Uncollected Trade Taxes, Bribing Officials, Smuggling (6)
The drugs the captain of the Caldea had smuggled began to move toward their destination.
At the end of that path, Count Casian was certain to be waiting.
After all, the goods had been prepared at the count’s own request.
“Left from here—!”
At Lidia’s call the carriage swung hard to the left. The sudden motion rocked its balance, yet it held and did not overturn.
We were in pursuit of the wagon racing ahead with the drugs aboard. Thanks to Lidia’s magic we could track its position in real time.
Lidia spoke.
“Cain, if we keep going this way we’ll reach Count Casian’s castle.”
“I know.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“What else? Handle it by the book, of course.”
A man who had ignored the law for his own gain, smuggled narcotics, and thrown the realm into disorder. The only answer for a worm gnawing at the Empire was to cut it out. Mercy would have been a luxury he did not deserve.
Before long the carriage drew up before a massive fortress. The gates stood firmly shut; four armed knights stood guard in front of them.
“The drugs have gone inside.”
“Right. I’ll deal with it.”
I stepped down from the carriage and found myself face-to-face with the knights who had just approached. They looked thoroughly unsettled. A clean suit and the sword at my hip seemed to serve their purpose well enough at times like this.
One of the knights spoke.
“May I ask your business here?”
“I am Caenderic de Lichtenhaus of the Inspectorate. Open the gates at once.”
“We will seek His Lordship the Count’s permission.”
“No. You would do better to open them now.”
“That is not so easily done. We were hired precisely for work of this sort…”
The man had real nerve. As a knight he left little to be desired. It was almost a waste to leave him under Count Casian. That did not mean I intended to obey his orders.
“Count Casian is under suspicion of smuggling narcotics. The wagon you just allowed through is the one carrying those drugs. If you continue to bar my way, I can only regard you as accomplices to the count’s crimes.”
“…We will open them.”
After a brief hesitation the knight turned and walked away. Of course he did. Which side was safer had already become perfectly clear.
Every word I had spoken was the unvarnished truth. Had they still stood in my path after hearing it, I would have seen them face judgment in court as well.
I climbed back into the carriage. Moments later the tightly sealed gates swung open. Our carriage gathered speed and rolled into the castle grounds.
“Cain, over there.”
Following Lidia’s gaze I spotted the wagon standing still. Several men were hauling large wooden crates from it toward what looked like a warehouse.
Our own carriage came to a halt in front of the same building. I stepped down at once.
The sudden appearance must have startled them. The men who had been moving the drugs stared at me with eyes gone round.
“Is this the wagon you brought?”
“Y-yes, but…”
“Then you stand charged with transporting narcotics.”
“What? W-what do you mean by that? I was told it was wheat.”
Confusion spread across their faces. The captain of the Caldea had used magic to disguise the drugs as wheat. No ordinary person, no matter how sharp, would have guessed they were narcotics.
Yet the fact remained that they had carried drugs. Did that make them guilty? It was a difficult question—one I was not the one to decide. I was merely an inspector tasked with rooting out corruption.
“Explain yourselves in court.”
“A-are we really being arrested? This is unjust—!”
“I know. It must feel unjust. So I will do what I can to see you do not receive an unjust punishment. But if you resist or flee from this place, you will answer for that as well.”
I bound their wrists with the rope I had prepared. Every one of them wore an expression of bitter grievance, yet none of them fought. I was grateful they were reasonable men. I had no desire to draw my sword in front of Lidia, after all.
Lidia had already climbed down from the carriage and come up beside me. I spoke to her.
“Lidia, keep an eye on them.”
“And you?”
“I’m going to take the count.”
“Understood.”
Leaving Lidia behind, I set off. The place I reached was the manor where Count Casian resided. He must have made a great deal of money; the house was enormous.
Bang—!
I kicked the firmly shut door open and strode inside. Knocking is proper when visiting another man’s home, but such courtesy was a luxury wasted on a worm devouring the Empire.
“W-what is the meaning of this?!”
An elderly butler burst out in shock. Behind him, many other servants stared at me in fear.
“Caenderic of the Inspectorate. Bring Count Casian.”
“D-do you truly believe this is acceptable? Even an inspector cannot simply—”
“Do you think I am standing here to hold a conversation with you?”
