Chapter 84: A Corrupt City (2)

“Hmm…”

He was beginning to see the full picture. But it was still too early to jump to conclusions.

Yuri nodded.

“I understand for now. Putting that aside, how much money has been lost to these taxes?”

Yuri ordered an investigation into how many veterans of the Alliance were in Yuzes and how much money had been taken from them. Ace immediately sent a comrade to look into it.

“We’re not great with numbers…”

“Don’t worry. The financial side will be handled by an expert.”

“An expert?”

“Someone from the Elaine Trade Association is coming. You can leave everything to that guy.”

“You have connections with the Elaine Association?”

“Let’s say I do.”

Ace grabbed Yuri’s hand.

“Truly, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d have died on the battlefield… and now you’ve come all the way here…”

Yuri gave a short laugh and patted him on the shoulder.

“Thanks to all of you, I’m still alive too.”

“Prince…”

“Focus. Now’s the time to keep a cool head.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yuri stroked his chin.

“Getting the money back isn’t actually that hard.”

If it came to light that the veterans’ compensation came directly from the Third Prince, those absurd made-up taxes would be nullified.

The important part came afterward.

“This can’t be allowed to happen again.”

Yuri’s visit to Yuzes was, in part, an inspection.

While helping the Veterans’ Association, he also wanted to gauge the sentiment of the people of Briol and ensure there were no other cases of corruption.

Yuri tapped the table lightly.

“Among the veterans… are there some who still haven’t settled and are wandering around?”

“Yes, a few.”

“Good. Make me a list of those guys too. We need to turn them into useful people. If we don’t educate them properly now, they’ll end up as bandits.”

“Come on, that’s a stretch, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a joke. I guarantee it will happen.”

Yuri had already seen the consequences just before arriving in Yuzes.

“At the very least, they need vocational training.”

“You’re going to do all that?”

“That’s what the Comrades Association is for.”

As they discussed various issues, a question came to Yuri’s mind—he wanted to know the general opinion about Raymond.

He personally valued him highly, but he wanted to hear what others thought.

“What do you think of Raymond?”

“He’s a model knight.”

“Everyone follows him?”

“Of course.”

“I see.”

Yuri nodded in satisfaction. That was the answer he’d been hoping for.

The Comrades Association still had a long way to go. To lead such an organization, a truly upright leader was needed.

“There are fewer decent people in the world than one would think.”

“You’re right.”

“And Raymond is one of the few.”

Yuri decided to appoint Raymond as the president of the Association. With that, the major issues were settled.

Yuri looked at Ace, who was still sitting there looking spaced out, and gave a mischievous grin.

“Ace.”

“Yes?”

“Seems like everything’s settled now…”

Yuri rubbed his fingers together, hinting at something, glancing at him sideways.

“How about we see how good you still are?”

“Oh, sure. Haha, of course.”

Ace immediately pulled a deck of cards from a drawer and began shuffling them skillfully.

“I’ve been dying to play again…”

Yuri snatched the deck out of his hands.

“You bastard! You really haven’t changed.”

“Prince?”

“Didn’t you say you quit gambling?”

“Eh? Ah, y-yes, of course I did.”

“Then why do you have cards?”

“They’re just a keepsake…”

“I was testing you again this time too.”

“And I knew that! I was just going to play one hand…”

“This guy…”

Yuri stood up and shouted toward the door.

“Hey, ma’am. Your husband’s—”

“No, please don’t!”

***

It was dawn.

Yuri was having breakfast in the dining hall on the first floor of the inn where they were staying, waiting for someone.

Soon the door opened and a boy walked in carrying a package, looking around.

Yuri waved a coin.

“Here.”

The boy handed him the package, took the coin, and ran off. Yuri took a sip of coffee and unwrapped the package.

It was full of documents Asana had confiscated from Genard’s castle.

“Hmm…”

Yuri grasped the broader picture.

There was proof that Genard had convinced other nobles to impose levies on Alliance veterans. Just as he had suspected, it was all a plan devised by Genard.

However, he still didn’t know Genard’s true motivation.

“Was he jealous of me?”

After finishing breakfast, Yuri wiped his mouth and stood up. He left the inn, leaving instructions for the owner for when Laurent and Jared woke up.

“When my companions arrive, tell them I went out for a walk alone.”

“Yes, sir. Have a good day.”

Perhaps because it was an upscale inn, the owner was extremely courteous. Yuri left a tip and stepped out onto the street. The fresh morning air greeted him.

“Now where was it…”

Yuri headed to the Uncle Loans branch run by Gorio, located near the Yuzes market.

Before long, a shabby-looking betting hall came into view. It seemed these types always chose the same kind of neighborhoods to set up shop.

Even at that hour, the place was already packed, likely with addicts who had spent the whole night gambling. Yuri walked through the noisy space and knocked on the door to the office where loans were handled.

A burly man opened it.

“Here to borrow money?”

“No.”

“Then get lost.”

“I don’t want to.”

There was a bit of commotion, but it was resolved instantly. When the manager arrived, the first thing he saw was the prince calmly sitting on a pile of his unconscious subordinates.

Yuri waved.

“Hey.”

“P-Prince!?”

“You got promoted?”

Yuri recognized the man—he had seen him in the capital before. He was one of Gorio’s direct subordinates.

“Lucky for you. If I didn’t know you, this would’ve been annoying.”

Only the higher-ups in Gorio’s group knew about Yuri’s connection with their boss.

Yuri remembered his name.

“You’re Etmon, right?”

“Yes.”

“Been a while.”

Etmon was the guy missing a finger.

He had always seemed terrified of Gorio, but his years of loyalty had apparently earned him a branch manager position.

