The eighteen-year-old youth inside was filled with terror, and now he could no longer speak.
"When your father was throwing his weight around in the village, you did plenty of bullying and oppression yourself. I've kept track of every bit of it."
"Now, your fate has been decided."
The old minister cleared his throat, his voice exceptionally loud. "By order of the Daimyo, the criminal is to be deprived of his sight, hearing, and speech, and have all his ninja abilities destroyed."
"Afterward, he will be exiled to a deserted island beyond the Land of Whirlpools. The sentence will likewise be carried out at noon."
"You're luckier than they are. Though you will no longer be able to perceive this world, at least you'll still be alive—alive and well, just like your father."
But upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince's son fainted outright.
The minister looked at him with disdain. "What a coward. Where's all that snarling bravado from before?"
As he spoke, he prepared to leave, only to be stopped by the traitors in the neighboring cells.
"No! Why do we have to die while he gets to live?!"
The minister glanced at them. "Because your fates are in the Daimyo's hands. Whoever the Daimyo wants dead must die."
"Compared to your traitorous fathers, you at least got to live one more day."
The old minister truly vented all the resentment bottled up in his heart.
He had opposed the princes being granted excessive privileges time and again, but the previous Daimyo had always hesitated, ultimately causing the nation to decline.
He had thought the Land of Whirlpools was doomed and had planned to die for his country.
Yet things had taken an unexpected turn. The new Daimyo was remarkably capable and had set the Land of Whirlpools back