In the kingdom, nobility is a privileged class that is guaranteed or granted a title, office, or territory by the king.


　The bloodline must be socially recognized as "noble" and it must be continuously recognized as "noble" from generation to generation, but there is a clear disparity in status compared to the common people, and discrimination is tolerated.
　In terms of their duties, their basic style is to engage in work that is important to the nation, such as political affairs, finance, and military affairs, and to manage their territories in parallel.


　The armed nobles' role is to engage in military service.
　They join the king's bodyguard or the national army, and are given more or less command authority.
　A nobleman has a territory on the frontier bordering other countries and defends the country with his private army in case of emergency.


　The former is Arx's uncle, Cleve, and the latter is the Count of Cremeria.
　The House of Raytheft itself has been an auxiliary of the House of Clemellia for generations and has been given a territory in close proximity to the Count's territory. Therefore, Arx's father, Joshua, can be said to fall into the latter category.


　On the other hand, civil servants are nobles who are involved in political affairs in the court or ministries.
　They can be easily understood as bureaucrats.
　The Marquis of Carew-Gaston is a member of this civilian nobility, and is a high-ranking bureaucrat who is mainly engaged in the financial affairs of the kingdom.


　These positions are not obtained through an examination system, but are entirely determined by the decisions of higher-ups. In short, the positions are paid for by connections, not by individual ability, and are therefore a breeding ground for corruption.


"Some documents are missing?


　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　The Marquis of Carew Gaston, the host of the evening party that Leesha had visited the other day, was a middle-aged man who looked as if he was on the verge of old age.
　He had luxurious golden hair and a beautiful curved kaiser beard. The nape of his neck is sharply slashed, revealing his sternness, strength, and shrewdness.


　In his hand is a lit cigar in a cigarette holder.
　On his fingers are a number of ragged, jeweled rings.
　The leather chair on which he sits is covered with gaudy furs and is anything but simple.
　At his side, the large feline beast known as "Heifuu," which had dazzled the aristocrats at the recent soiree, lay prostrate as if in attendance.


　The location is the office of his mansion. Underneath the dark brown desk is a bright red carpet with detailed embroidery, and the interior is no less than that of a great hall. Paintings, sculptures, twinkling glass lights, and a crested flag crossed behind it.


　In front of the Marquis of Gaston is one of the servants entrusted with the management of the mansion.
　It is mid-afternoon. A report from him first thing in the afternoon reveals a missing document.
　In response to the servant's blunder, the Marquis stopped his work for a moment and sounded a reprimand in a gong voice.


What the hell are you doing?

I'm sorry, sir.

"I'm sorry," he said.


　In response to the Marquis Gaston's angry voice, the servants bowed deeply and apologized for the loss of the documents. The Marquis of Gaston's anger was so great that the servant bowed deeply and apologized for the missing documents.


"Sir. There's something suspicious about the disappearance.

What do you mean by suspicious?

What do you mean? Where the documents were stored, there were signs of tampering.

If it's ......, does that mean the documents were taken by an outside party?

Probably.

So, what kind of documents are these missing?

Yes. It was...


　Then the servant talked about the documents that smacked of corruption by the Marquis and the records of money transfers.
　In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find out more about it here.


Hm ......, that should be fine.


　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. The Marquis is not sweating even though the evidence has been stolen.
　In other words, they could be evidence of wrongdoing, but only to the extent that they could be squashed with the Marquis' power.


　But of course, there are some things that cannot be overlooked.


And then there was the fact that one of the back books was missing.

...... That's not good.


　The Marquis's expression was shaded by the existence of the back books.
　This is evidence that he was paying less tax than he should have.
　However, the Marquis still had time to spare. One of these revelations would not be his downfall yet. All he had to do was pretend he was wrong, pay the correct taxes, and get the officials involved to sniff around.


　However, it was not something he wanted to reveal, because once it was exposed, he would be watched very closely.


