The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 209 Demon Kron (7) - From Above to Below, From Below to Above High Court. A key position among key positions and core power institution where only the most elite within the Eizern Empire could work. It was a place with enough power to suppress any minor incidents under normal circumstances, but this time was an exception. "N-no! I was just acting out of loyalty...!" "I only did what I was told from above!! I didn't even know exactly what this was!" "I-I was wrong! I was threatened that I'd face disadvantages if I didn't do this...!" Not only the parties who tried to quietly bury this incident, but also employees in the same line and all personnel directly or indirectly involved became subjects of investigation. Those who were found innocent could return safely after light interrogation, but those whose guilt was confirmed were all arrested regardless of their rank or how prestigious their family was. Some might say this. They understand that a mistake was made, but was it really something that warranted such tremendous repercussions? Is being considerate for the sake of the imperial family such a serious crime? "—Of course it's a crime. A very grave crime at that." And this was nonsense not even worth considering in the eyes of Samuel Isaac, a capable imperial bureaucrat and close aide to the Crown Prince. Suppose this matter was let slide without any particular punishment. After all, they made efforts for the imperial family, so their spirit was commendable and they were forgiven. Then, what next? If a ruling came down that illegal actions and arbitrary actions were innocent as long as they were for the imperial family? Even if there were no particular problems at first, as such an attitude gradually spread throughout the empire, unimaginable chaos would eventually ensue. To put it bluntly, how do we know that armies on the frontlines wouldn't suddenly wage wars unrelated to the high command's will and justify their reckless actions by claiming it's all for the imperial family? If those who lack both the ability and authority to take responsibility for their actions justify their rampaging behavior by spouting slogans about doing it for the imperial family or for the empire? That could no longer be called a proper nation. "...I only stopped by briefly to carry out His Highness's orders, but who would have thought I'd encounter such an incident." Others thought Samuel had come to resolve this matter from the beginning, but that was a misunderstanding. "Samuel. Regarding the territories that are under my name, could you look into what history they had and who their owners were before they became Imperial Territory? I'd like to visit each one personally if possible, but if not, I'd at least like to read through the records once." Samuel's position was General Treasurer of Golden Cloud Palace. Along with the budget coming down from the imperial family, managing and organizing taxes from territories owned by the Crown Prince was also within his jurisdiction. In that sense, the Crown Prince's instructions were neither strange nor unnatural. Samuel visited the High Court, which kept large amounts of materials, to carry out the Crown Prince's instructions, and was able to discover this situation as a result of listening to the commotion that happened to be occurring. In other words, it was just a coincidence where the timing happened to overlap. —But was that really all there was to it? The person Samuel served happened to give related instructions, an incident happened to break out, and he happened to intervene here. If one were incompetent enough not to sense any deliberateness in this, they wouldn't have been able to obtain the position of the Crown Prince's close aide in the first place. "...More than anything, this case has many suspicious aspects in various ways." Count Ribespiegel's territory currently belongs directly to the imperial family without being entrusted to any particular prince. However, the process was quite peculiar, as records showed that what was originally about to be assigned as the 5th Prince's territory was voluntarily offered to the Emperor by the 5th Prince's side. And the 5th Prince that Samuel knew was absolutely not someone who would easily give away what was his to others. In other words, the one who actually led the act of offering the territory to the Emperor was not Prince Nikolaus himself, but his mother. It must have been Consort Beatrix. Was it just his imagination that it seemed the 4th Consort had quickly caught the 5th Prince about to unknowingly accept bribes and intervened in the middle? Whatever the truth was, thanks to this, the 5th Prince would be able to get through this major purge without shedding blood. Perhaps this was a warning the Crown Prince was leaving for them— "—Whew. This won't do." Samuel forcibly stopped his thoughts that were trying to continue. If this incident was something the Crown Prince didn't intend, there was nothing to say, and even if it was something he intended, if he used this roundabout method instead of giving direct orders, there must have been a necessary reason for it. Then what Samuel himself should do was not to needlessly speculate about what was behind the incident, but to focus on the surface. While reviewing documents on the desk, Samuel briefly paused at a document containing personal information about the court's youngest members who had made great contributions to exposing rather than covering up this incident. "Leo and Louis, was it? These friends will have a smooth career path