The Military Minister (3)
Not only Emperor Gnaius, but the various ministers and nobles attending the tribunal grew increasingly grave.
"…An illegal private army?"
"That is correct."
Erinn spoke.
"In order to raise private soldiers beyond those reported by House Achilles, they established an underground facility in the city of Obern, which falls under the duchy, and were training those soldiers there. We uncovered this fact."
Erinn's account was so shocking that those present in the tribunal chamber could scarcely believe it.
"What…!"
"House Achilles!?"
"Do you have proof?"
At the nobles' questions from the gallery, Erinn gave a slight nod.
"What you see here is a ledger of weapons purchased through a merchant house for the purpose of training those soldiers. The gentleman beside me is the proprietor of that merchant house. And the man next to him is someone who actually received private military training at that facility."
"What!?"
"Is that true!?"
"Can you take responsibility for those words, Hero Erinn?"
"His Majesty is welcome to examine these documents himself. And these two are merely the ones I brought today — there are still several more related witnesses. First, confirm the facts with these two, and if necessary, I will summon the rest."
Erinn's unshakable confidence threw the tribunal into chaos in an instant.
It was fortunate, if anything, that Duke Achilles himself was not present. Had he been, the Emperor would have been forced to demand an accounting from him directly.
The documents in Erinn's hands were passed to the Emperor. Gnaius received them, examined them slowly, and spoke.
"…Hero Erinn."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Should the news you have brought prove false, the aftermath will fall entirely upon you… Are you prepared for that?"
"Is there any reason I shouldn't be?"
Erinn lifted the corner of her mouth in a thin, sharp smile.
"Would I dare bring uncertain claims before Your Majesty?"
"…"
While the Emperor and Erinn exchanged words, Yureinia — who had been staring blankly, stunned by the sudden turn of events — finally found her voice.
"W-wait…! This is a trial concerning Hero Erinn's insubordination! Raising matters unrelated to the trial is…!"
"True. As the Military Minister says, this has nothing to do with the present trial. That much is certain."
The Emperor closed the documents he had been reading and fixed the Military Minister with a cold stare.
"But one thing is clear: the matter Hero Erinn has brought before us appears far more important than this meaningless trial. It warrants investigation."
"…!"
"Your Majesty, does that mean…!"
"Is it all true!?"
"At the very least, the documents have not been forged, and everything written within them is factual. It states that weapons were purchased from the same outfitter. Common sense dictates that a clothing shop has no reason to buy arms…"
Emperor Gnaius continued.
"We need only investigate what lies at this location at once."
Hearing this, Grand General Gaius rose sharply to his feet.
"I shall dispatch investigators immediately, Your Majesty."
"Do so. And we shall begin the examination of the witnesses."
"W-wait…"
Yureinia addressed those in the chamber, her face flushed with dismay.
"Th-the trial has not yet concluded. Let the suspicions leveled against my house be investigated later — should we not first finish the trial already underway? For now, hold them as material witnesses and…"
"…Ah, yes. The trial. You are quite right. We ought to bring the trial we started to a proper close."
The Emperor looked at Erinn. Then he spoke.
"I, Emperor Gnaius Licinius, shall deliver judgment."
"…Judgment!? Your Majesty, we have not even properly examined the witnesses yet…!"
Yureinia tried desperately to stop him, but Emperor Gnaius paid her no mind and pressed on.
"Hero Erinn, it is true that you committed an offense that violates principle. Under ordinary circumstances, military law would demand a fitting punishment. However, the merits you have rendered in service to the Empire, and the achievements you accomplished on this most recent campaign, have contributed immensely to the safety of the Empire — and, beyond that, to the safety of all humanity."
Emperor Gnaius declared:
"In consideration of these points, I hereby pronounce you not guilty in this matter alone. I expect you to observe principle going forward rather than disregard it, and any who seek to hold Hero Erinn accountable for this incident shall be severely punished!"
"…!!"
Yureinia went rigid, as though struck by a bolt from a clear sky. She could not begin to comprehend what was unfolding before her.
The trial had been hasty — even Yureinia herself would have admitted as much. But that was a separate matter. How had Erinn learned that she was raising a private army?
Yureinia had never used those secretly trained soldiers for anything, nor had she left any trail that might have given her away. She had been cultivating them solely as a surprise card for a succession dispute that might arise in the future.
So how on earth had the Hero's party caught wind of it, gathered evidence, and brought witnesses like this? Everything was a mass of questions. But whether Yureinia understood the situation or not, events had already begun to move.
"With that, the trial is concluded. Recognizing that Hero Erinn's report constitutes an urgent matter, I hereby open a summary trial under the Emperor's authority."
"Y-Your Majesty…!"
"Raising an illegal private army constitutes treason. It is a far graver crime than mere insubordination."
Emperor Gnaius frowned as he spoke.
