"Ailin did well. She spared Pander from a disaster and could become one of my legitimate heirs." Emmanuelle swept his gaze around the room. "However, the Empire has its laws. Benson committed a crime and should be tried by the Senate and publicly executed, not subjected to vigilante justice."
"If she wished to become King, she still needed more experience. The Empire's laws should also ensure that she received the punishment she deserved."
"Shieldwind Fortress in Bacchus Province holds a great number of slaves. They seem to be planning a revolt. Gatu Warlord Zakal has long been causing trouble nearby, and the Fear Legion is also stirring."
"Let her go to Shieldwind Fortress and resolve these matters."
"As the price for taking the law into her own hands, she may take only one knight order from Benson's forces, and she may select knights only from the Knight Tournament."
"She picked up the Sword in the Stone. She should be able to win them over."
"Furthermore, she will receive no aid or supplies. This year's military budget for Shieldwind Fortress will be paid from the prize money she earns at the Knight Tournament."
That little prize money from the Knight Tournament would not even cover a day's meals, let alone military expenses.
Even if Ailin entered all sorts of ridiculous competitions, or even sold herself to a pack of pig-fat nobles, she might not earn enough to cover a year's military budget.
And letting her take Benson's army... it was practically forcing her to fight her own people as soon as she led them out of the city.
By the end, the only thing that might reach Shieldwind Fortress would be her—or her corpse.
Yet Emmanuelle had no choice. The Pander Empire was growing increasingly corrupt, and it had already exceeded