Titan Beneath the Heavens Chapter 23

Even after Marquis Almodovar Godzilla returned to his mansion, the chills he experienced still hadn't subsided, disturbing his sleep. He didn't believe anyone in the world to be able to plan something so frightening. No matter the perspective, a fifteen-year-old shouldn't be able to execute a conspiracy to that depth.

Marquis Godzilla paced around in his bedroom in boredom, feeling the effects of the insomnia. Insomnia, such a hated disorder that it can be caused by so many factors. Marquis Godzilla's episode tonight, however, was caused by his fear toward the young Prince.

He now know that it is unwise to make a deal with such a devil. That afternoon, the teenager hadn't even tried to make a deal with old Kachev, but Marquis Godzilla knew, the old guy and the little devil are of the same kind, they wouldn't leave marks tracing back to them. They are so in sync when it comes to trickery and intrigue, the Marquis couldn't figure out how the young Prince managed to get on the old Duke's level.

The wall lamps in the bedroom threw beams of light into the humongous space. His visitors were always surprised by its size. Even though his 'visitors' were never proper 'visitors', Marquis Godzilla was still proud of his bedroom, his most private space where he could completely relax.

However, tonight was different. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't settle down. No one could, when they were facing the young Prince. Marquis Godzilla could still remember the journey back in the evening, when His Imperial Highness Prince confided in him his plans to take down the House of Brickfield, Marquis Godzilla recalled his discomfort. Even though he had done his share of swindling, he had never participated in a conspiracy that is no different than a massacre.

Marquis Almodovar Godzilla extinguished the last of the lamps in his room, the sudden darkness startling a little. He understood something clearly right after though, and that was predictable danger was not as dangerous as he thought, even the dangers one can see can be avoided, the truly dangerous ones were the one in the dark waiting to strike.

Throwing his portly frame in his bed, Marquis Godzilla put on his favorite nightcap. He decided to stay away from the young Prince, they were definitely not the same type of people.

It didn't seem like there were anyone bothering to measure the capital city Dulin's geographical location, but people were used to calling Titan's capital the center of the lands. Naturally, the capital city is a colossal place where everything gather, but its inhabitants were not as lucky as the outsiders think it was.

Can you picture millions of people starting fire to cook at brillig? In Dulin, this would happen everyday. The crowded streets, noisy market, screaming wives and crying children, jaded men and quarreling whores, can all these bore people out? Perhaps not. Many a times people were not able to change their lives with just their own abilities, just like the century-old nightfog above Dulin, the smell of soot and spices seeped into the citizen of Dulin's lives, becoming part of Dulin's unmistakable identity.

It was almost midnight, but the Ministry of Justice building was still fully lit. In the office of the Minister of Justice, experts and heads of secret agents like those in mythical stories met. They're all in a state of excitement, after all, to convict the Secretary of State wasn't something that happens regularly, and even though their current discussion about the Secretary of State had derailed in logic, these people whose experience in condemning people in court had their minds filled with inertial thinking that compels them to find fault in other people first before considering other issues. In other words, even if the Secretary of State had been completely innocent, it would only be declared once the other people decided he had not done any faults.

"Everyone! Please! Hear me out. I think even with all the evidence we had, they didn't sufficiently prove his guiltiness, we shan't think our supposition as the actual situation." The one speaking was the Chief Detective of the Ministry of Justice Criminal Investigation Department.

"Sir, I don't agree, my investigators had already gotten their hands on the agreement between the Brickfield and Deiss, but our investigations all point toward the agreement being a cover up, the development projects listed on the agreement does not exist!" Count Rudolf Hoss, the head of the Secret Service department was the first one to speak up against the Chief Detective.

"I can't deny the investigation of the Secret Service being reliable, but can you guarantee the Brickfield wasn't the one who was ripped off? The experts in my department had fully explored and proven the possibility of this situation."

Count Rudolf Hoss scowled disapprovingly at his colleague. "Ripped off? Do you and your experts think this was a regular financial fraud case?"

The aged Chief Detective didn't miss the hostile tone Rudolf employed, but as a Chief Detective, he felt he needed to make sure his own opinion was clarified across the board. "No, dear Rudolf, I'm stressing the possibility of the situation. Due to the suddenness of the case, I believe the House of Brickfield and the Deiss would have handled it with more caution if they really were involved in the case of your accusation."

