Chapter 157: Eighteenth Episode: Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 157: Eighteenth Episode: Chapter 3
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The one and only blacksmith's store in the whole town of Berchtesgaden was situated under the mountain ridge, where noblemen and renowned merchants gathered. Without fail, the sound of hammering coming from the blacksmith store would permeate the townsfolk's ears each day. However, today it was slightly quieter than usual. Since morning, the old blacksmith has been acutely focused on sharpening a short blade.
”It's almost done, take a look at this!” blacksmith handed the blade on the grindstone to the middle-aged man sitting by the door.
Vangol Abberning Hagrid took over the weapon to examine it thoroughly, gingerly sliding his finger over its blade. ”Not bad!” the General of Imperial Guards who imposed as a medicine retailer complimented the blacksmith
”Take it, you might need it in the future,” the old blacksmith cleaned his hands before pouring a cup of tea for the head of his household.
General Vangol glanced out to the streets. The place had just snowed, covering the streets and ancient residence in a blanket of white.
”Is everything alright?”
The old blacksmith shook his head in response, ”Apart for this small store, everything else outside is not alright, and you know that.”
General Vangol was confused, ”I'm not sure what you mean?”
Old blacksmith hesitated for a moment, it seemed slightly inappropriate for him to have these thoughts.
”Why are those artillerymen of His Highness Prince still here in the Issenal Military Camp? Aren't they supposed to be on their way to join forces in Astonia?”
Hagrid let out a helpless sigh, ”I've heard that it was because of the weather. Their cannons are easily affected by dampness, and it's been snowing constantly in the mountains.”
The old blacksmith was not convinced, ”If that's the case… what about Vielonna? The Red Tiger Cavalry has also been stationed out of town for about a month now if I remember correctly, but why haven't they went into the mountains?”
”They took over the defense of Serevan Palace. After all, the empire princess lives there, not to mention the Young Lady of Andrew House.”
The old blacksmith looked at the head of his household in disbelief, ”Do you really think so? In my opinion, Marshal O'Neil stations his artillerymen and a fully integrated infantry division in Issenal Military Camp because our House's' most loyal and fierce principal force is there. He assigns Red Tiger infantry division at Vielonna also because that is our base, the base camp of Hagrid! He now has control over both the lifeblood of our House, haven't you ever considered the intention behind his decisions?”
Hagrid shook his head rather nervously, ”I know your concerns, but Marshal O'Neil and I have come to an agreement on that. It's just that he has yet to have full confidence in me.”
Old blacksmith ignited the fireplace silently; he knew that the man's mind was set. ”It doesn't seem to me that Marshal O'Neil actually regards the agreement with importance. His men detained Lady Boustead in Astonia, and we still have no clue what's happened over there!”
”Just take care of your own business!” General Vangol glared at the secret agent with impatience. The blacksmith had stepped over the line.
”Time's almost up!” General of the Imperial Guards glanced up at the sky and couldn't help himself but be worried again. ”How's the situation at Sir Widelsbach's residence? Nothing unusual, I hope?”
Old man shook his head firmly, he was confident about his own affairs.
”Nothing unusual. The guest arrived on time and stayed in the residence throughout. Sir Widelsbach goes in and out of the house habitually. Otherwise, there haven't been any visitors to Berchtesgaden. You don't have to worry yourself with the military secret agents.”
General Vangol still had his doubts. He fished the letter from his arm to inspect it again. ”To be frank, this is what keeps me from sleeping. The Boustead House has always remained low-key in their affairs, which makes it suspicious that they have allowed my daughter to meet me.”
On the other hand, the old blacksmith seemed to take no particular stand at this and chose to shrug indifferently, ”Perhaps Miss Eva asked her husband to invite you over because she misses you.”
”I'm sure there's more to that!” Hagrid kept the letter away carefully, ”Boustead House must be really anxious, if not they wouldn't risk asking for a meeting. I once gave my word to them about Lady Teresa's safety, who knows if Marshal O'Neil would make the matter worse!”
”I still don't trust that young Andrew person,” old blacksmith commented angrily.
”I know, but anyway, I have to go. I'm curious to hear what my son-in-law has to say!” The General of Imperial Guards rose to his full height, and the old man followed to send him to the door.
