Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Tribunal fell silent.

They had seen people unhappy with their sentence before—but someone who complained that his punishment was too light? That was a first.

“...What did you just say?” Hughes could hardly believe his ears, suspecting he had misheard.

“Sentence me! I want to go to Castel. It’s fine even if it’s a long sentence!” Alvare declared resolutely.

The judges in the Tribunal exchanged glances and all turned their eyes toward the presiding seat—where Chloe’s Diary lay open.

〖Why? Explain your reason.〗

“I’ve looked into it. Without a proper reason, one can’t go to Castel, nor can one stay there for long. But I want to go to Castel—no matter what! I heard from Hunter that if I’m sentenced, I can go to Castel!”

〖.〗

“Ahem.” Hughes couldn’t bear to listen any longer. He coughed lightly and raised his hand.

The adjudicator beside him hurriedly struck his gavel. “Earl Hughes, you may speak.”

“Mr. Alvare, in fact, Castel isn’t completely closed to outsiders. As long as you complete the approval procedures and pay the hospitalization fee to reserve a bed, you can go. The reason casual entry isn’t allowed is simply that Castel Syndrome can be... troublesome. It may take several people to restrain a single madman, and the staff on Castel is far from abundant.”

His words implied that if Alvare truly wanted to go, all he had to do was apply.

But the truth was, the reason Castel restricted access went beyond that. There were far too many secrets on that island—whether the Moths Chasing Fire, the Stellar Furnace, or its fuel—none of it could be exposed to the public.

The Church of Candlelight could tolerate the existence of Hughes’s Candle Moths here, but if such things were made public, the two sides would almost certainly go to war.

And the matter of the Sea God was even worse—stuffing a Heretical God into a furnace? Even speaking of it was disturbing.

Not to mention that such information might itself carry pollution. Anything involving the Transcendent demanded caution.

As for the Testing Grounds and the other frontier research projects, Hughes never truly intended to keep them secret. Given how Cognitive Interference worked in this world, anyone hoping to use his research would have to build a place that functioned like Castel anyway.

So the precautions were merely for safety.

“Besides,” Hughes continued, “Castel still has some open positions. If you don’t plan to go merely for sightseeing, I can write you a letter of introduction.” He nodded at Alvare.

That was his reserved way of saying it—but as the Lord of this region, it was really just a matter of his word.

Alvare’s face lit up immediately. He sat down at once. “No problem! No problem at all! Then I have no objections—please, sentence me quickly!”

Then, grinning from ear to ear, he turned to Hughes. “Earl Hughes, thank you for your generosity! I hope we’ll meet again soon in Castel!”

Hughes nodded meaningfully.

“So... you weren’t sentenced at all?!” Hunter stared at his uncle, dumbfounded.

“Heh heh, that’s right! Lucky me—and I even got an invitation from Earl Hughes himself! I’m going to Castel too!”

Beaming, Alvare filled out his application form, all the while sharing his life wisdom with Hunter.

“See? Surrendering is the true path to family prosperity. Look at the others—the Grand Duke Dragonfang is scattered across the Northlands like dust, impossible to gather again; Octavia fled to the Empire and is probably hiding in some hole now. Forget land—even their wealth likely ended up donated to the Church of Candlelight. But me—”

Alvare proudly lifted his chin.

“I’m about to set foot on Castel itself!”

Hunter could only shake his head helplessly.

 “Don’t joke, Uncle. You’d better get to Castel first. Many people lose their minds after arriving there. Who knows if you’ll hold out?”

“Don’t worry! I looked into that too. It’s mainly because scholars like you—so learned, so full of knowledge—are more prone to madness. In this regard, I have quite the advantage!”

Hunter hesitated but said nothing. He had considered sharing the Tongue of Thorns method with his uncle—but

 “Let them decide for themselves,” he thought silently.

The Tongue of Thorns, and that doctor-like man, hadn’t appeared again since that day. Sometimes, Hunter wondered whether they had forgotten him—or if this too was some kind of test.

If it was for my Lord Hughes, I am willing to accept the trial,

 he thought to himself.

“Oh, right, Uncle—I might not be able to go to the island with you.”

“Hmm? Is there a problem?” For once, the usually unserious Alvare grew solemn. “Need your uncle’s help?”

“No, you misunderstand. I just received notice from the Tribunal—the members of the Watts family are going to be judged. I’ll be attending the session. I want to see those people sentenced with my own eyes.”

Hunter spoke through clenched teeth.

“Those bastards are as stubborn as stones in a cesspit. Good! Let them go to Castel and broaden their horizons!”

“That should be amusing,” Alvare muttered, curling his lips. He wasn’t fond of Hunter’s family either. That group was the largest conservative faction in the Northlands, controlling scholarly training and education. Thanks to them, hardly anyone in the Northlands was literate.

If Hunter hadn’t been a Watts, no matter how much he yearned for knowledge, he’d never have become a scholar.

To exile those rigid, closed-minded scholars to the most open and sharing place—Castel—

 “When will they arrive? I’ll be sure to greet them properly from Castel.”

“I’ll be glad if you can greet them from your hospital bed,” Hunter chuckled. “I heard they’ll arrive in a few days. The Tribunal told me an important criminal will soon be brought for judgment.”

“How important? More important than me?”

“Yes.”

Alvare, who had been utterly nonchalant, froze at that reply.

“More important than me? Could it be... Bazel?”

『Ash, thank you for your hard work. As usual—don’t let anyone in. If there’s an emergency, use the authorization I gave you.』

Through the Mind Link, Hughes greeted Ash before stepping into the room, locking the door behind him, and reclining in his chair.

The secret between the Thrones—he had never told anyone. Each time he returned, Ash was the one who stood guard.

Her loyalty was beyond question, and Hughes did not withhold his trust.

As for the other Banshees—they must have suspected something. After all, once he returned, the Mind Link could no longer be used. Considering how often they chatted, someone must have tried to reach him afterward.

Yet, in silent understanding, none of them asked. They treated it as his secret.

All his tangled thoughts fell away with his return.

Soon, in some distant place, another body slowly opened its eyes.

『How are things, Gwen?』