For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall grew unbearably tense. The soldiers and ministers surrounding Li Wei glared at him with fury, itching to tear him to pieces. Under their hostile gazes, however, Li Wei remained perfectly calm. Sophia had been uneasy at first, but seeing how composed he was, she soon relaxed as well.
At last, Franz I spoke.
After all, if he remained silent any longer, the situation would become difficult to control.
"Then, Count Li Wei, what do you intend to do next?"
At Franz I's question, Li Wei chuckled.
"Oh, next I intend to arrest some people. I suspect they're connected to this case, so I'd like to take them in for a thorough interrogation and see whether I can uncover any leads."
"Arrest some people? How many?"
"That depends. Perhaps a few, perhaps a few dozen, or perhaps several hundred."
"What kind of joke is this!"
This time, before Franz I could speak, another minister quickly snapped at him.
"We simply don't have that many men available! Do you realize that, because of last night's disaster, we've already deployed everyone we can spare? And you want to arrest several hundred people? We have neither the manpower nor anywhere to hold so many prisoners!"
"There's no need for any of you to trouble yourselves over that."
The minister's refusal did not change Li Wei's expression in the slightest.
"We'll naturally handle the Empire's affairs ourselves."
Everyone froze at his words.
"You-what do you mean?"
"It's quite simple."
Li Wei smiled faintly at the minister who had just objected.
"I already considered that problem, so I contacted the Empire. They'll soon be sending a battalion of Steam Mech Troopers here to assist me in investigating this case. There's no need for any of you to concern