The guards who had sensed the commotion and arrived belatedly began to enter the building.
Even though it was a sacred barrier cast by a bishop-level priest, it seemed that the shock that was enough to cause the ground to collapse could not be hidden.
"Over there! How dare you do something like this in the middle of the system, you have a lot of guts!"
"Hey, Captain. There's a fist mark on the thick iron door. Shouldn't we first request support from the Knights?"
"It's noisy. Are you going to abandon your duty of maintaining public order just because you're afraid of the enemy? Since you've already called for support, we should somehow prevent any additional commotion..."
However, the sense of duty of a mere guard captain is truly thorough. He deserves a commendation.
He was barely able to match the spirit of a common knight, but his exemplary military spirit was truly pleasing.
—Clap!
I roughly threw the bleeding lower jaw fragment far away and greeted them with an incredibly warm and kind smile.
"Ah, you really worked hard."
"Oh, oh, oh... How big is that... More importantly, you're breaking a person's chin with your bare hands...?"
"Captain! Isn't that guy the commander of the Black Lion Knights! If we go against his will, we'll be wiped out in a second! I'm going crazy because we're just going to wait quietly until the knights come to help...!"
I approached them to at least pat them on the shoulder, but for some reason, they all looked terrified and backed away, aiming their spear tips at me.
"Huh? Why are you all like that?"
"T-Don't come near me! No matter how noble and famous you are, you're doing this in broad daylight..."
I scratched the back of my head with an embarrassed expression, thinking there might be some misunderstanding.
After finishing the first aid for the president who was writhing on the ground, Bishop Roberto stood up and shook his head and grabbed my shoulder.
"Hmm, Sir Wolfgang? Please leave the cleanup to me. It seems like this is an incident that the church should handle seriously."
"Oh, would you?"
I happily accepted his offer.
I was worried that the scale of this incident was much larger than I thought, and that it would be a real hassle to be on duty, but if he, a trustworthy comrade, would step forward, I would be grateful.
After Bishop Roberto stepped forward, the rest of the work proceeded very quickly.
The Inquisitors arrived soon after, and the Counterintelligence Department came and declared the entire company building and grounds a blockade zone.
To be honest, I broke a lot of things and injured a lot of people during the suppression process, so if I had been alone, things wouldn't have gone this smoothly.
It was fortunate that there was no need for a pointless fight.
'As expected, connections are really important.'
I sat down on a sofa in such a fancy lobby and went through several statements as a witness.
A middle-aged man with a stylish white beard and sideburns came over and put his arm around my shoulder.
It was my bad friend and love advisor, Lord Randolph, the executive officer of the Counterintelligence Bureau.
"Wow, you've done a great job again this time, haven't you?"
"Well, I didn't know it would come to this."
"Is that what you always say? Honestly, I was secretly impressed when I read that article. I wondered when you'd become so bold. I wondered if my advice had had too much of an effect."
I wanted to slap him for his needlessly irritating tone, but this time I decided to just laugh it off.
His advice was definitely a great help when I was suffering from the obsession with women.
Who would have thought that sleeping together would be the solution?
"Haha. It's all false news. False news. Did you come here to tease me?" "Haha... No way. I just came because I had something to talk about."
"I've already finished the statement of the case with your subordinates. What else do you need?"
"Of course not an interrogation. How could someone like me dare touch Lord Wolfgang, who is already half a member of the royal family? This is a kind of report. Come here for a moment."
I followed him without hiding my doubts as he gestured to lead me to a secluded place.
Outside the building, in the backyard, Lord Randolph spoke the obvious with a serious expression.
"First of all, the main person behind this incident is Eclipse. The vice president confessed during the interrogation."
"Isn't that obvious? Who else would do something like that in the middle of the system besides those guys?"
I'm not stupid, and I already noticed that much.
The security system, underground facilities, and even the monster ministry that reminded me of the northern immigrant guys. Anyone could see that it was the result of the two forces holding hands.
It's surprising that they've been active for quite some time in the middle of the system disguised as a media outlet, but that's all there is to it.
But did Lord Randolph find out some more important information?
"Listen until the end. If that were all there was to it, I would have thought it was just a sabotage by the rebels to damage your reputation. However, as I interrogated them, a bigger tail was revealed."
"What on earth is it that you're taking so long to tell me?" "Hmm..."
He took a deep breath and looked around.
—Shaaaaa…
It didn't stop there, and he even raised his image, spreading a curtain of shadows to cover everything around him.
