5.
I looked at the girl.
The landscape changed rapidly, from the snowy streets where Marquis Baek Seol-to had done the whipping, to the cave where Viscount Sun Heuk-sin consumed human flesh, to where Viscount Dae Ha-ran led an army to slaughter both soldiers and civilians alike.
"Kill them all without leaving a single one alive!"
A general's competence could be determined by two things, being able to kill people well, and having no hesitation when killing people.
Viscount Dae Ha-ran was a competent general.
"This is the place of a rebellion. The leakage of information about our operation cannot be allowed. The peasants, the poor, the men and women, old and young. Kill them all and destroy everything! I will take responsibility."
Thousands of cavalry slaughtered the rebels.
Surrounded by the soldiers, the shoulders of the villagers shook. Some of them had really tried to rebel against the kingdom. And more and more people had fallen for it, saying 'maybe the lord is really going to start a war'.
"Milord! Spare me! We are all bumpkins who don't know anything!"
A politician's competence could be determined by their ability to distinguish their peers and allies.
Viscount Dae Ha-ran was a incompetent politician.
And humans were most cruel when they were competent in one aspect but incompetent in the other
"Burn them."
The village was set ablaze.
A wooden fence had been built to stop the villagers from escaping. The kingdom's soldiers hefted their spears, stabbing at the villagers that tried to escape the barrier.
"My God!"
The old men, their wives and their children were choked by the black smoke that covered their village.
Soot settled in the lungs of the old chief. Even until his last moment, the village chief didn't know if it would have been a more extravagant death to die at the hands of his Lord for rebelling against his order to join the rebellion instead of the hands of the Kingdom.
He didn't really have a choice.
"Please God, save us…"
God was there in that place.
Viscount Ja Soo-jung was sitting on a distant tree. As she herself had said, the Viscount was [A God that would never regress]. To be precise, she was [A God who would not help anyone, even if she regressed].
Immovable.
"Viscount."
I begged the God who held my wrist.
"Please help them. This is not fair."
"I know."
"Why should Dae Ha-ran live while they die? Why must they die alone in pain?"
"Advisor."
I activated my aura to break free from the Viscount's grip.
But Viscount Ja Soo-jung's gentle touch never left my rest.
God's grip was far stranger than mine.
"There is no reason to do that. The reason some live, some die, and some suffer. That can't exist, right?"
"If so then,…"
"Nevertheless, it seems people often need something to blame."
The village burned to the ground and the ashes drifted to the forest.
Viscount Ja Soo-jung lifted her index finger and caught a speck of gray ash.
"No one can accept that everything in the world happens by chance, can they? There will always be malice behind your misfortune, and manipulation behind your good fortune, so you deserve the sympathy or curses from the rest of the world, right? That's right."
The surrounding landscape changed again.
"Everyone is right."
The kingdom's meeting hall.
"This one will make it so that everyone is right."
The witnesses requested by Count Ah Ru-ho entered the hall.
The old man who lost his daughter was only the beginning.
The Count seemed to have mobilized all of his power, or the power of his faction, to visit the victims. Among them were even the descendants of people who had been displaced by Viscount Dae Ha-ran.
"Everyone's misfortunes didn't just happen, they happened because this one stood to the side and allowed it."
The meeting hall became more and more chaotic.
Count Ah Ru-ho took the lead to condemn Viscount Ja Soo-jung. Many nobles followed the Count and rebuked her.
"None of these sins were committed by Viscount Ja Soo-jung!"
Count Ah Ru-ho spoke eloquently.
"But the Viscount is surrounded by sinners. She didn't even do it unknowingly, she did it despite knowing that. Why does the Viscount protect Marquis Baek Seol-to!? Why does the Viscount protect a cannibal!? They have all committed grave sins, so the Viscount, who they all surround, must be the supreme evil!"
Count Ah Ru-ho did not dare to say it aloud, but that list of sinners also included the Sun King sitting upon the throne.
A monarch who had imprisoned himself for 60 years. Under the Sun King's rule without politics, landowners exploited peasants without restraint, and nobles squeezed those with intellect without hindrance. During his 60 years of indifference, civil unrest had rebellion had been cultivated throughout the kingdom.
"…"
The Sun King sat upon the throne and endured in silence.
It wasn't just the king.
The Dukes, who were ascendants that had lived for over 1,000 years, had carried out numerous slaughters during those 1,000 years. None of the six Dukes hadn't committed murder.
Out of the hundreds of nobles in the meeting hall, the beings who represented the kingdom, there was not a single one without a victim.
"It is Viscount Ja Soo-jung's fault!"
Count Ah Ru-ho was the same.
The Count was a strong warrior who had led his army to battle several times. It was impossible for there to be no unjust deaths on a battlefield. He'd ruined the lives of several people. He'd broken several families. And so, he carried the misfortune of several people.
