Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!-Chapter 53: They’re Already Picking a Fight

The Judicial Minister’s gaze as he smiled meaningfully and studied me was deeply unsettling. In any case, among the ministers, aside from my father-in-law, there didn’t seem to be a normal one. Excepting his tendency to resort to fists when words failed, my father-in-law was a rare family-oriented noble.

That definitely fell within the range of normal.

"So what we uncovered is that the slum organization Rafel is connected to the merchant guild. But the merchant guild is under the Finance Department’s influence. What does that tell you?"

Huh? That was somewhat different from what I’d been led to believe.

"When I was a finance inspector, I identified the Administrative Department as the party behind the fence incident. But you’re saying the Finance Department was actually involved?"

"Oh, you might not know what happened after that. The Administrative Department being behind it was speculation. It was actually Finance. Our judicial investigators uncovered the relationship between the merchant guild and Rafel. Finance moved to cover it up once they grasped the implications, but a tip from an insider proved decisive."

The Judicial Minister smiled knowingly and moistened his throat with tea. So they’d investigated on the assumption that Administration was behind it, only to discover it was corruption within Finance all along. Finance had then moved to bury it, but someone on the inside had leaked the information to the Judicial Department. Who was that insider?

"Someone in Finance is behind this. As a guardian of law and order, I want to push the investigation through, but I cannot afford to ignore the relationship with Finance."

"Is the reason you’re bringing this to me that you want me to investigate?"

"Wouldn’t it be too much for you to investigate alone? Rather than the Judicial Department taking the lead, bringing in the Military Department—which is already at odds with Finance—can share the burden. The War Minister will certainly take up the cause. He’s the man who despises the Finance Minister the most."

What kind of scheme was this?

My father-in-law, who was already on bad terms with Finance, would probably leap at this bait.

"Please convey my intentions to the War Minister. I’ll hand over all our information."

"Judicial Minister, pardon me, but can you tell me why you’re making this proposal to me specifically?"

"The Steiner family unfortunately produces only military men. But you have a talent for maneuvering, don’t you? I still admire the skill with which you exploited the relationship between the Finance Minister and the Inspector General. Among young knights, those as adept at negotiation and strategy as you are few and far between."

It had been thanks to the Diplomat Scouter, but from an outsider’s perspective, I must have looked like a knight skilled at political maneuvering. In truth, though, I’d just been getting by with the scouter’s help in each situation. Besides, wasn’t Deputy Inspector General Mort far more cunning than me?

It seemed the Judicial Minister wanted me to serve as a go-between, since the War Minister’s family—being all military men—wasn’t suited to this kind of maneuvering.

"Personally, I have long opposed tolerating the slums. They call it a necessary evil, but this is how corruption on a massive scale—connected to guilds and even the Finance Department—takes root. I want to root it out. For that, the War Minister is the ideal partner."

"Then the Judicial Department will investigate the merchant guild?"

"Exactly. Slum organizations can be crushed outright, but the merchant guild needs to be brought to heel."

Given the relationship with Finance, it would be difficult for the Judicial Department to take the lead openly, but they still wanted to root out the corruption. So the plan was to pull in the Military Department to raid the slums while the Judicial Department investigated the merchants. The reason for pulling in the Military Department was simple: they were already at odds with Finance, so they’d serve as a tank drawing all the fire. Finance would be too busy fending off the Military Department to come after the Judicial Department.

It was far from a bad proposal, but there were still points that gave me pause. If this went through, I would be putting myself squarely at odds with Finance. Should I try to bring Inspector General Adelbert into the fold?

"What happens if I decline?"

"I’ll have no choice but to seek other means. I’m not foolish enough to make an enemy of the War Minister’s son-in-law. You seem reluctant to fight Finance, but unfortunately, Finance is already picking a fight with you. And they’re going after your people."

"...They’re picking a fight?"

What was he talking about?

"Among your subordinates, isn’t there someone named Ted Meyer? That subordinate’s brother is a commoner finance official. A commoner official can be brought under the thumb of his superiors at any time, can’t he?"

"..."

They were getting to Ted? I’d completely let my guard down. I’d forgotten that Ted’s brother was a commoner finance official. If they had his brother on a leash and threatened Ted, even someone as loyal to me as he was couldn’t help but waver. Why hadn’t Ted come to me for help?

Now I understood why Ted had been so troubled lately.

If what the Judicial Minister said was true, I had no choice but to fight Finance. As a noble, ducking a fight that came to your doorstep was out of the question, and they’d gone after one of my retainers. My head was already filled with anger. In the end, the Judicial Minister had gotten exactly the outcome he’d wanted.

But even when the situation was unfavorable, I had a policy of never doing business at a loss.

Even if I fought, I had to secure clear benefits. I couldn’t just let this slide.

