Chapter 26 – 《Trolley dilemma》
(I)
A thousand years had passed, yet the royal palace of the capital city still stood resolutely in its place. Although the materials, shapes, and designs of the buildings had changed due to several reconstructions, the structure of the palace remained the same.
“…”
At the crack of dawn, I strolled through various parts of the kingdom, accompanied by Tina and Alfred. Walking through the cold air of the early morning, I felt a rush of emotions as memories of this place, still vivid in my mind, resurfaced.
As I passed by the building where I once stayed a thousand years ago and the garden where Varius had proposed to me, a vast plaza appeared before my eyes, the very place where we fought everyone.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped my lips. The plaza, unchanged, appeared incredibly peaceful, as if the events that had occurred there a thousand years ago had long been forgotten.
With every step I took through the plaza, the memories of that day became sharper. The moment I had overpowered everyone with ease, the moment I was flustered at the sight of Lilianel being taken hostage, the moment my entire body was bound in chains and sealed away, and the moment I realized I had been betrayed.
“…”
I stopped at the very spot where the holy chains of the saint had bound me, and where Lilianel had struck my cheek. In that place, a small statue now stood.
It was a statue of a sword majestically thrust upside down into a skull’s head. At the base of the statue, a single line of neatly written script was inscribed.
────In commemoration of the first hero sealing humanity’s calamity.
“…”
It was a monument commemorating my sealing. How ironic that while they commemorated the sealing, the names of the people responsible were nowhere to be found.
It made sense that my name, which was recorded as an unprecedented calamity, was omitted, but why had Varius’ name been erased from the records? Why wasn’t his name even engraved on the monument commemorating his deeds?
Typically, a first-generation hero would be remembered and honored more as time passed, not forgotten like this.
What in the world had happened between those who remained after I was sealed a thousand years ago?
…Those were things I needed to start discovering now.
“…”
First, I swung an ordinary attack, smashing this distasteful monument to pieces. There was no need for a statue that commemorated an event without understanding the truth of that day.
Thud.
The well-crafted statue, likely made by a skilled artisan, crumbled back into its original form, a mere pile of stones.
“Ugh…!”
At the dull sound of the crash and the dust it kicked up, Mizael, the leader of the Ten Council who had been following me from a distance, trembled in fear.
“Ah…”
Having shattered the statue, I slowly turned my head toward her. As soon as her eyes met my crimson gaze, Mizael hurriedly averted her gaze. I could see beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.
I approached her, my cold gaze scanning her as I spoke.
“…I believe I gave you three hours.”
I had issued a stern warning to her and the other nobles of the Ten Council, demanding that they find out Lilianel’s whereabouts within three hours.
“And how many hours have passed now?”
-“S-six hours have passed…”
Mizael answered my question, her voice trembling as she bowed her head. Her body shook like a cellphone on vibrate. I brought my lips close to her ear and whispered softly.
“…Double the time has passed. Surely, you’ve found something by now?”
-“…”
“Or, are you wishing to die?”
-“Ugh, ugh…”
At my cold warning, Mizael let out a groan. She then threw herself to the ground, pressing her forehead against the dirt in a desperate bow. Her voice, filled with despair, echoed throughout the plaza.
-“I-I’m so sorry!! We’re all doing everything we can, so please, just a little more, just a little more time, I beg of you!!”
“Hmm…”
I coldly looked down at her. If even they, who had managed the kingdom’s internal affairs with such skill, had not been able to locate her by now, then perhaps Lilianel really had made up her mind to completely vanish.
“Hey.”
As I pictured Lilianel’s fox-like face, I grimaced. My mood darkened, and Mizael, sensing my displeasure, slowly raised her head.
I ordered her.
“…Gather everyone.”
******************
(II)
The throne in the audience chamber, where the king would normally sit with dignity and look down upon all, was now occupied by me—someone far from royalty—arrogantly crossing my legs.
On either side of me stood Tina and Alfred, and instead of the royal guard, skeletal knights clad in luxurious armor lined the audience chamber.
-“I-I’ve gathered everyone…”
Mizael, who had gathered all the members of the Ten Council at my command, bowed her head as she spoke. With Lilianel having fled and one member dead at my hands, only eight were present here.
I coldly surveyed them, my voice echoing in the vast audience chamber like in a cave.
“Good, now tell me.”
-“T-Tell you what…?”
“Yes, report to me what you’ve discovered.”
-“A-Alright…”
At my words, Mizael bowed her head again. After calming herself, she began to report what they had learned regarding Lilianel’s whereabouts.
-“The Prime minister foresaw the attack on the capital in advance, and it seems she escaped to another city within the kingdom. We’ve mobilized all our connections to track her movements, but it hasn’t been easy…”
“…Why not?”
-“The lords of other cities are being very uncooperative. Some have already cut off teleportation hubs and pigeon communications, while others have openly declared hostility.”
“Hostility, you say…”
-“…It seems they had already communicated with Prime minister Lilianel beforehand and promised to cooperate with her, no matter what.”
“Hmm…”
What kind of figure was Lilianel in this kingdom that even after witnessing the fall of Ermail and the capital, people were still willing to rally their forces and fight me on her behalf?
Did they have some hidden trump card that made them believe they could win?
Or was it simply that these noble humans couldn’t stand the idea of bowing their heads to a vampire out of sheer pride?
-“…Of course, there were a small number of lords who expressed their willingness to cooperate in exchange for guarantees of their territories’ safety, but unfortunately, they weren’t of much help.”
“…”
…The fact that even the quicker-thinking ones were of no use only made me laugh bitterly. I asked Mizael:
“…Those siding with Lilianel, what exactly are they relying on? No matter how much money they’ve been promised, surely nothing is more important than their own lives.”
