I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 452

< The Words of Lies (4) >

The Congolese people, devastated by Leopold II’s rule, fortunately returned to their daily lives relatively quickly.

If the exploitation had continued for years, the situation would have been far worse, but Leopold II’s tyranny only lasted a few months.

It was still shocking that some tribes lost over 20% of their members in that short time, but the people showed remarkable resilience and began to recover.

“Alright, please line up here. Anyone who suffered losses or damages under the Congo Association, please step forward to fill out the compensation forms.”

“Sir, does that mean we have to sign something?”

“Yes. We need to register the number of affected people to determine the total compensation amount.”

“Uh… sign……”

A look of dismay crossed the faces of the British Empire officials as the natives hesitated.

They remembered being treated worse than animals after signing documents in the past.

“Then you don’t have to sign. We’ll simply record the number of people. If we explain the situation clearly, they’ll understand anyway.”

“Thank you, thank you so much! But how much compensation will we receive…?”

“His benevolent Majesty, King Killian of the British Empire, has promised to ensure that all natives who suffered under Leopold II will live comfortably. You don’t have to worry; you will receive enough support to live without future concerns.”

“Thank you… The Belgians only threatened us with guns, but you are so gentlemanly.”

“His Majesty King Killian of our British Empire values peace above all else. You may not know, but in a country called Canada, across the sea, the Black people trust and follow His Majesty almost like a father.”

The compensation was being paid entirely from Leopold II’s seized assets, but the British Empire officials conveniently omitted that detail.

The reason they didn’t strictly require signatures and only roughly estimated the number of people was also related to this.

Since the money wasn’t coming from their own budget, wouldn’t it be easier to handle the matter smoothly?

“Ah, but one more thing…”

The official, having gathered the information he needed, casually tucked the data under his arm and returned to his colleagues.

“Hoo… this is unsettling.”

Oliver, an investigator from the Congo Recovery Committee, sighed wearily and pulled out a cigarette.

To be honest, he hadn’t fully grasped the extent of the situation until he saw it firsthand.

He had seen photographs of the terrible atrocities committed by Leopold II’s forces, but he’d assumed they were isolated incidents.

He figured that harsh treatment of colonies was common, and the Congo situation was perhaps only slightly worse than others.

But arriving here, he was shocked and even appalled by how thoroughly the country had been devastated in just a few months.

In fact, Oliver was a typical racist, like many white people of that era.

He believed in the superiority of white people and that intelligent white people should use their minds while less intelligent Black people should use their bodies.

However, even he felt that measures were necessary to prevent Black people from being placed in such vulnerable situations again. The situation was truly dire.

He walked toward Stanley, who was standing awkwardly in the distance.

“I brought the data here. Please compare it with what you’ve already collected.”

“Understood.”

“Tsk, tsk, even if money is tempting, you should have maintained some semblance of conscience… But it’s no use talking now.”

For the British Empire to take over the Congo’s rubber business and provide compensation for damages, they needed a formal handover from the existing Congo Association.

As the person in charge of the association, Stanley was responsible for handing over all the data he had collected to the British Empire and for resolving the situation in the Congo until all procedures were completed.

He performed his duties silently, without complaint.

He didn’t dare to speak up, given his role in the atrocities.

However, unlike usual, he seemed hesitant and watched Oliver carefully.

“Um… Supervisor, by any chance…?”

“Ah, I almost forgot. I asked.”

“What did they say?”

Stanley closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

“Fortunately, they said she’s safe. The girl and her family are all right.”

“Is that… so?”

Half relief, half shame.

Stanley, looking at the flowers blooming at the foot of the bushes, muttered in a barely audible voice without raising his head.

“Thank you… for finding out.”

“Ugh, then why did you do this in the first place?”

“As you said, once I tasted the money, I couldn’t think straight.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, that’s the problem with money. No matter what, even if a dog you raise at home is sick, you should feel sorry for it…”

Oliver looked at the village of the Eun Gombi tribe in the distance and spoke to Stanley.

“You’ll have to live with a heart full of atonement for the rest of your life. There’s nothing else you can do.”

“Yes… I have to.”

In just a few months, so many people had died, and only a lucky few had their entire families spared.

Every time Stanley recalled the bright smile of the young girl who had given him a wreath in the past, he felt a burning pain inside.

What would he have felt if he had learned that such a child no longer lived in that village?

He knew it was nothing more than disgusting self-consolation, but Stanley still thanked God for this small miracle.

“Supervisor, to be honest, I grew up in the South [of the United States], where Black people were treated as slaves from the beginning, so I wondered if it was such a big mistake to treat them like slaves here.”

“That may be the case. I’ve heard that Southern plantation owners still openly make such discriminatory remarks.”

“Still… I don’t know anymore. Of course, even if I say that, I’ll only be cursed as a conscienceless bastard…”

Beneath the surface, humans are capable of cruelty unmatched by any other creature, yet they are also the most compassionate and contradictory beings.

There would be no forgiveness, but Stanley decided to remain in the Congo for now.

‘By the way, I wonder what will happen to that man who is still running wild in Brussels?’

He had already been forced to abdicate, but he remained unrepentant and continued to spout nonsense.

Still, Stanley was certain that Leopold II wouldn’t simply fade away after being ousted from his position.

From what he had observed, the Imperial Secretary of the British Empire was not merely a wise and benevolent person, contrary to popular belief.

