Absolutely Do Not Touch ELdmia Egga – Chapter 114

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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There were two types of nobles in the capital of Itisiel: those who belonged to the Noble Council and those who did not.

While it wasn’t an absolute rule, Cheryl explained that usually, those with territories and the money and status to maintain a mansion in the capital for political activities belonged to the Noble Council, while those without territories and only a family name and mansion were classified as other nobles.

And it was from here that the Noble faction and the Royalist faction diverged.

Initially, it wasn’t like this, but as time passed, those who wanted to prioritize their own territories and interests as much as possible gradually took control of the Noble Council.

Those without territories or those who prioritized loyalty even with territories left the Noble Council and joined the Royalist faction.

There might have been some who chose a side vaguely due to the flow of events, but this was the simple explanation Cheryl could give to me who knew nothing about the matter.

Unlike myself, Cheryl, befitting a noble’s child, had some knowledge about these matters, and I asked her questions as we were leaving the mansion.

Since there was nothing she could do by staying at the mansion, Asirye naturally followed along.

Cheryl, not minding much, began to explain the current situation piece by piece to my head full of speculations.

Both Asirye and I were almost complete novices when it came to noble etiquette, so we quietly listened to her explanation as we walked.

“Of course, no matter how powerful the Noble Council is, they can’t imprison a fellow noble for just any crime. Even though the royal family’s power has been weakened due to the long war, there’s still a matter of justification. The only exceptions are when dealing with entities that pose a threat on a national scale or those who rebel against the royal family. That’s why the Noble Council seems to have chosen treason… Looking through the kingdom’s entire history, this Noble Council was probably the first to choose and implement such a reckless measure.”

It was one of the few options where action could be taken before reporting.

It stemmed from the idea that if they acted urgently for the sake of the country rather than for the Noble Council’s benefit, who could fault them?

The idea was to capture someone suspected of showing signs of treason, and then gather both the Royalist and Noble factions to hold a trial to determine the truth for the future of the country.

As we left the mansion through the back door as usual, Cheryl continued her explanation with a frown, as if everything in the world displeased her.

“Even to me, the benefits of being associated with Lagnis through this visit to the Empire are enormous. It’s no different from being reborn as a true margrave from a margrave in name only whose territory and power had crumbled. For those who have been carefully maneuvering for practical benefits over the past few years during the long war, the perceived benefits are likely far more diverse and numerous. The same goes for what might happen if these benefits fall to the Royalist faction. Considering this, there’s a possibility they acted thinking that they needed to forcibly cut off Lagnis’s influence by any means necessary before it became firmly established.”

Alright.

The principle behind the Noble Council’s actions seemed roughly similar to my speculations.

The detailed calculations of gains and losses would be known only to them, of course.

However, Cheryl’s explanation didn’t resolve all my questions.

“But is it even remotely acceptable to just grab anyone and accuse them of treason? Is there no legal problem with this happening?”

This was a part I couldn’t figure out with just my own speculations.

Unless the royal family and the Royalist faction were fools, things shouldn’t normally go according to the Noble Council’s wishes, yet the situation seemed to be unfolding that way.

The answer to this was lacking.

In response to my question, Cheryl stopped for a moment, furrowed her pickled radish-like eyebrows, and after organizing her thoughts, began to speak.

“I think my explanation was a bit insufficient. Of course there’s a problem with that.”

“Huh? There is?”

“If there wasn’t, more than half of the nobles in the capital would be accusing each other of treason, and the guillotine would never be dry.”

With a deep sigh, Cheryl’s expression relaxed a bit as if she had sorted out her rising irritation through it, and she slowly continued her explanation.

“Eldmia. Let’s say there’s a nice sword you want to have. But that sword belongs to someone else, and you absolutely want to have it. Of course, there would be various options for you to obtain that sword, right?”

“Well, yeah. I suppose so.”

Assuming it was an analogy for explanation, I answered, and Cheryl nodded as if understanding what I was thinking and said,

“Generally, one would think of monetary transactions or negotiations using various conditions, but taking advantage of the owner’s carelessness to steal it is also a method, and even killing the owner outright is an option. Do you agree?”

“Yeah. Since you said options. There’s no particular reason to choose those, but they are options.”

“It’s like that.”

“…What is?”

“That’s what the Noble Council is trying to do now. They’ve kicked aside all the usual options and suddenly came up with the idea of killing someone to take their possessions.”

Fortunately, it seemed that Itisiel’s noble laws weren’t endlessly sloppy and full of holes.

Although it wasn’t neatly resolved, thanks to her analogy, I felt like the situation in my head was somewhat organized.

“So, it’s a method, but it’s illegal?”

