Chapter 160 - A Futile Policy

Olivia approached Ferda with a smile on her face.

Ferda decided to greet her out of courtesy.

"Your Highness—"

"Shh."

Her finger lightly pressed against Ferda's lips.

Her touch was soft, and the scent of flowers lingered richly around him.

"I'm not a princess here. I've come as nothing more than a believer... and as a member of the relief corps."

"Is that so?"

"What brings you here, Mr. Ferda?"

He obviously couldn't tell her that he had come to meet one of his own subordinates, so he chose to lie.

"A beggar stole one of my gold coins and ran off, so I chased after him."

"No matter how angry you were, you shouldn't have come this deep into a place like this."

"I suppose you're right."

"There are many people who would target the Regent. I can't allow you to expose your identity so carelessly."

Olivia let out a soft laugh and beckoned with her hand behind her.

One of the men accompanying her stepped forward, took out a robe, and handed it to her.

"Come with me under my protection."

Ferda silently looked down at the robe.

Normally, he would have ignored it and walked away.

But wasn't the very person responsible for the dilemma that had plagued him for the past several hours standing right before him?

Just as Garnet had suggested, asking her directly might be the answer.

"...Very well."

Ferda put on the robe.

"Stand beside me. A little closer."

Ignoring the other guards accompanying her, Olivia placed Ferda right at her side.

Looking uncomfortable, Ferda asked,

"Isn't this a little too close?"

"I have a feeling there's something you want to ask me. That's the only reason you accepted something this ridiculous, isn't it?"

She was remarkably perceptive.

"But before that, help me with a little work."

"...Understood."

Ferda wasn't particularly curious about why Olivia was here, but since what he wanted to discuss wasn't a light topic, he had no choice but to accompany her.

The place she headed toward was the beggars' hideout.

Skin darkened from never being washed.

Body odor far removed from anything pleasant.

Children's cries singing a song of despair.

In a place like this, Olivia seemed like a single ray of light.

The beggars, who had been lifeless and devoid of energy, hurried into motion the moment they saw her.

They even brought out the children they had carefully hidden away, lining them up before kneeling.

Had they recognized that she was the princess?

No.

They were untouchables who had never even seen the face of a princess.

To them, the only things that existed above them were the local gangs... and the relief corps of the Alte Religion.

Judging by Olivia's robe, they assumed she belonged to the latter.

That was precisely why Olivia had come here.

The guards accompanying her were carrying relief supplies.

Whenever they took out freshly baked bread and a cup of water, Olivia personally handed them out one by one.

"This is the grace and mercy of Almighty Alte."

Olivia spoke those words, and the beggars responded mechanically.

"We give thanks for the grace of the great Alte."

One after another, she served each of them.

It was slow work.

More importantly, it was filthy work.

Some even secretly brushed their fingers against her delicate hand, wanting to feel it if only for a moment.

Yet Olivia showed neither disgust nor revulsion.

By the time every loaf of bread and every cup of water had been distributed, her beautiful hands were stained with dirt.

"Is this part of your saintly training?"

Ferda asked.

Olivia wiped her hands with a perfume-scented handkerchief before replying,

"Would you believe me if I said I've been doing this since long ago?"

Ferda answered bluntly.

"Not really."

A princess, of all people.

And one whose heart was filled with schemes.

It was difficult for Ferda to believe that such a woman would genuinely show kindness to others.

"I thought you'd say that."

Olivia merely smiled as though his reaction was only natural.

"As I've told you before, there are simply too many people in this Empire. So many that people eventually forget how precious a single human life truly is. It's like replacing parts inside a giant machine."

Countless people might die.

Yet the Imperial Capital itself would remain standing.

Olivia had already spoken of her solution to that problem.

"That's why you said the Empire needs a second capital."

"Yes. Only after something is on the verge of being lost do people finally realize how precious it truly is."

This could also be another political performance meant to win public support.

But even nobles renowned for caring about commoners never went as far as Olivia did.

Even Valdemar Golt, the Hero of the Masses, never regarded the untouchables as human beings.

There had to be something beyond politics.

Some conviction that made this possible.

Watching her actions, Ferda made up his mind and spoke.

"Grand duke Golt made me an offer."

The smile disappeared from her lips.

"What kind of offer?"

Ferda answered calmly.

"He promised to guarantee the safety of the Far East if I handed you over."

"Did you accept?"

Contrary to expectation, she showed no sign of shock.

She simply moved on to the next question.

"I postponed my answer. Or rather... he did."

"He's trying to make you think. That means he's confident he has something to rely on."

"That seems to be the case."

After that, an uncomfortable silence settled between them.

Her expression remained hidden beneath the robe.

Ferda began regretting that he had brought it up at all.

As they continued walking, Olivia suddenly stopped.

Her gaze, hidden beneath the hood, was fixed somewhere ahead.

An old woman and a frail child were begging there.

The child lay weakly in the old woman's arms while she held out a wooden bowl, pleading for charity.

"Did you know?"

Olivia asked while looking at the old woman.

"Know what?"

"Grand duke Valdemar Golt once introduced a policy for people living in extreme poverty like them. Free education."

"He allowed children who couldn't even afford water to wash their faces to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic."

Literacy belonged almost exclusively to the upper class.

At the same time, being able to read and write could become the first stepping stone for a commoner to improve their life.

"Doesn't that sound like a policy worthy of the Hero of the Masses?"

"Doesn't it?"

"No."

"It isn't."

"Because I know it was nothing more than a policy that sounded good on paper."

Her chin tilted toward the child in the old woman's arms.

"For people like them, today's meal matters far more than a distant future earned through education."

"It's far more profitable to use a child as a tool to earn sympathy than to place hope in that child's future."

