Chapter 168: The Servant’s Slip

The truth behind the logging site death was utterly horrific.

The middle-class infertile couple, Gardner and Makaila, had adopted Devante—a slum child on the brink of starvation. Then, Makaila suddenly became pregnant. They had finally obtained the biological child they so desperately wanted.

At that point, Devante instantly became an eyesore. No matter how much affection they had shown when taking him in, he could not compare to their own flesh and blood.

Moreover, Gardner and Makaila were far from righteous people.

In the end, they made a choice no different from the devil’s.

“Do you admit that you placed sharp tree branches in the area where your son was working and instructed Yanik to push him?”

I asked in a cold voice.

However, Makaila said nothing. She simply kept her eyes tightly shut, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

Of course, an answer wasn’t absolutely necessary. Her reaction alone was more than enough.

I then turned my gaze to Gardner, Makaila’s husband.

“It was you, Mr. Gardner, who gave money to the defendant Yanik. Did you not know that it was payment for an assassination?”

“Yes, I simply did as I was told.”

“So you’re saying you had no idea what the job actually was.”

“That’s right…….”

Gardner gave a shameless reply.

But he too was an accomplice. The character information window had clearly shown that he had made contact with Yanik.

While his wife prepared the trap, Gardner had hired the assassin.

As expected, Makaila, who had been trembling silently, suddenly screamed.

“What are you talking about?! You were the one who met with Yanik! I don’t even have the key to the storage shed. How could I have given him the money?”

“Will you just shut up if you don’t know anything…….”

“Why? If I’m the only one who goes to prison, are you planning to remarry?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? We finally have the son we wanted so badly. Why would I do something like that?”

The couple’s argument erupted in an instant. The questions I had thrown out had completely shattered their united front.

If I appear to be favoring one side, the other will get angry and start pointing fingers. That’s when the truth spills out.

The courtroom fell into an icy silence.

Gardner and Makaila belatedly realized their mistake. Their emotions had run high, and their voices had grown loud. It was no longer a private whisper.

“I’ve heard enough. Makaila set up the trap, while Gardner hired Yanik. You clearly divided the roles.”

The truth was now exposed for all to see.

These people had tried to kill their adopted son who had gone to the worksite in order to cash in big time.

They were the worst kind of trash—not only had they insulted the Dapan Group, but the entire court as well.

I stared at the pair with a chilling gaze.

“I will now deliver the verdict. Logging worker Yanik, who committed murder for money, is sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. Additionally, Gardner and Makaila, who planned and ordered the murder, shall receive the same sentence.”

According to imperial law, those who ordered a crime were to be punished identically.

Makaila had even more grounds to be considered a full accomplice, having planted the sharp branches herself.

The charges might differ slightly, but the sentence remained the same.

The three of them would soon be transferred to the Empire to spend the rest of their lives in agony.

However, I could not punish Makaila as she was.

I raised my right hand to calm the murmuring spectators.

“However, the child in her womb bears no sin. She will be held in the security detention center until she gives birth.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In Korea, pregnant inmates were usually sent to prison first and only transferred to an external medical facility for delivery. But that was out of the question here.

The Empire’s prisons were literal hell. A pregnant woman wouldn’t last even a week.

Therefore, I showed mercy by allowing her to stay in the security force’s detention center until after the birth, after which she would serve her sentence.

This should be an appropriate judgment.

I immediately picked up the Hector Punisher.

But at that very moment—

“W-wait a second!”

Gardner, his face deathly pale and body shaking, suddenly raised his hand high.

I looked at him with a puzzled expression. With all the crimes already revealed, what more could he possibly testify to here?

Whatever he said would likely backfire.

I was about to lightly dismiss him when his hurried words caught my interest significantly.

“There was someone who suggested using Devante after telling us that the Dapan Group handles industrial accident compensation very generously!”

What the hell was this all of a sudden?

The case had taken a completely new turn in an instant.

If there was someone who had encouraged the crime, that person also needed to be arrested as an instigator.

I immediately questioned Gardner.

“Who was that person?”

“If I tell you, can you reduce my sentence a little?”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

I had no idea why there were so many shocking things happening today.

Not content with commissioning the assassination of his adopted son, now he’s trying to negotiate his sentence?

I was genuinely curious just how low this man could sink.

But I didn’t need to step in myself.

“You crazy son of a bitch!”

“Not satisfied with trying to pin all the blame on his wife and escape alone, he makes a statement like that? He really is a monster.”

“To think someone like that lived in our neighborhood… it gives me goosebumps.”

“Poor Devante, who thought a piece of human garbage like that was his real father.”

A flood of condemnation poured from the gallery.

Normally I would have to stop them, but I didn’t bother this time. Honestly, I had almost cursed myself.

Startled by the fierce reactions, Gardner didn’t know what to do.

Once the courtroom had quieted down a bit, I spoke leisurely.

“Let’s hear what you have to say first. I’ll make my judgment afterward.”

“I can’t tell you without a firm promise.”

“Then the trial ends here as is. Once you’re transferred to an imperial prison, you won’t get another chance to speak.”

Gardner chewed his lip anxiously, then finally let out a sigh and opened his mouth.

