Chapter 325: Show Some Spirit
The odds were high it was a guest sent secretly by the Finance Minister. If I’d given in to my temper, I would have mobilized every soldier I had, surrounded Schafen, and dragged Count Heinlein out, but that was impossible.
Without a solid justification, in noble society that would be no different from tying my own noose. Unless I secured hard evidence, I couldn’t easily touch Count Heinlein.
I could only hope my vassal nobles would come back with something good.
Anton read my mood and cautiously asked my intentions.
"Shall I prepare the men to move out?"
"No, it’s too soon. We need more solid evidence."
"I-Is testimony alone not enough?"
"Without hard evidence, the eastern princes will side with Heinlein."
Blood is thicker than water, after all.
And entangled with the slum as the eastern princes are, they’re all connected in one way or another.
"Are there other lackeys of the count’s house besides you?"
"I know of a few, but I have no direct dealings with them."
"Do you know about the ledger fraud case seven years ago?"
"I-I was never involved, but the Bull would know."
"Stop! Stop! AAAARGH!"
"Ruler of the underworld, are you? Come on, show some spirit."
The owner of those screams was chosen as my next interviewee.
His screams were no hymn in praise of the Lord, and my nerves aren’t strong enough to keep listening to them. If only to hear his testimony on the ledger fraud—the most important matter—I had the torture stopped.
"Brother-in-law, this is like getting cut off mid-shit. I only got through five of them."
"I’ll take the Bull, so take that one instead."
When I handed over the lackey, Michael looked distinctly unsatisfied.
"He doesn’t look like he’ll last long."
"I-I told you everything! How is this fair?!"
The wailing lackey was dragged off by Michael. The Bull, freed from his devil for the moment, seemed to regard it as a blessing from the Lord. The arrogance and swagger of the underworld’s ruler had vanished without a trace.
"Ugh, please, no more! I’ll tell you anything!"
"Michael truly is a master of this craft. Now, what I want to ask you is..."
AAAAAARGH!
AAAAAAACK!
GYAAAAAAH!
FUUUUUCK!
"Brother-in-law! Shut him up, will you? It’s deafening!"
"Oh dear, sorry. I’ll gag him."
MMMMMPH!
Anton murmured a small "Oh, Lord" and crossed himself. Sorry, but pitying these men is out of the question. One is the worst filth of the slum, and the other is the lackey who ordered the kidnapping.
If Viola had actually been taken, untold blood might have been spilled. If these two serve as object lessons, they’re getting off lightly. The Bull answered my questions meekly.
"That affair was orchestrated by Count Heinlein! This lowly wretch only moved his boys according to the money the count paid! If you want someone to answer for it, take it up with the count!"
"Do you have hard evidence? Documents, for instance."
"I-I can’t read a word, so I have nothing like that."
The Bull’s eyes darted desperately. The shock of Michael’s torture must have run deep. A man who had committed every crime under the sun while ruling the slum turned out to be feeble when the pain was his own.
And this was the ruler of the slum?
His backers must have played the bigger part after all.
"The administrator of Grefeling was the investigator at the time!"
"As I understand it, Viscount Elsheimer was dispatched from Breisburg."
"Th-Threatening that man was our job."
So that’s why Viscount Elsheimer rushed the investigation to a close. Then again, he might as well have been stranded alone in enemy territory. Viscount Elsheimer is already dead, but he may have kept a journal from those days.
In the end, the administrator of Grefeling, just as Count Heinlein intended, narrowed the case to implicate fewer factions than were actually involved, and Ivan and two bureaucrats drew the short straws as scapegoats and took the fall.
Ivan sold his property to pay the fine, so he wasn’t strung up, but the other two were put to death without recourse and buried on the outskirts of the executioners’ village. As for the remaining participants, seven years on, their whereabouts are unknown.
"Concretely, what sorts of things did you do?"
"W-We threatened merchants, and s-sometimes kidnapped them."
"So that’s how you brought merchants to heel or removed them."
This is no different from hired thugs. No, worse than hired thugs. The key witness to the case seven years ago is the administrator of Grefeling. I couldn’t dig anything more out of the Bull.
