Chapter 59
Rikal stared at the sobbing woman with a hardened expression.
Rai crossed his arms with a subtle expression, while Arnold had his face buried in the ground.
“…I see.”
Having heard the entire situation, Rikal fell deep into thought.
Now that he was officially a prince, his first consideration was the profit and loss this incident would bring to the state.
If the truth were revealed, the kingdom would certainly not survive unscathed.
“Sigh…”
What exactly are the rulers of these nations doing?
One is busy scamming people in a game, while the other is squandering absolute power on trivial matters in the same game.
Forgetting his own past, Rikal found both rulers pitiful.
“Hey. What do you think we should do?”
Rikal asked Rai, who maintained a facade of ignorance.
He was sure Rai already knew everything about this matter.
“…Why are you asking me?”
“Because you would know.”
“…Perhaps meeting the king would be a good start.”
After a brief moment of contemplation, Rikal decided to follow Rai’s suggestion.
As Rikal prepared to move, Arnold desperately grabbed him.
“P-please wait, Your Highness!”
Arnold even dropped to his knees and clung to him.
“…It’s unbecoming of a prince to show such a sight.”
“I beg you, please. Just this once, show mercy.”
It was a sight no prince should show.
But for Arnold, burdened by the weight of a ruined nation, kneeling was nothing.
His desperation made Rikal hesitate.
However, it was hard to ignore this situation, no matter how much he wanted to.
Though it was absurd, the Emperor was genuinely enraged by this incident.
“His Majesty is wasting unnecessary manpower to find the culprit, so I can’t simply turn a blind eye. I will proceed to the royal palace for now.”
“Ah…”
The knights of the Turuk Kingdom hurried to the royal palace.
Though the visit was sudden, they couldn’t leave the palace unprepared for the prince’s arrival.
Rikal strolled leisurely toward the palace, taking in more of the capital.
He could have taken a carriage, but this gave the palace time to prepare.
‘It’s over… Our kingdom is doomed after all…’
Arnold followed in a daze.
In the end, the dynasty would fall like this.
Considering all his efforts to rebuild the kingdom had failed, perhaps this was better.
A short while later, Rikal came face to face with the king of the Turuk Kingdom, who had deep dark circles under his eyes.
The king greeted Rikal, unable to hide his unease.
“It’s… our first time meeting like this.”
The relationship between the king and the prince was ambiguous.
As a monarch of a nation, the king could not bow to a prince who was not yet emperor.
But neither could he treat the prince lightly, given his overwhelming power.
Thus, the king had to adopt an awkward tone while addressing Rikal.
“I assume you’ve heard the situation, Your Majesty <God of Electricity vv>. What is going on?”
As Rikal surveyed the palace and the king, he felt a sense of pity for some reason.
Compared to the Imperial Capital, the Turuk Kingdom’s royal palace was utterly shabby.
It was far too lacking to be the residence of a nation’s ruler.
Moreover, the king’s condition appeared poor.
Not only was his health questionable, but it also seemed as though he spent all day playing games.
Still, Rikal recalled the times he had fought alongside <God of Electricity vv> in ‘Maple Leaf Story.’
They had been decent comrades in the game, sharing a light-hearted bond.
Seeing the reality of this once-light-hearted companion evoked a sense of pity in Rikal.
Of course, Rikal did not reveal the identity of <Light of the Empire>.
“T-that is…”
The king stuttered, sweating profusely and gnashing his teeth.
Even he could not think of an excuse.
Instead, a deep-seated anger simmered within him.
Anger toward the Empire, which had reduced his kingdom to this state.
And anger toward the Emperor, who was using such petty authority over a trivial amount of money.
They had taken everything from his kingdom, yet they were squeezing a person’s neck over something so insignificant?
“His Majesty is still deploying people to find <God of Electricity vv>. Now that we know the truth, I cannot ignore it. Regardless of how His Majesty receives this, it might be best to return what was scammed and offer an apology…”
Rikal spoke firmly, his face stern.
