Episode 40: Thus Spoke the Emperor ⑥ ~The Sin of Justice~

"I understand your point of view. But unfortunately, I have no way of verifying how much of that story is true."

　To be honest, after listening to the story, the emperor sighed sadly. Leaving aside his irritating attitude for now, he's not the kind of person you can trust just based on his words.
　Even if what he said was true, my honest impression is that he is using it as an excuse to do whatever he wants…… I can't accept that as a reason for killing Al.
　Even if there had been an incident that made the emperor judge the power of the hero to be dangerous, there were many ways to deal with it.
　In a sense, the actions of the current empire are the same as those of the previous hero who ran amok. I don't know if the emperor is aware of this.

"I see. ……The Celestial Knight, the founder of the country, covered up the previous hero's rampage together with the Holy Church, so there is no evidence other than this memory. When you put it that way, I have no response. Did it backfire to prevent history from recording that his best friend slaughtered innocent people, that the hero who saved the world committed mass murder?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter to me, though. ……So, you succeeded in eliminating the hero as planned, but what are you going to do next? Are you planning to rule the world with that big cannon? "

　The emperor laughed heartily at my question.

"Ha ha ha! A cannon? That thing I gave to the church? ――――I am but a mere cog in the wheel of our empire's wisdom. The calamities are not so weak that they can be defeated by something like that. Behold, oh Celestial Knight, Divine Bow, servants of the goddess. This empire is the very “standard-bearer” that will lead the world."

　At the emperor's words, the canopy of the castle moves. No, it looks like the castle walls are moving. The castle roof opens, revealing the night sky. The starlight that should be visible from there seems much dimmer than in the kingdom or the Elven Kingdom, but more than that, something floating in the sky is blocking the light of the stars. As my eyes adjusted and I could see the whole picture, I couldn't help but gasp.

"……A ship? No, is that an airship? "

"Ohh? Do you recognize that, Celestial Knight? That's right. This is the culmination of generations of magical research, the world's only and most powerful weapon, created with two-thirds of the empire's defense budget: the flying fortress “Rulership"."

　The emperor explains with a smug look on his face. ……Those words indicate that there is a huge ship floating in the sky. It looks like a sailing ship floating in the air, with countless cannons like those used by the church lined up along the sides of the hull, and a particularly large cannon facing forward.

　……I am truly amazed at what they have created.

　In a world where the only way to fly is through magic or special tools such as Falty's Sovereign Lunar Bow, the advantage of being able to fly freely is immeasurable. Certainly, it would be possible to conquer a single city on its own. It may be possible to fight effectively against calamities with sufficient mobility and firepower.
　The pun on ruling and ship is clever, but it reminds me of something else from my past life.……not like it matters now.

"The empire has already destroyed many calamities with this ship.
　The empire will destroy all the calamities that plague this world, and I will create a new world order! Then――― After bringing peace to the world, I will blow up the goddess's temple and end the age of mythology! ! "

"You seem very confident, but will it really work out that well? ……And another thing, who can guarantee that an empire with that much power won't go astray like the hero in your story? "

"―――Guarantee? There's no need for that. For I…… am justice itself! ! "

　―――Oh, that's ridiculous. Is this guy drunk, talking about justice? It would have been better if he had just said that his ambition to conquer the world was driven by desire…… but of all things, “that”.
　Those who believe themselves to be righteous and act selfishly do not listen to others, do not understand what is said to them, and refuse to hear reason. As a result, they eliminated the hero based on their assumptions and prejudices, which became a contributing factor to the emergence of the calamities. ……In the first place, at the point when he decided that Al should be eliminated without even seeing him, he was not the type of person who would listen to other people's opinions. Those who insist that they are absolutely right and run amok are no different from madmen.
　What was unfortunate for this world was that such people had “power”.

　……In every country and in every part of the world, people who are intoxicated by the word “justice” are the worst kind of people…… No, they are calamities.
　

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