Count Rudolf Hoss was the head of the Titan Empire's Secret Service, he had seen many things like this, but the point the Chief Detective made was also the part he wasn't sure of. If the Secretary of State had been involved in treason, his position alone would have been enough influence for a cover up, but the problem happened where it shouldn't have, the transaction! Unable to provide a retort, Rudolf kept quiet.

The silence in the meeting room didn't last long, as the Minister of Justice led the Finance Minister Marquis Almodovar Godzilla into the room under the authorization of the King.

The Finance Minister looked tired, he wore a loose jacket over his night gown and a laughable bear-shaped nightcap. Count Rudolf Hoss almost laughed at Marquis Godzilla as he greeted him, but he managed to fight down the urge. As the head of the Secret Service department, he reports directly to the King, but the Finance Minister was still higher in rank than he was.

"Okay, okay! Just laugh at me already, alright? I already had a bad day anyway, as long as you don't tell the ladies out there about what you saw today! Come on, laugh!"

The office bursted with a unanimous roar of laughter. The big man was considered a treasure of the Empire, hilarity always followed him wherever he went.

"Hahah hahah! Our dear Marquis Godzilla, my old friend! I'm sorry to have dragged you here from your warm bed, I'll treat you to a steak at The Hen's Tongue another day."

Minister of Justice, Marquis Roment Huga Andeses gave his portly friend an enthusiastic hug.

"Forget it, my friend! The bottle of rum you owe me from university, do you remember that? I stole it back from your wife! 'I'll treat you to a steak.'" Marquis Godzilla mimicked the Minister of Justice, "Fagetaboutit! I'd rather get the meal money from Marchioness Andeses!"

Once again, the room cracked up with laughter. It was a public secret that Marquis Andeses feared his wife, but only the obese Finance Minister could tease him like this.

"That's enough old friend, stop it with your roguish tricks! Have a seat. Tea, or whisky?"

'Sea Monster' downed the shot of fiery whisky, feeling the liquid burning up his insides. He was still feeling unsure, but his mind was made up on his way to the Ministry of Justice. According to the situation, the Secretary of State seemed to be bearing the brunt of the storm, it all depends on whether Marquis Godzilla will throw in the straw that breaks his back.

"Oh! That's much better!" Marquis Godzilla procured his handkerchief to wipe away his sweat. It seemed he was constantly secreting the salty fluid. "Sirs, let us see what actually happened here!"

"What happened here? I seemed to have missed a brilliant show." Toby Ryan Creech the Liar Extraordinaire, currently known as Baron Erbe, minister of His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, marvelled.

"Ola! My dear Ricky, it's so nice to see you back here, I'm in need of a hand here." Oscar greeted the liar extraordinaire who had just returned from a trip in the garden of 31 Penelope Street.

"Your Imperial Highness! You have got to remember to address me as Baron Erbe. YOu haven't told me what actually happened?"

"Oh it's nothing that special, our friends from afar and I just wove some accusations against our Secretary of State whose favorite pastime include digging up dirt." Oscar stated flatly.

Ricky the Liar Extraordin- I mean, Baron Erbe's jaw dropped in awe, "Goodness! You little… I thought you would have given me the honors!"

Oscar slapped his forehead, he knew of his companions' scrappiness.

"That's fine, my friend, care to have a listen? Of course I'll involve you in some way."

Robert Carter Brickfield was the brother of the Secretary of State Duke Robinson Brickfield by blood. He wasn't able to inherit the dukedom from his father due to the Titan Law saying only one person can inherit titles through ancestry. With that said, Carter was still capable in comparison to his brother, especially in finance, he had been following the old Duke Brickfield around since young, learning about managing the finances. Through the years, his result in managing the family finances was impressive.

The wealth of Titan Nobles were no doubt the most envied in the whole of Westland. Since years ago, the prosperous Far Eastern Road had provided the Titan Nobles uncountable gold. Even though the Titan economy was falling behind, if anyone would look into the lavish lifestyles of the nobles, they would realize these people still had the power to spend.

It's not important how much wealth a century-old family had accrued, wealth itself would not increase in value, the key was how it was managed. The outcome without proper management doesn't seem to be too bad, even though the massive Titan land wasn't fully conferred, the nobles seemed to have farming lands all around, and the food they result in each year represents the annual salary the Empire give them, and this is in the condition where no one in the family served as a public officer.

