Chapter 14: Imprisonment
The Debs family had paid a great deal to carry out the smuggling of aquamarine ore. Bernard had specifically entrusted this matter to his third brother, with the Lancil brothers serving as his third brother’s right-hand men.
Standing in the council hall, Linley remained silent. The Shadowmouse Bebe also stood on Linley’s shoulder.
Man and magical beast alike stood as if detached from the scene, quietly watching everything unfold. Even when Bernard cast a pleading look toward him, Linley showed no reaction at all.
A moment later—
The clanking sound of chains and shackles rang out as two burly, golden-haired men entered the council hall under the escort of palace guards. Both men wore leg irons and chains. Just by looking at the thickness of the shackles, one could tell they weighed at least a hundred or two hundred pounds.
This type of heavy restraint was designed specifically to lock down warriors of immense strength.
“Patriarch.”
The two golden-haired, burly men stepped into the council hall. When they saw Bernard kneeling on the ground, strange smiles appeared on their faces, and they actually bowed to Bernard and greeted him.
Linley, standing to the side, understood.
These Lancil brothers were likely the masterminds behind the smuggling operation. And they probably had a close relationship with the Debs family.
“The Debs family is in danger,” Linley thought, but he merely watched quietly from the sidelines.
Bernard looked at the two golden-haired, burly men and asked with feigned confusion, “Huh? Lancil, Lanmir, why have you two brothers been imprisoned by His Majesty? Didn’t I give you a hundred thousand gold coins a few months ago to live a good life?”
The two golden-haired, burly men were momentarily stunned, then laughed.
“Patriarch, are you joking?” Lancil said with a smile.
Lanmir, standing beside him, sneered, “Patriarch, what’s this? Even now, you still want to deny it? Forget it, just confess your crime.”
Bernard’s face showed anger. He suddenly stood up and glared at Lancil and Lanmir. “Lancil, Lanmir! You two were raised by our Debs family from childhood. You both know well how I’ve treated you.”
“Yes, you’ve treated us well, but we brothers have also risked our lives for your Debs family for so many years,” the elder brother Lancil said coldly.
Bernard grew even more furious, raising his right hand and pointing a trembling finger at the two. “You two, you are truly ungrateful. Yes, you’ve served my Debs family for years, but you’ve also been embezzling all that time, funneling the family’s wealth into your own pockets. Half a year ago, when it came to light, I spared your lives out of consideration for your years of service and even gave you a hundred thousand gold coins to live a good life. But you, you… not only do you show no gratitude, but now you join some smuggling operation. When caught, you slander my Debs family instead!”
Lancil and Lanmir were dumbfounded, staring blankly at Bernard.
“We, we embezzled? You, you gave us a hundred thousand gold coins?” Lancil and Lanmir were utterly confused.
Bernard, however, grew even angrier. He suddenly turned to kneel before Clayd, weeping bitterly. “Your Majesty, these two are nothing but insatiable wolves! When they were young, I took them in out of pity for their loneliness and hardship, and later entrusted them with important duties. Yet they stole the family’s wealth for themselves. Even when it was exposed, I spared their lives out of past kindness and gave them a hundred thousand gold coins to send them off—that was the height of benevolence. And now? They slander my family, seeking to destroy the Debs family! Their hearts are too cruel! Your Majesty, I am heartbroken, heartbroken!!!”
At this moment, Bernard was weeping profusely, which made the nobles in the council hall begin to doubt whether Lancil and Lanmir were truly slandering Bernard.
“Bernard, you, you…” Lancil and Lanmir were so furious their faces turned red, but they couldn’t get a word out.
They had sacrificed so much for the Debs family.
They had even been willing to engage in smuggling, fearless of death. If it weren’t for the immense benefits His Majesty Clayd had promised them, they wouldn’t have betrayed the Debs family.
But what Bernard was saying now was completely untrue!
“Oh? Is that so?” Clayd glanced at Bernard.
Clayd realized that Bernard had likely prepared for this, or he wouldn’t have fabricated such a lie. Even if he investigated, he probably wouldn’t find any flaws.
“Hmph, it’s a pity that Bernard’s third brother jumped into the river, and even his body couldn’t be found. If I had caught his third brother, Bernard would have nothing to say,” Clayd thought with some resentment.
Smuggling aquamarine ore.
The aquamarine vein was the property of the Finlay Kingdom, and thus his property.
Smuggling aquamarine ore was stealing from him. Naturally, Clayd hated it.
But now, Bernard’s third brother had jumped into the surging river and committed suicide, and the Debs family seemed prepared for the betrayal of Lancil and Lanmir.
“Bernard, I will not wrong an innocent man,” Clayd said solemnly.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty,” Bernard said, tears still in his eyes.
But Clayd’s voice suddenly turned cold. “However, I will not let anyone who betrays the kingdom’s interests go unpunished. According to the information I have, the one responsible for this smuggling operation seems to be your third brother.”
“Third brother?” Bernard looked at Clayd with confusion.
Clayd glared at Bernard. “What, do you have something to say?”
Bernard put on a pained expression. “Of course I do, Your Majesty. I truly don’t know why you say that, but my third brother left the Finlay Kingdom a year ago to travel and adventure through various countries. He even sent a letter back just a few days ago.”
Clayd’s gaze turned cold.
His men had reported that when they tried to capture Bernard’s third brother, he jumped into the surging river while severely injured, leaving no trace.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must uphold justice!”
