Chapter 621 621 Rounded Up
The first to arrive was the guard that they had sent after the Steward, who was now unconscious over his shoulder, toted back to the sitting room like a sack of potatoes.
"Minister. The Steward was headed directly for Royal Advisor Moria's offices. When I searched his person, I found this." The guard informed them before tossing a small ledger on the table.
It was a bank book, and there was no name on it, which was somewhat unusual, as marking your bank book prevented its use by others, thanks to the Truth Spells in every bank and most other businesses.
But when the Intelligence Minister opened the book, his eyes grew wide and rage burned in his expression. Even his aura seemed to be burning hotter as he struggled not to murder the Palace Steward.
"This will do wonderfully. Thank you. It has the names of five conspirators, and monthly deposits that match the discrepancy in palace spending. It looks like we have one more person to round up, but if I am correct, then they will be coming here on their own."
The others didn't quite follow what he was talking about, but moments later the door was kicked in, swinging up against the wall with a bang, as it was neither locked nor latched.
"Everyone, halt where you are. By order of the Palace Security Minister, you are all being detained until further notice." A harsh voice demanded.
The Guard General stomped in, followed by Advisor Moria, her two fellow conspirators, and Minister William, with the Chief Investigator and a dozen Royal Guards following them.
"Such a pleasure to see you again, Minister William. Thank you for bringing everyone together in one spot so that we can sort this all out in one go." The Intelligence Minister announced with a smile.
William stepped forward, still not aware that the supposed thieves from the Minister's Area were actually agents from the Intelligence Service. But when he reached the desk, the Intelligence Minister handed over the bank ledger, as well a handwritten note.
He looked at the note, then opened the ledger, while the other Ministers looked on, confused. They had noticed the missing private books as soon as they entered, and assumed that the thieves had pilfered confidential information. "Investigator, kindly close and lock the door. Nothing that happens here can leave this room." Minister William announced.
Then he turned to the Royal Advisor.
"Would you care to explain?" He asked, holding up the bank book.
Her emerald scales seemed to dull instantly as she stared at the book.
"I have no idea what that is." She declared.
"Lie." Minister William confirmed, pointing to the amulet worn around his wrist like a watch.
"Is that what the thieves are trying? To frame me for some crime?" She asked.
"No, this is what my team took off the Palace Steward just a few minutes ago, after he was caught trying to break into your office." The Intelligence Minister announced.
The amulet glowed green, and Wolfe looked away to hide his amusement. It was technically true. He had been trying to get into her office, probably to dump all the incriminating evidence on him, as he knew he was being investigated. But by omitting the details, it made the situation sound very different.
The Advisor's face turned furious as she realized that the Steward had been trying to pin everything on her after he was caught. With nothing in his possession, he could claim anything he wanted, like being blackmailed, intimidated or otherwise forced to go along with the plan. But with him carrying around the bank book, nobody would believe that story.
She looked back at the others, as well as the Palace Guard General, who clenched his jaw as he realized what the Intelligence Minister had found. His role in the whole scheme was to look the other way and make sure that the shipments of gold made it to the bank. Then he collected his cut and that was it. But with the bank book turned over to the incorruptible Intelligence Minister, there wasn't much chance that he would be able to get out of this situation.
"So, where do we go from here?" Minister William asked.
"I suggest that we hold them in contempt of the crown until such time as a Royal Judgment can be announced to determine their guilt or innocence. Once the matter is before the King, it will be out of our hands and quickly settled." The Intelligence Minister suggested.
The Chief Investigator nodded his agreement. "Yes, that would be best. There will be much less political intrigue if we do it that way instead of holding a large public trial for so many ranking members of the Nobility at once."
That actually seemed to brighten the conspirators moods. They were all well regarded by the young King, and one of them was a close advisor. Surely, they could bend the truth enough to escape any meaningful punishment.
William sighed and reached into an interior pocket of his suit. He took out a half dozen sets of enchanted handcuffs and placed them on the desk.
"If you willingly surrender to answer to the suspicions, it looks good on your record. But either way, you will be detained, so it is your call." He informed the small group of conspirators.
"Where is that weasel, the Steward?" Advisor Moria asked.
"On the floor behind the desk, unconscious. He will wake up in a while, the Intelligence Agent just put him to sleep." Wolfe explained.
The Chief Investigator tapped Wolfe on the shoulder to get his attention.
"I thought that the new spell prohibited abducting people?" He asked.
"It does. But it doesn't prohibit putting them to sleep to bring them in for interrogation by law enforcement. If he had been trying to harm or abduct the Steward, it would have stopped him." Wolfe replied.
Then, just to shatter any hopeful plans they had of corrupting other guards, he added one more bit of information.
"Of course, that would apply the same way to the holding cells. If someone came with the intent to break a prisoner out, it would stop them as well. Even if they didn't intend any harm to the prisoner, the harm and bad intentions toward the Kingdom expressed by freeing prisoners would be enough."
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