A Wish to Grab Happiness

Volume 10, Chapter 246: Immoral

Her white eye was eerily wide open. Her long, trimmed eyelashes even cut through the heavens.

The emotions shown in her eyes were probably emotions of anger, disappointment or even grief. However, Roseau saw a girl who could be just frightened, despite the bursting emotions.

The citizens wielded spears with ferocious faces against their ruler. With the piercing tips in her sight, she didn’t even move one fingertip. She rather opened her lips slowly but steady, echoing her voice through the surroundings.

「Roseau. The private assembly has no authority to detain the ruler. Citizens, turn your spears down and return to your daily lives.」

A clear voice echoed. Philos Trait’s voice, like her white eye, had no color.

She always spoke as if she was right, and she did not bend over. She was like a spear herself, simply piercing straight. That was the presence of Philos Trait. She did the right thing, and did not doubt her actions. Perhaps, she couldn’t even doubt herself.

Roseau had immersed in his thoughts. Oh, after all she was different. She was the exact opposite of him. Her straightforward way clashed with his very being. He could not even compare himself with her, him who had been twisted since the beginning. Oh, that was why.

The transparency of her voice made the surrounding citizens quiver their eyes for a moment and lose the strength of their spears. Anxiety and impatience rose as smoke in their viscera.

Roseau ate her words while sighing.

「That’s right, the private assembly does not have the authority to detain the ruler. However…the authority to detain an immoral person belongs to every citizen of the Great Holy Church. Am I wrong, immoral Philos Trait?」

Once again, Roseau repeated the “immoral” word, putting great emphasis on that word. He didn’t want the public to think about unnecessary things. All he had to do was solidify their thoughts with his own words.

Immoral were those who had abandoned their faith.

There were various names, but none of them had the same meaning. At the end of the day, those who turned their backs on Altius, the God of the Great Holy Church, were traitors who carried the most unforgivable sin in the world.

The word itself was the greatest insult to the Great Holy Church, and there were those who even said it was a forbidden word. It was a word that parents taught their children not to say even as a joke.

Turning your back on God was nothing more than throwing away all the salvation you had received, to throw away your only asylum. In other words, throwing it away meant that you became a beast and a barbaric person who did not know dignity, who was the same as a heathen like those from the Heraldic Order. The word immoral had that meaning.

That was why Roseau forced his lips to profess that word, since it was the right time to do so. He shook his voice at the highest level and carved his words into the minds of the citizens. He stuck that word to their thoughts.

Roseau knew that it was easy. Professing such word was enough to corrupt their bones. Because they didn’t even think for themselves what was right and wrong. Those people had always lived by believing in the justice given to them by regular men, and likewise hating the evil thrown to them by regular men.

Every single person was naïve and foolish. Therefore, the stigma of an immoral person echoed well in their brains.

「You have made an alliance with the Heraldics. That is a fact. 」

With each and every word, Roseau spoke slowly to make the citizens angry. He shook his arms exaggeratedly, quivering his throat and voice, while pointing to the public. He had been doing it all his life. Until now, he had lived only with his own mouth.

Even if that meant choosing the wrong road.

「What’s wrong with that? It is Philos’ specialty to determine the direction of the wind. The ruler’s duty is to keep Philos’ autonomy alive, even if we walk in a shameful path.」

Philos Trait’s white eye looked unshakable. Looking up at Roseau, who stood right in front of her eyes, Philos Trait just told him the truth. But the truth was by no means sitting in an unwavering place. Rather, it lived in the minds of those who were too volatile.

Roseau’s eyebrows distorted and his eyes became wide open. The appearance of raising the edges of his lips looked like he was having fun.

「There is a soldier who has informed me of your actions. You happily talked to the Heraldics and…you took their hands as the individual Philos Trait, instead of the ruler of Philos.」

Upon listening to Roseau’s words, Philos Trait strengthened her eyes and stretched her body. He believed he hit the nail on the head. Roseau twisted his lips, feeling praise in his chest.

Did individual rulers form an alliance with hostile forces? Such a thing was unlikely to happen in the first place. If you turned the history book over, there were probably only a few examples.

Philos Trait was probably afraid that the city of Philos would be branded as immoral. Roseau knew about it. Because she was always right, she was also a strong person who didn’t even think about moving in her own way.

However, she did not understand the weakness of people’s hearts. She did not know that the essence of doubting people began with fear. There was a rare example in history. There was monarch who made an alliance with the hostile forces as an individual being. But, what kind of human being was he? Roseau did not know.

「…Philos Trait. You are a despicable immoral person who sold the city Philos for your own protection. In exchange for your personal safety, you signed a contract to hand over the city’s supplies to the Heraldic religion. Shame on you.」

At this time, Philos Trait opened her eyes wide for the first time. What was floating in her eyes was a truly astonishing color. “What the hell are you talking about?” Roseau knew that Philos Trait asked that question within her heart.

At the same time, Roseau distorted his cheeks, saying in his mind that she should have noticed his scheme from the very beginning.

The citizens were easily deceived and believed in such a ridiculous speech. In any case, the ruler who made an alliance alone with hostile forces and dealt with unreasonable contracts was treated as a cowardly traitor.

「…I’m tired of hearing your delusions, Roseau. 」

While saying so, Philos Trait’s eyes looked around at the citizens in front of the gate reflexively. The citizens were not going to let her go. They kept staring at her with angry eyes. Then, their lips opened one after another, spitting out loud noises.

Those words were traitor, coward, murderer, villain and…Ah, death to the immoral.

Everyone professed rough words, defiling the hollow.

「You sold us…you dirty whore! 」

Then, a stone was thrown and hit Philos Trait on the cheek.

It was a sharp stone. Her cheek was torn thinly, and bright blood fell from her face. Perhaps, it echoed on her cheekbones, since she took a step back.

Roseau wondered if those who held the spears in their hands, as if to imitate that gesture, would eat up the flesh of Philos Trait at any moment.

Roseau spoke high as if he were expecting such action. He spoke with his usual, well-spoken voice.

「Quiet, everyone. The immoral Philos Trait will be judged by the Great Holy Church, not by us. Put her in prison!」

With those words, Roseau twisted his lips, as if to mock his own distortion.