I Favor the Villainess Chapter 34Quarrels sprouting

“Well then, Lambert-sama, let’s proceed onto the next topic”

“Yes. Then, please look at the materials in front of you”

Several meetings after I joined the Order of the Academy, that topic came up.

“Recently, it seems there’s been an increase in frictions between nobles and commoners”

Lambert-sama began talking.

“Particularly, some scholarship students founded a movement advocating for complete equality between nobles and commoners, irritating noble students. The Order of the Academy received several complaints”

“I happened to also see it. How deplorable it was”

Claire-sama spat out with a sigh.

That group, huh.

“Can we not crack down on it?”

“It would be different outside the academy, but inside freedom of thought is guaranteed. We can’t prohibit political movements either”

“It is an eyesore”

Annoying, Claire-sama said with a sour expression.

“And? How many support the movement?”

Rod-sama enquired with some interest.

“For the time being, there are only few people who support it openly. Including those not open about it, it would be less than twenty”

“Wouldn’t it be okay if we let them do as they please?”

Yuu-sama carefreely said so.

“I thought so, but some radical activists have been quarrelling with nobles in various places in the academy”

“… Quarrelling?”

Sein-sama frowned.

“Yes. Forcing way, not giving way, reserving seats in the dining hall, it seems they’re going against nobles in such small matters”

“It’s a little troubling”

Misha said with a sigh.

Going by what’s being said, nobody understands the intentions of the activists.

Except me, almost everyone here is a noble or a person too wealthy to be called a commoner.

They don’t quite understand the feelings of those commoner activists.

The values are too different.

“I believe it’s simple. They want to be equal to nobles”

“Equal to nobles? That is impossible”

Claire-sama laughed scornfully at my observation.

“To say nothing of their birth and upbringing, the origin and history of the families are fundamentally different”

Claire-sama said, as if she doesn’t wish to hear any more at this point.

Let’s explain the formation of this country here.

The nobility of this Bauer Kingdom descends from local clans that existed before the kingdom was established.

With agricultural development, surplus of various products naturally occurred, in turn military forces were established and clans’ influence grew everywhere.

In such circumstances, the Bauer family, that later became the royal family, gained power and gradually subdued the clans.

The influential clans that fell to Bauer family in the process later became the kingdom’s nobles.

“Moreover, what have commoners contributed to this country”

In exchange for the kingdom guaranteeing nobles tax collection rights, they have various obligations.

Stable governance of their territories, encouraging local industries, training and deploying soldiers, and so on.

From the perspective of people like Claire-sama, due to their contributions nobles have the right to govern, she seems to think ordinary commoners don’t even have basic qualifications.

“… That’s wrong, Claire. After all, paying taxes is a legitimate contribution to the country. If citizens didn’t pay taxes, this country would be unable to run”

The one who said such a strong line was Sein-sama.

As expected, thanks to studying how to be a good ruler, his views are broader than those of nobles.

Be that as it may――.

“In that case, does Sein-sama agree with their advocacy?”

“… I wouldn’t go that far. The reality is, between nobles and commoners there’s a clear difference in responsibilities, intellectual level, and so on. I don’t think commoners taking part in politics is realistic”

“That is right, is it not”

Even for the current royal family that advocates meritocracy, there’s a limit to understanding.

Being able to participate in politics after reaching certain age without discrimination on the basis of sex or wealth, and the universal suffrage of modern Japan, seem like nothing but fairy tales.

“Then, isn’t it simple? As Yuu said, let’s leave it alone”

The talk ends here, Rod-sama said.

However――.

“Even so, there’s one problem”

“Hm?”

“There’s a rumor that the Church supports their movement”

“The Church does?”

The three princes’ complexions changed.

“The Church has preached that people are equal in front of God from long ago. It meshes with the activists’ claims”

The Church’s doctrine is the Spirit Faith that the kingdom’s citizens widely believe.

I touched on it a little after meeting Relaire, there’s a religion based on the Spirit Faith.

Worshipping the spirits of the four elements and their creator, the Spirit God, it’s a religion that believes anything that happens is either a blessing or a trial.

According to the Spirit Faith, the development of magic in the recent years is thanks to powers of the spirits.

The Spirit Faith was originally a simple natural faith of peasants.

Revering the fearsome nature that would sometimes bring about great disasters, before one knew it grew into the number one religion.

The Church provides education to commoners, as well as healing diseases and injuries.

For that reason, the Church has an influence on people that the royalty cannot ignore.

“… Has the Church said anything?”

Sein-sama asked.

“For the time being nothing. It seems the Church has not broken its stance of not interfering with politics”

“There’s little we can do at this point in time, huh”

Misha voiced the thoughts of everybody gathered here.

“As the Order of the Academy, we can’t leave the complaints of the noble students alone. For now, if you happen to see a quarrel, please arbitrate. Be careful not to arbitrarily condemn the commoner”

The leader, Lorec, summed it up as such.

“Then, onto the next topic――”

Afterwards, we discussed three topics, then today’s meeting concluded.

“By the way, Claire-sama. After all, we’ll go to the northern woodlands on the summer vacation, huh?”

“Haven’t your thoughts switched over too quickly?”

At the festival, the gender-reversal café Cavalier achieved the first place in the Programs worth seeing popularity contest and we obtained the trip voucher for the summer retreat.

I’m totally looking forward to it.

“Because those formal talks tired me. Please heal me”

“You, really…. Even as a joke, what are you asking me, your master, for? Rather, you should comfort me”

“Can I!?”

“With the look in your eyes, I understand you are thinking of something outrageous, right!?”

Claire-sama drew away from me.

“No way Claire-sama, what did you imagine. How indecent”

“Then, what were you attempting to do?”

“Are you going to make me say that, gehehe”

“Is it not as I imagined then!?”

Talking about politics and religion overwhelmed my head, so I unwound with Claire-sama.

Yup, it worked.

“Really, you are… Ara? Lene is?”

“If it’s about Lene, she had something to talk about with Lambert-sama. Look, over there”

Asked by Claire-sama, I pointed towards the area in front of the meeting room.

Lene was talking to Lambert-sama with a somehow serious expression.

“It would be peaceful if all commoners were modest and diligent like Lene”

“Claire-sama, what if they were like me?”

“If all commoners became like you, I would consider fleeing abroad”

“We would elope. How nice”

“I would not take you along!?”

And, while we were doing our usual married couple comedic routine (one-sided), Lene came back.

“Welcome back, Lene. What did you talk about?”

“Hmm, it’s not a big deal. But…”

“But?”

“I might have seen it”

“What do you mean?”

Lene held her tongue for a while, but with Claire-sama’s urging she spoke.

“The commoner activists met with Yuu-sama”