Chapter 635 Decisive Queen
Minister William stuttered for a second while he organized his thoughts, a trait that made him seem somewhat endearing and sheepish, despite his enormous size and power.
"Your Majesty, we have recently made some significant upgrades to the Palace security after the majority of the defensive wards were destroyed by the rebellion. The majority of the new spells can be attributed to Patriarch Noxus, who has proven to be a great ally to both the Palace and its employees since his arrival here.
The conflicts in the countryside died down soon after the new King was selected, but it is more of a stalemate between opposing factions who had taken too heavy of losses to continue their conflict indefinitely. The Palace has managed to maintain order thus far, but until the King comes into his full power, there will continue to be unrest." William explained.
"Wonderful. I do so hope that they choose to continue their conflict. I have lost my life for the future of the Kingdom once, and I do not intend to do it again, so for those of you gathered here, I will let you know in advance. There will no longer be any lenience or mercy when it comes to disobedience, sedition or disloyalty.
With that in mind, I will be reopening the pits effective immediately. Those found guilty of corruption or conspiracy will be cast into the pits for the traditional ten thousand years of torture." The Queen announced.
The gathered Nobles began to look concerned, so Wolfe stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, there is no way that you could have been aware, but there are multiple Ministers and an Advisor currently awaiting trial on corruption charges. Minister William and the Intelligence Minister have compiled the case against them." Wolfe explained.
"Bring the evidence to me." The Queen demanded.
William's assistant handed the file to him, and he handed it to a Royal Guard, who handed it to the King, who opened it for his Grandmother.
The ritual chain of command made Wolfe smile with its inefficiency, but it only took the Queen a few minutes to read through all the charges.
"And how much of the money was recovered?" She demanded.
"Roughly forty percent of the known total." Minister William replied.
"I see. Well, at least you didn't lose the entire treasury in your incompetence. Send the guilty parties directly to the Pits. With a Reigning Monarch back, there is no more need of a trial. Furthermore, the Crown thanks the advisors for your loyalty and assistance while we review the necessity of your positions around the throne."
As one, they cursed the name of Advisor Moria for casting doubt on all of them when the returned Queen was already feeling murderous.
"Where is the Steward? He should have reported this to the King." She asked.
"On his way to the pits now, I would imagine, your Majesty. He was apprehended along with the advisor, the agriculture minister, the Guard General and Foreign Affairs Minister Dalton." Minister William explained.
The King nodded in agreement, and the Queen looked down at him.
"Was there something else?"
The King smiled at his grandmother. "The commoners are quite looking forward to a public trial to show that we are deadly serious about dealing with corruption and any improper allocation of the precious tax moneys that they send to us. I believe that at least one of the conspirators needs to be made an example of."
The Queen considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I believe that the Guard General would be the most logical option. The Guards are the face of the Royal Family to the people, any amount of corruption among their ranks is completely unacceptable." She suggested.
The young King looked confused for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I had thought the Advisor was the most logical, as that was the corruption closest to me, but you are right. We should make a point of showing the people that those we send to represent us are incorruptible, and then follow up if they don't live up to the standard."
A few of the Ministers and assembled Demon Lords made a pentacle gesture at the King's comment. It seemed like a warding gesture to Wolfe, in recognition of just how screwed the General was, and in hope that it wouldn't affect them personally.
Everyone knew the General, it was just part of being part of the Palace Nobility, so there was a chance that a malicious opponent might try to set them up by association.
More Nobles were coming by the minute, either flying or portalling into the Palace answering the Queen's summons, whatever they thought would be the fastest available method of transport for them. The looks on their faces were universally shocked, but a few of them seemed to be openly enraged to see her alive again, and Wolfe knew that the Queen and the loyal Minsters were taking note of everyone's reaction.
With all the nobles here, there was no chance to send out a message to warn anyone, using a communication token would be noticed immediately and lead to uncomfortable questions during a conversation about treason.
Even if they were traitors, they weren't that stupid.
"Announcing His Highness King Memo of Sodom." A booming voice declared from the door, and a massive demon with deeply lined, leathery black skin marched in holding a battleaxe as a walking stick and wearing only white leather pants.
The crowd fell silent as he stomped across the room with the golden chains attached to his leathery wings jangling at every step.
"Little Sister, it is good to see you again. I have come to help you set these traitors straight. My people did a lot of work investigating after your death." He announced, then pulled the Queen up out of her seat into a crushing hug.
It was a bit comical, as he was twice her size, and they looked very little alike, but by everyone's reaction, there was no doubt that they were family. This day was definitely getting more interesting.
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