809 – Blood Is Eternal – 6
Personnel captured from 14 families cooperated with the interrogation without making any noise. Since he has been captured like this, he seems to know that it is best to cooperate obediently.
I’ve thought about it many times, but it would have been great if I had cooked it in moderation with that good brain and insight. The empire tends to turn a blind eye to bureaucratic corruption, but the greed for money crossed the line set by the emperor and this tragedy occurred.
Anyway, what happened is what exploded, and cooperation means cooperation. The information coming out of the 14 families was nothing special. It was at the level of cross-verification with information already obtained by the Ministry of Inspection.
And as a result of cross-verification, it was concluded that there was no particularly innocent family. It was 99% consistent with the crime secured by the Ministry of Inspection.
‘That’s a good thing.’
I sighed a little while looking at the report posted by the intelligence department.
Since the sword was already drawn, ‘I think we misunderstood?’ The same result is the result of my efforts. However, if more information comes out than what we have secured, additional work is confirmed.
Only as much information is revealed as we know, and the results are at a level that allows us to impose the punishment we have decided. That is the best outcome.
‘I can’t stop the New Year’s wedding from being noisy.’
Fortunately, there is no need to face a bleeding year-end and beginning of the year. This corruption in the judicial world was simply a matter of revealing money, and was not a challenge to the imperial system or the authority of the imperial family.
So it’s not at the level of cutting off someone’s head and offering them up as a sacrifice. It’s just that the current family heads all resign from their positions, and the small family heads have to take charge of the faltering family and put it back in order. This is better than dying.
In addition, Hammock will have to donate a considerable amount of his wealth to the imperial family in proportion to the amount, and he will be dismissed from public positions that were the basis for corruption. We will not stop you from running for a new government position in the future, but it will be difficult to receive money from high-ranking positions as before.
‘What else should I do?’
I stroked my chin and thought about it. Replacement of head of household, release from public office, payment of fines. Other than this, what other punishment is good?
Are they confiscating real estate, including the mansion? No, if you tear it too much, the reaction may cause your eyes to roll back. Moreover, the mansion itself is the foundation and everything of the family, given by one of the previous emperors.
Let’s just go easy and impose a penalty on advancement to public office for the next 10 years. If you say you want to become a civil servant with a letter of recommendation, you can only accept what nobles with the rank of marquess or higher give you, and if you want to become a civil servant through a test, you can get a basic deduction of about 3 points.
‘It’s perfect.’
I only avoided harm to my body, and I hit all the punishment that could be given. If you cross the line again even after being punished like this, that’s just great.
If such a situation arises, it is enough to exalt the pride and perseverance of the famous family and return it to the death gate. I want to die, but wouldn’t it be wrong to keep letting him live?
“Secretary.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Slowly send someone to the Ministry of Justice. All those caught now can be cut off, so submit a request to His Majesty for their dismissal.”
“I understand.”
The secretary briefly bowed her head and handed over a pile of documents to Damian, who happened to be next to her.
When I saw that, I felt happy and proud. Even though he received my letter of recommendation, he is a fresh-faced person who graduated from the academy only a few years ago. That such a young workforce moves under orders from the minister’s secretary. He certainly seems capable and passionate.
‘Grow up like you are now.’
I feel comfortable when there are more talented people like you.
Now, I don’t even dare to wish for early retirement, I just wish I had more subordinates to work on…
“Oh, it’s me.”
-Your Excellency. Please save me.
Not a subordinate who bothers the minister, but a subordinate who takes care of things well.
‘What is this again?’
After Damian left, he sighed inwardly as he received a call that seemed like he had been waiting for it.
Not just four families, but 14 families were all caught for interrogation. I know that the Deputy Director of Intelligence was rushed into the interrogation room due to a lack of manpower, but I didn’t know they would ask me for an SOS.
“What is it? Did Department 1 break in?”
Since the head of the intelligence department is in charge of the entire work of the intelligence department, the deputy chief intelligence officer is the top person in the interrogation room. If a conductor like that sends a desperate SOS, it means that a big problem has occurred.
And the only case in which the Deputy Director sends a desperate request for rescue is that Division 1, who heard the news of the large-scale interrogation, joins the war, saying that they will also help. Only at that level will the conductor be in danger.
– If that were the case, I would have asked for death, not for life.
“That’s right.”
I couldn’t refute it because it was logically correct.
– First of all, there is good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?
After hearing those words, I looked carefully into the eyes of the conductor looking through the communication port.
How dare this b*stard torture hope. Usually in such cases, the bad news eats up the good news.
“Say them at the same time.”
– My aunt is innocent and there is no need to interrogate her, but she expresses anger and asks if I am trampling on the honor of a nobleman by not interrogating her.
“What?”
What does this mean?
“Say it so I can understand. What does that mean?”
– That’s literally it. No matter how many times I check, my aunt and her children she are innocent in this matter. In the first place, he is far from the real power of the family and he does not hold a public office, so is there anything to do with it? I just captured it because it was Narzen.
