Chapter 223

In a ward at Centra Hospital. As a place where numerous patients come and go, it’s usually the busiest and most hectic place in the neighborhood. Yet it was especially noisy today due to Eric, who had been brought in this morning for emergency treatment.

“How does that make sense? You don’t know what kind of carriage it was?”

“We’re investigating the area, but it’s difficult to find traces.”

“It’s not like just anyone rides carriages, it was a private red oak carriage! Since our carriage wheel came off, the offender’s back must have been completely smashed! Come on, this isn’t near the border, how can you not find it? Huh? It must be somewhere nearby!”

It was already frustrating enough to have had an accident in the morning, but the guard, who was supposed to be the investigator in charge, just kept saying they couldn’t find the offender.

Nonsense! Were all the numerous witnesses at the scene blind? Eric shouted at the top of his lungs, his face red.

“Find them immediately! Find the bastard who did this to me!”

“…We’ll do our best.”

“How much tax do I pay for this, really, ha!”

“Then I’ll take my leave. We’ll visit again if the investigation progresses. Get well soon.”

Feeling ridiculous and dejected, Eric flopped down on the bed. A sharp pain shot up his waist. This wasn’t an injury that would heal quickly. For someone who sits and works all day, such pain was fatal.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

“Master. A visitor from the Ministry of Magic is here.”

“The Ministry of Magic? Not our department?”

The servant peeked his head in. While there had been no contact from his own department, the judiciary, why suddenly the Ministry of Magic? Eric allowed them to enter with a puzzled expression.

“Hello. I’m from the Ministry of Magic. Are you feeling a bit better? This is a get-well gift from Minister Ian.”

A man wearing a mage’s robe entered carrying a fruit basket. Eric was so bewildered he couldn’t respond. It was surprising enough that a minister would send a gift to a mere staff member, but wasn’t the timing too quick? He had arrived almost at the same time as the servants from his mansion.

“…I’ll accept it gratefully. But how did you know?”

“The Ministry of Magic went to file an indictment early this morning and confirmed your absence. Minister Ian wanted to entrust it directly to you.”

“It could have been left with the staff below me.”

“Well, there’s a bit of a problem with that.”

“Huh?”

The mage smiled gently and signaled the servant to leave. As Eric nodded, soon only the two of them remained in the ward.

“What’s the matter?”

“Isn’t it strange that there’s been no contact from the judiciary when you’re injured?”

“Don’t tell me, another rebellion? Is there a problem?”

“It’s not that. It seems Hayman’s side has moved organizedly to block the filing of the indictment. There are quite a few who couldn’t come to work at the judiciary today. Though it seems there are few cases of severe injuries like yours.”

It was unbelievable. Quite a few couldn’t come to work at the judiciary? And due to Hayman’s machinations? The mage handed over a letter from Ian to Eric, who was gaping in disbelief.

“In my opinion, I think the perpetrator of your carriage accident might also be connected to Hayman. If so, it would probably be difficult for the guard to find them.”

“Wait! I’m confused right now, just give me a moment.”

Eric hurriedly raised his hand to organize his thoughts. Then he quickly scanned Ian’s neatly written message. The gist was as follows:

There are many obstructive operations at the judiciary’s reception, so he’s requesting cooperation. And asking if the indictment could be processed at the hospital if he brings the seal.

Eric rubbed his brow and looked back at the mage.

“Would there be a problem if it’s delayed by a few days?”

“I don’t know, but there must be a reason, right? Especially considering how you’ve been injured like this.”

“Hmm.”

Could it really be Hayman? Was it Hayman’s underlings who rammed into his carriage? Eric pondered, his head aching. But it didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

‘I would have handled it anyway if I had gone to work.’

Whether it’s done there or here, there shouldn’t be a problem, right? Rather, if this is Hayman’s trick as the Ministry of Magic claims…

“Let’s do it.”

He would definitely do it. He would make them pay dearly for daring to break his arm, whatever it was. Eric returned the letter and instructed:

“The seal is on my desk. Make sure to bring all the supporting documents to be attached to the indictment, and tell the person who will conduct the face-to-face review to come here. If it’s past work hours, it’ll be pushed to tomorrow, so they need to arrive before then.”

“Understood.”

“And let me tell you one thing. I’m quite thorough in my reviews. I won’t let things slide easily just because of the situation. Processing work here doesn’t mean it’ll be a rubber stamp approval.”

“I’ll relay that. Please write a brief handwritten reply.”

“Oh my. What on earth is all this commotion about, really. Ugh.”

Scribble scribble!

Eric wrote with his right hand while groaning in pain. He had a feeling his body aches would worsen after waking up from a nap. As the mage hurriedly left the room, the servant approached, glancing around.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Master. That person was a mage, right?”

“Yes. Massage my legs a bit. It’s killing me.”

“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen that mage before. But what’s going on?”

“What do you need to know for? Just massage my legs, will you?”

“Yes. Understood.”

Eric clicked his tongue and looked up at the white ceiling. What on earth was happening in the imperial palace right now? If it was Hayman’s machinations as the mage said, that was a problem in itself.

‘I’ll understand the overall flow when I see the indictment.’

“…And tell all the guards from the mansion to come here.”

“To the hospital room?”

“Yes, here. Tell them to guard me tightly.”

“Understood.”

Assuming everything he had heard was true. Just as Hayman seemed desperate to prevent the filing of the indictment, the Ministry of Magic seemed equally desperate to file it. So wouldn’t it be troublesome if they brought the seal and pressured him? It was right to be extra cautious, especially being outside the imperial palace.

***

“Master, Master!”

“Huh.”

When had he fallen asleep? Eric woke up startled by the servant’s fuss. Then he frowned at the dull sensation in his ribs. He had completely forgotten about the accident.

