Chapter 74: End Him or Make Use of Him? (1)


    The third son of the purged Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies, Charles de Aquicurl was in fact, not at the coronation ceremony.


    On the day of the coronation ceremony, he was in one of the mansions in the capital owned by Duke Aquicurl (which has now been confiscated). It was believed that this man may have been aware of what was going to happen at the coronation ceremony quite early on.


    He could have hidden or fled, but he didnt do that; instead, he appeared at the pce and allowed himself to be caught.


    He did this all before the Imperial Guard had taken control of the pce.


    He allowed himself to be constrained and was left alone since he wasnt trying to break free After all that, he brought up ancientws and advised Count Copardwall to use them? It was a half-hearted attempt to help Count Copardwall, and we can assume that he made that move with something in mind.


    Honestly, I wasnt sure how to deal with him since he surrendered voluntarily.


    It would be easier for me if Duke Aquicurls bloodline was thoroughly wiped out. It would also serve as an example to the other aristocrats, but we didnt have any crimes to charge against Charles de Aquicurl, so he couldnt go to trial. He hadnt resisted and he wasnt involved in any of the crimes that the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies hadmitted.


    Assassination may be the only way to eliminate him if he cannot go to trial.


    I could ask a spy to do it but that would mean showing a new weakness to that spy and in turn, their chief, Count Ptine Vedett. Im already relying on him quite a bit, but I dont want to rely on him more than I have to I think that will be dangerous. If Count Ptine Vedett gains too much influence, then its possible that we may end up with an Emperor who is under his control.


    There is no guarantee that that Emperor will be me.


    I dont want the spies to have that much influence. It would be impossible to diminish it once they have it.


    I have seeded in eliminating the Chancellor and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies who both held enormous influence and control over the Empire, but I only seeded because those who had let down their guard.


    I have already be the Emperor who Purged Aristocrats to the aristocrats instead of the Young Ipetent Emperor they knew me as. They will always be wary of me. Even Lord Warung, to whom I had sent a letter stating my intent in advance, brought his aristocrats with him because he was wary of having an audience with me.


    It was unlikely for an Emperor who was already being guarded against to employ simr hardline tactics, especially when dealing with a spy, but I also find it difficult to believe that I can outwit a man who had remained neutral during his dealings with the Chancellor and the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies by just scheming.


    So, I didnt want to use assassination against the Empire aristocrats. The risk was too great no matter how much I gained from it.


    It seemed realistic to continue detaining Charles de Aquicurl for some reason.


    I would need a reason to detain him. He was currently being detained because he may be connected to Augusto de Aquicurl, who had raised an army, but that reason will cease to be valid once the Aquicurl army is defeated.


    Him inciting Count Copardwall was a good opportunity to decide how to deal with him. I decided to meet with Charles.


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    I made my way to the prison where Charles de Aquicurl was held with Timona and Balthazar in tow.


    This prison was the so-called Aristocrat Prison. Unlike the dungeons, which are designed to inflict pain and suffering, the rooms in this prison were decorated like any normal room. The cells would just be slightly smaller rooms if it werent for the bars.


    Most of the aristocrats who were detained at the coronation ceremony are held in this prison. This prison, which had been empty for the past few years, was now full with aristocrats.


    There werent enough rooms for those who had a title lower than baron, so they were ced under house arrest or in vacant rooms in the pce which meant they werent being monitored very closely.


    Some of them escaped but thats alright. There are only so many Imperial Guards and spies.


    By the way, even those who havent been convicted of a crime can be put into jail in this world and this didnt just apply to the Empire.


    I believe this has something to do with the existence of magic. If you put someone under house arrest, then they will escape with magic. In fact, most of the barons who escaped were those who could use magic. There are magic tools which can create Sealing Barriers but theres a limit to their numbers.


    That was why prisons that look like normal rooms were deliberately built. If you think about it, it is more efficient to confine a person in a room that can also be used for other purposes. It was normal in this world for aristocrats to be thrown in jail based on a single suspicion.


    Well, all such suspicions were being swept under the rug as evident from the fact that this prison hasnt been utilised for the past few years.


    Though, iron bars would be meaningless against a powerful mage. The previously mentioned magic tool is also used when detaining powerful mages. They are also used to prevent the detainee from escaping Vera-Sylvie was also imprisoned within iron bars and a barrier.