“How’s Gorio?”

“He’s well, though he’s been a bit irritable lately.”

“The Empire’s like that. Too big to stay calm.”

“Ha, ha…”

“I came to ask you something.”

“Of course, anything.”

Etmon was afraid of Yuri. After all, he gave orders directly to Gorio.

“Are the beggars exploiting kids part of your operation?”

“Beggars?”

Etmon shook his head.

“No, that’s low-level stuff. We run a legitimate business.”

“Good. Then shut it down immediately.”

“Excuse me?”

“Send the kids to an orphanage.”

“Ah… understood.”

“And if the orphanage can’t handle them, tell me which one, and I’ll make a donation.”

“Yes, understood.”

Etmon nodded, grasping the situation.

Before falling into debt with Gorio, he’d been a decent young man, so he understood Yuri’s sentiment.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“One more thing. Do you know why Genard started harassing the veterans?”

“Well…”

Etmon thought hard. He wanted to please Yuri with a good answer but couldn’t come up with anything.

“Sorry, nothing comes to—…”

But then he remembered something from Gorio’s methods. A ruthless yet clever man, able to connect seemingly unrelated events.

“Hmm…”

Etmon spoke hesitantly.

“This might be unrelated, but something about it feels off.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s a Crystal Brothel branch in Yuzes. A local official frequents it.”

That brothel was run by Gorio’s group.

“So?”

“Recently, a noble from the Empire visited it.”

“An Imperial noble?”

“Yes. A Genard official accompanied him. He’s the one who recommended the brothel. He came with several Imperials.”

“When was this?”

“When the Alliance army had just returned and things were chaotic.”

“Hmm…”

Yuri stroked his chin. Anything involving the Empire made him cautious.

In his past life, Genard had sided with the Empire after Briol’s fall and retained his noble status. The transition had been so smooth that Yuri suspected prior ties—and now it seemed those connections were already in place.

Yuri’s mind began racing.

“Hey, hey…”

Suddenly, one of the men beneath him raised his hand.

“What is it?”

“It’s just… hearing your talk reminded me of something…”

“Want me to get off you?”

“No, no need. I-it’s fine like this.”

“No, seriously, I’ll move. What did Gorio do to you guys that you’re all this tense?”

Yuri stood up, and three guys rolled off from underneath him. The burly man at the bottom quickly sat up and saluted.

“Sorry for not recognizing you earlier.”

“It’s fine. I hit you a lot too.”

“No worries.”

“Alright. Tell me everything.”

“Well… someone came asking if I could do a job.”

“A job?”

“They wanted me to lure someone into gambling or get him into debt. I refused because I don’t do that anymore, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

“Who was it?”

“I don’t know. He wore a hood…”

The big man licked his lips nervously and continued.

“But the target was someone from the Alliance.”

“Someone from the Alliance?”

“Yes. A guy named Ace, who used to play cards a lot. They wanted to get him hooked again…”

“Tell me everything you remember.”

The big guy didn’t recall much else. He just knew that a shady person had come with that request.

Yuri nodded.

“I see.”

By now, it was clear that someone was deliberately interfering with the Alliance Veterans Association.

“Anything else?”

“No. Thank you.”

Yuri exited the betting hall.

He breathed in deeply to clear away the stench of smoke and filth inside. It felt like the right time to confront Genard face-to-face.

“That bastard Genard…”

In his past life, Yuri had a close relationship with Genard.

The man had lured him with sweet words into committing all sorts of atrocities, and Yuri, falling into the trap, ended up seeing him as a loyal servant. It had been a pathetic relationship, but there was still some bond.

“No way I’m letting it slide.”

Yuri headed to a nearby fruit stall, wiped an apple on his sleeve, and took a bite.

“How much is this?”

“One copper.”

“Here you go.”

Yuri handed over the coin.

“Working this early?”

“Gotta make a living.”

“Heard anything interesting lately?”

“Banana prices are going up. Some pest hit them.”

“That’s serious.”

“They’ll start importing fruit from the East soon. I’m curious about the taste.”

“Sounds exciting.”

The vendor was a middle-aged woman. Though busy arranging fruit, she kept chatting.

Yuri asked:

“If Eastern fruits are coming in, isn’t it thanks to the Alliance? Don’t you think?”

“Suppose so. But you’re not from around here, are you?”

“No. I’m from the capital.”

“Knew it.”

She playfully raised a finger to her lips.

“Be careful, young man. The lord here doesn’t like Alliance folk.”

“Why?”

“Who knows. He’s got a bad temper. You never know what whim he’ll follow. Folks like me just live keeping our heads down, pretending we’re dead.”

“I see. If only someone would put him in his place.”

The woman laughed.

“Yeah, if only that famous third prince showed up.”

Yuri smiled with satisfaction. His reputation had reached even here.

“They say that kind knight will be judged soon… Do you think the third prince will really come?”

“Who?”

“A great knight named Raymond. No one knows why, but they say he’s going to trial. Yuzes is becoming a tough place.”

“Can’t be…”

Knowing Genard’s nature, Yuri already figured they wouldn’t take long to decide Raymond’s fate.

Feigning ignorance, he asked:

“I think I’ll go see it. When’s the trial?”

“Tomorrow or the day after, I think.”

“Do you think if enough people go, the judge might feel pressured and hold back?”

“That judge only listens to the lord.”

“How despicable.”

The apple was quite good. Yuri bought an extra basket, and after paying, said.

“Just in case, go watch the trial. You never know… Maybe that handsome, wonderful third prince might show up to scold the judge and the lord.”

“Oh, I hope so. Here, take this banana too.”

“Thanks.”