Penalty Negotiation (2)
"This is a place where the kingdom's heavyweights gather to discuss the future of the kingdom. It's not somewhere for you to come play privately! Show some respect in your words and actions!"
Dianne, who had been holding back patiently, finally let out a roar.
"Ah, I know that too. But I was wondering if Her Majesty the Queen Consort wasn't trying to punish the Duke for something private rather than official."
His response, accompanied by a smirk, was clearly mocking her—the mother of the nation and the queen consort.
"How dare you... in what safe...!"
"I will offer the holy sword."
"...What did you say?"
"As a gesture of atonement, I will present the Armitas family's heirloom, the holy sword Durandal. So, could Your Majesty perhaps reduce it to the same level of punishment as the other nobles?"
"Eunhyeon! The holy sword!"
Abros blocked Alex, who hurriedly tried to stop Eunhyeon from speaking. At the same time, as soon as he expressed his willingness to readily offer the duke family's heirloom, the nobles in the court began to murmur.
"...Even if that's the case, do you, who isn't even part of the duke family, have the authority to stake the duke family's heirloom?"
"Of course I don't. But..."
"I approve."
Eunhyeon turned and politely pointed toward Elenoa at the entrance.
"Elenoa..."
Elenoa stared at Alex for a moment before shifting her gaze back to Queen Consort Dianne.
"With the family head and the young lord of the duke family currently under arrest, the next in line to decide the family's will is my mother, the duchess. She has delegated the decision-making authority to me. Therefore, I will represent the Armitas family here and earnestly plead to Her Majesty the Queen Consort. We will return the holy sword Durandal, which was personally bestowed by the Pernias royal family in the past, to the crown. So... please impose a punishment of the same intensity as that on the other corrupt nobles."
"......"
Queen Consort Dianne fell silent, deep in thought for a while.
The holy sword Durandal was a weapon from the former royal family that Abros had planned to hand to Prince Evan—the son of Consort Helena, whom he supported—to establish him as the crown prince.
From the duke faction's perspective, it was one of the few means to push for Prince Evan, so if she could seize it and give it to her own son, Damian, it would nearly eliminate Evan's chances of becoming crown prince while solidifying Damian's position even further.
Yet, despite that, it was hard to readily accept the offer because...
'Is it because that man proposed it?'
It felt extremely ominous.
But it was also true that the holy sword tempted her for Damian's sake.
Queen Consort Dianne nodded and voiced a compromise.
"Lady Elenoa's plea is justified. However, we cannot punish the ringleader of the corruption the same as the others. We'll mitigate the aggravated penalty. Change it to 200 platinum coins within one year."
"I... understand..."
Elenoa barely managed to nod, suppressing the grimace twisting her face. Her teeth nearly ground together at the fact that they still couldn't escape an aggravated penalty even after handing over the holy sword.
But compared to 300 platinum coins in six months, it was undeniably better.
"Damn it..."
Alex muttered a curse under his breath upon hearing the revised fine amount and deadline. Riod, too, wore a grim expression as he glanced at Alex and Abros. Meanwhile, only one silver-haired man continued to maintain a relaxed composure.
"Yes. Here it is. 200 platinum coins."
"...What?"
"What did you just say...?"
Even Queen Consort Dianne, who had sensed her victory in this moment, couldn't hide her surprise as she stared at Eunhyeon pulling a money pouch from his bosom.
"In other words, that penalty of 200 platinum coins—I will pay it. Finance Minister Bernard."
"Wh-what...?"
Bernard, who had been quietly observing the meeting until now, stammered in response to Eunhyeon's sudden address.
"200 platinum coins. Please verify it yourself and declare the payment confirmed right here."
At Eunhyeon's request, Bernard cautiously took the pouch from his hand and slowly checked its contents.
"200 coins... correct."
"Please use it precisely for the kingdom's budget operations. How can the country function properly if such unsavory incidents happen twice?"
It was blatant sarcasm aimed at the numerous nobles—regardless of faction—who had conspired in the embezzlement, loud enough for all to hear.
Queen Consort Dianne ground her teeth.
'At this rate...'
Considering that the royalist nobles' power would soon be diminished by punishments for embezzlement, the losses weren't trivial.
Moreover, she hadn't managed to put a proper leash on the duke family and was simply letting them go.
How had he prepared 200 platinum coins—an amount no individual could pay in a lump sum?
'Why is he going to such lengths with that fortune to help the duke family?'
She couldn't fathom the reason.
Truly for his fiancée, Elenoa?
No, that wasn't it.
Just moments ago, Eunhyeon had worn an expression of complete surprise at Abros's mention of the engagement between Elenoa and himself.
