The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 171 Suspect Isaac (15) - Foolish General A dreadful silence pervaded the Darnoua family estate. The dogs that would normally be barking energetically in the yard all kept silent, restraining even their panting. Those that couldn't manage this had all been disposed of. "We are sorry... Master..." Knowing that such 'disposal' could be directed at them at any moment, the Darnoua retainers couldn't hide the trembling in their voices. They really wanted to avoid continuously spouting pessimistic talk in front of their master, but they also couldn't fail to make their reports. "Media control seems difficult. Even if we temporarily block one newspaper, others immediately start wagging their tongues. Clumsily fanning the flames will only make the fire fiercer, so it might be better to maintain consistent silence." "Our comrades inside the police are somehow preventing searches and seizures, but they won't be able to hold out much longer. We should hide all potential evidence in advance to prepare for searches." "Business partners everywhere are being cautious. It hasn't reached the level of overtly cutting off deals yet, but pharmaceutical orders have greatly decreased." "Rival politicians seem to be preparing to jump into this situation behind the scenes. Once they start raising their voices in earnest..." "—Enough." At Augustin Darnoua's single word, the retainers' mouths shut in unison. Even the servants who were attending them while clinging to the walls like stains became more careful in their behavior, fearing they might draw attention. "Things have become quite troublesome indeed." Augustin raised one hand and swept back his bangs. His face, which had been praised for its gentle yet dignified charm, was somewhat hardened, but it wasn't terribly distorted with anger or despair over the situation. It was proof that he had neither completely lost his self-control nor given up the fight. "Isadora. It seems touching that child was premature. Though she had been carefully sniffing around our side, she wasn't a child who would use such extreme measures." At Augustin's words, several of the retainers widened their eyes as if bewildered. "Are you saying she's the culprit? But she's already..." "The building burned down and collapsed? But no corpse was found, was it? More than anything, the timing is too coincidental. This incident broke out right after that event." Tap, tap. Augustin, who had been tapping the desk with his finger, finally struck down with force. "Good, let's do this. If it's a false accusation we've been unjustly saddled with anyway, let's just create a culprit." "What do you mean by creating a culprit?" "Gather testimonies from the branch managers who encountered that swindler and create a composite sketch. Based on that sketch, have police under our influence arrest a disguised 'culprit.' It would be more natural for the swindler to have been disguised rather than showing his real face, so it doesn't matter if the disguise is discovered." Of course, that culprit would only confess 'truths' favorable to the Darnoua. That's why he was deployed in the first place. Shift all guilt and risk onto expendable assets with deep loyalty who don't hesitate at self-sacrifice, while unilaterally profiting by pretending to be uninvolved third parties. The retainers also nodded at this method the Darnoua had used many times before. "The important thing is the motive. An unscrupulous competitor harboring resentment against Darnoua's virtuous and conscientious business... No, no. That's too small in scale. Let's just make him from the Empire." "Pardon?" Toward his subordinates who were blinking in confusion, Augustin calmly rambled on. "'Sinister agents of an evil absolute monarchy checking the free republic' 'Vile schemes targeting conscientious and capable politicians'—perfect newspaper headlines, don't you think? I mean to turn this incident into an Imperial conspiracy." (E/N: Technically correct?) -Charles Darnoua—no, the swindler Charles who claimed to be Darnoua—was an Imperial spy whose purpose was to throw the republic into chaos. -Denouncing Augustin Darnoua as evil is pathetic behavior that plays into Imperial schemes. -Let's protect Augustin, who tried to check even the Empire and bring it down somehow! Public opinion would flip in an instant. Augustin and the Darnoua family would become innocent victims, and simultaneously symbols of competence for having tried to check even the Empire. Of course, there would be those who felt uneasy about insufficient evidence or unnatural developments, but it doesn't matter. Once the frame is set, all acts of suspecting Augustin and the Darnoua will conclude with 'You're an Imperial spy, aren't you?' At Augustin's clear conclusion, the retainers all