Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 853: Earl Sachia on the Pillar of Shame (Extra - for Votes)

Chapter 853 -853: Earl Sachia on the Pillar of Shame (Extra Chapter for Votes)

Three individuals meeting with Earl Sachia were respectively the local tobacco merchant, the bald Mr. Sandberg; stunning in appearance, dressed in a red dress, smoking a lady’s thin cigarette, Miss Marsha; and Mr. Francis, with a gloomy face and greasy hair, who taught basic physics at Huntington Public Divinity Academy.

The three individuals, in the order of Mr. Sandberg, Mr. Francis, and Miss Marsha, met privately with the Earl in the room. Each meeting lasted for about half an hour, and afterwards, they did not leave the club. Mr. Sandberg continued to meet with business partners on the first floor, Mr. Francis encountered acquaintances on the second floor, and Miss Marsha left the club but did not go far, thus was brought back.

All of them had letters of invitation from the Earl for today’s meeting, and after being searched, no toxic substances were found on them. However, after meeting with the Earl, each of them had time to handle their personal belongings, so they are still the primary suspects.

Very strangely, before Colonel Wood, Shard, and Mr. Benhart entered the room, none of the three individuals were willing to disclose the reason for their meeting with the Earl. After Colonel Wood officially announced that Earl Sachia was confirmed dead, and died in front of Her Highness Princess Margaret, they all gasped in shock.

“None of you will leave until the truth of this matter is uncovered.”

Mr. Wood, as a soldier, acted very decisively. Bringing up the Princess to make them realize the gravity of today’s incident was deliberate. Indeed, upon learning that the Royal Family was involved, all three were willing to explain their reasons for coming but requested to speak individually, as this matter should not be known by too many.

Thus, the three were separated once more. Shard, Mr. Benhart, and Colonel Wood first interrogated the tobacco merchant, Mr. Sandberg, who met with the Earl first. He slumped in his chair, and after the Royal Guard closed the door from outside, this bald middle-aged man suddenly began to cry, covering his face:

“I always knew this kind of thing would be discovered sooner or later. This is God’s punishment on me.”

“What exactly did you do?”

Colonel Wood asked sternly, and Mr. Sandberg, covering his face, replied while sobbing:

“I partnered with Earl Sachia in the tobacco business in the Southern Draleon Region… without paying taxes.”

That is, smuggling.

“Today’s meeting was about the Earl wanting to readjust the profit distribution. We had a huge argument, neither of us wanted this to happen, but I swear, I never intended to murder an Earl.”

“Smuggling?”

Colonel Wood looked at Viscount Benhart, who nodded slightly:

“Indeed… there are such rumors, but I cannot confirm.”

In other words, it was a well-known matter among local nobles, but Mr. Benhart would never testify to offend an Earl Family… Whether this title can be passed on depends on the later investigation into the scale of the smuggling business. Judging from the grief-stricken bald merchant, the business scale is likely far larger than the three imagined.

Subsequently, the three met with the gloomy-faced Mr. Francis, who appeared to have not washed his hair for several days. Although he taught basic physics at the academy, he was a lecturer and not a professor.

“I know this is hard to explain, but actually… the Earl wanted to use me to connect with MI6 in Draleon.”

He began with remarkable news, startling Mr. Benhart and Colonel Wood into speechlessness. While Shard was also shocked, he quickly asked:

“Are you saying that you are MI6?”

“No, no, Draleon Sir, please don’t accuse me unjustly. I am a very loyal Carsonrickian. As you know, although teaching at the academy is respectable work, the weekly salary is not substantial. A few Krones are hardly enough to support three children…”

He removed his glasses, keeping his head low while wiping the lenses:

“When I was young, I made some friends in Draleon, so occasionally, in Huntington City, I would… help store and sell information for people. I am not acquainted with MI6 members, and they do not trust me, but I can make contact with them.”

In other words, he was a local underground market intelligence dealer.

“Why did Earl Sachia find you to contact MI6?”

Now catching up, Colonel Wood asked, and Mr. Francis, hesitating, pursed his lips:

“This was not the Earl’s first time seeking me. He wanted to use information from the Huntington Railway Department in exchange for Draleon to let through a shipment at Coldwater Port from the New World… Yes, a batch of herbal medicine that does not quite comply with the regulations and stipulations established and enforced by the United Kingdom.”

Mr. Benhart had unknowingly raised his hand to hold his chin, showing great interest but needing caution in listening further. Colonel Wood furrowed his eyebrows, resembling the peaks of the Rommel Mountains. He took a few breaths through his nose before difficultly asking:

“Which type of illegal herbal medicine? Addictive, mind-stimulating, or those listed by the Church of the Five Gods?”

Mr. Francis pouted, scratching his face—to hide his inner unease:

“All of them. However, this does not make the Earl a traitor. He is very loyal to the Kingdom and very caring to the people, always striving to stop the Huntington Eastern Reservoir reconstruction plan…”

“Oh, my God…”

Colonel Wood no longer listened to him, covering his forehead in a groan, then looked at the two gentlemen beside him.

“I heard nothing!”

Mr. Benhart immediately said.

“What?”

Shard patted his ear, feigning bewilderment, causing Colonel Wood to relax.

