The Reluctant Imperialist - Chapter 145

WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Reluctant Imperialist

Chapter 145

──────

A Knight's Authority

Rustle-- rustle--

It was winter, and before anyone noticed, thick snow had begun to pile up.

"In all my life, I never thought I'd see this..."

Kairon looked out the window and let out a dry laugh.

A small war had broken out inside the imperial palace. The trigger was the bombing attack aimed at Leutern II.

Julius claimed Leutern's side had staged it. Leutern claimed Julius's side had done it.

Suspicion became certainty, certainty spread into hatred, and in the end, people started killing each other between Julius and Leutern's factions.

No one even knew how many had died. All anyone heard was that assassinations and poisonings were everywhere.

Still, that blood-soaked stench never leaked outside the palace.

The House of Nobles Ethics Committee convened.

Julius von Arensburg was permanently expelled from the House of Nobles.

For the first time in a hundred years, someone of royal blood was stripped of House of Nobles status. Even that extraordinary news was buried under strict imperial control. Not a single imperial paper dared print a word of it.

"...Max. Thank god you're here."

Kairon exhaled in relief. From this point on, the investigation into Julius's "Gigantes embezzlement and smuggling" charges fell entirely to the Sentinel Order.

There was no other choice.

No ordinary prosecutor or police officer could dare investigate someone of royal blood, and handing it to Novus would have made no sense either.

"What are you planning to do about Julius's indictment and sentencing?"

Kairon asked Maximilian. He answered calmly.

"Members of the House of Nobles originally have immunity from prosecution and legal indemnity, but once expelled, he is now just an ordinary imperial citizen."

So.

When Maximilian paused, Kairon could already guess what came next.

"By principle, treason. Death."

"...Will that be all right? Even if he lost real power, he still carries royal blood."

"The Empire's knight order must be able to behead anyone who commits treason, even if they are royal. That is what the order's authority must be."

As expected, Maximilian allowed no exceptions.

Julius, too, would disappear into the execution ground without exception.

"But won't the schedule be tight? There must be a lot of documents to process."

Maximilian took Julius's standalone Knight Court trial, and Hanna Usar took the criminal trials for the small fry under him.

By now, Hanna had likely already gone to court as prosecutor.

"I heard Hanna is appearing in court too."

"Yes. She has a stake in this case, so she should bear responsibility for it."

Knights were the Empire's watchers. That meant they could perform almost the same functions as prosecutors...

A mischievous smile rose at the corner of Kairon's mouth.

"A commoner judging nobles. Not sure how that will go."

At some point, the Empire had started valuing status above profession, so she was probably in for a rough time.

* * *

Sentinel Order parking lot. Hanna Usar stuffed piles of investigation materials for court submission into the trunk.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

One administrative officer and two working officers got in with her, and they were about to leave.

Clunk! Rrrrrrr.

"...Ah, this junk car, seriously."

Hanna got out of the back seat and slammed the hood. Bang bang bang bang!

Bang bang bang bang!

Only then did the engine barely catch.

"Whew."

She scratched the back of her neck and got in again.

Rrrrk! Rrrrk!

The engine growled forward like an old cart.

"This really isn't easy."

She had split the bonus from the Bolska operation among the staff who worked hard, and her knight salary was already being poured into loan payments, rent, living costs for her family, and above all, building an information network.

"Knight, this may be out of line for us to say, but your spending is too high. Even so, you should keep something for your own living expenses..."

The administrative officer offered worried advice.

Untraceable spending, in other words cash slipped to informants, had already passed half her salary.

"No. I need it. There are too many terrorists and violent criminals harming the Empire these days."

Hanna Usar considered herself a fast learner.

In the Bolska operation, the biggest reason she had nearly gone down was simple, lack of information.

If she failed to secure her own eyes and ears, she would end up as someone else's game piece again, pushed into a death trap.

"They say each imperial knight is an institution, almost an organization on their own. So we need that kind of scale too."

While they talked, the old used car reached the Imperial Central Court.

"Let's get out."

Hanna entered the courtroom with the officers and sat on the prosecution side. Across from her stood six noble businessmen who had helped launder Julius's money.

Every one of their faces looked sour.

"Please be seated."

Soon six judges entered, and the presiding judge declared:

"We will now open proceedings in Imperial Central Court, case number IR 1517/91, against the defendants."

