"Judicial Authority..." Rennala began slowly.
"I can grant it to you. But I have a few conditions."
"Please state them, Your Majesty."
"First, the laws you establish for your territory must not conflict with the kingdom's laws, undermine the kingdom's unity, or damage Her Majesty the Queen's authority. Copies of all legal provisions must be submitted to the royal family for the record."
"Reasonable."
"Second, the royal family retains supreme jurisdiction over major crimes involving treason, espionage, threats to the kingdom's security, and the like. Death sentences issued by the Territorial Court will also require royal approval."
"Acceptable."
"Third..." Rennala looked at Horace, her gaze growing meaningful.
"You must prove the effectiveness of this system of 'law' through action. Three years. I will give you three years. After that, I will send people to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Lakeside Town's governance, public safety, and public satisfaction. If the results are satisfactory, your Judicial Authority will be formally confirmed and secured. The kingdom might even... learn from your experience. If the results are poor, or serious problems arise, the royal family will have the right to revoke this authority and impose new regulations."
Horace felt greatly reassured. Three years would be enough.
He needed time to implement the system and work out its problems anyway.
"I accept," Horace said solemnly.
"I will prove to Your Majesty through facts that good laws and impartial justice can do more to maintain the stability of both the territory and the kingdom than force alone."
"Very good." Rennala smiled in satisfaction.
"Then the military and judicial clauses will be drafted into formal documents according to what we have just discussed. We can leave the other details to our respective scribes."
With official business concluded, the atmosphere relaxed a little.
Rennala refilled both their cups with tea, then suddenly asked, "Marquis, at yesterday's banquet... my younger sister's actions gave you a fright, didn't they?"
Horace had not expected her to bring this up so abruptly. He paused before saying, "Her Highness the Princess has a candid nature."
"Candid?" Rennala laughed.
"That child has been stubborn since she was little. Once she sets her mind on something, even ten oxen couldn't drag her away. She must have caused you quite a bit of trouble during these past few years in Lakeside Town?"
(Question: were those ten oxen Fallingstar Beasts?)
"Her Highness the Princess is highly skilled in combat and deeply learned. She has given me a great deal of guidance in swordsmanship and True Magic, and Lakeside Town's young knights have benefited considerably as well." Horace's answer was formal and polite.
Rennala looked at him with the hint of a smile. "Just guidance? Marquis, there are no outsiders here. There is no need for these pleasantries. This sister of mine is simple at heart. Everything she thinks is written on her face. I have seen perfectly clearly how much her attitude toward you has changed over the years. And you..."
She paused, lowering her voice slightly, a trace of curiosity and inquiry in it. "How do you feel about her? I hear you have never taken the initiative to 'pursue' her. You have even pretended not to notice some rather obvious hints. That is hardly the attitude one would expect toward a beautiful princess. Could it be... that you already have someone in your heart, Marquis? Or do you think a princess of Caria is unworthy of a marquis of barbarian birth?"
Horace felt a headache coming on.
Her Majesty the Queen was shrewd and decisive in matters of state, and no less capable when it came to gossip.
"You jest, Your Majesty." Horace weighed his words.
"Her Highness the Princess is of exalted birth and exceptional talent, with a boundless future ahead of her. I am merely a frontier vassal, responsible for the livelihoods and safety of several thousand people in my territory. I dare not entertain too many presumptuous thoughts. Besides... the world is ever-changing. Who can say for certain what the future holds?"
The meaning behind his words was clear: he currently had neither the inclination nor the energy to consider personal relationships, especially a complicated relationship involving a royal princess.
Rennala understood his unspoken meaning. A trace of regret flashed through her eyes, but there was more understanding and appreciation.
To see his own position and responsibilities so clearly, unswayed by beauty or power-this man's resolve was even firmer than she had imagined.
"Very well." Rennala did not press further, merely saying meaningfully,
"Affection truly cannot be forced. However, Marquis, I have already given orders to begin forging the Moonlight Greatsword... I am very much looking forward to the royal family gaining another little princess."
An ancestral Moonlight Greatsword-who was it being prepared for?
She rose, signaling the end of their meeting. "The formal investiture document and the agreement on your powers will be ready within three days. You will need to sign them again then, Marquis. In the meantime, you may explore the academy or visit Caria Manor. If you need anything, simply tell the attendants."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Horace rose and bowed.
Leaving the small council chamber, Horace walked through the academy's ancient stone corridors, where sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows in dappled patterns of light and shadow.
He had secured Judicial Authority. That had been the most important objective of this trip.
With this authority, he could legitimately implement reforms in Lakeside Town, establish order, and truly turn it into a secure base.
As for Rellana...
The image of her reddened eyes last night, and how she might have returned to looking like a proud peacock this morning, surfaced in Horace's mind. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly despite himself, then settled again.
He had no time to think about romance now.
The Kingdom of Caria had only just been founded. Its internal affairs needed putting in order, outside powers were watching hungrily, and Lakeside Town's development had also entered a critical stage.
Romance? That was far too much of a luxury.
When Radahn was a boy, he received his scrawny steed. The English description was quite direct: a horse that was all skin and bones.
The Japanese gave a more explicit description of Radahn's horse: "with his shabby, scrawny horse,in order to remain together forever." Literally translated: to remain forever with this sickly, scrawny horse.
Yet Radahn was a boy at this point, and the Radahn in the portrait was nowhere near the swollen purple potato he would later become. Presumably, he was about the size of a normal Tree Sentinel.
Equipping a young prince of the Carian Royal Family with a sickly, scrawny horse clearly made no sense. Even the Cuckoo Knights in the lake region had normal horses. There was no shortage of horses-unless this horse had been a gift from another member of the royal family.
The author compared it with the other horses in the game. Apart from our little beast of burden, not one was more frail and scrawny than it.
This horse had red hair, with both a red mane and a red tail, much like Radagon's Red Wolf. Nor was there a second knight riding a red-maned horse to be seen anywhere in the Lands Between.
Who, then, could have given Radahn this sickly horse, other than Radagon?
In the description of Gravity Well, the English, which pays close attention to tense, changed the wording to "young." This showed that not much time had passed between Radahn receiving his horse and going to learn gravity magic.
Radahn's horse became unable to carry him shortly after he received it, which showed just how weak the horse was.
There was a Royal Evergaol behind Caria Manor, with a Black King imprisoned inside.
Rennala had gone so far as to have the Black King imprisoned, so she could not possibly have been the one who allowed the academy to teach gravity magic.
Meanwhile, the White King beside the academy's waterwheel dropped Gravity Well.
Then who had the authority to bring the White King to the academy's waterwheel?
There was also something suspicious about Rennala going mad.
A powerful sorcerer-queen had actually gone mad so easily. It made one wonder whether someone had interfered with her mind.
And the Mirrorhelm Iji wore closely resembled the Nox Mirrorhelm. [Both could ward off all interference-including that of the Greater Will and its envoys, the Fingers.]
Why would a close royal retainer go out of his way to wear such a [treasonous] helm?
[Iji was terrified that he would commit betrayal.]
Moreover, I suspect this interference made use of light.
Blaidd did not go mad while locked inside the Evergaol, where no light reached him. As soon as he came out and the light fell on him, he went mad.
Before you continue