CHAPTER 89……………………………….
We continued our conversation in the study.
“Butler, have you sorted out Fabius’s embezzlement issue?”
“Ah… I didn’t have time, so I only organized the past year’s records for now.”
“Bring me all the documents from the past five years that were handled with Fabius. And what about the secondary report we commissioned from the Information Guild?”
“No contact yet.”
“Summon the Guildmaster.”
“Understood.”
I told the three men about what Piace had gone through in the Molten family.
The three men, who had been skeptical and half-doubted that there could be such a terrible household, fell into a long silence after reading the first report.
He, expressionless, placed the report down.
Then he drank tea and twisted his neck from side to side.
Crack, crack.
Hmm, he’s really angry.
“What should I do?”
“You already know, Your Highness. Up until recently, Fabius handled all the construction projects of the Ibrante family himself.”
“I know. That’s why I had so many doubts during the bidding for the Central Plaza construction. Fabius’s conditions were the most reasonable, but the fact that he was closely connected with the Duke was a flaw.”
“I told you back then—we cut off dealings with Fabius.”
“Was there another reason?”
“We discovered evidence that our mansion manager colluded with Fabius to embezzle construction funds.”
“I suspected as much when I saw the plans submitted for the plaza construction bid… Are you planning to sue?”
“Yes.”
“So you want me to take charge of the investigation.”
There’s a high chance it would be brushed off if left to the Imperial Knights.
“Yes.”
“Very well.”
The conversation moved quickly.
It was thanks to Leonhart having already informed me of what kind of guild Fabius was affiliated with during the Central Plaza construction bid.
“One more thing. Freeze the Molten Marquis family’s assets.”
“Possible, but it won’t be a meaningful action.”
“Why?”
“When asset freezes are applied, the nobles in question are notified. That process takes some time, and they’ll likely siphon off all their assets in the meantime.”
“Why notify them? How is that different from openly telling criminals to hide their property?”
“His Majesty thinks the same. But the law revision is scheduled for year-end…”
“That’s far too late. Execute it immediately by imperial decree. This is my personal request to Your Majesty.”
“It will be difficult. As the Duke knows, His Majesty isn’t someone who listens to others easily.”
“Exactly.”
I wrote a short note on elegant stationery and handed it to Leonhart.
“Give this to His Majesty. It might help.”
“Can I see it?”
“No. Just deliver it.”
“….”
Leonhart’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He glanced at me suspiciously, then slipped the letter into his suit.
“Very well.”
Once the conversation was concluded, Owen and Ruspell relaxed their bodies.
“Phew… can we rest now? I was so shocked earlier, I can’t even hold myself up.”
“I teleported four people, so I feel empty inside. Duke, don’t you have something to eat?”
At that moment, the butler returned with a four-tier trolley stacked high with documents.
“Butler, prepare some food too.”
“Shall I set it up in the dining room?”
“No, bring it here. We’ll eat while working.”
“I’ll prepare sandwiches and rolls. Coffee for drinks?”
“Good.”
The butler left, and the three men, sensing the ominous energy, silently stared at the piles of documents.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“We can each take one section. Shall we begin?”
All three let out simultaneous groans.
The first to finish his share was Ruspell.
He finished his portion at a speed that made me doubt he was even reading.
Owen was the slowest.
He repeatedly double-checked the documents he skimmed through, making his pace understandably slow.
Leonhart was in the middle.
He reviewed the documents properly with his back straight, never double-checking past papers.
‘At this pace, we might finish before midnight.’
I smiled, pleased.
[By the way, Rian, you know, right? You need to add magic to the lab’s protective barrier today.]
‘What?!’
[If you turn into a crow, the magic won’t move. So it has to be done before midnight.]
[It’s better to go when everyone’s distracted. If caught, just say you’re going to the bathroom. They won’t follow you there, right, Gnome?]
[(nods)]
‘You useless spirits! You should have told me that a day in advance!’
I put down the documents and quietly stood.