No one but a fool would leave evidence damning enough to expose the mastermind lying around a slum, so my approach was to interrogate those involved one by one and slowly tighten the noose around Count Palatine Heinlein.
Grefeling is a territory not far from here. Since I couldn’t move personally, I ordered Anton to investigate the Grefeling administrator and, if the charges could be proven, arrest him.
"Me, my lord? But I’m...!"
Naturally, Anton nearly jumped out of his skin. Anton, who had always simply trailed along behind me, was now the officer in charge of this mission. Developing his ability to carry out missions is part of my job now, too.
Now that I’ve become a prince, launching investigations personally comes with all sorts of complications. For one, too many factions were watching me, and if I so much as twitched, interference poured in from every direction.
Because I was already a faction in my own right.
Which meant my subordinates’ abilities mattered more than anything.
"Anton, you must have seen and learned a thing or two at my side all this time. How long do you intend to stay a lieutenant? If you want to rise to vice commander, now is the time to show me your command over the men and your mettle."
"B-But I’m not a noble! Someone of my station can’t become vice commander!"
"And who decided that only nobles can be vice commander?"
Anton hemmed and hawed.
It seems a strange misunderstanding had taken root.
Everyone who had passed through the post of vice commander of the Gale Knights had been a noble, but I had not the slightest intention of reserving the post for nobles. If a man has the ability and the seniority, I’ll appoint a commoner as vice commander.
Anton had devoted himself long enough to be fully worth considering, and through countless battlefields he had carried out orders flawlessly. And above all, the knights themselves recognized Anton as the most senior among them.
"Put together a unit for yourself. Mix the regulars and the recruits as you see fit."
"E-Even the noble gentlemen, my lord?"
"Aren’t they recruits? Give it a try."
The strain showed plainly on his face, but soon enough Anton seemed to steel his resolve, and his eyes hardened. I can’t let him settle for being the flag bearer who relays signals forever.
He was a man capable of growing into a vice commander, and a trustworthy retainer with a strong sense of justice, so isn’t it a master’s role to guide him to a higher station?
There’s a chance the noble knights will look down on a commoner vice commander, but since he serves as my right-hand man, they’ll at least submit to his authority. That was exactly why I had focused my recruiting on nobles disposed to following orders.
If he can command them flawlessly, Anton can become an excellent vice commander.
And even if he fails, meaningful progress would be enough.
After handing the Bull, who was thrashing and begging to be let out, back over to Michael, I left the prison tower and headed for my mansion. Beort and Ferke were waiting for me there.
Oh? Look at that confidence brimming in their eyes.
Seems they’ve found something important.
"A letter sent by the Finance Minister."
"You can’t read. How can you be sure?"
"I recognized it by the seal’s crest."
Sure enough, this is the crest of Reinfeldt, the Finance Minister’s house.
I had ordered them to investigate Count Heinlein’s circle, and they had returned with an unexpected prize. This letter, bearing Finance Minister Reinfeldt’s signature, demanded political funds from Count Heinlein.
All of the current Finance Department’s funds are managed by Adelbert, so the Finance Minister, his money spigot shut off, had turned to Count Heinlein, his longtime collaborator. The outline was coming into focus.
"Impressive that you managed to secure such a crucial letter."
"My retainer slipped in covertly and secured it."
"Count Heinlein is backed into a corner right now. That can’t have been easy."
"Sir Drek deliberately caused a commotion to create an opening."
"...Come to think of it, where is Sir Drek?"
"Merrily on the run, I’d wager. He truly is gifted at running away."
Hmm. If he’s caught, I’d better cook up some excuse for him. He’s a noble, so even if they catch him, they won’t lop off his head on the spot. And if they do, well, nothing to be done. In any case, the real problem is the Finance Minister.
The grand duke had informed me of the conspiracy the Finance Minister was currently weaving. The meaning was plain. Link the Finance Minister to Count Heinlein and take both their heads.
There’s no doubt about it. The grand duke has chosen Adelbert over the Finance Minister.