Interlude: The Kingdom’s Parliament of Deception
At the same time that Justin and Elina began preparing to head to the lake, a heated debate was taking place in the parliamentary chamber within the Landval Castle over a certain agenda.
At the center of the controversy was Justin, who had been accused of embezzling funds from the Knights Order’s operations and, as a consequence, had been exiled from the royal capital. Vice-Commander Bellows objected to the charges, arguing that the evidence was insufficient, and appealed to the Knights Order's leadership and ministers for a reinvestigation of the case. His argument was supported by many knights, including Justin’s colleague Gary and his close friend, the female knight Miracca.
Initially, everyone listened to Bellows’ claims with skepticism, but the investigative report he had secretly compiled on the case was so shoddy that the "Justin is innocent" theory gained credibility.
Bellows then delivered a final blow, shouting loudly:
"Based on all these facts, I believe Justin Foyle was framed by someone, had any opportunity to defend himself denied, and got unjustly banished from the royal capital!"
The moment he finished speaking, Bellows’ gaze turned toward a certain individual. However, it was not Hank—it was the white-haired, imposing figure seated right next to him.
That man was Solard, the Knight Commander of the Landval Kingdom's Knights Order—the very one who had assigned Justin to duty in the Abbott region.
While Bellows returned to his seat, Hank spoke to Solard several times. However, Solard showed no sign of agitation and dismissed Hank’s words with a single remark, as if he weren’t even worth engaging with.
A thought crept into Bellows’ mind: "Could it be that Knight Commander Solard is simply being manipulated by Hank?"
Lately, Solard’s behavior had been full of inconsistencies.
What troubled Bellows the most was that Solard had drastically reduced his public activities to avoid scrutiny, and there were no reports regarding his whereabouts or actions.
If Solard had received a confidential mission from the royal family, he should have at least consulted Bellows, the vice-commander, to some extent—but he hadn’t. That was why Bellows had been uneasy for quite some time.
In the end, the parliamentary session did not lead to a final decision.
However, unlike before, there were signs of wavering opinions among the upper ranks. At the very least, it became clear that not all of the high-ranking officials were complicit in Justin’s case. That alone was a worthwhile outcome.
"Now, how will this unfold?"
"They seemed quite shaken."
Gary and Miracca, who had also participated in the session, asked Bellows about his impression.
"I don’t know what the bigwigs are thinking... but if we managed to stir things up, then this session had meaning."
Despite his words, the situation was still far from settled.
If viewed purely as a military asset, Justin was indispensable to the defense of the royal capital. And now, despite the allegations of embezzlement, so many knights had stepped forward to contest them—this issue couldn’t simply be brushed aside.
One fortunate aspect was that there were still a few righteous individuals left among the upper ranks. If someone had truly wanted to see Justin ruined, they would have ensured that every official was in their pocket. The fact that this hadn't happened proved that some knights remained loyal to their honor rather than money.
Bellows decided to stake everything on that hope.
"Gary, Miracca."
"”Y-yes!”"
"Next time... let's make a big move."
To save the future of a brilliant young knight, and to uncover the truth behind the case, Bellows resolved to take a dangerous risk.
What do you think about this chapter?
