The Price Of Discontent

August 14th.

Late in the evening, nine cars had pulled into a mansion. The nobles who disembarked all entered the mansion and bowed in greeting to a figure who welcomed them.

Soon after, they gathered in a small party room. Although parties were supposedly forbidden, only gatherings of more than ten people were prohibited, and smaller parties like this were somewhat exempt from the regulations.

The exactly nine nobles had also gathered according to these regulations, and they couldn’t help but click their tongues at the sight of the party room, which was incomparably smaller than in the past. Inwardly, they grumbled about the King who had created such a situation.

“Just between us, these party regulations are really outrageous.”

“Exactly. How can they restrict a unique noble tradition like this? Does it make any sense?”

“We want to host parties with our own money, but they stop us. Seriously, what on earth are they thinking?”

“Everyone’s complaining a lot because of the New King’s actions. Last time, someone thought it would be fine for their birthday and invited about 20 people, but they got reported and fined.”

“I heard about that too. Tsk, tsk. Count Oliver, is this really okay?”

At these words, Count Oliver, the owner of the mansion, cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem, let’s go to my study and have a drink.”

Agreeing to this, they left the party room and entered the study. Once the door closed, the study became their private space. Count Oliver, the owner, took out a few of the stored liquor bottles. Then, he poured a drink for everyone.

“Here, have some.”

“Oh, thank you very much.”

“Isn’t this from the Magnia Empire? To be drinking something like this, only the Count could manage it.”

Everyone looked delighted at the expensive bottles. Seeing their expressions, Count Oliver spoke in a subtle voice.

“Everyone seems to have a lot of complaints about the New King.”

“Of course. I don’t know how he can be so out of touch with reality.”

“Even the previous king didn’t act like this.”

“He’s still too young, isn’t he? He’s only 20.”

“He’s completely ignorant of reality. What will he do if many people rebel?”

As everyone vented their frustrations, Count Oliver also nodded. In fact, he could be said to have the most complaints among them. He often secretly granted favors and received bribes from officials.

However, recently, what he had been receiving had drastically decreased, and his earnings were almost at rock bottom, leaving him unable to obtain anything.

“Isn’t he still a rookie? He’s too young to properly see reality. Perhaps because he’s hailed as a war hero by those around him. He probably wants to be a righteous king, like a hero from a storybook, doesn’t he?”

Though everyone flinched at the scathing criticism, they soon laughed and agreed, as if in consensus. They then tilted their glasses, and the more they drank, the more intoxicated they became. They had already had some drinks elsewhere, so the level of their outbursts was bound to be strong.

“What does he even know about state affairs?!”

“Exactly! He’s the king, but is he really that great?”

“What’s he going to do if all the nobles rebel and he gets dethroned?!”

Their words were becoming increasingly excessive, but no one stopped them. This was a place where they could freely express what was in their hearts, and as such, there was a strict rule that they would never utter what they said here outside.

They got very drunk and, realizing it was time to leave, each got into their own cars and drove away. As the cars exited the main gate and departed, a gaze watched them from near the surrounding wall.

It was a figure in a black fedora and a long coat. He looked at the mansion for a moment, then turned and disappeared.

August 15th.

It had been just a month and a half since I ascended to the throne as king. As king, there was almost nothing I couldn’t do. I had already seized complete military control and was still consolidating my power more firmly.

As such, no one could oppose or rebel against my words. However, I didn’t think this would last forever. Eventually, discontent would accumulate and try to emerge from somewhere. Just as it was now, through this report.

“Your Highness, some nobles are secretly gathering and showing rebellious reactions to the reforms you are implementing.”

Upon hearing Viscount Rubington’s (the head of the Secret Police Mauter) words, who had come to report, Ian inwardly thought that this was exactly what he had expected. No matter how honest and beneficial to the country the work was, those who had previously received benefits would naturally be unable to receive anything, so discontent was bound to erupt.

“A secret meeting, who’s leading it?”

“It seems Count Oliver is leading the meeting.”

“He holds such grievances, yet somehow he was absent from the list of wrongdoers last time?”

“He’s a person who commits acts in such secrecy that it’s difficult even for our Mauter to find evidence.”

Viscount Rubington’s face showed considerable regret at the fact that their abilities were lacking. He came to report once a day, and during those times, his loyalty to Ian grew even stronger when their eyes met. In fact, he now possessed a loyalty that seemed ready to sacrifice everything.

“He seems to be good at that kind of thing. Arrest him for now.”

“Understood, Your Highness. We will hold him in a secret safe house for a while.”

If he were told to arrest someone without any evidence, he might object, but he merely followed the command without a word. Watching Viscount Rubington, Ian thought that once he was arrested, he could simply use Mental Manipulation to make him reveal the truth.

‘It’s a rather drastic action, but if I don’t rectify it at the outset, the discontent will only grow.’

If he took a lenient approach, eventually, complaints about his actions would continuously erupt from all corners. He had no intention of tolerating such a thing. With Viscount Rubington’s retreat, the Secret Police Mauter began to move.

That evening, Count Oliver was sleeping with his wife in his mansion when the Secret Police forcibly opened the main gate, woke him up, and took him away. When he angrily demanded to know who they were, the Count had no choice but to shut his mouth when they revealed their identities.

Ultimately, he had to tell his wife and family to keep quiet as the Count was dragged away. Count Oliver, who was now dragged into a dark and damp safe house, trembled when he realized why he had been arrested.

‘Damn it! Mauter! I never thought I’d be caught and brought here.’

