The great nobles of the capital who were closely related to Duke Cisena tried to protect him.
It was an action to protect their interests, but the content was extremely ugly.
“Your Highness the Prince! Are you planning to punish Duke Sisena like this!”
The first to be indignant was the Count of Hiben.
Klaus laughed as he tried his best not to be embarrassed by the name of being the closest family to the Duke of Cisena.
“If I don’t punish you like this, what will I do?”
“The Duke of Hana Shisena is a family that has worked hard to bring endless prosperity to the empire for generations. How can you ignore such history and hold yourself to the same standards as insignificant peasants!”
“I don’t know if previous Dukes of Cisena tried to bring prosperity to the empire, but the current Duke of Cisena was plotting to destroy the empire. Isn’t that right?”
Klaus just raised the corner of his mouth with a smirk. The moment Count Hiben flinched under his wide gaze, the Marquis of Geltrang stepped out from the side.
“Your Majesty. Please listen to what this old subject has to say.”
“Say it.”
“After His Majesty the Emperor fell, when His Royal Highness the two princes took charge of the affairs of the imperial family, this subject was truly proud. The two Royal Highnesses surprisingly filled His Majesty’s vacant position. Especially the two of them. “It was great to see that Your Majesty is still young and showing innovative skills in music.”
The Marquis of Geltrang stroked his white beard and narrowed his eyebrows.
“How can old people like us be able to match the intelligence of your two highnesses? However, there is something called accumulated experience that you two do not have. It is said that an intelligent person never ignores experience….”
“Ah, you talk really long.”
Klaus grinned and stood up, banging on the table. The Marquis of Geltrang straightened up in a very aggressive movement.
“Well, Your Highness!”
“Just say it comfortably, Marquis. Punishing the Duke of Cisse or Duke is an excessive measure that will fundamentally shake the peace of the empire, so you want to listen to the nobles and suggest that we punish them appropriately.”
“That is, that is.”
“I can just say it briefly, but I even brought up the story of His Majesty’s collapse and said it in detail. Not only does he have a long beard, but he also has a long tongue.”
“majesty!”
The Marquis of Geltrang, whose face turned red at Klaus’ insult, shouted.
Klaus got up from his chair alone and walked around the conference room.
The nobles’ complexions turned pale when they felt Klaus’ footsteps behind them.
“I have to say it right away. Is it Duke Cisse or me who shook the peace of the empire to its foundations? There was someone who shook the peace of the empire to its foundations, and we tried to punish him, but punishment is an act that shakes the foundations?”
“Duke Sisena is a person who tried to protect the peace of the empire.”
Count Hibben, who was in a daze, closed his eyes tightly and shouted.
“You were trying to protect it?”
“As a result, it is a great sin that he made a mistake and caused a plague to spread to the empire. However, Duke Cisena originally had the goal of curing the plague through repeated research on the plague. He even accepted the fact that he could get sick. “If the person who studied the plague destroys his family because he made a mistake, how can medical science develop in the future?”
“That sounds very plausible.”
Klaus clicked his tongue. It was a remark that would not be surprising if doctors complained that their reputation had been tarnished.
However, several nobles began to nod their heads at Count Hiben’s words.
They were either deaf, had a deep connection to the Duke of Cisse or Duke, or were stupid.
“So my punishment is excessive?”
“It’s a shame to say that, but I think so.”
“Then what does the Count think is an appropriate punishment?”
“that.”
Count Hiben paused again at Klaus’ words. The answer came from next to him.
“Will you allow me to add to this old man’s experience, however limited it may be, Your Highness?”
“Get to the point, Marquis.”
The Marquis of Geltrang glared at Klaus with red, bloodshot eyes and then bowed his head obediently again.
However, the words that came out of his mouth were never obedient.
“It is true that Duke Cisena made a mistake, so as you said, someone from the ducal family needs to take responsibility. However, Duke Cisena has served the empire for many years, and he understands his position as a duke well. “I’m concerned that there are more people out there.”
“That’s right! Isn’t Duke Cisena a model for nobles?”
“It is as Count Hibben said. Therefore, I ask you to listen to my small opinion that it would be better to find a suitable person in the dukedom, excluding the duke, and dispose of him as a punishment.”
“A suitable person other than the duke.”
Klaus’s steps stopped.
A smile slowly grew on his lips. The Marquis of Geltrang, who was observing Klaus’s thoughts, also rubbed his hands with satisfaction.
“Wouldn’t you be satisfied with being a direct descendant of the duke?”
“Lady Rinoa Cissena will also value sacrificing herself for the dukedom.”
“That’s right. Aren’t you protecting your family’s honor?”
Since there was no restraint from Klaus, the nobles also put all their effort and energy into their arguments.
In their view, Klaus had no reason to reject this offer.
Although Duke Cissena did something stupid, wasn’t it resolved in the end without causing any particular problems?
If anything, this incident will reduce the duke’s say, which will be helpful in future transactions.
The moment I made that decision and laughed, Klaus’ cold voice rang through the space.
