Chapter 141: The World Thinks of Us as It Pleases (2) A terrorist bombing.
I arrived at the explosion site without a moment's delay. I pulled Reutern II, a VVIP of the Imperial Palace, from the mangled wreckage of his vehicle. He was bleeding profusely.
His injuries were limited to a fractured leg and minor burns. His life was never in danger, though—that was entirely thanks to the Premium Cube hanging around his neck.
It was the core of an 「Aura Sphere」—a function of an artifact worth millions.
"Transfer him immediately," I commanded the paramedics who arrived on the scene shortly after.
As Reutern II was carried away, I stepped back and calmly surveyed the chaotic blast site.
"Keep the scene as it is. No one is to touch anything."
After restricting access to the police and other knights, I activated the virus within me.
Ssssss—
My vision tinted blue, and the residual traces of the explosion began to surface.
Fragments of mana were scattered where the flames had swept through. I tracked the flow, confirming the shapes of the clues I had intentionally planted.
The impurity wavelengths of the mana stones used as the explosive charge. The distinct scent of the alloy left behind by the melting Gigantes-made components.
Everything was exactly as I had designed.
"Transfer all evidence collected from the scene to Sentinel Headquarters, specifically to my office."
I gave the order to the administrative officers and returned to the order.
...Just as I was about to bring the evidence into the knight's office to begin a full-scale analysis, a buzzing noise drifted in from the hallway, quickly escalating into a commotion.
"Sir, members of the nobility from the Imperial Palace are here."
An administrative officer ran in to report the situation. Upon hearing the news of the attack on Reutern II, various factions from the palace had swarmed the headquarters to uncover the truth.
"Refuse all interviews until this case is closed."
I flatly rejected them all.
"Lord Reutern himself said he intended to visit in person—"
"Tell them politely that this is for the sake of investigative transparency. State that a Knight of the Empire does not involve himself in the political friction of the Imperial Palace and only pursues the truth."
The administrative officers didn't know the truth behind the explosion, and it was better that way.
Among my closest associates, only Schatz and Yukia—who had manufactured the bomb—knew the truth.
"Understood."
The officer relayed my words exactly to the palace nobles.
From then on, the full-scale investigation and analysis began.
I recruited the Empire's top experts in magical engineering. To guarantee the objectivity of the investigation, I gathered renowned authors of academic papers, chair professors from the Imperial Central Graduate School, and mages from the Magic Tower to cross-verify the bomb's wreckage and mana structure.
However, the only conclusion they could reach after analyzing the evidence was the extremely minute wavelength of the mana stone used as the explosive medium.
While this could be confirmed in the mana stones from the mine owned by Julius, the same was true for twenty to thirty other mines.
Therefore, clear identification was impossible, and the experts all reached the conclusion that it was a "bomb crafted very cleverly to ensure the traces could not be tracked."
It was an uncertainty designed to fracture the Imperial Palace.
"Sir, these are the result reports derived by Professors Edward and Miller of the Imperial Central Graduate School, who conducted their research in completely independent environments."
A few days later, the administrative officer handed me another thick file.
"The two professors' opinions on the bomb's destructive power, composition, and detonation method are perfectly identical."
"What about the Magic Tower's endorsement?"
"We have completed cross-verification with the mana response data collected and analyzed directly from the scene by Mage Ezel Luncelot immediately after the incident. Therefore, the Sentio Magic Tower guarantees that the possibility of evidence being manipulated internally or after the fact is remarkably low."
"...Ezel did?"
"Yes. The Sentio Magic Tower dispatched Mage Ezel, claiming she is their most outstanding forensic expert."
I had ended up utilizing her talents without even realizing it.
I felt a bit bitter, but it couldn't be helped.
Just as I intended—the 'evidence' was complete.
* * *
Reutern I was on his way to the Imperial Hospital to visit his son once more.
Pitter-patter—
In the silence of the heavy night rain drumming against the car, he received the official bomb analysis report released by Sir Maximilian.
"...It seems certain it was that fellow."
Reutern I gripped the documents tightly, the veins in his hands bulging.
"Lord Reutern, please calm yourself. The physical evidence is not yet certain. No matter how fierce the political struggle, an assassination attempt against royalty... would be too risky a move even for someone like Julius."
His confidant cautiously tried to dissuade him, but Reutern's rage did not subside easily.
His son, Reutern II, had fortunately survived. It was thanks to the Premium Mana Stone Cube shining at the moment of the explosion.
Conversely, if not for that miraculous protective shield...
His son's body would have been horribly blown apart, and they wouldn't have even been able to recover his remains properly.
"...Calm myself?"
Reutern I exhaled sharply, suppressing the murderous intent rising within him.
