Chapter 33: The Imperial Palace

Meanwhile, in the heart of the imperial capital, in the Emperor’s Palace,

in the Emperor’s office, Crown Prince Berthold stood before the Emperor’s desk, holding numerous files and papers, and spoke, explaining everything

"Regarding the twenty-seventh and final item on today’s report, by Your Majesty’s command, the Fourth Prince was instructed to take control of the Burnt Wood Bandits between the south and the capital; According to the Fourth Prince’s latest report, he managed to reach their supporter behind the scenes and discovered that it was Count Bärenfels; he is using these bandits primarily to besiege Baron Eberwald following a feud between the two that began five years ago when Bärenfels’s only daughter eloped with Eberwald’s son. However, the daughter died and her body was returned to the Count. He had previously brought his case before the Supreme Court, but it was dismissed because, according to the investigations, the Count’s daughter had run away of her own free will and her death was the result of misfortune rather than premeditated murder. It appears he decided to avenge his daughter by employment this gang of bandits years ago, and they succeeded in achieving their objective some seven months ago, Your Majesty, They abducted the Baron’s daughter, assaulted her and killed her, along with her brother, whose body has not yet been found. The reason for this brutality is that the man who took part and gave the orders was the Count Rabenberg’s son, who was engaged to Count Bärenfels’s daughter."

The Emperor took the file and began to read it. As for matters concerning the younger generation and their recklessness, he rarely intervened; indeed, he would leave the resolution of this matter solely to his fourth son. All that was required of him now was to appoint someone to lead the investigation; once the matter was fully resolved and the Supreme Court had handed down its verdict, all he had to do was affix his seal to either accept or reject the ruling.

After perusing the file, he asked what was not recorded in the official account of the murder of the Baron’s daughter and son—specifically, matters relating to his own orders.

"Can he control them?"

"According to the Fourth Prince, it is possible, Your Majesty, but their reputation is extremely poor. Therefore, the Fourth Prince suggested getting rid of them entirely—they are a gang of rapists and murderers with no rules or laws whatsoever. Instead of the Burning Wood bandits, in Baron Nebelfels fiefdom there is a new group calling themselves ’The Children of the Rubbish’. It seems that one of the illegitimate sons of a nobleman started this organisation, gathering together the illegitimate children of the nobility. ... -Leaving them to their own devices is dangerous, as they may turn into a force opposed to the Empire if action is not taken against them soon. Although they are not entirely innocent, they do at least possess a sense of principle and a hidden pride in their noble lineage, even as illegitimate children. The Fourth Prince therefore proposed granting them land south of the capital, rather than the Burnt Wood bandit territory, whilst they would be contained and managed by the Imperial Palace, where they could also be used to provoke and annoy certain nobles."

"Hmm, they seem like a good resource for messing with some of the nobility, but the danger they pose outweighs their usefulness. They’re a group with their own ideology, and it’ll be difficult to manipulate them because they have some self-respect and self-awareness. Even if we control them now, it might backfire on us later, and all we’ll be doing is giving them a foothold, like fools." - The Imperial Punishment Unit already has orders to exterminate them, so warn him to stay well away from them. As for the Burning Wood bandits... We recycle rubbish here; it’s not as if I’m training them, I’m simply using them for extermination. As for reckless criminals, give them some narcotics and they’ll be obedient dogs, so tell him to swallow his pride and carry on with his work without getting distracted."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

And since this was the last file he was supposed to report on for this morning, he remained standing in his place. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked uncertainly, his eyes fixed on the latest Supreme Court file concerning Count Karoyn on the Emperor’s desk

"If I may ask, Your Majesty..."

"Speak."