He just needed to quietly shrink back and do as he was told.

Stanley resolved to live his life practicing this hard-won enlightenment.

* * *

The royal schedule is like a squirrel on a wheel, endlessly repeating the same routine, but when the ruler changes, everything shifts.

Moreover, the Belgian royal family lacked a legitimate crown prince, adding to the confusion.

Leopold II had no son to succeed him, and his daughters were ineligible for the throne under the Salic law [a legal principle excluding females from royal succession].

Therefore, Leopold II’s younger brother, Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, ascended the throne.

Leopold II’s position was now, to put it mildly, precarious.

Not only high-ranking officials in parliament and the government but even his young daughter avoided him.

“Why doesn’t anyone listen to me! Louise, you must listen to your father. Your father was unjustly removed from the throne!”

“…Uncle said that Father made a terrible mistake and had to step down. So, I shouldn’t talk to Father anymore…”

“Philippe, you crazy bastard!”

In fact, when his younger brother ascended the throne, Leopold II secretly believed that Philippe would heed his advice and clear his name.

Blood is thicker than water, after all. Surely there was affection between brothers?

But he never imagined that Philippe would betray him so readily upon becoming king.

Preventing his daughter from seeing him was an abuse of power, even for a king.

Wasn’t this treating him like a plague, a bad influence on his own daughter?

“Philippe! What is the meaning of this!”

“Brother, I have not granted you an audience at this time. What is all this commotion?”

“Permission? Since when do I need permission to see you?”

“Haa… Brother, do you still think you are the king? I am clearly the king of this country now.”

“Didn’t I say! You are only temporarily holding the position for me. When my grievances are addressed, I will naturally return to my rightful place.”

Leopold II had been formally asked by parliament to step down due to pressure from the British Imperial Family and domestic public opinion.

However, even now, he refused to give up and sought a way out.

First, he had promoted his younger brother, with whom he had a good relationship, as the next king, deliberately instructing him to feign antagonism.

If his younger brother appeared completely separate from him, the citizens would naturally view him favorably.

Then, after secretly exposing the British Imperial Family’s misdeeds and reversing public opinion, he would return to the throne of Belgium, completing his plan.

That was definitely the plan… But as soon as his younger brother Philippe ascended the throne, he wiped his mouth clean and demonstrated complete ingratitude.

“Brother, I investigated your approval rating among the citizens of Brussels. Do you know what the results were? 1187 out of 1200 citizens said it was right for you to step down. 10 people said they didn’t know, and only 3 people said there was no need for you to step down.”

“It’s good that even 3 people are normal.”

“And the reason I issued a no-contact order with Louise is that Louise needs to marry princes from other royal families. If she is filled with your strange conspiracy theories, how much damage will it do to the prestige of our Belgian royal family?”

“Conspiracy theory? Are you using the term conspiracy theory now?”

His head swam at the betrayal of his younger brother, whom he had believed was the only one in the world who understood him.

This couldn’t be happening. If this continued, his plan to return to the throne of Belgium…

“Brother, please come to your senses. Do you know how each country in Europe perceives us now? They want to erase the barbaric slave policies and racism they practiced in the past, pretending nothing happened. So, they are trying to shift all the responsibility to us, acting innocent and claiming ignorance. It means that Belgium is about to become synonymous with Black oppression and racism.”

When you think about it, the British Empire and France were the countries that sold African Blacks as slaves more diligently than anyone else, condemning countless people to a life of misery.

But now, they were spreading the absurd notion of ‘Racism? Belgium!’ to countries around the world, covering up their own shameful history.

“If you keep causing a scene here, I can’t do anything anymore. Even now, the British Empire is passing on all the costs of compensating the Congo natives to us, and we are being financially ruined.”

“…That’s what I’ve been saying! This was all a conspiracy by Killian, the Imperial Secretary of the British Empire. Listen to me, brother. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. If we expose their plan, we can overturn this whole situation at once. Just do as I say…”

“I understand. I heard you’ve been writing something recently, so I’ll prepare a secluded place for you. Please go there and clear your head.”

“A secluded place?”

“Yes, there’s a good hospital in the Austrian Empire. Please rest there and gather your thoughts.”

Leopold II was speechless for a moment at his brother’s words and simply blinked.

There were many hospitals in Belgium, so why Austria?

He soon realized the true meaning of his brother’s words, and he trembled and raised his voice.

“You… you! Don’t tell me! Are you saying you’re going to send me to a mental hospital!”

“If you keep saying such things inside Belgium, it will seriously harm the national interest. So, please rest in Austria for a while. I’ve already informed them of everything, and they will treat you very well there.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Sending the former king of a country to a mental hospital in another country? Are you even my brother!”

When Philippe gave a silent signal, the guards who entered bowed politely and grabbed Leopold II’s arms.

“I’m sorry. I will serve you according to His Majesty’s orders.”

“Let go! Let go! You bastards! I am the king of the Belgians! I am your king, so who is going to put me in a mental hospital at will! Ughaaaa!”

He was dragged away by the guards, shouting desperately, but neither Philippe nor anyone else listened to Leopold II’s words.

“All of this is a conspiracy of that bastard Killian… !”

With those words, the door closed, and Leopold II was reduced to a state where he could never set foot in the palace again, the place he believed he would occupy for the rest of his life.

It was a miserable end for a man who deceived the whole world with lies and acquired a vast territory 80 times the size of his own country through his deceptive words.