~Chapter 148~
Priest Pedro fidgeted nervously, unable to meet the Duke’s eyes.
Then—
“First, I should properly introduce myself.”
Dietrich spoke with calm courtesy.
“Nice to meet you. I am Dietrich von Claudius.”
For a young duke said to control half the Empire, his manner was surprisingly modest.
“I… I am Pedro. A commoner, so I have no family name.”
Pedro straightened himself, answering stiffly.
Dietrich continued evenly.
“I imagine you have many questions, so I will be direct.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“The man who attacked you—he was a mercenary.”
“Mercenary…?”
Pedro blinked blankly.
He had spent his whole life caring for children. Mercenaries were almost like characters from a tale, belonging to a world that never touched his own.
So why…?
“Unfortunately, we have not identified the employer. He said he was hired in secret and never saw the client’s face.”
“I-I see…”
“We intend to press charges against him. And if we discover who was behind it, you will be informed.”
“…Thank you.”
Pedro gave a dazed reply, clinging to the conversation so he wouldn’t lose his footing.
Dietrich shifted the topic.
“Up to this point is fact. From here, we must deal with speculation and assumption.”
Speculation. Assumption.
Pedro repeated the words in his head.
Dietrich’s voice was steady.
“If you had died, the group that would benefit most is clear.”
Pedro’s chest tightened. He already knew the answer.
“The Temple.”
“….”
Pedro lowered his head heavily.
He had suspected it himself, but hadn’t wanted to believe.
“You may not know, but after you raised the accusations, the Temple contacted the Imperial family.”
“They… contacted the Imperial family?”
“Yes. They asked that Claudius not make any rash rebuttal that could cause confusion, saying they were investigating thoroughly.”
Dietrich’s gaze sharpened.
“Now imagine—that was simply to buy time.”
“B-Buy time?”
“Yes. They smear Claudius with false accusations, warn the Imperial family to delay, and in the meantime—”
His tone hardened.
“If you were killed, suspicion would fall squarely on us.”
Pedro trembled.
“But the Temple would escape, claiming it was only your personal mistake.”
“….”
“And at the same time, Claudius’s foundation would suffer a fatal blow to its reputation.”
Pedro felt the world go dark.
The Temple had taught him: Believe in the Goddess, do good deeds, care for the weak.
He had devoted his life to that path. He had even felt proud to belong to such an institution.
But now—
“And as for the slush fund accusations you raised.”
Dietrich declared calmly:
“We have never created any slush fund.”
Pedro flinched as though whipped.
Dietrich laid a thick stack of papers on the table.
“These documents will clear it up. And their credibility is guaranteed by the Imperial family—they are notarized.”
“….”
“We delayed releasing them out of consideration for the Temple’s relationship with the Imperial family. But today, we received permission to make them public.”
Pedro stared at the golden lion stamped on the pages. The Imperial seal.
A crushing wave of shame swallowed him.
“…I am so sorry. Truly sorry.”
His voice broke.
“I will take responsibility for this mess, no matter what. But please—please spare the children of my orphanage.”
Dietrich studied the bowed old priest silently.
Yes, Claudius had suffered much from Pedro’s accusation.
But—
He didn’t act out of malice.
Claudius had investigated Pedro after the scandal. The findings were clear.
He was an honest priest. And competent enough, too.
With meager Temple support, he had still cared for the children. Roman Orphanage, the smallest and poorest under the Temple, had survived thanks to him.
It would be a waste to simply discard him.
Dietrich smiled faintly.
“You said you would take responsibility. Then allow me to make a proposal.”
“…A proposal?”
“If you accept, Claudius will not press charges against you.”
“What?”
Pedro’s eyes widened.
“Our proposal is this: first, help us reveal the truth.”
“Help…?”
“Yes. The evidence is ready.”
Dietrich gestured to the stack of documents.
“You will play the role of a whistleblower.”
“A whistleblower…”
“Frankly, public opinion is not on our side. Even if we show notarized records, many won’t believe us. Some will even say the Imperial family and Claudius colluded.”
“T-That’s…”
“So we need you to refute the Temple’s claims directly, and explain you only acted under pressure from them.”
“I see…”
Pedro understood.
“You want me to overturn my own claims—to shake the Temple’s credibility first.”
“Exactly.”
Dietrich’s eyes curved gracefully.
“And we will also let it be known that your life was threatened, and we saved you.”
That, at least, was the truth.
Pedro nodded slowly.
“If you had died, the Temple would have gained most. We’ll make sure the public sees that as well. Leave that part to us.”
Dietrich’s blue eyes glimmered sharply.
“And if you agree, we will arrange the press.”
“B-But, Your Grace…” Pedro stammered.
“I already owe you so much. You even saved my life. But if I do this… what will happen to my children? They rely on the Temple’s foundation for support. If I side with you, they will suffer.”
“Ah, I intended to mention that.”
Dietrich answered smoothly.
“Our second condition is this: transfer your orphanage to Claudius.”
“…Transfer?”
“Yes. Our foundation needs dedicated educators like you.”
He smiled.
“If you agree, all the children of Roman Orphanage will come under our care as well.”
“M-My children too?!”
“Yes. Negotiations with the Temple will be necessary, but it won’t be too difficult.”
His smile turned cold.
“The Temple will already be in chaos from what’s about to happen.”
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