It was an obsessive attitude that didn't suit him, who always maintained a relaxed and sly attitude no matter what.
"How on earth could they have been hiding in the middle of the system, pretending to be a media outlet? The Security Service and the Counterintelligence Service are not fools. I had my doubts even as I went out today."
"Wait, no way…"
My intuition started ringing an alarm bell without warning.
The story that was about to come out of his mouth was something much more dangerous than I thought.
"While searching through the president's room, I found a letter. To summarize, it seems that there are collaborators within the empire. According to the documents, one of the dukes is involved in this matter."
It was a story that was hard to believe even when I heard it with both ears.
The title of duke carries a completely different weight from that of other nobles.
If the empire hadn't unified the continent, they would have been able to establish a country and be called kings.
In this vast empire, there were only four people who were called nobles above nobles. One of them betrayed the empire and His Majesty the Emperor and joined the rebels?
That was ridiculous. If it were true, this would have been a major event that could have caused another war.
"...Isn't the document forged? Or is it the work of the Eclipse guys to induce division within the empire? If it were a letter like that, it would have been normal to burn it, and there's no reason to keep it, right?"
"Of course, I agree with you a hundred times. However, even if it's their work, as you say, the seeds of confusion have already been planted. The circumstantial evidence is too clear to ignore."
"Damn it! Why are you telling me this?"
I felt suffocated as I was forced to learn information I didn't want to know. Unable to bear it any longer, I grabbed him by the collar and shook him roughly.
However, he just let out a weak laugh and muttered quietly without offering any resistance.
"Haha! Well… If I suddenly lose contact, you should know that you have been silenced. However, you are a big shot with deep connections to the imperial family and are even the disciple of the general, so I can't touch you easily."
"Where did you come up with such a ridiculous joke!"
"If something really happens, you will protect the empire and the imperial family in my place. Please. I wonder if this will even get reported to the higher-ups."
"Damn it. I never thought I would say such things to a dark man. From now on, write me a letter once a week. Understood?"
"Haha! You worry about me. I get it..."
I felt incredibly dizzy.
Information that one of the four dukes might be the sponsor of the rebels.
Even if I found out about this, there was nothing I could do right away. It wasn't like I could just tell anyone about it.
The Master couldn't intervene in this matter.
The Imperial General was a guardian who protected the Empire from external threats, and he couldn't draw his sword in the midst of internal chaos.
This was a limitation that the Master had imposed on himself long ago. So telling the Master about this would only burden him with a lot of emotional burden.
Tell His Majesty the Emperor or Alicia?
Since it hasn't been confirmed whether the information is true or false yet, if I leak such information directly to the royal family and cause confusion, it would be like playing into their hands.
'This is frustrating, really.'
There was also no possibility that Lord Randolph was lying.
The oath of loyalty that the officers of the Counterintelligence Department take includes a clause stating that they cannot act against the interests of the Empire and the Imperial Family. If they break it, their hearts will burst and they will die.
So, to summarize, there was no answer right now.
"Whew… damn it…"
Since I got a lover, the vulgar swear words that I had intentionally held back from bursting out on their own.
Even if I wrapped my head around it and thought about it, nothing would be solved.
I am not a spy or a politician, but a knight who wields a sword.
For now, let's do what I can and must do.
After the false report incident that led to an unexpected bombshell was over.
Time passed without end, and before I knew it, the day to go on a mission to purify the Argon Territory had arrived.
"Chief! We will soon be meeting up with the members of the Celestial Church."
"Yes. I understand."
I had already finished organizing my thoughts.
At that time, I was in a lot of confusion, but what can I do?
I tried my best not to let my friends and lovers know and lived as usual. As I continued to live like that, nothing much happened. Nothing happened right away.
"Sir Wolfgang! It's been a while, nice to see you!"
Ophelia poked her head out of the carriage and waved both hands at me to express her joy.
She was a mischievous little girl, but her bright smile was truly that of a saint.
I smiled back at her and bowed my head slightly.
"Haha, it's been a while, Saint. Nice to meet you too."
Okay, let's stop thinking about useless things and just finish this mission well and come back. This mission is easy with almost no variables.
"Haha! Lord Wolfgang, young brother! I'm so glad to be with you!"
"Ah, Your Eminence Cardinal Malleus."
Since we're joined by a more solid force than anyone else, you can think of it as a picnic that maintains a moderate amount of tension.
... Maybe.
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