The Secret Police’s notoriety was quite widespread. The previous kings had actively utilized the Secret Police to strengthen royal authority, and as a result, they were notorious for digging into the backgrounds of nobles, leading to the downfall of over a dozen families.

Their very existence was bound to be quite bothersome from the perspective of the nobles. Occasionally, there were those who could be bribed, but the majority were selected and then subjected to thorough education and training to undergo mental re-education, meaning they would arrest nobles without mercy.

Since they only acted on the king’s orders, there was no one who could stop their actions. In any case, this secret safe house had an underground facility with a damp atmosphere, and there were cells seemingly used to imprison several people.

Count Oliver, confined in one of these cells, grew increasingly exhausted by the fact that he didn’t know how long he would have to remain there. He had to stay in the dark, damp underground prison for so long that he couldn’t even tell how much time had passed.

Count Oliver, who would have gone mad with loneliness if not for the occasional visits and thrown scraps of bread, suddenly raised his head at the sound of approaching footsteps. Perhaps because he’d been in such a dark place for so long, his hearing had become sharper without him even realizing it.

Thump, thump. Creak. The sound of a door opening was followed by footsteps entering. Soon, three figures appeared, all wearing hoods. It was impossible to tell who they were.

“H-hey, please let me go. I truly haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Do you really think so? If you do, then you still haven’t come to your senses.”

“W-who?”

“Me? I am the King of this nation.”

Upon seeing Ian’s face, the King who appeared after taking off his hood, Count Oliver gasped! He quickly fell to his knees and called out to Ian as if screaming.

“Your Highness! Please spare your humble servant! I merely…”

“Merely what?”

“Merely… formed a small gathering and engaged in private conversations.”

“Hmm, what I’ve heard is quite different. I understand you expressed discontent about me.”

“Such a thing is absolutely not true! If Your Highness heard such words, it must be someone’s scheme to sow discord between Your Highness and me!”

“Is that so? You mean all nine of them said the same thing?”

“Gah?!”

At the mention of “nine,” he realized that all the people he had gathered had already been captured by the Secret Police, just like him. And from their mouths, words about him had already come out, making him curse inwardly, ‘Those traitors!’

‘I must deny everything. Otherwise, I will die.’

“They are all slandering me! Your humble servant absolutely has no complaints against Your Highness!”

“Is that so? I heard you said something about an ignorant rookie running wild, referring to me catching those who committed corruption?”

“T-that can’t be! It’s a lie!”

Cold sweat streamed down Count Oliver’s back as he vehemently denied everything. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if he were hanged for the crime of insulting the King. As someone who didn’t want to die, he could only regret his past actions, driven by emotion.

“Then all of them are lying about you, it seems.”

“Of course! It’s all lies!”

“Haa, you still won’t admit your fault to the very end.”

“Huh?”

Count Oliver looked bewildered, hearing Ian’s words as he suddenly became serious. Ian glared at him and spoke in a cold voice.

“If you had begged for forgiveness, I would have lessened your punishment to some extent. The worst punishment would have been exile to a colony. But since you refuse to admit your fault to this extent, there’s nothing for it but to make you pay for your crime.”

“Your Highness, that is…”

“You are sentenced to death. All your family’s assets will be confiscated into the national treasury, and while your family won’t be made slaves, they will be demoted to commoner status and live their lives as such.”

“Your Highness! This is outrageous! How can you sentence me to death based only on the words of others! How could you do this?!”

“Whether it’s outrageous or not is for me to decide!”

Shouting that, Ian met Count Oliver’s eyes and strongly applied Mental Manipulation. Ian’s powerful force burrowed in and began to churn inside his mind. In that state, he became a being who could only speak the truth. Of course, to avoid it looking strange if he spoke immediately, Ian purposely made him speak the truth a little later.

“Viscount Rubington!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“I authorize torture until he confesses.”

“Yes, I will ensure he reveals the truth through thorough torture.”

Nodding to the one who responded, Ian stepped out, as if he no longer wished to be in such a place, heading towards the exit. The only one following him was the large-bodied Mardin. As he walked, Ian quietly spoke to Mardin, who was trailing behind him.

“Do you think my recent actions were too harsh?”

“No, Your Highness. How could I question anything Your Highness does?”

“Sometimes, if you feel something isn’t right, you can offer me harsh advice too.”

“How could I dare…”

“That’s one thing, but do you understand why I’m being so forceful? You can tell me that, can’t you?”

“Isn’t it primarily to set an example for the nobles?”

“That’s right. It just so happens that he expressed discontent towards me and even formed a small, secret gathering. If I use this as an opportunity to eliminate him and his family, no one will dare to voice their complaints to me for a while.”

For perhaps the next five years, such individuals would be nowhere to be found. Although he had acted by creating a secret force to seize the throne, many still questioned him.

He had suddenly appeared and taken power, and the reforms he was implementing now made no sense to them, so discontent was bound to fill them. In such a situation, if he personally executed a noble, even a Count, and eliminated their family, everyone would be terrified.

Afterward, there would be almost no one left who dared to act recklessly. It was a rather brutal action, but he believed that without such actions, he couldn’t firmly grasp control of this nation.

“Let’s go. I have a lot of overdue work.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ian was now leaving the secret safe house and returning to the royal palace through the darkness. And that day, as soon as the torture began, Count Oliver showed a conditioned reflex, confessing everything.

He admitted that he had expressed discontent about the King and even used words like “rookie” to criticize him. In fact, through this, they were able to create legitimate evidence to execute him.