Bernard glared angrily at Lancil and Lanmir beside him. “You must not let the hearts of a family loyal to the kingdom grow cold because of these two petty men!”
“Bernard, you, you…” Lancil and Lanmir, enraged, didn’t know what to say.
Clayd suddenly stood up and glared coldly at Bernard. “I said I will not wrong an innocent man, nor will I let anyone who betrays the kingdom’s interests go unpunished. Based on the evidence I’ve gathered, at the very least, your Debs family is suspected of betraying the kingdom. Guards—”
Bernard’s face changed. “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am loyal to the kingdom!”
Two palace guards rushed into the council hall.
“Bernard,” Clayd said with a smile, looking at him.
Bernard looked up at Clayd with hope, like a child looking at his parents.
“Whether your family is loyal or not must be proven by evidence. I’ll give you a chance. At least I won’t annihilate your entire family outright.”
Bernard breathed a sigh of relief. His greatest fear was that the Debs family would be wiped out entirely. “Thank goodness I discovered the traces of the cremation in the secret chamber that day. It allowed me to prepare.” Bernard had been preparing since that day, even making several contingency plans.
“Guards, take Bernard and the heir of the Debs family and throw them into the Blackwater Prison. As for the Debs family’s smuggling case, let the Right Prime Minister Melit investigate it,” Clayd ordered.
Immediately, the palace guards escorted Bernard away.
“Your Majesty, I trust that Your Majesty is wise,” Bernard shouted to Clayd as he was led out.
That night, Greenleaf Road was in complete uproar.
The sound of hooves and shouts rang out continuously as a cavalry unit of several hundred men surrounded the Debs family estate, throwing the household into chaos.
“What are you doing, what are you doing! Do you know where this is?” Kalan’s second grandfather, Bernard’s uncle, shouted at the palace guards.
The leading knight said coldly, “Do you dare to defy His Majesty’s orders?”
The second grandfather raised his head and said, “His Majesty’s orders? Who knows if you’re falsely transmitting His Majesty’s command? Tell me, what are you here for?”
“Second Grandfather, what’s going on outside?”
At that moment, many members of the Debs family came rushing over.
Even Alice and Rolin put on their clothes and came out. On the Yulan Continent, after an engagement, the woman usually stayed at the man’s home. But generally, the couple wouldn’t share a bed until the formal wedding.
Of course…
Sometimes they would share a bed before the wedding, depending on the couple’s wishes.
“Sister Alice, what’s happening outside?” Rolin asked, holding Alice’s hand.
Alice was also confused. “I don’t know.”
The entire Debs family, hundreds of people from inside and out, surged into the front courtyard. Most had confused expressions. Only the few core members who knew about the family’s smuggling felt a surge of panic.
The Debs family’s smuggling operation was on a massive scale.
The gold coins involved alone amounted to tens of millions. If successful, the profit would be hundreds of millions. The Debs family had thought they could make enough in one go.
They never expected things to go wrong.
“Brother Kalan, what’s happening?” Rolin asked Kalan.
Kalan shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.
The cavalry unit from the palace had already assembled outside. The leading squadron leader, seeing so many people gathered, took a token from his chest and shouted loudly, “By His Majesty’s order, the Debs family is suspected of smuggling aquamarine ore. Now, the family patriarch and the heir are to be arrested and thrown into the Blackwater Prison!”
Instantly, the faces of the Debs family members changed.
Especially Kalan and a few other core members, whose faces turned ashen. Alice, Rolin, and the collateral branches of the family were all confused and stunned.
Several guards grabbed Kalan directly.
“Take him away!”
The squadron leader ordered.
At that moment, Kalan felt his legs go weak. He let the guards drag him toward the door. But when he reached the entrance, he suddenly snapped out of it, turned back, and shouted frantically, “Second Grandfather, Alice, you have to save me, you have to save me!”
No matter how much Kalan shouted, the palace guards mercilessly pushed him onto the prison cart.
Alice, Rolin, and the entire Debs family could only watch as Kalan was taken away, powerless to do anything. Their family had strength, but how could they contend with the king?
The next morning, news that the Debs family was suspected of smuggling aquamarine ore quickly spread through the noble circles of Finlay City. Most nobles in the city were paying close attention to the matter.
The smuggling case was personally investigated by the kingdom’s Right Prime Minister, Duke Melit.
At Duke Melit’s estate.
Duke Melit was over seventy years old, but as a fairly skilled warrior, he looked only middle-aged. His short golden hair stood up, shiny and slick.
At this moment, Melit sat in a chair, casually glancing at the Debs family’s representative—Kalan’s second grandfather, Nimitz, who had been personally trained by Nimitz.
“Lord Melit, our family is absolutely innocent. I hope you can grant the Debs family a fair judgment.”
Nimitz said, then took out a book from beside him. “Lord Melit, I know you enjoy collecting Bibles. This one is an edition published by the Radiant Church over three thousand years ago, and it’s quite rare.”
“Oh, a Bible?”
Melit took it casually, but when he flipped it open, he noticed a card tucked inside—a magic crystal card issued by the Four Empires Bank.
A smile appeared on Melit’s face.
Nimitz carefully observed Melit’s expression. Melit closed the Bible, set it aside, and then said with a smile, “Nimitz, you should know that besides Bibles, I also have a fondness for stone carvings. I particularly liked the stone carving ‘Awakening’ from a while ago. I saw Alice at your family’s engagement ceremony. Oh, that Alice looks exactly like the one in the carving. I wonder… if I could have a private chat with Alice.”