He shouted and quickly turned his head to start pleading with the deputy captain.
"I am also a victim! I must personally present the information to His Majesty and ask for a fair judgment. Listen, would you like to accompany me to my mansion right now?"
Once he got to the mansion, his plan was to get away from him and hide the evidence in a secret location known only to him.
'If that doesn't work out, we'll just set fire to it and burn it all down! Damn, whoever reported what, they probably didn't find out all that much already!'
The deputy commander frowned, but Marquis Flora persistently persuaded him.
"If you're coming with me, why would I do something so foolish? My charges will be cleared, and you'll get some merit, too. Yes? Do you know my wealth? If you just help me clear my name, I'll protect you..."
"Vice-captain!"
Then the knights came rushing in.
"I found it. It's a document containing charges of breach of trust, embezzlement, and illegal licensing by the Marquis Flora!"
The secretly hidden information was in the hands of the Royal Knights. Marquis Flora turned pale upon seeing it.
"I will report to His Majesty immediately. I will tell His Majesty everything, including the fact that you tried to persuade me."
The deputy captain pushed him into the cold prison cell.
'Ah, no...!!'
If all the illegal activities were exposed, recovery would be impossible. They might end up following in the footsteps of the Duke Soare, who had been destroyed in the past.
"Oh, this is unfair! This is a false accusation! Let me see His Majesty!"
The bound Marquis Flora made a last-ditch effort, but it was no use. Before he could do anything, the Royal Knights had already found the evidence one by one.
"This is an ill-gotten gain ledger!"
"This is a true report that bribes were accepted and the border was opened privately!"
Even the most secretive of illegal acts were exposed. The King quickly and persistently investigated, as if he knew he was in league with some unknown force.
"Oh, how did it all happen in an instant like this..."
Marquis Flora despaired. He finally lost his will to fight after hearing the news that his wife had been arrested in the act of attempting to harm the Queen.
The Incident happened overnight. Speculations ran wild among the nobles.
"Since the Marchioness Flora is close to the Queen, wouldn't you be a little more lenient?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I don't know why, but Madam was imprisoned along with the Marquis."
The punishment was merciless.
The crime of treason, the crime of leaking information, the crime of treason against the nation. That's how Marquis Flora was brought down in an instant.
And an edict was issued stating that if similar cases occurred in the future, no one would be shown leniency, regardless of status.
The people were on edge due to the cold-hearted King's punishment. Even the conservatives who had looked down on the young King became nervous.
***
"Cheryl, you've got quite a fortune."
Palak.
Endymion looked sharply at the documents. They were the estate documents of Marquis Flora.
Most of the sudden wealth was earned through business. And the person who recently took the biggest share was none other than the talk of the town, Cheryl.
"Cheryl got a significant investment using the bulb as collateral. It also profited from the mining rights bid."
Duke Hyde agreed nervously.
"It seems Cheryl is not ordinary. You could see it as a simple luxury item, but it is quite large in scale, both domestically and internationally."
His blue eyes were strangely colored. Endymion stared at the document, each letter of which he had memorized, and opened his mouth.
"What about Ametrine?"
"As instructed, we recommended a longer period than other countries. The King also gladly accepted it, and so we received a report yesterday that reduced the production."
Duke Hyde submitted the report. Endymion flipped through the paper without hesitation. Soon, his eyes turned sharply.
'False.'
It was different from what his information organization in Ametrine had reported.
According to intelligence, the production of Ametrine lowers has decreased somewhat since the recommendation, while the production of seeds and bulbs has decreased, but the quantity has not decreased at all.
However, the Ametrine report stated that all cultivations related to Cheryl were downplayed. Furthermore, the figures were cleverly reduced from the actual number held.
'You want to fool me?'
The corners of Endymion's beautiful lips twisted.
"That's fortunate. I was worried that the Queen might be embarrassed if I received a rejection."
Duke Hyde, who was completely unaware of the inside story, was relieved. Endymion returned the report without answering and gave an order.
"Invite Duke Joel. He has a suggestion for Cheryl."
***
"This is quite interesting."
Boris snapped his fingers in admiration. Then the crystal ball, which had been a mirage of memories just a moment ago, returned to its original state.
"Those who approached the Marquis and his wife must have been black wolves. They took their leashes and made them pay their debts on their behalf and gave special privileges to an unknown merchant."
He rubbed his chin as he analyzed the memories of the Marquis Flora and his wife.
Boris was a memory specialist among many magical fields and could extract and analyze memories. Of course, as a low-level magician, there were limitations, so it was only possible if the right conditions were met.
"They opened the borders frequently and gave the upper class exclusive rights and distribution rights to an unspecified number of goods."
Julia muttered with a strange expression.
She read the memories of the Marquis and his wife with Boris, and was able to find traces of black wolves. However, it was unclear what their purpose was.
"Even when he met the Marquis and his wife, his face was always covered. The person also changed every time."
