Chapter 397 – Mask of Truth

Mask of Truth

The silence that followed stretched for several seconds. Though most of the nobles who were unaware of Kaglai’s recovery might have actually lost consciousness.

「Salute to the Emperor!」the Prime Minister bellowed.

The nobles reflexively put their right fists to their chests. Nino, unfamiliar with the proper etiquette, kneeled on the floor.

「Your Majesty, you said you would not be coming here today. You were not in your best shape.」

「Indeed. But many noblemen have gathered in this court than you imagined. I believe this means everyone involved is present?」

「That’s true, but…」

「Wh-What’s going on, Your Majesty?!」

The former Minister of the Right was confused, a feeling shared by both the conservatives and progressives.

Kaglai sank back down to his chair.「I detested the labels you all made for yourselves—conservatives and progressives and whatnot.」he began.「I only put up with it because the Prime Minister said such things were necessary. But when nobles start attacking each other, it is a different story. All issues will be resolved right here and now.」

The nobles swallowed hard at Kaglai’s firm statement. The Emperor always had an easygoing and gentle air to him. But not at the moment.

「Zepetta.」

「Y-Your Majesty! I apologize for my unseemly appearance…」Zepetta knelt in place, ashamed of his attire.

「It is fine. When you said you would swear it on your coin, you meant it, yes?」

「I-I abologize. I am a merchant by nature…」

「I would not have appointed you as a noble if I disliked merchants. The unyielding spirit you displayed just now was truly admirable.」

「I-I am honored.」

Nino couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His father, who lived for money, was prostrating himself. He seemed to truly admire His Majesty the Emperor from the bottom of his heart.

Strangely enough, he found himself jealous of his father. It was the first time Nino laid eyes on the Emperor. Any citizen would feel honored if he talked to them—all the more so when they were given a compliment.

Nino thought his father became a nobleman in order to further expand his business. Of course, that was a big part of it. But he realized there was more—his father could come in contact with the Emperor himself.

「Raise your head. We will begin the trial, but not yours. Let us start with my attempted assassination.」

「Your Majesty! Do you know the identity of the scoundrel who would dare to kill you?!」

「Yes.」

「Who is it?!」the former Minister of the Right asked.

Kaglai raised his hand.「It is quite complicated, so I will have someone eloquent speak. How about it, Silver Face?」

As if a fog just lifted, a figure appeared behind Kaglai’s chair. Wearing a black cloak and a silver mask, he was known to most of the nobles here as Silver Face.

「I thought I told you I’d only be a bodyguard.」

「Your deduction was quite fascinating. I cannot bring myself to take credit for it as if it were my own. It should come from your mouth.」

「Please wait a moment, Your Majesty!」The former Minister of the Right protested.「How could you let a stranger stand by your side?! He is a suspect in your attempted assassination!」

「No. Silver Face will be the one to reveal the truth of this incident that escalated a conflict and even resulted in a trial.」

You bastard… Hikaru’s cheek twitched behind his mask. Like he said to Kaglai, he was only here as an escort and had no intention of getting involved in this issue.

But Kaglai dragged him into the mess. He probably had good intentions. Hikaru helped Kaglai recover—though it was all Paula’s Healing magic—and solved the mystery behind the Emperor’s attempted assassination.

Yet for all this, Hikaru only wanted unlimited access to the library as a reward. Kaglai decided to set the stage for him to build a valuable reputation.

Mind your own business, man…

If he wanted attention, he wouldn’t wander around using Stealth and wear a mask. Hikaru felt irritated that Kaglai didn’t understand that.

Then again…

Kaglai’s statement brought all eyes on Hikaru. In the silence, Hikaru looked at Zepetta and his son.

I didn’t expect to see Nino here. I thought the names Zepet and Zepetta being similar was just a coincidence, but now that I’ve seen the Count’s face, it all makes sense.

Hikaru liked Nino, so he decided to speak.

「First of all, Emperor Kaglai has been completely healed. He was in a coma caused by poison, a cleverly concealed one at that, but we’ve managed to neutralize it, and now he’s fine.」

「Yes. I feel invigorated.」

The nobles were relieved to see Kaglai’s condition. While they had their issues, they all shared the same feeling of giving their all to serve the Emperor.

「Let’s go over this chronologically.」Silver Face began.「First there was an attempted assassination on the Emperor, then the downfall of the Minister of the Right, and finally Count Zepetta’s arrest, all happening in a span of days. Before we go any further, you should all know that each case was plotted by a different person.」

「What? Different persons?」the former Minister of the Right frowned.

「Yes. You framed Count Zepetta for making you lose your position.」

「What?! Do you have proof?!」

「Let’s examine the cases one by one. You took over Viscount Deck’s debt, didn’t you? A copy of the contract has been submitted to the Prime Minister.」

The Minister of the Right froze, but the Prime Minister simply nodded. Sneaking into a mansion and stealing a contract was easy for Hikaru.

「Of course, there’s no way you’d do that without getting anything in return. In short, Viscount Deck sold his daughter. If a scandal with Count Zepetta came to light, no one would take her hand in marriage anymore.」

「I-I, uhh… That’s…」Viscount Deck stammered, turning pale.

「Fool. Men who don’t cherish women will never succeed.」Zepetta said.

「Another one of our family lesson, yes?」Nino added.

「Count Zepetta himself set up the Minister of the Right.」

「………」

「You’re not denying it, huh? Oh, well. The Minister of the Right’s affair seemed to be an open secret in high society. Sorry about this, Margrave Korn. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but this part can’t be left out.」

Margrave Korn shook his head.「It’s fine. I’m the one who said I wanted to know everything. Please continue.」

「Right. Anyway, there’s very little benefit in overthrowing the Minister of the Right, so there was no problem until now. Then all of a sudden, Count Zepetta caused a stir. Why? Because of the Emperor’s attempted assassination.」

A major incident could shake the palace and tip the scales. It was the perfect opportunity to overthrow the Minister of the Right, and send in a progressive for a cabinet position.

「In fact, Count Zepetta’s plan worked. Count Ron was appointed commander of the imperial capital and can now attend the Imperial Council.」

Zepetta snorted, as though saying “Of course it worked.”

「But you didn’t expect the Minister of the Right to exact revenge so soon, did you? Before you could defend yourself, you got smacked.」

「………」

「Why do you think the Minister was able to move so quickly?」

「I don’t know…」

「Because he was plotting the same thing as you. He wanted to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Emperor’s attempted assassination to get rid of the progressives. And he made quick preparations for that.」

Zepetta turned around in surprise and looked straight at the minister. The minister himself eyed the Count hatefully.

「You both love women and are quick to seize the opportunity to take down your enemy. You two are eerily similar.」

「Silver Face is right. Why do you not use your resourcefulness to work together?」Kaglai said.「If you do, our Empire will continue to flourish. It pains my heart.」

Seeing the emperor frown, they both hung their heads low.

Same mannerisms even. They could’ve been best friends, Hikaru thought. Or maybe hate each other for being the same.

「Now, then. We’ll move on to the Emperor’s attempted assassination. The incident that started it all.」