In the capital of the Borus Empire, Caldea, there was a multi-purpose circular arena.
Normally, it was a place for tournaments of knights wielding lances or swordsmanship competitions, but today it was opened for a different purpose to the citizens of the Empire.
“Agora!”
It was the traditional site where battles between noblemen, risking everything, took place.
Since witnessing a true duel between nobles was a rare sight, the Agora was always a popular event.
Today’s Agora was especially sensational, leading those with good seats to even sell them for money.
“Such a grand event, I must see it from the front row, even if I have to spend some money!”
The recent prohibition of comic books, which had been heating up the Empire, was a matter of interest to everyone, commoners and nobles alike.
So much so that those who couldn’t enter the arena scrambled up to the rooftops of nearby tall buildings to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.
“Damn it! I never expected it’d be the Crown Prince, not the Emperor, judging today.”
Standing on one side of the arena, the representative of the Imperial Parent-Teacher Association, Count Macbeth, felt a hint of anxiety as he checked who was seated as judges.
– “The Crown Prince has reached the age to gain practical experience. Have him attend the Agora in my stead.”
Unlike the three judges, the Emperor held a role of determining what was right or wrong if disputes arose at the Agora, though he wouldn’t directly cast a vote.
But having the Crown Prince, well known to be friendly with Rupert, as a substitute spelled trouble for Macbeth and the Imperial Parent-Teacher Association.
It didn’t stop there.
One of the three judges was Duke Bluewell, who, according to various rumors, was close enough to attend a banquet hosted by the Somerset Count.
If so, it was likely that Duke Bluewell would be inclined to side with Rupert, which was bad news.
However, one fortunate detail was that the Crown Prince had no voting power.
“We’re not sitting idly by, either.”
Whether the Emperor or the Crown Prince attended, the Imperial Family had been friendly towards the Somerset, so it made little difference.
While Bluewell’s attendance was unexpected, he wouldn’t want to overtly support Somerset for fear of bringing his own faction under attack.
But the remaining two judges were a different story.
One of them was Marquis Lios, who held the lowest rank among the noble seven and was notorious for being both conservative and aristocratic, ensuring he would definitely support the Imperial Parent-Teacher Association.
The last judge, similarly part of the noble seven, was Marquis Max Demian, who was considered a dependable ally by the Imperial Parent-Teacher Association.
“His hatred for Somerset is likely equal to, if not greater than, ours.”
Having offered a substantial bribe to have the position of judge, Demian was certain to side with Macbeth.
After all, Demian had more than enough reason to dislike Rupert and the Yuren Merchant Association.
It was a well-kept secret known only to some nobles that the Demian family was the actual owner of the Vera Merchant Association, one of the Empire’s seven major merchant guilds.
Having suffered several setbacks because of Rupert and the Yuren Association, the Vera Association was probably glad to step up for the Imperial Parent-Teacher Association.
“Moreover, appearing completely unrelated to this incident allows them to show blatant favoritism without worrying.”
Given how the Crown Prince and Duke Bluewell were well-known for their close ties to Somerset, overt actions would backfire, but Max Demian would act without such concerns.
Macbeth narrowed his eyes at Rupert, standing directly across from him, with an utterly neutral expression.
“You may have tried your best, but your strategies run shallow! Today will be the day the Somerset family falls!”
Macbeth vowed inwardly.
*
“Now, we shall commence the Agora! Both the defendant and plaintiff shall begin their oaths.”
With the Crown Prince’s declaration, the Agora finally began.
As Rupert, the defendant, and Macbeth, the plaintiff, took turns swearing to speak only the truth in the sacred Agora, they entered the heart of the debate.
“Plaintiff Count Macbeth, please state the reasons for raising the Agora.”
At the Crown Prince’s request, Macbeth moved to the platform set in the center of the arena to make his statement.
“Dear citizens of the Empire! Today, our Empire is in great peril.”
Appearing quite prepared, he started to explain, with his own logic, why they had summoned Rupert Somerset to the Agora and their attempts to ban comic books.
“Children who have read comics have begun to wield sticks in violent ways!”
– “Furthermore, due to the exaggerated and distorted depictions in comics, nobles are suffering damage….”
The core of Macbeth’s argument was simple.
The Empire was thrown into confusion because certain ‘commoners’ could not distinguish between reality and fantasy due to comic books, and he portrayed the class divisions as a mess.
As he poured out his pent-up resentment regarding the harmful effects of comic books, the audience began to stir by the time Macbeth ended his speech.
“What a relief! I’ve hated how commoners have been overstepping themselves lately!”
“Those ignorant fools thinking they amount to something just because they can read disgusts me.”
“Count Macbeth surely has courage. This is truly exhilarating!”
The main supporters of Macbeth were traditional nobles.
