Chapter 379
The government is shirking responsibility.
Which government?
How?
People’s gaze turned towards the council member.
“Everyone, did we stir up this mess just for our own benefit? Wasn’t it all for the sake of our country?”
The council member scratched the itch in the hearts of those looking at him.
He paved the way for their self-justification, packaging the results of their desires as if it were all for the “greater good.”
“We are patriots! Loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor! Love for our country! We willingly offered up valuable people and even emptied our own coffers to send warriors off to the barbaric lands. Anyone can see that we are patriots and national benefactors!”
The council member’s logic was simple.
All the aristocrats gathered here were patriots and loyal subjects devoted to His Majesty.
At the same time, they were loyalists who emptied their own resources to send their vassals.
“However, sadly, things went awry, and we didn’t achieve success. The people we sent were caught. And oh so regrettably… yes, regrettably, this situation cannot be resolved by our strength alone. It would have been wonderful if we had succeeded, but those rascals across the sea are barbaric and strong. Far beyond what we can handle. What can we do?”
But unfortunately, the situation went sideways, and their warriors were captured.
“It is indeed shameful, but how can one claim the title of lord if they cannot look after their own warriors? We must plead for our warriors and vassals. Given that our loyal actions have led to this twist, we have no choice but to request help from His Majesty, who bestows grace upon all under the sun!”
So, let’s rush to His Majesty and ask for help.
No matter how they wrapped it up, the essence of the council member’s words was a brazen request for “I started this mess, but I wish the government would take responsibility.”
But it seemed the aristocrats were all ears to such shameless words.
Why wouldn’t they be interested?
The responsibility was being shifted to someone else.
“Indeed… This is a situation we absolutely cannot manage alone.”
“I hope His Majesty considers our loyalty…”
“Ha ha. Of course he will. After all, we attempted to retrieve an object with His Majesty’s name inscribed upon it. Surely, he’ll take action.”
“And furthermore, His Majesty isn’t without responsibility in this matter, is he?”
If the Emperor were to be caught off guard by such a sudden turn of events, it would seem absurd, yet the aristocrats genuinely thought some of the blame rested with the Emperor.
Each person varied in their perception of the size of that responsibility, but surprisingly, most believed that the Emperor, who knew nothing of the plan, should clean up their mess!
“Is this what you did for us? No, isn’t it? Hearing rumors that an object related to His Majesty was discovered in that barbaric Joseon, you couldn’t contain yourselves and, filled with grief and anger, organized a retrieval team, right?”
“Exactly. There were no lobbyists, no coercion. This was an act of loyalty straight from our hearts, done to fulfill our duty as subjects. While failing is indeed shameful, our loyalty cannot be doubted.”
“What doubt! Haha! Even just considering what we did would warrant an award rather than a reprimand!”
“Indeed. And His Majesty should naturally come forward for loyal subjects like us!”
This was their line of reasoning.
They considered themselves loyal subjects acting for the Emperor.
Therefore, as lords, it was only right that they commend loyal subjects and take responsibility for their errors.
This is not a situation from hundreds of years ago, and even if it were, they shouldn’t be claiming rewards after being punished.
Some genuinely believed this, while others smiled at the fact that responsibility was being shifted away from them, and some thought that if the government stepped in, the chance of recovering their precious capable people would increase.
And.
There were those who were simply happy that they wouldn’t bear the burden of responsibility.
“I happen to have connections with someone working in the Imperial Household Agency, so I shall convey this to them.”
The council member said to the aristocrats, wearing a serious expression as if he had made a resolution.
Yet, the twitching of the corners of his mouth showed that he was deeply relieved and happy about not having to take responsibility.
Thus, the aristocratic gathering smoothly avoided catastrophe.
No sooner had the meeting ended than the council member immediately contacted an acquaintance from the Imperial Household Agency to meet at a fancy sushi restaurant.
Initially chatting about mundane topics, once the atmosphere became comfortable, he produced a letter and a bag to hand to the staff member.
“Please deliver this letter to His Majesty.”
A letter firmly sealed with wax.
It looked suspicious right off the bat.
The staff member thought it unwise to get embroiled in something strange and almost refused the letter, but the moment the council member opened the bag, he fell silent.
The bag was bursting with cash.
