Where Josh wishes to repay Tara's kindness and enounters someone he never expected.
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Episode 96. About a year (23)
"I came across the book again because of a researcher that petitioned Father for sponsorship. His name is Josh Lucas. Even before the family sponsored him, he was researching an herb related to one of the fruits in the book."
".... Wait a minute, you don't mean that fruit is....?"
Dylan's eyes widened in disbelief. I nodded gravely.
"Yes, it's the Dragon Fruit. Let me briefly explain its benefits. It's rich in antioxidants, unsaturated fatty acids, protein, various vitamins, calcium, iron and omegas in the seeds, which are thought to be excellent for cardiovascular diseases, which is why the Country of Barron..."
"Calls it the Elixir of Life."
"Exactly. We never thought the fruit could be used in this manner. On top of that, our family has a monopoly over it and we are being framed for the Emperor's attempted murder..."
"You are right, Miss, the heavens haven't forsaken Elias. Please explain further. What is this herbal medicine related to dragon fruit? What on earth were you having researched?"
"Bernard is picking up the researcher right now..."
Knock, knock, knock.
The knock was so clear that it sounded strangely ominous.
It was Niels who opened the door, bowing deeply with a serious gaze.
Given the circumstances, he calmly explained his reason for intruding, keeping his poise despite not having seen me for a long time.
"Sir Andrei Pitt has been informed and Sir Bernard has reported that the researcher is nowhere to be found, ah, Miss."
"..... Shit."
***
Josh couldn't believe it.
He had been on his late afternoon commute to the lab when he first heard the news.
In fact, he hadn't needed to go to work since it was an Imperial holiday, but his recent success had made him eager to get back to the lab.
Just as he was about to climb the stairs.
"Extra! Extra!"
There was something about the voice of the kid holding a newspaper that drew him in, like the charisma of a stage actor.
Had it just been that, he would have walked past without a word, but what the child said made him stop in his tracks.
"A mysterious faction in the Imperial Palace tried to murder his Majesty the Emperor! Get the paper now or you lose your chance to discover the well-known family behind the attempt! You can't call yourself a true Citizen of the Ocerian Empire if you ignore this! The news is all over the Capital right now...!
Before he knew it, Josh had a one-silver newsprint in his hands.
[The fruit that devoured the Imperial Banquet: the Dragon Fruit.
... Margrave Miller's son and daughter collapsed after taking a bite of dragon fruit and the banquet hosted by His Majesty the Emperor quickly devolved into chaos. Many foreign dignitaries.... The exclusive supplier Count Elias, is the top suspect... As the exact cause is unclear, the Margrave’s son and daughter's lives are in jeopardy... The Noble Council made a statement condemning the atrocities of the Elias Family... Today's banquet will go down in the History of the Empire...]
"Ha. What a coincidence.... And House Elias!"
Josh didn't even have to think twice. The time had come to return the favor, and it was now.
"Say her name first, then the password......"
Josh went back to his lab and rummaged through his drawers, looking for the note he'd written down with the strange password he'd heard once. How long had it been?
“Found it... What on earth is dynamite...?”
He hadn't bothered to ask about the unfamiliar word, thinking he'd never have to use it.
“Hmm. Is it a catalyst that causes fire?”
Thinking he would ask later, Josh repeated the password out loud.
He tucked the password in his pocket, just in case, and headed out. Elias Pharmaceuticals had graciously accepted him despite his lack of achievements and academy status.
The only odd thing was Lady Tara’s advice, it was as if she’d already known how to develop the drug.
"It's not like she was the one who invented it... Hmm... They say that extraordinary people are different from normal folk, always thinking ahead and preparing for the future..."
Somehow, she was different. He was happy that she had recognized his talents. Josh concluded with a compliment of his own, and headed to the Palace, neatly dressed in the soft research uniform provided by Elias Pharmaceuticals.
Surprisingly, nobody stopped him despite being a commoner. After giving Tara Elias's password, several doors opened, and, before he knew it, Josh was sitting in the Second Prince's drawing room.
***
At the same time.
"Eric."
Eric, a knight of the Imperial Palace Guard, who had been on standby after handing over a brief report of the banquet's attendees, answered Kyle's call in a tense voice. He was the assigned special team's interrogator.
"Yes, Your Highness."
“Jason Elias will be interrogated as usual. You will do the first round, and Walter will do the second.”
The first part of the interrogation would use coercive methods of interrogation, while the second part would use gentle and soothing methods.
This method was usually used when the suspect was a member of the Empire's upper-class. It worked poorly on criminals who had experienced the hardships of the lower classes but worked wonders on the sheltered upper-class.
The most important point in this tactic was its length. After nearly a day alone in the interrogation room, one's head would become inundated by complicated thoughts. In the first round an interrogator would enter and instill the fear of a bleak future in the suspect.
When the suspect's soul had been stripped bare by the fearful atmosphere, round 2 started. An interrogator would enter and offer comfort to the devastated soul, offering a ray of hope.
The suspect would then begin to reveal his sins one after another in an attempt to catch said ray of hope.
However, there were some members of the upper-class this method didn't work on, such as seasoned politicians and businessmen.