Whatever their relationship, it was clear Eunhyeon wasn't acting solely out of affection for the duke family.
'I don't get it...'
His sudden actions left not only Queen Consort Dianne baffled but Abros equally confused.
"You... what are you...?"
Abros stared at Eunhyeon with a dazed expression, having just felt the noose around his neck snap free in an instant.
"Well... think of it as the dowry for the wedding. And right now, there's something even more important than that."
As Eunhyeon brought up the urgent matter...
"Pardon the intrusion! Your Majesty the Queen Consort!"
"...What is it?"
"The Archbishop of the Vesta Temple has requested to attend the court council!"
The nobles attending the meeting all fell silent, staring blankly at the young girl who entered the chamber. Her hair was so long it nearly touched the floor, but two priestesses were carefully tending to the ends, ensuring they didn't drag and acting as attendants to keep them off the ground. Behind those two priests followed two holy knights.
The aura of divine power naturally emanating from her body blended with her supreme priestly robes, creating a sacred atmosphere. No matter who looked, the young girl's appearance was utterly otherworldly.
"That... young girl is the archbishop...?"
Even as nobles of the kingdom, seeing the archbishop—who stood above all bishops of the Vesta Temple, influencing the entire continent—was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at best.
The fact that the archbishop, second only to the Pope who ruled the Holy Kingdom of Ezenia that worshipped Vesta, was a frail girl of an age that should just be entering Aiter Academy made many nobles doubt their eyes and ears.
"Priestess of Vesta, Archbishop Anies Yersalreka, greets Her Majesty the Queen Consort of Pernias."
"...We welcome the archbishop's visit."
Queen Consort Dianne couldn't block Anies from attending the court council.
Unlike Riod, who was positioned as a subject of the royal family as a noble of this kingdom, Anies was untouchable, much like Iliana who received special treatment here.
The reason was her status as archbishop, backed by the Pope, ruler of the Holy Kingdom of Ezenia.
Any rudeness or neglect toward Anies could escalate into an international issue between the Holy Kingdom of Ezenia and the Pernias Kingdom.
'These so-called heroes... every last one is nothing but a headache.'
That was what Queen Consort Dianne thought inwardly.
The high-ranking mage 'Iliana', who treated the royal family with arrogant insolence yet couldn't be criticized for it.
The kingdom's top knight 'Riod', a subject of the crown who showed no respect to the royal family, stubbornly adhering only to 'protecting the kingdom' without belonging to any faction, maintaining strict neutrality.
'Anies', who bore the title of goddess's representative or saintess, along with her position as archbishop of the Vesta Temple.
Each hero was, from Dianne's perspective, uncontrollable, annoying, infuriating, and a thorn in her side.
Yet the reason she couldn't expel them from the kingdom was their immense fame and utility value.
"Though circumstances led me to enter this country, I deeply apologize for failing to notify the kingdom of my arrival in advance."
Unlike her usual brash, vulgar self, Anies presented a calm and delicate image—the very picture of a saintess.
"It couldn't be helped. I've heard about Bishop Harkan's corruption and his faction's misdeeds."
The fact that a high-ranking figure like the Vesta Temple's archbishop had secretly entered Pernias Kingdom without prior notice was an issue the kingdom couldn't overlook quietly.
Officially, Anies's secretive visit to the Fernin branch temple had been framed as an undercover investigation into Bishop Harkan's corruption, thanks to Iliana's sudden teleportation that brought her straight to Fernin.
"With temple staffing and reorganization keeping you busy, may I ask the purpose of the archbishop's heavy footsteps here?"
"It is an extension of the investigation into former Bishop Harkan's corrupt acts."
"An extension...?"
Anies slowly shifted her gaze to the massive man lying unconscious and foaming at the mouth before Eunhyeon.
"Well then, now that the archbishop has arrived, shall we resume the discussion?"
Eunhyeon interjected into the conversation between Dianne, who was brimming with unease, and the others.
"...What are you trying to say?"
Queen Consort Dianne scowled at Eunhyeon, who had abruptly seized control of the conversation once more.
"Didn't I mention it earlier? About who plotted to kidnap 'Elenoa Armitas', and why I brought this man, the son of former Bishop Harkan."
As Eunhyeon nudged Bark's body with his foot, many, including Queen Consort Dianne, turned their eyes to him.
"Don't tell me... the Vesta Temple, led by former Bishop Harkan, was involved in the kidnapping of the lady?"
"Hey! How dare you say something so chilling!"
Another noble scolded the one who had muttered the hypothesis.
Realizing what he'd said, the noble startled and glanced nervously at Anies, aware that such words could spark major discord between the kingdom and the Holy Kingdom.
"It's not entirely unrelated."
