C89
The Count Miloam laughed at Elliot's protest.
"In haha, sorry about that. I'm so grateful to be able to give you bread!"
"I'm so astonished."
Elliot clicked his tongue once and cleared his throat with water. If it had been before, he would have been angrily criticizing for at least three minutes, but it seemed he had learned that most words had no effect on the Count.
"If you're so grateful, testify in my favor at my future trial."
This was something that arose from that context.
"Elliot Rudd is a valuable talent that will contribute to the country's development, so consider this and reduce his sentence."
In a cheerful atmosphere, Elliot also mentioned it in jest.
"..."
But the air around us suddenly calmed. This was because Count Miloam, who was the only one leading the atmosphere, suddenly fell silent.
"Hey, Count?"
After a while, I called him. Elliot and Vinetta also looked at Count Miloam with perplexed eyes.
He chewed slowly what was in his mouth, looking troubled by a problem, and only opened his mouth after swallowing it all.
"I'm sorry, but that won't work."
He looked at Elliot with an expressionless face, unlike the person who always smiled cheerfully.
"If this is the trial you're going to face, it will be for that case, right? The Iver Merchant Guild, which is talked about a lot these days."
I knew that Elliot and Iver were related, I thought. When I brought the Count here for the first time, I didn't explain to him what Elliot's crime was. At that time, the investigation into the Iver guild was conducted secretly.
Although the incident was officially reported yesterday, the Count's attitude was not much different from yesterday to today. So I wondered if the Count still didn't know that Elliot was the second in command of Iver, but he did.
"Well, what should I say? I have a simple mind, so I can only preach simple things. So, I tried not to say anything if possible, but..."
Count Miloam scratched his short hair with his thick fingers.
"You didn't really think about this, did you? About the crime you committed."
Elliot's eyes widened.
Count Miloam expressed his thoughts slowly but clearly.
"I don't know if you would have reflected, but I can't say good things in the trial of someone who doesn't reflect. This has nothing to do with whether you're a genius or not. If a person commits a crime, they must pay the penalty."
Elliot left the bread he was eating.
"I lost my appetite. I don't want to see anyone, leave now."
"Speaking of that, let me ask you one thing. Why did you do that?"
Elliot, who was about to get up, stopped.
"If you were, a smart guy like you, wouldn't you be able to use that smart brain for the world? But why did you commit a crime?"
"Ah! Why should I work hard for the world? I will live for one person and not for the world. Only she needs to know me!"
"Did you commit a crime for that person?"
"Yes."
"Does she know that you are doing this for her?"
"She always thanked me. Fortunately, she also told me that I am the pillar that supports her."
"Then that person is a bad person."
Count Miloam touched Elliot's sore spot with just one word. Liena was almost a sacred territory for Elliot.
"What?"
"She just thanked you with words and doesn't really care about you."
Elliot's eyes were bloodshot.
"Don't talk about things you don't know!"
"Even if I'm stupid, I know! If she's really a good person, if she's someone who cares about you!"
Count Miloam shouted louder than Elliot. Vinetta and I covered our ears. The quality was such that it was suspicious that he had not actually boiled and eaten the stove of a train.
"I wouldn't say nonsense like thanking you for committing a crime! I would have stopped you! I should have guided you on the right path!"
"What do you know? Is it okay to just speak out loud for no reason?"
Did he tremble at the volume of his voice, or were his words convincing? Elliot's once fierce spirit was shattered.
"She's a good person. First of all, unconditionally equating illegality with evil is dichotomous thinking and black-and-white logic."
This was not something someone would say who believed that anyone on the other side of Liena was necessarily a villain.
"What are you talking about? Please explain it so I can understand."
"She's a good person! It's not just about being excessively kind, but simply being kind in moderation."
"I don't understand what that means. Are people who commit crimes reasonably good? Then are people who follow all laws good without any measure?"
"It doesn't cross the minimum line. She doesn't intimidate those weaker than her. Rather, she protects the weak even using extralegal means."
"Extralegal means...?"
"Stop your nonsense, let me explain with a friendly example. What would you do if you saw a bully assaulting an elderly person on the street?"
"After hitting him a few times, I'll make him swear he'll never do it again."