"Yes. Even so, would Julius really have committed such an extreme act?"
"He must have been terrified. Dismissal from the House of Nobles is an extreme matter in itself."
Reutern had intended to merely clip his wings, but Julius had repeatedly doubted him, and he could no longer tolerate it.
"The timing is quite laughable. This happened right after rumors spread that my son was gathering his forces at Lilac Vita."
Above all, the power of the bomb was the problem.
Firepower designed for the sole purpose of a perfect assassination.
The bastard had intended to kill Reutern II, no doubt about it.
"...Leave all investigations to Sir Maximilian," the confidant advised again in a calm voice.
"Sir Maximilian, and an Ebenholtz at that, will not be swayed by any external pressure from the Imperial Palace. Didn't he set a precedent during the last internal audit of the order by transparently and fairly auditing Sir Adria and concluding she was innocent?"
Maximilian followed principles. He was transparent and did not yield to pressure. He was a man who possessed the power, authority, and status to be that way in the first place. Therefore, the prevailing opinion within the Imperial Palace was that he had no reason to manipulate evidence or falsely accuse someone in this case.
"...If it is truly revealed that he was the mastermind who tried to kill my son."
The deep wrinkles on Reutern I's face twitched ominously.
An old father already in his eighties, whose greed for power had faded. The remainder of his life was now only for his son, the treasure who would have to live alone in this harsh world.
"I will exterminate his entire clan."
A beast-like murderous intent flickered in Reutern I's eyes.
* * *
Suspicion is not a phenomenon.
It is another form of distrust.
Therefore, as long as distrust is not removed, suspicion is never resolved; instead, it blazes out of control.
All I had to do was transparently incinerate them with the sparks that would ignite that distrust—
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Maximilian von Ebenholtz, the Sentinel Knight in charge of the investigation into the 'Reutern II Bombing Incident.'"
In the conference room of the Sentinel Knights, I had representatives from each of the major families of the Imperial Palace seated at a round table. Since most of the palace nobles had gone into hiding deep within their estates after the terror attack, most were proxies.
"To ensure the objectivity of the investigation, I have invited the foremost authorities in each field to this meeting."
I introduced the experts seated separately behind the round table one by one.
Chair Professor Edward of the Imperial Central Graduate School, Professor Emeritus Miller, a giant in the field of magical engineering, and Mage Ezel Luncelot of the Sentio Magic Tower.
Every time I called their names, the noble representatives bowed politely. They, too, were well aware of the authority and reputation these experts held in academia.
"Before we begin the formal briefing, I have one request. If anyone here is carrying a recording device or machine to document today's meeting..."
I looked around at the faces of those gathered at the table. A hint of tension passed through them.
"Please place them on the table so that the recording can be smooth and clear. There is nothing to hide in this investigation, but leaking information to the press is strictly forbidden."
They looked at each other in confusion for a moment, then cleared their throats and fumbled to pull out recording devices from their coats.
Mana-based, magic-based, mechanical, voice-recognition scrolls... there was quite a variety.
"Yes, good. Then, we shall begin the case briefing."
I dryly briefed them on the time of the incident, the exact location, and the state of the scene's preservation.
Next, I projected photos of the key evidence collected from the scene onto the silver screen.
"Let us hear the detailed analysis and opinions of the experts regarding the collected evidence. Professor Edward?"
The white-haired Professor Edward stood up and cleared his throat.
"Yes. As a result of analyzing the wreckage collected from the scene, this bomb has been identified as a 'Dual-Detonation Magical Bomb' that instantaneously explodes high-density compressed mana. In particular, various special alloy steels were used for the bomb's casing and major components, and items from the West and East were mixed..."
The East. The moment that word was mentioned, the nobles' eyes flashed sharply. The Eastern Empire was the region where Gigantes, which had been destroyed a few years ago, was located, and the name Gigantes was indeed on the list of candidates.
"Furthermore, we have identified the vibration of the mana stone used as the explosive charge for this bomb. The type of mana stone is 'Curio.' The list of mines where this mana stone is currently being mined is as follows."
A total of 28 locations. However, one of them was Julius's mine.
Silence fell over the round table.
One of the palace representatives raised a hand.
"I respect the professor's knowledge, but is there any chance that evidence was intentionally manipulated or that disadvantageous fragments were omitted during the investigation?"
Professor Edward looked back at me.
I nodded leisurely and spoke.
"All evidence and analysis data will be disclosed transparently without a single thing hidden—"
"I personally verified the state of the scene."
Ezel Luncelot stood up first.
"I am Ezel Luncelot, a 6th-Circle Mage of the Sentio Magic Tower."
A 6th-Circle Mage. She had become a mage of considerable authority before I knew it.