Robert Carter Brickfield understood his own capabilities very well. Yes, his brother was the Empire's Secretary of State, but Carter was always careful when using the family money. He didn't use his brother's identity, but his own competence to invest in businesses. Furthermore, his brother was so busy, he hardly have time for family affairs, so the real manager of the family was actually Carter who oversees the family expenses, even Secretary of State Robinson Brickfield would ask him for money when he needs it. This Secretary of State didn't even know the amount of land he had, but since his younger brother was so good with the money, these stuff were given to him to manage.

Titan businessmen and Deiss businessmen had been dealing with each other extra cautiously, this was mostly due to the hostility between the two nations, but at the end of the day, businessmen want profit. Even so, the government of the two nations were constantly changing their policies, straining the relationship even more, for example, a certain product that was selling like hot cakes in one province was suddenly banned when the caravaneers arrived at the next province because of policy change, this situation was not unheard of, because of this, Titan businessmen had basically removed themselves from the Deiss market.

Even though Deiss and Titan have kept on with the stalemate situation, the communication between the two countries did not stop in the upper class level. The situation where nobles monopolized the whole mine was rampant in the two countries, so any new mines that were successfully developed would be envied.

Robert Carter Brickfield's interest in mines was particularly deep. He reckoned only resources like mines have the potential to appreciate, so when a important Deiss official introduced him to several mining tycoons of the Bagerr Province, he was delirious,

For Robert Carter who's had years of financial experience, the value of several mines was easy to calculate, several elders from his family went on a trip to verify the mines and returned promptly, setting in motion the discussion for specific benefits and prices.

The discussion went on for two days, Carter was very satisfied with the end result. The Deiss official who acted as the notary public for both parties stressed on the importance of the House of Brickfield to the Titan Empire, so of course the local aristocrats who had never met a ruling class noble would think it was a great honor to work with one.

The House of Brickfield had accumulated numerous merits serving the Titan Kings for several centuries, earning them the Imperial Left-Hand Sword totem on their emblem. Carter was slightly disgusted seeing the Deiss countrymen grinning from ear to ear after he stamped his house seal on their documents, but he waved it off after he thought about the huge return that would follow.

The whole thing was a legitimate investment, even until the signing of the agreement, there wasn't a single sign of intrigue.

Even though this was a smokescreen to hide the real plan, if it wasn't arranged the way it did, how would the House of Brickfield with mountains of gold invest in such a risky idea?

The change happened after the agreement was signed. Lord Mueller G. Karl Arnold was, undoubtedly, the biggest regional tyrant of the Bagerr Province in Deiss Kingdom. He frequently kept in touch with several officials in the Bagerr Province and higher ups from the Kingdom. Even though it was him who put out the investment plan, he was hardly seen in its execution. Every part had an appointed official to take care of the plan, even the notary public was hired through means unknown.

The trap was executed according to plan, the mines' actual owners were legitimately doing business with the House of Brickfield. However, the agreement and specific mining sites have been changed. The manager of these noble houses were using Brickfield's wealth to develop new mining shafts, but there were no documents specifying how the House of Brickfield were related to these mining sites. A liaison officer was stationed in Bagerr, but some time ago, he was obsessed with this pretty lady, spending all his time to court her.

O'Neil Andrew Morisette's trap was easy to understand, a sign of an intricate plot. He used the fact that the agreement had taken effect and completely blindsided the investor House of Brickfield, the maneuver had some difficulty to it, but at Bagerr Province where the management of mines were messy, it's not impossible to do so.

The resources in the province of Bagerr was so rich, almost every single town had been filled with busy miners. The nobles of Deiss Kingdom dominated the mining business which included the transactions and mergers, only the government had the capability to deal with the troublesome aftermath, like verifying the locations of each mines owned by each noble house, as well as the available ores to be mined. The current technology for measuring those weren't always the most convincing, so conflicts between nobles regarding mines happen a lot in Bagerr.

International partnerships such as the one Robinson Brickfield was involved in had to be reported to the local government, so Mueller G. Karl Arnold only needed to bribe the local officials to amend the official archive and change the locations of the mines in the agreement, what effects would that have if it happens?

The Secret Service Department of Ministry of Justice had clarified everything, the agents obtained the agreement from the Mine Management office of Bagerr through various methods, and found out the locations of the specific mines in the agreement did not exist. Same conclusion was drawn when they queried with the nobles partnering with the Brickfield. According to the foreman, the mines they are working on were the ones with partnership to the Brickfield, but when the agents went it over with the local government, it was found that the mines had nothing to do with the agreement. The official record wouldn't lie, so the agents were really confused by the turn of events.

