ACCUSING NOBLES

Voymir, the capital of Voymaria Kingdom:

Rem looked out from the cart as it made its way toward the palace. This was his first time visiting the capital, and he found himself amazed by the huge buildings and beautiful landscapes. He had never seen anything like it before.

"Seeing all this for the first time, right?"

A messenger asked Rem with curiosity.

"Yeah."
"Wait till you see the royal palace."

And then, they finally arrived at the royal palace. Rem was seeing something this vast for the first time. He had only ever read about huge palaces in books — now he was looking at one with his own eyes. He tried to hide his amazement so he wouldn't look too out of place.
The other messengers left once they reached the palace, while the remaining one led Rem toward the throne room. The king, Advisor Kane, and a few other nobles were already there.

"Your Majesty, I have successfully brought Rem Worthswords, the famous detective, as you requested."

The messenger knelt before the king as he spoke.
The king looked at Rem with curiosity.

"Kneel before your king!"

Kane ordered Rem in a deep, serious tone. Rem felt more than a little intimidated.

"Oh, sorry! I don't know much about formalities, so..."

Rem knelt. At that moment, Romeo spoke.

"Hey, I don't care about formalities or anything like that. Rem Worthswords, right? Kane, since I don't feel like talking that much, just explain everything to him yourself."
"Of course, Your Majesty. Rem, I am Kane, the royal advisor. The king and I looked into you a little after hearing about your reputation. We heard many good things, which made us think you'd be a good fit for this job. Introduce yourself, and tell us what skills you have. Let's see whether you're truly capable."

Rem thought for a moment, then spoke.

"As you both already know, I am Rem Worthswords, from Ashbroad Town. A self-taught detective, initially skilled at finding missing items and thieves, but willing to take on whatever case you give me. No matter how many mistakes I make along the way during an investigation, I'll always find a way to solve it, no matter what. I'm fully willing, and glad, to work for you, Your Majesty. That's all I can really tell you — I don't have much more to say. If you truly want to test my worth, just give me a case."

Kane glanced at Romeo, who gave a small nod. Kane then spoke again.

"Alright. We'll test your talent with a small case first. This first one happens to be somewhat personal, so meet the king again after court has ended for the day. And come with me — I'll show you to the room we've prepared for you, and there are a few important things I need to tell you. Follow me."

Advisor Kane started walking down the hall, and Rem followed. Kane dismissed the guards along the way, then began to speak.

"So, Rem, let me tell you a bit about the king. He's very informal and doesn't act strict at all. But even so, he's difficult to win over — it takes time for him to trust anyone."
"Yeah, I picked up on that. I also noticed that you're the one the king trusts the most, and that he doesn't trust others nearly as easily. That's why he leaves most things in your hands."

Rem replied. Kane just smiled.

"So you understood that much already. And, to be honest, you might find him easy to fool at first glance — but never try it. He isn't what he looks like. You might think he can't do anything without me, but he's actually extremely calculating, and he punishes enemies and traitors far worse than you could imagine. Understood? So don't ever try to outsmart him, or me."

Rem just smirked after hearing that.

"Understood. But Advisor Kane, you've said quite a lot about the king. What about you, then?"

Kane looked at Rem, then smirked back.

"You'll learn plenty about me later. Anyway, here's your room. Leave your things here, rest if you'd like. The king and I will call for you again later."

Kane left. Rem set his belongings down beside the room, then dropped straight onto the bed. He had never lain on anything so soft before. His room was furnished with more luxury than he was used to.

"Oh man, this is so nice. I like it."

Rem said to Niko.

"Niko, try this bed. See how good this is. Look at how good this whole room is."
"Yeah, something you couldn't even imagine in your dreams."
"Yeah, but I'm still worried about the work. What kind of case am I going to get first?"
"We'll find out soon enough. I think you should rest a little. I want to rest too."
"Yeah, I'm pretty exhausted after that long journey."

A few hours later:

Night had fallen. After finishing their own work, King Romeo and Kane called for Rem. He went to their office to meet them. The king spoke first.

