How to Raise a Villainess

Chapter 90: Cracks of convergence. (7)

The hidden dungeon was meticulously but quickly searched, not a single nook or cranny left undisturbed. But the end-result was just as expected, there were no other secret rooms tucked away within this already hidden underground area. Still, their first stop in the investigation resulted in at least a handful of evidence so it was a good start.

The people who had been locked up in the dungeon were freed and brought out, but they naturally weren’t free to just leave. They had to be questioned and investigated, those who had a home to return to would then be sent back while the rest would be handled in a case-by-case manner. But naturally, before that could happen, the results had to be reported to the emperor. And as one would expect, the person in charge of this was Nerissa Sylla.

She contacted the Emperor directly by using the insignia that marked her as the leader of the Amber Inquisitors, truthfully stating even the smallest details they had uncovered as they dug. When the discussion moved to the fact that they had indeed found the illegitimate daughter of Duke Sorin’s third son and the nephew of Duke Vritara’s niece, the sounds of a slight commotion came from the insignia.

Obviously, children weren’t completely bound to their parents or family and would often do as they pleased. But it was a piece of evidence that aligned with the accusation made by Gabriel so it was understandable that people would end up whispering amongst each other due to it. The Emperor quieted everything down without a word, but Gabriel could already guess that the undercurrents were already moving.

Innocent until proven guilty was only a concept for the law itself, how rare wasn’t it for the populace itself to simply ignore something like that? But well, that was exactly what Gabriel had been aiming for. Blow it all out of proportion and kick up a great big fuss so that he and Alice could buy themselves some time.

Nerissa ended the report by speaking of the soon-to-be slaves that they had rescued from the dungeon. They would need a place to stay while they were questioned and investigated so she wanted to know where to send them and how to proceed afterward. The response however… Was a little unexpected.

“You may send them to the palace. We are in the process of setting up a temporary shelter where they can rest as we question them. Afterward, those with nowhere to go will be placed in the custody of Countess Vritara.”

Countess, it was the title used for female Earl’s. The Vritara ducal family actually had a total of three female Earls, but only one of them was present at the banquet, at the palace. Alice De Vritara, the newest of the Vritara Earls.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed inquisitively for a moment. Judging by the Emperor’s tone of voice, this wasn’t an idea of his own making, and remembering that Alice went to talk with the Emperor as he left it wasn’t hard to figure out that this was part of what she was scheming. But the question here would be, why?

Gabriel didn’t know why she wanted to take in these people or what she planned with them, but he only thought about it for a moment before he put it aside. He didn’t need to think too much about why she was doing it, he could just ask her when he got back and get the truth straight from her own lips.

So, rather than spend time thinking about something like that, it would be more efficient to think about the next moves. The list of places to be visited after this was naturally something he was well aware of, he knew which businesses and people were involved in the treason and illegal slaves. But the fact was that this mansion contained a secret room he hadn’t known about before so there was a chance that the other places may be the same.

Thus, naturally, he needed to once again go over his plans and prepare for unexpected twists. Luckily, he didn’t have to do so alone, and had already sent out some people before the banquet had even started. He knew that an investigation like this would arise after the accusation was made, and thus there would naturally be people who tried to get rid of the evidence before Gabriel or anyone else could reach them. But the Night Pack would have been watching it all, preparing. From the start, the plan was never to let anyone get away.

Nerissa did as the Emperor ordered, calling upon one person from each group to gather the corpses on a wagon while simultaneously escorting the freed people back to the palace. While they started the trek back, she took the rest of the people and moved on to the next target on the list, someone known as Uncle Tarmund. This person was supposedly the first step to reaching the third son of Duke Sorin, they simply had to get through the three proxy companies that he led to.

The inn he ran was located in a city known as Evergreen Roads, located in the southern reaches of the western-based Sorin Duchy so the group had to use a portal cut down on the time needed to reach it, otherwise it would take them close to a week of carriage riding.

After leaving the portal, and as they rode through the city, they naturally heard the sound of the occasional animal. This city was aptly named, a veritable grove of trees lined the roads, it was a city as much as it was a forest, so animal were a common sight here. But there was one sound in particular that Gabriel focused on, the repeated hooting of an owl.

Good, everything was in place.

It was naturally rather late, if it hadn’t been for the fact that the investiture was broadcast to the entire empire then it wouldn’t be strange for most people to be asleep at this point. But because of everything that had happened, the city was still rather lively. Most people were probably waiting for the emperor to release a statement on the accusation levied by Gabriel.

Seeing as they weren’t trying to be quiet as they moved, Nerissa and her group naturally received more than a few stares. Amongst them, Gabriel was the main focus of their attention. The new Viscount of War who had kicked up such a fuss during the ceremony, the hero of the empire. Everyone here knew what they were out to do, a few cheers reaching their ears. Treason and illegal slavery, there would be no one in the common populace who wouldn’t cheer for those who came to put a stop to something like that.

Squirrel’s Nest, that was the ill-befitting name that Tarmund used for his inn. The entire thing was covered in a coat of paint that was a dull reddish-brown, branches stretching out from the walls within the building. The first floor was reserved for a large dining and drinking area, the second floor was where people slept, and the basement was used as a storage area for their liquor and food.

“I extend you my humblest greetings, illustrious Inquisitors. I would offer you a seat and some of our finest food and drinks, but I feel that you are not here for such frivolities. I do not know how this misunderstanding came about, but I have nothing to hide so please, take your time and investigate as you please.”

Bright green eyes, neatly cut and combed brown hair, a few freckles on his face, and skin tanned to the point of being slightly leathery. Tarmund looked more like a farmer than an inn owner as he greeted them, guiding them into his establishment.

“Thank you for your understanding. Should you turn out to be innocent then we will offer a public and official apology while also remunerating you for your time.”