The Bagerr nobles had delivered a large sum of money to the Brickfield, who in turn also provided the former a good amount of money. Whether the mines exist was still debatable, so what do these transactions mean?

In the 5th month, Dulin already had signs of summer in its air. After the fortnight-long refurbishment, the mansion of Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel was as good as newly built. Low trees separated flowers of different colors, In the day, it's as if someone had wandered into a colorful world hidden behind a forest path.

The garden kept its livelihood even at night, the night mist caused by the breath of the plants was thin, yet blurry, as if a single breath would cause it to disperse. A master conductor instructed a slow orchestra of crickets, filling the quiet air with festive music.

Baron Erbe set down his utensils, His Imperial Highness Prince organized a banquet in a pretty corner of the garden. Even though his explanation took some time, it didn't dampen the Liar Extraordinaire's appetite. Little Ricky was a really good conman, he already immersed himself in his new character as Baron Erbe, perfectly executing his role as a minister.

"Let me think, you have successfully turned this legitimate deal toward the path of criminal, but in your explanation, I noticed a weak link. If the agents from Minister of Justice requested the Brickfield family to confirm the location of the mines, wouldn't all these deception be for nothing?"

His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette stuffed the last piece of grilled red trout into his mouth. "Mm… Ricky… I mean, Sir Erbe, my dear minister, that hole isn't hard to fill. Have you heard of the DeKTer?"

Baron Erbe contemplated for a little, he was pretty familiar with this name that circulates in the dark. "It's short for Deiss Kapitum ont Terraburo, or Deiss Land and Resource Bureau, it's a secret organization famous for their cruelty and mercilessness."

"Yes, that's correct! Ola! It's really yummy! Oh no, I wasn't talking about them, I was talking about Mam Celia's grilled trout. Yes, the Deiss secret agent bureau, our Secret Service's counterpart, their agents in Bagerr Province kept a close distance monitoring of the Brickfield."

"Is that true? Understandable, seeing the Brickfield had a person of high importance. If even the investment from a Titan Secretary of State couldn't sound their alarm, these guys would be close to losing their jobs."

"That's right, these guys had a really keen sense of sniffing out information. I believe you know about information traders?" Oscar laid on his chair satisfied. His dinner was so delectable, the young Prince even considered having a second serving.

"Of course, I even have some friends who were quite well-known!"

"Ola! It's easy to explain then, our friend, Lord Mueller G. Karl Arnold is a renowned information trader, he reported the Titan Secret Service's actions to the director of the DeKTer, I believe our Secret Service had paid their price and will probably be more restrained in the Deiss territory. Plus, Deiss had strengthened their control over those areas. I believe once our agents felt there's no more stuff to dig out, they'll only report the ones they could make sense of to their superiors, right? Those guys tend to be like this."

Baron Erbe agreed to the Prince's deduction, secret agents' work involved being covert, once their operation risked exposure, they can only report the things they found. Currently, it seemed impossible to even get in touch with their contacts in Deiss. Furthermore, with the participation of DeKTer, the whole plan derailed into something else completely, placing the last nail in Brickfield's coffin.

"Question, would such vague evidence be sufficient to take down that guy?" Baron Erbe asked the key question. The accusation toward the Secretary of State needed to come from unambiguous evidence, and little Oscar definitely only led the detective toward a certain thinking.

Oscar indicated Baron Erbe to have a stroll in his garden, while a bored Snowstorm climbed up a Chinese Parasol tree with a series of agile movements, he could observe the whole garden from there.

"Yes, we can't accuse that minister yet, and the investigation from the Ministry of Justice would have problems proceeding due to the interruption from DeKTer, so we still need a key element to pin Robinson as a traitor…"

A weird chirp came from above, Oscar turned toward the top of the Chinese Parasol tree, "Hahah, looks like someone else is coming… two women, oh, it's Mam Celia… and… my Antonia. Looks like we have to stop here for today." He gestured toward the tree, and Baron Erbe could only see a vague shadow moving in the trees.

Oscar and Erbe walked toward the direction the ladies were coming from, and saw them turning out from a fork in the road.

"My dear Oscar, where were you hiding?"

"Mam Celia! Hahah! My dear Mam Celia, I went into the depth of the woods to enjoy your grilled red trout, I was worried the whole mansion might come after me after its fragrance wafted out, so I chose a secret hideout to keep them all in!"

