Cleaning Time (4)
"So, this time, the Romper Church sent us some holy water... I was honestly so grateful, but at the same time, I wondered if we really deserved to accept something like that. But since they gave it to us as an investment... I thought, ah, someday I must repay them. Our Maselin Kingdom will grow strong and prosperous, and we'll definitely give back."
"As expected of Mirne...! How can your heart be so kind and beautiful?"
At that very moment, a chill like thin ice was forming in the Round Table chamber in real time.
Second Prince Bedin Bellos was in his room, chatting back and forth with Maselin Kingdom's First Princess Mirne via artifact.
The topic of conversation was investments. It had started with casual daily chit-chat before shifting into serious discussions about national administration—a direction Mirne had subtly steered.
'I absolutely can't let on that I'm after material things.'
The key was to make the other side naturally feel like they were filling her needs. And to do that, it was better not to ask directly for something.
"But the holy water wasn't just any holy water... it was infused with the church's power so intensely. It felt incredibly potent."
"Eh, uh? But that kind of holy water... ah, of course, it's not exactly holy water, but the Bellos Empire has elixirs like that too!"
The core was to get the other person to bring it up first. Mention another man's power right in front of him, naturally prompting comparisons. Make him volunteer that he could do the same.
That was the heart of the conversation.
"Yes? Ah, I know they exist. It's the great Bellos Empire, after all. Made by the great prophet..."
"Whoa, Mirne, you know our empire's history too?"
"Of course. I've always thought the Bellos Empire was incredibly cool."
And once he'd bitten the bait, yanking the rod too hard would be foolish. Like real fishing, you had to reel and release to bring him to the surface effortlessly.
"Hehe, and you said you wanted to see and learn so much from our empire, so I sent a ton of talent over!"
"Yes, exactly. So right now, they're all packing up... and we're preparing thoroughly on our end to send them safely to the Bellos Empire."
"Preparing? Do you need to prepare?"
"Well, there are so many people. We have to be thorough for their journey—they're precious talent, after all."
"Hmm, for Bellos Empire talent to return... Maselin Kingdom handling the preparations? With so many people, that must be a burden. In that case..."
As the conversation flowed naturally, the topic veered off again, and Mirne, who had been priming for another extraction from the empire, thought:
'Why isn't the answer popping out right away?'
She eyed Bedin puzzledly, waiting for him to quickly say something like, "We'll handle the preparations on our side." Normally, he would have offered right away from the empire's side.
But Bedin hesitated, thinking:
'What if hyung doesn't approve again?'
Recalling his older brother the crown prince's anger made his mouth heavy.
But considering it, from investments to dispatching talent, he had overall authority over Maselin Kingdom matters anyway.
'This much should be fine, right? I'm royalty too—what's the big deal.'
Just as he was about to casually say the empire would handle it:
"You can't enter. You're not allowed."
"This is the crown prince's order. Are you above His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"It's not that—His Highness the Second Prince said no one enters..."
"Is the Second Prince above the Crown Prince?"
Bam!
A brief commotion erupted, and then the Second Prince's doors burst open violently.
Treating a royal visit as a threat was a crime warranting summary execution.
Moreover, Bedin hated interruptions while talking with Mirne, and wanting to show off his manliness in front of her listening in, he deliberately raised his voice.
"Who is it! What the hell is this...!"
But his face stiffened the instant he saw who entered.
By blood, his uncle. Formally, the Grand Marshal.
A superhuman who never turned his back in any battle, having forgotten defeat.
Grand Marshal Akhm Bellos.
"His Highness the Crown Prince commands you to come to the Round Table chamber immediately."
The sharpest, greatest sword at the emperor's side. Even after the emperor vanished, convinced he lacked the talent to rule, he vowed to serve under the crown prince as his protector.
Delivering the message, he sensed an unauthorized presence here.
Tap.
With a light gesture, he severed the connection to Maselin Kingdom instantly.
"Even so, this is too much, isn't it?! I have my own life, my relationships—barging in like this without warning...!"
He'd been scared at first, but as royalty himself, Bedin mustered his courage and stood tall before the Grand Marshal.
Not content with interrupting his call with Mirne, he'd cut it off too. How was he supposed to show off now?
'Well, I can at least tell her later that this happened.'
No matter that his brother had called—even then, he deserved an explanation of why, and he could decide whether to go based on that.
This abruptness wasn't right.
"Irregularities were found in the Maselin Kingdom investment process, and you are summoned to answer for them."
But the Grand Marshal's follow-up left the Second Prince even more dumbfounded.
"No way, even so... Irregularities in the investment process? Are you saying you're even cutting off investments to Maselin Kingdom? That makes no sense! Isn't the outcome already decided in those meetings anyway? I'll talk to hyung separately later! There are no irregularities in the investments! I should explain it myself!"
Irregularities? In pure-hearted investments to beloved Maselin Kingdom? What irregularities could there be? He'd checked meticulously—no way.
"Refusal, then."
Watching the Grand Marshal calmly chew over the word "refusal" despite his own anger:
'Is he just leaving?'
Hyung still likes me, after all.
The Second Prince felt relieved, waiting for the Grand Marshal to leave—
"He said it's fine even if you knock him out. Is this what you foresaw?"
The Grand Marshal continued calmly toward the Second Prince.
"Yes? What do you m—"
Tap. With the sound, before he could finish, the Second Prince's head snapped back, and everything went black.