"Moreover, the Viscount even called a person who had committed a crime [lovely]. Ha. How dare she so openly show her love for someone who has committed a crime! How dare she continue to love criminals even now, when it is not enough even to repent for the past, correct sins, and raise the morals of our kingdom!"
Count Ah Ru-ho attacked Viscount Ja Soo-jung. But the truth was, he was also stabbing himself and all the other royals and nobles present.
"Viscount Ja Soo-jung is a sinner!"
The Count was not in pain.
Licking the blood from his wounds, he bit Viscount Ja Soo-jung over and over again like an intoxicated hunting dog.
"Yes."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung, who knew all of that better than anyone else in the world, didn't ask back ,[aren't you also a sinner?].
She didn't even declare, [we are all sinners alike].
"That's right."
However, she affirmed.
"It's this one's fault."
She pointed her finger towards herself and called out to the victims, the young God gladly accepted it as if it was a sweet drink.
"This one is a sinner." (TL: I think you mean that word that starts with m.)
The Evil God was amused.
"That's why, I should be punished." (TL:… really an m…)
It seemed that Count Ah Ru-ho was too focused on eloquence.
"…"
If the Count had paid more attention, he might have wondered why the members of Viscount Ja Soo-jung's faction had not made a single argument.
"…? What?"
Even though it was said that the king had no authority, he was still the Lord of the royal domain. That was his right guaranteed by the law. There had been many chances for him to stop the Count's tirade and support Viscount Ja Soo-jung.
"What's wrong, Count? This one just said that I agree with your views."
The Apathetic Duke was a butcher. And she was a Duke. Furthermore, she was an influential person who did not regret a single murder or massacre she'd committed.
She enjoyed her custom of rolling dice to determine a person's life or death. It had been like that for a long time, and it would continue being like that for a long time. There was only one thing about the Duke that had changed. It was just there was now a Ja Soo-jug in the world that she wouldn't roll the dice for.
But the Apathetic Duke didn't shelter the first pet she'd had in 1,000 years.
"Agreeing with my view means…"
"Everything is this one's fault, this one's responsibility, and this one's sin, so this one needs to be punished."
Marquis Baek Seol-to, who'd killed a child when she was younger, was now the Head of a Marquis Family. From generation to generation the Rabbit* Marquis monopolized the northern port of the royal capital. Thirty percent of the Great River's streams that flowed throughout the kingdom belonged to them. The Marquis had a lot of money. (*: Actually put rabbit)
The former cannibal, Viscount Sun Heuk-sin, knew how to use her notoriety well. She removed the mold that was deeply rooted in her estate. She purged the landowners in charge of the windmill and executed the local gentries who controlled the waterways. Then, she returned all of the windmills and waterways in the territory to the family before giving them to peasants at a low price. The Viscount had a lot of grain.
Viscount Dae Ha-ran, who was once a general of the Royal Family, had once planned a rebellion. She was still good at killing people. She knew how to divide the enemy, how to divide a united enemy, and how to annihilate trained soldiers. She knew the tricks necessary for war. Of those, the Viscount had too many.
"…so, you're accepting my argument?"
"Precisely."
But no one defended their Master.
Unless there was a lack of love for their lover or loyalty for their Master, there had to be a reason why all of them remained silent.
"This one is the greatest sinner in the history of the kingdom, that is why I'd like to introduce a bill."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung commanded silence.
"Secretary. Please hand out the prepared bill."
If the Count had paid a bit more attention.
No matter how the Viscount was called the [Crazy Bitch of the Royal Capital], she wouldn't remain smiling as witness after witness came to testify against her. Perhaps then he would have realized that this argument in the Council was [exactly what Viscount Ja Soo-jung wanted].
"A bill…?"
"Yes. This one is proposing a bill by adopting the other party's argument."
The Count hadn't had any doubts.
"The bill will be called The Golden Rule."
And that was why he was hunted.
"Dear fellow members of the Noble Council."
Documents were distributed to the nobles. Splash! As the Royal Family's clerks rushed back and forth, stepping in the amniotic fluid. The documents were distributed equally to the members of every faction.
"Some might ask the question."
As the highest ranking members of the kingdom flipped through the documents, Viscount Ja Soo-jung began speaking in a leisurely tone.
"Do we really need a new Duke in this era?"
Some nobles didn't look down at the documents. No, they treated it as if they didn't want to look down at it. Those few were the Leisurely Duke, Absolute Sword Duke, Inner Energy Duke, Stone Medicine Duke, and Black Dragon Duke*. (*: Author suddenly mentions Black Dragon Duke(흑룡공) for the first time. I give up T~T)
This meant that the bill had already been debated among the Dukes.
"This one's answer is clear. Yes, we do need a seventh Duke."
