C83
After hearing the chancellor's report, the emperor asked with an incredulous voice.
"What? Elliot Rudd? Who is he?"
Since the chancellor didn't seem to know much, Terence spoke on his behalf.
"He's the second-in-command of the Iver Guild. When he attended the Imperial Academy, he was famous as a genius."
"Did he orchestrate all of this?"
The chancellor responded cautiously.
"That's what Elliot Rudd's direct subordinate said."
"Eh... So you're saying Liena Cassius is not guilty of anything?"
The situation was like this. Recently, it was said that a man who served closely with Elliot confessed after persistent questioning. All the crimes were committed by Elliot, and Liena knew nothing about it.
The emperor had reasonable doubts.
"No, does that make sense? How is it possible for the person in charge not to know?"
"It is said that the princess was just a source of funds, and Elliot was in charge of the actual operation."
"Well, I didn't immediately believe the nonsense that a girl under ten became a great merchant, but..."
"And this is what I was going to say after checking the facts for myself..."
The chancellor looked at the emperor's gaze and hesitated to speak.
"This morning, a letter arrived at my mansion."
"A letter?"
"The person who wrote the letter revealed that he was a confidant of Elliott Rudd and, although not officially affiliated with the Iver guild, allegedly helped Elliot commit corruption outside the guild."
"Is that really true?"
"According to the letter, they have evidence in the form of the letters Elliot used to give instructions. They said they were ordered to destroy it but kept it just in case."
"Have you seen it with your own eyes?"
"I received the letter this morning, so that's all... I thought to inform His Majesty immediately, but I wanted to check the truth on my own and report it when I found it credible."
"Hmm, turns out the two accusations from around the same time point to the same person."
"In the letter, it is said that Elliot left school a long time ago due to his brutality and temperament, but they were so afraid of him that they held their breath. It seems he won't be able to avoid punishment, so he revealed the truth now."
"Who the hell wrote the letter?"
"His name was written in the letter, but would you like to meet him in person?"
"I'm a bit curious about the evidence. Bring him here."
"I will follow your orders, Your Majesty."
The chancellor made a polite bow and left. The emperor said to Terence:
"Where is Elliot Rudd?"
"He's detained in the security office. Should I call him?"
"Now that the possibility has arisen that he is the main culprit, I suppose I'll have to face him in person at least once."
"In that case, I'll send him to the imperial palace right away."
"First, we plan to verify the evidence that the person who sent the letter to the chancellor has, and then make a schedule."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Terence left the emperor's office and quickly walked through the corridors of the imperial palace. His thoughts returned to the past.
Elliot's direct subordinate, whom he heard recently and who confessed during the investigation, is probably someone Terence also saw the day they raided the Iver guild.
"Do you have a search warrant?!"
"Then a lawyer...!"
Well. It's very likely that he was the one who protested those things to the man trying to take Elliot away.
"So that must have been the moment when Elliot gave him instructions."
["Enough. I guess I have no choice but to go.
"Sir!
"I'll be out for a while, so take care of the water in the pot next to my desk."]
The comment about the pots was the key. Execute the plan Elliot prepared in preparation for an emergency that might arise in the guild.
That was the only opportunity. Until then, Elliot was convinced that Terence didn't even know the password to the secret space.
Did Elliot plan all these crimes, and Liena Cassius knows nothing?
No way. Terence knew well, both from face-to-face encounters and from hearing it from Ethel. Liena Cassius was not that foolish.
The chain of events was designed by Elliot. And he decided to protect his mistress by bearing all the sins alone. It was truly great loyalty.
"From the beginning, even in the worst situation, he must have created a security device that would allow him to protect Liena."
It would have been a better option for Elliot to have Cecil Iver as the culprit, but he couldn't fool Liena either. In a situation where it is suspected that Elliot conspired with Terence, if Cecil takes full responsibility for the crime, Liena will definitely see Elliot as a traitor.
Therefore, Elliot sacrificed himself to prove his unwavering loyalty to Liena.
So he could focus on defeating Cecil and saving himself.
He wasn't a member of the duchy like Liena. If he is the main culprit of this situation, he will receive at least life imprisonment and, at best, the death penalty.
"Does he think Cassius can avoid the death penalty if he uses his hands? He might be planning to receive life imprisonment and escape from prison with Cassius's help."
