Ch.5252. Brothers

The morning after Cordana plummeted to 800, effectively below 7 million.

The residence of High Prosecutor Gregory Hyde in District 3 was shrouded in gloom.

It wasn’t because he had lost a large sum on Cordana.

Gregory had never even glanced at the Cordana market. He had been in charge of investigating suicide cases resulting from investment failures three times already.

He was someone who had viscerally experienced how Cordana could kill people.

However, indirectly, he might as well have lost money.

His eldest brother, Ember’s uncle, “Lord Hyde,” had suffered tremendous losses on Cordana. It wasn’t just a simple loss—the liquidity in his domain had deteriorated to the point where even purchasing supplies was affected.

The House of Lord Hyde was being dunned by merchant groups for failing to pay for goods on time, and even wage arrears were occurring.

And as a result.

“…Brother.”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

Lord Hyde was being scolded by his younger brother. He had come all the way to the imperial capital a few days ago saying, “I’ll wash my hands of Cordana now,” but hadn’t kept his promise.

Gregory usually respected his brother. Although he had left the domain, that didn’t mean their connections were severed.

It was because of those connections that he had painfully mobilized his central contacts to mediate.

But now, Gregory was looking at his brother like trash.

“Brother. You promised me you would dispose of your remaining Cordana. I urgently informed you as soon as I learned the pursuit team had left for that reason.”

“…Yes. I promised. That’s why I’m here.”

“But what have you been doing since coming to the imperial capital? You should have sold yesterday at the latest!”

“Well, you see. There were so many people. I couldn’t even enter the exchange. Hehe.”

“That’s not an excuse…!”

“There must have been over 20,000 people watching the Hero. No, 30,000.”

“You should have pushed through even if it meant fighting! Is that something someone who can’t even pay his guards should say?”

“Hey now. Watch your tone.”

Lord Hyde frowned as if wanting to maintain his dignity as the elder brother, but Gregory’s expression showed no signs of softening.

Just as these handsome middle-aged brothers were engaged in a battle of nerves.

Ember Hyde was watching the scene with a sense of futility.

‘My goodness. After suffering such hardship, he still has lingering attachments?’

She couldn’t understand why he was acting this way.

The domain of Lord Hyde was relatively prosperous for a territory belonging to a count’s domain. But even so, it was just a self-sufficient domain without any special products or resources, simply farming the available land.

Naturally, there was no source of money.

But from what she heard, Lord Hyde seemed to harbor an illusory belief.

“Fine! I admit it! When it fell to 800, I was too shocked to look at the trading window.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t enter the exchange?”

“…Well. Anyway, listen. Thinking about it, it might be better to hit rock bottom completely. That way, the imperial palace will establish a compensation plan. If we cut our losses ambiguously at two or three thousand, the imperial palace might just wash their hands of it.”

“The imperial palace will do what?”

Lord Hyde seemed to believe that the imperial palace would compensate him.

In his own way, he had even ‘decided’ on a specific amount. He firmly believed they would buy back the physical Cordana at 50 million each, saying they wouldn’t want investors to collapse.

Ember also became dumbfounded upon hearing this.

To think that her uncle, who was nominally a lord, would spout such nonsense.

“Um, Uncle? Are you saying that seriously? You’ve already received relief supplies confiscated from the Prince’s assets.”

“Well… I just received some medicine and winter materials. Cordana is separate.”

“Separate? There’s no basis for that.”

“Someone I met at the exchange told me. At first, I dismissed him because he was a commoner, but he seemed to have insight, probably from years of business in the imperial capital’s commercial district. I suppose when you do business in a big city, you pick up various things.”

“You believe someone you just met?”

“It can’t be just empty words. It’s a matter of his own interest.”

Because it’s a matter of his own interest, that’s exactly why he would say such things, Ember was about to retort but decided against it.

She realized from Lord Hyde’s unfocused gaze that he was not in a state to reason with. Getting angry would only make her face red.

‘Forget it. It’s not my place to teach anyone.’

Ember finally decided to give up on her uncle, Lord Hyde.

Anyway, Ember didn’t have the luxury to worry about others. She had recently succeeded in finding employment.

Her first workplace was an office under the Court Administration.

Of course, she wouldn’t be working in the imperial palace, but would be helping with population census-related tasks in a separate office. The treatment and salary were just average, but it was very close to home.

‘I have my first day of work next week… I wish he would leave soon.’

Whether aware of Ember’s feelings or not, Lord Hyde continued to spout delusional words. Gregory was busy refuting them.

But during that conversation, one statement caught Ember’s ear.

“Count Delirose and his family will soon leave their domain, so I’m relieved,” he said.

He was saying that he could ignore the dunning from the merchant groups run by the count’s vassals for the time being.

“Actually, the young lady there is scheduled to marry a nobleman from the United Kingdoms of Microssia. The count and his wife are going across the sea to personally arrange the marriage.”

Ember tilted her head upon hearing this.

The fact that the count’s daughter was pursuing marriage with a nobleman from the United Kingdoms felt suspicious.

According to the social information Ember had gathered from years of attending salons, the count’s daughter had a personality very similar to Ember herself. She wouldn’t want to spend her life in the United Kingdoms, a confederation of several small island nations.

