C78
Jack's resounding voice continued.
"...May Liena's light cover all things. Long live Liena! Glory to Liena!"
People stared at the man who suddenly came out and praised the guild owner, but their expressions soon changed.
Crack. The wall in front of him opened smoothly with very little noise.
Guild employees were even more surprised. They couldn't believe there was such a secret place in the middle of the hallway they passed every day.
"Wow, the password I accidentally entered was correct."
Only the prince entered the secret space with a measured step, as if he had anticipated this entire situation.
"What the hell is this space?"
There was no one who could answer that question.
"Oh, the interior is full of documents. This is quite suspicious."
The investigation team suddenly regained their senses after hearing the prince's words and hurriedly entered.
A team member who was looking at the brochure on the table reported.
"Your Highness! This is Iver guild's sales record for this year. But the content seems a bit different from what they confiscated a moment ago!"
Others shouted one by one.
"I found last year's here!"
"Your Highness! There are also lists without headers. Is there a number next to each name?"
Terence exited the secret space, approached Elliot, and said.
"Manager, may I ask you to explain how this happened?"
"......"
A cold drop of sweat rolled down Elliot's forehead as he kept his mouth shut.
"Well, that's enough. Rather, we need you to come with us from now on."
At the prince's words, those with a particularly good physique among the investigation team approached on both sides of Elliot.
"You will be arrested on charges of obstructing the execution of legitimate official duties by hiding necessary evidence."
Instead of Elliot, the person who seemed to be his advisor urgently asked.
"Do you have a court order?!"
"Fortunately, in this tax investigation, His Majesty the Emperor directly authorized me, so I can take him away by force without a court order."
"Then a lawyer...!"
Elliot stopped his subordinate.
"It's okay. I guess I have no choice but to go."
"Sir!"
"I'll be out for a while, so take care of the water in the pot next to my desk."
There was no escape route in sight at the moment. Elliot obediently put on the handcuffs. And the moment he left the guild building and boarded the carriage they had prepared, they blindfolded him.
"What is this?!"
Even when he asked, there was no answer. The investigation team members who got on the carriage with him silently registered Elliot's body, like trained individuals.
Elliot felt it again. This was a very clever and elaborate trap. Made to drown him and his mistress.
The carriage he was riding was of the type commonly seen in the city. A carriage too simple for an investigation team that received a special order from the emperor. In other words, even for Cassius, it wouldn't be easy to trace this carriage.
No matter how far he had traveled, the carriage stopped. Elliot was forced to stand by the investigation team members and had to walk in the darkness unable to see an inch ahead.
They took Elliot to a building and pushed him into a room. There was a different person in the room where he was taken.
"Ugh!"
The man grabbed Elliot by the neck even more roughly than the investigation team members had done before and dragged him somewhere. Then there was a creaking sound, and his body was thrown to the cold floor.
"Hey!"
Just when he was about to protest, the light suddenly returned. They had removed the blindfold from his eyes.
"You..."
There was a woman standing in front of him. It was a face he remembered. At that time, the knight who served as Ethel's escort in the Wandering Forest.
The man looked at Elliot with cold eyes and left the cell. Then he locked the iron cell door with the key.
Now the room appeared before his eyes. The creaking he heard a moment ago was the metallic sound of a steel window opening and closing. In other words, he was locked in a cell. And besides them, there was one more person.
"Hello?"
Ethel Wallace, who was behind the bars, greeted.
---
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Elliot, upon seeing me, snorted unhappily.
"The second prince's subordinates dragged me, and you showed up. It seems you no longer intend to hide your relationship."
"They already caught me, is there any need to hide it? Well, it's not the type of relationship you think.