Kyle and the Emperor finalize the plan, while Logan's trip to the East takes a turn.
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Episode 280. About Five Months (3)
Chris had returned to the Palace after three months of visiting all the Black Crown villages in the Empire.
“I personally took a member of the Order of the Phoenix who reported seeing the man with the black eye patch during the Winter Forest Hunting Tournament to the town of Knox and he confirmed that it was the same person. He is currently staying in a ramshackle inn on the outskirts of the Capital.”
Kyle nodded slowly at the long-awaited news.
He'd finally found the man who could confirm the mastermind once and for all.
“I see. I want you to report to the Emperor immediately if he meets with our suspect, and then we'll make our move... And Chris.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“You're doing well, but we must be more careful this time. He's clearly risking his life to give us a hint. We must not endanger him by making casual contact.”
“Yes, Sir. Your humble servant will keep that in mind.”
“I want you to personally deliver this to Allen.”
Kyle handed over a pre-written letter to Chris, who went directly to the Main Palace.
***
Main Palace, the Emperor's Office. Morning.
“This is a list of the nobles who have funneled funds into borrowed-name accounts. And this is the list of their financial irregularities.”
The Emperor took the two documents containing the names and transactions Allen handed him and read through them.
The first document included detailed records of corruption related to tax embezzlement. The Emperor burst into laughter after seeing the long list of names.
“...They've been quite creative. No wonder the National Treasury is so empty.”
“Not only the Treasury, but also the private property of innocent peasants. Others have been involved in crimes such as arson, murder, and rape... just look at this list.”
Flipping to the next page, the Emperor ground his teeth and snorted loudly
“Blaming their crimes on vagrants and indebted serfs? Are they all mad? You mean to tell me they're all sending money to the mastermind?”
“Yes. It looks like he's preying on their weaknesses and extorting money from them. Each person's sum isn't much, but all of them together, it's a lot of money. And it's not just a one-time thing, he's taking the money quarterly on a regular basis, like a tax.”
Upon hearing Allen's explanation, the Emperor was overcome with such rage that he almost yelled, but held himself back. This had all been happening during his reign.
A weak and incompetent Emperor would be the slow death of his Empire. The first to suffer would be the lowest of the low, and their incalculable losses, their suffering, wouldn't be taken into account.
Naturally, the Emperor himself was responsible for all the lower class's resentment and pain.
“The time has come for me to abdicate.”
“....!”
Allen fell to his knees in shock. He wasn't alone; the butlers, servants, and courtiers lining the walls of the chamber all fell to their knees and bowed their heads.
The abdication of the Emperor meant the supreme power of the Empire would need to be replaced. It meant a transfer of the highest power. Those who entrusted their lives to the current ruler would see their situations irrevocably changed.
Even the most peaceful transfers of power in the history of the Empire had somehow turned bloody. The first to feel it were often those in the Emperor's closest circles.
"Stand up. It would be safer to transfer the throne myself than to be replaced by force. Only the dishonest will see bloodshed, so you can rest assured."
At this implication, the kneeling men swallowed hard.
‘We will never be dishonest, Your Majesty! Not now and not ever!'
They were being told that they would be spared if they simply did nothing and refused to join any of the other noble factions.
"I am devastated, Your Majesty."
With a wave of his hand, everyone rose to their feet and stood at attention. Allen rose as well, politely waiting for his next order.
"So you're saying that the operations will be carried out one after another? And that you will witness it yourself?"
“Yes. Your Majesty. The Second Prince has told me to gather testimony in person, and to pardon the guilty within the limits set by Your Majesty.”
“I see. It would be useless to let them evade charges due to the use of false name accounts. Besides, if we execute all of the guilty parties, we'll encounter a lot of resistance from the nobility....”
“After that he advised me to avoid the Palace until we get the signal.”
“What signal?”
“He said I'll know it when I get it.”
The Emperor shook his head in disbelief, chuckling to himself.
“What the hell goes on in his head.... All right. Since I've entrusted him with this, we shall do as he asks.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor pondered for a minute, rubbing his chin. After a moment, his eyes sparked and he gave an order.
“Send the butler to summon Supreme Justice Horatio.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After the butler left, the Emperor immediately turned to Allen.
“Do it. We should let the foxes play their political games. Follow the Chief Justice's advice, and if anyone resists, cut them off at the root!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Allen was lost in thought as he made his way back to the Consul's office.
