Arson Conspiracy

The capital of the Auldo Kingdom, Crystal Radiance Fortress, was still shrouded in an atmosphere of tension and grimness.

Although it had been some time since the Royalist Party's army had retaken the Royal Capital, the level of martial law had not decreased at all. There were sentries every five steps and guards every ten steps on the streets and alleys. Patroling soldiers would often stop those they deemed suspicious and interrogate them in detail about their ancestors for eighteen generations.

The once bustling taverns were now very deserted. Customers would come in, buy their drinks, and leave in a hurry. Occasionally, a few people would sit down for a drink, but they would only chat about mundane family matters, without the unrestrained, opinionated discussions that were common when they were drunk.

A carriage sped towards the Royal Palace, carrying a tall, thin man with a walrus mustache. This man was none other than Earl Merlin, who was in charge of the kingdom's intelligence system.

At this moment, Earl Merlin was resting with his eyes closed, appearing calm on the outside, but in reality, he was extremely troubled.

On the night that Her Highness the Princess led her army to retake the Royal Capital, a large fire broke out in the Royal Capital's granary, destroying most of the grain stored there. This fire had serious consequences, directly disrupting the Royalist Party's plan to march south and quell the rebellion.

Fire prevention had always been a top priority in the daily management of the granary, with very strict measures in place. Even if a fire did break out, it would have been impossible for almost all the warehouses to be completely engulfed.

Clearly, this was a provocation, a serious provocation. Giles, the traitor, was clearly slapping the Royalist Party in the face – you think you've won, but I still have plenty of tricks to deal with you. Right under your noses, can you believe it?

It was easy to imagine how angry Her Highness Princess Catherine was. At the emergency meeting after the fire, the princess, in a fit of emotion, drew her Sword and slashed the table in front of her, vowing to never coexist with Giles under the same sky.

As the head of intelligence, Earl Merlin was naturally ordered to investigate the truth behind the fire, but the more he investigated, the more confusing it became. He repeatedly went over the information he had gathered in his mind, thinking about how to report the case to His Majesty the King and Her Highness the Grand Princess.

The current King of Aldo, Rodney XVI, had finally shaken off the entanglement of illness. After being brought back to the Royal Capital by his daughter, his health gradually recovered, and he was now able to attend to state affairs.

Earl Merlin was thoroughly searched by the Royal Guards before entering the Royal Palace. In these times of crisis, even core members of the Royalist Party like him were not exempt.

He hurried to the door of Rodney XVI's study. The attendant announced his arrival, and His Majesty the King immediately granted the Earl entry.

When Earl Merlin entered the study, he found that Her Highness Princess Catherine was already there.

"Lord Merlin, how is the investigation into the granary fire progressing?" His Majesty the King waved his hand, stopping Earl Merlin from performing the customary bow, and went straight to the point. Rodney XVI, who was nearly forty years old, was usually a kind-faced monarch, but due to his tireless efforts in managing state affairs, he had streaks of white hair at his temples, despite not being very old for a member of the nobility. At this moment, the King's face was full of worry, and his brow was furrowed with obvious anxiety.

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent. There has been no substantial breakthrough in the case."

Although he was heartbroken to bring such bad news to His Majesty the King after his recovery from a serious illness, Earl Merlin ultimately chose to report the truth after much deliberation.

Princess Catherine, who was standing beside the King, asked, "Have you encountered any difficulties?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Please allow me to explain." Earl Merlin took out a roll of Parchment and began to report the information he had gathered.

"According to the sentries on duty, the fire started after the warehouse manager, Fowler Bart, went inside. When Fowler Bart went in, another soldier volunteered to go in with him to provide light. No one else entered at any other time."

"So? The culprit is one of these two?"

The Earl nodded. "Let's start with the soldier. We have collected his information. He has a clean background and has served under Viscount Klein for more than three years. Those who know him well have a good impression of him. Even Klein recognizes him and doesn't believe he is a spy. These people don't remember him ever doing anything suspicious. You must know that the military camp is more closed off than other places, so it's almost impossible to hide anything from everyone."

Catherine said, "So the possibility of the soldier being the culprit is low. What about Bart?"

The Earl continued, "The warehouse manager is indeed very suspicious. You should know this manager."

Catherine replied, "Yes, in my impression, he is very talented and works diligently. During his tenure as manager, the warehouse has never experienced theft or embezzlement."

"We questioned everyone in his network, colleagues, friends, superiors, and subordinates, but no one said anything unusual. He is usually quite loyal to the Royal Family and was even harassed by the rebel army during Hals's rebellion."

"So, what about his relatives?" The Princess realized that something was missing from the identities Earl Merlin had listed.

Earl Merlin nodded again. "Your Highness is wise. According to Fowler Bart's wife, this manager is a bit unusual."

"How is he unusual?"

"Manager Bart has no suspicious points in other aspects. Due to his position, he meets many grain merchants from various places every day, making it difficult to investigate whether there are any suspicious individuals among them. But his biggest suspicious point is – his recent mental problems."

Catherine frowned slightly. "You're not saying that Manager Bart is actually a lunatic, so it's reasonable for him to suddenly go crazy and burn down the warehouse for fun?"

Earl Merlin hurriedly replied, "I don't mean that, Your Highness. Manager Bart's mental state has always been normal before this. There is no history of related illnesses in his family. The suspicious situation started nearly two months before the fire."

"That's around the time when Giles started his rebellion?"

"Yes, Your Highness. According to Mrs. Bart, her husband suddenly started having insomnia during that time, unable to sleep all night. He tried various sleep aids, but none of them worked. After a period of pain and exhaustion, Manager Bart was finally able to fall asleep, but then he started talking in his sleep. However, Mrs. Bart swears that she has never heard her husband talk in his sleep after sleeping in the same bed with him."

Catherine was very surprised. "What did Bart say?"

Rodney XVI, who had been sitting behind his desk listening quietly, also sat up straight, waiting for Earl Merlin's answer.

Earl Merlin looked down at the information and replied, "Most of it was vague gibberish. I have recorded a few sentences here that Mrs. Bart was able to understand."

He held the scroll with both hands and placed it on the King's desk. After the King and Princess finished reading it, they saw the following sentences recorded on it:

"Who are you? Stop following me?"

"Where am I? Why can't I get out?"

"I don't want to hear your nonsense, get out of my head!"

"I've done everything you asked, the things are all in place, no one will find out, please leave."

"I don't want to do this! I'll be hanged for it."

"Let me go! Please, let me go!"

"Master, Master, I will continue to listen to your holy teachings, do not abandon me."

"Your servant will complete the mission with his life, my supreme master!"

Earl Merlin added from the side, "The last two weeks are particularly suspicious. That last sentence was the last sleep-talking Mrs. Bart heard. Although he had been suffering from insomnia for some time, the supervisor still maintained the habit of going to bed early. Mrs. Bart was worried about her husband and couldn't fall asleep. Her husband woke up shortly after saying that sentence, saying he was going out for a walk to get some fresh air, and then... the granary caught fire."

Princess Catherine and Rodney XVI exchanged glances, both seeing the question in each other's eyes: "What is this supposed to be?"

Looking at the puzzled King and Princess, Earl Merlin, who was also confused, suddenly had a strange thought: Was Supervisor Bart under some kind of magic or witchcraft?

He quickly shook his head, banishing this idea that even he found ridiculous from his mind.