The next day. Another wind of change began to blow through the political world.
“Your Majesty. I believe the head of House Mentus, Loud, bears a very great responsibility for this.”
“Though he may be a meritorious subject, we cannot continue to cover up every problem that comes to light!”
“The same goes for the brothers of the head of House Mentus. They have done far too many things they should never have done, using the name of their house and its head as a shield!”
The attacks that had been focused on House Mentus shifted toward Loud and his brothers.
Before, the intention had merely been to strike House Mentus and drain some of its strength.
Now, it meant they had to single out those who ought to bear the heaviest responsibility.
If Loud had bared his belly, they would have punished him to an appropriate degree and stopped there.
But he had been caught still unable to accept that he needed to change.
Now the emperor had decided. Whom to cut away, and how far to strike.
Digging out the entirety of House Mentus would not be good for the empress or the princes either.
It could end up shaking their legitimacy, so he would not do such a thing.
Instead, he would hand down a bloody lesson so that that arrogance could never rise again.
The removal of every real power. Pulling out the pillars of the family. Making them a meritorious house in name only.
In effect, he would spare the family’s life while smashing all its arms and legs.
“They are all Our brothers-in-law. And they are meritorious subjects as well. Your arguments are reasonable, but is this not too severe? Our heart is not inclined.”
If his heart truly had not been inclined, the emperor would have stopped them more forcefully.
Everyone knew he was a man who had come this far while carrying out that terrifying bloody purge.
And such an emperor merely waved his hand a little and said he was not inclined?
At this point, even those with somewhat lacking political sense could understand.
“Your Majesty! Though he is a meritorious subject, in the end he is only a subject of the empire! Though he is a noble, he is Your Majesty’s subject! A meritorious subject who has dragged down the honor of the empire and the imperial family is no meritorious subject, and a noble is no noble!”
“If there is no fitting punishment, more Loud Mentuses will appear in the future!!”
“Now, now. What are you people doing?”
Other nobles were thinking, This is the chance, and trying to make their presence known for certain.
The emperor was wondering how much he should use them, and when he should throw them away.
The sight of both sides knowing and still letting themselves be used, knowing and still pushing all the way forward.
It seemed extremely rational, yet at the same time extremely emotional.
Politics really was frightening. The political world was a place where those monsters frolicked.
I wanted to stay away, but if I did, it might instead strangle my neck.
“What does the head of House Montebello think of this matter?”
Those who had once again gone to the emperor and cried out that severe punishment was necessary.
This time, they came to me and began subtly sounding out my intentions.
This was asking for my opinion and, at the same time, probing the emperor’s true thoughts.
Because they now knew that the emperor and I had met several times.
“I do not think it is an ordinary matter by any means.”
“As expected. Even the head of House Montebello sees it that way.”
“Mm. I heard recently that Loud Mentus, that man, tried to swallow the western saltpeter mine that the head of House Montebello and other nobles had worked so hard to establish. Is that true?”
It had only been a few days since the emperor had secretly informed me of that news.
Nobles had sharp ears, yes, but it was not easy for them to be this fast.
This was something the emperor had deliberately leaked. To give me justification.
“I only learned of it recently as well. I was extremely taken aback.”
“Taken aback! This is something you should be furious about. No matter how much of the first-ranking meritorious subject he may be, House Montebello is a founding meritorious house that served at the side of the Founding Emperor even before he began his great undertaking! In terms of rank, you stand above House Mentus!”
“That is right, Head of House Montebello. In this matter, even if it is House Mentus, they have clearly crossed the line.”
House Montebello is trying to become the center of the next power bloc.
There was a chance such a misunderstanding might arise. It would be incredibly exhausting.
In that regard, the matter of House Mentus and the saltpeter mine was very useful.
I was simply taking the form of opposing them out of anger over this affair.
Rather than wanting power, I was merely acting in the form of revenge.
A noble must never sit idly by when his honor and family are brought down.
If it was certain that it had been done with malicious intent, retaliation was the proper course.
Rather, if one forgave it or remained silent, other nobles would criticize him.
That was my situation now. Mentus had struck me in the back first.
The time I attacked them over the tax issue before? That had been done as part of public duty.
Anyone who placed then and now on the same line would be an extreme fool.
“…I am greatly disappointed. As the emperor’s brother-in-law, he was someone who ought to have conducted himself properly. Yet such an unsavory incident has erupted in the very center of politics.”
As soon as I finished speaking, smiles spread across the faces of those who had come to see me.
They took it to mean that I had not only already spoken with the emperor, but coordinated with him.
The biting was over. Now the real work of pulling out necks would begin.
Watching that, I felt somewhat bitter and somewhat regretful.
Every reason for this had been created by House Mentus itself. The beginning, too, was Mentus’s mistake.
