Interlude 17
◇◇◇
Chancellor Madison, despite losing his composure in anger, continues to calculate coldly and rationally on the other hand. Finally managing to suppress his emotions, he decides to prioritize the complete conquest of the Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon for the sake of the country.
He plans to have the personnel prepared for the Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon tackle a different dungeon from the one the Hero is challenging. If the Hero fails somewhere, he can deploy the personnel he had prepared in advance.
Nevertheless—
The problem hasn’t disappeared.
I must keep the Hero in check.
While he’s able to decide on dealing with the ever-increasing wasteful expenditures along with the church, the citizens’ voices of criticism complaining about the Hero’s bad attitude only grow louder day by day.
No matter how much of a Hero he is, he can’t be left unchecked like this. There’s a need to somehow put him in his place.
To be honest, if he had made the decision to go overboard even once, I could have used drastic measures without hesitation. However, considering various circumstances, it’s quite difficult to suddenly eliminate a Hero who has made such progress.
It’s not that he’s wavering, but he must use a different strategy. So, how to control the Hero—
No matter what world or civilization, the methods to bind humans are limited.
Money, relationships, power, religion, violence.
All methods in this world ultimately boil down to using these five.
So, which method would be appropriate for this foolish Hero?
To begin with, for a Hero who looks down on all people in this world, methods like taking family or lovers hostage would be ineffective. Annoyingly, thanks to Princess Puffy who constantly gives him large sums of money, it’s impossible to bind him through financial means.
Appealing to his faith is out of the question.
That leaves two options.
Either bind him with direct violence or make him aware of the threat of power.
However, here the Chancellor makes a mistake.
The Chancellor’s decision is to first send an envoy to directly convey to the Hero that “the country will no longer tolerate any further misconduct”, and if no improvement is seen, then resort to direct methods—a stepped approach.
He chooses direct control from the two remaining options—but first opts for a moderate method that seeks minimal conscience and common sense from the other party.
Why does Chancellor Madison make the wrong judgment? It’s simple. The person the Chancellor is dealing with doesn’t possess even a shred of conscience or common sense—he’s a monster wearing human skin.
◇◇◇
Ryūgūin Ouji, while foolish, isn’t entirely incompetent.
His attitude of being unable to read the atmosphere or the times is just because he’s in another world. When he was a student in his previous life, he understood that connections and the ability to win people over were the most necessary methods for success in this world.
After all, he excelled at the art of perceiving how others saw him and how they felt about him.
During the last meeting that turned chaotic due to Eris’s apology, Ryūgūin keenly noticed that from the start, the Chancellor occasionally directed probing yet resentful glances at him.
Therefore, from Ryūgūin’s perspective, the Chancellor isn’t someone he can comfortably deal with.
So, it’s a natural progression for Ryūgūin to carry out his plans and advance matters in secret, away from Madison’s watchful eyes.
◇◇◇
The seal has been taken.
While handling paperwork in his office, one of his subordinates reports this to him.
Chancellor Madison can’t believe his ears.
He’s heard more than enough about the seal until now.
He’s been told ad nauseam about the dangers of the Sealed Domain passed down from ancestors several generations ago, and the fact that it’s true, along with all the top-secret information related to the Sealed Domain, was conveyed to him when he assumed the position of Chancellor.
Although most of the people from that time are no longer alive, the country still bears scars. The former subcenter of the city once became a city of death, and even after a long time has passed since then, it’s far from the restoration it once had. Not only were there many casualties, but the city was completely destroyed, and the soil contaminated by miasma will never fully return to its original state.
However, while the Sealed Domain has been passed down through generations, there are quite a few who consider it a story from tales, a dubious fairy tale.
But the fact that the hidden seal was taken means that the perpetrator knew that most of the story was true—it’s naturally inferred that it must be someone from the upper echelons of the country, or someone close to them.
Chancellor Madison thinks that he should immediately capture not only the perpetrators but also all those involved and subject them to capital punishment.
However, when he hears the names of the perpetrators, he feels an emotion close to despair.
The perpetrators are Saint Mika, mage Angelica, and sword saint Eris.
They acted on the Hero’s orders. Ah, this is beyond foolish.
The problem doesn’t end there.
The groundwork laid by Ryūgūin, carried out without Chancellor Madison’s notice, was simply yet incredibly solid.
The act of breaking the seal of the Sealed Domain, which would normally be unforgivable and subject to capital punishment. Even such a violation of the rules is almost perfectly permitted due to the intervention of Mika, who is the Saint and the leader of the church’s Saint faction, along with permission from the country granted by Princess Puffy and King Arcana.
This was the decisive blow.
The Hero easily leapt over the boundary line set by the Chancellor.
The Chancellor no longer makes any suggestions or negotiations with the king.
The Chancellor’s inner thoughts, now certain to be devoted to resolving this situation, are dominated by a scorching anger that boils like magma.
◇◇◇
You’ve gone this far.
Do whatever you can.
I’ll keep quiet until it’s over.
But when you fail—
If you enjoy it and wish to see more, please consider giving it a 5-star rating for the series on NU. Click Here.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link