"Rem, we have a case for you — a test, first. Kane, explain everything to him."
"As you wish, Your Majesty. Rem, the royal family owns a seal made of very fine and valuable material — a symbol of the Hailton lineage, and one of our nation's treasures. The Hailton family has protected this seal for centuries. It represents their pride, something they must safeguard no matter what. But a week ago, the seal was stolen. We want you to find it."

Rem thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Alright, I can try, but that's very little to go on. Can you give me some more details?"
"Of course. The seal has its own treasure chamber. Not just anyone is allowed inside, and there are very few visitors to that room to begin with. Only the king and the cleaner may enter whenever they wish. There are two guards who always watch over the chamber, and a dedicated cleaner assigned to it — an old man who has worked here for decades. I suspected him at first, so I've placed him in custody. Since the king fully trusts him, we haven't punished him, but even after questioning him, we found no leads. I'm not certain he's the culprit, but there's no one else to suspect."
"I see. I'll begin the investigation tomorrow. I promise I'll do my best."
"Here, take this."

Kane handed Rem a scroll.

"This contains a clear drawing of the seal. It should help you. Also — this is important — since the seal is the pride of the royal family, we haven't told anyone else that it's missing. If word gets out, it will bring shame on the king. Even most of the nobles don't know it's gone. So investigate quietly, without anyone else finding out."
"Understood."

The king turned to Rem.

"Since the tasks we give you may be dangerous, I think you'll need a personal guard. Kane, assign him one."
"Of course, Your Majesty. Rem, since most of our soldiers are away on missions, would you be alright with a lower-ranked guard?"
"...That's fine. Since I don't get into many fights myself, anyone who can at least fight and defend me will do."
"Alright. Guards, bring in Oliver."

Kane called out. A third-grade soldier, Oliver, arrived. He looked to be around twenty to twenty-four — not the type who seemed to crave the thrill of battle, but rather an ordinary soldier just doing a job he didn't particularly enjoy.

"Oliver, this is Rem Worthswords, our new personal detective. You'll be his guard and protect him throughout his missions."

Kane ordered.

"As you wish, my lord."

(Thought)
"What a drag... working under a man again? Why can't I ever get assigned to guard some beautiful woman instead? And on top of that, this guy's handsome too. No woman's going to look twice at me with him around. I hate that."

Rem and Oliver shook hands, both expressionless, both clearly unwilling to work with the other.

That night, in the palace garden:

The palace had gone quiet. Most people had already gone to sleep. Guards still stood watch at the gate and at every corner.
Rem and Oliver lay in the garden, relaxed.

"Hey, introduce yourself."

Rem said to Oliver.

"What? Why would I?"
"Because you work for me now."
"Oh... fine. I'm Oliver Roswine. Twenty-four years old, joined the army at twenty-one. Currently a third-grade soldier. Mostly I handle protection duties and escorts for nobles. I've never been in a war or a major battle, but I'm a solid swordsman. That enough?"
"No."

Oliver looked at him, puzzled.

"You need to tell me a lot more personal things about yourself."
"What? No way. I just met you. Why would I share personal things with you?"
"Since I don't trust people easily, I need enough personal information about you to be sure you won't betray me."

Oliver clearly wasn't interested in sharing more, and he looked a little irritated, but he had no real choice.

"Fine. What else do you want to know?"
"Your family. Why you joined the army. That kind of thing."
"Okay. My father's a farmer. My mother's a housewife, but she does tailoring work when she has time. I also have a little brother. I joined the army because my family was struggling financially."
"Alright. Everything about your family sounds fine, but... that's not the real reason you joined, is it?"

Rem smirked at him. Oliver looked embarrassed.

"No, it's true. Why else would I join the army?"
"Then why are you embarrassed? Don't ever lie to me — I can tell easily."
"Fine, fine. The truth is... I fell in love with a girl, and her father said he'd only accept me if I became a soldier. So I joined without thinking twice. After that, they complained that I was too low-ranked, and she ended up marrying someone else. Now I'm trying to rank up so I can earn enough to marry some rich girl."

Oliver said, clearly embarrassed, while Rem just stared at him.