But a house that was undoubtedly a meritorious house was collapsing in an instant.
Just a week ago, not a single person gathered here had badmouthed Mentus.
If anything, I remembered them being busy praising it, as though their weaknesses had been caught.
And it was not only them. Everyone in politics had been frantic watching Mentus’s mood.
Those same people were now more excited than anyone as they tore off chunks of flesh.
‘And Mentus is being torn apart without even putting up proper resistance.’
If this had been a simple power struggle. If it had been the usual political WWE.
Mentus might instead have used its weight class to crush them in reverse.
But now, that was not the case at all. Victory and defeat had already been decided.
Only one thing remained. How far to kill, and from where to spare. That was all.
“Um, Ethan? Your godfather is here.”
After I sent away the visiting nobles, Polia peeked her head in.
With the atmosphere lately being so unusual, Polia had also been startled along with it.
Even Arte was refraining from outside activities as much as possible and holding her breath.
No one knew how our future movements would affect House Montebello.
With that in mind, the two of them were always being careful with their words and actions.
“I’ll go right away. Thank you, Polia.”
“It’s all right, isn’t it? Your expression doesn’t look good.”
“I’m scared, that’s all. How could anyone be fine in the current situation?”
After reassuring the two of them, I went to see my godfather.
There, my godfather spoke as though it was effectively over.
“Within a few days, there will be a large-scale political attack against House Mentus.”
“That means they intend to topple them, in effect?”
“They intend to make sure they cannot even function as a pretext. There was no order from His Majesty, but does his silence not already mean assent? There are far too many people desperate to catch His Majesty’s eye this time.”
“Hmm.”
When I let out a low hum, my godfather’s face took on a look that said, Don’t tell me?
“Ethan. Wait a moment. You’re not still thinking that Mentus has a way to live, are you?”
“Of course there is. Though it is very, very late.”
It had not changed that they now had to block with a shovel what could have been blocked with a hoe.
But at the very least, I wanted to prevent a situation where they had to lay down even their lives.
“Why are you doing this? House Mentus considered you a rival.”
“Even so, wiping out the princes’ maternal family entirely is not a very good choice. We have to prepare for contingencies. No one knows what the future will bring, Godfather.”
They say the greatest threat to imperial authority is the maternal relatives.
But conversely, what is most effective in protecting imperial authority is also the maternal relatives.
If a problem were to arise one day, and a young successor had to ascend the throne.
As with Condor’s time, the power of the nobles would surge.
Someone lacking both experience and ability would inevitably be pushed around in politics.
A maternal clan was necessary to help prevent that as much as possible and support him.
Could the royal family not do it? They were excluded from the start because they were too dangerous.
If things went wrong, it would lead to the disaster of the empire’s power being split in two.
“For now, keeping the maternal relatives in check is the right course. But if that continues and continues, then suddenly a problem arises and a young successor appears, it becomes extremely awkward.”
Subjects are subjects to the end. They cannot be helpers.
But the maternal side is different. They can give sufficient help.
There may be issues with loyalty, but that is something the subjects should keep in check.
“What is this all of a sudden, Ethan?”
“Such cases can exist, can they not? As frightening as precedent is, an excessive purge of maternal relatives may later return as a weakness. Maternal relatives are, when all is said and done, a double-edged sword. The problem is seeing that sword badly by emphasizing only one side of it.”
“This is His Majesty’s will.”
“If he truly wanted to end everything, he would not have continued summoning me.”
That was right. Why had I only thought he meant to sweep them all away?
Even now, the emperor merely remained silent and did not give a clear answer.
He was waiting. For someone to go and simply push him in the back.
For Loud, pushed in that way, to provide the right answer.
“Godfather. I am sorry, but I will take my leave first today.”
“Hoo. Truly, I cannot understand you even when I think I do. I know where you are going, so I cannot tell you to have a safe trip. I only hope things go as you intend.”
“Is that not already encouragement? Thank you.”
I left the main house at once and headed for House Mentus.
The atmosphere was so sunken it nearly called to mind a house in mourning.
When they heard I had come, everyone seemed extremely suspicious.
If they only suspected me, that would have been fortunate. Some even showed open hostility.
But it was all right. The one on the high ground right now was me.
“What business do you have, Ethan Montebello?”
“Lord Loud. This is truly your last chance. Spit out everything you have, and simply beg to be spared. Show everyone that you can live as if dead, doing nothing but breathing.”
“Have you come here to mock me?”
Loud, too, was effectively expressing hostility toward me.
There, without the slightest hesitation, I threw one sentence at him.
“I came here to try to save the princes’ maternal uncle, and a meritorious subject like myself.”
“…”
“So don’t speak to me like that. I am taking an enormous gamble right now, too.”