Chapter 137

“I think we’ll need an explanation about those people, Dame Syveric,” Ameris said.

Rodella looked at them and gestured with her hand.

“They are both the perpetrators and the victims of the noble hostage incident at the Port of Pomers.”

Perpetrators and victims?

The strange words drew the nobles’ gazes to Rodella.

But Rodella didn’t flinch and continued, “They are also the ones who had to witness members of their cult being killed by Benerix, no, by Ryan Diepelt.”

“He killed them himself?”

“Oh my god…” The nobles were shocked.

According to imperial law, nobles were vassals of the Emperor.

Vassals needed the Emperor’s permission to fight among themselves, and even then, taking a life was forbidden.

But to harm a fellow noble without permission?

People were speechless at this unbelievable act.

But they soon remembered the news that had spread before the unfortunate incident at the Imperial Palace.

“Ah, I heard there was a big explosion at the Port of Pomers…”

The Port of Pomers was a place with a lot of traffic.

Furthermore, because nobles were being held hostage at the time, nearby merchants had to flee in a hurry, and the Azure Knights were dispatched immediately, so the rumors spread throughout the Empire via the merchants.

That there were crazy people who dared to kidnap nobles, lock them in a ship, and hold them hostage.

And that they were those people?

The murmuring of the crowd grew louder.

“We greet Your Majesty.”

Meanwhile, the Kelia people all bowed down at once.

Some of them were still bandaged from the injuries they sustained during the explosion.

“Spare me the excessive courtesy. What happened?” the Emperor asked.

The Kelia people looked at each other and began to speak.

“It was during the height of the social season a while ago. Our social club…”

To summarize their words: The Kelia social club was not a place that usually welcomed outsiders.

While it was solidifying as their own social club, the Duke showed interest in it and gave an invitation to Ryan Diepelt, who was with him.

And on the very first day he came, the twenty or so nobles in the Kelia social club saw hell.

Ryan Diepelt pulled out a sword in the peaceful social club and instantly pierced the hearts of two people.

Then, in the banquet hall filled with horror, he said, “…’If you don’t want to end up like this, follow my words,’ and presented a detailed plan. That was the hostage incident at the Port of Pomers.”

After that, they described how the hostage situation happened, exactly as Rodella and Aivert had experienced it.

“…The ship Ryan Diepelt ‘rescued’ us with was full of explosive artifacts, and if it weren’t for Dame Rodella Syveric and the Duke of Royden, we would have disappeared without a trace there.”

The Kelia people pointed at Ryan.

“According to his plan.”

The more they listened, the colder the Emperor’s expression became.

And all the color drained from Ryan’s face.

“…How am I to understand this story, Sir Ryan Diepelt?”

Ryan was startled and said, “Y-you can misunderstand. It happened. No, it happened, but there’s a reason for it.”

He was rambling and pointed to the contract.

“This, it’s because of this! It’s all because of this that I had to carry out the hostage incident at the Port of Pomers, instigated by Duke Benerix!”

On the surface, it would sound like he had no choice but to carry out the plan because the contract said he would die if he didn’t.

But Rodella knew what Ryan had done.

“Is he now saying that he had no choice but to kill others because he would die if he broke the contract?” Latine, who was listening, was also taken aback and asked.

“It seems so,” Aivert replied, and Latine turned to him with a look of fury.

Latine was a war hero who had willingly thrown himself into harm’s way to save people.

He was not happy to hear those words.

Of course, even if it wasn’t him, many others found it strange.

“Is that a valid excuse?”

“Huh… Although you can’t weigh one life against another.”

While people were murmuring, Ryan spoke, “P-please, please examine this!”

With that, Ryan prostrated himself on the platform.

The chamberlain, who was watching the contract he held out, discreetly took it and brought it to the Emperor.

The Emperor, who was looking at the contract, said, “It’s a contract from November 22… Is that right?”

“Yes, yes!”

At that moment, a commotion arose from the Kelia people.

“He came to our social club on the 20th!”

“It happened before that contract ever existed!”

At their words, Ryan’s face turned completely pale.

His plan to somehow save his life by blaming the contract was instantly shattered.

“…According to what they’re saying, Ryan Diepelt, it was all your doing.”

The Emperor’s voice was frigid, as if frosted over.

“If it’s the truth, you should be getting interrogated, not giving a report here. Do you have anything more to say?”

At those words, Ryan started to tremble.

It was a sufficient reaction in place of an answer.