"That's why there's even a business that rents children out."

Renting children.

Hearing her words, Ferda looked closely at the old woman and the child.

They truly shared no resemblance whatsoever.

They were complete strangers.

"So if you truly care about their future, you shouldn't give money to beggars like them."

"If you prove that renting out children is profitable, they'll spend their entire lives being used as tools by adults, and poverty will simply be passed on to the next generation."

Cruel...

Yet undeniably rational.

For a moment it seemed as though she would simply turn away.

Instead, Olivia crouched down and quietly placed a single silver coin before the old woman.

The old woman repeatedly bowed her head in gratitude for the kindness.

No matter how logical or rational the solution might be...

Olivia was still human.

She simply couldn't turn away from the tragedy before her eyes.

"...About Grand duke Golt's proposal."

Olivia spoke.

Emotion surfaced on her lips.

Ferda recognized that emotion all too well.

A cold blade forged from profound sorrow intertwined with burning rage.

"Accept it."

It was revenge.

***

The second morning in the Empire.

Despite the peaceful sunshine of a clear morning, the attack against Ferda began.

In front of the luxurious inn where Ferda was staying, a group of people gathered and erected a platform.

Once the stage was complete, a middle-aged man dressed as a noble stepped onto it.

"Citizens of the Empire, I beg you to lend me your ears!"

With the assistance of a mage using amplification magic, his voice swept through the crowds on their way to work.

"I stand here today to expose a murderer!"

The shocking declaration naturally drew a crowd.

"My name is Perry Yurei. I am a duke of the Heinkel Kingdom—not a noble of this Empire."

The rank of duke stood nearly equal to that of a king.

For someone of such status to stand in the streets addressing commoners with respect was astonishing.

"Today, I stand before you not as a duke, but as a father!"

"My son, Marcus, was a brilliant young man."

"Unlike this pathetic father of his, he had a glorious future ahead of him."

"He would surely have become a magnificent ruler of his territory."

"But that child...!"

Duke Yurei's hands trembled violently.

The grief of losing a child transcended all social status.

"My son participated in the Festival of the Beginning of Spring, where he was attacked... and disappeared."

"Until then, I believed monsters were responsible."

"But beneath the glorious light of the great Alte, no darkness can remain hidden forever."

His emotions intensified.

The atmosphere grew heavier.

"I discovered who murdered my son."

"And today... I have come here to expose him!"

Pointing toward the luxurious inn, Duke Yurei shouted,

"Ferda Valdrova, Regent and fiancé of Grand Duchess Valdrova!"

"He is the murderer who killed my son!"

***

Everything unfolded exactly as planned.

Duke Yurei gained the public's sympathy as a grieving father.

The rumors spread with incredible speed.

People often said rumors had wings, but these spread throughout the entire city in barely two hours.

Someone had undoubtedly been manipulating things behind the scenes.

But what did that matter?

To the people, only two facts mattered.

Duke Yurei had lost his son.

And Ferda Valdrova was a murderer.

Ferda headed once again toward the Golden Council.

The moment he stepped outside, countless hostile gazes fell upon him.

Exactly as expected.

The condemnation that should have begun yesterday had merely been delayed until today.

"We will escort you safely."

Count Consilus wore the grim expression of a man marching off to war.

He knew that if so much as a single object thrown by the crowd struck Ferda, there would be no turning back.

Mounted on horseback, Ferda quietly observed the people.

Anger... and hatred...

Ferda showed no emotion.

He neither wished to understand those who raged in ignorance...nor explain himself to them.

He entered the Golden Council.

The devoted fiancé had now become a criminal...the newest subject of everyone's gossip.

Even the guards' security inspection had become noticeably stricter.

"Regent."

Before entering the chamber, an old man called out to him.

The very mastermind behind all of this.

Valdemar Golt stood there like a Chief Justice.

"Have you prepared your answer to my proposal?"

Everything would end if he simply handed Olivia over.

She herself had even volunteered to become the bait.

Give Olivia away...and the problems in the Far East would be resolved with ease.

"...Yes."

Ferda answered.

"Unfortunately... the human heart isn't something I can change."

"...I see."

Valdemar neither persisted nor grew angry.

He merely nodded, as though he understood.

"I understand your decision."

The calm before the storm.

He had thought knowing what was coming would at least make him uneasy.

Instead...his heart became strangely calm.

All the worries that had shaken him seemed to disappear.

Ferda quietly took his seat.

"Now that everyone has taken their seats, we shall begin today's session."

At Chairman Akard Dvelung's announcement, the chamber fell silent.

"Before addressing the matter concerning the transfer of Magitech Engineering technology, there is first a crime that cannot be overlooked."

Everyone already knew what that crime was.

"Regent Ferda, would you please step forward to the witness stand?"

As though he had been waiting for this moment, Ferda calmly walked forward.

"Regent Ferda, as you know, you have been accused of murdering Duke Yurei's son."

Rumors traveled quickly.

So did official proceedings.

"Furthermore, Duke Yurei has formally lodged a diplomatic protest with the Empire."

"Although he is a territorial lord of the Heinkel Kingdom, he has been granted permission to appear before this Golden Council because this matter may affect relations between our nations."

With those words, Duke Yurei entered the chamber.

It was the first time Ferda had seen him since the Grand Ducal Council.

But the confused and powerless Duke Yurei from back then was gone.

He had become exactly as Valdemar Golt had described.

A man with nothing left to lose.

A gaze that had lost everything in the world...and now sought revenge, prepared to drag everyone into ruin together.

...Not enough.

Ferda needed certainty.

"Regent Ferda, do you admit to murdering Prince Marcus Yurei?"

The chairman asked.

Ferda was about to answer.

His eyes turned toward Duke Yurei.