Episode 56
But the situation didnāt last long.
At first, Rozen had watched on with interest, but he quickly grew bored.
āViscount Pesilian and Young Master Pesilian bribed the maids to cover up Sir Finenceās crimes.
On top of that, they even tried to pin those crimes on Count Poison.
For bribery, falsifying evidence, and whatever else the Ministry of Justiceās investigation reveals, they will be imprisoned.
Their trial date will be set once the investigation is complete.ā
āY-Your Highness!ā
āSince this was an attempt to cover up Finenceās crimes, Finence himself is not without blame.
Sir Finence will also be detained in his quarters, and the Ministry of Justice will investigate him as well.
As for Sir Reinolf, he attacked his senior knight and committed insubordination, but considering it was to chastise a knight who had broken the code of chivalry, his punishment will be six monthsā pay deduction.ā
āYour Highness, thatās unfairāā
āHow dare you!ā
Rozen, who had been rattling off the punishments, barked the words, making Count Revāwho had been about to objectāshrink back.
Normally, Rozen concealed his energy, but in truth, he was born to rule.
Everyone who met the Crown Prince for the first time said the same thingā
that when they stood before him, they couldnāt even lift their gaze properly.
Thatās how much he radiated the aura of a ruler.
Now, as he showed it without filter, Count Rev couldnāt bring himself to argue further and instinctively lowered his eyes.
The oppressive presence was on a completely different level from the sickly Emperor.
āAre you saying you dare oppose me?
What argument could you possibly have?
The evidence is right here in front of you!ā
With that, Rozen threw the rest of the documentsāthose Marquis Orion hadnāt had time to readāstraight at Count Rev.
Thud.
The pile hit him in the chest.
He looked up, ready to protest, only to meet those cold golden eyes and quickly avert his gaze again.
Until now, Rozen had tried to balance the Emperorās faction with the nobles who supported him.
Even changing the councilās seating to a round table had been an expression of the Crown Princeās willingness to hear all opinions.
Sometimes it was hard to meet his gaze, sure, but he had never acted this outrageously.
Yet here he wasāfor the second meeting in a rowāspitting out words like some tyrant.
The Emperorās faction exchanged looks.
Clearly, something had changed in the Crown Prince.
If they didnāt prepare themselves, theyād be swept away.
Of course, Rozen, sharp as ever, noticed the glances.
His crimson lips curled into a smile.
āWith noble corruption overflowing, how can I, as Crown Prince, just stand by?
From this moment, a full-scale investigation into the assets of all nobles will be launched.
The Audit Bureau will oversee it, and we wonāt just investigate noblesāhigh-ranking imperial officials and even members of the imperial family will be thoroughly examined.ā
āYour Highness! Thatāsāā
āIf thereās dirt to be found, theyād better look forward to whatās coming.
There will be no mercy.ā
With those words, Rozen left the chamber with Marquis Orion in tow.
āPardon? A secondment?ā
I had gone to the Crown Princeās office to inform him of Captain Davidās resolution, but I got an unexpected reply.
Rozen nodded and signaled to his aideāYen, was it?
The man, who always seemed to dislike me, handed over a document with a sullen look.
āTemporary secondment agreementā¦?ā
āWeāre forming a special task force.
The plan is to conduct a massive property investigation targeting nobles, high-ranking palace officials, and the imperial family.
Officially, itās to restore public trust in the imperial family after the recent noble corruption scandals.
What do you think?ā
āThe reasoning sounds fine, but⦠if youāre investigating nobles, officials, and royals, itāll take years to finish.ā
āI said āeveryone,ā but really, weāre only going after a few big fish.
Letās be realāno oneās hands are completely clean.
If we take down the ones with the biggest scandals, the rest will quietly clean up their own messes.ā
Wow.
Say what you want about his blunt way of speakingāwhen it comes to getting things done, the Crown Prince is scarily efficient.
When the leader charges ahead like that, it actually makes things easier for everyone below.
All the responsibility lands on him, and we just do the work.
āSo⦠Iām joining this special team?ā
āRight. The Audit Bureau will lead it, but Iām picking capable people from across the entire imperial organization. Yen will be on the team too.ā
I glanced at the man sitting beside me, and he gave a brief nod.
I nodded back, thinking it was just a greetingāonly for his face to twist like heād bitten into something bitter.
From the sound of it, the Crown Prince, now backed by the Metailer Marquisate, intended to reform everything from the ground up.
