The Golden Mask's Deception
The figure wore a golden mask, his entire body from head to toe concealed beneath luxurious robes. By his attire alone, anyone could tell he was the chief tax official—the man in charge. Pointing at the documents in his hand, he spoke in a cold voice.
“Speak clearly. Where did the revenue from this section disappear to? The branch leader here couldn’t possibly be unaware of such a thing.”
“I… I don’t know anything about it. I have no memory of what’s written there.”
“Even though you stamped the document yourself?”
“Well… even so, one doesn’t remember every single document one processes. I was merely handling matters in an official capacity…”
“Haha… How amusing. I was planning to let this slide somewhat amicably, but it seems that won’t be possible.”
The tax officials looked ready to seize Crassus at any moment. Before them stood Crassus, being thoroughly shaken down. Watching the scene unfold, Pompey immediately rushed toward them.
That idiot Crassus… If he was going to get caught, he should’ve been caught by me. How did it come to this…
Though Pompey had also come to expose Crassus, the weight of her authority and that of the imperial tax officials were worlds apart. Even if the same corruption existed, Pompey could have settled the matter internally within Kerks by punishing Crassus. But if the emperor’s tax officials caught wind of it, the problem would no longer be Crassus’s alone. He would face enormous fines, and in the worst case, the entire Kerks organization could suffer a devastating blow.
Realizing she had no choice but to defend Crassus for now, Pompey stepped forward.
“Pardon the interruption.”
Pompey cut in with an urgent voice, but the knights in ornate armor immediately blocked her path.
“What do you think you’re doing? We are carrying out sacred imperial duties under His Majesty’s command. Step aside.”
Despite their splendid armor, the knights reeked of neglect, as if they hadn’t bathed in ages. Pompey felt a wave of nausea but forced it down and spoke with forced politeness.
“I am Pompey, an executive of Kerks. I’ve come under the Master’s orders to handle matters here. I demand an explanation of what’s happening.”
“Pompey… you say? You’re her?”
The moment she gave her name, the chief tax official’s interest sharpened. Seeing an opening, Pompey spoke confidently.
“Yes, that’s correct. I am Pompey. It seems there’s been some misunderstanding regarding Crassus. If you would allow me to explain…”
“How convenient. I was planning to have you arrested the moment I returned to the capital, yet here you are, walking right into my hands. This makes things much easier.”
“W… What?”
At his words, the knights advanced with weapons drawn. Pompey realized something was terribly wrong, but it was already too late.
“We’ve gathered more than enough evidence. Filthy Kerks scum who dared to steal from His Majesty’s coffers. Prepare to transport them immediately!”
“Huh? Wait—”
“Understood!”
“P-Please, just a moment! At least let me speak—”
“What are you waiting for? Drag them away! We leave at once. And don’t forget to bring that illegal smuggled dancer or whatever she is!”
Contrary to her expectation that she would at least be given a chance to explain, the knights seized Pompey without hesitation and shoved her into a waiting carriage. Pompey and her escort knights considered resisting, but quickly abandoned the idea. Though the situation was sudden and unjust, their opponents were acting under the emperor’s authority. Defying them would only add the charge of obstructing official duties and worsen everything.
For now, there was no choice but to comply. Thus, without ever setting foot inside the fortress, Pompey and her party were forcibly loaded into carriages and carted away.
“We depart now. We haven’t much time, so move quickly.”
With the chief tax official urging them in a cold voice, the group hurried away from the fortress grounds, as if being chased by something unseen.
*
Inside the moving carriage, Pompey and her subordinates were confined. It was absurd that after traveling all the way from the Utopia Empire, they were being dragged away without even entering the fortress, but that wasn’t the immediate concern.
“L-Lady Pompey, what do we do?”
“…For now, we stay quiet and obedient. Causing a scene here won’t accomplish anything.”
“B-But…”
“They came here with the clear intention of arresting us. Once we return to the empire, we’ll look for an opportunity to report this to the Master…”
“Ugh…”
The situation was far from ideal, yet Pompey felt only mild irritation rather than true alarm. No matter how powerful the tax officials were, they were ultimately puppets acting on the emperor’s will. If the Master spoke directly to the emperor, this matter could be resolved without issue.
Honestly, it’s not the outcome I wanted, but there’s no helping it. We’ll absorb the damage this time and be more thorough in covering our tracks from now on.
Having accepted that they must endure the immediate blow, Pompey began considering their next moves when one of the escort knights spoke cautiously.
“Um… Lady Pompey. What will happen to Lord Crassus, then?”
“What do you think? He’ll be hanged, of course.”
“What? You… You’re not going to save him? He’s served the Master for quite some time…”
“Because of that fool, everything has come to this. He should take responsibility. To minimize the damage to Kerks, we must cut loose what needs to be cut.”
“Ugh…”
“I… I understand.”
Faced with Pompey’s unwavering resolve, the knights fell silent. Though they had each received small favors from Crassus and had hoped to speak up for him, it was clear their words would carry no weight in this situation. Resigned, they lowered their heads, silently praying that Crassus would go quietly to his death without causing further trouble.
*
“Th-This… It actually worked…”
Inside the speeding carriage, Hela—wearing handcuffs for appearance’s sake—spoke with admiration as she looked at the figure seated across from her: me, Demon King Arcadia, disguised in the chief tax official’s robes created through illusion magic.
Until moments ago, I and the Plutos had been impersonating the tax officials using illusion magic. The illusions, crafted from my memories as an original player, were nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, and the magic itself was exceptionally powerful—imperceptible to anyone short of an archmage or high priest.
The “tax officials directly representing the emperor’s will” we had created were not opponents that even Pompey could easily defy. In this world, public officials wielded immense authority, capable of summary execution in the worst cases. Even someone as silver-tongued as Pompey stood no chance against such overwhelming power and authority.
Moreover, the documents we had brought from inside the fortress—evidence of Crassus’s “Kerks corruption”—were piled high before her. Even if Pompey had no direct involvement, as a high-ranking executive, she would inevitably be held accountable. Having lost both the battle of authority and justification, Pompey and her party had no choice but to be arrested without ever entering the fortress.
“Humans are easily swayed by appearances. Especially when both justification and weakness are held against them, as was the case just now.”
If she had been thoughtless, she might have charged in recklessly. But as Crassus had said, Pompey was no fool. She had used that sharp mind of hers to make a cold, rational judgment. With all the corruption exposed, any clumsy resistance would only worsen the situation. Following that reasoning, she and her subordinates had allowed themselves to be bound without protest.
“In a way, this was all thanks to Crassus committing corruption so enthusiastically all this time. The indirect evidence alone was enough to ensnare that woman called Pompey.”
“Ugh… Th-Thank you.”
Though he was now a loyal Plutos undead serving me, Crassus had been an utterly despicable man in life. The bribes and “smuggled goods” he had extracted while selling off demons were on a scale that, if fully exposed, would not only send him to the gallows but deal a fatal blow to all of Kerks—provided, of course, that his crimes were laid bare for all to see.
If a man like this could live so comfortably, this world really is rotten to the core…
Regardless, thanks to him, we had successfully prevented Pompey—the walking bomb—from entering the fortress. The greatest hurdle had been safely cleared, allowing us a moment to breathe. But that didn’t mean everything was over.
“Now we proceed to the next stage. Make sure it’s handled properly, Crassus.”
“Leave it to me, my lord.”
At this point, it was nearly impossible for her to return to the fortress. Since we were only disguised through illusion magic, entering the empire as we were was out of the question. It was time to make our next move.
“Stop the carriage. We’ll take a short ‘rest.’”