"Are you an idiot? Joining the army over a girl?"
"You wouldn't understand. Love is an emotion that—"

Oliver kept rambling like some kind of poet while Rem stared at him, unimpressed.

"So I wasn't wrong. You really are an idiot."
"...Anyway, I told you plenty about me. Now it's your turn, Rem."
"Why would I?"
"What? But I told you about me!"
"Yeah, because you're my employee now. You don't need to know much about me."
"But you're not the one paying me. It's the king."
"But the king told you to work for me. So from now on, I'm your boss."
"...Fine, Mr. Boss."

(Oliver's thought)
"I don't like this guy."

(Rem's thought)
"He could be useful. Easy to fool."

"So, Oliver, you know the case, right? Let's start the investigation tomorrow. Since it's confidential, we'll need to keep it quiet from everyone else."
"Understood."

The next day:

Rem began his investigation. First, he and Oliver went to see the cleaner of the chamber where the seal had been kept. The old man was already in custody at the local prison. Since most people didn't know the seal was missing, everyone assumed he was simply away for some other reason.
The cleaner was an elderly man, sitting helplessly in his cell.

"I'm Rem Worthswords, the detective sent to investigate the seal."

Rem introduced himself.

"Don't waste any more time. Tell me — where did you hide the seal? Did you sell it to someone?"

Rem tried to keep his tone intimidating. The old man looked frightened.

"Oh, my lord, I never stole the seal. I would never do such a thing."
"That's a lie! Advisor Kane is a sharp man — he wouldn't accuse someone without reason."
"No, my lord. I've worked here for years. My father, my grandfather — our whole line has sworn to look after that seal. We've always been loyal to the Hailton family. If I'd wanted to steal it, I could have done so years ago, and the king never would have suspected me. I would never do something like that. Lord Kane is trying to make me the scapegoat."

Rem leaned closer, lowered his voice, and whispered to the old man.

"Hey. Just tell me where you hid the seal. I'll help you escape from here, and then we'll sell it — you get half, I get half. Deal?"

Rem said, smirking.

(Oliver's thought)
"What's wrong with this guy? Is he serious?"

The old man looked terrified.

"No! I would never do such a thing! I swear! My loyalty belongs to the Hailton family until my death!"
"So you won't take the deal, huh? Fine. You know, the king's given me permission to execute the culprit if necessary. Oliver — kill him."

Oliver froze, startled.

"What?"

Rem winked at him.

"Do it."

Oliver drew his double gladius and moved to strike.

"Wait — my lord! Please, spare me! I have a family to look after! I don't know anything, I swear!"

The old man cried out.

"Oliver, stop!"

(Thought)
"Something's off here. Honestly, this old man doesn't look like a culprit at all. His body language, his expressions — none of it matches someone hiding a crime."

Rem sat down on the floor and told the old man to do the same.

"Tell me exactly what happened. Were you the one who noticed the seal was missing? How did you find out?"

Rem asked. The old man began to explain.

"I fell ill two weeks ago and took a week off from work. When I came back, the seal was already gone. I reported it to Lord Hailton, but Lord Kane accused me and had me locked up."
"If you were on leave for a week, who cleaned the chamber in your place?"
"Since the king doesn't trust anyone else with that duty, he assigned it to Lord Royce."
"Who's this Royce?"

Rem asked.

"Lord Royce is Lord Hailton's cousin."

Oliver added.

"I see. Thank you for putting up with us during the investigation. And forgive me for being so harsh earlier. One more thing — what illness did you have?"
"Diarrhea."

Rem stood, and he and Oliver walked away.

"Oliver, go find out where Royce is."
"Got it, boss."

Rem then returned to his room, where Niko was already waiting.

"Find anything?"

Niko asked.

"I've got a thread, but not the full picture yet. Honestly, this case is tricky."
"Why's that?"
"It's already been a week since the theft. Even if I figure out who did it, if he's already sold the seal, getting it back will be next to impossible."
"I see..."
"Niko, why aren't you helping me this time? I could use it."
"I'm not the detective. You need to impress the king on your own — first impressions matter."
"Fine... let's go dig into this Royce guy, then."