uttered praise mixed with flattery and sincerity. "Excellent!" "With this, we should be able to reverse public opinion immediately!" "Then we'll prepare immediately..." "Ah, and bring those children too." "...Pardon?" The retainers' faces all hardened at once. As if enjoying their reaction, Augustin spoke with even a faint smile. "Isn't it natural? What I've spoken of so far is merely about defense. We need to counterattack separately. Enough, so hurry and call them." The retainers obeyed the order while feeling uneasy, and shortly after, a group visited the conference room. "Did you summon us, Master?" The group that bowed with disciplined movements were such outstanding beautiful men and women that any third party would involuntarily gasp in admiration. Their skin was pale, their features harmonious, and their overall appearance exuded elegance and nobility. Moreover, since they all had blonde hair and blue eyes, though with slight differences in pigment or brightness, they looked somewhat like siblings born of the same blood. And that wasn't entirely wrong either. These were the masterpieces created by the Darnoua using Dracrois blood. They were rare success cases that emerged from numerous test subjects—not those classified as expendable for having loyalty but no ability, nor those disposed of for having ability but no loyalty. Even if it wasn't innate from birth but injected from outside, if the source was the same, there was no reason not to call it the same bloodline. Augustin spoke with a gentle face to them, those called 'Dhampirs' within the Darnoua family. "Julien's matter was truly regrettable. He was loyal and had flexibility in dealing with situations, so I trusted him and entrusted him with various tasks, but who would have thought it would come to such a state." "No. Rather, it's that fellow who should be ashamed for failing to carry out our lord's orders to the end. As his siblings, we apologize in his stead." "Yes, I'm glad you say so. But... just taking hits without fighting back isn't fun, is it? So I want you all to take revenge." Revenge. The moment that word was uttered, a new color spread through the Dhampirs' blue eyes like ink being dropped. It was chillingly red and murky, blood-colored ink. "I'm certain that child Isadora is alive and hiding. She's a capable child, so she won't be easily found even if we search for her. But there are gaps." "Whatever else, that child will need drugs to maintain her sanity. But we Darnoua hold no small share of drug distribution within the republic." "Conversely, it means we can find Isadora by locating places where specific drugs continue to flow while avoiding our distribution." "Find that child and drag her before me. If necessary, I permit bloodshed among those involved. While you're at it, kill them spectacularly and noisily so as to break that child's spirit." "It won't be bad for you either, will it? You've been taking turns to quench your thirst until now, but that must have been insufficient." "The vampire incident that stirred up society. Let's expand its scale much further. To the point where that child won't be able to help but emerge." "Who knows? Perhaps by studying that child again, we might be able to cure the side effects you're experiencing." Though the Dhampirs were successful creations of the Darnoua with excellent performance, the more excellent they were, the more they manifested blood-induced madness like the Dracrois. Until now, they had handled it quietly within the family or relieved it bit by bit when occasional noisy murders were needed, but depending on research results, a day might come when even that wouldn't be necessary. "We receive your command." Was it hope that they could resolve the troublesome curse, or merely anticipation of being able to indulge in blood? Seeing the Dhampirs smiling with doll-like appearances while harboring an eerie aura, the retainers felt chills run down their spines. *** "We have discovered the true nature of this incident. This wasn't merely some swindling scheme to make money, but a sordid economic attack by the Empire that envies our republic's growth!" [Notorious swindler Charles Darnoua arrested! What shocking truth was revealed during the investigation?] [The embodiment of self-made success who rose to the heart of the police through steady effort. Inspector Mathieu's tenacious investigation drama!] [The Saint of Chaudronbourg. How did he come to be falsely accused?] The development of the so-called 'Charles Fraud' entered a new phase. People were shocked that the notorious swindler had been caught and that his identity was an Imperial spy, while pro-Darnoua newspapers eagerly sang praises as if to repay what they had endured. Even competitors who had thought Augustin showed weakness and were preparing to devour him also kept