"Fine. If I accept your proposal, Judicial Minister, what do I get out of it?"

"One way or another, an investigation will produce confiscated goods. A slum organization will have considerable wealth stockpiled. The money—take it as spoils of war for you and the War Minister."

Become a legal plunderer? That alone wasn’t enough, though.

It wasn’t just a matter of profit—it was a matter of the Judicial Minister’s accountability.

Given my father-in-law’s temperament, there was a strong chance he’d hear "investigate the slum Rafel" as "attack." Not investigate—attack. It sounded like an unholy commotion was in the offing.

"If my father-in-law steps in, the slums will get very noisy."

"With Steiner’s temperament, that’s certainly possible."

"But if such a commotion erupts in the capital, won’t His Highness the Grand Duke and the higher nobles be furious? Please ensure the upper echelon is properly persuaded, Judicial Minister."

Since this would proceed as a joint investigation anyway, the Military Department could bear responsibility for the rough work, and the Judicial Department could handle matters of accountability.

"Very well. I’ll smooth things over with His Highness the Grand Duke and the other nobles. Since we’re hitting the slums, the church and court clergy—who’ve always viewed them as an eyesore—will approve as well."

I seemed to have managed to minimize the fallout that would arise from raiding the slums. Dealing with ministers truly drained me. The Judicial Minister seemed to find my demands rather impressive. My habit of reducing risks two and three times over when making any plan was an occupational reflex.

Managing quality in a factory, you encountered every kind of problem imaginable, and as know-how accumulated, building in redundant safety measures became second nature. That was how quality defects got caught, and how you earned the market’s trust. I’d learned a great deal from the company. The problem was that the job itself had been miserable.

When I returned home, I summoned Bodo first.

"You want me to focus on investigating Rafel and the merchant guild?"

"That’s right. Gather as much as you can within ten days."

"Why the time limit?"

"Because that’s when Rafel will cease to exist."

Even without me spelling it out, Bodo seemed to have grasped what would happen in ten days.

"Then I should tell my contacts not to go anywhere near Rafel’s territory."

"Granting favors is wise. What will you do after that?"

"Make them as grateful as possible, right? Got it. I’ll try cultivating some pawns."

I sometimes had to wonder—was this child really ten years old? Bodo’s "contacts" were a superficial term; it was more accurate to call them business relationships. So what if Bodo made a grand show of helping them avoid danger? Among them, there might be some who would swear loyalty to Bodo out of gratitude. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"And here’s a map of Rafel’s territory."

"...Did you draw this yourself?"

"Sorry I can’t draw well—hmph!"

The quality looked like worms doodled with a mouse in MS Paint. Still, there were symbolic markings, so even with this, I could make out Rafel’s territory well enough. Since we couldn’t comb through the entire vast slum, this information would save a great deal of time.

Then I called for Ted.

"You called for me?"

"Ted. I consider you a trustworthy subordinate. So tell me honestly."

"Um, what do you mean?"

"Is it true that the Finance Department made contact with you?"

Ted was visibly shaken, and the color drained from his face.

That reaction alone was enough. What the Judicial Minister had said was true. This was a gap that even the Manager Scouter had difficulty detecting. I should have kept closer watch over my own household. If I added a new function to the scouter, could counterintelligence become possible? Bodo was still just scrambling to gather basic information.

"Ted. I hired you as a soldier and placed considerable trust in you. Are you thinking of betraying me?"

"No! I absolutely did not betray Sir Wolfgang! Please believe me!"

Ted dropped to his knees and protested his innocence. I checked his condition through the Manager Scouter. If he was lying, his emotional state would be marked as deception. Fortunately, Ted wasn’t lying. His emotional state read as innocence.

"Did those bastards threaten you through your brother?"

"...I was tormented by it. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you!"

Ted broke down in tears. For him, his brother was his benefactor. When Ted had gotten into trouble and lost his livelihood, his brother had supported him, and his brother had helped him join the inspector’s direct unit. So Ted couldn’t resist the Finance people who’d threatened him using his brother as leverage.

He said he’d been agonizing over it, paralyzed between two impossible choices.

"This happened because of my oversight. I should have been more careful. Bring your brother to me."

"What? B-but—"

"You only worried—you didn’t do anything that could be called betrayal. So I’ll take in your brother, since he’s become Finance’s target."

"...My brother? But my brother can’t serve as a soldier."

"Since he worked in the Finance Department, he’ll be good with numbers. I’ll have him manage our family’s finances. So stop worrying."

I was pulling Ted’s brother into my household so the Finance Department couldn’t use him as leverage anymore. Since Ted’s brother had been caught in the crossfire between larger powers, he would accept my proposal.

Ted was deeply moved by my decision and wept with gratitude.