"We begin the examination of witnesses at once."
The witnesses had already been persuaded to talk by Ser-Aria and Clara, and they answered the Emperor's questions without evasion. Finding two insufficient, the Emperor summoned additional witnesses and questioned them as well — but their statements largely agreed.
With the evidence so clear, the fact that House Achilles was raising an illegal private army was essentially established even without inspecting the site. The remaining question was who had been the ringleader.
"Yureinia Achilles. Was this the unilateral act of a single individual, or the will of House Achilles as a whole?"
"…"
Yureinia could say nothing. Any answer would be a problem.
The moment she claimed someone had acted alone, she would have to name that person. And the moment she named herself, she would clearly have to step down as Military Minister.
Yet if she tried to pin it on someone else, that person's mouth would almost certainly produce Yureinia's own name. Even if her name never came up… once her father learned of this, he would be so disappointed that he would never pass the title to her.
The Duke would not so much take issue with the raising of an illegal private army as with the fact that it had been discovered. To undertake something so dangerous and then get caught would inevitably cast doubt on her qualifications.
Claiming it was the will of the entire house was no better. That would mean the whole ducal house had plotted treason — regardless of what the private army had been intended for. House Achilles would suffer catastrophic damage, and in the worst case, could lose its title entirely.
Someone had to take the fall alone.
"Answer, Yureinia Achilles!"
Under the Emperor's pressure, Yureinia squeezed her eyes shut. Then she spoke.
"……O great sun of the Dern Empire."
She opened her mouth, steeling herself to sacrifice someone of her house.
"As one who holds the office of Military Minister, I find this matter deeply regrettable. Though it concerns my own house, as Military Minister I shall investigate it thoroughly, uncover the full truth…"
Yureinia said,
"……identify the ringleader, and see them severely punished."
"Yureinia Achilles. You claim you have no connection to this."
"…That is correct."
Watching Yureinia spit out such a shameless lie, Erinn let out a short, incredulous laugh. But then, she had expected her to respond this way. There was still no evidence that Yureinia herself was the ringleader.
"Your Majesty, may I speak?"
So she stepped forward at this point. Emperor Gnaius nodded, granting Erinn the floor.
"Rather than entrust this to someone connected with House Achilles, appoint another as the one responsible and conduct a thorough investigation of the ducal house."
"…Investigate the entire house?"
"Leave it to me, Your Majesty. Given that such an unfortunate incident has occurred, I feel the weight of responsibility keenly, and I shall investigate all the more carefully…"
"More precisely, I recommend you investigate the servants and retainers."
Erinn was drawing on information she had received from Ser-Aria before the trial began.
Even within House Achilles, there was a faction that opposed Yureinia's actions. Once they learned that Yureinia intended to pin her own crimes on someone else, that opposition faction was highly likely to move.
"Our party lacked the time to investigate further, but I am certain you will find your answer there."
"…"
She had already laid the groundwork for Yureinia to collapse on her own. Once Duke Achilles heard of this, he would have no choice but to factor it in when selecting his heir.
So this was an additional strike delivered after the original objective had already been achieved — just in case. If it became the finishing blow that completely ruined Yureinia, all the better; and even if not, dealing a heavy blow to House Achilles would still be worthwhile.
Emperor Gnaius lightly stroked his chin. Then he turned his head toward Grand General Gaius.
"Grand General Gaius."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Descend upon the Achilles duchy and investigate every member belonging to the ducal house. You need not seek the Military Minister's approval for this — you may proceed independently. I authorize it by imperial decree."
"This servant Gaius shall carry out his duty with utmost loyalty."
"Y-Your Majesty!?"
Entrusting the matter to a Grand General who served under the Military Minister, while declaring that the Military Minister's approval was unnecessary — that statement alone carried enormous weight. It was effectively the same as saying he had lost all confidence in Yureinia.
"This summary trial ends here. The disposition of House Achilles shall be revisited once the investigation has been thoroughly completed."
"Your Majesty, such measures…!"
"Yureinia Achilles. By your own claim, you have no connection to this matter — yet as your house is involved, you are forbidden from entering the imperial palace for a time, and shall confine yourself until further orders. In the interim, the duties of the Military Minister would ordinarily fall to the Grand General; however, as the Grand General has been assigned a mission, Left General Salisius shall serve as acting minister."
"…Pardon?"
"This servant Salisius accepts the command."
At Gnaius's declaration, Yureinia felt as though she had been struck hard across the head. Only then did she understand.
Ah.
The trial she had forced through even against the Emperor's will — Gnaius had found the whole affair distasteful from the start.
And the result of forcing it through had been the disgrace of one of the Empire's only two ducal houses. Considering how the Emperor must have felt…
"That is all. Hero Erinn is free to go."
The Emperor had already withdrawn his confidence from Yureinia Achilles.