Chapter 163: Blizzard (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: Blizzard (5)
The Closed Hearing was already nearing the two-week mark.
In a cramped, dimly lit secret chamber within the Imperial Palace, Anton Zefren was enduring an endless interrogation under the guise of a 'confirmation review.'
"I can certainly vouch for Anton's upright character."
Most of the witnesses in attendance were former members of the Sentinels. Among them—whether they had already retired from active duty or were serving out the twilight of their careers as independent knights—many spoke in Anton’s defense.
"Do you remember the fierce battles on the old Western Front? This man never took a single step back; he stood at the vanguard and broke through enemy lines. Countless soldiers were saved because he stood before them."
However, their defenses and moderate opinions were practically meaningless. In the end, the most critical question remained: 'Can he be entrusted with the Sentinels, the Empire's greatest force of iron-willed men?' In other words, it was a question of Anton's loyalty and his core ideology.
"...Candidate Anton would often express highly progressive opinions without hesitation."
"It is an undeniable fact that since he took office as Vice Commander, discipline among the commoner-born knights within the order has noticeably slackened."
Witnesses cycled in and out constantly.
They were his old comrades, or the subordinate knights he had personally mentored and raised.
Anton merely listened to their words in silence.
"...Yes. I have shared a friendship with the subject of this hearing, Anton Zefren, for a very long time."
Suddenly, Anton looked at his old, longtime friend sitting in the witness stand.
Erich von Schultz.
The man who had once stayed up all night debating the reform of the Empire with Anton was now wearing the formal uniform of an Imperial Palace bureaucrat. He deliberately avoided Anton's eyes as he continued his testimony.
"If so, were you also well aware of the anti-Imperial ideologies contained in these letters from Candidate Anton?" the Chairman of the hearing asked Erich.
"I have occasionally heard him make remarks with such rebellious nuances for a long time. So, to be frank, to entrust him with the title of Commander of the Empire's most elite knight order is..."
...I consider it to be a very dangerous matter.
Anton tried his best not to hear those final words.
When he closed his eyes and opened them again a moment later, the witness had changed.
Kents Bertem. Having returned to the hearing chamber, he cast a contemptuous glare at Anton.
"Candidate Anton has obstinately remained single his entire life and never married, but it seems he had a lover with whom he was deeply involved in the past."
The Chairman of the hearing smirked oily, and Kents struck at Anton's most intimate Achilles' heel.
"'Ceria Martel'."
Anton, too, had a woman he had once loved passionately. Someone he had wanted to be with even if it meant sacrificing himself...
But.
"You all must know. That name belongs to a core executive of a Revolutionary Group—a Class 1 wanted fugitive across the entire Empire."
Anton's heart sank like a lump of iron.
"Furthermore," Kents added, tapping a document. "We have confirmed hospital records of a past pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage."
Miscarriage.
The moment that short word echoed through the room, Anton felt as if he were being buried in mud. He quietly accepted the rolling wave of filth.
"Revolution. A man who once shared deep affection with—and even conceived a child with—a wanted criminal trying to overthrow the Empire... I simply cannot fathom if such a person is qualified to protect the laws and order of the Great Empire."
The past love and the wounds he had never considered shameful were being branded as dirty, disgraceful flaws and torn open. They disgustingly degraded the woman he loved and the child who could have entered this world.
While Anton was still reeling, the witness changed once again.
"Yes. I am Adria, a former high-ranking knight of the Sentinels."
A welcome name, ringing clear in his ears even in this suffocating place. Anton quietly raised his head.
"If you ask about Knight Anton's ideology, I will answer like this."
Now acting as an independent knight rather than a Sentinel, Adria glared at the committee members and spoke firmly.
"He is an upright knight whose distinction between public and private matters is clearer than anyone else's. He is a man who dedicates himself solely to the safety of the Empire and its citizens..."
Her testimony went on for a long time.
However, no one but Anton truly listened.
"Is that all?"
The Chairman didn't probe her for specifics. They had likely only called Adria as a mere formality in the first place.
"..."
Adria looked at Anton, her lips pressed firmly together. Her eyes seemed to shimmer with a thousand words she couldn't bear to say aloud.
Anton simply gave a faint smile and a small nod.
That was enough.
"...Yes. That is all."
Adria stood up forlornly. No longer a Sentinel, having been defeated there, she had no power to support Anton.