"Yes, Your Highness. Do you plan to interrogate Count Lloyd yourself?"
"Yes."
"...That's."
Looking at Eric, who seemed lost in thought, Kyle closed the report and asked.
"What?"
"I thought Count Elias was only focused on business... I'm surprised by this bold course of action."
"It's not bold, it's reckless."
"You don't think he's the culprit?" Eric, asked in surprise. He was quite astute.
"The interrogation will proceed according to standard procedure. Nothing has been uncovered as of yet. So don't jump to conclusions, Eric."
“I will keep that in mind, Your Highness.”
The clock on the table showed 4:00pm.
"It's been roughly twenty hours, so I think we should get started. Once you're done with the initial interrogation, allow him access to counsel."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As Kyle rose from his chair, a knight from the Imperial Palace Guard entered the room.
It was a strict rule of the Guards that knights stationed at the main gate were not allowed to leave their posts unless the Second Prince gave them specific instructions.
This meant that if the Prince moved to another building in the Palace other than the Second Imperial Palace, they were not to follow him.
Therefore, the fact that one of the Guards had entered the Second Prince's office, where the special team had been temporarily assembled, meant that they had received special instructions from the Prince.
Kyle put his jacket back on as soon as the Guard entered.
"When did the visitor arrive?"
"Ten minutes ago."
"Interesting timing. Let's go."
"Your Highness?" Eric called out, bewildered by the suddenness of the situation.
Kyle gave him quick instructions as they walked, "I'll do Count Lloyd's interrogation when I get back. You and Walter should go interrogate Jason first."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
***
‘Oh my God... This is the Second Prince's drawing room.'
This was a situation Josh hadn't expected. At best he'd thought he'd be sent away after a brief investigation at the Imperial Guard office.
‘.... I can't believe I'm meeting His Imperial Highness!!'
"Have a seat."
To think he’d been caught in a situation like this, it was just his luck that this had happened today of all days…*
Josh stiffened. He was already surprised to see the Imperial Palace for the first time in his life, but to have a private audience with the Second Prince, Commander of the Imperial Army and head of the Ministry of Security was something totally unexpected.
"Your... Imperial Citizen Josh Lucas... I greet His Imperial Highness the Second Prince, Light of the Empire."
As he stood up and bowed, bending his waist at 90°, Josh could feel the blood rushing to his face.
"You must be Josh Lucas."
Josh was genuinely surprised. He wondered what the hell was going on that made the Second Prince of the Empire aware of the existence of a mere commoner like him.
"What? Do you know me, Your Highness?"
"You are part of my secretary's entourage."
"Ah...."
‘You mean to tell me that he knows everything about his subordinates' entourage? Are those who lead the Empire so special?'
The Second Prince, clad in a blue jacket emblazoned with his phoenix emblem, sat back in his chair, staring intently at Josh's face.
Josh wondered how long it would last for.
“Are you going to keep standing?”
"Ah! No, I shall sit, Your Highness."
Sitting down, Josh clasped his hands together and racked his brain, trying to think of something to say. He had forgotten the words the moment he met the Prince.
"Your... timing is perfect."
"What?"
"You told the guards that you have important information, what is it?"
"Yes, Your Highness, um.... I don't even know where to begin, um... the truth is, I've been contracted by Elias Pharmaceuticals to...."
Thinking it would be a good idea, Josh started his story by briefly explaining his relationship with Elias.
"...I was very fortunate to get a job then, to my surprise, Lady Tara paved the way for me to get sponsored by..."
Josh was surprised that even as he was telling his story, the Prince was listening with interest.
It wasn't just that he was showing interest, but that somehow his focus increased as Josh was explaining his relationship with Lady Tara, to the point where he felt overwhelmed.
Maybe that was why he continued to ramble about his relationship with House Elias, especially today.
‘Ahhh... Those cold eyes staring at me are kind of scary. Such intensity. That’s it...'
"...But surprisingly the young Lady said to me that she was going to be away from the Capital for a while and, in the meantime, if the medicine I had been researching needed to be used, to please use House Elias's name. At the time, the comment seemed so random that I thought she was worrying for nothing, but it turned out to be a good hunch considering what happened."
The Second Prince never once interrupted and asked his questions with an unchanging posture and expression.
“.... And that was 7 months ago.”
"Yes. Your Highness. And if I couldn’t report to the young lady personally, I was told to go see you, her superior."
"Seven months ago."
"Yes.... Is something wrong, Your Highness?"
“No. I just want to be accurate. So you found the reason why the Margrave's son and daughter collapsed?”
"Yes. Surprisingly enough, I've been working on just that."
"That's amazing."
He sounded surprised, but his expression was anything but. A little cold was probably the best way to describe it.
Editor's Note -
*The sentence's original translation was: "Surely it is said that the day when people are caught like this is a market day." (Google Translate version). Which was really confusing. I first edited it the meaning that the Palace was busy like a market day with the investigation going on, but thank to @Rina's proofreading, she found an korean idiom that fits much better: ‘a passing day is a market day’ which means having a big (often inconvenient) event happen when you already had important plans. More info here
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