Bills featuring the visage of Japan’s eminent figure, Fukuzawa Yukichi.
They were 10,000 yen bills.
The bag wasn’t particularly large, but judging by the number of bundles with Yukichi’s face, it was certainly not a small amount.
“I’m not asking for much. Just deliver this letter. It contains no harmful content for His Majesty. It’s just a slightly urgent matter. I will stake my name and council member position on it. There will be no trouble for His Majesty, so can you deliver this letter?”
A suspicious letter.
Bundles of 10,000 yen bills.
Caught between the two questionable choices, the staff member seemed to hesitate, glancing this way and that, but eventually, he nodded.
“Just this once.”
“Thanks. Really, thank you.”
The staff member chose to deliver the letter.
The letter appeared suspicious, but who cares?
The council member had said time and again that there was no problem for His Majesty, and it was merely a matter of delivering the letter, right?
Moreover, it was not out of deep loyalty.
He wasn’t working for the Imperial Household Agency because of overflowing loyalty to His Majesty.
He was merely a public servant.
Plus, the current Imperial Household Agency wasn’t on the best terms with the current Emperor.
So, the staff member was willingly taking the money and decided to deliver a letter containing unknown contents to the Emperor.
To someone, it might be nothing short of a thunderclap.
“Are there really such pestilence gods…!”
A thunderclap.
It’s a thunderclap.
Without any warning, a bolt from the blue struck down.
His Majesty had been living his life as a symbol of the nation, maintaining his dignity, without a thought, when he received a letter from a former aristocrat, hoping it might bring some change to his dreary routine, and so he opened it.
Of course, anticipating that there could be unpleasant contents, those within the Imperial Household Agency conducted checks first, and only after ensuring it wouldn’t bring dishonor to the Emperor was the letter placed in his hands.
After this long assessment, the letter that ended up in his hands…
Brought about change in a different sense.
“A relic or a divine object with His Majesty’s name inscribed was discovered in Korea… A retrieval team was dispatched to bring it back to Japan…?”
Not the positive change he desired, but rather negative change.
A drastic change that felt like a sledgehammer to the back of his head.
“A retrieval team was sent but was captured while infiltrating the shaman’s dwelling…?”
What kind of insane contents are these?
They found an artifact from Japan?
And they dispatched a retrieval team?
This alone was incomprehensible.
They could have simply bought it with money.
Or if that wasn’t possible, they could have brought it back in a peaceful way.
Instead, they chose to dispatch armed individuals?
Sure.
It would be another story if they at least succeeded.
Whether they sent armed warriors or magic users, or resorted to violence.
If they had just brought it back, some leniency could have been possible.
But look at this incapable lot’s letter.
They say they failed.
They sent people to the shaman’s dwelling and got captured.
Just that is infuriating enough, but what was written below was even more ridiculous.
“We sincerely apologize, but we must ask His Majesty to directly…”
A request written in a lengthy manner.
A “request” for Him to rescue the people they sent.
“Have you ever seen such shameless and unprincipled people…!”
His Majesty’s face twisted in rage as he crumpled the letter in his fist.
A request?
Indeed.
What was written in the letter was a request.
But unfortunately, this was not a mere request.
Can something that must be forcibly done from the moment one realizes it be called a simple ‘request’?
The existence of the Emperor is the parent of all subjects, a mother protecting them.
He had a duty to safeguard the citizens who looked up to him and to protect those subjects loyal to him who worked for the nation’s development.
Whether or not the Emperor actually believed so was irrelevant.
It was a duty.
Even if nominally, a duty had to be upheld without fail.
Why?
Because if he didn’t, he would be attacked!
“How presumptuous do you think of the bloodline of the enduring imperial dynasty… that you’d use it so casually!”
Right now, the Emperor of Japan had no real power.
After World War II, he was demoted from divine to human, shedding the status of an emperor with absolute authority to merely one of symbolism. His immense might vanished into thin air, and his followers did as well.
Those who held noble blood had their powers stripped away, barely maintaining their legacy.
What took their place were the shameless undead of capitalism and council members.
Individuals who grasped power while posing as nobles.
Outwardly loyal to the Emperor, yet behind the scenes, they committed the most blasphemous acts with utter ease.
To them, the Emperor was merely a symbol, a totem to be used to take the blame when necessary.
“Is anyone there!”