”You won't find a better craftsman in this area, I look forward to your return!” the blacksmith shouted at the general's receding silhouette.
General Vangol was a punctual man. As arranged, he rang the door to Sir Widelsbach's house right on midday. Vangol thought the housekeeper who opened the door for him looked somewhat familiar. He vaguely remembered having seen those sunken eyes and droopy mustache before somewhere.
”My Lord has left the house since early morning, but your guest is waiting for you at the dining room!” the housekeeper took the general's bearskin padded jacket, reeking strongly of a herbal concoction.
General Vangol walked along the corridor and turned into the dining room. Finally, he witnessed the already rotting corpse lying on a seat by the table. Hercules Hagrid immediately pulled out the short blade from his sleeve, and looked around to realize the housekeeper was already gone. The room was empty.
Maggots crawled in and out of the nostrils and mouth of the corpse. Every now and again one or two would lose grip and fall onto the dinner plate. A sense of unease accompanied Vangol as he entered the dining room. He could still recognize his son-in-law, and figured that he had been killed by that cut on his throat. The layer of skin around that pale wound rolled outwards. Similarly, it was flooded with maggots around foraged flesh.
In spite of the scented incense lighted at all corners of the room, Hagrid still covered his nose as tightly as possible.
”This is a trap!” this thought immediately came to the mind of General of Imperial Guards.
”Could you explain what's going on?” Countess Aeolia's voice appeared from a corner. Hagrid turned to the source of the voice and noticed an attractive lady surrounded by a group of brave and fierce Imperial Guard soldiers.
”Who are you?” General Vangol waved his short blade in the air.
”I'm the person in charge of Andrew Military Investigation Bureau's Secret Operations Office!” Aeolia made her way through the dining hall as she spoke. She covered her face with a thin veil, but the intense stench of rotting corpse still managed to knit her brows together.
”General Vangol, put down your knife! If we sit down for a discussion you'll discover that I'm not your enemy. If Lieutenant Colonel Mike hadn't recognized you earlier, I'm afraid my men would have had you tied up by now.”
Lieutenant Colonel Mike stepped up from the crowd of soldiers, ”Honor to meet you, General. I remember you. We've met before in Vielonna, twice.”
”What is going on here? What are you all doing here?” Hagrid asked while still holding his blade up high. He finally recalled that this ”housekeeper” was one of the officers of O'Neil Andrew Morisette's special combat force.
”As you can see, this is a confidential operation between Andrew Military Investigation and the Imperial Military Intelligence. We're here to arrest the stubborn resistance, but who would have guessed... that the person who showed up would be you!” Aeolia took a seat at the table casually, and motioned to Lieutenant Colonel Mike. ”This operation is over! Contact the local judiciary to hang the body of Polco on the square, just tell them that we executed a bandit.”
Several soldiers walked in immediately. Together, they removed the second master of the Boustead House from the seat and dragged his stiff body to the door.
Vangol Abberning Hagrid stood there with embarrassment as he watched his rotten son-in-law. Although he didn't actually like that businessman, Polco Boustead was still part of his family after all.
General of Imperial Guard couldn't restrain himself and threw his daughter's letter onto the table.
”Don't tell me it's not part of your plan! You knew beforehand that I would come for this appointment, didn't you?”
Aeolia smiled weakly, ”General, we are here to arrest criminals who threaten the security of the empire. I can't help if you want to confess that you are a sinner!”
”Oh! Isn't this the guile of O'Neil Andrew Morisette?” It finally dawned on Hagrid, ”You lured me into this bloody place, only to throw away the body that you killed once I entered the door. You are trying to forcefully breakdown the relations between me and Boustead House!”
Aeolia shook her head, ”General, wouldn't you say… there's nothing wrong with that! With the assistance of Imperial Ministry of Justice and the Secret Service Department, the Military Intelligence Agency has issued an order to the Westland Kingdom Alliance. The core family members of Boustead House are criminals of the Empire, any act of asylum or protection to the criminals of Titan is a blatant challenge to our country.”
”How did I not know about this?” General Vangol found this new information rather difficult to believe.
The Countess shrugged with indifference, ”You don't have to doubt it, this is effective from the moment you stepped foot into the mansion.”
Hagrid knew he had been completely thrown into the trap set by O'Neil Andrew Morisette. It seems like this young man had long been determined to eradicate the Boustead House.