“It would be more accurate to say it’s an extreme situation where legality and illegality are determined by the outcome. Unless Lagnis’s treason charges are fully proven, the punishment for the noble who initially raised the issue would be at minimum the revocation of their title, and depending on the case, they could be charged with treason for causing internal confusion during wartime, and executed.”

What I had thought was an irrational enforcement of law wielded unilaterally by disgustingly biased power turned out to be a gamble.

And a unilateral one at that, involving a grand miscalculation.

“Wait a minute. Isn’t that even stranger? This means it’s a fight the Noble Council will lose no matter what they do, right? Why is everyone so serious about it then?”

“That’s precisely why Father and everyone else are taking this matter so seriously.”

Cheryl turned to me with a much calmer face than before, and only after maintaining eye contact with me for a moment, she answered.

“Because the Noble Council doesn’t fight battles they can’t win. How would you feel if someone who had never fought a losing battle suddenly appeared before you with an obvious move that could only result in defeat?”

As if there was no need to hear an answer, Cheryl started walking again, and I silently followed her, knowing there was no need to respond.

Of course, it was obvious that I would be racking my brains, wondering if there was something else I didn’t know.

“Cheryl? If it’s alright, can I ask you something?”

“Yes, Asirye. If it’s something I can answer.”

Asirye, who had been silently pondering while walking with us, started speaking while rubbing her ears.

“If innocence is proven at the trial, and the Noble Council loses. If guilt is proven, of course Lagnis loses. What happens if a situation is created where there’s only circumstantial evidence and lack of physical evidence? Of course, I don’t think Lagnis did it, but behind-the-scenes maneuvers are common in political battles, right? Like fabricating non-existent facts or committing perjury.”

“There would be differences in degree, but honestly, there haven’t been cases where such ambiguous evidence was presented for treason charges, so it’s hard to gauge. Usually, it tends to lean heavily towards one side or the other.”

Cheryl’s pace, while not entirely stopping, clearly slowed, seemingly indicating the depth of her contemplation.

“But if I had to speculate… I don’t think either side would receive punishment severe enough to be called serious. However, given that it would be difficult to erase the suspicion at this point, there would be significant restrictions placed on Lagnis’s actions. And I believe they would enter into another trial after examining the circumstances more closely later. By that point, even if Lagnis’s innocence was proven, it might be judged that there was sufficient reason for misunderstanding, and the accusing noble might not receive any particular punishment. Perhaps just a fine and compensation?”

I suddenly became curious about what exactly she was learning at school to have such content in her head already.

Did they teach such things at the Royal Academy?

As Cheryl looked at Asirye as if asking if she had any more questions, and I looked at her wondering what she would ask, Asirye, who had been rubbing her ears, moved her hand to her mouth and asked with a slightly furrowed brow.

“What would happen if such a conclusion was reached in a situation where the Empire was trying to build friendship with the kingdom through Lagnis?”

“Well, of course…”

“Normally, wouldn’t they distance themselves to avoid being suspected of involvement in treason, at least until a definitive conclusion is reached? What do you think?”

Finally stopping in her tracks and freezing in the middle of the main street, Cheryl answered with a once again serious expression.

“If they distance themselves like that… the threat of imperial intervention that the Noble Council felt from this incident would be… postponed for now. That alone would give the Noble Council a political reprieve. It’s a quite plausible scenario. I hadn’t thought it would apply even under the serious charge of treason, but from the perspective of being able to buy time with much less damage than they should have originally suffered… But who would voluntarily play such a shield role..?”

After a small mumble, Asirye, who had been quietly watching Cheryl intensely pondering something, nodded slightly and said to me.

“Yes. She’s indeed similar to Eldi.”

“Why this time?”

“Didn’t you say she’s the same age as you? But it feels like I’m talking to a noble in their mid-20s.”

The kid… does seem excessively smart or have some unpredictable aspects.

If that’s what she felt was similar, I had nothing particular to say this time.

“If that’s what the Noble Council is aiming for, couldn’t several problems be solved just by Eldi stepping forward?”

“I thought that might be the case, which is why I prayed earlier… We’ll have to wait and see.”

The parts related to Deltra and the Empire’s cooperation could be sorted out at my level, but that surely couldn’t be all there was to it.

Deciding not to think too optimistically for now, we headed back to the guild.

Due to the repeated discussions and contemplations, we arrived at the guild later than expected, but in the end, we had to leave without any significant gains.

The only information that could be considered related to the demon race, apart from the attack on Mandelli Port, was the Fabaeri incident that Cheryl and I had participated in together, and the secret request for the abandoned dungeon that I had participated in alone.

Even that was only because I had received the secret request that I could see the connection to the Pavera incident, and the information provided by the receptionist at the desk was only about Mandelli Port.

In the end, Cheryl was greatly discouraged, and it was my job to console her.

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[I LOVE EXPOSITION DUMPS YEAHHHHHHHH]