Chapter 5.3

The Duke surveyed the knights standing behind the prince and the investigators on the opposite side before speaking with a triumphant tone.

“I believe you can already guess the reason His Majesty appointed me as the new head of the Royal Investigation Bureau.”

No, we have no idea… 

Inwardly, the entire Bureau prayed fervently, desperately wishing to remain ignorant forever. 

Goddess of the Marshlands, deity of orphans, protector of the City Watch—please, shut his mouth! 

Of course, their prayers had no effect. Despite the heat, the Duke dramatically swirled his formal cape and continued speaking.

“It’s time for the Bureau to be granted its proper status and role. Yes, a proper role.”

‘We’re doomed.’

The knights were dumbfounded, and the Bureau collectively clutched their heads. The speech, which no one present wanted to hear, dragged on for a long time.

“Throughout the summer festival, the Bureau and the Knights worked together, didn’t they? If they can clearly distinguish their responsibilities, they can function efficiently. Yet, why has such a practice taken root? These are organizations with distinct origins and histories. Just because their work appears somewhat similar, mixing them together creates hierarchies and competition, doesn’t it? Imagine—there are only three royals in the Kingdom, and one of them is so busy working that he couldn’t even attend the ball…”

Danielle desperately searched for someone to stop the Director. Former Director Bouclan, now the head of the Cooperation Office, stood at the back, looking utterly clueless. 

Ugh, someone, anyone! 

A fierce battle of glances unfolded among the investigators. Ultimately, Lawrence, who lost the silent battle, rolled up his sleeves, seemingly ready to commit the legendary insubordination of striking the new Director on the back of the neck. Just as he was about to step forward—

“That’s enough, Duke. May I, as the Prince, take this opportunity to commend the royal servants gathered here?”

“Commander.”

Emerich, the Secretary-General, tugged at Marcelan’s sleeve and whispered softly, but the Commander didn’t listen. Commander Marcelan, or rather, Prince Marcelan Roigar, gently silenced the Duke and continued speaking.

“I didn’t realize you were so disappointed about not meeting me at the ball, Duke. If you’re so eager to speak with me here, there’s no need to wait for the welcome banquet, which may or may not happen. Let’s do it now, for everyone’s sake. Secretary-General, exclude today’s refreshment expenses from the operating budget. I’ll pay for it personally.”

“Ah, no, Commander. That’s…”

Count Emerich, who had tried to intervene, was left speechless, as though struck by a bombshell. 

I should’ve let Lawrence knock out the Director earlier… Wait, did he just say he’d pay for the refreshments himself? Seriously?

According to tradition, the refreshments for the annual meeting were prepared in advance by the Knights, who provided the venue, while the expenses alternated between the two organizations each year. For the Prince to cover the costs personally wasn’t just a gesture of generosity—it was a warning, or rather, a display of irritation. 

While Maurice and Sophie exchanged wide-eyed glances, Cyril glanced toward the Bureau. The new Director was beaming as he extended his hand for another handshake with the Prince. Clearly, he had no idea what the gesture of covering the refreshments meant. Meanwhile, Danielle and Katarin were holding back Lawrence, who was still intent on striking the Director. For a fleeting moment, Cyril’s gaze met Danielle’s again. This time, Danielle didn’t look away. She mouthed silently:

‘Be careful.’

Cyril would soon understand what she meant and whom she was warning him about.

***

“Are you out of your mind, Director?!”

“Investigator Danielle, I understand how you feel, but… no, I don’t. I don’t understand. Watch your words.”

“How am I supposed to watch my words about this? At least the regular appointments are next month… Did you know about this, Director?”

“I’m not the Director anymore. And I found out last night.”

Last night or this morning—there’s barely a ten-hour difference. That’s why he was now hurriedly packing his belongings.

Egir Bouclan, who had been relegated to a position so obscure it was practically nonexistent, remained outwardly composed. He was a son of the Bouclan family, which had served the Royal Investigation Bureau for generations. Apart from the fact that he was devouring the enormous amount of high-end pastries that Prince Marcelan had personally provided, even dipping into Danielle’s share, he was calm. No one else in the room felt like eating the pastries from the capital’s most popular bakery.

Lawrence Weiss, the man who had missed his chance to commit the legendary act of insubordination, was now inspecting the hallway outside the Director’s office with a serious expression. He then locked the door. Inside the chaos of boxes and scattered files, the room held four people: the former Director, Lawrence, Danielle, and Katarin. Including Jermi, who was stationed far away, and Ivan, who was on assignment, this made up the entire spice smuggling task force.

Lawrence spoke first.

“Director, what should we do about the task force?”

“I’m not the Director, Investigator Lawrence. And the task force is disbanded.”

“But we reported our findings from the ball, didn’t we? We’re so close to moving to the next stage!”

“Think about it, all of you…”

Bouclan, now the head of the Cooperation Office, lowered his voice. Surrounded by three young subordinates, one of whom was still an apprentice, he calmly shared his thoughts.

“The spice smuggling case was something I pushed for, even though Lawrence opposed it. I knew it was a risky investigation, but I saw it as an opportunity and convinced you to proceed. We kept it secret even within the Bureau because it involved royal monopoly items, which could easily provoke the Knights.”