Confirming that Earl Sachia engaged in smuggling and betrayal, the three then met with the dressed-up Miss Marsha. She had a pungent smell of perfume, far inferior to the fragrances used by the ladies around Shard.

“I am the Earl’s lover.”

Miss Marsha folded her legs sitting on the sofa and had extinguished her cigarette under Colonel Wood’s warning.

Upon hearing this response, the three standing gentlemen were not surprised at all. Compared to the secrets mentioned by the previous two, the reply “lover” seemed too ordinary.

“You only met for half an hour.”

Colonel Wood pointed out astutely, his eyes sharp:

“Even if the Earl’s health is poor, there’s no reason to meet for only half an hour, it doesn’t make sense.”

He then explained to the two people beside him:

“I don’t have a lover, it’s common sense.”

“The Earl wants to abandon me.”

The woman said these words without much expression, instead looking very interested in Shard’s face:

“The reason for abandoning me is simply that he’s tired of me. He gave me a bank draft for 200 Krones to shut me up. That bank draft should have been found by you guys already, please return it to me after this matter is over.”

She was examining Shard, and Shard was also examining her. It wasn’t that the Outlander had any interest in the woman before him, but the Emerald Ring on her finger caught his attention.

[Yes, it is an Alchemical Item, but the elemental traces are very weak.]

The other party is just an ordinary person, even if she has an Alchemical Item on her, it doesn’t mean she’s the murderer who poisoned and killed Earl Sachia, who would likely be nailed to Carsonrick’s pillar of shame.

Colonel Wood continued to ask about Earl Sachia’s daily habits, as well as the details of Miss Marsha’s acquaintance with the Earl. Mr. Benhart, who was behind him, pulled Shard’s sleeve and pointed towards Miss Marsha.

Shard was startled and mouthed:

“Is it her?”

Mr. Benhart nodded slightly, then his hands hung down at his sides, palms down, quickly shaking up and down. Then he raised his right hand and touched his nose.

“Mimicking wings with both hands means bat; pointing to the nose, indicates keen sense of smell. He’s saying he relied on his Vampire Kind talent to smell something abnormal on her.”

Shard nodded to show understanding, his eyes shifted, then raised his right hand, palm up, and extended it forward, meaning “what’s the evidence.”

Mr. Benhart understood his meaning, but still shook his head, indicating that he didn’t have any evidence for the time being.

At this time, Mr. Wood had already finished asking questions, turned back and signaled the two gentlemen beside him to ask a few questions. Mr. Benhart gestured for Shard to speak first, so Shard thought for a moment and said:

“How about we treat this lady as the murderer?”

“Hmm?”

The other three all looked at him in surprise, and Shard analyzed:

“You see, these three are the most suspicious. The tobacco merchant is smuggling, and definitely won’t be allowed to leave; Mr. Francis is suspected of treason, he won’t be able to leave either. Only this lady, we have no reason not to detain her without the police. How about we announce that Miss Marsha poisoned and killed the Earl, and then, using the excuse of involving national secrets, detain Mr. Sandberg and Mr. Francis as well.”

The initially surprised Colonel Wood had already understood, and Mr. Benhart started rubbing his chin, deep in thought.

“This way, what should have been handled by the police can be handled by us alone. Once personnel from Grey Glove are dispatched from Velindale, after Her Highness leaves by Floating Airship, Grey Glove will take over this case, turning a criminal case into a state secret case that doesn’t require public disclosure, ensuring the Princess’s reputation remains untarnished.”

In this way, Grey Glove’s investigation will focus on these three people, and Shard can extricate himself from this matter.

Once Shard finished his thought, he heard “her” laughter beside him:

[Outlander, sometimes I really admire your wisdom.]

The middle-aged Vampire Kind had already given Shard a thumbs up, looking at him as if re-evaluating this young knight from a foreign land. Mr. Benhart now fully understood why Shard Hamilton became the only knight in this era, definitely not just because of good luck.

Colonel Wood, who had initially had some reservations about this Draleon, also sincerely said:

“Quite impressive, Mr. Holmes, very impressive.”

This was genuine praise:

“You shouldn’t be running a vineyard in the New World, you should be applying for a civil service position. Remarkable, truly remarkable.”

Shard humbly shook his head with a smile, he was a Royal Army major of Draleon, and according to Kingdom regulations, he couldn’t apply for a civil service position before retiring:

“I am simply good at grasping the main contradictions.”

When the real culprit is identified but there’s no evidence to prove it, don’t look for evidence, instead turn the problem into how to arrest the suspect without needing evidence.

“Alright.”

Colonel Wood clapped his hands to conclude the matter:

“Then we will temporarily treat Miss Marsha as the poisoner.”

After saying this, he coughed and turned to face the sofa, formally announcing:

“Miss Marsha, you are now under arrest. Do not make any extra movements, or we will have reason to take restrictive measures against you. Notably, as you are being arrested by the Anjou Royal Family’s Guard, you will be handed over to Grey Glove for processing, so you will not have any rights to meet with relatives or freely express your opinions.”

The woman sitting on the sofa looked at the three of them in shock, completely unable to comprehend how they could be so shameless.