It's not clear if escaping from prison is really possible, but considering Elliot's skill described by Ethel, it doesn't seem impossible at all.
Terence, who joined his servant Jack outside the emperor's palace, instructed him to deliver the news of Elliot's transfer to Ethel at the security office. Jack left and headed towards the investigation team.
He personally verified the confession of Elliot's direct subordinate and then asked one of the investigation team members.
"Didn't the executives change their testimony while I was away?"
The executives were the highest-ranking individuals at the top of Iver, excluding Liena, Cecil, and Elliot.
"Yes, all six said the same thing."
"Is that so...?"
As a result of the investigation, guild employees who committed crimes on the front lines only knew the superiors who gave them direct orders and didn't know to what extent their superiors were involved in the crime. As they followed the targets they pointed out, the executives finally came into view.
Four out of six remained silent despite the questions and threats. The other two initially kept quiet but later revealed that Elliot was the culprit.
"Did the six agree in advance? No, although they weren't as strong as Elliot, the security forces also captured them quickly. In different places."
It's hard to say that this was discussed in advance, both physically and temporally. In that case, it is very likely that the four are protecting their loyalty from above to the end, and the two chose Elliot over Liena and Cecil.
Liena gets an unreal amount of favors from others, and Cecil is like a family member who has been eating with the executives for over ten years. If someone had to be sacrificed, wouldn't it be natural for it to be Elliot?
"Is this a security measure prepared considering the actions of the executives, Elliot Rudd?"
Honestly, he was impressed. There was no trace that Liena ordered the crime, not even in the documents or accounting books confiscated from the secret space.
And the evidence brought by the chancellor would have been prepared by Elliot.
Presumably, the evidence would be something like an order instructing people to perform a certain task without Liena's knowledge.
It was also a kind of insurance. A measure in case Terence ignored the confession made by Elliot's direct subordinate.
He could guess roughly why the chancellor was chosen as the recipient of the letter. The chancellor is the fastest route to the emperor, and although he has a neutral attitude, he is secretly friendly with the crown prince.
"If the Crown Prince or someone from the Cassius side had taken it, His Majesty would have suspected."
He said it was to defend Liena. However, if you choose anyone, there is a risk that they have different feelings and don't convey them properly to the emperor.
In that sense, the chancellor was a suitable candidate. If so, the Emperor will trust him and, as much as he cares about the Crown Prince, he will convey information to the Emperor that is beneficial to Liena, if possible.
Terence thought carefully about what would happen next.
"Both the evidence and the witnesses point to Elliot, so my father will probably absolve Liena of guilt."
Although he didn't like Cassius, he didn't rule the country as a tyrant. The Empire needs Cassius. What the emperor wants is to subdue Cassius, not turn it into an enemy.
In a situation where there wasn't enough evidence, it was dangerous to unjustly accuse Liena of being guilty.
Moreover, even if it's not a crime, it doesn't mean she's exempt from responsibility as a business owner.
"The land of the Cassius Territory was used as a route for smuggling and a storage place, so there are many things that could become charges."
The emperor would use this flaw to put a brake on Cassius, but he wouldn't provoke Cassius more than necessary by punishing Liena.
Things turned out as Elliot intended. At the same time, things were going in favor of Terence. A corner of the prince's mouth lifted.
-------------------------
After reviewing Terrence's contact message brought by Jack, I returned to the room where Elliot was locked up.
"They say people will come soon to take you to the imperial palace."
"It's regrettable. The situation has come where I have no choice but to reveal my sins in front of His Majesty the Emperor."
Elliot responded with an expression that didn't seem sad at all. I was listening to Elliot's confession, which didn't seem like a confession, until Jack arrived.
"Aren't you afraid? You could be sentenced to death."
"Unless I'm lucky, it's probably true. But still, there's something more important to me than life."
"Do you like Liena that much?"
"Of course. I will never let scoundrels like you or the second prince touch that noble person."
"Oh, yes..."
I tried to look very disappointed and resentful. But in my mind, I was thinking something completely different.
"You're wrong, as expected."
Our ultimate goal is to destroy Liena. But it was Elliot who dragged Terence and me into this business.
"I want to exclude Elliot, who has the potential to make my life difficult and become an obstacle on Terence's path to power."
And Elliot had just set foot on a thorny path that would lead him to at least life imprisonment.
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