Chapter 160: The Big Catch

—Ah! It is a huge one!

Splash!

Feltron jumped around excitedly, flapping his wings left and right.

Every time he did so, a large object was dragged up from the lake.

They were boxes tightly wrapped in thick leather.

They appeared to be made of wood heavily treated with oil and waterproof material.

With this size, the storage fee must have been quite expensive.

Still, the concealment effect was definitely excellent.

It was hard to imagine that something had been hidden in the lake.

Whoosh!

Thick stones had been attached to each one, yet the boxes kept being pulled out of the water.

This much was easy with my strength.

“Are they all out?”

—No, there is one big one left down there.

“Good. Hook that one too.”

—Okay.

Shugl, who had poked his head slightly above the water, dove back down.

The fishing rod tightened as the rope was properly secured.

I wedged the end between the rocks and pulled hard in the middle.

I was using the principle of leverage.

Creakkkk!

The fishing rod bent sharply with an alarming sound.

It looked like it would not hold much longer.

Of course, I was not the type to give up.

Just pull it directly.

The fishing rod had only been for show anyway.

I grabbed the rope and leaned my body back as far as possible.

It was like a tug-of-war.

A heavy object slowly slid toward the shore.

“Oh! This one is quite something.”

It seemed more than twice the size of the boxes I had caught earlier.

As I pulled while activating Beast’s Heart, a clump of aquatic plants came up along with it.

“Hup!”

I finished the task with a spirited shout.

There were a total of thirty boxes laid out on the lakeshore.

Each one was large enough to easily fit two people inside.

I immediately took out Hector Punisher.

They had attached an exceptionally large lock—probably to protect whatever was inside.

Of course, it was nothing but a lump of metal to me.

Swish.

“W-wait!”

Just as I raised Hector Punisher to smash the lock, a desperate voice rang out.

I turned my head and saw a group of people rushing over.

“Who are you?”

“Do you not remember? I greeted you at the celebratory banquet.”

“Were you the Senate Chairman? I met so many people that I cannot recall your name.”

“I am Brahan Soltri.”

“Ah, nice to meet you again. But what brings all of you here?”

“Well, that is……”

Brahan Soltri trailed off with an awkward expression.

There was no reason for members of the Senate to come to the lakeside in the villa district.

This was an area reserved exclusively for foreign nobles.

Of course, they visited occasionally for diplomatic reasons.

However, there was absolutely no reason for them to swarm here together like this.

They must be feeling anxious. Their carefully prepared weapon might end up stabbing their own throats.

The operation would only succeed if the stolen goods were thrown away without anyone knowing.

But if they were openly pulled up like this, everything would go up in smoke.

Their plan to frame me as a meticulous embezzler might backfire completely.

Especially once the origin of these boxes was revealed.

“Ugh!”

Crack!

I swung Hector Punisher without warning.

It was a simple motion, but the power contained within it was by no means light.

The thick lock shattered in a single blow.

Clang!

I kicked the box lightly with my foot to open the lid.

A brilliant gleam burst forth, and sharp gasps erupted from all around.

“Huk!”

“Th-that is…!”

They had no choice but to be shocked.

Inside were the finances of the Crawford Principality that someone had secretly siphoned off…

“Huh? What is this?”

Looking inside, I could not help but let out a dumbfounded sound.

I had honestly expected it to be filled with nothing but gold coins.

Normally, when managing national finances, currency was standardized into one type.

Carrying around piles of gold and silver treasures only increased the nominal value while making disposal difficult.

However, the largest box was packed full of all kinds of jewels.

What is this? It has a very antique feel.

These would sell for much higher prices due to their historical value and significance.

Then a very familiar pattern caught my eye.

The falling leaf motif engraved throughout the banquet hall of Crawford Palace.

“This is a treasure of the Crawford royal family.”

I spoke with a meaningful smile.

Then I immediately turned to the senators.

“Was this the item you were trying to throw at me? Something this enormous?”

“W-what are you saying…!”

Brahan Soltri’s eyes widened dramatically.

I had struck right at the heart of the matter.

Moreover, he probably had not expected me to reveal it so openly.

But could they not just deny it?

As expected, the senators shamelessly began making excuses one after another.

“What connection could we possibly have with the treasures of the Crawford royal family?”

“I heard that if you go to the empire you will get your nose cut off even with your eyes open. You lie so brazenly.”

“Would the innocent people of Crawford do such a thing?”

“Just by looking at it, this was clearly planned before you even arrived. Otherwise how could you suddenly fish up treasures from the lake?”

“We can understand you wanting to fight the existing bureaucrats. But you should still observe proper bounds. What is this?”

It was getting more ridiculous by the second.

This seemed to be the detailed content of the conspiracy they had originally intended to pin on me.

However, there was a huge flaw in the senators’ claims.

Tap tap.

I kicked the side of the box lightly and said,

“These are at least over a year old. The ones over there look more recent.”

“What do you mean?”

When Brahan Soltri asked, I lightly shrugged my shoulders.

I was a bit disappointed they did not even understand something this simple.

“Do you see the boat floating on the lake over there? The bottom part has turned red, correct?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“The best material for making boats is ironwood. It has excellent waterproofing ability. Generally, the longer ironwood stays in contact with water, the redder it becomes. That is why it is called ironwood—it looks like rusted iron.”

As I continued the explanation, the senators fell silent.

The boxes I pointed at each had different colors.