Do you have any idea when it went missing?

Probably the other night at the party.

That's when. ......


　Security is tightened more than usual because of the dignitaries who visit the soiree, but it is often difficult to keep an eye on the guests as they come and go. This year's party in particular was more spirited than usual and attracted a large number of people.
　The timing was perfect for the rats to make their move.


"...... are you still working for the Bureau of Investigation?


The. I'm sure you're not the only one.

You'd go so far as to imitate an interloper. It's abominable. ......


　Inspectorate. In the kingdom, the royal family's loyal dogs monitor whether the nobles are correctly following the laws enacted by the king. Sometimes from the outside, sometimes from the inside, they investigate the nobles to see if they are cheating.
　For the Marquis, who is constantly cheating, they are hateful people.


　Despite his irritation, the Marquis maintained his composure. He had been involved in corruption since he became the head of the family, and this was not the first time he had been in such a crisis.


So, do you have any idea where that person is?

No. We already have them in custody.

"Already in custody"?　What do you mean, you have them?




　The Marquis gives a dubious look. It's contradictory that we're seizing the thief and yet we're getting reports that the evidence is gone. If they are taking him into custody, they should have seized what was stolen.


　However, there was no mention of their recovery.


It seems that ...... it was released from his possession before he was taken into custody.

So you're saying the evidence was already in the hands of the Bureau of Prisons?

No, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Hmm. Didn't ...... capture the wrong person?

We are in the process of investigating that as well, sir.


　The Marquis, hearing the servant's words, pondered for a moment.
　And then.


"...... Well... If it was lost during the night party, it is not surprising that it has already been summoned to the castle.


　A few days have already passed since the day it was supposedly stolen. Even if there are preparations for the accusation, if it is in the hands of the inspectorate, there should be some kind of approach from the other side.
　But in fact, there is nothing.
　Then it's possible that the thief has hidden it somewhere.


How far along is the interrogation?

They're already there, but they're not talking. ......

I don't care how rough it gets. I don't care how rough it gets, but make sure he chirps.


　As the Marquis gave this order, a servant suddenly spoke up.


As for the whereabouts of the documents, I've heard something curious from someone else.

What is it?

"I spoke to the receptionist on the day, and she told me that she had seen the daughter of the House of Raytheft returning with a package that she had not brought with her when she visited.

"The daughter of Raytheft?　She must have taken some souvenirs with her.　She must have prepared some for the guests?

No. Yes, but they were not exactly what I had in mind.

What kind?

A black bag that didn't match the dress at all.

"M......


　The Marquis tilted his head. I met the daughter of the Raytheft family for the first time on the day of the soiree, and I remembered that she was only about ten years old. It was unlikely that a child would be in the company of the inspector general's dogs.


　But


"What if the cargo was stolen?

A spook from the Bureau of Investigation left it with an unknowing child. ......

That's right. I guess that's the only way. ......


　The Marquis, who was bitter about the troublesome situation, asked the servant what to do.


What should we do?　I'm not sure what to make of it.　Of course, you can't tell them what's inside.

"No, that won't work. Joshua Raytheft will see what's inside. Joshua Raytheft will see what's inside, and he's an innocent man of the east. They'll find out soon enough.


　The Eastern Houses are united under the Count of Cremeria. They are all hard-headed people who don't like injustice and try to be proud aristocrats all the way. If you look at the contents of the book, you can be sure that it will end up in the hands of the judiciary.


　The Marquis, as he is known, is a man who is not afraid to speak his mind.
　The Marquis let out a loud sigh to be heard.


...... Oh dear, I'm in trouble. I don't want to get into any kind of public trouble with the people in the east either.

Then.

Call the Viscount's daughter secretly and arrange for her to return it to me gently.

What do you mean, softly?

Softly. Don't misjudge the situation, okay?


　The Marquis said, and went back to his work as if he had finished his trifles.


　He did not know that the ...... servant was smirking at him in the shadows.