As Adria left the hearing chamber, the committee members suddenly adjusted their attire. They gathered their wristwatches and dropped them into a bin, even urging Anton to do the same.
"Then, we shall bring in the next witness."
The moment Anton handed over his watch, the door opened. A familiar silhouette stepped inside.
"Knight Maximilian. Please take a seat."
Maximilian Ebenholtz. It had been just over three years since he was knighted. Though he was the youngest man in the room, the presence emanating from him was singularly immense. It felt as if he alone filled the entire space.
"I am Maximilian Ebenholtz."
Maximilian introduced himself, and the Chairman placed a document on the desk. The committee members passed it to Maximilian.
"The reason Knight Maximilian is attending as a witness is actually very specific. Do you happen to know what it is?"
Tapping the document, the Chairman smiled insidiously.
"We received a tip regarding an 'Ideological Verification of Intellectuals' mission that should have been issued to Knight Maximilian. Specifically, a crucial mission to investigate various progressive scholars—including Candidate Anton's longtime acquaintances—was intentionally omitted and blocked at Vice Commander Anton's level."
A tip.
Was it Chiron's sabotage, or the work of another traitorous knight under Anton's command?
"Please read it."
Maximilian picked up the document the Chairman pointed to. It was a mission proposal to track several scholars, mages, and soldiers to investigate their activities.
"The Imperial Palace tried to assign this mission directly to Knight Maximilian several times, but Vice Commander Anton abused his authority to pass it off to other commoner knights or bury it completely. We have received testimony to that effect."
Maximilian met the Chairman's eyes.
"If this was an intentional omission of duty to protect those with rebellious ideologies... Well, I won't bother saying any more than that."
If true, it was an issue that could lead to his dismissal, let alone disqualify him from becoming the Commander.
"Therefore, the question I will ask Knight Maximilian is very straightforward."
Maximilian simply gazed intently at Anton without the slightest agitation.
"Did Knight Maximilian ever receive any facts about such a mission from Vice Commander Anton?"
To Anton, the room seemed to grow distant. A sandy dryness filled his mouth. A hot wind wrapped around his spine.
"..."
Maximilian remained calm and collected, but his silence weighed heavily on the room. Anton, and everyone else present, had felt this kind of atmosphere somewhere before.
...Zebestian.
A son eventually resembles his father.
* * *
Meanwhile, Yelena, having safely returned from the Empire, arrived back at her official residence.
Her title was the People's Commissar for Internal Affairs. It was a key position holding real power over public security, intelligence, and policing; as such, a massive mountain of work had piled up.
"...It was just pointlessly heavy."
She had been wearing several layers due to the threat of assassination. She shed her Great Tiger coat, and underneath it, the double and triple-layered high-strength mana armor, mana shielding, poison gas detection artifacts, and more.
Just as she was grunting while dismantling her equipment...
"Commissar, a rather important mission has been issued."
Her adjutant approached and handed her a document.
"A mission?"
"Yes."
Yelena’s expression turned strange as she read the page.
[ To: People's Commissar for Internal Affairs of Robrus, Yelena Yumanov ]
[ From: State Security Committee of Robrus ]
[ Knight 'Maximilian von Ebenholtz', the practical next powerbroker and a top-ranking figure in the Imperial Military, is scheduled to make an official visit to Robrus.
Since the individual in question is a titan of the Empire, it is imperative to provide the highest level of escort and courtesy befitting a state guest, while simultaneously activating a thorough surveillance and close counterintelligence network on his every move.
As Comrade Commissar recently visited the Empire and Knight Ebenholtz personally took charge of the escort and reception, showing diplomatic sincerity, we hereby order Comrade Commissar to personally carry out this mission of reception and close surveillance as well. ]
The Empire and Robrus were currently hiding knives behind smiling faces. To avoid diplomatic friction for now, they were treating each other with the respect befitting state guests.
[ ...The General Secretary has also determined that Comrade Commissar Yumanov, possessing cool-headed judgment, is the only suitable person to carry out such a crucial mission... ]
"Hmm..."
Yelena gazed intently at the name 'Maximilian von Ebenholtz' written on the document.
Well, as they say, there is a give for every take.
"Is my father still staying at the Central Palace?" she asked her adjutant while folding the document and placing it in a drawer.
"Yes. It seems so."
Whooooosh—!
