The old woman began to visibly show intense anxiety as they split into three.
It’s not hard to shake the opponent to extract the desired answer when they start to falter.
“I really don’t know anything. About the magic stone, that is.”
“Have you never thought that playing dumb could lead to you taking the fall by yourself?”
“Taking the fall by myself? What do you mean by that…?”
“It means the sisters in the other room have already started talking freely.”
“I, I don’t know what they’ve started to talk about.”
“Right. Keep repeating that you don’t know. It’s unlikely that an ordinary commoner could have carried out the illegal distribution of the magic stone on their own, so there’s definitely someone behind it. Think carefully about how protecting and hiding that person will reflect back on you.”
Unable to speak in unison, the old woman’s mind became increasingly muddled.
Surely, the sisters wouldn’t betray her, but one could never be too sure since humans are inherently weak, foolish, and easily swayed.
What if the sisters were truly revealing the facts to save themselves, while she alone foolishly held onto her loyalty? What if she ended up taking the blame all by herself? Fear crawled up her spine.
“By the way, we’ve already found the link to the intermediary and have obtained evidence of illegal magic stones from them.”
The investigator’s final remark was decisive. The mention of already having evidence made the old woman lose the resolve and motivation she had been clinging to.
In that moment, a sense of injustice and fear that she couldn’t shoulder everything alone engulfed her.
“I-I will tell you! I was just following orders. Please spare me! It’s not my fault.”
This is how it was destined to end. Only time was wasted. The investigator, checking the time, started to type out the old woman’s statement.
***
One person began to speak, and the other two quickly followed, sharing everything they knew. How powerless human relationships can be, and how laughable trust between people is.
Despite having caught countless criminals and interrogating them, Karl couldn’t help but chuckle coldly as he read the statements of the old woman, who seemed desperate to criticize her own kin, even though they shared blood.
“They say that if you share blood, you can never be apart.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. They insisted they were inseparable, like one body, but as soon as one opened her mouth, everything collapsed.”
“That’s how humans are. No matter how much they seem to love and embrace each other, if actually loving and embracing them harms their own well-being, they’ll easily change their minds.”
“Indeed. I’ve seen my share of such people, but still… it’s rather bittersweet.”
Karl continued reading the statements. He noted that there was a specific distributor that provided the magic stones to the old women, and it was written that it was the distributor who approached them first.
“It seems they originally sold daily necessities on the black market…”
“Yes. Soap, candlesticks, things like that. They made them by hand but apparently found it hard to make a living.”
“Why were they selling daily necessities on the black market?”
“They said it was made from a rare herb that was not officially approved for sale.”
‘Rare herbs used only by nobles.’ That was how it was stated. Clovis chuckled in disbelief, realizing how ludicrous it sounded.
“If they obtained formal sales approval, they’d have to pay taxes and fees, so they likely went to the black market to avoid that and sell at a high price.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
Karl finished reading the statement. It went on to describe how, while struggling to make ends meet, someone approached them with an offer: provide the goods, and they would split the profits, which they couldn’t refuse due to their difficult circumstances.
In short, it meant they knew it was illegal but were tempted to sell the magic stones that someone else procured for them on the black market.
Karl flipped the statement, finding it unworthy of further reading. It was nothing but shameless excuses from lawbreakers.
It was astonishing how similarly these people thought, how they crafted their excuses and justifications. He felt disillusioned with humanity.
“Didn’t they catch any middlemen as well?”
“Yes. They secured testimony from the old woman first and are now in a reserved state, ready to begin more thorough interrogations.”
Karl nodded.
“And regarding the investigation into the organization…”
“Ah, the Toskur Duke’s trading companies are also under investigation. The four companies hardly deal with retail shops and primarily supply large quantities to the nobility.”
“When you say large quantities, do you mean supplying all kinds of goods to their mansions?”
“Yes.”
It was not uncommon for these companies to monopolize all the daily necessities and food supplies for noble estates.
This usually happened if the company had established some economic relationship with the noble family or was connected through the family’s relatives or interests.
Considering Franz’s mother, who was not from a noble family, it was unlikely that this was the case with her.
This implies that the noble families receiving supplies from the Toskur Duke’s companies are financially entangled with Franz in some way.
On the surface, it appeared that the Duke’s companies supplied goods in exchange for money, but in reality, it could mean that the noble families were offering bribes to the Duke that exceeded the actual value of the goods, or perhaps…
“What exactly are the items being supplied?”
As if waiting for this question, Clovis placed a document folder in front of Karl.
“I’ve organized it.”
“…Is this all?”
Karl’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the inventory list.
“They wouldn’t deal with such trivial items. Aren’t those companies supposed to be quite large?”
“That’s correct. I found that part a bit suspicious, so I’ve ordered a deeper investigation.”
“I can’t shake the feeling that this transaction could merely be a smokescreen.”
“A smokescreen, you say…?”
“The real items being traded must be different.”
Clovis nodded. He too felt something was off while comparing the list of delivered goods with the sales report.
If it were an ordinary day without issues, the sales report would be considered unremarkable. However, considering Franz’s suspicious actions when seeking to lift the ban at the palace, the data didn’t add up.
To plead for the ban to be lifted for this level of goods and sales while having a strained relationship with Empress Monica? Clearly, there was more to it.
“And these families…”
He skimmed through the names of families dealing with the trading companies. Some were familiar, while others were unknown. As he continued, one name caught Karl’s eye.
“Athly.”
“Yes?”
“This name here. Isn’t that the cousin of Lady Clotilda?”
Clotilda, the cousin of Emperor Alexander of the Senchal dynasty, was the Countess Edward. Athly was the surname held by her cousin.
“That seems… correct. Athly.”
“And this name is.”
“Rodrigo, the commander’s brother.”
“Rodrigo is openly siding with Duke Toskur.”
“Yes. But, Athly, this name is a bit surprising.”
If the Toskur Duke’s associates were profiting from transactions, it indicated a relationship beyond mere acquaintance. Though it made sense that Commander Rodrigo, who had long claimed to side with Franz, was listed, it was strange that an unexpected name appeared alongside.
“If Franz is getting involved with these families for profit, this name doesn’t fit here.”
“Yes. Count Edward is clearly aligned with Lady Pulcheria as a member of the royal family.”
It’s not guaranteed that a face seen in front reflects the same behind. There are countless individuals who swear loyalty with one mouth while betraying with the other.
However, if the mouth that speaks multiple words is connected to one of my own, it becomes a problem.
“I will investigate.”
Karl nodded. Not a child, but a niece. A relationship that feels close yet isn’t overly so.
Athly might have acted independently of her uncle, Count Edward. However, it was necessary to check for contingencies. The Athly family was not particularly influential, making it unlikely they could independently support Franz without ramifications.
Franz wouldn’t schematically involve himself with such a minor family.
“I think we should summon the leaders of the group.”
“No. It’s too early to move so openly.”
“Then…”
“Can we infiltrate the group?”
“Are you suggesting sending a spy?”
“Rather, it’d be quicker to recruit an insider.”
“Yes.”
“First, check if we can extract information from the insider, then focus on finding connections between the middlemen of the black market and the Toskur Duke. They must have prepared thoroughly to avoid detection, but long tails inevitably get stepped on. No matter how deeply buried, they’ll be discovered eventually.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