Three pairs of eyes, which had been focused on the documents, immediately fixed on me.
“Duke? Do you need something?”
“Duke, why are you standing?”
“Duke, is something necessary?”
“…Excuse me for a moment. I have a personal urgent matter.”
The three men awkwardly averted their gaze, having understood.
I calmly left the study.
Using the power of the spirits, I quickly went to the lab and infused the protective barrier with magic before returning.
The three men were still at work, not even moving, remaining in their seated positions.
I quietly sat down and continued with the remaining work.
At that moment, I had no idea.
One of them had followed me to protect me.
By morning, Leonhart had left for the Imperial Palace to persuade the Emperor.
The rest of us finished breakfast and met the Information Guildmaster.
The Guildmaster was already intimidated, and when I appeared with Owen and Ruspell, he was completely cowed.
About three hours into our questioning, Leonhart returned with the awaited news.
It was permission to freeze the assets without prior notice.
I immediately sent a letter to the Academy, summoning the Molten Marquises for tomorrow.
The day we had been waiting for arrived.
I headed to the Academy with the butler.
“Master, when will Miss Piace be able to attend school?”
“Why?”
“She seems eager to go to the Academy.”
“Send her only after the perpetrator is taken care of.”
“When will that be?”
“Today.”
“Miss will be happy. Let’s go in.”
The butler opened the dean’s office door.
Inside, Oswald and the Molten Marquises, who had been conversing, stood up abruptly.
“Duke, you’re here?”
Oswald looked displeased.
It seemed the conversation with the Molten Marquises had not gone well.
“Duke of Ibrante! Greetings! You look much more beautiful than the last time I saw you. Have you been exercising lately?”
The Molten Marquis tried to lighten the mood with clumsy small talk.
He seemed to dismiss Bianca’s actions as mere mischievous play.
‘Now I see why the dean seemed displeased.’
It must have been frustrating to talk to someone who couldn’t grasp the situation.
Better to stay quiet like the Molten Marchioness, at least to keep the middle ground.
“Duke, please have a seat here.”
I sat in the seat offered by Oswald and quietly watched the Molten Marquis.
He forced a smile before speaking.
“I… I heard there was an accident between our child and Piace.”
“Accident?”
“I admit our child played a little too roughly. They’ve been reflecting on it.”
“Reflection….”
I chuckled, and the Marquis’s expression changed slightly.
His expression asked silently, Why is this happening? This isn’t right.
“Bianca wanted to play with Piace like before, but an unexpected incident occurred.”
“Oh, so the children played like that even before.”
“Yes. When Piace was adopted into my house, they got along very well.”
“So, even before, Bianca had trapped Piace in the trash can and tied the lid shut?”
“No, that was the first time. Before, they mainly played in the attic. Piace was occasionally trapped due to a broken door, but never deliberately. Right, dear?”
“You’re right. Neither Bianca nor we ever deliberately trapped Piace.”
“So this time was just a joke?”
Amazingly, the Molten Marquises seemed to consider Bianca’s behavior trivial.
“Of course! I don’t mean Bianca did well, but I heard from the dean there might be some misunderstanding, so I wanted to clarify.”
“The dean said it was a misunderstanding?”
When I said that, Oswald shook his head violently.
The Marquis awkwardly interjected.
“Ah, no, the dean didn’t say that. I just thought…”
“That’s all you wanted to say?”
“I heard Piace was trapped in the trash can for about an hour. So we scolded Bianca firmly and gave her a one-day house detention.”
“Do you consider detention an appropriate punishment?”
“It’s a bit harsh for Bianca. Piace wasn’t hurt, and she was found quickly.”
“….”
“Ah! No need to apologize. I’m strict with my children anyway.”
So, not even the trash can, just a single day at home counts as a harsh punishment?
I have no idea what kind of household this is.
“So my point is… Bianca has been punished, Piace is fine, so why not let the children reconcile and end it here?”
“Haha!”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
