Chapter 227: |
Chapter 227
Raymond vowed to make sure it happens.
‘The question is, how do I get out of here?’
Raymond was currently imprisoned in a prison reserved for the nobility.
There was no way Kairn would let him out.
‘I have to find a way.’
Raymond devised a solution.
* * *
Meanwhile, Kairn pulled a bottle of blood-red wine from his palace.
Squawk.
Blood-red wine filled the clear glass.
“But I can’t wait to see my dog burned to death. I don’t know what kind of screams he is going to make. I’m really looking forward to it.”
He raised his wine glass to the prison where Raymond was being held.
“For my dog’s death, cheers.”
Kairn emptied the blood-red wine in one gulp.
The taste of the wine spread through the air, and Kairn smiled with satisfaction.
Unless a miracle happens, Raymond will never live.
But there was something Kairn hadn’t expected.
The miracle was already happening.
At the news that Raymond had been arrested, the people of the capital rose to their feet.
It wasn’t just one or two.
The poor who were favored by Raymond.
The common people who were inspired by him.
In other words, most of the people of the capital stood up.
* * *
Dawn. As soon as the rooster crowed, the news of Raymond’s murder of Seytil hit the capital.
“The bastard prince is dead?”
“Isn’t punished for doing something naughty?”
So far, everyone’s reaction has been sour.
It didn’t matter to them if the bastard prince died or not.
However, the story that the culprit was Raymond upset the people of the capital.
“What? The culprit is Marquis Penin?”
“What nonsense!”
“This is a false accusation!”
There is no way Raymond could have done such a horrible thing.
When the news came that he had been summarily sentenced to death two days later without proper investigation, the people were furious.
“Falsehood!”
“You rotten bastards! Release the prince!”
“What’s the point of the sudden death sentence? Why are you trying to hurt the prince without doing a proper investigation?!”
No one took the lead, but the people of the capital stood up.
To the square, to the royal castle forward.
Tens of thousands…… A crowd of perhaps a hundred thousand gathered.
The population of the capital was a little over 120,000, so most of them stood up.
Joseph, the bard who had always been gentle, had changed.
In a fit of rage, he stood up with his harp as a weapon.
Taken by surprise, Earl Rodden mobilized his guard and tried to subdue the people.
“Go back, everyone! If you don’t, I’ll kill you all!”
The soldiers of the guard drew their weapons.
The blade of the ferocious spear was turned against the people.
But the response came back as a surprise.
Far from being frightened, the people were even angrier as if they had added fuel to the fire.
“Shut up!”
“Release the prince!”
“Waaaa That’s Earl Rodden! He’s slandered the Prince!”
“Kill him!”
The reaction of the people, who seemed to be about to pounce, made Earl Rodden swallow.
‘These guys?’
For reference, the number of guards was as high as 3,000.
This is because they are not only in charge of public security, but also in the defense of the capital.
But it wasn’t enough to stop the angry crowd.
At first glance, tens of thousands of people were present. Maybe more than 100,000.
Of course, many of them were children and the elderly, so the actual number of them who could fight would be much smaller, but it was still a huge number.
Then, something even more poignant happened.
“Stop! How dare you point your weapon at your people! Lay down your arms!”
It was the Marquis of Aris and Elmud!
He showed up with the Royal Knights for Raymond!
In particular, Elmud, who had seen the lord being dragged away in front of him, had an unusually blazing look in his eyes.
Even Princess Sophia was with them.
There was Christine, and there were nobles who had been favored by Raymond.
The angry crowd includes the Royal Knights, Princess Sophia, and the nobles.
The tide had completely turned.
Earl Rodden stammered in dejection.
“But…… Since this is a case of the death of a member of the royal family, only His Majesty the King, has the authority to adjudicate this case.”
Earl Rodden looked at the crowd and continued cautiously.
“Under the laws of the Cross League Empire, only His Highness Seytil’s blood relatives can challenge this ruling.”
Flesh and blood.
It means the side of the fourth queen.
Of course, the fourth queen wouldn’t object to Raymond’s execution.
The Fourth Queen had always hated Raymond.
But then they heard a voice they didn’t expect to be.
“If so, the Duke can intervene.”
“……!”
His voice was heavy and at the same time unbearably angry.
Everyone looked at the protagonist of the voice and was surprised.
“Your Excellency the Duke Raif!”
The Sword Master.
The supreme authority of the military.
Duke of the South.
and Raymond’s swordsmanship teacher.
He spoke with a blank expression and with a voice that felt even more anger.
“I, Duke Raif. I will speak on behalf of the victim’s maternal uncle and a falsely accused disciple. I will request a formal investigation into this incident.”
Earl Rodden swallowed.
‘How did the Duke Raif get here?’
Duke Raif’s body was covered in dust.
It just so happened that he had been on his way to the capital city feeling an unusual situation recently, but when he heard the news about Raymond late at night, he rushed to the capital.
He must have put all his energy into coming in time since his complexion was pale.
Eventually, Earl Rodden raised the white flag.
Since the Duke Raif had stepped up, it was impossible to cover it up like this. At least a perfunctory investigation had to be done.
“Oh, I see. I’ll investigate according to your words…….”
“You?” Duke Raif replied coldly. “Are you going to investigate?”
“That’s it…As a former policing officer in the capital….”
“You want me to trust you?”
Earl Rodden’s face turned red.
But he couldn’t raise his voice.