Hanna stood at once.

"I am Sentinel Knight Hanna Usar, who led the investigation in this case."

She submitted evidence showing Julius had laundered money through the defendants' companies, and that the defendants had taken huge commissions as intermediaries.

"...Therefore, under Article 114 and Article 237 of Imperial Criminal Law and the Act on Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds, I request full confiscation of all criminal profits and five years' imprisonment for the defendants."

The evidence was clear, but because the other side was noble, this level was effectively the ceiling.

The moment Hanna finished her recommendation:

"I object."

Defense counsel stood with an easy smile.

"Your Honor, and Knight."

The expression he wore when he looked at her while saying "Knight" grated on her nerves.

"I am not questioning the credibility of the evidence Knight Hanna submitted. The smuggling funds did pass through my clients' companies or houses. But I would like to clarify the matter of intent."

The lawyer stressed the defendants' "innocent intent."

His argument was simple. They believed they were processing normal trade payments and did not know the money was criminal revenue tied to Gigantes weapons smuggling.

"To put it simply, the defendants are victims too."

Then cleverly forged circumstantial evidence and contracts started pouring in.

"I object! Those contracts are appearing out of nowhere right now? Your Honor, those were not disclosed in pretrial evidence exchange, so they are inadmissible!"

Hanna shouted urgently, but the flow of the trial was grossly unfair.

"Objection denied. In order to guarantee the defendants' right to defense, this evidence will be admitted."

The presiding judge casually brushed aside Hanna's valid objection.

"...Some portions of the fund-flow tracking report submitted by the knight side may constitute illegally collected evidence, and subjective judgment has been excessively involved, so evidentiary value is excluded."

He also neutralized Hanna's claims and evidence.

"Your Honor, the result itself proves the defendants laundered funds intentionally. Since when did imperial law use a criminal's flimsy intent as an excuse-"

"Ahem. Knight Hanna, those charges are not yet confirmed. In this court, observe the presumption of innocence and mind your words."

"..."

Hanna ground her teeth.

The trial continued under faint but constant contempt toward a young commoner knight.

In practice, it felt like a speech contest for the defense lawyer.

The judge cleared his throat and struck the gavel.

......

Imperial Knight Court.

The place had sunk into silence so heavy it was hard to breathe.

Both plaintiff and defendant were figures too powerful to describe lightly. Almost every judge could not bear the burden and refused the bench, so only one Supreme Justice near retirement was pushed onto the podium.

"Duke Julius von Arensburg... ahem. My apologies."

The Supreme Justice's voice shook with tension.

"We will now open the Knight Court trial of this defendant."

A court judging high royal blood of the Empire.

Julius sat in the defendant's seat as if he had given up everything, and only Maximilian Ebenholtz stood in the plaintiff's seat.

"Plaintiff side, do you have a statement?"

"Yes. Based on the evidence submitted in advance."

Maximilian's words were short. He had already provided all evidence regarding the Gigantes weapons smuggling to the court, and the judges had reviewed it hundreds of times.

He had not even needed to attend in person, but he came himself as a final courtesy to Julius.

"I request death."

As if the moment had finally arrived, the Supreme Justice closed his eyes.

In Knight Court, unless the evidence is extremely crude, rulings are usually issued in line with the assigned knight's intent. It was a special venue that received only those who had caused severe harm to the Empire.

Yet even in that heavy history, this trial carried uncommon weight.

The instant that gavel fell, a precedent would be set, the first royal head taken in a hundred years.

"..."

The Supreme Justice slowly raised his heavy eyelids and looked carefully across the room.

One man was watching him in silence.

Maximilian Ebenholtz.

Those cold golden eyes were icy and straight.

A gaze without even a trace of wavering, as if it forced a choice and pressed it harder.

Gulp.

Swallowing hard, the Supreme Justice struck the gavel with a trembling hand.

"...Regarding defendant Julius von Arensburg."

His cracked voice fell heavily into the empty courtroom.

"I sentence him to death."

......

One week later.

Final sentencing day for the criminal trial prosecuted by Hanna Usar.

"Ahem. Ahem."

The judge entered, coughed a few times, then picked up the prepared ruling as if there was no need to delay.

"Imperial Central Court now opens sentencing in case number IR 1517/91."

