Chapter 188: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (4)

Chapter 188: Not Baker Street just a Bakery (4)

– Paaaaat......!

“Ugh!”

The light then subsided. The incident instantly stopped.

All guests of the luxurious tavern, Blois, were down on the ground in front of us.

They must have known that they did something wrong as they were all pale as they looked at the Imperial Crown Prince and me.

Christelle ran over to Modeste Bacary and pulled out her handkerchief.

The young seer was dripping blood but managed to pick his body up to lean against the wall.

He tried to push away her goodwill, but...

“Bad.”

Our main character used a single word to suppress him.

I quickly withdrew my Holy Land, walked up to him, and opened up a healing circle.

His bloodied eyes became filled with shock.

The sharp errand boys prepared a couch for Crown Prince Cédric while that was going on.

Vice Captain Élisabeth was looking at the faces of the nobles and writing something in a notebook.

‘Yes, all of them should be summoned by the Imperial Guard to be interrogated.’

[The Almighty God’s tears shall gather your blood.]

– Shaaaaaaaaaaaa......

I quickly chanted the incantation.

The pebbles of ethers rose up from the circle and gathered at Bacary’s forehead, nose, and cheeks.

Christelle created a water drop to wash away his blood.

Plop. I got upset again seeing the liquid gathering on the ground.

‘Damn it.’

[You are all adults. ADULTS. Captain Bacary is barely twenty years old. He’s only been an adult for four years. He barely just got past his teens. He may have a high position but he is still a child. What did you do to someone much younger than you?]

“Mmph, mmph......”

[I did not ask that because I wanted an answer. I am asking because I am angry. Even if the Captain did make you angry, who beats someone until they are injured like this? Is this something that the nobles of the Empire, who should be setting an example for others, should behave? Feel free to answer if you have a mouth.]

“Mm......”

Of course, they could not say anything. I had given them a Divine Oracle to shut their damn mouths.

I continued to glare at them.

[Do not glare at me like that. I am the prince of a kingdom, a Marquis of her Majesty, the disciple of her Eminence, and his Royal Highness’s partner.]

– Pipo!

Percy poked his head out of my clothes and chirped as well.

Christelle whispered in a serious voice.

“Your highness...... Is it possible that they can only look at you that way because they are down on the ground?”

“Ah.”

“Are you done?”

I heard a calm deep voice. Both of us looked toward the direction of the voice.

A man who made even the most basic of couches look like the greatest of treasures was elegantly sitting down looking at me.

“Yes, your Royal Highness, well...... I said everything I needed to say.”

I oddly felt embarrassed and nodded my head.

His sparkling orange eyes immediately headed toward the nobles.

He really resembled Empress Frédérique right now.

‘He’s not laughing, but is he enjoying this?’

“I guess it is time for all you lords to speak to me.”

The crown prince sounded extremely angry.

The young man who instantly changed the mood resembled a burning ruby.

Sir Johann quietly took off his coat and pulled up his sleeves.

The nobles who were on the ground with their eyes rolling around turned completely pale.

“You will face my sword if there is anything you are hiding.”

The Imperial Prince viciously warned them.

Gulp.

I heard someone gulping in fear.

*

All of the nobles involved in the mess were standing in line.

The crown prince was seated at the highest spot and Vice Captain Élisabeth was at the table to his right.

Sir Johann was standing to the crown prince’s left, observing the nobles.

The first to speak was the middle-aged woman we saw when we entered Blois.

‘Your Majesty, are you saying that Victoire might be an illegitimate child of a noble or a child who has been cast away?’

‘Yes.’

‘......Maybe? Did the Empress know about it? She knew about this from the beginning?’

“Hmph! That is why the Savanier Barony, which is right next to Andresy County, ended up as Victoire’s first victim. She probably experimented with a nearby territory as a test. She left her name behind to frustrate her family members. Ah, I am just saying that is what I would have done if it was me.”