His goal seemed to be overturning the Emperorās faction vs. Crown Princeās faction power struggle and creating a truly unified noble society.
āBut⦠the Marquis hasnāt officially announced his support for you yet. Is that okay?ā
āSir Ron isnāt the type to change his mind.
And once word gets out that the Metailer family has sided with me, thatās all Iāll need.
Anyone complaining now will just be crushed with force.
Oh, that reminds meāwe should add a few knights to the task force.ā
His tone was getting more casual, but I didnāt bother pointing it out.
I picked up a pen and signed my name in the space at the bottom of the form.
Since it wasnāt a permanent transfer and Ron had already agreed, a short-term assignment to the special team sounded fine.
Itād even look good on my rĆ©sumĆ© later.
The only downside was that annoying purple-haired guy snatching the form from my hand with a snap.
I let out a long sigh.
While I was packing up my things in the office, I felt a heated stare.
āSorry. A replacement will come in a few days, so hang in there until then.ā
Mien sighed and shrugged, resigned.
I knew from experience that handling the Knightsā administrative work alone wasnāt hardājust endless.
With the constant mountain of paperwork, you start to wonder whether youāre the paperwork or itās you.
Since Mien had already been doing nearly everything alone lately, Iād asked the Crown Prince to send a replacement while I was away.
Heād agreed, so someone should arrive soon.
When I stepped out with a box full of my belongings, Reinolf was waiting outside.
His face looked worn from his long detention and trial ordealābut somehow, the maids still swooned over what they called his ādecadent charm.ā
āI heard youāre being seconded.ā
āYes. Itās a new special team.
Itās a project team, so once this job is done, itāll be disbanded.ā
āā¦Thank you.ā
āFor what?ā
He had plenty of reasons to thank meāIād cleaned up after him countless times.
But hadnāt he also stabbed that Finence guy who bad-mouthed me?
I thought we were square after that.
Besides, Iād cursed him to hell and back when I thought his story about his sister was a lie.
Honestly, I felt more guilty toward him than anything these days.
Reinolfās eyes deepened.
āI remember everything youāve done for me, Ail. All of it.ā
Uh⦠knock knock?
Iām not moving away permanently, you know?
Itās just for a few months.
Whyās he looking at me like Iām leaving forever?
āIāll accept your thanks when Iām back. Youāve just returnedāgo take care of your work.ā
āIf anyone bothers you there, tell me.ā
āAnd if I do?ā
āIāll help you get revenge, as much as I can.ā
Pfft.
I couldnāt help laughing.
I mean, he was clenching his fists while saying itāit was kind of cute.
He might seem mature, but at only twenty, Reinolf still had a boyish side.
Though, stabbing someone over an insult probably didnāt count as āboyish.ā
Still, after over six months in this world, I realized a lot had changed.
The guy who used to ignore me completely was now offering to help me get revenge.
I set the box down for a moment and reached out to ruffle his short blond hair.
He really was like a little brother sometimes.
āTake care. And donāt cause troubleāyouāve already stacked up months of pay deductions.ā
With the previous penalty from fighting Heppy, Reinolf probably wouldnāt see a proper paycheck this year.
Though now that his sister was back, maybe it didnāt matter⦠or maybe it didāone more mouth to feed meant heād need to work harder.
After saying goodbye to the red-faced Reinolf, I headed for the carriage Iād reserved.
The special teamās office was in the main palace.
Thanks to the Crown Princeās order to make it āthe best environment possible,ā the office was spacious, well-lit, and fully equippedāfrom furniture to office supplies to snacks.
Iād thought Iād be the first to arrive, but when I opened the door, I saw a familiar back.
āCaptain David!ā
āAil, good to see you. We finally get to work together.ā
I already knew heād be joining the team, so it wasnāt a surprise.
As we unpacked our things and chatted, the other members trickled in.
Yen, the Crown Princeās aide, was there, along with top members from both the Audit Bureauās inspection team and accounting team.
The Crown Prince had wanted to add imperial knights as well, in case the nobles staged an armed protest, but Yen had opposed it.
Honestly, what did he think we were going to do that needed knights in an investigation team?
Still, although he gave up on the knights, insteadā¦
āO-Oh, Marquis Orion?!ā
One of the inspectors gasped as Marquis Orion walked in.
I nodded in greeting at the familiar face, and he acknowledged me in return.
āGreetings, everyone.
I am Grindel Orion, head of House Orion, and Iāve been appointed leader of this team.ā
ā¦Instead of knights, the Crown Prince had done this.