”What about my daughter?” Hagrid pointed to the letter on the table, ”This is my daughter's penmanship. She's now under your control, am I right?”
Aeolia, reluctant to come clean, simply waved her hand.
”You can rest assured that Eva is safe! However, she would probably be devastated if she knew that her father had murdered her husband in co-operation with the Military Intelligence Unit.”
”You must be kidding me! It was you who killed Polco!”
”No!” the countess shook her head, ”General, it was us! You and I! It was us who conspired Polco's murder.”
”You must have thought about it, no?” Aeolia pointed to the letter on the table. ”After we killed Polco, we used their wedding ring to gain her trust, and in pretence of being her husband we asked her to write you a letter. What awaits her is not her father's greeting, but the death of her husband. What would she think? The answer is in plain sight!”
”Although this in fact has nothing to do with you, you will exit this mansion together with our military special agents, and the spies in Berchtesgaden arranged by the merchants will witness it all. Polco's body is already on public display in the square! Most of the body might be badly rotten, but the merchants will still think that you have betrayed him.”
”Hahaha!” Commander of the Fifth Military Region couldn't help but laugh bitterly. ”Is this the conspiracy of O'Neil Andrew Morisette? What if I don't cooperate?”
Aeolia shook her head, ”You have a son who is managing Issenal Military Camp. The artillery division of His Imperial Highness already has already zeroed in his bedroom. Another son of yours that presides over the routine work in Vielonna's Fifth Military Region is a regular guest of Her Imperial Highness Princess Alanis, and she often invites him to the palace for feast. As for Eva, who is currently in Kundera, is under the protection of one of my action units from day to night. In all, I think you should just cooperate with us.”
”Forget it!” General Vangol waved his hand suddenly, ”Now I understand the true intentions of O'Neil Andrew Morisette! Tell him that I had originally wanted to cooperate with him, but now... it seems like he will never let me off the hook! So if he's looking for a fight, that's what he'll get. Even if I die, Hagrid House's own army would not allow him to do as he pleases in the South.”
”It's too late now, general.” Aeolia shook her head softly, ”You shouldn't underestimate my master. Do you think he will really fight with the Hagrid's army? Don't forget if this happens, it will only result in more battles in the South!”
Vangol contemplated for a moment. He knew that O'Neil Andrew Morisette had planned this for a long time, but... what other powerful means did he have?
Aeolia pointed to the glass of wine on the table, ”General, you wouldn't know if the wine is poisoned unless you have tasted it. The survivor in the sentry post should have arrived in Dulin by now, and the Imperial Military Intelligence Agency will allow him to state what happened in the past in front of His Majesty Alpha III. Of course, a lower-level Imperial Guard soldier's confession is not enough to correct your accusation, but we also have a young lady from the Boustead House. Teresa is very obedient, and she has confessed to all the wrongdoings you carried out with the Imperial criminals!”
”Do you require any more reminders?” Aya removed the veil as the odor in the dining hall had dissipated. It was hard to believe that the person who secretly planned and promoted all this was actually a beautiful and attractive countess.
”Opening the border to foreign armed groups, plotting to assassinate imperial family members and descendant of Andrew House of the direct line of descent, affiliation with funders of armed bandits, exchanging information with the merchant class who conspired to undermine empire stability and judicial security! Do you know what these accusations mean?”
Hagrid stared at the wine glass in front of him. He couldn't help but think of the scene that happened in Severan Palace years ago. Although he was told that O'Neil Andrew Morisette was to expose that controversial issue, in fact he didn't see the witness himself, nor had he tasted the glass of wine. But he was lost and tangled in thoughts, and hence, he fell into the trap! Or maybe, it should be said that he had since fallen into a well-prepared trap the moment he followed the prince back south!
”These allegations mean that you will be sent to the guillotine for treason! The Hagrid House will be deprived of the honored armed forces and all titles and feudal estates. When that time comes, there is no need for my master to execute it himself. The emperor's special envoy will knock at your door and escort your family into Damorga prison.”
Hercules Hagrid fidgeted with his fingers. He didn't know how to fairly evaluate the allegations against him, because he believed that even if he hadn't done anything wrong, O'Neil Andrew Morisette still had the ability to change the accusations into facts, not to mention that he and his House had indeed done those things.