Julia folded her arms as she compiled the personal details of the suspicious people she had seen. Boris used his magic to cut out only the memories of their appearances and put them in a separate bottle.
"I will pass this on to His Majesty as you commanded. I may be able to find it somehow."
"Yes, thank you."
Julia smiled and nodded. Boris looked pleased to have finally shown off his talents. Thanks to his help, it was much easier to find the clues.
The black wolves who secretly contacted them, and other nobles who were blinded by the wealth of Marquis Flora and participated in illegal activities.
"But why did the black wolves distribute these items?"
Julia tilted her head and looked at the document.
"Civil engineering materials, fertilizer, seedlings, fabrics, they're all unrelated things."
This was information gleaned from the memories of the Marchioness Flora and her husband. Additional detailed investigations will be conducted, but for now, it looks suspicious.
They were not expensive items like jewels or gold, and the quantity was not significant enough to be meaningful. They were random items with no particular connection to each other, and there had never been any buying and selling in Semele. Even the monopoly was only used temporarily in some areas.
Even if the fabric was like that, fertilizer and seedlings? They were so trivial that she wondered if they were trying to farm.
"Are the Black Wolves trying to create a top? They've been ostracized from the Magic Tower and are scattered across the continent, so they might need money."
"That being said, he did pay off Marquis Flora's debt. He probably had another source of funding... He might have been trying to increase his influence within Semele."
It was a patchy, vague clue. Julia shrugged and sorted out her paperwork.
"Let's wait for further investigation. Fortunately, we caught them before they made their move, so there will be more clues."
"Yes. I understand!"
Boris shouted happily and picked up the crystal ball.
These days, he was reporting his performance to his master every time, and he was beaming because he was praised for catching the weeds. He said he got bonus points for promotion or something.
"By the way, do you major in memory magic? That's amazing."
Julia praised Boris for his hard work over the past few days and gave him a lift. Then Boris smiled faintly and coughed.
"What is this! Ahem, memory magic is actually tricky, so there aren't many people who specialize in it. So when my master retires, I, who has the highest research achievements, will be able to inherit the lab!"
It was said that it was a rare privilege for a junior wizard to have access to a lieutenant wizard's laboratory. Perhaps that was why Boris was so happy to receive bonus points for his achievements in Semele.
"Ah! Your Majesty, is there a memory you've forgotten that you'd like to find? I'm currently researching a memory restoration potion, so if you need one, I can make one for you while you're in Semele!"
Boris was excited and readily offered his suggestion.
Julia had set up a first-class laboratory in the palace with all the necessary materials for his stay. Boris felt good every day, saying that his difficult research had become much easier.
"Really? Um... I can't think of anything right now. Can I tell you later?"
"Of course! Just let me know whenever you want. I'll even provide you with the precious horn of Caristle, so you can start tomorrow."
Boris made a loud promise. After Julia sent the results of the memory analysis to the King's office, they had a celebratory tea time with him.
"This stamina recovery potion is much better than regular potions. I often make it and drink it when I'm studying all night!"
"Thank you so much. My mother has been feeling a bit unwell lately... so I think this will really help."
Julia was grateful for the freshly brewed magic potion that Boris had presented her with.
"I am more grateful. It would take a week to get one material from the Magic Tower, but since Your Majesty can get it for me in a day, my research is so enjoyable these days, and my life is worth living!"
Boris, who had lived in a magic tower, would jump out of his sleep at the sound of praise, his eyes sparkling brightly. Julia smiled, thinking that his appearance was truly innocent.
Then, suddenly, another voice intervened.
"The interview is over."
Before she knew it, Endymion was leaning against the door, looking this way.
Boris jumped up and greeted him.
"Your Majesty, have you arrived? But this is an interview?"
"My Queen's visit. Now it's time to return to the lab."
"Ugh. I'm not some lab ghost or anything..."
Now that they had become closer, he didn't openly kick him out. Still, Boris pouted and smirked at the order to swear at him.
Then Endymion moved his eyebrows and muttered as if to tell him to listen.
"I told them to prepare a set of 10 puddings for today's snack since you worked hard."
"Oh! You should have told me that sooner!"
Boris, the pudding addict, dashed away and disappeared. Endymion waited with a satisfied expression and closed the door.
"Are you here?"
Julia looked up at him as he approached her, giggling. Endymion nodded and bowed.
"We're finally alone today."
Their breaths tickled as if their lips were about to touch. Julia lifted her head gently and smiled as their eyes met.
"Yeah. My sister went to see my mother."
"It's uncomfortable when your wife is too popular."
Endymion muttered rudely, his hands in one of his trouser pockets. He sounded like a boy who was frustrated because he couldn't get the attention of the girl he had a crush on.
Julia burst out laughing and gave him a light kiss.
"You're so greedy. Even though we're together every night?"
"It's not enough. I think it would be better to send the Duke and Duchess of Hyde back. Next week will be difficult."
Endymion narrowed his eyes and bowed his head deeper.
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