The Empire regularly dispatched central officials to local territories every spring.
They were intended to lend an ear to the difficulties of local administrations, but in reality they were a political check and balance intended to send a message: 'Pay your taxes and obey the Imperial Court.'
Naturally, local territories should be nervous about these visits, but the local territories of the Empire no longer took officials seriously.
It hadn't always been this way.
As the years passed and the Emperor changed several times, the local territories of the Empire had accumulated wealth and power in their own right and learned how to evade the central officials.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the check and balance no longer operated. The function had faded and all that remained was a mere formality.
Perhaps the territories would think Allen's visit was simply business as usual.
The Second Prince had said as much in his letter.
[Let them think that. Drop the idea that this will be the final opportunity. Suggest to the provincial lords that those who reform their bad dealings will have a place in the new government if they are willing to pay a small price, but those who continue their activities will be replaced. Finally, no matter what news you hear from the Palace, do not return, Allen. That way the foxes may play their dangerous games in peace.]
In this case, their penance would be helping them catch the mastermind.
‘He's completely confident about entering the political battlefield... How far ahead has he planned this?'
Allen could guess the Second Prince's intentions, but he hadn't figured out the exact depth of his plans quite yet. It was his role to understand the Emperor's intentions and report back to him.
If the current Emperor were to abdicate, it was clear that the Second Prince would be next.
Not long ago, Allen had told the Emperor that he would eventually side with the Second Prince.
At the time, he had assumed that the Second Prince would accept him.
‘Am I really qualified for it?’
For the first time since he had entered the Imperial Palace and become the Emperor's man, Allen felt he had little to offer.
[You are too content with yourself. You need to find someone who will shatter your comfort and make you thirst for knowledge.]
That was what Master Andrei had once told him.
‘I now realize my pride and arrogance, Master.'
He had never sought his Master out after arriving at the Imperial Palace, and Master Andrei had never done so either.
He'd been content that he'd learned everything he'd needed to from him. So he left without learning more.
However, now he was regretting that long-ago decision for the very first time.
When Allen returned from his mission and the Court was more stable, he resolved to visit Master Andrei again.
***
An aristocratic club in Rapha, a small town near the northeast. Night.
Logan Elias had chosen the small city of Rapha in the northeast as his first travel destination.
The small city of Rapha included a border checkpoint for the Principality of Ga'an, and it was famous for its sky-piercing rock formations, making it one of the top ten tourist destinations that all citizens of the Empire wanted to visit at least once in their lifetime.
So naturally, there were plenty of tourists, and it was no wonder Logan had chosen Rapha as the first stop on his trip.
Until this evening.
‘Damn it. Was the apprentice's intuition correct? I guess I shouldn't have let him go so easily.' Victor thought to himself.
Logan had slipped into his quarters as soon as he'd eaten dinner, and had been talking about exploring the rock formations tomorrow morning.
Victor had decided to settle down on the roof of his room's terrace and wait for him to fall asleep. But then tonight Logan had suddenly left his inn and headed to the city center.
Victor quickly followed him.
Logan was currently ahead of him and had boarded a waiting carriage, then Victor saw him enter the most luxurious bar in downtown Rapha.
‘Is he really just here for entertainment?'
As he was wondering how he was going to get in, a group of chattering people passed in front of him, blocking his view.
They were also heading to the club.
"As expected, there are a lot of people... Huh?"
Several of the people in the crowd looked familiar. Vector rubbed his eyes and stared at them, wondering where he'd actually seen them before.
After a moment, he remembered exactly where.
‘What? Aren't they those nobleman's club members from the Capital?!'
At that moment, Victor realized that Logan hadn't come here for a simple business trip after all.
He swiftly approached and slipped into the gap between the bar and the neighbouring building.
Hiding in the shadows, he waited until the street was clear of people before he started quickly climbing the wall.
A few moments later, he skillfully slipped onto a small terrace. After dressing as one of the club's servants, he was soon casually serving at the bar on the first floor.
The members of the 'Awakened Young Gentleman's Club' he recognized from the Capital were chattering excitedly.
“They just notified us of a last minute reschedule.”
“Yes. It's a good thing we arrived early.”
“Still, isn't this a rather small group?”
“It was a last-minute change of plans, and some of our brothers haven't moved yet, so it might end up a little difficult.”
‘A last-minute change of plans? What is going on?'
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