"…"
Among them, the Ten Thousand God Duke was the head of the Religious Faction which was the fact Count Ah Ru-ho was in. Count Ah Ru-ho blankly turned his head to look at his faction leader.
The Ten Thousand God Duke slightly resembled the Heretic Questioner as he smiled.
"I'm sorry, Count! Big sis asked me to keep it a secret!"
"…"
It was then that the Count realized.
Why the witnesses and evidence against Viscount Ja Soo-jun was so readily available, and who the entire proceedings of that day had been planned by. The kingdom was already owned by Viscount Ja Soo-jung.
"If there were no problems in this era then yes. There would be no need to establish a new Duke."
The God who had taken over the kingdom from the shadows said.
"However, there have been so many rebellions, knockbacks, and rotting stench. Don't you agree? Dear colleagues of the Noble Council whom I greatly respect, there have been hundreds of thousands of people involved in rebellion. Millions have lost their loyalty in the kingdom. Someone has to take responsibility in this era."
An impatient noble read the summary of the bill.
"Taking responsibility is easy."
And didn't understand it, so he went back to the first page.
"Those who have been sacrificed by the kingdom's administration for 60 years. Those whose lives were ruined because they were unjustly involved in rebellions. The families and descendants of those who were ruined. Those soldiers who died because of unjust orders, Those who lost their homes because of civil policies. Those who were robbed of their property, had their body parts mutilated, were forced to leave their towns or lost relatives because of the disregard of the Royal Family or nobles. Those who were subjected to racial discrimination. The serfs who were exploited. To give specific examples of the chaos in the past 60 years, there have been two failed Gold Dragon Subjugation orders in the past, one civil war, three rebellions by nobles, and another by the Red Nails. In all of those, the subjects were unjustly sacrificed."
In other words, the people of the kingdom were unfairly sacrificed.
"The kingdom will accept full responsibility for them. The seventh Duke, who will be established here, will assume those responsibilities."
In other words, Viscount Ja Soo-jung.
"The principle will be as follows."
The kingdom's nobles all looked at Viscount Ja Soo-jung.
"A person whose life has been ruined by the kingdom can pass on the same amount of suffering to the seventh Duke."
Torture.
"The way responsibility will be taken is as follows."
The nobles in the Viscount's faction lowered their heads.
"A person seeking revenge from the seventh Duke may point out the culprit that ruined their life and demand that they are present when The Golden Rule is executed. For example, the freeman Nam Suk can force Marquis Baek Seol-to to attend as a witness."
Revenge.
"And regardless of how much the seventh Duke suffers at the hands of the subject, the witness can never force them to stop or interfere with the execution of The Golden Rule. Witnesses will only be allowed to observe The Golden Ruler."
The price of sin.
"The time and place for the implementation of the Golden Rule will be as follows."
The reason this day was chosen for the Evil God's trauma.
"Every year on the 24th day of the 12th Month. The last day of the Noble Council's end of year meeting. From midnight on this day, the seventh Duke will make a clockwise trip around the Royal Capital. The starting location will be the Platinum Square in front of the Platinum Tower and the final destination will be the Platinum Square in front of the Platinum Tower. During this trip, any subject of any age and any sex can go to the seventh Duke and demand the execution of The Golden Rule."
Today was the 24th Day of the 12th Month.
"This one will determine if the subject is qualified to execute The Golden Rule."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung had [Ice River Dragon's Breath].
She could watch the past of whoever was in front of her.
She would be able to tell if the kingdom had ruined that subject's life.
"If they are qualified, this one will judge exactly how much they have suffered and how much pain they can inflict to this one. Arms for those whose arms were cut off. Eyes for those who had their eyes gouged out. For those who have too much to be done at once, it will carry over to the next year until it is enough. Year after year."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung has [Gold Dragon's Eyes.]
She could figure out the intensity and size of other people's emotions.
She would be able to see how much the kingdom's subjects had suffered.
"While The Golden Rule is being executed, this one's body will be damaged and I will probably not be able to walk properly, so this one will need someone to support me. The one who caused the most suffering to the subject will be the one to support this one."
Viscount Ja Soo-jung asked every influential person she met to love her.
She didn't ask them for anything else.
Now, they would have to smell the blood of the person they loved from the closest distance.
[getid]
"This one puts the above mentioned bill on the agenda, and as the Leader of the Mirror Faction and Head of the Amethyst Viscount Family, I use the right granted to all nobles by the First King to hold a vote on the above mentioned bill. If passed, the bill will come into effect from tonight."
The meeting hall was silent.
The sound of running water echoed.
Since it was the 12th Month, it was probably snowing outside.
"Dear colleagues of the Council."
The Country Tilting Duke.
The noble who was about to become the seventh Duke smiled brightly.
"It is now time to punish the sinner."