their mouths shut this time. Because the label of 'pro-Empire' was that terrifying for a republic politician. During the kingdom era, they had been beaten by the Empire that used to engage in thuggish behavior, and even after becoming a republic, their relationship could hardly be called friendly. Absolute monarchy and republic (dictatorship version). Hegemonic power and aspiring hegemon. Past grudges, fear, wariness, persecution complex. The anti-Empire keyword was always a popular product that sold well to republic citizens, and this greatly contributed to silencing politicians who valued votes as much as their lives. It wasn't that no one including the Premier realized the intent and purpose of this mischief, but even they didn't directly smash Augustin's head. This was because there was a calculation that, given the current Imperial Emperor's nature as basically a moderate who found major incidents bothersome, he would moderately overlook their squawking within the republic. Of course, the Darnoua faction had no intention of ending things at this level. 'So that's Brown Trading Company.' One of the Dhampirs stared at a certain shop. A branch of Brown Trading Company, an emerging enterprise that had recently been rapidly expanding its influence based in central continent. Being foreign capital based in Ravelocia Kingdom, Darnoua's influence doesn't work well on them, and thus they have no qualms about supplying 'specific drugs' that the Darnoua side is restricting distribution of. One of the places with the best position for Isadora Dracrois to procure drugs at this point. 'I do hope this is the winning spot.' Since his other siblings were each marking different candidate locations, finding Isadora wouldn't be difficult, but he hoped to be the winner if possible. There was an order not to kill Isadora herself, but aside from that, there was permission to shed blood as long as it helped the mission. Perhaps heaven answered such prayers of his. Not long after, a man was caught in his sight purchasing some powders and dried herbs from the shop before leaving. 'An errand boy? Or perhaps that assistant who was said to have hidden together with her?' From a sidelong glance, there were some differences from the assistant's appearance and clothing he had heard about beforehand, but it would be premature to assume it was a different person based on that alone. Isadora's assistant, Isaac, was clearly a prison escapee and was currently wanted by the police. It wouldn't be strange if he was going around with his appearance changed through disguise. 'Either way, I'll know once I check.' Whether hired for money or a clear ally, as long as he was connected to Isadora in any way, that was sufficient. If she saw a throat cut before her eyes with blood fountaining up like a pump, Isadora would surely be shocked. No, even if she wasn't shocked, it didn't matter. Right now, he very much wanted to see that sight. Suppressing his pounding heart, he quietly followed the man toward an alley. At some moment, his body was suddenly flipped upside down. "Urgh?!" The Dhampir tried to quickly execute a landing technique, but this was useless. His ankle was already bound by a loop-shaped rope, dangling in midair. 'A trap!? In the middle of the city!?' It was an extremely bewildering situation, but he was a superhuman who transcended human categories. Simultaneously with recognizing the dangerous situation, he raised his upper body using only his body's elasticity and reached for the rope. Thwack! No, more precisely, he tried to reach. He would have, if a mixture of chili powder and pepper hadn't suddenly been thrown in his face. "Aaaahhh!!" The Dhampir thrashed about in terrible pain as tears, snot, and coughing involuntarily leaked out. To his ears in such a state came someone's serious voice. "Who are you? Please state your purpose." The Dhampir didn't answer. No, he couldn't. How could he answer when he could barely breathe? However, his opponent seemed to interpret this differently. "Indeed, such steadfast loyalty. You're saying you can't open your mouth with just this much?" Splat! Minced garlic was thrown at the Dhampir's face. The Dhampir screamed at the terrible spicy taste and dizzying scent. "Have you changed your mind? Oh my, still not ready, I see." Powdered lacquer went inside the Dhampir's clothes. The Dhampir convulsed at the itchiness that felt like hives breaking out all over his body. "Huh, still so full of energy. As a mere ordinary person, you're quite a formidable opponent for me to handle easily." Saying it was fortunate that pharmacies in this era didn't have strict regulations, the man laid out various items in a row. Through his clouded vision, the Dhampir felt instinctive fear. "But ordinary people have their own methods. Now, let's have a match."