Chapter 116. The Black Curtain Behind the Stage (4)

High Court investigators and judges have a cooperative relationship.

However, the status difference is like that between officers and soldiers.

So the god-like judges mostly just give orders or shout, but.

To suddenly join in on their idle chatter.

'Damn, if I knew this would happen, I should have pretended to go investigate and just chatted elsewhere.'

But spilled water can't be gathered back up anyway.

'Whatever happens, happens, damn it.'

"These days, Baron Olbia's family is spending money suspiciously lavishly."

An important implication was omitted after these words:

'Judging from the circumstances, it seems they're likely involved in crime.'

However, even though the Tuscan Empire uses advanced investigation techniques of beating up and arresting suspects to achieve results if just some suspicion is found.

They don't arrest nobles, especially barons or higher, on 'vague suspicions'.

No matter how powerful authority High Court judges hold, if you arrest or investigate a baron on vague suspicions, the one who ordered the investigation would have to resign.

In the worst case, you might have to rot leisurely in prison for a while, if not be dragged to the gallows, for 'insulting nobility'.

Dante, a law nobility who would lose everything except his title if he lost his public office, had no choice but to be cautious.

"This seems too hasty. No matter how useless the gossip with colleagues, for a High Court investigator to suspect Baron Olbia on just such trivial circumstances, let's see..."

Judges working in courts like the High Court and imperial administrators, no matter how much they're 'law nobility', can only do so after successfully graduating university.

And due to printing limitations, students at university memorize law books, all sorts of poetry collections, and major textbooks before attending lectures and studying.

It's fair to consider that high-ranking people like judges essentially have the law books memorized in their entirety.

Cold sweat began to form on the back of the neck and back of the loose-lipped investigator.

'If I don't satisfy Associate Justice Andante, I'm dead.'

He won't die physically.

But all sorts of scolding starting from the associate justice would come down as tough love.

"This amounts to insulting nobility. It's written in Imperial Criminal Law Article 12 Paragraph 4. In the case of our High Court investigators and judges, the sentence is reduced according to Criminal Law Appendix Article 5 Paragraph 1. But even with reduction, you'll lose your title."

High Court investigators and judges have their own power, though less than nobles.

Strictly speaking, even nobles don't want to cause friction with them, so they give small 'gifts'.

They don't give large gifts like judges receive, but if you steadily save for 30 years, it's enough to buy a small territory in the countryside.

So even to rise to this position, you need at least a nominal knight title even without territory.

If your title flies away?

Friends who had grudges against you during your investigator life will give you cute revenge (death).

Andante didn't want to apply such strict standards to investigators who were still his own people.

No, if he did that, he'd become something like an 'internal whistleblower' and the rest of his life wouldn't be pleasant.

'If there's nothing, I should just give a strong warning and end it.'

Of course, like a frog getting bruised by a stone thrown by someone to kill time, the investigator who misspoke will be ground down for days to the point of thinking it'd be better to die...

"I've been a High Court investigator for 5 years, would I say nonsense without basis? It's because Baron Olbia's family's spending is too suspicious."

Usually, if there's really nothing to believe in, investigators would bow their heads and apologize unconditionally when warned like this.

Otherwise, the charge of insolence would be added and things would get bigger.

But instead of apologizing, he claims he didn't talk nonsense?

'This seems like there's really something certain.'

"They're giving out cakes bought from Cafe Medici to mere servants, making coachmen wear plate armor and carry swords. Besides that, they're indulging in all sorts of luxury, they say."

"Hmm, it's not an unreasonable story."

Usually nobles give swords to coachmen for protection too.

But in the city areas where nobles mainly travel, it's often difficult to use even long swords, and wearing armor is honestly just inconvenient.

'It's purely for the purpose of showing off that I have a lot of money...'

According to experience so far, those who strut around generally had a lot to be stripped when a knife was pointed at them.

Of course, there's no noble who doesn't get stripped when tax investigations or inspections come in.

But there's a heaven and earth difference between having a lot to be stripped and having little.

