Chapter 366: Submission of Evidence
“Whoa! Can’t you open the door a bit more gently?!”
The three-meter-high door was sent flying to the other side with a thunderous crash as it collided with the floor. The silence that followed was shattered by Ivan’s sharp retort. To be able to deliver such a comeback in the tense atmosphere, Ivan must have grown quite bold… or perhaps he has simply matured.
“Your Majesty! You must escape while you can! As you can see, this is a dangerous individual!”
Snapped back to reality by Ivan’s comment, the Chancellor was frantically trying to usher the King to safety, as if to say, “See? I told you so!” He seemed eager to emphasize that the S Rank Adventurer he had labeled a criminal was indeed a threat.
“Hahaha, that was hardly a light knock!”
“Of course it wasn’t!”
“But still, I wouldn’t want to hear that from someone who’s been fabricating charges left and right.”
As I stepped into the Audience Chamber, I directed my words at the Chancellor, who wore the most panicked expression. A few nobles widened their eyes and turned their gazes toward him.
“W-What are you talking about?!”
“I’ve heard other suspicious rumors, so I was hoping you might have some additional charges against you, but it seems that’s not the case.”
I had heard whispers of the Chancellor’s dubious dealings from various sources. After all, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and it was reasonable to assume he was involved in other corrupt activities aside from trying to frame me. However, upon closer inspection, it appeared he wasn’t currently under arrest. Was it that the country wouldn’t act without solid evidence, or did the Chancellor’s power extend that far? Either way, it seemed unlikely that any self-correcting measures would be taken.
I believed the evidence I had stolen was irrefutable, yet I remained in the country, perhaps because I had some basis for victory. I had spread rumors about the evidence being taken, and I had indeed made quite a ruckus by shattering windows at the estate. The only way for him to suppress the corruption would be to recover the evidence from us.
That said, what if I presented the evidence only to be called a fake? It might be better to show it to a noble who opposed the Chancellor first. For that purpose—
“First, let’s return the baggage.”
I advanced the cage containing those we had captured to the front center of the Audience Chamber.
“W-What is that…?”
Many nobles, who hadn’t seen it since it had been outside the room, began to murmur among themselves. The commotion grew, but I paid it no mind. Although the Audience Chamber was spacious, it was starting to feel a bit cramped. Once the cage was removed, things would improve, so I ordered it to be opened. Most of the captives couldn’t even stand up, their expressions blank.
“These are the ones who attacked us…”
Stepping forward with a grin, I commanded several TYPE Series units, which had been waiting outside, to enter the chamber.
“M-Monsters?!”
The moment someone uttered those words, the ministers recoiled in fear, while the Royal Guards drew their swords and stepped forward. Not wanting to deal with any resistance, I summoned additional TYPE Series units to match the number of guards.
“Did you consider the possibility that the one giving the orders might face retaliation?”
As I posed the question, I unleashed the TYPE Series. They targeted the guards and a few ministers who had issued the attack orders against us. For now, I had no intention of causing any real harm; I merely aimed to pin them to the floor. With the intimidation factor in play, no one dared to raise their voice.
There was one guard who managed to resist, so I used Gravity Magic to pin him to the floor. He was probably the Captain of the Royal Guard or something similar.
“Ugh… Do you think you can get away with this…?”
The pinned individual glared at me, but his resolve seemed weak. As expected of someone who appeared to be the captain, he could still speak despite the pressure.
“Even without this, you’re already guilty of the Crime of Overthrowing the State, so it doesn’t really matter what you do.”
When I shot back, he fell silent, allowing me to continue.
“El.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Upon my call, El stepped forward to the center of the Audience Chamber and produced a stack of documents.
“I will now distribute copies of the evidence of the Chancellor’s corruption…”
“I’ll help too!”
Phonia raised her hand in response to El’s explanation, hopping off Nil’s back and running over to assist. As she passed by the attackers who had just been in the cage, a few of them shrieked and recoiled, but that was to be expected. With all the guards restrained by the TYPE Series, nothing obstructed our path. We began distributing the documents to the nobles who weren’t being held down.
In the meantime, I made my way to the throne at the back, where I presented the original documents as evidence.
“This is the original. It was found in the Chancellor’s hidden vault.”
Seeing that he seemed unable to move, I released my pressure, and he shakily accepted the documents.
“…A hidden vault, you say? If there’s no evidence, this could just be considered a robbery…”
“Rest assured, I knew there would be evidence, which is why I dared to intrude.”
The King, wearing a grim expression, began to read through the documents he held. Thanks to the rumors I had spread throughout the Royal Capital, he didn’t need an explanation of the current situation, which made things easier for me. There were quite a few pages, but he flipped through them at a remarkable speed. I wondered if he truly understood what he was reading, or if a King simply developed such skills over time.
“…Indeed.”
He paused on a particular page, let out a deep sigh, and lifted his gaze, his expression tightening.
“While we will need to compare these with the documents stored in the castle, it’s clear that there are discrepancies with the reports I recall.”
With another sigh, he rubbed his eyes with his left hand, and with a resolute expression, the King stood up.
“I will apprehend the Chancellor, so if possible, could you release the knights?”
It seemed the King was a person of sound judgment.
“Gladly.”
While I felt a sense of relief inside, I ordered the TYPE Series to release the knights’ restraints.