‘This is strange.’

As soon as suspicion sprouted, Ember immediately left the house.

It wasn’t because of a sense of duty that she got up. It was largely because the middle-aged brothers had started pointing fingers and cursing at each other.

Seeing that scene, it was better to go outside and do something.

“You bastard! A bureaucrat like you dare…!”

“Bureaucrat? Do you really want to see me go crazy?”

Yes. It was better to leave.

***

“Master. A guest has arrived.”

The maid Amelia told me this with her hands neatly folded, while I was in the middle of a conversation with the bishop of the imperial capital’s diocese at home.

I hadn’t invited him for worship at home, but to closely examine the situation in the Papal State, which was holding a “mass prayer.” I also needed to discuss in advance how to deal with the Hero.

The visitor who came at this time was someone I hadn’t expected at all.

My former fiancée, Ember Hyde.

Except for her modest attire and intimidated expression, her appearance remained the same.

Although we lived in the same District 3, we hadn’t particularly run into each other until now. We weren’t on terms to maintain contact after an unpleasant breakup.

“What brings you here suddenly?”

“Erick, no, what should I call you.”

“Call me by my name. What’s the matter?”

“Well…”

After hesitating for a while, Ember brought up the name Count Delirose. She seemed to be speaking with some knowledge that I had captured the Hero.

Only then did I make eye contact with Ember.

Count Delirose was one of the collaborators who had assisted in the Hero’s nominee transactions. That meant he would soon be in a very sad situation.

According to Ember’s tip, that family’s movements were suspicious.

“The count’s daughter is said to be marrying a nobleman from the United Kingdoms of Microssia and settling there… but, you know. As far as I know, the Delirose young lady is someone who can’t leave the social circle. I know she participated in three social gatherings during her Academy days.”

“So you find it hard to believe that such a woman would marry a mere nobleman from the United Kingdoms of Microssia, not even royalty but from one of the constituent states?”

“Yes. Besides, the Delirose county isn’t free from the effects of Cordana. Although there are widespread rumors that the count’s family itself actually profited, two baronies belonging to the county were hit hard this time. …And yet they’re leaving their domain just to arrange a marriage at this time? It’s strange.”

It was a reasonable suspicion.

Ember had always been on par with the daughters of court ministers when it came to information about the social circle. She even knew Academy gossip despite never having attended.

“But Erick. Don’t take it too seriously. I’m not trying to slander an innocent family, just…”

“It’s not an unfounded suspicion. Of course, I can’t give you a detailed explanation.”

The word that came to my mind was ‘fleeing abroad.’ The marriage was just an excuse.

…By common sense, it was an absurd idea.

It was a concept difficult to establish among nobles with titles in the Empire. Although political asylum or escape was common in the era when numerous large and small countries were in disarray, it had become virtually impossible after the conquest wars ended.

But in the current Empire, anything could happen. If demons could buy Cordana, there could also be nobles abandoning their domains and fleeing.

“Erick, then what…?”

Ember looked at me with her hands neatly folded.

“What else? We have to catch them.”

As soon as I sent Ember away, I immediately reported to the imperial palace, and that report led to an imperial order to secure the collaborators of the nominee transactions.

First, two collaborators from the magic tower were in the imperial capital, so they could be secured quickly.

One had severe dementia, so capturing him was meaningless, and the other, sensing danger from the people who came for him, tried to use magic but suddenly had a sage-like expression and said, “Sigh, at this age, what’s the point,” before sitting down in place.

“For the nobles from the Kingdom of Inel, Kingdom of Lessotona, and United Kingdoms of Microssia who were involved in creating initial demand in the market, we plan to ask their respective countries to arrest and send them, Lord Wellesley.”

That was what the Minister of Justice had said.

The remaining two were nobles of the Empire.

First, there was the vice-count of the Neize county, who was also Millia Neize’s uncle.

We had Count Neize arrest him. It was the Minister of Justice’s suggestion. Although it seemed unlikely that Count Neize was completely unaware of the nominee transactions, he would comply to mitigate his own guilt.

Indeed, Count Neize arrested his cousin brother immediately upon receiving the order. I heard that after more than an hour of fistfighting (during which other vassals were confused about whose side to take), he barely managed to capture him.

Now all that remained was Count Delirose.

“For now, how about instructing him to enter the palace through a communication crystal? Without revealing the reason.”

It was my suggestion.

Count Delirose complied with this order readily. He said he would depart tomorrow and reach the imperial capital within four days.

He didn’t even ask why he was being summoned to the palace.

Thanks to this, I could be certain.

‘He’s planning to liquidate his assets and flee within those four days.’

I wonder what confidence he has to believe he can escape when even the Hero has been captured, but it would indeed be troublesome if he really abandoned his county and fled. It would create another headache for the imperial capital if a count left his domain.

A few hours later, I headed to the Delirose county with Commander Waynelight.

This wasn’t to kill everyone, but rather to minimize damage. If we sent ambiguous forces, the count’s soldiers might get strange ideas. It was better to show two big swords to prevent any misguided thoughts.