“…Still, since you want to be treated as Narzen, let’s at least formally interrogate—
– No! There really is nothing! There has to be some kind of formality, so you can’t just catch a commoner in the neighborhood and ask about the corruption of the nobles! That’s it!
This time, I couldn’t open my mouth out of embarrassment, not curiosity.
I guessed that my aunt and cousins were innocent. Since I wouldn’t be able to get deeply involved in the family’s household affairs or Narzen’s backroom dealings, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem to rob him. In fact, that’s why I handed over my aunt and cousins to the intelligence department as a matter of principle. Even if you rob it, you will not be punished.
But really, really there is nothing? They’ll hold them in an interrogation room for a while, even if it’s by force, and say, ‘We’re interrogating these people.’ You can’t look the same?
‘Does that make sense?’
I can’t believe it. To be honest, even as the head of the Ministry of Inspection, if I decide to shake it off, dust will come out. As long as you live as an aristocrat, your hands will get dirty, and even just passing by on the street will get dust on your hands. It is an unavoidable fate unless you enter a cult or live quietly in a corner of the countryside.
However, my aunt became the daughter-in-law of a famous judicial family chosen by her grandfather. Even if she is far from real power, it is normal for minor dust to come out when she decides to do so. Inspection is a job that involves finding trivial things and exaggerating them.
– There is no need to ask anything to keep him, but if you release him right away, you will be suspected of skipping the interrogation! Didn’t your Excellency just ask me to do something!
I finally let out the sigh I had been holding in at the conductor’s cries full of resentment.
I was hoping it would end easily. Things got complicated because her aunt was more honest than she could have imagined.
***
The Deputy Director of Information, who had rushed outside, was silent for a long time after coming back inside.
Then, she clicked her tongue when she looked at the communication device she was holding in her hand, and sighed when she looked at me.
“Aunt. Let’s not do this. We have no reason or power to interrogate you.”
“There is nothing that stands above principles. I think you said that the superiors should not look at you either.”
“Don’t you know better than us that your aunt has nothing to do with this matter? That’s why we want to skip the interrogation, but since your aunt is a blood relative to our superior to her, we can’t just let her go even if she’s really innocent. We have to pretend like this. It’s okay.”
Suddenly, the conductor’s face and voice became filled with desperation instead of annoyance and laziness.
“I didn’t want to say this to a civilian, but for the sake of our reputation, please stay here. If you don’t care what happens to us, please think of the Minister. Even though he is on vacation, he has rushed out and is leading this matter.”＜ Br＞
My hands naturally trembled when I heard those words.
If that person, whom I am embarrassed to call my nephew, gets into trouble, I cannot be stubborn. I don’t have the shame to thank him, so I turn a blind eye even when I see a way out, but if that choice actually puts him in trouble, isn’t there such a nuisance to him?
“I know your aunt is worried. If you are released from here, you are worried that people will say that you were released because you are the minister’s aunt, and if you are treated with respect, you will say that you received convenience because you are the minister’s aunt. By nature, nobles are people who speak lightly and carelessly. “
When there was no response, the conductor even lowered his head.
“Your Excellency is grateful for your aunt’s consideration. Also, you are the kind of person who will not scoff at anything the nobles say. So, seeing your nephew like that, wouldn’t you please cooperate?”
I let out a sigh without realizing it.
For Nar Zen’s honor and pride his, he proudly stepped forward for the person he was sorry to call his nephew his. However, if it becomes a nuisance…
“…Is it just 2 hours?”
“Of course! And when you get out of here, I’ll treat you just like everyone else! I promise!”
Seeing the conductor looking overly happy made me sigh again.
After giving up my insistence that I could never give up my pride, I realized how immature I had been acting.
I was deceived.
It was only a few hours ago that I said I would treat you the same as everyone else, but the promise I made a few hours ago was broken in an instant.
“—Those whose names have been called above may return to the family. There will be no further interrogation, so please return with peace of mind.”
To be exact, I twisted my promise and kept it. They somehow selected people who could be released and put me among those other people.
‘I believed it too easily.’
I feel resentful. He was a man with a strange and sly appearance. He had a face that would have made many women cry because he was so faithless. It seems like I was anxious to trust someone like that.
Still, I can’t be stubborn anymore since I have been officially released. Now that things have come to this, let’s comfort the children who were surprised by this incident. Only then will these children be able to raise up the Narzen family, which is still reeling for the time being.
With that promise, I returned to the mansion,
“Are you here?”
“Big Oh, Laverni…?”
“It’s been a long time since I heard that.”
In a mansion where no one should be, someone who shouldn’t be there was waiting.
“I came here carefully so as not to be noticed by others. The thought of going back is already too far away, so could you talk to me instead of chasing me away?”
My big brother. Crasius’ former head of the family. Former Earl of Tyglehen.
There was a person waiting for me who I hadn’t seen in a long time.