-“That’s…”
Mizael hesitated, then responded awkwardly.
-“I-I believe it’s because they still have the ‘hero’ by Prime minister Lilianel’s side.”
“The hero…?”
-“Yes, the one who has always solved the kingdom’s problems so decisively that he’s known as the ‘Wings of Hope.’ They believe he’ll manage to pull through somehow this time as well.”
“Hmm…”
-“The lords who have declared hostility have even gone so far as to cut off the teleportation hubs in their territories, making it impossible to reach them. It seems they’re planning to hold out until the Prime minister and the hero can find a way to resolve everything.”
“…”
So they plan to endure, blindly hoping for salvation.
All relying on that hero, Varius’ descendant.
-“Additionally, those who cooperate with us are afraid that if the hero does win, they’ll be branded as traitors who can never wash away the stain of betrayal. That’s why they’re being so cautious.”
“…”
I furrowed my brow at Mizael’s words.
Indeed, this was a situation often seen even in real-world wars.
Believing the enemy would win, they sided with them, only to be branded traitors when their own side achieved a miraculous victory.
I couldn’t say I didn’t understand their choices.
“…Alright.”
…But how many people would stick to that choice when their territory’s destruction and their own deaths were staring them in the face?
I rose from the throne and spoke to Mizael.
“Prepare a list of territories that are cooperating with Lilianel and those that have declared hostility toward us.”
-“Eh? Yes, I-I understand…”
“…And, deliver this message to all those lords.”
I smiled, a sharp glint in my eyes. To an observer, it must have been a rather chilling expression.
“From now on, I’m going to destroy your territories one by one.”
My voice dripped with menace, and Mizael flinched at the brutal warning.
-“D-destroy them?”
“Yes, I’ll turn them into wastelands, far worse than what happened to Ermail and the capital.”
-“…I understand.”
“However, any territory that willingly reveals Lilianel’s location, I’ll spare.”
If I destroyed every territory, leaving only the one where Lilianel was hiding, it would take a long time.
That’s why I decided to give them one additional option.
If they reveal where Lilianel is, that territory alone will be spared.
It would be a difficult choice for the lords. They would have to weigh their loyalty to Lilianel against the safety of their people.
Could they really endure the psychological pressure of watching their territories fall one by one, believing solely in the hero, while everything beneath them crumbles?
As I slowly crushed the nearest territories, suffocating them, someone would eventually crack under the accusing gazes and resentment of their own people and reveal Lilianel’s location.
Perhaps the lord of the territory where Lilianel was hiding would even willingly surrender her.
The hero’s symbolism? Their loyalty to Lilianel?
…In the end, there is nothing that can overcome the fear of imminent death.
“So, among the territories siding with Lilianel, which one is the closest to the capital?”
I asked Mizael. After thinking deeply for a moment, she replied.
-“A-a day and a half north of the capital, there’s a territory called ‘Rieli.’ It’s a very small territory with fewer than 10,000 residents, sustained mostly by tourism.”
“Rieli…?”
I opened my eyes wide.
What could have convinced the lord of such a tiny territory to choose to fight? Even great cities had fallen helplessly, so surely he must know his city would be swept away without being able to do anything.
-“The lord of Rieli, ‘Chris Evergrit,’ and his people are known for their strong sense of justice and conviction. The territory almost faced destruction once before due to a monster invasion, so they have a deep hatred for monsters.”
“…”
-“Moreover, his second daughter, ‘Judith Evergrit,’ recently joined the hero’s party, so Chris has no choice but to side with the hero and the Prime minister, for his daughter’s sake.”
“The hero’s party…!”
So Rieli was the territory that produced a member of the hero’s party.
Given that a member of the hero’s companions came from such a small place, they were likely treated as a source of pride for the territory.
With their deep hatred of monsters and the lord’s daughter becoming a hero’s companion, it would be hard for him to betray the hero and Lilianel.
-“…Will you send the army?”
Mizael asked nervously, her body trembling. In response to her question, I smiled and shook my head.
“Army…? Didn’t you say there are only 10,000 people?”
It was more like a large village than a territory. Given that the teleportation hubs had been cut off, sending an army or even marching there for a day and a half seemed incredibly inefficient.
Instead, I called out to Tina, who was standing behind me.
“…Tina?”
“Yes, Master.”
At my call, she took a step forward. I gave a command to my ever-faithful subordinate.
“Go to that territory called ‘Rieli’ and make a suitable mess. Oh, and bring the lord back alive.”
Since the lord was the father of one of the hero’s companions, if I took him hostage, it would be much easier to draw the hero and his companions out. He seemed like a worthwhile hostage to keep around.
And Tina alone would be more than enough to handle the task.
“Leave it to me.”
Tina curtsied, lifting the hem of her maid outfit and bowing politely.
…On the other hand, Mizael’s face was frozen in shock as she looked at us.
-“S-send only one person…?”
“Huh…? Only? ‘Only’ is quite a funny way to put it.”
I chuckled at Mizael’s needless concern.
In this age where everything had declined, sending Tina to destroy a village was not ‘only’—it was a luxury.
It was a courtesy to send an opponent far beyond their capability, one who would thoroughly handle the matter. They should actually be grateful to me.
“Don’t be surprised. Soon enough, you’ll see even a large city fall to a single undead.”
-“A-a large city…?”
Mizael’s face turned pale.
She probably couldn’t comprehend what I was talking about just yet.
But if no one revealed Lilianel’s whereabouts until the end, then all that awaited them was more death.
The choice was entirely theirs.
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