"Oh my stars! You cheeky little boy! Only you would come up with ideas like this, no matter where you hide them, the stray cats can always find them,"

Oscar kissed Celia on her face. "Mam, don't worry, I have kept them all in my stomach, just let the thieving cats go on their fruitless hunt! I didn't even leave them the bones!"

"Hoho! You're a prince now, how are you still so impudent?" Lady Celia gave the chubby kid a big hug. Recently, her mood had been great, after the Emperor His Majesty announced his attitude toward the House of Andrew, she slowly became one of the most popular noblewomen in the capital upper class. Her limelight could only be compared with the charming Duchess Ferdinand.

Countess Antonia Horman offered her hug to little Oscar who had disengaged from the Lady Duchess, his embrace was tight and strong, suffocating her a little, but she felt awkward after seeing Snowstorm who came out of nowhere.

Duchess Andrew gave her hand to Baron Erbe gracefully, who bowed and kissed the back of it, Lady Celia now knows the Baron's true identity, but she still refused to believe the handsome middle-aged man was the Liar Extraordinaire infamous across the Westland.

"Little Ricky, you look like you've been well. How was your trip, I believe it went smoothly?" The Lady Duchess greeted him cordially.

"Um… Milady, can I ask for a favor?" Baron Erbe was a little vexed, why do the people here like to call him by his disgraceful name? "If you wouldn't mind, please address me as Erbe."

"My pleasure, Erbe! Don't you worry, I won't be making this mistake again. My gentlemen, can't we speak inside?"

Her suggestion was instantly agreed by little Oscar, who led the ladies into a tea room with their hands on his arm. The servants served the best ground coffee after they have seated, saturating the room with the rich aroma of the coffee.

"Baron Erbe, let's talk about your trip. How was His Grand Eminence? It's been seven, no, eight years since I've met with the honorable Radriere VI." Lady Duchess' main concern right now was her youngest son's Coronation Ceremony, and the one most important person in this was definitely His Grand Eminence the Pope Radriere VI.

"I was just about to tell you about this!" Baron Erbe set his cup on the table. "Lady Andrew, I just saw His Grand Eminence last month, he was asking about you and Duke Andrew, he also appeared to be very confident in His Imperial Highness' Coronation Ceremony."

"Is that so? That's wonderful! Did His Grand Eminence say anything else?" Lady Duchess continued her questioning.

"The rest were some trivial matters, like whether Young Lady Sasha had done her weekly worships, the state of Duke Andrew's stomach, whether the heretics from the Eastern side made any moves, the financial situation of the Narcissus county et cetera. Don't worry, my answers were not disappointing to His Grand Eminence."

"Actually, His Grand Eminence also mentioned something else," Baron Erbe chose his words carefully. "The Pope mentioned he had received some complaint with harsh wordings."

Lady Duchess was a little confused, "Complaint? Is it about Oscar or about the House of Andrew?"

Baron Erbe glanced at Oscar, "About His Imperial Highness, all of them, the letter described Lord O'Neil Andrew Morisette as a devil incarnate, forgive me, I was reciting as they said, that was not my words. I think Pope Radriere VI only told us out of concern, he would like us to look out for the troublemakers picking bones while hidden in the dark."

Lady Duchess became less concerned. She knew her youngest was definitely not someone who knew how to keep himself in check, that was proven by the rumor between him and Her Imperial Highness Princess Alanis awhile ago.

"Looks like someone still harbor hatred for this arrangement." Lady Duchess' only worry was that the young Prince couldn't command the loyalty of his people.

"Yes, putting aside the others that antagonize the House of Andrew, even the Secretary of State alone, he would not have let it go so easily." Countess Antonia Horman voiced her concern.

Lady Celia already took that into consideration. In her letter to her husband, she detailed the events in Dulin. However, her husband didn't give her a clear answer this time, Duke Andrew's reply was a very concise, "Do as your youngest say!" Lady Celia thought her husband was somewhat irresponsible. Little Oscar was still a teenager, what can he do?

Oscar planted a soft kiss on his Mam's cheek, "Don't worry, dear Mam, everything will be fine, let's not talk about this. The Coronation was ordered by His Majesty, even if there's problem, it's not ours to worry. Let's talk about something fun. Mam, have you heard about old Duke Kachev Drakas Ferdinand…"

Chapter end