Right now, the Duke Raif was suppressing his rage. He could feel himself resisting the urge to throw a sword at the moment.
“My nephew died.” Duke Raif took a breath.
No matter how much he cut ties with him, he was still his nephew.
His nephew had been murdered, and he couldn’t help it.
“And my favorite disciple was falsely accused. And you want me to believe you? Do you want me to despise you?”
The hall fell silent.
Duke Raid declared in a vague manner.
“I’m investigating this case myself.”
“……!”
Earl Rodden was taken aback.
But when he saw the Duke Raif’s cold gaze, he couldn’t say a word against it.
“What’s wrong with the Duke having full authority over the investigation?”
‘…… Oh, no.’
The Duke Raif’s stern gaze pierced Earl Rodden, or rather, Kairn behind him.
“I swear in the name of Raif, that no demon who has done this will survive.”
* * *
Duke Raif confronted Raymond in prison.
“…….”
Raymond swallowed.
Originally, he imagined it to be dealing with a live peacock with a frightening impression.
But now, just looking at it made his flesh tremble.
An eerie rage leaked out of him.
“Can you do it?”
Raymond understood what he was saying.
“Yes, I can. No, I’m sure I’ll do it.”
Raymond bit his lip.
‘It’s not just Duke Raif who is angry.’
Kairn killed a man and slandered him.
He could never forgive him.
‘I will make you pay for your sins.’
He immediately bought the skill.
[This skill will cost you 300 skill points!]
[Academic Skill, Forensic Science proficiency permanently increased to C grade!]
[Forensic Science]
Category: Academic skills
Proficiency Level: C
– It is the study of determining the cause of death.
-You will be able to perform a basic post-mortem examination and forensic examination of the scene of the incident!
-As your proficiency increases, you’ll gain even more forensic knowledge!
Autopsy.
It was a carcass identification in a broader sense. It is an investigation method that examines a corpse to determine the cause of death.
‘It would be nice if I could improve my proficiency, but C rank is the limit for Fellows.’
Grade C forensics had to be used to secure evidence of the true crime.
‘Where should I check first?’
“We need to identify the cause of death with His Highness Seytil’s body.”
It was an investigation that should have been prioritized.
“And send someone to preserve the scene of the incident.”
“Preservation?”
Preservation of the scene of the incident.
It’s basic on modern Earth, but not on Laipentaina.
‘It’s not long ago that the preservation of crime sites has become the norm in modern Earth.’
At that moment, the prison guard said hastily.
“Your Excellency the Marquis of Pennin is the prime suspect. When you get out of jail……!”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“…… What?”
“If the Marquis of Penin escapes, I will give up my life’s neck.”
The jailer swallowed.
The Duke of Raif frowned.
“The Duke risked his life to not let a man who has not yet been convicted come out. Or do you make a mockery of the Duke’s life?”
“Oh, no, sorry!”
The jailer bowed his head hastily.
In fact, he shouldn’t listen to him because it was indeed questionable, but the other party was the Duke of Raif and the situation was the situation.
‘The Marquis Penin cannot be the culprit.’
He had no choice but to block it, and the jailer was on Raymond’s side.
In fact, most of them did.
What Houstonian would want to oppose Raymond? A man couldn’t do that.
“I’ll treat it as a visitation and give you three hours. Anything beyond that is difficult under Kingdom law.”
Raymond nodded.
Three hours.
It was tight, but he had to do it.
As he stepped out of the prison, he was greeted by an unexpected figure.
“I’ll help you, sir!”
Academic-type middle-aged man with a fan.
It was Cameron, the branch leader of the Wizard Tower!
Raymond nodded.
Cameron, a top-tier wizard, will be of great help in solving the case.
‘Magic can replace science.’
They went straight to the royal palace.
The first step was to identify Seytil’s body.
However, when Raymond entered the castle, he encountered an unexpected difficulty.
There was the fourth queen.
“Seytil……! How is…this! Ugh!”
She was crying out in front of Seytil’s coffin.
Just looking at her with a bitter and desperate cry.
‘Oh no.’
Raymond bit his lip.
The fourth queen doesn’t like Raymond.
But will she allow him to see Seytil’s body?
‘Your Excellency the Duke of Raif will not be able to convince the Four Queens.’
The 4th queen was a blood relative of the Duke of Raif.
However, unlike the Marquis de Terne and the third queens, the Duke of Raif did not have a close relationship with the fourth queen. It was a rather frosty relationship.
‘What shall I do?’
It was a time when he was worried.
The fourth queen looked at Raymond with tears in her eyes.
“You, …… you? Marquis Penin?”
“Your Majesty, the Queen. I’m here to find clues through His Highness’s body and find the culprit who committed this horrible thing.”
But Raymond didn’t ask permission, he thought he would be verbally abused.
She is going to try to take out her grief on him for losing her son.
However, the fourth queen did something completely unexpected.
She bit his lip and said: “…… Can we really find the real culprit who killed Seytil?”
Raymond came to his senses.
The fourth queen used the expression “real culprit”.
Does that mean she didn’t believe he is the culprit?
It seemed so!
This is what the fourth queen said. “I-I know you. No matter how much you hate Seutil, you are not the one who would kill him. This…… It must have been the work of that vicious snake ……!”
“……!”
“I know this is a shame, but I will apologize for all the wrongs I have done to you. So please find the true culprit who killed Seytil! Punish that demon and avenge Seytil!”
The Fourth Queen bowed her head to Raymond.