Hanna listened to the judge's voice. The tone in which he read each line made her sick, and she glared at him sharply.

"After multifaceted review of the plaintiff's fund-flow evidence and the defendants' intent in acting as trade agents... it is determined that the submitted evidence alone cannot clearly prove the defendants' intent..."

Even hearing this much made it obvious which side had bought the judge and what intent had already been set for the ruling.

"...Evidence that the defendants intentionally participated in money laundering is markedly insufficient, therefore all defendants are found not guilty."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gavel rang through the courtroom right after that deliberately grave nonsense.

Hanna looked toward the defendants.

Noble defendants breathed in relief and acted smug, and their lawyer looked across at Hanna with a mocking stare.

In a place where money and power ruled, even obvious crimes could hide behind the vague word "intent" and be scrubbed clean.

That was the reality of the Empire's rotten court.

......

That evening, at an upscale restaurant in the capital.

"Krahahaha! I should've taken a picture of that country mouse look on her face."

"Even if she's Sentinel, she's still a rootless commoner, a commoner! How dare she try to drag nobles like us down."

"I heard that little rat came from some backwater, what was it, Ikanso? Where is that place even supposed to be?"

"Even the surname sounds vulgar. Usar? What kind of name is Usar? Sounds like livestock. Hahaha!"

Nobles who had been acquitted in court gathered in one place, celebrated their victory, and mocked the young knight.

"But what if that rat appeals?"

"Ah, that will obviously get dismissed. I have connections not only in court but in Sentinel too..."

Step. Step.

Someone approached their table.

Step. Step.

All seats were already taken, but he walked in without hesitation, dragged over a chair from the next table, and sat naturally among them.

"What the..."

At the sudden uninvited guest, the nobles frowned and glared.

"Pleasure to meet you."

Perfectly set blond hair. Golden eyes curving like a smile.

The nobles' laughter stopped the instant they saw him.

"..."

They stared at him, startled.

He gave a small smile and introduced himself.

"I'm Maximilian Ebenholtz."

Maximilian, Ebenholtz. A dangerous combination of two names. Their complexions stiffened in a blink.

Right then, a quick-witted waiter brought a fresh glass.

"Let's eat first. You can listen while you eat."

With an elegant gesture, he indicated the food on the table. Not one of them moved a hand. None of them could.

"First, sincere congratulations on your not-guilty verdict today."

Trickle. The waiter poured red wine into Maximilian's glass.

Part of his reflection bent across the curved glass.

"Still, imperial procedure..."

These were nobles blind and deaf to what was happening. They had no idea what kind of bloody storm was tearing through the palace, and they rampaged like mayflies relying only on shallow status and money.

"...cannot be fully explained by a single trial in ordinary court."

"What... do you mean by that...?"

One of the nobles asked in a cold sweat. A faint smile rose at Maximilian's lips.

"Ah, to explain it simply."

The red of the wine gleamed in his pupils.

"After this trial, I intend to formally refer all of you to Knight Court."

In that instant, all their expressions froze. They looked like people who had just been sentenced to death.

A judgment seat where a lawyer's sophistry and a bought judge's mercy did not work, where the will of one knight, Maximilian, became the ruling itself.

"Helping launder the funds of a criminal who embezzled Gigantes weapons is clear treason and an enemy act that shakes the foundation of the Empire."

Maximilian's words pressed down on the air. The nobles stopped breathing.

Of course, if he had applied outside pressure in advance, none of this would have been necessary.

But that would not make an example of them. These pig-like fools needed to learn what it meant that even a commoner could be a knight, and what Sentinel authority meant.

"If after all that, you still cling to a foolish certainty of innocence."

Maximilian tilted his gaze and swept across every face there, one by one.

"Then I can only conclude that you are taking Sentinel knights lightly."

"N-no, no. That's not what we-"

"Knight sir, knight sir, w-we-"

The nobles went pale and stammered.

Bzzzt-

At that moment, Maximilian's terminal gave a short vibration. He glanced at the screen, then curled one corner of his mouth.

"I just received word that Knight Hanna Usar has filed an appeal against the court's not-guilty ruling."

Maximilian slowly rose from his seat.

"I am not sure whether this is fortunate, or regrettable."

He looked down at the terrified nobles without emotion and said: