Novel Bin Chapter 100: Mastermind and Perpetrators (Part 2)
Then, Garba-san’s speech began.
“It’s been a long time everybody, to all the people I don’t know, nice to meet you, I’m the son of the wolf beastman elder Gurauga laying there.
I’ve hated this Ienith from a long time ago.
I accompanied my father to Ienith’s representative meeting when I was 15.
What I saw at the representative meeting was but a gathering of nominal individuals from each of the races continuing to pull each other back. It wasn’t a place to decently discuss policies.
If any of the proposals fails, all the responsibility would be pushed to that particular race, if it succeeds then they solely emphasize on getting privileges, it was such a filthy gathering of individuals.
Instead of coming up with decent policies, they pushed all the blame onto the Philosopher and chased him out and the bad practice of bashing the Healer’s Guild persisted from the time of our grandfathers.
The fields of spices we currently harvest were among all the seeds from the world brought by the Philosopher who coached us on how to harvest and grow them as well as pioneered the trade route to sell it to various countries.
It is absolutely not something decided by Ienith’s representative meeting.”
Garba-san truly understood the representative meeting.
“Garba-niisan proposed policies three times when he was young. 2 of them succeeded while 1 was struck down. Can you believe it? The one struck down was decided by the elders … during the patriarch meeting, to be crushed.” (Grulga)
“So the representative meeting and the patriarch meeting is different right?” (Luciel)
“Yeah. I mentioned it earlier but the respective patriarchs decide on their race’s 2-year term representative.” (Grulga)
“I didn’t know that as well.” (Luciel)
“That’s expected.” (Grulga)
Even during our conversation in soft voices, Garba-san’s speech continued.
“And the healer Luciel-sama there, why was he nominated as Ienith’s representative? That was to hide the fraud conducted by the representatives.
My investigation tells me that the tiger beastman Shaza conspired with the former Herbalist Guild vice-guildmaster Gurohara to sell the country’s information to another country, pocketing a large sum of money and used that gold to bribe the elders to become the representative.
To conceal other instances of fraud, such as the case where the rabbit beastman Ririaldo-dono gave falsified reports to pocket the unaccounted salaries was also concealed by installing the S-rank healer and dragon slayer Luciel-sama as the representative.
And then, the patriarchs thought that Luciel-sama would not achieve anything before his term ended.
However, he is not an ordinary man.
Firstly, he cleaned up that dirty and smelly slums district.
As a result of him not discriminating against the half-breed beastmen, saying that they did not choose the place to be born in, they have not committed a crime even once.
Next, to secure Ienith’s future by allowing the future generation to play an active role, he invested his personal wealth to construct a school for us.
I’ve found that the announcement made that the destruction of the healing district by the half-breed beastmen and that the healing district was constructed by Luciel-sama was all orchestrated in order to plunge his reputation.
Residents of Ienith, does this sit well with you? Is the beastmen a despicable race that returns good with evil? If not, then let us rebuild Ienith together.”
I understood that Garba-san wanted to use this situation to flatten all the evil customs.
Even so, there were still people who did not know about the complaints I received when I proposed to make a school huh. (TL: The representatives didn’t want to pay for the construction and didn’t want to lose the manpower to schooling if I remember correctly.)
I was quite shocked to know that.
I spoke to Grulga-san softly.
“My back feels itchy hearing Garba-san attach -sama to my name though?”
“Well, that’s how it has to be during a speech.”
“I’m curious but wouldn’t it be better if Garba-san just becomes the representative?”
“Maybe temporarily …”
“Nevertheless, is Merotoni’s Adventurer’s Guild alright without the 2 of you?”
“Yeah. Broad told us to give you a helping hand for a little bit.”
“I’m fully of gratitude toward Instructor Broad.”
“Tell that to him yourself when you finish your term.”
“I guess I should.”
I’ve really got to thank Instructor Broad for sending the 2 of them.
“You’re really well taken care of huh.”
Lionel said.
“Yeah. When I was in Meratoni and even now, I’ve received a lot of help from him. I’ll also immediately begin to use honorific speech with you after I release you from your slave contract though?” (TL: Meaning he’s also as thankful to Lionel as well.)
“Kakaka. I believe it’s fine the way it is now.” (Lionel)
“Ha~ Well, if you change your mind, please let me know.” (Luciel)
Lionel merely smiled.
Garba-san continued his speech and strongly declared.
“Normally, I would not be able to judge them.
But, I will succeed the current wolf beastmen’s patriarch as the new patriarch, so I hereby announce my desire to invoke our enforcement right.”
The surroundings began to buzz with noise.
Patriarch successor? Enforcement right? I heard contents that I had completely no clue of so I asked Grulga-san frankly.
“Can the patriarch succession Garba-san mention be accomplished so easily? And what’s the enforcement right?”
Grulga-san waited slightly for an interval and began speaking.
“Firstly, patriarch succession only happens when the patriarch passes away or commits a crime that results in him becoming a slave, the affected race will discuss among themselves and elect a person before succession occurs.”
” … There’s nobody who can object to Garba-san’s claim so he can directly succeed the current patriarch huh …” (Luciel)
I said and Grulga-san replied with a grin.
“Yeah. There’s nobody brave enough to challenge Garba-niisan face-to-face in Ienith. Moving on, the enforcement right …”
According to Grulga-san’s words, the enforcement right carries with it risks.
It is a right that can only be invoked by patriarchs, if used, the elected representatives will not have the right to speak for the next 10 years. (TL: They’ll have no say in meetings)
Furthermore, Ienith is a democratic country so even if the enforcement right is invoked, without laying the groundwork with the other beastmen races, the probability that it will be voted for would be extremely low.
I became worried and continued to ask Grulga-san.
“Then, would it be voted for this time?”
Grulga-san once again grinned and … gave a smile of satisfaction before he answered.
“This time, the patriarchs of all the races have been made into criminal slaves. Hence, the only patriarch now is Garba-niisan. Furthermore, if another patriarch is chosen then his enforcement right would be restored so there isn’t a single risk this time.”
After ending my questions to Grulga-san, I faced Garba-san and he had begun to announce the details of his enforcement right.
“Well then, it’s about time I make a move. I’ll be using that to prepare my cooking so please lend me that.”
Grulga-san said and walked up to where Garba-san was after receiving the barrel of Object X from me.
With the 2 of them standing side-by-side, I felt like the pressure from them doubled.
“The culprits for this incident, the elders of the 8 races, will be executed and their assets confiscated.
There’s a possibility that the economy would collapse if we dismiss all the current representatives. Hence, we will provide a preparation period for them to complete the procedures to find a successor to take over their work.
If they are found to be innocent during the interrogations after this, they will not be converted into slaves but all their assets will be confiscated.
Naturally, those guilty will be turned into slaves and punished with a life sentence of reclaiming new land.”
“Next, regarding the man who caused the explosion, I’ll have the former representative of the slums district decide if he will be executed or turned into a slave after listening to all that he has to say.
Regarding Warabis-dono, this time, we’ve found that he was manipulated by this man but he will also be turned into a slave.”
“Finally, many individuals joined the riot this time and in normal circumstances, they will all be converted into criminal slaves but Luciel-sama helped you all beg for mercy.
Thus, you all will be granted clemency if you finish the cooking made by Grulga as well as the Philosopher’s drink. You all have equal rights to choose.
Incidentally, there’s no place to run so be relieved. You all are under the same conditions.”
“I’m Grulga who will be handling the cooking. Let us celebrate the birth of a new Ienith with cooking that can even be presented to the heavens and the Philosopher’s drink that will leave a lingering taste that can’t be experienced from anything else.”
Grulga-san shouted and looked like he was enjoying himself.
While observing that, I thought, isn’t Garba-san’s punishment this time slightly severe?
Or is this reasonable? I continued to ask myself that.
Am I trying to run away to protect my reputation … to not want to be the nasty person who gives out severe punishments?
If only there are places like prisons and courts … I noticed that I’m afraid of judging people.
While I was falling into confusion from the various emotions surfacing within me, I heard the sound of screams and cries from all around.
It wasn’t screams from drinking Object X but the angry voices of people aimed toward Garba-san for bringing the incident to a conclusion by executing the elders of all the races.
There were even angry and bitter words like parricide. However, Garba-san never reverses a decision that he had decided upon. (TL: Parricide = The killing of a parent or other near relative)
Garba-san and Grulga-san laid down judgement on their own father.
I had them add in a single thing.
“Would it be alright if the punishment date is decided at a later date?”
Garba-san gave a surprised expression and nodded.
“This time, what you all done is a crime that cannot be forgiven. Your souls will go to heaven and your bodies will return to earth. Please repent on your actions until the final day of your execution.” (Luciel)
I only added that.
“Well then, until the execution date, the elders and their cronies will be made into criminal slaves.”
Thus, while looking at the elders? patriarchs? that are pulled up to their feet by the adventurers, I prayed that Ienith will become slightly more normal after this.
And then, I, not knowing who judged who in this distorted country, in whose hands those rights were held, and how much the information was being manipulated by the upper echelons, felt terrified after I understood just how dangerous a position I was in.
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading.
I wrote countless times and modified it countless times until smoke came out of my head.
I determined that it would be impossible for a 20-year-old to shoulder the responsibility of executing people.