CH 158

“… An investigation !? In my mansion …!?”

At Raidorl’s suggestion, Rhodis’s voice involuntarily rises.

And so he should be. Rhodis is innocent of the murder of the Prime Minister……but he is guilty of countless other crimes, of which there is evidence in the hidden vaults and cellars of his house.

“Well, that’s a bit…..of a stretch, but I’m glad you believe in my innocence…….”

“Why?  If you were truly innocent, why would you be hesitant? I’m not asking you to rip out your belly and show me what’s inside. I’m just asking you to have my men check out your mansion.”

“T-that..’s”

Rhodis pales and looks for an excuse to get out of the situation.

However, no convenient words came out. If he refuses to look into his mansion here, it’s like saying he’s completely guilty.

“Ha…..”

When Rhodis was at a loss for words, sweating profusely, Raidorl sighed bluntly.

“I’m very sorry to hear that. I had faith in you, but ….. now that it’s happened, I’ll have to force a search of your mansion, won’t I? Don’t worry, it’s just a matter of finding evidence.”

“That’s right……proof of fraud and that’s just as long as we don’t find the murder weapon, a knife, which hasn’t been found yet. Marquis Rhodis.”

“You can’t be serious ……!”

Sven’s last words were enough to make Rhodis angry.

If there is no evidence of Rhodis’s wrongdoing or crime in the Rhodis mansion, Sven will plant the knife that took Lockwood’s life.

Either way, Rhodis downfall was certain.

“Bloody brat! If it weren’t for you….. I, the noble one, could have been the Prime Minister and led this country in the right direction…….”

“I’m sorry….but I can’t leave the steering of the country to the owner of a sinking ship. There is no place for you in the new country that His Highness Raidorl is creating.”

“Fukin, Braaaaaaaaaaaatttttt!!!!”

In a fit of rage, Rhodis jumped at Sven with a dagger from his pocket.

It may have been the last bit of reason left in Rhodis’s mind that he went not at Raidorl, the hero of the Holy Sword, but at Sven, the young Prime Minister.

“Aa-aa, that’s a loss.”

Looking at Rhodis, who is trying to grab Sven, with cold eyes, Raidorl shakes his head with pity.

“…… He’s got a scary guardian. My heart goes out to him.”

“Ooooooooo!!”

“…….”

With a mad cry, Rhodis’s right hand reached out to Sven. The dagger in his hand was thrust towards his thin neck.

Sven didn’t run away from the approaching evil, he just stood there as if he didn’t need to.

“Traitor!! What are you doing to Sven!?”

But just as the tip of the dagger was about to pierce his throat, something swung down from above and slammed into Rhodis’s right hand.

The left foot of a woman who jumped into the air was struck by the hand holding the dagger. It was a heel strike by Angelica Ilkas.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!? My arm is ahhhhhhhhh!?”

Angelica Ilkas was severely injured in the war with the Empire, losing her left eye and left leg. Her left eye was fitted with an eye patch and her left leg with a fake prosthesis.

It’s not a common wood prosthesis, but a steel prosthesis designed to be used in battle.

As a result of a heel strike with the force of a bedrock kick, Rhodes’ right arm was snapped off at the forearm and the bone was exposed through the skin.

“Step away!”

“Gefu!”

It’s not the end of Angelica’s attack.

The woman with one foot and one eye turned her body around on the axis of the left leg of the prosthesis that she had swung down. She used her right leg to deliver a spinning kick to Rhodis’s abdomen.

Rhodis bounces across the floor like a ball, tumbling into the middle of the hurriedly retreating nobles.

“Gehaa …Gehu, gaha, huh …!”

“It is outrageous that I should let you touch my little brother! I’ll grind you up and feed you to the pigs!”

The blow had damaged Rhodis’s internal organs and he was cowering, coughing up blood from his mouth.

Angelica was still not satisfied with the sight of a dying man. Angelica picks up the dagger that Rodis dropped and walks towards the fool as he rolls around on the floor.

With murderous intent spewing from her body, she looked like the Grim Reaper.

It was a sight that sent chills down to the spine, even the other nobles who had nothing to do with it.

“…… Sven. Don’t let him kill you yet.”

“……Okay.”

Sven nodded reluctantly when Raidorl gave him a short order.

Then with his hands outstretched he called out to Angelica’s back.

“O-oneesan, c-can you hold me?” 

“Y! Yes!”

The evil look on her face was replaced by a big smile that melted like a coin flipping.

Angelica shows no desire to finish off Rhodis and jumps into Sven’s arms.

She picks up the young Prime Minister’s small body and rubs her cheek against his face.

“Fufufu, Onee-san’s killed another of Sven’s enemies, haven’t I? Isn’t that great?”

“U,Un, Thank you, Onee-san” 

“…………….”

The nobles in the throne room were stunned when Angelica hugged Sven as if he were a stuffed animal.

There’s a lot of the nobles trying to figure out why they were shown this. 

“Well……it looks like we’ve established the truth.”

Raidorl clapped his hands to cut through the atmosphere of doubt, confusion, agitation and fear.

A knight stepped forward, grabbed the legs of the fallen Rhodis, and dragged him out of the throne room.

“Marquis Crowley Rhodis will remain in custody and will be interrogated by the knights. A search of his mansion will be conducted at the same time.”

Raidorl says in a cold tone and looks around at the stunned nobles.

“So,does anyone else object to Sven becoming Prime Minister? If you are, come forward”

“………….”

The remainder of the nobles bowed their heads in silence, their faces drawn in horror at the inscrutable tone of voice.

Then after a few communications, the banquet was held, as Raidorl had announced.

The assembled nobles, with the gloomy air of a last supper, sipped the unappetizing food and wine.