“Hanging a woman who is only about 20 years old to pay for the crime of putting the empire in danger. That’s a very good idea.”
“That’s it, Your Highness.”
“How about all the nobles related to the dukedom share the responsibility? I also value the honor of the dukedom, so I should set an example myself.”
“Your Majesty, refrain from speaking!”
The Marquis of Geltrang suddenly stood up. Klaus pressed down on her shoulder and made her sit down.
“Well, I…”
“I tried to pretend to respect him in case I had something helpful to say, but he ended up spouting nonsense without even realizing it. I like it.”
In the conference room, which suddenly became cold, Klaus glanced at the nobles with sharp eyes.
“The duke used necromancy, which was prohibited by imperial law. The duke attempted to cause a rebellion against the empire by manipulating corpses using a technique discovered through necromancy. The duke attempted to make the empire dangerous by researching plagues. This was clearly an empire. “It’s an act of resentment. Even the duke himself admitted it.”
Taking a deep breath, Klaus laughed.
“In that case, those who support the operatives who tried to cause treason can also be considered as advocating treason and be arrested and thrown away right now, right?”
“Uh, Your Highness.”
“It seems like His Majesty’s illness was a very good opportunity for you. Dare to defend what appears to me to be a clear crime of treason, doesn’t that mean the imperial family looks ridiculous?”
“No, Your Majesty! We are just saying that there is not enough evidence….”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty! I was short-tempered!”
The nobles who had not yet grasped the situation tried to make excuses, while those who reacted more astutely quickly bowed their heads.
Klaus did not listen to the nobles. We all expected them to come out like this from the beginning.
Klaus brought the prepared soldiers into the conference hall.
“Your choice. Continue to defend the duke and be arrested for treason, or reverse your decision.”
The answer was so fast that it felt like nothing.
Klaus grinned.
“Don’t worry. I have a lot of solid evidence in my hands that I didn’t tell you about.”
The final sentence handed down to the Duke of Cisena was a public trial.
Numerous commoners and nobles were able to hear the atrocities committed by Duke Cicena in the courtroom.
He used necromancy, which was banned in the empire, and tried to make the deceased’s dignity sober that they could not sleep even after death, and made the people of the empire suffer from a terrible plague.
Every time the horrific crimes were revealed one by one in the courtroom, people’s anger was directed to the right place.
The Sisena ducal family, which had shared history with the establishment of the empire, put an end to that history due to their insatiable greed.
The family’s position was abolished, and the duke lost everything except his life.
At least, his defense that he had protected the empire as an imperial noble for a long time was accepted and he was spared his life, so no one criticized the harsh sentence.
Klaus and I were able to watch the whole situation from behind the courtroom.
Originally, it was a waiting room only allowed for Klaus, but Klaus said he was bored when he was alone, so he dragged me into it.
Fortunately, for the first time in a long time, my opposite sex pretended to be a cultured noblewoman, so I was able to not go wild when we were alone in the small waiting room.
Of course, the content of the trial itself was quite exciting.
The nobles who dared to rebel against Klaus at the great council may not have known it, but Klaus had limited the information about Duke Cicena’s investigation to an extremely limited extent.
All the circumstantial evidence was perfect, but they acted as if there was no conclusive evidence.
As a result, they were able to catch the noble families who had ties to Duke Cisena.
The nobles, who believed that the gap shown by Klaus was a real gap, insisted on ‘justification’ and ‘justice’ and prevented the punishment of Duke Cisena.
They were stupid people.
“How did it end?”
I calmly praised the victory. As someone who has watched Klaus jump and run over the past few months, victory in this trial was natural.
In the first place, I was angry that so much effort was needed to punish the man who was not satisfied with the great power of the duke and tried to become emperor by killing innocent people.
What does a nobleman mean by collecting evidence in more detail?
‘If you were a commoner, you would have been executed right away!’
It’s the same in any world, if you don’t have money or support, you’ll feel sad and not be able to live.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“I thought I was going to die of frustration because there were so many people the duke gave money to. I wonder if he is sane enough to be forgiven even though he did something like this.”
“That’s right.”
I laughed out loud, remembering some nobles who were crying until the last moment saying that Duke Cissena should not be punished.
In the end, the moment they entered the court, they all turned away from Duke Cisena.
“Once the situation is over, I’m going to rob them. I’m sure they have an illegal connection or two behind them.”
“Of course. You went to such troublesome lengths for that in the first place.”
“I missed the big catch, though.”
“You mean Duke Brudel?”
“They say that if you commit a crime, you should be punished. Who gets to say anything?”
Klaus sighed and smiled. I grinned and patted Klaus on the back.
“Still, I’m glad. Rinoa Sisena is safe.”
Rinoa Cisena was a member of the Duke family and was recognized for bringing evidence to Klaus as a whistle-blower, but was able to avoid punishment.
Even so, it was inevitable that his status would fall to that of a commoner.
“Is Rinoa Cicena okay?”
That was the moment I asked that.
“Your Highness. Lady Rinoa Cisena has something to say for a moment.”
Rinoa Sisena came at an amazing time.