+++++
"...Unjust! This is unjust! How can you reverse matters already approved by the Second Prince now?!"
"You won't even admit your wrongs to the end. Afraid that saying it would make the charges true? But even if you deny proven charges, does it matter?"
What was this commotion?
"That's not it! It was all part of the investment process!"
"During the investment process, your mansion's exterior changed, and Maselin Kingdom gained land."
"That was all for the Bellos Empire...!"
"Then why is the land in Maselin registered not to the empire, but to you? And you sold the crops grown there back to the Bellos Empire at a markup."
"...It wasn't a markup—we valued the labor highly!"
"Hahaha! Right! Valuing labor! How amusing!"
Even with his blurred vision, the noisy voices pierced his ears.
His last memory was refusing his uncle's summons to see his brother.
How did this happen?
Forcing his foggy mind to clear, the Second Prince strained to listen.
"The amusements never end. What did you say earlier? The bridge in Maselin Kingdom, built with Bellos Empire resources—its tolls should fill the empire's coffers, yet you knew they went to your pocket. What was it you said?"
"T-Tolls must be used fully for maintenance... I-I was just holding them temporarily."
"Right! Holding. But what did you call using the held funds freely?"
"...Procuring funds for fluid situations."
Maselin Kingdom's bridge? Right, he remembered. Mirne had said a grand bridge would be nice, so he'd used empire resources and tech to build an impressive one.
He'd wanted to just give it to her, but kind Mirne refused, saying she couldn't take what the empire built. Tolls aside, she couldn't steal empire tech, so maintenance was all left to the empire.
She even encouraged me to entrust it to my retainers properly.
Why was this coming up now? He'd gotten praise from his brother then too—said it was great and commendable.
As the Second Prince's mind raced, his vision finally cleared.
And the first thing he saw in recovering sight was:
"If you'd spoken truthfully, I had no intention of talking with you. I just wanted to see your attitude before guilt."
"Wh-What do you...?"
"But shouting loudly even before guilt, insisting innocence—that attitude is truly distasteful. Lower them."
"Yes."
Slash!
The nobles handling Maselin investments with him— their legs below the knees floated into the air.
Even as what should be attached to legs tumbled onto the Round Table and crashed to the floor, not a drop of blood sprayed. Instead, the smell of cauterized flesh rose.
Sol Bellos.
The blazing aura evoking the sun had severed their legs.
"Arrrghhhh!"
"Uwaaaaaahhh!"
"Your Highness! How could you—how!"
"Kuhuuuughhh!"
"Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!"
The five great nobles who'd handled Maselin investments with him writhed on the floor, screaming.
"Grand Marshal, are you watching?"
"Yes, I am."
"Cutting off legs, and finally one confesses guilt... Ha, they only speak under punishment—like beasts. How can Bellos Empire nobles show such disgrace?"
"I think perhaps they aren't truly Bellos Empire nobles. Would our nobles act this way?"
"Indeed... I'm astounded by the Grand Marshal's insight. How perceptive—don't you think?"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
Sudden applause rang out.
Hearing it, the Second Prince couldn't tell if this was dream or reality, even as his mind cleared and vision returned.
Is what I'm seeing... really reality?
Nobles slumped at the Round Table like the dead, heads bowed. His own retainers writhing, legs vanished below the knees. The crown prince amazed at the Grand Marshal's perceptiveness, the Grand Marshal grateful. And the Imperial Guard knights applauding the crown prince and Grand Marshal sincerely.
"Ah... aaaah..."
Only then did the Second Prince realize where he sat.
The ends of the Round Table. The sole seat facing the crown prince directly.
His retainers rolling legless nearby. All other vassals clustered by his brother.
No one sat near him.
What did this mean?
I don't know. I don't want to know.
Forcing reality away, the Second Prince slowly opened his mouth.
"H-Hyung... Th-There must've been some mistake in the investment process... I can fix it, yeah? I can fix it all..."
No need for this, no need to be so extreme. He could handle it all—that's what he'd always said, and his brother had always trusted him.
But now:
"Yes, Second Prince. That's why I'm personally correcting it."
A cold, piercing gaze met his.
How could this be? How could he change like this? As if he'd decided overnight...
As tangled thoughts knotted, the nobles handling Maselin investments were carried off by Imperial Guard knights in real time.
What the hell was going on?
+++++
Looking at the Second Prince, still out of it:
'But you shocked me too, thanks to you.'
I immediately brought up the shocking report from the Grand Marshal.
"Is it true the Second Prince possesses an artifact in his chambers for private contact with Maselin Kingdom's First Princess?"
"Eh, uh...? Y-Yes... Yes, that's right. I have it and use it."
Up until I'd read the novel, there'd been no such artifact.
Ha, how far had the plot progressed?
But more important than plot progression now:
"And that you're discussing not just private matters, but official ones too?"
What exactly was he talking about with the princess? Private chats could pass as 21st-century SNS, but official use?
Then:
"Yes? Y-Yes, but that's under the Second Prince's authority..."
"Tch."
So that's how he was selling out the country—from his own room, coordinating live with the other side?
"..."
So many ways to deal with the idiot flooded my mind, I couldn't decide where to start.
But first things first:
"Second Prince, summon every noble who handled Maselin Kingdom affairs with you."
Cut out all the leeches profiting off the fool.