Chapter 574-575 |
Once Sol made his decision, he decided to move fast. He may have established a 7 days ceasefire but nothing said Wratharis would listen to it. Of course, if they didn’t this would be to his advantage. Sol would be happy to see the King ruin his chances and make himself even more hated by the populace. This would make Sestuna's ascension to the throne even easier than it should already be.
Obviously, the Wolf King, for all his arrogance, should not be that stupid.
There was also another reason why he had chosen 7 days; if everything worked as he intended, everything would be different. The symbolism behind these numbers would be extremely powerful and useful for him to reach his goal.
Ignoring the rushing sound of the rivers and the thousands of strings that only he could see, Sol started walking forward and the girls followed, leaving only the 7 sages who did not know what to do in the current situation.
“You guys should sit down or mingle somewhere, you can also go to soothe the captured soldiers if you wish.”
Sol’s voice drifted to them before he finally left.
***
Once the girls were far enough, Athena finally had the courage to ask,
“Is it wise, Your Majesty?”
This was all the more reason for her to ask. Falling into complacency and believing that the King would always be right and would never make mistakes was a recipe for disaster in any kingdom.
It was important for some retainers to keep an objective mindset at all times even if they might get disliked because of this.
This time, neither Setsuna nor Lilin intervened. They knew to differentiate between a respectful question and one done with an insult in mind.
Furthermore, Athena and Setsuna had become something of close friends as they had very similar mindsets and shared the role of protecting Sol. Even if this role seemed to be nothing but a decoration in the current situation.
Sol simply shrugged. Now that he was not in front of people he needed to keep a mask, his cold impression vanished greatly and he once again seemed like nothing more than a young boy.
“Honestly. Whether it’s wise or not depends on what you think. For all their faults, the sages are prideful bunches. They will not hurt nor threaten the population of Lustburg. This would tarnish their honors. As long as we treat them well, they will not fight back.”
Athena hesitated a little and opened her mouth without speaking, to which Sol only chuckled, “You must be thinking that it’s pretty stupid to put the security of the population at risk while believing in something as flimsy as honors.”
“...Indeed. Far from me to insult the honor of the Sages. But when reality knocks, honors and pride can be thrown to the wayside.”
Athena was first and foremost a Commander. A knight and a soldier she may be. But she would always be a commander and as such she always had to keep an objective outlook on any battlefield.
Sol, Lilin, and Setsuna had proven they could easily put down the sages but as was shown during the earlier fight, all the sages needed were a few seconds to cause irreversible damage.
Even the Witch of Time and the Witch of Life, with all their power, were unable to bring back the dead to life. Leaving the Sages free without even one shackle to limit their powers was akin to keeping a bomb ready to explode at any moment and she could not understand the logic behind this reasoning.
“Not only that. I also do not understand the reasoning behind leaving 7 days of rest to the army of Wratharis. Those 7 days are variables during which the King of Wratharis could cause more problems for us. Whereas if we attacked now. Wratharis would have no means of resisting and we would be able to reach the gate of the capital in a few days.”
Athena really felt like pulling her hair, grabbing Sol by the collar, and shaking him awake while screaming and shouting. The only thing stopping her was her allegiance to the throne and the knowledge that such action would most likely be deadly should she carry on.
“Your expression is quite scary.”
Sol coughed awkwardly. Not finding it in him to rebuff Athena. He knew that his actions seemed incomprehensible to many and that if not for his success they would have taken him for crazy.
But,
“Everything I do is for a reason. I cannot speak of this now. But I just want you to understand that the reality is different from what you think. If Lupus attacks now…His chances of victory would be higher. If he leaves me the full seven days though…Heh. Let’s just say that 7 is my lucky number.”
Sol shrugged and continued to walk on, “As for the Sages, I already told them but there are ways to stop them from committing stupid crimes. I will have the witches watching them. Some witches wish to help a little and slowly integrate into our society. Soon, I will establish a police system that will monitor the entire Capital and eventually the entire Kingdom while being under the surveillance of the witches.”
Sol knew that what he was doing was breaking every law of freedom and right of privacy that could have existed in his old world. In a way, perhaps he was even more of a tyrant than Lupus. Albeit in a different sense.
But to such a thing, Sol could only laugh.
Privacy was the least valuable thing in this world where even the goddesses would peek at you while you were making love.
For Sol, privacy was just a myth and nothing but an illusion. Why should he care about the privacy of other people then?
Hearing Sol’s project, Athena decided to express her apprehension,
“Your majesty. While I understand and admire your wish to right the wrongs the witches suffered from, I believe you are giving them a little too much power too soon.”
Athena had learned about the truth of the Tower creation and she also learned about everything Jupiter did and how the witches were nothing but innocent victims in this matter.
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As a woman and even as a decent human being, what Jupiter did was both disgusting and atrocious. He had essentially used and abused someone who cared deeply for him before literally imprisoning them for years.
Furthermore, because of those actions, the last millennia have been fraught with deceit and hatred between witches and humans.
Humanities owed so much to the witches that they might never be able to repay their debts even generations after her.
But…
While she could understand and feel sad for them as a human and a woman, As a noble and a soldier, she could not let herself be blinded by their plight. Giving power to people who were oppressed for years generally did not end well for the previous oppressor.
“The witches now might be happy with the power they have but what about in 20 years? Hundred years or even a thousand years? What if the witches try to control the nobles or the royal court or if they get greedy and simply abuse their power?”
“Then…I guess it will be for the people of that time to deal with it?”
Sol shrugged. He could analyze outcomes and indeed, the chance of the witches one day trying to seize power from his descendant was possible. But…”Such is life.”
