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Chapter 69 : Corruption Purge (2)
A guest room in Griffith Castle.
“Phew.”
Roberto let out a sigh of relief. The tense moment had passed, and peace had finally come.
‘To think Occam would fall.’
It was a war that anyone would have thought Occam would win, but it had fallen in less than a week after the war broke out. Who would have known that the Griffith army would appear through the mountains?
Е̂n û m̊a.ї d̀
When he had heard the news that Bernard had been captured by the black magic user of Griffith and that the Occam army had all surrendered, he had thought he would faint.
He had been living a prosperous life, receiving the lord’s favor, and was about to become a beggar overnight. But Roberto knew how to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
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‘It’s better this way.’
Roberto had the authority to open the safe in the office. When Bernard was absent and there was a need to spend money, Roberto would open the safe, spend the money, and then enter it in the ledger.
Bernard’s trust in Roberto was so deep that he had him do things he wouldn't even have his own children do. It was possible because Roberto was the one who had taught him how to spend and manage money in the first place.
The night Bernard was taken away, Roberto had made a life-or-death gamble. He had stolen 50 gold bars from the mansion where his master was absent.
Е̂ñ ù m̊а
He had not forgotten to manipulate the ledger before being summoned to Griffith. Since he had sometimes entered the ledger on Bernard’s behalf, no one would know.
‘By the way, this place is really terrible.’
He thought as he looked at the room.
‘Even an Occam farmer wouldn’t live in a place like this.’
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Although the servant had said that this was a room where a noble guest had stayed, to Roberto, who was accustomed to the luxury of Occam, it looked like a stable.
‘Should I have just run away?’
W̄ é b ň о̃ v̆е́l Е̇ n um̃ а̃
He had thought that for a moment after stealing the gold bars. Because if the tide of the battle had been reversed and Bernard had returned, his execution would have been certain.
But carrying around gold bars was too dangerous. It was also difficult to find a trustworthy bodyguard, and he could have been suspected if he had run away for no reason.
Above all, it was a much greater long-term benefit to be next to the family that had taken over the gold mine.
‘I can just teach them how to spend money.’
Although he didn't like the shabbiness of Griffith, he could gradually correct it.
Bernard Occam also hadn't known how to spend money at first.
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It was because the habit of living in extreme poverty had become ingrained in his body.
Roberto, who had worked in a wealthy family even before serving the Occam family, had taught Bernard where to spend money and where to squeeze money if he were a real noble.
Fortunately, Bernard was an excellent student. Although he couldn't completely abandon his miserly nature, he spent money like water when it came to showing off himself and his family.
The more money Bernard spent, the larger the amount that Roberto, who was in charge of the finances, could skim off in the middle.
‘Griffith will be even more lax.’
Since it was a domain neighboring Occam, he knew from rumors how the lord of Griffith spent his money.
Е.n̂ ũṁа . і̂d
A wise ruler who distributed grain to the villagers even while the domain was failing due to a drought. Although people praised Roland, in Roberto’s eyes, he was a madman.
The villagers of a domain were a source of money, not a place to spend it. Villagers who could not produce money should be boldly abandoned. And yet, Roland had walked the path of self-destruction by pouring out money.
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When a person with such a soft economic sense suddenly came into a large sum of money, they would be at a loss as to what to do. That was when Roberto’s advice would be effective.
Just as Bernard Occam had, Roland Griffith would also become a being who could not live without Roberto.
‘Shall I get some sleep?’
Since he had stayed up all night, his eyelids became heavy.
Е n um̆ а
Although he hadn't been able to sleep because he had been nervous before meeting Roland, as soon as he thought he had passed the crisis, his tension was relieved, and drowsiness poured in.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Treasurer, it’s the butler, Frederick.”
What woke Roberto up was the butler of Griffith.
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“Wh-what is it?”
“Dinner is ready.”
Е ñ u m̊ а
“Alright.”
Roberto, who had gotten up from the bed with difficulty, followed Frederick.
‘He’s incredibly old.’
He thought as he looked at the white-haired butler.
Although he was tall and his back was straight, he was too old to be a butler.
‘These kinds of people just get a lot of money by citing their experience. They can’t even do their job properly.’
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There were plenty of butlers who cost less and did a better job, so he couldn't understand why he was keeping such an old man.
‘Is it because of old affection?’
Considering Roland’s soft personality, it was entirely possible. When he thought he had gotten close enough to him, he would suggest that he fire Frederick.
“This way.”
Frederick smiled and opened the door leading to the great hall.
“Isn’t this the great hall?”