“People from the Ministry of Magic are here.”

“The Ministry of Magic? Ah. Tell them to come in.”

“Yes. But, um, one of them seems to be in a strange state.”

“State? Why?”

“I don’t know. It looks like they could get treatment here right after finishing their business. Anyway, I’ll show them in.”

Eric couldn’t understand what the servant was saying. Until the door opened.

Creak.

“Hello. I’m Hale, Captain of the Magic Operations Department. I’ve come here on the Minister’s orders. I heard you had a big accident, are you feeling alright?”

“Ah, yes, yes. Well, I’m managing.”

Captain Hale, he’s famous. Eric raised his upper body and looked him up and down. He knew he was usually a free-spirited person, but why were his clothes so torn? His hair was also quite disheveled.

As he was inwardly muttering that he couldn’t understand the eccentricities of mages, it happened.

“Nice to, meet you. I’m, uh, sniff, Romandro, assistant to Minister Ian of the Ministry of Magic.”

“…Are you alright?”

Romandro was in such a mess that even the bedridden patient had to ask. Both his nostrils were stuffed with blood-stained tissues, his eyes were bruised, and there were clear scratch marks all over. If Captain Hale’s clothes were shabby, Romandro looked exactly like a beggar. Romandro kept sniffling.

“Honestly, I’m not okay.”

“I, I can see that.”

“…Before I get even sadder, please hurry and take care of business.”

Romandro pulled up a chair and sat in front of Eric as if he had given up on everything. Using the bedside table, a thick indictment was placed. And from his bosom, Eric’s official seal was taken out as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

Clack.

The round bead attached to the end of the seal handle was blinking, indicating the passage of time. This was the reason why Eric and the judiciary staff tried to strictly adhere to work hours.

Once the set time passes, the seal’s imprint would stamp tomorrow’s date instead of today’s. Then, of course, the processing of work would proceed based on tomorrow.

“Then, we’ll begin. The Ministry of Magic is filing the indictment, and the target is not Duke Hayman but the entire Hayman family.”

“That’s right. I’d appreciate it if you could speak a bit faster.”

“I’ll try.”

Romandro anxiously checked the time. If the face-to-face review was delayed, wouldn’t bringing the seal here be in vain? It was a seal he had obtained through a physical struggle for the first time in his life.

Whether he knew of Romandro’s hardships or not, Eric carefully read through the indictment.

“Please explain this part. The research results on the black ore confiscated from the Chetur district say it’s dragon scales? Is this reliable?”

“There’s a separate result sheet attached.”

“But the stated research period is unreasonably short. I judge it to be less credible.”

Hale leaned against the door of the hospital room, watching the scene. Fortunately, Romandro seemed to have anticipated this question and answered without hesitation. If it weren’t for the two tissue bundles in his nostrils, he might have looked quite handsome.

“I believe the period cannot determine the reliability of the result. There are researches where time is important, and others where it’s not. Identifying the nature of a substance is obviously the former. And above all, to confirm this, a full-scale investigation of the Hayman family is necessary. That’s only possible if the indictment is accepted.”

“…So you’re saying you’ll explain about the dragon scales part at the trial. I see. I’ll accept your claim.”

Rustle.

Eric raised an eyebrow and turned the page. This kind of question and answer session happened several times. Tick tock, Hale kept checking his watch, conscious of the time. The work deadline was approaching soon. The seal would also change, but Eric, as he had warned, didn’t let anything slide without thoroughly examining it.

‘This is maddening.’

He felt so nervous he wanted to chew on a cigarette. If it weren’t for the hospital, cigarette butts would have piled up at his feet long ago. The servants also sensed the unusual atmosphere and held their breath.

Scribble scribble.

Eric kept scribbling something. Slowly but surely, the pages were turning. Finally, they reached the last page without any omissions.

“I’ll confirm one last thing. This is one of the official procedures. It can be recognized as credible in future trials, including the general assembly, so please answer carefully.”

The last! It’s the last! Romandro’s eyes sparkled as he nodded vigorously, as if urging Eric to ask quickly.

“Of course.”

“Is there any fabrication or intentional false statement in the above content where the Ministry of Magic is indicting the Hayman family?”

“I swear there is none. Absolutely not.”

“If it’s revealed that there is fabrication or intentional false statement in the indictment, you can be held accountable for that crime. Do you agree to this?”

“Of course I agree!”

“Understood.”

Eric lightly grasped the seal. The bead that reacted to the handler’s fingerprint flickered slightly. He firmly pressed the seal on the front of the indictment.

[No. 52398 Indictment Filing Complete.]

Click.

Simultaneously, today’s date appeared clearly below. As soon as Eric lifted the seal, the time on the bead changed. They had barely made it within work hours.

Romandro hugged Eric tightly in joy. The tissues stuffed in his nostrils flew out with a pop.

“We did it! Thank you! Oh, thank you so much! But you, why do you talk so slowly! I was sweating bullets the whole time!”

“Aaagh! It hurts! It hurts!”

“Oh, sorry, I’m sorry.”

Hale ignored the two making a fuss and retrieved the indictment. Now that the seal had been stamped, anyone who damaged it would be severely punished. They just needed to return to the imperial palace. Probably, the head of the Ministry of Magic would be waiting.

“Lord Romandro, let’s hurry back.”

“Huh? Ah, yes! We should. Eric, get well soon! And you need to clean house with those employees! Tsk tsk. They’re all just brutes. They’ve only learned bad things!”

“Pardon?”

Romandro made a disgusted expression while drawing his hand across his throat. Eric, not understanding, could only watch their backs as they left, rubbing his aching arm.

What on earth had happened in the imperial palace?