"I was dispatched to the scene immediately after the incident and collected mana response data. After cross-referencing that mana data with the physical analysis results of Professor Edward and Professor Miller, the composition of the fragments and the trajectory of the mana traces matched perfectly. Therefore, I can boldly assert that the possibility of the evidence being manipulated, whether by an internal investigator or by someone after the fact, is zero percent."
Ezel cleared her throat and sat down.
"It is as you have just heard."
I followed up after her.
"Today's meeting is merely a briefing to share the progress of the investigation so far. The investigation to catch the culprit behind the bombing targeting Reutern II will continue without any sacred cows, and all evidentiary materials obtained during the investigation will be disclosed transparently, just as they were today."
Just as I was about to conclude the round table meeting.
"We understand the investigation. However, shouldn't the Reutern family, who is the victim of this situation, at least be able to have an interview with you, Sir Knight?"
The representative of the Reutern family demanded in a firm tone.
"Yes. Let's do that."
I nodded readily.
The sparks of suspicion had already been planted in their hearts.
Now, it was time to ignite them.
...
"Sir Maximilian. Please speak with this person."
The Reutern representative set down a crystal ball.
In these days when terminals were active, crystal balls were relics of a bygone era. They did have one advantage, though: it was much harder to intercept mana waves than with a terminal.
"Please, speak."
—...It is Reutern, Sir Maximilian.
Reutern I's hoarse voice flowed from beyond the crystal ball.
—I have heard the contents of the briefing. I have also carefully reviewed the experts' opinions. However, no matter how much I think about it, I cannot shake the feeling that you are taking an excessively cautious attitude in this investigation.
Reutern I continued, as if trying to suppress his anger.
—One of the candidate sources for the mana stone used as the detonator belongs to the Julius family, and the bomb fragments contained a special alloy that was produced by Gigantes in the past. What do you think of these circumstances?
"It is true that some fragments match parts produced by Gigantes, but we cannot conclude who the culprit is based on that alone."
—That is what I mean by being too cautious. Julius also has the clearest motive for the crime. You know the news from the palace, don't you?
I shook my head.
"Let me be clear. I am not interested in the Imperial Palace."
I wasn't interested. I just wanted to kill them all.
"For now, it is merely a circumstantial coincidence. Unless clear physical evidence emerges—"
—There's no way physical evidence would remain! He probably killed the perpetrator who installed the bomb in the vehicle as well. Given Julius's nature, he is more than capable of doing so.
Reutern I's voice grew heated, and the crystal ball vibrated slightly.
I replied calmly.
"Lord Reutern. The investigation is solely our responsibility."
I mixed in a tone that suggested I was appropriately offended.
"Please restrain yourself."
As a knight, I must not show even the slightest hint of being swayed by the palace nobility.
—...I suppose I got a bit excited. My apologies.
Reutern let out a deep sigh.
"Yes. In any case, a witness interrogation is scheduled for tomorrow, and I plan to question those matters then..."
...
The next day.
Julius sent a representative to the order instead of appearing himself. Since there was the special circumstance of a terrorist bombing, I decided to be understanding.
—There may be many misunderstandings about me regarding the Gigantes matter, but I swear this was not my doing.
Julius asserted through the crystal ball, just as Reutern had.
Of course it wasn't.
"Yes. I also do not conclude whose doing it was. I will not overlap the Gigantes embezzlement charges with this case."
—...I see. However, Sir Maximilian. I want to ask you one thing.
"What is it?"
Even before the interrogation began, Julius tried to pour out his own 'suspicion.'
—The reason Reutern II was able to survive, that mana stone cube.
He distrusted Reutern. It was because the situation was flowing that way.
—Was there anyone in the Imperial Palace who knew exactly that a protective function to block explosions was built into that cube?
Thus, all sorts of hypotheses were endlessly blooming in his head.
"Hmm..."
I stroked my chin, pretending to deliberate, and paused.
"There is me, who gifted it; the artisan who crafted the cube; and..."
I whispered in a low voice.
"Only Reutern II himself."
—...
At that moment, Julius fell silent. Silence hung for a long time. Only Julius's heavy breathing occasionally flowed through the quiet interrogation room.
—I see.
Finally, a murmur mixed with a groan.
—So that's how it was...
I could roughly guess what he was thinking.
—Reutern II knew he had a certain means to protect his life. Thus, he knew he wouldn't die even if a terrorist bombing occurred.
Suspicion becomes conviction, and conviction gives birth to hatred.
—Sir Maximilian.
A voice echoed coldly through the crystal ball.
—Have you ever considered that this incident might be a self-staged act?
Julius suspected Reutern II as the mastermind—the culprit—behind the Reutern II bombing.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 20 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/semi-coercive-imperialist
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━