C83
After hearing the chancellor's report, the emperor asked with an incredulous voice.
"What? Elliot Rudd? Who is he?"
Since the chancellor didn't seem to know much, Terence spoke on his behalf.
"He's the second-in-command of the Iver Guild. When he attended the Imperial Academy, he was famous as a genius."
"Did he orchestrate all of this?"
The chancellor responded cautiously.
"That's what Elliot Rudd's direct subordinate said."
"Eh... So you're saying Liena Cassius is not guilty of anything?"
The situation was like this. Recently, it was said that a man who served closely with Elliot confessed after persistent questioning. All the crimes were committed by Elliot, and Liena knew nothing about it.
The emperor had reasonable doubts.
"No, does that make sense? How is it possible for the person in charge not to know?"
"It is said that the princess was just a source of funds, and Elliot was in charge of the actual operation."
"Well, I didn't immediately believe the nonsense that a girl under ten became a great merchant, but..."
"And this is what I was going to say after checking the facts for myself..."
The chancellor looked at the emperor's gaze and hesitated to speak.
"This morning, a letter arrived at my mansion."
"A letter?"
"The person who wrote the letter revealed that he was a confidant of Elliott Rudd and, although not officially affiliated with the Iver guild, allegedly helped Elliot commit corruption outside the guild."
"Is that really true?"
"According to the letter, they have evidence in the form of the letters Elliot used to give instructions. They said they were ordered to destroy it but kept it just in case."
"Have you seen it with your own eyes?"
"I received the letter this morning, so that's all... I thought to inform His Majesty immediately, but I wanted to check the truth on my own and report it when I found it credible."
"Hmm, turns out the two accusations from around the same time point to the same person."
"In the letter, it is said that Elliot left school a long time ago due to his brutality and temperament, but they were so afraid of him that they held their breath. It seems he won't be able to avoid punishment, so he revealed the truth now."
"Who the hell wrote the letter?"
"His name was written in the letter, but would you like to meet him in person?"
"I'm a bit curious about the evidence. Bring him here."
"I will follow your orders, Your Majesty."
The chancellor made a polite bow and left. The emperor said to Terence:
"Where is Elliot Rudd?"
"He's detained in the security office. Should I call him?"
"Now that the possibility has arisen that he is the main culprit, I suppose I'll have to face him in person at least once."
"In that case, I'll send him to the imperial palace right away."
"First, we plan to verify the evidence that the person who sent the letter to the chancellor has, and then make a schedule."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Terence left the emperor's office and quickly walked through the corridors of the imperial palace. His thoughts returned to the past.
Elliot's direct subordinate, whom he heard recently and who confessed during the investigation, is probably someone Terence also saw the day they raided the Iver guild.
"Do you have a search warrant?!"
"Then a lawyer...!"
Well. It's very likely that he was the one who protested those things to the man trying to take Elliot away.
"So that must have been the moment when Elliot gave him instructions."
["Enough. 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."]
The comment about the pots was the key. Execute the plan Elliot prepared in preparation for an emergency that might arise in the guild.
That was the only opportunity. Until then, Elliot was convinced that Terence didn't even know the password to the secret space.
Did Elliot plan all these crimes, and Liena Cassius knows nothing?