W еb̆n оv̇е̃ l̄. Е̇ n̂ úm̈а̌
“His Lordship said he would bestow gifts on the officials before dinner.”
“Gifts?”
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“Please come in. His Lordship is waiting.”
Roberto entered, feeling bewildered. The other officials had arrived first, and their expressions were all unusual.
Clank.
The door behind him closed.
W̌ èb̈ñ.о̄ v̌е̂_l̊ Е̄n u ma
The officials scattered to the left and right, making way for Roberto. The lord was sitting on the throne, and his two notorious sons were standing on either side.
‘Th-that’s!’
His heart sank.
In front of the throne was a familiar box, a box that should have been hidden under the floorboards of Roberto’s house.
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“A familiar box, isn’t it?”
Edward approached Roberto.
Е n̈ um̀а̃ .іd
“What do you mean?”
Roberto showed an awkward smile. Cold sweat flowed down his whole body.
As Edward opened the box, dozens of gold bars emitted a brilliant light.
The object that he had considered a blessing until just a moment ago now seemed only cursed.
“Why was the 500,000 gold that was said to have been spent on war expenses hidden under the floor of the treasurer’s house?”
Edward stared at Roberto.
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When their eyes met, it felt as if his breath had stopped. He was so scared that it was even difficult to stand properly.
‘H-how did he know?’
He had proceeded with the work without anyone knowing. It had been late at night, and since the butler and the servants had all run away, there was no one in Occam’s mansion. He had put the gold bars taken from the safe into the box himself.
Although he had received the help of a servant he employed at home when he had loaded the box onto a cart and had moved it home. The servant did not know what was in the box.
He had not run into anyone while going from the mansion to his house. Although someone might have seen Roberto, they would not have recognized him because he had been covering his face.
After hiding the box under the floorboards, he had killed the servant to silence him. He had buried him in the backyard and had covered it well with bushes. No one would know if he said he had run away to escape the war.
Е̄n̊ ũmа.і̂d̀
It was impossible for Griffith to find out about this.
“I don’t know! Someone has framed me to slander me!”
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“Really? Then you’ll remember if I do this.”
Slice!
A light flashed, and then something flew up, scattering drops of blood.
It was two severed hands.
Ёnu ḿа̌.і d
* * *
“Aaaah!”
Roberto screamed and collapsed.
Looking with the Eye of God, his most intense desire had changed from not getting caught with the embezzled money to survival.
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‘Interesting.’
It seemed he could weed out the rest of the humans using this ability.
We̊ b̃ṅ о̊v̆ еl̃ Е̂ nu m а̂
“Do you remember now?”
“P-please spare me! I have committed a mortal sin!”
The desire for survival was a strong force. Even though the pain must have been enormous, Roberto got up and begged.
“If you have committed a mortal sin, you must die.”
He had already received permission from Roland to execute him.
“P-please…”
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Slice!
Roberto’s head was cut off.
“You have all seen well the end of a corrupt official, right?”
Edward turned to the other officials.
“The villagers of Occam said. That a certain tax collector would exempt or reduce taxes in return for a bribe. That if they didn't give a bribe, they would be made to pay other people’s taxes, so they had to prepare a bribe somehow.”
Although there were no witnesses or evidence, there was the Eye of God.
W е̃b̆ n̂ ŏ v̄ е̊l_ Е̃ nu mа
Since Roberto had committed such a big crime, he had continuously wished not to get caught.
The others had committed corruption on a daily basis, so they did not have such a desire.
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But when they witnessed Roberto’s death, they naturally became afraid of their own corruption being revealed. There was no desire stronger for a human than to avoid fear. The ones who had committed corruption naturally revealed their desire to avoid execution.
“There are both witnesses and evidence. Since you have not committed a crime as great as Roberto’s, I will show you mercy for the last time. Confess. This is your last chance to survive.”
There were a total of three officials who wished that their corruption would not be revealed. They glanced at each other and then prostrated themselves on the floor and begged.
“We’re sorry! Please forgive us just once!”
Е̇ ń um ӓ
“Please spare us! We will never do it again!
“Take them away.”
The soldiers dragged the three away. When he turned his head, Roland showed a faint smile.
* * *
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Roland, who had had an extremely awkward dinner with the officials, took his two sons to his office.
Although he wanted to let them rest, there was still a mountain of work to do. To decide on the major and minor affairs of the domain, he needed the wisdom of his sons, especially his eldest son.
Е n ú m̆ а̌. і d̃
“Roberto is one thing, but how did you know that the tax collectors had committed corruption?”
First, he asked Edward what he was curious about.