Sol did not know how long he could live. His lifespan was essentially in the tens of thousands and once he became a Demigod, it would be near infinite. He might care about the first few generations of his children but as the number rises, his feelings would change.
He couldn't babysit the royal family for millennia. More than anything else…Sol stopped himself from thinking further and smiled at Athena, “Let the future generation deal with the headache.”
“This is a very irresponsible thing to say.”
Athena gave a bitter smile. As a noble, worrying about the future was the norm as each decision they made was done with the feeling of duty that was taught to them since their birth.
“The power you have now is the result of the hard work of your ancestors. Do not disappoint them and do not disappoint your descendants. Only by doing so can our line prosper.”
Athena muttered, “This is what my father used to tell me when I was young before his death. This is also what my Grandfather continuously taught me. As nobles, we must never forget that our current situation was the result of generations of hard work. Our first ancestor may have been a farmer or a soldier but the one after him climbed higher and so did the one after him and it is our duty to make sure the one after us will not suffer. Noblesse oblige is not just a concept that shapes the way we deal with commoners. It also shows the way we must act as nobles.”
Athena cringed inwardly even as she spoke. She may have gone too far in trying to explain her vision to the prince and she had a feeling it came out as a little too preachy. She had seen firsthand that Sol did not take well to being looked down upon, even if it wasn’t her intention.
Sol, seeing her reaction gave a bitter smile and he turned to Setsuna and Lilith to ask, “Am I that scary?”
He knew he had done a few slightly extreme things when it comes to people who showed no respect to him but Sol was not so far down in hubris that he would refuse well-intentioned advice from someone who truly cared. Even more so when said advice was worthy of respect and learning.
Sol had been trained all his life as a noble but the emphasis had been very different. Be it because of his previous life or how neither Lilith nor Camelia taught him to have pride in his title as a King, he saw himself more as the big guy with powerful sticks rather than a true ruler.
This impression and this way of thinking colored his perception of the world and his interactions with people. This was also one of the reasons he had never liked Mars. Everything he heard about Mars painted him as a rightful individual and he sacrificed himself for the world and his kingdom. But perhaps…Also to insure a better future for Sol.
“Noblesse Oblige, huh.”
Mars may have failed his family but as a King, his actions and decisions were perfect for he had given as much as he had received from the Kingdom.
What about him? Was he a good king?
Sol smiled. A few months ago, he would have been able to answer and say No without a shadow of doubt. He had always put his own desire and the well-being of his family and those he loved above that of the need of this kingdom.
Thinking about it. He had always been very selfish,
“Thank you.”
Athena was bewildered at the unexpected show of gratitude but Sol simply continued to walk ahead, a brighter smile tugging at his lips. He had once again learned something more about himself.
He may not be fit to be a ruler but he loved ruling above people. He had no desire for conquest but he longed for the safety that controlling the world would bring him. The place he was now, the power he wielded, and the people he loved. All of this would have never been possible if some people did not fight for their lands, willingly giving their lives for what they believed in.
He would most likely never sacrifice himself for his kingdom but…He would make sure the sacrifice of those who were willing to die for their country would never go to waste.
Sol was not a good king.
But he would become the best king he could.
“I will slightly amend my decision. Once we go back to Lustburg. I will arrange a meeting for you with Clara so that you can prepare reasonable limitations to the power and responsibilities the witches will be bestowed.”
“Your Majesty…” Sol raised his hand and stopped her, “You can call me Sol. You have more than earned that right. You taught me a valuable lesson and gave me a great opportunity and realization.”
He gazed at Athena, his gaze solemn, “Athena Highland. Kneel.”
Athena, feeling the seriousness of the situation, took a knee immediately with her head lowered.
A ceremonial sword came out of Sol’s dimension and landed in his hand, “Athena Highland. Proud Heiress of the Ducal House. I hereby swear in my name. As long as your house will be loyal to the royal family, and as long as I am alive, the Highland House will never lose its title.”
Athena’s eyes opened wide when she felt the heavy weight of the sword on her shoulder, “Do you swear your allegiance to the royal family?”
“I swear!”
Even amidst her bewilderment, there was no hesitation in her words. This was without a doubt the achievement of a lifetime. As long as nothing wrong happened, Sol was destined to live generations even after her death.
“Very well. You can now rise. This ceremony is not an official one. I will reward you openly and properly once the war ends.”
Athena rose again, her face flushed with excitement and barely hidden giddiness. She couldn’t believe that her brash advice would bring forth such results.
Only in moments like this was one able to see that for all her bluster and confidence, deep down, she was still a young woman.
“Congratulations.”
Both Setsuna and Lilin clapped quietly, they were both very happy to see this.
“I will also appoint you as one of my personal advisors alongside Clara. This was something I should have done long ago but we did not have much time.”
All the nobles had been clamoring non-stop about how having a Beast woman and an elf as his closest advisor was unbecoming. He of course understood that this was just them wishing to add one of their chest pieces or some honey trap for him.
At least with Athena, all of them could only shut up. Athena had proven that she was not just a Yes woman. While Clara and Milia would also question his decision at times they were too enamored with him and might hesitate in fear of making him angry.
Furthermore, both of them always took his well-being first in the equation above that of the Kingdom. If he truly wished to become a better king, impartial people such as Athena who cared greatly for the Kingdom were essential.
“Now then. We have wasted enough time I believe. It’s time to go.”
He had taken one more step and understood a little more what it meant to be a ruler. This was a very good harvest. This episode also served as a small reminder.
He was not perfect.
He was not a god.
At the very least…Not yet.
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