第４７１堀：まとめ 我儘姫と毘沙門天 (Part2)
With that, she volunteered to take on the task of persuading the Old Royalist faction herself.
Naturally, I told her I couldn't possibly believe her, but she had already received protected status, and even went so far as to offer to sell out the most dangerous elements of the Old Royalist faction.
When I asked her why she would go that far...
"To begin with, this little girl knows nothing. The problem is that she was raised like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. She seems to have thought that whatever she asked for would simply appear. At this rate, she's nothing more than a puppet. The ones who were truly devouring this country were the people who flattered this girl and her parents, the former rulers. Since you brought us here instead of executing us, it’s because you wanted to deal with those troublesome former-regime loyalists, isn't it? After a coup or a takeover, securing the surroundings is the hardest part..."
Is this the kind of hardship she faced during the days of Nagao Kagetora?
Well, it seems Uesugi Terutora has had such experiences, and perhaps that is why she has taken an interest in Bicks.
"Besides. If they attempt a rebellion, you can just cut them down next time. As for me, I don't want the little girl who serves as my vessel to die, but if she intends to strike back, I have no right to stop her."
She honestly admitted that her true motive was that she didn't want to lose the body she could inhabit.
"Until then, I will take on the trouble of reforming the little girl's consciousness. In return—or rather, to make that easier to accomplish—could you allow that young man... no, was it Hero Taiki?—to be her personal attendant? Would you grant me that?"
Since the girl didn't know our rules, it seems she thought it would be faster for her to understand this world if she were taught by someone from her own hometown—in this case, Taiki.
There’s also the risk that someone who dislikes Bicks might twist the truth or refuse to teach her anything at all, and that would be a hassle.
"And so, she became Taiki's personal attendant. Naturally, she’s already doing the work. She’s been persuading the Old Royalist faction—or something close to it—telling them that now is a time for forbearance in order to reclaim Ranks eventually, effectively suppressing the 'Down with Taiki' faction. She’s already forwarding documents regarding the procurement of evidence and weapons to Taiki, so once the selection of their replacements is finished, there will likely be a mass purge at the right time."
This strategy was also devised by Terutora.
As expected, she is quite adept at matters of military strategy.
"Muu. I feel somewhat unsatisfied."
"Mm. It feels murky."
"Well, don't be like that, you two. If we execute that princess carelessly, there’s a chance the Old Royalist faction will raise their banners in revolt. This is the most peaceful approach. Besides, the country is the one that raised that sheltered, incompetent princess; if we were to get to the root of it, we’d have to execute every single high-ranking official in the country. If we did that, everyone except Taiki would be getting their heads chopped off. After all, they’ve been ignoring this situation until now."
"That might be going too far."
"Mm. The country would collapse."
"As Ria and Cleena say, it would be going too far, and the country would cease to function. That is why we chose the method of assimilation. And this is Ranks' policy; it is not a matter for us to interfere with."
"That is true. In reality, it was Ranks that suffered the damage, and on the surface, we are merely outsiders. Well, you two might not be familiar with it, but these things happen quite often."
It’s a kind of cover-up, something that exists even in the modern world.
It is true that the parties involved are the ones at fault, but when you start asking *why* such things happened, you end up pulling on a thread that reveals all sorts of people, so they settle for a compromise.
Even in the modern world, it’s difficult to punish everyone involved; there’s no way we could do that in an otherworld that resembles the medieval monarchies of Earth's history.
The country would genuinely tilt into ruin.
If they are willing to cooperate from here on out, then that’s fine.
If we don't settle it, the damage is liable to spread.
That is how the world works.
I feel sorry for the people who were caught up in it and lost their lives, but in the end, they are people of another country.
If Ranks deems this acceptable, it is not our place to speak up.
If speaking up would bring those people back to life, I might consider it, but that’s not how it works.
There are plenty of conflicts happening in the modern world, and refugees are everywhere.
Now, anyone who has complaints about this ending should go ahead and intervene to stop the conflicts, problems, and incidents happening around the world themselves.
Those who don't know reality are the ones who just talk about how "pitiful" it is without ever taking action.
In the end, they only care about themselves. People who truly want to solve problems like conflicts and refugees actually go to the conflict zones, even if they are Japanese, and travel the world.
Act before you complain. That is what’s important.
Me? I find such things troublesome, so my stance is to brush them off if they come my way.
I have no interest in who is right or who is wrong.
Ultimately, it depends on people's feelings.
If people just want to talk to feel satisfied, I think that’s fine.
However, if they cause trouble for me, I won't show any mercy.
In that sense, I suppress and strike down everything before it can turn into complaints or protests.
Thus, the "selfish princess"—or rather, Bishamonten—has agreed to cooperate for the sake of Ranks' stability.
Though, there is also the fact that we want to hear various things from this Bishamonten.
Now, all that remains is the story of the broken Five Swords of the World.