“I made a guess.”
“What?”
“If the treasurer would embezzle as soon as his master fell, the discipline must have been a mess in normal times. If Roberto, who was the head of the finance officials, was like that, I thought the others would also have a back pocket or two.”
Roland was impressed by his son’s brilliant reasoning.
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“Well done. Thanks to you, it seems the discipline has been established a little. What are you going to do with the tax collectors?”
“If you will allow me, Father, I would like to publicly execute them in front of the Occam villagers.”
“Didn’t you say you would spare them.”
“I didn’t swear.”
Roland chuckled.
Griffith did not know much about Occam. There was a high possibility that the officials who had been in charge of Occam’s operation would take advantage of this and commit fraud.
W̄ е.b̀ ň о̄v ĕ l Ѐ.nům а̌
But since his son had shown an example at the very beginning, such a thing would not happen.
“Do as you wish.”
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“Thank you. Oh, and I have something to give you, Father.”
As Edward waved his hand, a sword and an iron armor popped out of thin air.
“What did you just do?”
“It’s similar to a subspace storage.”
Ěn u_mа
“How did you do that?”
Roland couldn't close his mouth.
“It’s a bit complicated to explain.”
“I can do it too.”
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William also waved his hand in the air like his brother. A half-eaten pig’s hind leg, an empty liquor bottle, and a sock with a hole in it, along with a book, popped out of thin air.
Thud.
Ŵ eb̈nо̄v́ѐ l̆ En u m̀ a
The book, which had fallen to the floor and had opened, was full of pictures of naked men and women.
It was an erotic art book.
“…”
“…”
“Which bastard put something like this in here?”
William hastily put the junk and the book into the subspace storage.
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“The previous owner put it in. Not me.”
“I think the previous owner was me.”
“It was yours, brother? Sorry, if you had told me earlier, I would have given it back.”
“…Anyway, this is the armor and weapon that Herbert used.”
Edward held out the sword and the armor.
“I thought it would be better for you to use it, Father.”
Е̃ǹum а . і̆ d̃
“It is a spoil of war that you obtained by risking your life. It is only right that you have it.”
“It’s a Star Sword that generates aura. The armor also generates an aura shield on its own.”
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“!”
“If you use this, you can also fight on the front lines, Father.”
His chest became hot.
He had been unable to use aura at a time when he was on the verge of becoming a Sword Master.
W е b nо̀v́ е l Е́ n üm̂ а̂
He didn't know how much he had despaired at the fact that he had no choice but to let his natural talent rot.
Even in yesterday’s battle, he had had to barely suppress his desire to go up on the castle wall and fight.
If he could have fought like before, he would not have lost the soldiers.
“It won’t be like before, but you will be able to face up to a 3-Star knight.”
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“Thank you.”
Roland was greatly moved.
Е̇ǹ um̌а
He was grateful for the fact that his son, whose heart had also been petty because of his sickly body, had become such a thoughtful person.
“What about mine?”
“You should take care of your own spoils of war.”
“If you had come five minutes later, I could have smashed that one-eyed mercenary’s head. His sword also looked useful…”
“I will give you something else. The reason I called you is also for rewarding merit. If there is something you want, say it. Since you have made the greatest contribution in this war, I will grant it all if the circumstances allow.”
The two sons had a surprised expression.
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“You go first.”
“Wait a minute. This is too sudden.”
“Shall I recommend something?”
“What is it?”
Edward looked at Roland.
“How about giving William an official title?”
Е̃n̊ um̊а
“A title?”
“Since he has shown an excellent performance this time, I think it would be good for William to continue to be in charge of the soldiers’ training and command. It would be even better if there was a title that suited it.”
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Roland also nodded his head.
Although a training instructor was appropriate, since it was originally given to a knight who was in charge of the soldiers’ training, it lacked weight.
“How about a general?”
“What?”
Е n u m.а. i̇ d
A general was a title used only at the kingdom level at least.
If he was called a general of a baronial family, everyone would say he was crazy.
His eldest son, who could not have been unaware of that fact, had an endlessly serious expression. Roland saw through that Edward was playing a joke.
“Oh! A general is good! The general of Griffith. That’s cool.”
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Unfortunately, his second son, who was short on learning, was very pleased.
“Good. William. I appoint you as the general of Griffith.”
E n ǔmӓ
“Thank you.”
William, who had risen to a position that no one would take seriously, laughed heartily.
Edward and Roland also laughed together.
“Then, Edward, what do you want to receive?”
“Please give me Occam.”
“!”
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“!”
(End of Chapter)
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