”Say it... What are the conditions offered by O'Neil Andrew Morisette? ” General Vangol leaned wearily against his chair. It occurred to him that he had already lost everything. Right now, he appeared like a bankrupt medicine retailer.
”You finally have it figured out!” Aeolia revealed a brilliant smile, ”My master has only one condition, that is for Hagrid House to surrender their military power!”
General Vangol grinned and retorted, ”I'll be sent to the guillotine soon, and he's going to get what he wants anyway! Let's not waste our time, I'll follow you back to Dulin for the emperor's trial.”
”Don't try to fool me!” Aeolia's eyes turned cold, ”You will never come to Dulin! Do you think that my master hasn't expected this answer? Will Marshal Alan not let his old friend be judged? The downplaying of this issue by him is inevitable!”
Vangol Abberning Hagrid felt bitterly disappointed. He couldn't understand how O'Neil Andrew Morisette, once an energetic little child, had now turned into a horrendous monster.
”According to His Imperial Highness' expectations, the emperor will be furious when he learns of your wrongdoings! However, he will not openly judge you because you have the protection of Marshal Alan. Even if His Majesty is aware that Alan is the mastermind behind the complicated issues. He still will not dismiss the commander of Imperial Guards because Alan is worth too much for him to give up! Hence... you have to act in accordance with the emperor's will to save your own skin, and your whole House!”
”In accordance with the emperor's will?” Hagrid was slightly confused, but he was also pretty surprised that he could discuss these things calmly with the people who were conspiring to murder him.
”That's right! In accordance with the emperor's will. In other words, in accordance with Prince O'Neil's will!” Aeolia threw an empty piece of paper at the General of Imperial Guards, ”Write to His Majesty the Third and Marshal Alan, tell them your intention to resign from the post of commanding officer of the Empire's Fifth Region. Announce that Hagrid House will forever be discharged from the army, and the whole House will exile into Cecil!”
”Cecil?”
Aya grinned, ”It's an island on the open sea of Italia, I heard it's famous for its scenic beauty.”
Two special combat fighters stood on both flanks of the Commander of the Fifth Region. They prepared ink and quill for the imperial general, and took away his short blade. He no longer needed to use that weapon.
Vangol suddenly laughed at himself, ”I think... I am probably the first nobleman in the world to apply for exile, eh?”
Aeolia pushed the quill forward in the general's direction, ”General, don't waste any more time. You and your family will be safe at the completion of this letter. His Highness the Prince will send you an escort team to ensure you and your family a safe travel to Cecil Island after confirming this incident with His Majesty the Third. Perhaps you can start a medicinal business there, it suits you really well.”
Hagrid ignored the sarcasm and picked up the quill, but subconsciously glanced at the clock in the dining room.
”Are you thinking about your guards?” Aeolia smirked, ”From what I've heard... if you haven't walked out of the mansion in an hour, your elite fighters who followed you to Berchtesgaden will come in and rescue you, is this the truth?”
Hagrid remained silent. It didn't matter if this was the truth or not, the moment the other party speaks of it means that it doesn't exist anymore.
”Don't you worry!” Aeolia pushed the ink bottle near the general again, ”It's not in our interest to do any harm to your guards, instead we will ensure your safety. Not long from now, the Boustead House will receive news from the spies, notifying them that the second son of their House has encountered an ambush at a meeting with you, cut open at the throat, and is now being displayed in the public! It seems highly possible that the angry old Boustead will then unleash his vengeance on you!”
Hercules's hand was trembling slightly. He was enraged, and simultaneously he felt a previously unprecedented embarrassment.
”Why are you still hesitating?” Aya grew impatient, ”Do you really want all your people to be sent to prison? You really want the heroes of the Hagrid House to be killed by a fellow compatriot? As a soldier, you have lost everything! You don't have a single pawn left!”
In the end, although there wasn't a hint of flattery hidden among the handwriting of General of Imperial Guards, he expressed O'Neil Andrew Morisette's wishes with perfect accuracy. Aeolia blew at the wet ink on the official letter to speed up the drying process, and revealed a satisfied smile as she examined the Hercules stamp imprinted on the bottom of the letter. In the near future, this stamp would completely lose its meaning, as the large family was annihilated.