They, too, had been receiving discredit from the recent rise of commoners and newly nobility, so they cheered for Macbeth’s remarks.
Yet, their numbers were very small.
Most of the audience consisted of commoners, whose reactions were icy cold. Even newly minted nobles reacted unfavorably to Macbeth’s statements.
“You’ve just said it indirectly; it sounds like you can’t stand seeing commoners stepping forth!”
“Of course, nobles are like that! They’d never concede even a pin’s worth of tax, no matter how dry the drought gets!”
“How long must we endure these ancient nobles holding real power over us just because they’ve been around longer?”
However, Macbeth paid no mind to the audience’s reactions.
‘It doesn’t matter what noise those without voting rights make. The decision lies with the judges!’
As long as Rupert couldn’t counter his argument, the victory for the Imperial Parent-Teacher Association was guaranteed.
“Now, it’s time for the defendant Rupert Somerset to speak.”
With Macbeth’s speech concluded, it was Rupert’s turn.
Rupert also moved to the center platform to begin his statement.
“Greetings, I am Rupert, the second son of the Somerset family and the defendant here in the Agora, creating comic books.”
In stark contrast to the previously loud and boisterous Macbeth, Rupert spoke in a calm voice.
“First, I would like to address your concerns about the harmful effects of comics.”
After finishing his words, Rupert turned to face Macbeth.
“Count, you claimed that comics lead children to blur the lines between reality and fantasy, causing negative influences. Which part of my comic do you believe contributes to that?”
“That is….”
In an instant, Macbeth found himself at a loss for words.
The content of Rupert’s comics mainly revolved around moral lessons emphasizing virtue over vice.
In reality, his dissatisfaction stemmed from the negative portrayals of nobles, but bringing that up would seem petty.
“You claim that children imitate swordsmanship from comics and are therefore violent, but does that mean that the numerous knights and military students studying at the Imperial Academy also negatively impact the Empire?”
“That’s nonsense! You’re distorting my argument!!!”
“Where exactly is the distortion? Is that not what you said?”
Macbeth suddenly realized he had been caught off guard by Rupert.
With the wrong statement, he might incite the wrath of the knightly fraternity, one of the most influential groups in the Empire.
“I take back that statement. But what about those nobles suffering damage due to distorted comic representations?!”
Determined to attack from another angle, Macbeth pointed out the distortions depicted in the comics.
If Rupert answered this wrong, he could turn numerous nobles against him.
“You are probably referring to the villain ‘Peyriang’ from ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ am I right?”
“That’s right! Portraying a noble as a shameless villain can lead ignorant commoners to act out!”
“Are all nobles virtuous?”
“What?”
Rupert turned his attention away from Macbeth, facing the audience instead.
“In ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ bad and good nobles both play a role.”
– ‘Then what does an ordinary person think when reading ‘The Count of Monte Cristo?’
Rupert pointed his finger at a member of the audience and continued asking.
“Do you wish to be a good person? Or do you want to be a bad person?”
“Of course, I want to be a good person.”
“Have you read ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’?”
“Yes.”
“Between Count Peyriang, the representative villain, and the honorable Baron Franz, whom do you prefer?”
The audience would no doubt choose Baron Franz over the villain Count Peyriang. Hearing the audience’s answer, Rupert turned back to Macbeth.
“There’s an Eastern proverb: ‘Wise men see only wise people, while swine see only swine.’”
Rupert made sure not to directly accuse anyone, merely casting a glance towards Macbeth.
*
“Above all, banning comic books? Fine. If they indeed harm the Empire, I’d be happy not to create them anymore!”
-“But look at this! A comic book that has proven to be trending in our neighbor, the Kingdom of Sylvania!”
Rupert waved a comic book in the air where everyone could see it.
“If the Empire bans comic books, they might call themselves the rightful owners of comic books! Is this truly a way to help the Empire?”
In reality, that wasn’t going to happen.
The comic being held in Rupert’s hand was a pirated copy circulating in the Kingdom of Sylvania, which he had received from Guild Leader Esteban.
Though the Imperial Family was too afraid to reproduce it due to potential repercussions, Rupert had heard whispers of copies circulating in neighboring nations.
‘Wait, I can use this!’
If the Kingdom of Sylvania falsely claimed ownership of comic books as part of their culture, it could potentially cause a stir.
As expected, the response was immediate.
“Indeed! How dare they covet the Empire’s creation!”
“The Sylvania folks always insist on everything being theirs!”
“Could the Imperial Parent-Teacher Association, calling for a ban on comic books, be Sylvania spies?”
The atmosphere inside the circular arena grew hot, the faction in favor of banning comic books now perceived as traitors to the Empire.
‘Indeed, debate is all about incitement and fabrication!’
Rupert felt satisfaction with the audience’s reaction.
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Kingdom of Sylvania got in AOE attack