Chapter 474

Charlotte's evaluation of the reconstructed Dark Land, Edina, was that they relied too much on the Demon King, which was qualitatively different from the story that Dark Land could not exist without the Archdemon. They discussed the issue of food shortage and the need to establish a punishment system for crimes, as even minor crimes could escalate into murder cases. Charlotte argued that the punishment system was too standardized and that punishments should be more specific to each crime. She also suggested that the lack of a proper punishment system could lead to simple violent crimes escalating into murder cases. Charlotte believed that harsher punishments were necessary in Edina due to the influx of outsiders and the increasing number of interpersonal problems. She argued that the punishment system was necessary to deal with criminals and that it was still possible to use punishment to reduce crime rates in Edina. "And the number of guards is absolutely insufficient. It's also difficult to increase the size of the guard force in the current situation."

Charlotte quickly came to a conclusion as if she had an answer to that.

"Make the refugees organize a self-defense force."

"A self-defense force? This is the capital city, and we can't even manage the capital, so how can we make a self-defense force...is that right?"

"This is not the time to be picky."

"Hmm...."

At Charlotte's words, Reinhardt rolled his eyes as if he couldn't agree.

"But that voluntary organization called the self-defense force is like a volunteer service when you think about it. Who would want to do that kind of work for free? If they don't want to work for free, they have to pay. But if you do that, you organize the self-defense force and then provide them with financial support. How is that different from the guards? Then why organize a self-defense force instead of incorporating them into the guard? I don't know."

At Reinhardt's words, Charlotte lowered her head.

"Give them some authority instead of money."

"Authority?"

"Yeah, in other words, power."

Charlotte stared at Reinhardt with a calm expression.

"There will be many people who are restless because they want even a small amount of power. Money? You don't have to give it to them. There are people who make power itself their goal."

"Ah...."

"Give them the authority to appoint a self-defense force leader and recruit members. And give them the authority to arrest and interrogate people. Then they will patrol the streets at night, thinking they are something, even if they don't get a penny. As a result, the self-defense force will patrol the streets without getting paid. Isn't that enough?"

Understanding the human desire for meaningless power, Charlotte knows that people can be moved by power alone.

To Reinhardt, who seemed to be sweating at the policy that seemed evil in some ways, Charlotte said,

"Well, inevitably, they will become corrupt and become a power group that commits crimes and does not receive punishment. No, since they can't make money through self-defense activities, they will want to fill their pockets in other ways. Of course, they have to do that. Self-defense activities are busy, but they can't make money from them. Inevitably, they have to do that."

"So that's how it's going to be."

"Why worry about that?"

Charlotte pretended to slit her own throat.

"Kill them. Choose again. That's all you have to do."

"Ah...."

"The corruption of the self-defense force is not our responsibility because they are not a government agency. The corrupt self-defense force leader is executed by the national authority. It looks just and good. In reality, the government created an environment where they inevitably become corrupt power because we handed over the public safety duties to the self-defense force, and they cannot make a living. But how would the public know that? The more secular the self-defense force leader is, and the more evil the self-defense force's misdeeds are, the more support they will gain when they hang them. Charlotte had a calm expression as she spoke about creating a group that would inevitably become corrupt and using them until they were no longer useful. She believed that the government's only responsibility was to maintain itself and that corruption was not their concern. Reinhardt disagreed with her, but Charlotte believed that her approach was necessary to maintain public safety. She also planned to use her own position to strengthen Reinhardt's rule. The text ends with the author reflecting on the importance of preparing oneself before taking on a position of power. Charlotte tried her best to make it seem plausible, but to her, Edina seemed like a deformed structure. She wasn't sure if Charlotte could handle all the problems, but she knew that sometimes, using people was necessary. Charlotte had a different approach to dealing with issues and problems in Edina. She was now the Empress of Edina and had started her rule, taking care of urgent matters such as punishment and organizing a self-responsibility system for the safety of refugees. Reinhardt knew that everything he had done in Edina would now be taken care of by Charlotte. "So, we still have time until the final battle approaches. I had things to do to prepare for future situations. Bringing Charlotte here allowed me to finally take off the clothes that didn't fit me well. Although there were still things to do outside, I gathered people and started talking. 'I'm going to clear my head for a while.' 'Clear your head?' Everyone looked at me with confusion. 'I don't know how long it will take, but if the situation doesn't improve, I'll be back. So don't worry too much.' Charlotte, being an Archdemon, also has control over the demons. And Charlotte will lead the country more wisely than me. So there is no reason for me to be in Edina. Therefore, I planned to do things that I couldn't do until now. 'Are you going to do something dangerous again?' Olivia asked. I shook my head. 'It's to prepare for something dangerous... but nothing is certain yet. Anyway, I'll bring plenty of teleportation scrolls, so don't worry too much.' 'But going alone seems... no matter where you go, it seems dangerous...' It was Harriet's words. Everyone knows that I will handle anything on my own. They know that I won't die from a group of monsters wandering around the continent, but it was inevitable that they would worry. 'I also want to go with someone, but there is no suitable place to go.' I don't want to insist on going alone. However, the place I have to go now may not be a place I can find with someone else. Olivia, Harriet, Charlotte, and Iris. They didn't all object to my decision, but they all looked worried. 'It's not too late.' Before the Gate incident is resolved, I have to become much stronger than I am now. So I brought Charlotte here to take over the rule, and I have to do something to become stronger than I am now. The last Gate's dragon. And maybe even in a fight with Ellen. I have to become stronger to not die. Iris asked, looking worried. 'Can't you tell me where you're going?' '...I'm sorry. I can't tell you. It's a place that I'm not even sure I can find. And even if I can find it, I'm not sure if I can get what I want. If I tell you where I'm going, you might stop me from going. Ellen's hometown, Rizai. I'm going there."