The old butler’s face twisted; then he turned and hurried off in some direction. No doubt he was going to summon the count. There was no need. Before the butler could call him, Count Casian himself appeared.
Looking down at me from the second floor, he spoke.
“What in the world is this uproar?”
“Caenderic of the Inspectorate.”
“…Lichtenhaus.”
The count muttered the name under his breath, then slowly descended the stairs. At last we stood face to face.
“So, Inspector, what brings you to me?”
“You know perfectly well what you have done, and still you ask?”
“You are trying to pin this on an innocent man. I had heard the inspectors’ abuses were growing outrageous, but this is too much.”
Yes. This was how it had to go. Anyone intelligent enough to admit his crimes outright would never have committed corruption in the first place. Once again I would have to explain the sins he had committed, patiently and in detail.
“You colluded with the captain of the Caldea and waived the trade tax for him. In return you received precious metals.”
“I believe you are mistaken. I never ordered any such thing. Perhaps the harbor officials, blinded by greed—”
“They are already on their way to the Imperial Capital. The captain of the Caldea as well.”
The count’s eyes wavered. The people onto whom he needed to shift the blame had already been seized; of course he was rattled. But that was not the end of it. There was a reason I had come to seize him in person rather than simply send a summons.
“Recently you demanded narcotics as further payment.”
“That is utterly absurd…”
“Do you truly think so? Eight crates arrived today alone.”
The count froze where he stood. He did nothing at all, merely blinking. Then his eyes grew wider and wider, and he bolted for the door.
“Damn it—! Damn it—!”
At the end of the count’s gaze stood the already-bound men and the crates left sitting in plain sight. Evidence discovered at the scene can never be passed off onto someone else, not even if one dies and comes back to life. Of course, even without catching him red-handed I would have found a way to make the charges stick.
I spoke to the furious count.
“Refusing to confess does not erase the crimes you have committed.”
“I-if there is anything you need, I will give it—! Money, women, honors—anything—!”
“Attempting to bribe an inspector is itself a crime. It seems another line will be added to the charges.”
“S-shut up—! What does a man who has everything know?! What do you, raised in the shade of the Lichtenhaus name, know about anything—!”
He was right. I had not known. I had missed so many things. As Lidia had once said, I had been a fool, and the world had looked beautiful because of it. That was how I lost the woman I loved, lost my dream of knighthood, and lost the land I was meant to live upon. In the end I had lost an entire lifetime.
But things were different now. Because I knew so much, I could no longer stand idle. Making Count Casian pay for his crimes was part of that.
“…I suspect I know a good deal more than you do, at least.”
“L-let me go—! Do you know how I have lived—!”
I bound him with rope. He thrashed so violently that I had to strike him a couple of times before he quieted down. Afterward I rejoined Lidia, who had been watching the men.
“Cain, is it finished now?”
“We still have to coordinate with the local knight order and escort these people to the Imperial Capital.”
“I see.”
Of course, this too would only be temporary detention. True imprisonment would come only after they stood trial in court. Lidia looked faintly disappointed, yet in the end she said nothing more.
Silence hung over the office of the 1st Division. Division Head Albert sipped his tea and spoke.
“You did well again this time.”
“I merely did what had to be done.”
“True enough. Still, handling matters so cleanly is no easy feat.”
At trial, Count Casian had every asset confiscated and his title stripped. In addition he was sentenced to life imprisonment, doomed to spend the rest of his days behind bars. Perhaps he would be dragged out for forced labor one day; if so, he might at least see the sky then.
The men who had transported the drugs were all found not guilty. I had not bribed the judge. I had simply listened to their testimony and, as an inspector, spoken in their defense. Whether they truly bore any guilt—that question still remained unanswered in my mind.
The captain of the Caldea remained in custody. He seemed to be sending letters in every direction, scrambling to raise the enormous bail. That was none of my concern, so I paid it no further attention.
Which left only one matter—
“Division Head, the mercenary company attacked us this time.”
“So they finally made their move…”
“I intend to look into that matter for a while.”
“Do so. You have already closed two cases; a little rest would not hurt.”
“I cannot rest.”
Even at this very moment, the worms gnawing at the Empire were swarming. I could not leave them unchecked.
First, the Dwinsen Mercenary Group. It seemed I would have to pay them a visit. Someone among them had dared to aim for my throat, after all.