Oliver soon found where Royce was staying. Rem and Oliver approached him casually, giving no hint that they were investigating anything.

"Hey, you're Lord Royce, right?"
"That's right. And you're... oh, you're Rem, the new court detective?"
"Well, not officially yet — I'm currently just the king's personal detective. He wants to test my worth before making me the official court detective."
"Ah, I see. I heard the king mention you. I wondered why he hadn't introduced you to the other nobles yet — maybe he's waiting until you're officially appointed."

Royce spoke pleasantly with Rem, while Rem quietly studied his body language.

(Thought)
"If he really is the culprit, he'd probably show some sign of unease, assuming I'm here to investigate him. But... there's nothing unusual about him at all. He seems like a genuinely nice guy."

Rem continued.

"Anyway, I've just been trying to get to know the nobles a little. By the way, the king gave me a small test — to find out what material the royal seal is made from. Trouble is, I'm not allowed into the chamber where it's kept. I heard only the cleaner and the king are permitted inside, and the cleaner's been away for days. I also heard you covered his duties last week."
"Oh, yes, I did."
"Would you mind telling me about the seal, then?"
"Of course."
"Actually, before that — did anyone else enter the chamber while you were covering for the cleaner? I'd like to ask them as well."
"Let me think... Yes, Dalton. He cleaned the chamber on the last day of that week — he asked me because he wanted to see the seal himself."
"Who's Dalton?"
"One of the nobles. A relative of ours."
"I see..."

Royce went on to describe the seal, while Rem quietly turned over the possibilities in his mind.

Later that night:

Rem went to Kane's office to see him.

"Advisor Kane, are you busy?"
"Not particularly, Rem, though I do have a little work left. What brings you here? Need something from me?"
"Yeah. What's your read on Royce and Dalton? Can they be trusted?"
"Royce and Dalton, hm? They're both nobles, among Lord Hailton's closest circle. Royce is a good man — friendly with everyone, like a brother to Lord Hailton, and a good friend of mine as well. Dalton, though... he's a bit crooked. He's caused a few minor problems in the past, and Lord Hailton's forgiven him every time, but I've never fully trusted him, even if we get along well enough. Why do you ask? Do you suspect them?"
"A little."

Kane smirked.

"Accusing nobles so directly? Be careful, Rem. If you turn out to be wrong, Lord Hailton won't take kindly to you accusing men he considers family."

Rem smiled back.

"Advisor Kane, I make mistakes sometimes... but my final answer is never wrong."

Rem walked slowly out of the office. Oliver was already waiting outside.

"Oliver, let's go pay Dalton a visit."

Rem and Oliver headed off to see Dalton, who was standing in the hallway.

"You're Lord Dalton, aren't you?"

Rem spoke first.

"Yeah, that's me. I've seen you around the place all day but never got the chance to ask who you were."

Dalton replied in a rough voice.

"I'm Rem Worthswords, Lord Hailton's new personal detective."
"I see. What do you want from me?"
"Nothing special — just casually getting to know the nobles. I also wanted to ask you something about the royal seal."
"Why ask me about the seal? You could've asked anyone else."
"Lord Royce mentioned you cleaned the chamber once, so I thought I'd ask you. The king wants me to find out some details about it."
"I see. Go ahead."
"Alright. Do you happen to know how much that seal is worth? I heard the man who stole it sold it for around ten thousand gold pieces."
"Ten thousand gold pieces? Are you insane? That's far too little. That seal is one of the Hailton family's greatest treasures — it's worth more than fifty thousand gold. No one would sell it for a mere ten thousand."
"Wait a minute. I was only joking. So it's true, then — the seal really was stolen? How do you know that?"

Dalton froze, visibly shocked.

"What? The seal was stolen? I... don't know anything about that."

Dalton tried to cover himself, but Rem only smirked at him. Oliver stood there, stunned. Dalton turned and walked off. As Rem started to head back the other way, Dalton glanced back to see what he was doing — only to find Rem still watching him, calm and confident. Dalton hurried off, pretending he hadn't noticed.

"Should we catch him now?"

Oliver asked.

"Not yet. Let's collect some evidence first."

To be continued...