Love, courage, and guts

"Takashiro-kun! Why did you kill him?!"

The usually calm and reserved Imperial Grandson's angry shout froze everyone in the classroom. Moreover, his statement—"Takashiro killed someone"—was something they could hardly believe.

"Why did you kill my only close friend, my comrade, Siegbert?!!"

Tears streamed down His Highness's face as he pressed for answers.

"Y-Your Highness, please calm down. That's from the story."

Shortly after enrolling in Gakushuin's elementary division, Soryu had given the Imperial Grandson a novel he had written (plagiarized). To avoid the risk of it being discovered and banned by attendants or others, he handed it over in small weekly installments, just enough for His Highness to read comfortably. After His Highness finished reading, the story was passed around to classmates in the same and other classes.

The title was "The Legend of Galactic Heroes."

Set in the year 4000, the story depicted a galactic war between the "Galactic German Empire," which evolved from the German Empire and expanded its dominion across the galaxy, and the "Galactic Democratic People's Republic," founded by people from Asian regions (excluding Japan) who opposed the Empire's rule.

In the Galactic German Empire, Reinhard von Lohengramm overthrows the incompetent emperor, takes the throne himself, and establishes a fair and prosperous rule. However, in the process, he loses his only friend, Siegbert Kircheis, due to his own misjudgment. Meanwhile, in the Galactic Democratic People's Republic, populism runs rampant, leading to policies that please the masses and wars fought for election purposes, resulting in national decline and political corruption. Amid this, Yang Wenli, a military officer of the Republic, struggles with civilian control and the dysfunction of democracy while striving to achieve a galaxy-wide democratic system.

In the final battle between Reinhard and Yang, both sides suffer heavy losses but eventually reach a peace agreement, transitioning to a constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliament, much like the current Empire of Japan.

"However, is a democratic parliament really so prone to corruption? Our country also has an Imperial Diet, but will it too become corrupt? And in an autocratic monarchy, if the emperor is foolish, is there really no hope?"

"Your Highness, a democratic parliament doesn't necessarily become corrupt. To prevent that, the three branches of government are separated, and each monitors the others for wrongdoing. The current Imperial Constitution also advocates the separation of powers. Additionally, for universal suffrage to work, the people's level of knowledge must be high. The people need the wisdom to judge whether what politicians say is good or not. Furthermore, Japan's Imperial Constitution places limits on the Emperor's authority. For example, while the Emperor has the power to legislate, it is stipulated that this must be done 'with the consent of the Diet,' meaning legislation cannot ignore the Diet."

"I see. Takashiro-kun, you're very knowledgeable. If the separation of powers is written into the Imperial Diet's constitution, does that mean our political system is excellent?"

"Yes, Your Highness. While the separation of powers is indeed mentioned, I believe there are still incomplete aspects. For example, the method of selecting the Prime Minister isn't specified in the Imperial Constitution. Conventionally, the Genro (elder statesmen) recommend a candidate, and the Emperor appoints them."

"Is that so? I didn't know that."

"If someone opposes the Prime Minister appointed by the Emperor, they might be accused of 'disregarding the Emperor's will,' making it difficult to argue against. Additionally, in the first article of the Charter Oath, the Emperor declared, 'Deliberative assemblies shall be widely established, and all matters shall be decided by public discussion.' However, there is a government ordinance stating, 'Publications deemed to hinder national security may be banned or suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs.' This means the Home Minister can stop newspaper publications or arrest journalists if they judge the content to 'hinder national security.' This makes it impossible to achieve 'public discussion.'"

"But isn't hindering national security a bad thing?"

"Yes, of course. Speech advocating the overthrow of the government by force or the abolition of the Imperial family should be suppressed. However, people have been arrested simply for opposing government policies or military intentions. For example, many were arrested and executed for opposing the Russo-Japanese War. While the war was indeed necessary and initiated by the Emperor's decree, arresting people merely for opposing it goes against the spirit of 'public discussion.' If this continues, 'public discussion' will become meaningless. Moreover, the criteria for what constitutes 'hindering national security' are unclear. We must ensure that the Emperor's will is not trampled upon."

"I see. Everyone must be free to express their thoughts. That is the Emperor's wish, isn't it?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Without freedom of speech, those in power can suppress opinions inconvenient to them. In fact, if the teachers or attendants knew I was saying these things, I might be arrested. Right now, there is no freedom of speech. We must never allow actions that ignore the Emperor's will, as expressed in the Charter Oath."

While emphasizing the absolute importance of the Charter Oath and the Imperial Rescript on Education, Soryu explained the pros and cons of autocratic monarchy and democracy, as well as the importance of freedom of speech and fundamental human rights.

And so, Soryu continued to write (plagiarize) novels, handing them to His Highness to convey themes of love, courage, effort, and perseverance.

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References (Partial):

"Space Battleship Mikasa"

※A story about the battleship Mikasa being converted into a spaceship to save Earth by traveling to a distant galaxy where celestial maidens reside. In the second part, the Mikasa engages in fierce battles with the "White Human Empire," which suddenly attacks Earth. In the end, the Mikasa, with its weapons destroyed, makes a suicide attack on the Empire's massive warship using its final weapon: its own life.

"Aim for the Top!"

※A story about two girls piloting a giant combined robot to fight off alien monsters invading Earth. In the final chapter, they detonate a dark cave bomb, sacrificing themselves to return to Earth 12,000 years later.

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T/N: If you like it please vote with power stone please. More stones equals faster release.

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A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 11!

Using his vast knowledge, Soryu is climbing his way to becoming a shadow power broker!

The school arc is nearing its end, and soon the activities to establish the Space Force will begin!

I'll continue working hard to bring this story to its conclusion, so if you thought, "This is interesting!" or "I want to read more!" I'd be thrilled if you could bookmark and rate the story!

If you didn't find it interesting, feel free to rate it "★☆☆☆☆"! I'll use it to improve!

Your feedback is incredibly helpful for my writing!

Criticism like "The pacing is slow," "I don't understand," or "This feels derivative" is also very welcome!

When my motivation is high, I'll even sacrifice sleep to keep writing!

Thank you for your continued support!