Chapter 579: The Beginning
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 579: The Beginning
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"
"Bastards! Do you have any idea who I am? I am the son of a Marquis! If you dare treat me like this, I'll have you killed!"
"Let me go, waah... I wasn't involved in any of that, I wasn't..."
The Dion Marquisate mansion was a scene of utter chaos, its former elegance and tranquility shattered. Sharp and several of the other Dion sons were being roughly dragged toward carriages by Royal Knights, their shouts and curses filling the air.
Sharp appeared relatively calm, offering little resistance. However, his worthless younger brothers had completely lost their wits. Their greasy fat quivered as they wailed and sobbed, alternating between begging and hurling threats at the surrounding knights.
The perimeter of the mansion had been cleared, and officially, no onlookers were permitted. Yet, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, two figures stood side by side beneath an ordinary parasol, silently watching the scene.
"They moved fast. The arrest warrants are out already?"
"We have Ariel to thank for that. It didn't take her long to dig up a massive amount of dirt on the Dion family—embezzlement of private property, smuggling, trafficking forbidden drugs, and the abuse of commoners. Even if we haven't found direct evidence of the First Prince's assassination attempt yet, this is more than enough to haul them in."
"As expected of Ariel."
Muen rubbed his chin, speaking with a hint of pride. "I knew she was the perfect person for this job."
"Oh?"
Celicia glanced at him sideways. "You sound like you know Ariel quite well."
"Do I?" Muen feigned ignorance with practiced ease.
"Hmph."
Celicia didn't press the matter. She didn't linger on the scene before them either, turning to walk away.
Muen quickly caught up.
"Not going to keep watching?"
"As you said, Ariel is here. There's no need to keep watch."
"True. But with what's been uncovered so far, is it enough to make the Dion family disappear for good?"
"It's difficult," Celicia said.
"The old Marquis's other sons will likely face execution, as they were the ones personally carrying out the crimes I mentioned. But for now, Sharp’s hands are clean. He’s smart enough not to get personally involved in such sordid affairs. We’ll need to dig deeper."
"Is that so?"
As they chatted, Muen turned back to look.
Sharp, who was being bound and led toward a carriage by the knights, seemed to sense something and suddenly looked in Muen's direction.
The "Single's Resentment" had erased their presence, so Muen didn't know if Sharp had felt a genuine premonition or if it was mere coincidence. But in that fleeting moment, Muen saw hatred and fury buried deep within Sharp's eyes—but not despair.
"It seems he hasn't given up yet."
"Of course not. As long as the Inner Council hasn't fallen, and as long as the First Prince hasn't fallen, he will cling to hope. It will be incredibly difficult to pry anything out of his mouth. He isn't like his brothers; someone the old Marquis Dion groomed as an heir won't be some useless fool."
"I know that all too well."
Muen nodded seriously, rubbing his chest where a faint ache seemed to linger.
Though he had managed to escape the beast-transformed Sharp before, the process had been pathetic, to say the least. The last time he had been in such a sorry state was... well, the last time.
"At least the Inner Council took a major hit this time."
Using the old Marquis Dion's corpse as a blade to pierce the veil of darkness, the Dion family's filth had been dragged into the light. As long as Ariel continued to dig, she would eventually unearth the Inner Council lurking behind them.
Whether they chose to cut their losses or try some other scheme, they would inevitably pay a heavy price.
It seemed Muen had finally settled the score for being toyed with previously.
However...
"Don't lower your guard. The Inner Council is not as simple as we imagine," Celicia said suddenly.
"Oh?" Muen raised an eyebrow. "Even a blow this heavy can't cripple them?"
"It can, but..." Celicia paused, turning to look at Muen. "Do you know why every generation of Emperors has trusted the Campbell family so implicitly?"
"Because..." Muen blinked, then replied without thinking, "Because we don't have many kids?"
It wasn't a profound question.
For centuries, the Campbell family had almost always produced a single heir per generation. They never flourished into a sprawling clan, as if they were afflicted by a curse even more malicious than the Royal Curse, doomed never to prosper in numbers.
But while this was a lamentable weakness, in a certain sense, it was also a strength.
"Because your lineage is so thin, it's very difficult for the Campbell family to form overly tight bonds with other great nobles. No matter the Emperor, it's hard to harbor suspicion toward a family that possesses both status and power, yet can never truly become 'too big to fail.'"
"Exactly. While Duke Campbell is nominally the leader of the Royalist Faction, that faction actually depends on the Emperor's power. The Duke is merely the leader, not the creator. Throughout history, most Emperors have been very fond of 'lonely high-rankers' like Duke Campbell."
Celicia spoke bluntly, seemingly unconcerned that the person listening was the only son of the very Duke she was describing.
"The Inner Council is the exact opposite. It is a collective of numerous ancient noble families, a web of countless roots buried deep within the Empire. Over the thousand years they have coexisted with the Empire, through marriage, bloodlines, mentorship, and shared interests, the nobles of the Inner Council have continuously extended their roots. They have stretched their tentacles into every facet of the Empire, becoming inextricably entwined with it. Though my father suppressed them constantly, he could only ever suppress what was on the surface."
Celicia reached out and pointed to a tree nearby that had likely been snapped during the previous turmoil.
"Roots hidden in the depths are hard to suppress. Because the tree's root system is so vast, we have no way of knowing which roots are good and which are rotten. That is the true problem."
"...Indeed."
Muen looked at the complex root system buried deep in the earth and suddenly crouched down. "In that case, there should be something even more troublesome, right?"
"Yes."
Celicia crouched down beside him, reaching out a fair, slender hand to stroke a fresh, green sprout growing from the cross-section of the broken stump.
"Now, the tree has fallen. And those rotten roots have found a... sprout that can allow them to grow even larger and stronger."
"So, to avoid being uprooted, and to ensure this sprout replaces the old tree, those rotten roots will begin to... act with total desperation."
A white pigeon landed.
Celicia took the letter it carried and skimmed it quickly.
Then she closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh of resignation.
"As expected. Has it begun?"
*
"Sharp has been imprisoned."
A robin landed on the windowsill.
"Should we send someone to look after him?"
"No need."
Inside the room, Albert paced with his hands behind his back, not even looking up. "He isn't that fragile. Let him suffer a bit as penance for his blunder."
"The Lord Speaker is certainly a strict father," the robin remarked. It flapped its wings and flew onto Albert's shoulder, its voice dropping significantly. "Word has come from the other side. Everything is ready."
"Is that so?"
The agitation in Albert's eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp glint. It seemed he had been waiting for these exact words. "Excellent!"
Outside the window, the night remained deep and heavy, as if all the world's filth and depravity were meant to happen where the sun could not reach.
Albert was dressed in a magnificent formal suit, the gold embroidery perfectly accentuating his noble status as the First Prince. He walked toward the door with a steady stride, showing none of his previous weakness or staggering.
An expressionless maid followed behind him, while the robin spread its wings once more and vanished into the night.
Soon, Albert moved through the corridors, where no one dared to stop him, and arrived once again before the great doors guarded by the two statue-like knights.
"Move aside. I wish to see... Audrich."