In truth, I had never intended to show any leniency from the beginning. No matter what came out, I planned to listen and then dismiss it.

However, what Gardner blurted out was not something I could easily ignore.

“There was a person who informed us about the Dapan Group’s industrial accident compensation policy and the method of committing the crime. That person was…… Morun. He’s a servant working for Seri-jang Brahan Soltri.”

He wore a triumphant expression, as if asking if that was enough.

But I simply smiled gently.

I lightly waved my right hand, and the court knights swarmed in. It was to take the three main culprits of the Devante murder case into custody.

Gardner shouted frantically.

“Y-you said you’d listen! Shouldn’t you at least give some kind of response?!”

I stared at him with cold eyes and said,

“This is my response.”

With another gesture, the court knights nodded. They seemed to have immediately understood the signal to take them away quickly.

The three were dragged out of the courtroom.

If you manage to finish your sentence, try living like a decent human being then.

I politely bowed to the spectators and descended from the bench with a calm expression.

The moment the trial ended, the Crawford political scene was thrown into complete chaos.

It was because an investigation had begun based on Gardner’s statement.

Normally, the matter should have been quietly buried. After all, the target was none other than Brahan Soltri, the Seri-jang.

Given how the prosecutors in this country groveled on their own, the case would have been covered up immediately.

But this time was different.

Because I’m personally directing it.

It would be wise not to expect this to be glossed over.

This was the perfect opportunity to crush Brahan Soltri. There was no way I would let it slip away.

I summoned Morun and applied pressure from all directions.

Honestly, at first I thought it would be very easy. If I just shook down a few servants from the Soltri family, the truth should come out.

However, the resistance was unexpectedly fierce.

“I did say something like that, but it was just a joke made while drinking. Is that the correct statement?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“And it has absolutely nothing to do with Brahan Soltri?”

“Of course not. He is not the kind of person who would get involved in such matters in the first place.”

He was far more troublesome than expected. Almost like a fanatic.

An attitude that didn’t care about his own safety at all. His entire focus was on covering up Brahan Soltri’s crimes.

There’s nothing to salvage even from the character information window. How am I supposed to find a lead?

It looked like the hard-earned testimony was about to go to waste. Normally everything comes out if you investigate, but…

Then suddenly, from the inner room of the office, a pitch-black sugar glider poked its head out.

—Hey. Human duke.

Interrupting in the middle of interrogating a suspect? This guy really has no sense of timing.

I furrowed my brow and gave a slight nod, signaling that I was busy and we could talk later.

But Shugl stubbornly refused to back down.

—He can’t hear me anyway. I’m only sending telepathy to you.

So what?

I shouted inwardly, though it probably wouldn’t transmit since I had no telepathy ability.

Surprisingly, however, Shugl roughly understood my intention. So this is what it feels like when eye contact alone allows conversation.

—These people seem to be rolling in money. They keep talking about building something beyond Verkal Mountain. The Seri-jang’s job is just to collect taxes well, so why is he getting involved in business proposals?

I had originally planned to let Shugl’s words go in one ear and out the other. It had nothing to do with Morun’s interrogation.

But the word “Seri-jang” suddenly lingered in my mind.

Brahan Soltri wants to build something?

From what I knew, he was just a pompous man. A tax collector held considerable authority in any territory.

But instead of exploitation and embezzlement, he was showing interest in construction?

It had nothing to do with a Seri-jang’s duties, and it would have been nearly impossible to attempt in the first place.

After all, the reason people could even go beyond Verkal Mountain was because I had driven away most of the dangerous creatures there—things like rock guardians and specters.

In other words, this was a business venture planned with my potential downfall in mind.

Then perhaps I should dig into this side as well.

I casually pushed the investigation documents aside and sank deeply into the sofa, adopting a relaxed posture. It looked as if I had declared the interrogation over.

However, Morun’s expression remained stiff.

Regardless, I yawned and spoke in a casual, passing tone.

“Ugh! I’m so tired. Make yourself comfortable. It doesn’t seem like such a big crime anyway. Let’s handle this moderately.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Looking at the records, Seri-jang Brahan Soltri has never once submitted a business proposal.”

“That’s because his role is tax collection.”

“Yet recently, it seems he’s been paying attention to development projects?”

“He may have his reasons. But I am merely a servant who runs errands. I cannot possibly fathom the lofty intentions of the Seri-jang.”

“I understand that the Crawford Principality doesn’t have that kind of funds available.”

“It is quite a small country, after all.”

“Then what money does he plan to use for construction projects? I may not know his lofty intentions, but I have a rough idea of how things work around here. You’ve been with that family for a long time, after all.”

I smiled and slowly rubbed my hands together.

If the Soltri Marquisate was starting a business, I was subtly signaling that I wanted a piece of the pie.

This finally opened the floodgates in my conversation with Morun.

“Of course he would mobilize funds from the Soltri Marquisate. It is a very old and prestigious family, after all.”

There it is!

I finally got it out of him.

I gave a meaningful smile and said,

“As far as I know, the head of the Soltri Marquisate is Izkaya. On what authority does the Seri-jang move the family’s funds?”

“……Ah, n-no, that’s—!”

Morun’s previously solid defense crumbled in an instant.

He must have realized right then that he had made a fatal mistake.