“Recently, I’ve heard that Equestrian troops have been wandering around near the border. They can’t have nothing to do with each other. For the sake of the people who live there, we have to send in the army right away, even if it’s just to calm the fears of the people in Sunkland,” said a more and more angry Lampron.

He was on the conservative end of the political spectrum, which values tradition and supported Sunkland expansionism. They said that it was better for people to be ruled by the King of Sunkland, who, in his great wisdom, would bring them closer to wealth, than by a king who wasn’t good at his job. It was, by the way, the same idea that the White Crow, Graham, held. By their very nature, these expansionists often didn’t care about the authority of other countries.

Sion let out a quiet sigh before saying in a strong voice. “Your Majesty, there is no need to involve the army at the moment. If you give me leave, I’ll put together a group of soldiers and lead them there to find out what’s going on.”

There were many different goals and interests that fought at the Royal Council, both on top of and under the table. It was politics at its best, and the people who took part had to deal with both good and bad feelings. To stay alive, you had to eat honey with your bile. To use it, you have to swallow quickly. Sion still found it hard to swallow, but he kept doing it because he never forgot why he was there.

Was it his conviction? His dedication to doing what was just and fair? It wasn’t, no. The sad things that happened that day tipped the beam of his justice scale.

What would Mia do?

The Great Wisdom of the Empire re-calibrated his scale, even though he didn’t want to or know how to. Now it had the right values, so he could weigh events against the philosophical masses to figure out what was really fair.

“The sword of justice we were given is very sharp. It cuts quickly and well, but it can’t fix anything. If we use it wrong, many people will be hurt,” he said as he looked at his father.

“Is it not too dangerous for Your Highness to go in person?” asked a noble who was there.

Sion shook his head when warned to be careful. “The Sunkland royal family is weakened by the carelessness of people who are suffering. It hurts our right to be in charge. But we must also be careful not to carelessly cause more pain by the things we do. It’s important to find out the truth, and I’m asking again, Your Majesty, for permission to do so.”

He got up, walked over to his father, and got down on one knee while bowing his head. The king looked at him with a smile on his face.

“I see… Very well,” said the king with a hard nod. “Your wish has been granted. You have been given an official order to lead a group of soldiers and put down the bandits in question.”

So, it was decided that Sion would be in charge of a newly formed armed unit whose job would be to eliminate the bandits.

—

“Another ten out of ten on the scale of being careless.” Keithwood was very upset when he heard about Sion’s new job. “Have you ever thought about not putting yourself in danger all the time? Have you ever thought about what would happen if something bad happened to you? I’m sure you have, which makes it all the more strange…”

“Oh, Keithwood, come on. Get a grip. People say things like, ‘The road to a good king is paved with nervous servants.’”

“They most definitely don’t say that.”

Sion smiled at him to make him feel better. It didn’t do what it was supposed to do.

Keithwood thought…

It’s because of how he’s been acting lately. He seems to be in a hurry to get something done. There’s a strange feeling of worry, even desperation…

Keithwood could even say when Sion’s behavior had started to change. Last winter, it happened. In particular, after they had gone to Princess Mia’s birthday party in the city of Tearmoon.

That day, did something happen? I can’t think of anything in particular, but…

Just then, as they were getting ready for Sion to leave…

“Sion!”

A young boy who wasn’t quite a teen ran toward them. His hair was the same silver color as Sion’s, but he didn’t look as tough as Sion’s because he didn’t train regularly. He seemed more fragile and delicate than the older boy.

Echard Sol Sunkland was the second prince of Sunkland and Sion’s younger brother. He turned ten this year.

“I heard the news, Sion.” Echard asked with worry in his eyes, “Are you really going to eliminate the bandits yourself?”

Sion smiled to try to make his brother feel better. “You’re right. And only the best of our men will be with me. That doesn’t mean I’ll relax my guard, though. Also, Keithwood is going to be there. I’ll be alright.”

“But… But if something bad were to happen to you…”

“Ha ha ha, Lord Echard, you worry too much. When Your Highness was your age, he was already better at swordplay than grown men,” a nearby old knight joked.

The troops around him all started praising his skills.

“His Highness is a master at using a sword. No thief will be able to beat him.”

“Lord Echard, you’d know if you learned from him. Why don’t you ask His Majesty to teach you something?”

Echard gave the knights a strange smile as they laughed.

That doesn’t do the boy any good at all… Keithwood bit his lip as he looked at the conversation from the side. He could see that Echard was going through a lot of stress, most of which was caused by his intense jealousy of his brother. Nobles who are interested in politics could use disagreements between the two princes to help their own parties. But I can’t really get into this. I shouldn’t say anything. It’s not my place to speak.

The two princes had a small but clear disagreement, and Keithwood could only hope that it wouldn’t get worse.