ahead of them." The youngest line of an organization had proceeded with work while ignoring their superiors' instructions, and as a result, people within the organization were about to become unemployed en masse. Normally, regardless of whether the youngest line's actions were right or wrong, they would unconditionally face glares and ostracism, but this case was a bit different. After all, when words like 'at least these two did their job properly so we'll overlook having to replace the entire court' came from the Crown Prince's close aide's mouth, would there be any crazy person who would touch them? The Chief Justice himself would probably be fawning over them, so any minor penalties could easily be made up for. Well, they'd have to do a lot more work, but shouldn't that be considered an honor for those who serve the empire? Conversely... "—Count Ospin. This man will definitely not get away unscathed." *** (E/N: Originally I thought the crown prince was paranoiac and kinda crazy to think any random action he takes would be suspected. But then he was borderline on house arrest after his descent to the beggar, and the treasurer suspect something is wrong just from a random errand. Those monsters are way too sharp) Even after hearing that Kuella had filed a petition with the High Court, Count Ospin actually didn't think this situation was that big of a problem. "At that time, Kuella clearly said it would be burdensome to inherit the family, so she refused. But whether she became greedy later or forgot because it was something from when she was young, now she's changing her words. Isn't that just how children are?" All he had done was forge the testimony of his young daughter. What method could there be to confirm something that happened several years ago at this point? More than anything, he hadn't laid a hand on the Ribespiegel family's inheritance. In other words, he had essentially offered an entire count-level territory as a bribe to the imperial family, so even if problems arose, wouldn't the imperial family mercifully overlook it? To put the conclusion first, the answer was 'no.' "Count Ospin. You are under arrest for property rights infringement and contempt of the imperial family." "What, what did you say?" Just when he was starting to get irritated by the seemingly endless game of hide and seek with his daughter. At the sight of soldiers suddenly bursting into the count's house, the count was literally thrown into a panic. "What, what are you saying? Contempt of the imperial family? When did I ever?!" "The details will become clear through investigation. Come with us." "S-stop! You bastards!! Do you know who I am and dare to do such— mmph! Mmph!!" A thick cloth was forcibly stuffed into the mouth of the count who had been screaming and struggling. It was quite rough treatment for arresting a high-ranking noble like a count, but there was no hesitation in the soldiers' movements. "Honey! Honey!! What, what are you all doing!! Your master is being dragged away and you're just going to stand there watching!?" "......" Countess Melinda shouted at the Ospin family's knights and soldiers, but no one responded to her pleas. It was the same reasoning as why Count Ospin's Territory couldn't carelessly control Kron, who was merely 3rd rank in terms of military power, when 'he' ran wild. In the first place, if someone was truly capable and excellent talent, they would rather throw themselves into the regular army and aim for advancement there, not seek employment in a mere territory. If the regular army under the imperial family was considered first-tier, the territorial armies employed by nobles were at best second or third-tier troops. The territorial armies of some special families known as sword lineages or prestigious magical houses possessed elite forces comparable to the regular army, but Count Ospin's house did not fall into this category. "Lady Melinda. You are also a subject of investigation, so come with us." "W-wait! Stop! I don't know anything!! Ahh!!" While their subordinates were just subtly watching the situation, the count couple and major retainers were arrested one after another, and what awaited them were investigators whose eyes dripped with murderous intent after hearing about the shocking charge of 'contempt of the imperial family.' Neither other nobles who had ties with the count, nor high-ranking officials, no one could help the count. No, far from helping, they themselves were being arrested one by one or desperately trying to cut off their tails to survive somehow. The count fell from being a noble of the empire to a criminal in an instant, and moved to a new home called prison alongside his beloved wife. Whether their necks would remain intact on their shoulders even in prison, or become living witnesses to a historic diet, depended solely on the Emperor's whims. Since the core of the incident was 'contempt of the imperial family' rather than 'abuse toward Kuella Ospin,' her half-sister Irene was excluded from punishment, but it was all too obvious that her life would not be comfortable going forward after her parents became criminals in an instant. And if you were to ask what actually happened to Kuella. "—Kuella Ospin. I recognize you as the head of both Count Ospin's house and Count Ribespiegel's house." [That's what they say, congratulations. Kuella. Which name do you prefer more, Countess Ospin or Countess Ribespiegel?] [...Huh?] Congratulations! You have been subjected to a life reversal! (E/N: Now that's some demonic work! And now, back to the demonic evil of waiting for more chapters.)