"And rumors say the number of carriages traveling between Baron Olbia's territory and his mansion in Florence has increased lately. Strangely, there are many escorts compared to the number of carriages, they say."

Hearing these words, Andante was convinced.

'They do that when smuggling precious things like spices, gold, silver, jewels.'

Of course, unless it's Baron Rothschild, nobles wouldn't directly engage in smuggling.

To begin with, smuggling done by Baron Rothschild wouldn't be this sloppy.

'If it's Baron Rothschild, the entire Florence High Court would have to investigate seriously to barely catch him?'

Even then, he's someone who would somehow survive by destroying documents or eliminating evidence for the most serious charges.

So the situation is that Baron Olbia somehow evaded taxes or earned money through unfair methods, and based on that is engaging in a 'prestige competition' with Baron Sisia.

For him who's obsessed with achieving merits, this is something he must absolutely bite into.

Excited at the thought of securing a big share, Andante took out his wallet.

He then took out a few silver coins and handed them to the investigator who provided the information.

"If you chat like that during work hours, you're bound to be misunderstood. Anyone can talk about gossip or rumors, but do it while drinking at a pub. Buy beef for everyone with this money."

"Thank you!"

The investigator was proud of himself for achieving the feat of escaping a deadly crisis and obtaining 'beef dinner' rights.

And he thought he should live with his mouth more tightly shut from now on.

Andante immediately knocked on Mancini's office door.

"Chief Justice, an opportunity to do something big has come."

Mancini thought this guy might have drunk badly after getting married.

But looking at his eyes, he instinctively knew he must have really caught onto something big.

"What is it?"

"They say Baron Olbia has been extremely extravagant lately. And several carts with suspiciously many escorts are coming and going, they say."

The High Court's role is investigation, inspection and trial.

This means putting away one noble directly leads to results and promotion.

Moreover, catching tax evasion?

Customarily, 5-10% of evaded taxes or embezzled money is shared among High Court members who led the investigation, so...

'It's a double celebration of getting promoted and making money.'

"It's extremely suspicious. Investigate a bit and shake him down. There's no one who doesn't have dust come out when shaken, let's see how long that bastard can hold out."

Andante immediately borrowed investigators and soldiers to confiscate all sorts of documents and begin a search.

Among them were documents containing all sorts of corruption by Baron Olbia.

They were organized to be easily found, as if someone had done the work for them to be taken, but...

Everyone just thought they were lucky.

Who in their right mind would organize their family's corruption to be easily found?

**

After the High Court's search ended, Baron Olbia's family became a complete mess, no, a mess itself.

In the family, retainers holding key positions like financial officer, military affairs officer (in charge of military), intelligence officer, etc. formed factions and were fighting each other.

Moreover, since the righteous and fair Chief Justice Mancini, who has been greatly increasing his position in the High Court lately, declared 'investigation without leniency or sanctuary'...

Baron Olbia felt the hair on his crown falling out.

"This is really hopeless, hopeless. Who is that worse than a dog bastard messing with us?"

The Olbia baron family had only shown moderate behavior so far.

They indulged in luxury a bit much, but it's impossible for the High Court to move and conduct a search and seizure targeting a 'baron' over this.

It seems likely some bastard sold internal information and reported, but.

Even after monitoring all the family's retainers, not a single suspicious aspect could be seen.

It means they're in a situation where they can't even identify or suspect the culprit.

Is that why? Clear and fine words were being exchanged in the meeting hall where Baron Olbia gathered the family's ministers.

"You financial officer sold out our family, didn't you? If not, why else would the High Court come to inspect?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't you, the military affairs officer, sell our family's secrets? You probably needed a lot of money for your son's upcoming wedding!"

"Intelligence officer, how did you manage information?!"

We don't know what judgment the High Court will make, but it's certain the family will take a huge hit.

Moreover, we can't even respond because we don't know who the enemy to take revenge on is.

The family is even in a situation of internal strife, so follow-up measures are difficult.

...... Baron Olbia really wanted to cry.

But he had to prepare to bear all sorts of humiliation and shame to survive.

Because nobles are ultimately beings who take responsibility.