Hearing this, the anger in the king’s heart began to rise.
“……”
But this anger and resentment had to be suppressed yet again.
No matter how much the Empire had taken from him, he lacked the power to resist.
In the end, the king could not give a proper response and continued to mutter indecisively.
“…Sigh.”
Frustrated by the king’s silence, Rikal let out a deep sigh.
He had intended to show some leniency out of old camaraderie, but this was going nowhere.
With no time left to waste, he made his decision.
“…It can’t be helped. I will report this matter to His Majesty.”
“W-wait…!”
With those words, Rikal walked out of the palace.
Arnold collapsed in despair.
The king rose belatedly, but it was already too late.
***
“……”
The Emperor stared at the king of the Turuk Kingdom standing before him, unable to speak.
When he had first ordered the culprit to be brought, he had been filled with anger.
But now, upon learning that the culprit was the king of a nation, he felt dizzy.
However, when he reconsidered the situation, there was no reason to let him go.
From the Empire’s perspective, absorbing the outer territories was advantageous.
This incident could break the peace with the Turuk Kingdom and serve as a justification for war.
“Hmm… So the king was <God of Electricity vv>?”
“…Yes.”
The king answered in a small voice.
Though both were rulers, their positions were worlds apart.
The king knelt before the Emperor, his head bowed.
“So, the count was a stand-in appointed by the king.”
“Yes.”
“I assumed him to be the scammer and had him executed. Were you aware of this?”
“…Yes.”
The Emperor looked down at the King, who appeared no better than a wretch.
While it was true the Empire had oppressed the vassal states under his command,
The King seemed incapable of functioning as a person even before that.
“I feel considerable guilt over this matter. How do you plan to compensate for the damage caused by your actions? An innocent life was unjustly taken.”
The King could not respond.
Instead, an inexplicable rage began to well up within him.
‘You’re the one who killed him, so why are you blaming me…’
He was thinking along those lines.
The Emperor continued to reprimand the King.
He spoke of how the King’s behaviour was unbecoming of a ruler.
He questioned how the King could remain unmoved even after seeing the Prince kneel and beg for the kingdom’s survival.
The Emperor’s words were a reminder of the Empire’s dominance as he pondered the fate of the Turuk Kingdom.
But to the King, those words were just fuel to stoke the flames of his anger.
All the things the Empire had taken from them.
The reasons why the kingdom was reduced to its current state.
A life as a ruler devoid of dignity.
Even the twisted pleasure he felt while scamming others stemmed from the cursed Empire.
Of course, it all came down to the logic of power.
And so, for a kingdom trampled under the Empire’s boot, it was only natural to harbour hatred toward it.
“…Frankly, I am appalled. As a fellow monarch, I am ashamed. This incident alone could justify a declaration of war against the Turuk Kingdom. No matter the circumstances, executing a King here is not feasible. Therefore…”
The Emperor never raised his tone when addressing the King of a vassal state.
It was a constant reminder that the Empire stood above them.
While the Crown Prince might show respect as a matter of etiquette, the Emperor did not.
“-Then.”
The King cut the Emperor off and raised his head.
“Then what about everything you’ve stolen from us?!?”
And with a trembling voice, he shouted at the Emperor.
“Y-Your Majesty?!”
““?!”
Arnold, who had been burying his head like a criminal, looked up in shock.
The Imperial officials watching the situation widened their eyes.
“The Empire has stolen everything from our kingdom, and yet you make such a fuss over losing some money in a game?!”
“…What?”
“You’re the real scammers, so why are you blaming us!!”
“Your Majesty, have you gone mad?!”
The King, his eyes bloodshot, shouted at the Emperor.
At this point, the destruction of the kingdom seemed inevitable.
Perhaps he thought it better to speak his mind and die.
Before that, his fury was too uncontrollable.
Arnold hurriedly tried to cover the King’s mouth.
But the King, once started, could not stop.
