Chapter 241: The Truth About the Evening Party Riot (2)

Chapter 241: The Truth About the Evening Party Riot (2)

What are you saying? There are jokes that are acceptable to make, and then there are those that should never be uttered.

Ah, theres no need to pretend. Those outside cannot hear our voices.

No, thats not what I mean

This is just my monologue. I followed those who fled from that particular mansion, tracked down their hideout, and eavesdropped on their conversations inside. They said, Things turned out quite differently from what we anticipated, but the plan failed just as we expected.

There were three key points in the information I gathered. The failure was part of their plan; they had knights and guards set fire to the refugee camp; and multiple organizations were involved.

If the premise was that occupying it was destined to fail, then what happened afterward must have been their real objective, which seems to be the arson at the refugee camp.

What was in the area where Chirik and the other children lived? If Chirik and his group were the target, a more serious attack would have been launched. Even though they were also armed and protected by sturdy walls, they were still children. If about a hundred people had attacked, the matter would have been resolved before I could intervene.

Yet, the actual attacking force was of such a small number, and they didnt even have information that the children were armed. Its certain that the children were not the primary objective.

The clue for that was the phrase business rivals I overheard. The people I had attempted to capture alive were likely part of a unit that was contracted to do the dirty work of some organization. The fact that they chose to end their own lives when they realized escape was impossible indicated a high level of training.

We concluded that there was a base of an organization hostile to theirs in the vicinity. They burned down a specific area to ensure that they could eliminate everyone involved, as they had mentioned. This, we believed, was the true nature of the incident.

Then, which organization was targeted? Everything became clear to me when I thought about my visit to the children. A foul smell was emanating from that place.

The target was likely an organization dealing in drugs. Rumors that their boss was nearby were also known to Chirik and the others. Thus, we were almost certain of this.

The fact that the vigilante group knew their location but couldnt catch them meant they must have been incredibly skilled at hiding their base. The organization hostile to them couldnt find it either. If they had known the exact location, they could have sent skilled assassins.

Therefore, they resorted to burning down the entire area, including where they suspected the organizations base was, and so involving everyone around. But a normal fire might allow some of them to escape. To ensure complete annihilation, they had to be thorough.

They circulated rumors about a radical refugee organization and orchestrated an incident where this group supposedly occupied the evening party, providing a pretext to send knights and guards to raid their hideout. The entire area was then incinerated under the guise of an accidental fire.

In the royal capital, there is a lot of talk about how some of the refugees were acting suspiciously and were found to be in possession of illegal items when investigated. Those who fled were thoroughly investigated, and any suspicious individuals were quickly arrested. Điscover new chapters at novelhall.com

Those who managed to escape the fire were eventually arrested within the royal capital. Some might have fled to areas unaffected by the fire, but its certain that the organization lost a great number of its members.

If you were to think about it that way, it made sense that the hostage incident involved the noble faction and not the kings faction. The bandits who occupied the party claimed it was all thanks to lax investigations, but the incident greatly tarnished the reputation of the count involved. The members of the same faction who were present at the scene but unable to resolve the situation were similarly disgraced. It was a good enough embarrassment to convey an image of how useless nobles were in times of crisis.

The resolution of the situation was thanks to the quick thinking of a foreigner named Lieselotte and her servants. However, she was related to Robert, who was part of the kings faction. Currently, in the royal capital, theres a rumor circulating about the nobility. It goes that the regional nobles are good-for-nothings who just strut around, but even the relatives of the kings close associates are all sharp-witted.

By spreading these favorable rumors about themselves, they were also reducing the burden of the refugees. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

Thats why we have no intention of stirring things up. We dont plan to investigate who is involved or to what extent. Wed rather not poke a hornets nest.

A wise decision.

At least Robert seemed unaware of the plot. If he were the mastermind, he wouldnt have let me conduct the investigation, nor would he have allowed Lieselotte to attend the evening party. A single misstep could have led to a major incident involving a noble from another country.

But precisely for this reason, we couldnt delve deeply into who planned it. It would be one thing if someone central to the kingdom, particularly in the military, was behind it. However, if it turned out to be a scheme by the king himself, denouncing it would be tantamount to criticizing the king.

Since this was a conspiracy, it could definitely be criticized by the people if it was discovered. This would seriously damage the reputation and authority of the king and the royal family. While it was possible to accuse them out of a sense of justice, doing so would completely tarnish the royal familys reputation. And the nobles who were framed would understandably be furious.

If it came to that, the kingdom might end up like the empire, divided and plunged into civil war. Understanding this, and with no physical evidence at hand, Robert was indignant but unable to make any accusations.

And since I was hired by him, I had no choice but to keep silent when told to do so. Stirring up trouble in a country I was about to leave held no appeal for me. In the end, the truth was kept between myself and Robert, stored away in our hearts. The conclusion we came to was only a rough guess because the investigation was stopped at that point.

As for your question, yes, I do feel responsible for the deaths of those who were innocent. But I dont feel a shred of guilt over the deaths of the scum who dealt drugs, the addicts who clung to them, or the aggressive and dangerous children. The sacrifices were minimal, and the refugee camp has become a better place. I am convinced of that.

Is that so?

Crane didnt seem to think of his actions as wrongdoing. No, he might even believe they were acts of goodness. That much was clear to me. Since I heard what I came for, I rose from my chair.

I mentioned earlier that we are leaving the royal capital tomorrow. Its unlikely well meet again. Therefore, I wont be involving myself with you any further.

Thats a relief. I cant maintain peace and order if Im being watched by someone as strong as you.

Then I guess parting ways is good for both of us. Ah, and dont bother with a farewell. If you do come I might end up killing you.

With those words, I left the vigilante headquarters without waiting for Cranes response. The building that was reflected in my rear compound eyes was certainly more impressive than the previous tents. However, now it strangely seemed more crudely constructed than when I first saw it.