It was morning. I had intended to head to Village Five today, but the trip was pushed back to tomorrow. This was to allow the people there enough time to prepare for my arrival. Ruincia told me I should just travel without worrying about their convenience, but I do worry, so I stayed put. It was my decision to delay, so there shouldn't be any issues.
"As you wish," Ruincia said. Her words were gentle.
Wait. Malbit was beckoning to me, so I walked over to her.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I thought I’d offer a little follow-up to what Ruincia was talking about yesterday."
"You were listening?"
"In a way. My point is that the strong have a specific way of behaving. And that behavior is something you have to learn."
"?"
"Take a simple example... clothes."
"Clothes?"
"A merchant wears merchant’s clothes, a knight wears knight’s clothes, and a king must wear a king’s clothes. If they don't, everyone around them is inconvenienced."
"That’s true," I admitted. If people don't dress according to their roles, it becomes impossible to tell who is who.
"And then there are the 'king’s clothes.' In Ruincia’s view, whatever a king wears becomes the king’s clothes. But in reality, there are certain expectations for what a king should look like, aren't there?"
That made sense. When someone says "the king's clothes," a specific image comes to mind.
"Suppose a king is wearing a craftsman’s outfit and gets into a dispute with a merchant over a deal. It would be a pity for the merchant if they were blamed for not recognizing the king’s face. But from Ruincia’s perspective, the merchant should naturally know what the king looks like. They should naturally know the king likes to wear craftsman’s clothes. In her mind, it's the merchant's fault for not knowing. She’s technically right... but you can't expect every single person to be equally brilliant and diligent."
I nodded.
"This place, the Village of the Great Tree, is Ruincia’s ideal. Everyone here is interested in the Village Head and makes an effort to know him. That’s why no real problems ever crop up. I think Village Five became an issue because there are too few people there who actually know you. You might not want to, Village Head, but sometimes you have to put on the king's clothes and assert your position. If you don't, you'll just keep inviting trouble."
She was right. I certainly wanted to avoid trouble. Though, strictly speaking, I wasn't a king—I was the Village Head.
"I know that, but if I said 'Village Head’s clothes,' it would just sound like normal everyday wear and get confusing. So let's stick with 'king’s clothes.' And I don't think you can understand what those clothes represent unless you study them. It's about meeting the expectations of those around you. That’s why a king must learn how to be a king. Don’t forget that."
...I see. She was usually a slacker, but Malbit was still the leader of the Angel Race. Her words carried weight. Ruincia’s stance was kind, but I shouldn't let myself be coddled by it too much. I didn't intend to change who I was, but it would be embarrassing if I turned into a tyrant without realizing it just because I was doing whatever I pleased. I wanted someone to warn me when I was doing something wrong.
I decided to ask Ruincia to do exactly that.
"A warning?" she asked.
"Yes. If you see me doing something that looks wrong from your perspective, I want you to tell me."
To put it in Ruincia’s terms, when a Lord acts incorrectly, it is the vassal’s duty to offer counsel. Ruincia wasn't exactly my vassal, but I wondered if I could rely on her for this. I told her it wasn't just for the future—if there was anything I had done wrong in the past, I'd appreciate her pointing it out.
"Understood. In that case, let us begin immediately. There are... seventeen, no, eighteen points I wish to address."
"Wait, what?"
She completely dismantled me. She was particularly harsh regarding the children being placed under house arrest. While she agreed it was fine as a punishment, she pointed out that I had failed to grant them any reward for fighting to protect the honor of the Village of the Great Tree.
I see. I’ll have to think about that.
She also scolded me for the small number of children I had. I thought I had quite a lot, but in Ruincia’s eyes, it was nowhere near enough. Between that and several other critiques, my spirit was thoroughly exhausted.
I needed a break. To recover my mental state, I buried my hands in Kuro’s fur. Ah, Yuki wanted some attention too? There, there. This was healing.
Oh? Aegis, the Phoenix Chick, you want in on this too? Come here.
The Eagle arrived as well, but he didn't seem to be here for petting. What was that at his feet? A fanged rabbit? He pushed it toward me.
Ah, he was suggesting I pluck the rabbit’s fur to vent my stress. Hahaha. Thank you, but I’ll just take the thought for now.
And Malbit, please don't look at me like we’ve become kindred spirits. Though, I did feel a little more inclined to be nice to her than before.
Ruincia was certainly strict. However, seeing her like this, I was certain that the Angel Race Village only functioned because she was there. Or perhaps it was the balance between her and Malbit that kept things running.
I know, I know. A three-stack of pancakes, right? I’ll make them.
Before I knew it, the Fairy Queen was also waiting nearby. She was a queen in her own right, so perhaps she had hardships I couldn't imagine. I decided to make some for her as well.
That night.
I decided to try changing my behavior when I reached Village Five. I think Malbit's point was that regardless of how I felt, I was the ruler of Village Five, so I should dress and act the part. Ruincia believed I should be free and the people should adapt to me, while Malbit believed I should meet the people's expectations. Personally, I agreed more with Malbit.
I’d give it a try once. If it didn't work, I could always go back and try something else. I felt a bit bad for the people of Village Five, but I needed them to bear with me for this experiment.
Having made up my mind, I consulted with Ruincia, Yoko, and the Civil Official Girls.
The conclusion they reached? It would be best if I didn't speak at all.
Isn't that a bit much? I felt a little hurt, but they countered by saying that a ruler's words carry too much weight. I didn't think I made promises lightly, but their concern was clear.
In the end, the Civil Official Girls taught me two carefully selected phrases.
When I wanted to praise someone: "Strive." When I wanted to scold someone: "Refrain."
They even gave me specific instructions on the poses to use. Apparently, body language was just as vital as the words themselves. They insisted I could get through any situation with just these two. Was that really true? Well, Ruincia and Yoko were nodding along, so I suppose it must be.
"The Civil Official Girls stopped me before, but what should I say if I want to apologize to the people of Village Five?" I asked.
Ruincia agonized over this for a long time before offering an answer.
"My child has caused trouble."
To my ears, it didn't sound like an apology at all, but she insisted it was the highest form of showing regret. She warned me that I must absolutely not add any other words to it. If I clumsily tried to elaborate, the Civil Official Girls were worried it would be perceived as "pressure" from a superior.
If my intentions weren't being conveyed clearly, I had to wonder if it even functioned as a language. Then again, maybe things just worked better if you didn't speak plainly.
I didn't mind the restriction, but not being allowed to speak clearly reminded me of my life as a corporate employee in my previous world.
"I will handle it appropriately." "I will deal with this suitably." "I will pass this along to the person in charge."
...I decided to lean into Ruincia’s perspective. I should be allowed to do as I please. Therefore, this change in behavior would be for this trip only. Once I returned from Village Five, I’d go back to my usual self.
With that decided, I went to bed early to prepare for tomorrow’s departure.