"Assault is a crime. It's only because you're a noble that you can do things like that without any problem, right? If everything that is illegal is bad, then you are also a bad person, aren't you?"
"Yes, that's true."
"Like you, who uses physical force, punish villains who harass the weak. There's no comparison with you in the sense that it's reserved and unscrupulous."
"Oh? That's good... But what does that have to do with tax evasion? Isn't not paying taxes an act of punishing the villain?"
"It's ridiculous. Anyway, taxes are a system that only fills the pockets of the rich, even if paid faithfully. Wouldn't it be nice if things went well, but in the end, if the people at the top are corrupt, it's useless."
Elliot adjusted his glasses.
"Instead of throwing money away, it's better to spend it on other good things."
The conclusion was that the country was rotten, and they didn't want to pay taxes. Excuses as well. It would be more honest to say that he didn't pay because it was a waste of money.
Count Miloam had a somber expression.
"Yes, as you said, there are many people in this country who are only interested in getting rich. But there are also good people who try to make the country a better place."
"Nonsense."
"Actually. As you can see, I seem bankrupt and unable to pay, but there are still nobles who sometimes lend me money when circumstances allow. Thanks to those people, our territory has become a bit more prosperous."
"There are only a few."
"The numbers are small, but just because they are nobles doesn't mean they have extra money, so it can't be helped."
"What the hell are you trying to say?"
"Umm... It's hard to say it suddenly. Just give me time to organize my thoughts."
Count Miloam spent some time muttering to himself and tapping the ground with the tips of his shoes. Surprisingly, Elliot waited for the Count without saying a word.
"I thought about it, but I still think I have to pay taxes. Arid areas like our territory have no choice but to rely on the subsidies provided by the government. Oh, of course, I know you feel it's a waste. Our region receives more benefits from the government, but when it comes to paying..."
"Get to the point."
"Don't evade taxes out of greed and then make excuses! Conscienceless bastard!"
"What, what?"
"Do you think I don't know that everything you said before was nonsense?"
"You can say anything!"
"You're the one who says what he wants! If you're smart, you would know, right? What nonsense is the story you're telling."
"..."
"Stop saying things you don't mean and tell me your truth! Don't keep beating around the bush! Tell me your true feelings!"
Elliot's gaze turned downward. He spoke softly, as if sighing.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand, so I tried to handle it appropriately, but it didn't work."
Immediately, relief spread across Elliot's face. Like a snake that had shed a layer of its enveloping skin.
"Yes. Tax evasion goes against social justice. The same goes for other crimes committed by the Iver guild."
But what does it matter? The genius asked.
"Ethel, do you understand? Lady Liena is very charming, cute, beautiful, elegant, and noble, and she was born with all the blessings of the world."
His voice was filled with ecstasy.
"What does it matter if such a person makes a few mistakes? What does it matter to commit some sins for that person? Can't we just let it pass in moderation? Can't you just see how lovely she is?"
Goosebumps rose on the back of my arms. Elliot, who had been laughing until now, began to get angry this time.
"It's blasphemy! How dare you punish a divine and noble person with the laws of a merely human world?"
I remembered seeing someone in the past who had a similar expression to Elliot now. Cassius's head maid, Marianne. The woman who hit her head on the ground without hesitation for Liena during the divorce trial.
"Lady Liena is human, but if you only look at her tenderness, she's more than human! She didn't kill anyone, and violating some minor laws is nothing to her!"
No matter how you look at it, seeing Elliot speaking passionately, even seeing the veins on his neck swelling, was not normal. Vinetta drew her sword from its sheath.
"I never thought Elliot's condition would be this bad... Do we have no choice but to kill him as Terence said?"
It was time to consider a last resort that I resisted using. Count Miloam approached Elliot without hesitation.
"C-Count!"
It could be dangerous. The words got stuck in my throat. This was because he clenched Elliot's head to make a sound.
"Ah! It hurts a lot!"
Of course, the person who suffered the effects of Elliot's artifact was the Count himself.
"But I can't not hit him. What? A person who is so charming and lovely that the law shouldn't punish him? Are you an idiot?"
Count Miloam laughed at Elliot.
"Is there anyone like that in this world?"
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