Chapter 28: You've Been Smiling All Along, You Never Stopped at All (Patreon)

"...You are far too prejudiced against Duke Karsten, sir. I hardly know how to respond to that..."

Crusch's voice rang out, tinged with a rueful, almost pained amusement, cutting off Ferris, whose eyes had grown dangerously sharp behind them, and who looked ready to leap to her own defense. Both women froze like startled geese and turned to stare straight ahead.

Crusch, meanwhile, was carefully correcting Subaru Natsuki's misconceptions about her.

"It's true that Duke Karsten levies a tax rate on merchants within her territory far higher than what other nobles impose — that much is fact. But it applies only to 'merchants.' Someone who simply farms a few plots of grain, keeps a handful of chickens and ducks, or grows just enough vegetables to sell a daily meal's worth to a few dozen people — such a person isn't counted as a 'merchant' there, and owes no tax at all."

"Moreover, the rule governing the tax rate is this: the more outrageous the profit margin of a given trade, the higher its rate climbs. I— ah, I mean, Duke Karsten doesn't treat every business the same regardless of profit. Before raising any tax, she spends considerable time investigating, determining roughly how profitable those merchants actually are, before acting."

"Of the revenue gained from raised taxes, about one-tenth goes into Duke Karsten's personal coffers to fund her own private aims. The remaining nine-tenths, along with other expenditures already earmarked for such purposes, goes entirely toward public spending — improving the territory and the lives of its people."

"I admit Duke Karsten isn't someone worthy of songs and praise. But at least by my own judgment, she will never become someone who preys upon her people or exploits her subjects."

"And if she ever did become such a person, then she would deserve to die. And if, dying, she dared complain — or worse, chose to live on as a cowardly tyrant — I would end her life with my own hands!"

Subaru Natsuki: ?

This was unfamiliar territory.

Was this really something a die-hard fan would say? Was this how a fan should speak of their idol?

Or was he just imagining things?

He couldn't help but dig through Kuku's words for the answer he actually wanted, pressing again and again for confirmation. "So — what you're saying is that neither the Kingdom's official body nor Crusch, the Royal Selection candidate, would come sniffing around here for taxes?"

"I swear it on my life. Have no doubts, sir. Have no fear."

Crusch's face was set with righteous, spirited resolve, leaving herself no room to retreat or hedge. Even though, walking through the slums, she'd seen with her own eyes just how much wealth was pouring in these days — astonished, even envious, clapping in genuine admiration — she still wouldn't covet so much as a single copper coin of it.

"Long ago, someone from the slums petitioned the Kingdom for relief. But the Council of Wise Men, citing that 'the slums cannot pay the taxes that all other subjects of the Kingdom pay,' hypocritically waived all taxes owed by the slums — and used that very waiver to declare that, since the slums no longer needed to pay taxes, the Kingdom likewise bore no obligation or responsibility to support them."

"If anyone among the Kingdom's higher-ups ever tries anything underhanded, come find me."

"I may not be anyone particularly impressive, and in most matters I follow the Council of Wise Men's word without question. But on this one issue — if the Council tries to reverse itself on a whim, that would be absurd beyond words. I would not only despise it, I would stand with you against something so unreasonable, so lawless, and so utterly heartless!"

Her words rang out clear and resolute, each one landing with the weight of iron on stone.

It was a righteousness born deep in the bone, rising from the very soul — a rectitude and reliability so pure that even dressed, unusually, not in her habitual uniform but in a skirt and women's casual clothes, Crusch remained every bit as striking and heroic in that moment.

Subaru could almost hear his own heartbeat.

Could there really be someone this cool in the world?

She was cool to an almost absurd degree — no man alive, however impressive, could ever be this cool. A woman's face and figure, yet carrying a personality and spirit this dashing — it had to be against the rules!

"...?"

After several seconds without a response, Crusch first assumed her words had failed to convince him. But she soon realized Subaru had simply frozen, staring blankly at her, which left her rather puzzled. "Is something wrong, sir? Is there something on my face?"

"No... I just think you're really something else, Kuku. Honestly, it's starting to bug me."

Why had it come to this? Why would he be bugged by anything?

Crusch was baffled. "Bugged?"

"Yeah," Subaru said, nodding and lowering his voice. "I already think you're plenty good as you are. Why bother being some fan-girl for that Crusch person? You're already amazing enough — you really shouldn't waste your time chasing celebrities. Honestly, if I didn't think the whole idol-worship thing tends to make people lose their heads, I'd say you should be the one standing in Crusch's spot, being idolized by everyone else."

Envy, jealousy, resentment — annoyance!

That Crusch person — even though he'd never laid eyes on her — he was already annoyed at her.

No matter how good a person was, they couldn't possibly be good enough to deserve worship from someone like Kuku!

Speaking too intimately, too soon, was normally a grave mistake — and criticizing someone's idol to their face, telling them to stop believing in that idol, was practically an unforgivable offense. But Subaru said it anyway.

Why?

Simply because he'd started to realize just how good, how impressive, how easy to get along with this Kuku person was — the best in the world, hands down!

He genuinely wanted to fight for justice on Kuku's behalf, to drag her away from that Crusch person. As far as he was concerned, with looks and presence this striking and commanding, Kuku ought to just knock that Crusch person off her pedestal and become the Royal Selection candidate herself.

At this point Subaru even thought that, though Kuku was probably just some minor mid-to-low-ranking noble, her bearing alone was already something worth learning from — he was sure he could pick up plenty about the way of kingship just from watching her.

"Ah? This—"

Crusch stared, dumbstruck, mouth agape, at a complete loss for words after hearing Subaru's heartfelt outburst — bewildered and yet strangely moved, unsure how to respond at all. From behind them came a sudden burst of wild, unrestrained laughter, someone doubling over, barely holding it together.

"Pfft— hee, ha!"

Subaru and Felt both turned toward Ferris in unison. "What are you laughing at?"

"Me, mmph, hee hee, ha ha ha, Fifi just remembered something happy, meow. Hee hee hee..."

"What happy thing?"

"Me, I— I could switch idols too, pfft ha, ha ha ha ha..."

Ferris laughed uproariously, unable to stop.

Just a moment ago Ferris had been all hostility toward Subaru and Felt, practically spoiling for a fight — now the mood had flipped completely.

The look Ferris now gave Subaru could only be described as smitten, and it came down to a single thought: the two of them — they were basically brothers now!