Suddenly, the gray snow squall unique to the East pounded against the window. Winter in Robrus was bone-chillingly cold and barren. It was hardly the right time for sightseeing.
"This is a problem. There are no places in Robrus as delicious as the Empire's Lilac Vita."
Recalling the food she had tasted at Lilac Vita, she watched the fiercely swirling blizzard.
* * *
A night when the full moon hung coldly in the sky.
It was the final night of the second week of Anton's Closed Hearing.
Stepping out of the Imperial Palace, I surveyed the scenery. The streets were empty, but when I turned my gaze toward the opposite exit...
Anton was standing there.
Anton looked at me. I looked at him.
Meeting each other's eyes, we reflected on the hearing that had just concluded.
'Therefore, the question I will ask Knight Maximilian is very straightforward. Did Knight Maximilian ever receive any facts about such a mission from Vice Commander Anton?'
Anton had deliberately excluded me from the mission to investigate intellectuals, including his close friend Professor Arnold. That was undoubtedly true.
—And yet.
'Yes. I did receive it.'
That was how I had answered.
In that instant, it felt as though the air in the hearing chamber had frozen. I saw Anton look flustered for the first time.
'I was aware of it.'
I didn't like the committee's scheme of using me to trap Anton, but above all, this was a strategic move for my own sake.
'However, because other missions were more important, I had no leeway to accept such a mission in the first place.'
The prerequisite of a Closed Hearing is 'top secret.' Whatever is said there—whatever lies or truths are spoken—is under the premise that it will not be leaked.
That was why so many people had betrayed Anton. However, I knew the transcripts of today's dialogue would soon be leaked by someone in the Imperial Palace. Therefore, I needed to manage my image.
Crunch, crunch.
Amidst the scattering sleet, Anton looked at Maximilian. Facing him, he seemed to be saying something with his eyes. But Anton could not read his thoughts, and Maximilian merely gave a slight nod before getting into the approaching car.
'I—I see. You received it?'
Watching the receding vehicle, Anton recalled the words Maximilian had spoken at the hearing.
'Yes.'
'In that case, what do you think of these private conversations Candidate Anton shared in these letters?'
The committee members had hurriedly picked up the letters and handed them to Maximilian. Maximilian read them carefully.
'Well. There are multiple possible interpretations of the letters' contents. Vice Commander Anton might have harbored rebellious ideologies against the Empire, but on the contrary, couldn't it also be that he was watching over those who harbored such ideologies and trying to control them?'
Maximilian set the letters down.
'In the first place, the contents of these letters themselves are far too ambiguous. Furthermore, this is not a court of law.'
He meant that a hearing was not an interrogation. It was not a place to determine right and wrong on grave matters or to prove a crime.
'However, Knight Maximilian. Look at this medical record. With Vice Commander Anton's former lover, the current wanted criminal Ceria Martel—'
When the Chairman brought up Ceria, Maximilian's tranquil expression crumpled slightly for the first time.
'...That is a highly private matter.'
He glared at the Chairman and coldly shot back.
'A private life is just that—private. I do not believe it is a topic to be discussed at a hearing.'
'Be that as it may, Candidate Anton was involved with an executive of the Revolutionary Group—'
'On the contrary, it is entirely possible to interpret that he completely parted ways with her due to that miscarriage.'
As he spoke, the hearing chamber fell silent. The mouths of those who had been shouting so loudly snapped shut.
'...More so than those things, whether one is qualified for the title of Commander, in my opinion, lies—'
Unswayed by anyone, Maximilian conveyed his unblemished conviction.
'Ultimately lies in the character of the candidate.'
The sentence he murmured while looking straight into Anton's eyes echoed still.
'Can he sacrifice the few for the sake of the greater cause? Can he forsake everything of his own for the Empire? Can he coldly carve away his own compassion?'
His stinging voice seemed to vibrate in Anton's ears.
'Vice Commander Anton is not that kind of person. Perhaps the Vice Commander himself knows this.'
Anton looked up at the night sky and let out a deep sigh.
'...Before you became Vice Commander, when you were a young and spirited knight going out into the field to solve cases.'
That was clearly meant to convey his disqualification, yet...
'Rejoicing with your comrades, and feeling proud of the juniors following behind you... you must have been happier back then.'
Even as Anton continuously replayed those words in his mind...
'This current position will only make you suffer more.'
...He couldn't bring himself to deny it.