The difference between older and newer ones was clearly visible in stages.

“I received the order from His Majesty the Emperor to become chancellor of the Crawford Principality two months ago.”

“How do you know they did not plan it before then?”

One brave senator began to argue back.

A man in his thirties with short brown hair.

His long mustache was quite striking.

I immediately recognized who he was.

Stephen Keho, the right-hand man of the Senate Chairman.

The Keho family was also a long-standing pillar of the Crawford Principality.

They had once produced loyal retainers, but now they were nothing more than Soltri’s dogs.

Bark when told to bark, bite when told to bite.

“There was no discussion whatsoever before that, though?”

“Do you have any proof?”

“We can simply ask His Majesty the Emperor and Prince Peilly of Crawford. Shall I invite them to the empire?”

“Th-that……”

The moment I mentioned the two names, Stephen Keho immediately shriveled.

I let out a small smirk and looked around at the senators.

In truth, this kind of argument held little meaning.

I already had solid evidence.

That was why I had put on this fishing show in the first place.

“The way to prove that I did not do it is simple. We just need to catch the real culprit.”

“What? There is no way such a thing……!”

“Can just anyone easily smuggle out the royal treasures and gold coins of Crawford? It would require someone working in the actual departments to move. And they would have had powerful backing as well.”

While the senators only frowned, I jerked my head toward the back.

Cordell McNeil appeared, dragging several people with him.

“I have brought them, Duke, Your Highness.”

“Shall we start with self-introductions?”

I opened the floor, but no one spoke.

They only hesitated.

Of course, it would not be easy.

Confessing their crimes in front of both the old and current powers of the Crawford Principality.

But there was no path of escape.

“Shall I reveal everything one by one? There is more than enough evidence.”

“N-no. I am Seri Konus Bennett from the Ministry of Finance.”

“What did you do?”

“Following the orders of Senator Stephen Keho, I smuggled out royal treasures and gold coins from the warehouse.”

“What were you planning to do with them?”

“We originally intended to use them as slush funds, but then a foreigner was appointed as chancellor, so we planned to frame…”

As the detailed confession about the crime poured out, the senators’ faces turned deathly pale.

For now, only Stephen Keho’s name had been mentioned.

But it was clear the rest would be exposed soon as well.

There was probably no one here who had not dipped their hands into the national treasury.

“You bastard! How dare you speak such nonsense here!”

One senator whose feet had gone numb roared.

Naturally, the one who shouted was Stephen Keho, whose name had been brought up.

But he could not keep forcing his lies forever.

Cordell McNeil had dragged another person over and forced him to his knees.

Upon seeing the man’s face, Senator Keho’s mouth fell wide open.

“I already arrested the agent you were using. This man has finished confessing everything. Moreover, we have your handwritten orders?”

“Ah……”

A hollow sigh.

Stephen Keho must have realized it instinctively.

Not only himself, but his entire family would be swept away along with him.

He looked around with pleading eyes, but the other senators quickly averted their gazes.

It was an attempt to distance themselves.

As expected, there is no true loyalty.

These were people who took sucking the blood of the citizens for granted and tried to embezzle the finances they had gained from it.

There was no way loyalty existed among them.

I immediately stared straight at Brahan Soltri.

Even in this situation, his expression had barely changed.

He had looked slightly flustered at first, but quickly regained his composure.

Since he did not move personally, he has nothing to feel guilty about?

That attitude made sense then.

But he knew one thing and not two.

Now that justification had been established, the scope of the blade dance would be decided entirely by me.

“An unsavory incident has occurred within the Senate, so you must take responsibility.”

“Senator Stephen Keho’s wrongdoing is something he himself must bear. Why are you trying to walk the path of a tyrant?”

“No matter how much you struggle, it will be useless.”

“What do you mean?”

“The arrest operation has already begun.”

The information Feltron had gathered was truly enormous.

It allowed me to know every detail, even inside the influential families of Crawford.

Who would be cautious with their words while mindful of crows or bats?

Secret conversations naturally took place where there were no people.

However, Brahan Soltri looked completely clueless.

It was as if he was asking what a guy like me could possibly do.

“The treasures of the Crawford royal family are not only hidden here, you know?”

……!

With just one casual remark, Senate Chairman Brahan Soltri’s movements froze completely.

His expression was as if a knife had stabbed him in the heart.

I smiled slyly and continued.

“I found the embezzled goods hidden in the lake. Do you really think I would not know about what you have stashed deep inside your house?”

Brahan Soltri and the other senators had probably prepared thoroughly.

If it was discovered that they possessed the royal treasures, they could be charged with treason.

Once they had completely taken over the country, it would not matter what they held.

But until they brought down the Crawford royal family, it was a weakness that had to be hidden tightly.

Prince Peilly III, who had reached his limit, would have tried to use even the royal treasures.

That would have been the starting point of the revolution.

Of course, that would not happen anymore.

Tap tap tap tap tap!

Just then, someone came running in a panic and whispered urgently to Brahan Soltri.

However, because his breathing was so ragged, his voice came out quite loud.

“Huff! Ch-Chairman! Huff! Th-the main house is being searched!”

“What?”

Brahan Soltri glared at me with burning eyes.

“This is an abuse of authority! There is no way Law Officer Mitchell would allow such nonsense!”

Ah, so that was what he was relying on?

How simple.

I shrugged lightly and answered.

“He allowed it after I said just a few words?”

“……Huh?”