“Who stopped us from accumulating even one gold in the treasury?! The royal family had to live with barely enough, and because of the absurdly high tribute rates, we had to raise taxes! Our people had to work endlessly just to pay those taxes, and our kingdom’s specialties were no longer ours. Everything we harvested was sent to the Empire. On our already barren lands, we couldn’t even afford drinking water, and our people withered away one by one. Even I fear taking a sip of water! The citizens you’ve killed must number in the thousands, tens of thousands! And yet you raise hell over a petty scam in a game?! And you’re the one who killed Count Horio in the first place!!”
“Y-Your Majesty, please… Please stop!”
“Arghhhhh!”
Arnold forcibly dragged the maddened King out.
The Emperor and the Imperial officials stood frozen, watching the struggling King being dragged away.
Never before had anyone spoken so openly against the Emperor.
“The King must truly be mad.”
“F-for now, let us take a moment to breathe, Your Majesty.”
“…It’s fine. I am not particularly upset.”
The officials worried the Emperor might explode with anger.
But while the Emperor was bewildered, he was not angry.
“……”
And Rikal silently observed the scene from the corner.
He did not intervene.
After a while, the Emperor finally spoke.
*
“Have you gone completely mad?!”
Arnold threw the crazed King onto the cold floor as he shouted.
The King, lying on the floor, gradually came back to his senses.
“Now we’re all as good as dead! What are you going to do about this?!”
“…We were dead anyway, so…”
Even as he spoke, the King realized his mistake.
It was true that he had lost control of his emotions.
But as a monarch, he knew he should not have acted this way.
Soon after, Rikal came to see them.
“Y-Your Highness. His Majesty…”
“It seems you should return for now.”
With those words, Rikal immediately left.
They had no choice but to return to the kingdom.
And not long after, a letter arrived at the Turuk Kingdom from the Imperial Court.
It contained orders for the King to return everything he had scammed and other shocking details.
***
“This is quite the spectacle. I never thought it would turn out this way.”
“If you had designed the trading system properly from the start, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Well… That’s why I updated it.”
Rikal had come to the Magic Tower after a long time.
The world was in turmoil over the recent enactment of a new law.
It was something Rikal had proposed to the Emperor and received approval for.
“Still, it’s surprising. I thought His Majesty would have executed the King immediately.”
“I don’t know what His Majesty is thinking either.”
“I never expected you to spearhead the creation of international law, Your Highness.”
Previously, each country governed itself with its own laws.
But after the scam incident, the Empire declared the creation of international law.
At first, the vassal states were worried.
If the Empire were to draft international law, it would surely tighten its grip on the vassal states.
However, the laws surprisingly offered opportunities to the vassal states.
While complex, they were akin to modern international laws.
They regulated trade and rights between nations.
It prevented the Empire from unfairly oppressing or exploiting the vassal states.
Even the Empire had to deal fairly with its vassals.
Rikal mentioned drawing inspiration from the free market system in ‘Maple Leaf Story’ to draft these laws.
“In a world like this, only people like His Majesty can sit idly by and watch.”
“His Majesty is a conqueror, after all.”
It was said that laws related to games would also be established, though that seemed to be further down the line.
Thanks to this, diversity and culture that had long been lost under the Empire’s dominance were beginning to revive across the continent.
Perhaps it was because the states, once suffocated under the Empire, were now breathing again.
Of course, the Empire was still beyond the reach of any nation.
Military matters were clearly regulated by a separate law.
Nonetheless, the creation of international order marked significant progress for the world.
“Well done.”
“This was an easy matter to handle.”
The King of the Turuk Kingdom was dethroned, and Arnold ascended to the throne.
A natural outcome, all things considered.
And so, the scam incident concluded in an unexpected way.
It was now time for me to move on to developing the next game.
“By the way, the reason I’m here today is because of this.”
Rikal pulled out a thick stack of papers from his coat.
“What’s this?”
“A proposal submitted by the Imperial officials as a group for the national assembly.”
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“Read it.”
Unaware of the trouble it would bring, I began to read through the papers.
—
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