Eunhyeon voiced what all the nobles had thought but dared not say.
"Wh-what do you mean by that!"
"There are things you can say and things you can't...!"
"Explain."
"Urgh..."
Eunhyeon prodded Ashton's shoulder as he knelt before him, urging him to speak. Feeling the pain of his wounds and recalling Eunhyeon's sharp, warning tone, Ashton relived the terror and confessed all his vile deeds.
He had first orchestrated Elenoa's kidnapping, then leaked forged ledgers to the royalist nobles via the information guild during the chaos to frame Abros and Alex.
Afterward, in the Lindebalt Barony, he had confined Elenoa, drugged her with an aphrodisiac, and had local thugs gang-rape her to forcibly impregnate her.
"You son of a bitch!"
Alex's face twisted as he imagined his little sister's ordeal from Ashton's confession. Riod swiftly restrained him as he rose to lunge at Ashton.
"Stop it."
"Marquis! Let me go! This bastard tried to ruin my sister's life—even if we're not blood-related, she's still my sister! I'll handle him myself..."
"Do you think being the duke makes me feel any different?"
"Grr... ugh!"
Alex ground his teeth and looked at Abros, who shared his sentiments. Abros silently stared at Ashton's back.
"......"
Saying nothing, just watching—but Alex could read the myriad emotions in that gaze: fury, betrayal, disappointment, and finally contempt for committing an inhuman act. His fist trembled with those feelings.
Seeing his father barely holding himself upright, desperately suppressing the urge to punish Ashton with his own hands, Alex deflated and released his strength.
The other nobles, grimacing at Ashton's confession, looked at him with scorn and contempt.
"Now, I believe you've grasped the general sequence of events. The part where the Vesta Temple's archbishop must take responsibility for this incident is the reinvestigation of the 'Lindebalt Barony'."
As soon as Ashton finished, Eunhyeon spoke up as if he'd been waiting.
"...Reinvestigation?"
"The reason the Lindebalt Barony fell was the purge by holy knights under Bishop Harkan's control after rumors spread that Baron Lindebalt and his family were heretics. Though it was territory under Pernias Kingdom, the incident occurred under the temple's initiative, not the kingdom's."
"......"
Queen Consort Dianne's face hardened.
At first glance, it seemed like external interference by the temple's foreign power, but it had been directly approved by the Pernias king at the time.
Thus, while she knew the facts, Dianne was unaware of the specific dealings between the king and Bishop Harkan that led to the approval.
"Well, I don't know what passed between His Majesty the king and former Bishop Harkan back then, but since his son Bark openly provided the sealed temple in the Lindebalt Barony to Ashton as a place to kidnap and imprison Lady Elenoa, the temple can't claim to be uninvolved. Right, Archbishop?"
Eunhyeon smiled and asked for confirmation, his expression so infuriating that Anies nearly popped a vein on her forehead but barely held back.
"...Correct. The reason I dared intrude upon Pernias's court council is to interrogate those two lying there, uncover their connections to the Lindebalt Barony, and expose all the past corruptions committed by Bark's father, the dismissed Harkan. For that, I earnestly request Your Majesty to hand over their custody."
"......"
Queen Consort Dianne pondered whether to accept or refuse Anies's polite request.
Ashton's embezzlement was purely a domestic kingdom issue, and unpleasantly, Eunhyeon's presentation of the thick pouch of platinum coins to Bernard had thoroughly dismantled her plan to leash Abros.
Since Ashton, the mastermind of Elenoa's kidnapping, and Bark were linked to the Lindebalt Barony as well, Anies's request wasn't unreasonable.
The only reason Dianne hesitated was...
'Why does this feel so ominous?'
An alarm rang in her head, warning her not to hand them over to the temple.
"Lady Elenoa is a priestess of Vesta, but before that, she is undeniably a noble daughter of this kingdom. We can't hand them over so easily..."
"From what I recall, Your Majesty left Lady Elenoa's kidnapping case unattended."
"......"
"You seem very busy, so we'll handle the interrogation ourselves. It's an urgent matter that can't align with the kingdom's circumstances and schedule."
"Riod, didn't the kingdom block the investigation into Lady Elenoa's escort knight murders and her pursuit?"
"That's true. We were ordered to prioritize investigating the Armitas duke family's corruption."
Crunch.
Queen Consort Dianne snapped the fan in her hand and glared heatedly at the two men, who nodded without hesitation. Riod merely crossed his arms and sat, showing no particular reaction to her overt fury.
Anies stared steadily at Queen Consort Dianne and delivered the temple's final verdict.
"It seems the kingdom is prioritizing the corruption investigation. We'll thoroughly handle the interrogation of those two on our side."