The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 207 Demon Kron (5) - An Unfortunate Matter In a nation where a monarch exists, the power of the courts is determined by how much the monarch respects them. Because no matter how much the courts agonize and insist 'This wicked criminal should rightfully be executed!', the moment the monarch says 'Huh? That guy is someone I favor, so let him off', that's the end of it. In that sense, the Eizern High Court belonged to those with considerable authority and influence. This was because the current Emperor generally respected the court's authority and did not criticize or interfere with their judgments. Some harbored thoughts that it was simply because paying attention to each and every such matter would be bothersome, but since hardly anyone voiced this opinion aloud, it didn't matter. If there exists an institution with great power within a stable system, it's also natural that people would flock to it. Even among academy graduates in administrative fields, only a tiny elite could enter the High Court. "Ha, what's the point of being elite? We're just slaves doing paperwork all the time here anyway." Of course, the height of the hurdle and the peace after clearing it aren't much related. If you entered an organization full of ordinary people as an elite, at least you'd receive special treatment, but in a place where the seniors are also elites, you're neither a promising talent nor anything special - just the organization's youngest member and a convenient lackey. The court's youngest members, who looked so haggard that a certain reincarnator might have wondered whether they were zombies or graduate students, were spending another day worn down by fatigue from handling trivial matters. At one young bureaucrat's complaint, a colleague working beside him gave a bitter smile. "Still, we're doing okay. I heard the guys who went to the Regional Court are having an even worse time. At least we only get what they've already filtered once." "I hear among those who went to become territorial administrators, there are some living the sweet life by just flattering their feudal lords?" "Conversely, there are probably more suffering in hellish territories? And even if they seem comfortable now, we'll be much higher up later." "Well, that's... huh?" They had been continuing their banter when they soon discovered some strange documents and wore puzzled expressions. "This came from the academy?" "Huh? How come from there? Did some murder case between students happen or something?" The empire's judicial system has a somewhat chaotic feel due to the mix of territorial nobles' independent discretion and Imperial Territory standards, but simply put, it's divided into roughly three stages. When problems arise in a specific territory, the local feudal lord or Lord Deputy renders judgment. If the defendant appeals that judgment, or in cases involving multiple territories simultaneously, the Regional Court renders judgment. And if no conclusion is reached even at the Regional Court, only then does the case rise to the High Court for a final decision. Since most cases are filtered out at lower levels, cases that reach the High Court are rare, and minor deviations by academy students normally couldn't and shouldn't reach this level. Conversely, for documents that have made it this far anyway...This mean it's that significant a case. "The case that came up from the academy last time was that one, right? Where some female student stabbed her cheating lover in the stomach with a knife?" "Right. I wonder what kind of amazing case has come this time." The two had been examining the documents as if expecting a trashy drama, but soon their faces gradually became serious. They realized this was absolutely not something that could be handled lightly. "Title return request? Saying the recovery was done arbitrarily without the party's consent?" "And this..." The request stated in the documents was merely 'Since the inheritance was arbitrarily recovered without my knowledge, I would like to inquire about this.' However, considering that these documents were submitted under the name of the individual Kuella Ospin rather than her legal guardian Count Ospin, and thinking about who could have usurped the name on behalf of the young girl, it was practically an open accusation that she couldn't trust her own father. The two soon collected related materials and submitted a report, but their superiors' reaction wasn't very positive. To be precise, the reaction of the middle manager they reported to wasn't good. "Wait, isn't this already an asset belonging to the imperial family? To say she'll take imperial assets, that young woman has lost her mind." At their superior's openly uncomfortable reaction, the young employees carefully continued speaking. "But the petition came up through proper procedures. Shouldn't we at least investigate what happened at the time?" "That's right. If illegal acts occurred during the inheritance recovery process..." "Sigh. Look here, you two. Are your heads really that slow?" The superior looked at the two youngest members as if watching incompetent fools. "Suppose a reinvestigation is conducted and the conclusion comes out that the inheritance handling was wrong. Then imperial assets would be taken by a noble. Do you think that makes sense?" "It's just returning to the rightful owner, isn't it?" "How could worldly affairs work that way? People get upset even when given a coin and then having it taken away, let alone giving land and then taking it back? What do you think the noble lords would think of this?" The two thought that since they had ridiculously large amounts of land anyway, they probably wouldn't care, but they couldn't bring themselves to voice this in front of their superior. "We can fulfill our proper role as a legal institution because His Majesty leaves us alone. But if we issue a ruling like 'hand over imperial property to nobles,' would His Majesty still leave us alone then? Even if he doesn't openly show it, if he gets displeased and just slightly interferes, it's disaster. A disaster. Trying to handle this one case could cast dark clouds over the future of not just the High Court, but the entire legal profession." Simply put, the superior's words boiled down to this: Don't unnecessarily poke a sleeping lion and get hurt - just bury it quietly. That was a very rational argument. Perhaps it could even be evaluated as the wisdom of society. However, for the two youngest members whose blood still ran hot with youth, it was also a rather unsatisfactory compromise. If it were about openly insulting or harming the imperial family, that would