Nerissa gave Tarmund the proper assurance and then got to work, naturally keeping Gabriel quite close to her side as they searched the inn from top to bottom. Tarmund even showed them the six different hidden compartments he had for hiding various logbooks and pouches filled with coins. Truly, a model citizen who was willing to do what it took to prove his innocence.

What a shame it was that he was already caught in the web, he just didn’t know it yet because his ‘wings’ still made a buzzing sound.

As one would expect, Nerissa and her men were unable to find anything tying Tarmund to any other companies. Even when they triple-checked everything, it came up negative. Even using the most exotic ciphers they knew about yielded no result, nothing they had found was encrypted in any way.

Naturally, that didn’t mean that their search ended here. Gabriel knew about the protocol of the Inquisitors, he was relying on that protocol to tighten the noose on this one particular target. And sure enough, Nerissa was so strict that she would not ignore the protocol.

“It does indeed seem like there is nothing here. Tarmund, please guide us to your home, we shall try to disturb your family as little as possible.”

Who would really keep signs of their embezzlement or tax evasion at the place they worked? Nerissa had seen more than her fair share of people who tried to hide it in their homes instead, thinking that they wouldn’t be searched. Would someone trying to hide information about proxy companies and the like do the same?

“Naturally. Please, if you would follow me.”

Tarmund did not hesitate and brought them straight to his home, to his wife and two sons. His wife seemed to be wide awake while the two children, who seemed about 8 and 11, looked rather drowsy so they had probably just been woken up.

“Please, take your time and search. Don’t let the mess disturb you, young children can be a bit of a handful. Sarilla tries her best to clean since she’s with them all day, but I do try my best to ensure that she also gets some rest.”

Tarmund scratched his cheek somewhat embarrassedly, his wife taking the two children aside so that they wouldn’t get in the way due to their curiosity. Naturally, the inquisitors started to search the entire building. Well, calling it an apartment was probably a bit more apt, even if it was a touch too large to be described as such.

Tarmund’s face hadn’t changed since the Inquisitors first arrived, he was the visage of upright confidence. But the nails were already being hammered into his coffin. One by one they were struck, locking him down.

One.

“Grand Inquisitor!”

By.

“I found something and request that you take a look.”

One.

One of the Amber Inquisitors came out from the kitchen holding a somewhat weathered book. Naturally, everyone’s attention was drawn to what he brought out. Thus, only Gabriel saw the twitch that marred Tarmund’s expression, the confusion that momentarily surfaced in his eyes.

Nerissa accepted the book and started to scroll through the pages. Her expression didn’t change much, but it was easy to guess what she was finding based on the dimming light in her eyes. It wasn’t something immediately related to the illegal slaves or treason, but there were clear signs that Tarmund was just a front-man, he was actually working for a different company, grossly miss-reporting his taxes and activities in the process.

A lot of funds entered his hands and then disappeared without a clear destination. Looking at it, several of the deposits made to him were also marked to come from rather dubious places and services. Well, it wasn’t that the places were dubious, but the amount of payment he received didn’t match. It wasn’t something terribly clear, but it was enough to start an investigation. As for what that would uncover? Well, only the one involved would know. And speaking of the one involved…

“I must levy an official protest to this. If you look at the writing and the dates noted in this book then you will see that they are evidently quite different from my own. As it stands, I also have alibis for the dates on which several of these deposits were supposedly made. This can only be a crude forgery to incriminate me, nothing more.”

Tarmund defended himself rather reasonably. The alibis were one thing as they weren’t yet proven, but the writing in this ledge was clearly a fair bit different from the writings they had found in his official ledgers at the inn. Naturally, they could investigate slowly whether or not it was a forgery, it would just take more time.

Nerissa’s eyes moved slightly, carefully observing the ledger and Tarmund in silence. She was clearly already forming a few opinions of her own, both on what the truth was and how to handle the situation. The emperor had sent them out with great haste to make sure that none of the suspects got away, spending extra time on a separate investigation could prove… Fatal.

But it was the proper thing to do if you wished for the truth. She knew it, Tarmund knew it, and that was exactly why he brought it up. But ah, what a shame it was that the hammer was still present to drive in the nails. And so, Gabriel spoke up.

“Head Inquisitor Sylla. Tarmund is correct in saying that it must be investigated whether or not this ledger is faked. To condemn an innocent person would be a grievous error. But if we look at the location where the ledger has been found, I believe that even if it was forged, someone in this room must have helped them plant it. I believe protocol in a situation like this is to temporarily detain and bring in all suspects so that they may be interrogated until the truth is found.”

He said it kindly, but you’d have to be a fool to not know who he was talking about in this room. Who had constant access to this place? Tarmund. His wife. His two sons. It was found in their kitchen, and the wife and sons were apparently ‘here all day’, clearly someone among them must have helped plant it if it turned out to be fake.

Tarmund paled instantly, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. His wife was also clearly scared at the turn of events, the children slowly catching on as well when they saw their parents’ fear. Nerissa rolled her eyes for a moment, seemingly searching her memories for a moment before she nodded her head.

“Such is indeed the protocol. Arvold, Duvain, detain them, we shall bring them back for questioning and dig out the truth.”

Nerissa gave the order calmly and her inquisitors sprang into action. But as soon as they moved, so too did Tarmund. How could he not move when he knew about the infamy of the inquisitors. They cared not for age, gender, or position, they only cared about the truth, about innocent and guilty. His sons? His wife? Could he leave them in their hands?

“Wait, please wait! I was wrong, this is indeed mine! Please, I’ll talk, so just leave them be!”

No matter who he worked for, Tarmund couldn’t avoid forming attachments and relationships with other people, especially something like love. It was what made him human. And if there was one thing Gabriel knew how to do then it was bring humans to their death.