    Unfortunately, we were currentlycking Sealing Barrier magic tools in the pce. Charles was the third son of the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies, and we didnt have spare magic tools to use on a man without a title or government position.


    I arrived in front of Charles de Aquicurls cell, said a few words of thanks to the Imperial Guard and told him to step back, then spoke to the man who was kneeling behind the bars.


    Are you Charles de Aquicurl? I will allow you to answer from now on. Speak.


    With all due respect, Your Majesty. I confirm that I am indeed Charles de Aquicurl.


    Then raise your head.


    I sent a signal to Timona as soon as I said that.


    Seeing my signal, Timona manipted his mana and <em>pretended</em> to use magic. I deployed a soundproof barrier when he did this.


    Timona wasnt incapable of using magic, but he wasnt very good at it. As for me, I trust my own magic more than other peoples magic, but I dont like showing people that I can use magic or what kind of magic I can use. So, I used this trick to hide my magic.


    I should refrain from discarding cards that dont need to be discarded but I wouldnt hesitate to use magic if I need to.


    I looked Charles de Aquicurl in the eyes. He looked like the Chief of the Ministry of Ceremonies whom I had killed. Honestly, I dont feel good.


    Why did you teach Count Copardwall about the ancientws? Did you believe it would work in the first ce?


    Imend you for pulling out oldws from the Bungdalto tribe and Lothar Empire but Count Copardwall doesnt need to be imprisoned.


    His proposal was obviously wed. If he was that smart, then he could have found aw to make up for the w.


    No, but there was no reason to help him either.


    Then why did you do that when youve remained silent until now?


    It is simple, Your Majesty. I foolishly believed that his fief would be an important strategic position that you must seize.


    As I thought, that was a present for me.


    Fortunately, he has no children, and under the Imperialw, if no heir to the title has been confirmed and the head of the family is unable to fulfil his or her duty as an aristocrat, then the monarch is responsible for that title until a sessor is determined. It would be better to let him keep his peerage, so that you can temporarily take control of his title after he is castrated and imprisoned by stating that he is unable to fulfil his duties as an aristocrat.


    Aw created to prevent a power vacuum I know it as well.


    If Count Copardwall were to die, then his title would be passed on to his heir by his rtives or vassals, but if he were still alive, then the title would remain with him.


    But if he is unable to fulfil his duties as an aristocrat then his fief would effectively be without a lord. Fiefs without lords are easily targeted by other nations and thieves. This was aw to prevent that.


    Therefore, when an aristocrat dies, a sessor is chosen to seed them, and when they return, the fief is returned to them. This was only a temporary measure.


    Right now, I want to keep Count Copardwalls fief until this civil war is over, so it wont pose a problem for me to secure it temporarily.


    Thew was originally applied to cases where an aristocrat was taken prisoner by another nation


    But thatw shouldnt apply if one is being held by their own Emperor, right?


    If such a thing was allowed, then I could send troops into the fiefs of all the aristocrats who were currently being held.


    I cant do that, so I used my head and used guises like trials and negotiations.


    Charles de Aquicurl smiled at my words.


    This is not imprisonment, Your Majesty. There isnt any other punishment waiting for him after he is castrated. After that, he will enter the tower from which he will nevere out out of his own free will. Your Majesty will not intervene with that


    I see. Count Copardwall will freely enter the tower from which he will nevere out of


    That was a very convenient interpretation.


    Still, this could still be seen as a misuse of thew. It would give people a negative impression.


    Let him take an oath. If he puts it all down into writing, then the lords will have no choice but to ept it. Besides, the strategic position of his fief is worth it is it not?


    He has a point, but this was a dangerous strategy that could make me a lot of unnecessary enemies.


    Am I being too cautious? Well, it could be a n depending on the situation. Ill think more about thister. Theres no need to take this man at his word.


    Now, Charles de Aquicurl insisted Count Copardwall use the ancientws to create this situation.


    He wanted to reveal the existence of an unneeded ancientw to create a sense of urgency and at the same time, show that he was familiar with ancientw. He also proposed a n that would be beneficial to the Emperor. So far, the conversation was progressing ording to his n.


    I would be happy to end the conversation here, but I am interested in this man.


    What do you want?


    His response will determine what I do with him.