be one thing, but wasn't their superior's words essentially 'We don't really know how those above will react, but let's just hide for now'? Perhaps sensing such rebellious feelings from the two, the superior clicked his tongue and continued. "Besides, how do we verify the facts? The only evidence that the current judgment was wrong is the party's testimony, but how do we know whether she said something before and is now changing her story?" "That's true, but..." "Having enthusiasm is good, but you should also read the situation. Don't let colleagues and seniors suffer unnecessarily because of such uncertain cases. Understand?" In the end, the two youngest members had no choice but to turn away with drooping shoulders. "Damn it. This doesn't seem right. Suspicious is suspicious, but shouldn't we still investigate?" "But what can we do? If that guy doesn't approve it, that's the end." "Ugh." "...Hey, why is your expression looking ominous?" "Wouldn't it be okay to do some 'information gathering' while pretending to investigate other matters? And you know, when reporting, if the person in charge is away, we can report to someone else of the same rank." "Shit. We'll really be fucked if we do that. That guy is a noble, we're just commoner nobodies. Plus, that guy supposedly has powerful backing too." "Come on, it's clearly written in imperial law. The hierarchy among bureaucrats is distinguished only by rank and has nothing to do with social status." "That's just on paper, is it really like that in practice? Moreover, even by rank we're below him, you idiot!!" "So you're chickening out?" "...Cover it up well. Be careful not to get caught, got it?" A sense of justice and professional duty. Rebellion against their superior's pressure. Solidarity with a fellow academy alumna. Specifically which of these moved them is unknown. Perhaps all three were mixed together. In any case, the two youngest members decided to quietly begin an investigation instead of obediently covering up the case. *** "It would be good to educate your daughter a bit." At the words suddenly delivered to him, Count Ospin momentarily frowned without realizing it. However, despite Ospin's reaction, the other party offered no apology. Rather than that, he openly displayed that he was in an even more displeased mood. "Judge Gallea. What do you mean by that?" "Your daughter has now submitted a petition to the High Court. Saying she never consented to handing over the Ribespiegel inheritance to the imperial family and wants it returned." "What?!" The count's eyes widened. For him, it was truly the first he'd heard of such a thing. At the count's reaction, the man who was a Regional Court judge and had once cooperated in the count's fraud clicked his tongue. "Fortunately my colleague cut it off in the middle, but if the same petition comes up several more times after this, who knows what will happen then. Keep her mouth firmly shut. Understand?" The count felt slightly provoked by the tone that was halfway to being an order, but he didn't show it outwardly. The relationship between the two was close to equal partners, but at least regarding this matter, he was the one who owed a one-sided debt. "...Thank you for the advice. I'll take measures to ensure this doesn't happen again." "Tsk. So you should have just sealed her mouth completely from the start instead of leaving her at home half-heartedly..." After parting with the judge who complained until the very end, the count canceled all his existing schedules and headed straight home. "How dare, how dare she stab her father in the back?" Saying that both mother and daughter were equally useless, the count ground his teeth. It had been a marriage forced by his parents from the beginning, not something the count himself had wanted. The count had felt no attraction whatsoever to his modest and timid wife, and when his wife died of illness, he even felt secretly liberated. After hearing the news that his wife's family had suffered an accident and all her blood relatives were killed, there was no longer any reason to hesitate. The woman and daughter he truly loved found their proper place, and peace came to the household. He knew the two of them tormented Kuella, but he didn't care. He had no affection for the daughter who resembled his former wife from the start. His perception was that at most she could be used for the two's stress relief, and later sold to an appropriate family for a dowry. Although it was deeply contradictory to hate his parents who forced him into a political marriage while demanding the same political marriage from his daughter, the count didn't recognize this as a problem at all. Well, if the count had been the kind of person who could think such things, he would have thought 'Since my daughter might gain a large inheritance, I should get along with her and manipulate her well,' rather than reaching the conclusion 'If my daughter gains power I won't be able to control her as I please, so I'll just give up the inheritance.' "Tsk. Was sending her to a place like the academy to raise her value the problem? When she returns, I'll definitely need to educate her properly." Scolding family members for their wrongs and leading them to the right path was both a duty and a right as the family head. To prevent her from ever pulling such nonsense again, this time he would handle it directly, the count ground his teeth. If she still tried to resist to the very end... then there would be no choice. Sorry to the family members who would be expecting it, but he'd have no choice but to give up the dowry. "Darling!! Why are you only coming now...! Do you know how many letters I sent!?" "Sorry, my dear. I'll somehow get a communication magic tool or hire a mage soon. But why has your face become so gaunt?" "Don't even ask! Kuella, that wicked girl, what she did was─" At Melinda's subsequent complaints, the count's already burning rage grew enormous like a volcano. He could no longer delay even a moment. "Prepare to go to the academy. I'll drag that girl back even if I have to grab her by the hair." *** [K-Kron. I'm so worried. If father finds out about those documents, he definitely won't just stand by.] "If those above handle things properly, they won't do something stupid like going directly to the count, who is a suspect, to ask about the situation at the time. If they do anything, they would finish investigating secretly first, and only contact him for something like a final confirmation procedure." [Then father doesn't know yet?] "In principle, yes." After saying that, Kron soon added as if remembering something. "If that's not the case, that would truly be unfortunate in many ways."