“…”

“But what happens if Ingram finds out about this? The investigation was already dangerous just by being conducted. If it succeeds, it becomes even more dangerous. It won’t stay a secret. Instead, it’ll become a spectacle—‘Look at this! The Bureau outperformed the Knights! We succeeded in protecting royal peace where the Knights failed!’ He’ll shout it everywhere.”

“…Ugh.”

There wasn’t a single flaw in his reasoning. Duke Godfrey Ingram’s loose tongue and equally loose judgment were infamous throughout the Kingdom. Of course, no one had realized just how bad it was until today. Still, abandoning a successful investigation because of that? The memories of their grueling efforts flashed through their minds.

Katarin, who had been assigned to the task force right after starting her apprenticeship, had begun her career with smuggling rather than theft or fraud cases. Jermi, who had been combing through dangerous back alleys and was now effectively stranded in a port city for over a month. Lawrence, who had silently endured everything. And Danielle, who had been humiliated simply for following orders. Were they supposed to drop everything now, just because of a new Director who didn’t even know why he was here? A heavy silence settled over the group.

Bouclan was the first to rise, suggesting they finish packing. At that moment, the youngest member, the apprentice investigator Katarin, cautiously spoke.

“What if we keep it a secret?”

“A secret… what?”

“Our task force is still operating without a single official document. Part of the budget is disguised as club expenses, and part of it is separately recorded for post-approval once everything is done. I know this very well because I’m the one doing it.”

The one who suggested assigning the paperwork to Katarin was Lawrence, while the one who opposed it, saying it was inappropriate to teach an apprentice such shortcuts, was Danielle. Regardless of the justification, Lawrence’s judgment ultimately proved correct. Apprentice investigator Katarin Martel counted on her fingers as she presented detailed solutions one by one.

“The Investigation Coordination Office has hardly been operational until now, as I’ve heard. When I’m formally appointed during the next personnel reshuffle, you can assign me to the Coordination Office. Since official duties there involve coordination, it offers relatively more freedom for travel and spending money on external parties. It’s a department with nothing to do anyway, so you can also transfer club management tasks to it. Compared to now, it’ll be much better managed.”

“Investigator Katarin…”

Lawrence, who had always called her “Miss Martel” until now, looked like he was about to cry. The jaw of Count Bouclan, the head of the Coordination Office, seemed ready to drop to his collarbone. Danielle barely resisted the urge to hug the youngest member. A sense of pride in this brilliant newcomer, who had adapted to the bureaucratic world in such an unusual way, spread through everyone’s hearts. 

We really did well. But is this good for Katarin too? Ah, who knows… 

Danielle sighed softly and quickly returned to her usual demeanor.

“That coordination, there’s no reason we can’t do it with the Knights as well. Let’s take this opportunity to dig into it.”

“Seriously, stop obsessing over the Knights… Don’t tell me you’ve found some plausible excuse?”

“No. But I know something the Knights would be interested in.”

Danielle let go of Katarin and picked up the box at her feet. She poured an entire drawer into the empty box with a loud clatter and grinned. But her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“Duke Ingram has always been the greatest enemy of the Knights. If there’s even one person in the Knights who is both informed and capable of thinking strategically, they’re probably in serious trouble right now.”

***

“The Ingram territory is one of the kingdom’s farthest borderlands.”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

“Do you know what a borderland truly means, Commander?”

Marcelan looked at Maurice with a face that seemed to ask, ‘What nonsense is this?’ Maurice Argulin remained steadfast.

“It means that beyond the estate lies foreign territory. Specifically, it borders Dioli and Allegra.”

“No way.”

Sophie let out a groan. The Free City of Dioli and the historic Allegra. Neither was among the territories that Roigar had subdued during its conquest of half the continent. Dioli clung to its equal footing with Roigar, wielding immense wealth in one hand and trade agreements with the temples in the other.

As for the Duchy of Allegra, there was no need for further explanation. Allegra had never once accepted a royal consort from Roigar since the kingdom’s founding. Though they hadn’t drawn swords, the situation was akin to a cold war. Ingram, a landlocked region reliant on Allegra’s ports for trade routes, paid Dioli a substantial brokerage fee every year.

This much was common knowledge. But so what? Sophie, receiving puzzled looks from her colleagues, rubbed her temples. Can’t the person who brought this up just explain it already…? Prodded by Maurice’s gaze, she reluctantly opened her mouth.

“Perhaps… no, almost certainly, the Duke of Ingram is preparing for war.”

“War? With Allegra?”

“Whether it’s Allegra or Dioli, only the Duke knows. His visit to the capital this time must be to obtain approval for the war, so His Majesty will soon find out.”

Perhaps His Majesty already knew. The fact that Ingram had been handed the position of Bureau Director was proof enough. Approval for war meant approval for military expansion.

‘Be careful.’

Cyril was momentarily stunned. Everyone in the Knights swallowed dryly. Sophie’s unfinished words were picked up again by Maurice. After over a hundred years since the last rebellion war, in an era where the Knights had only taken the lives of non-human creatures, a grim old duty was being thrust upon them. And at the forefront of it was the one most suited to wield the King’s sword in his stead—the King’s own bloodline.

“The Knights will regain military authority in exchange for relinquishing their jurisdiction over the capital’s security. And they will go to war. In Duke Ingram’s territory, for his benefit.”