“Take him to the dungeon,” the Emperor gestured.

The Imperial Guards rushed forward.

“I-I was wrong! Your Majesty! Please show mercy!”

After killing people, what kind of mercy could he ask for?

People’s cold gazes were on him.

—Clunk.

“Let go! Ugh! Let go!”

The man made a fuss and went wild, but the gazes directed at him remained cold.

“We will thoroughly, no, I will personally interrogate him to reveal the full story of the incident. We will provide sufficient compensation to the families of the nobles who were sacrificed in the social club, and I would like to have a separate dinner with you all to comfort you.”

At the Emperor’s words, the Kelia people looked at each other.

In fact, when they first heard Rodella and Aivert’s request to come as witnesses, they thought it would be a relief if the Emperor even believed them.

They had heard from nobles of high rank that the Emperor was narrow-minded and ruthless to the aristocratic faction.

But that wasn’t the case.

The Emperor was simply lenient to his own people and sharp to traitors.

As proof of that, didn’t those who were with the Imperial faction have such strong faith in the Emperor, no, in His Majesty?

He was different from Duke Benerix, who would eliminate a person’s standing within the aristocratic faction and cast them out if they went against him or became useless.

“Th-thank you,” the eyes of the Kelia people were moist.

“Before that, we must finish the regular report,” the Emperor gestured.

“This time, I want to hear from the Azure Knights.”

Rodella bowed her head and headed for the platform.

The platform was a bit messy from Ryan Diepelt being dragged away, but she didn’t mind.

“I will begin the report on the Azure Knights’ performance.”

Her confident voice echoed among the people.

Her sparkling emerald eyes, full of confidence, swept over the crowd.

“At the time of the rebellion, the Azure Knights were in a position to follow the orders of Acting Commander Marvin Tilcot, but the entire Azure Knights refused to obey the order that came through Marvin Tilcot to ‘subdue the Imperial Guards.'”

In a Knights Order, insubordination is not the right thing to do.

Generally.

But since Latine Modilac taught them to disobey unjust orders, the Azure Knights ended up following the right path.

“And on the way to protect His Majesty the Emperor, we encountered the Red Knights who blocked our path, and there was a battle, but we safely subdued the Red Knights and arrived by His Majesty’s side.”

“I remember that clearly.” For the first time during this regular report, the Emperor’s face relaxed a little.

Rodella bowed her head and continued.

“There were many casualties, and the former acting commander, Marvin Tilcot, had changed the organization abnormally, so the knights were highly fatigued, but even during that time, we faithfully followed Your Majesty’s command to prevent the people of the Empire from suffering from monsters. As a result…”

Rodella took a paper from her pocket and handed it to the chamberlain.

While the chamberlain was delivering the paper to the Emperor, Rodella continued, “The amount of property damage has been reduced by 30% compared to the previous quarter, and the satisfaction of the people of the Empire remains high. The document is a summary of the data regarding that.”

The detailed information had already been delivered to Chancellor Ameris, so the Emperor and she must have examined it.

“This is even less than the amount of property damage from the Red Knights in the previous quarter, and there were no serious injuries to the knights, except for the battle with the Red Knights.”

The biggest problem of the Azure Knights, property damage, was overwhelmingly reduced.

Not only were there no casualties, but they had also subdued the Red Knights who had dared to draw their swords against the Emperor.

And in the meantime, they had faithfully upheld one of the reasons for the existence of the Knights Order: protecting the people of the Empire.

The Emperor nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with her words.

“It seems we will have to end the competition between the Red Knights and the Azure Knights with this.”

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward the door.

“From the beginning, they were not competitors, but enemies.”

He opened his hand.

“As of this moment, I will dissolve the Red Knights and provide all of the Red Knights’ funding to the Azure Knights.”

People’s eyes widened at the drastic word “dissolve.”

“Sir Latine Modilac, Commander of the Azure Knights, will increase the size of the Azure Knights accordingly and, in discussion with the Commander of the Imperial Guards, officially strengthen the security of the Imperial Palace with the Azure Knights.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Latine bowed respectfully.

“And Rodella Syveric, Quartermaster of the Azure Knights…”

The Emperor’s gaze turned to her.

Even if it weren’t for the Red Knights’ rebellion, she had proven her ability with her overwhelming performance.

So there was only one answer.

“Return to the Administration Bureau and, as the Chancellor’s adjutant, prepare to become the next Chancellor.”

It was the moment Rodella’s victory was sealed.