She nodded her head as if to say that she knew people would agree with her.

The nobles started whispering again.

“Your Royal Highness, Baron Savanier is my close friend. I have heard some things directly from him. He talked about why he stepped forward as the first victim. How could he show his face to the residents of his territory when different locations at the heart of his territory were looted? He contacted the Imperial Guard out of frustration as their neighbor, Count Andresy, feigns ignorance despite her name card stating Victoire D’Andresy.”

“Hoooo!”

“Tsk tsk.”

The nobles pulled out their fans and were flapping them as they whispered to one another. They were basically spectators at this point.

“The situation is clear. Crystal clear, your Royal Highness. Victorie is an illegitimate child of that family. She clearly did not get treated well by them since they have more children they cast aside than they raise. She was most likely cast away and lived by herself in a tiny little house. This is revenge, your Royal Highness. She will not stop until she properly puts a stain on the Andresy name. Ahem!”

The Baroness finished off with a fake cough. A portion of the spectators applauded her.

Vice Captain Élisabeth cut through the noise and sharply questioned.

“Lady Baroness. According to what you just said, you have friendship with two of the victims. You yourself were also a victim. But Victoire is famous for being a righteous outlaw among the commoners. She is known to take the items she steals and share them with the poor.”

“My goodness. Madam Vice Captain. Are you saying that it is okay for the nobles to be robbed because the commoners are happy? I guess all the stories I have heard about you being young and talented are just lies?”

The middle-aged woman snarkily asked. I felt as if even her coat of arms reeked of alcohol.

“Wow, I’m so done with her.” Christelle twitched as she mumbled.

The young Countess’s grey eyes did not shake at all.

“They are not lies, Lady Baroness. Let me ask you one question. What is the average tax rate in the Tillier Barony?”

“Oh, of course it is the thirty percent her Majesty has decreed.”

“Baroness.”

The crown prince called out to her in a low voice. Everybody looked toward him.

The young man’s sculpture-like face showed no emotions at all.

His glabella was straight and his lips looked the same as usual.

However, anybody with common sense should be able to tell.

The crown prince was on the verge of exploding. I knew I was hearing things but it felt as if a fuse was burning down.

His gaze was as dark as the fires of hell. The Baroness’s voice became a bit quieter.

“......I take an extra twenty percent. It is not forced. It is an offering my family takes as a custom.”

“My goodness.”

My jaw dropped in shock.

The room felt as cold as if a ghost had gone through despite the crackling furnace.

That was unbelievable. The Empress was restricting the tax rates of the territory lords to a maximum of thirty percent and chose to only receive ten percent for the Imperial tax.

This was the first thing I studied when I was given a territory.

A territory lord taking over forty percent should have only existed back in the Warring Era, but even higher than that at fifty percent......

“And your friend’s territory?”

Vice Captain Élisabeth spoke in an emotionless voice as she looked to the back.

The bastard who is the Baroness’s friend cleared his throat.

“I, I collect a total of forty percent!”

“......”

He sounded as if he was trying to say that he was better than the Baroness. They were the same to me.

I got goosebumps on my arms. I turned to see that Christelle’s eyes were full of anger.

She whispered to me.

“There is no way that her Majesty did not know about this. The story about the Count’s House of Andresy as well.”

“Yes. Her Majesty did not act the way she did simply because she didn’t want to give Victoire any attention. Her Majesty......”

The Baroness quickly kowtowed to the crown prince. I jumped up from my seat.

‘I won’t let you.’

“Baroness Tillier, you are going to be her Majesty’s prisoner anyway. So please apologize before you are dragged away.”

“Your highness, by apologize, you mean...”

“Why did you hit Captain Bacary? Explain that and properly apologize for your actions. You can run your mouth about the rest once you get to your cell.”

‘Did you think that I would forget?’

I couldn’t help but grind my teeth.

I could feel the seer’s gaze on the side of my face.

—

Translator’s Comments

Jesse gets angry when you hit people.