Elric thrashed against the men restraining him, his face red with rage. "Let me go! That cursed brat needs to pay!" he screamed, his voice cracking.
One of the men holding him, a stocky noble with a deep voice, growled, "Elric, get a grip! You're embarrassing yourself and the rest of us. Calm down!"
"Calm down?" Elric spat, still struggling. "You expect me to calm down when that thing is standing there, mocking us all? She's a danger to the duchy, to everyone!"
Another man, taller with a diplomatic air, tried reasoning with him. "Minister Elric, this behavior is unbefitting of someone in your position. You're the Minister of Finance, for heaven's sake. Compose yourself!"
But Elric refused to listen. "You're all blind! She's a cursed priestess, and she's bewitched the Duke! This is treason against the duchy—against humanity itself!" He continued to flail, his wild movements forcing the men to tighten their grip.
Magnus sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. The strain in his expression was evident. Meanwhile, Alaric stood frozen beside him, seemingly forgetting he was supposed to fetch a healer for Elric.
Selene, unfazed by the commotion, bent down to pick up the encyclopedia from where it had fallen. She walked over to Magnus, holding the hefty book in one hand as she pointed to Elric with the other.
"What's his problem?" she asked bluntly, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Magnus glanced at the enraged minister, his gaze softening into something almost pitying. "His full name is Elric von Galen. He's the Minister of Finance for my fiefdom. Twelve years ago, his wife and children were killed by a dark mage. According to reports, the mage attacked because he wanted the Darswell family heirloom, the Ebonweave Orb. It's an artifact said to enhance magic exponentially, but only in the hands of someone with a natural affinity. Since then, he's harbored a deep hatred for anyone with dark attributes."
Selene tilted her head, her expression skeptical. "That's... all? Are you sure? Because this feels personal."
Magnus hesitated, then continued. "Before your awakening as a dark priestess, Elric was close to you—practically a godfather. But after your awakening, everything changed."
Alaric chimed in, nodding solemnly. "I believe Elric feels as though he's betraying the memory of his wife and children by accepting you. That's likely why he's acting this way."
Selene snorted derisively. "Nonsense. The dark mage didn't attack him because of the orb" she said under her breath.
Magnus and Alaric exchanged a glance, their interest piqued by her reaction. Two of the other men in the room, despite pretending not to listen, subtly leaned closer.
Magnus leaned in and whispered, "What do you mean by that?"
Selene sighed, lowering her voice as well. "I met his character in a side quest of the game. It wasn't just about defeating the dark mage who killed his family—it was about unraveling the truth. Turns out, the mage was his own son."
Magnus's eyes widened, and Alaric's jaw dropped slightly. "Explain," Magnus said, his voice quiet but insistent.
Selene nodded, launching into the story. "Fifteen years before the incident, Elric got drunk and forced himself on a maid in his household. She got pregnant and gave birth to a son. The maid had a sickly mother to care for, so she stayed at the mansion despite everything. Elric and his wife agreed to let her stay but kept the boy's origins a secret, fearing it would ruin Elric's reputation."
She continued, her tone growing darker. "Life for the maid and her son was hell. The son was bullied relentlessly by his half-siblings and abused by Elric's wife. Elric, meanwhile, used the situation as an excuse to continue forcing himself on the maid. When the boy awakened as a dark mage, things got worse. Elric became terrified of being exposed as the father of a 'cursed' child, so he planned to poison both the mother and son and have the servants dispose of the bodies."
Magnus's and Alaric's faces darkened, but they remained silent, letting her finish.
"The boy survived because his half-sister had used him as a test subject for poisons, which made him immune. His mother, however, wasn't so lucky. She was the only person who ever showed him love, and her death broke him. He disappeared for three years, training in secret. When he returned, he killed everyone involved in his and his mother's suffering."
Selene's voice softened, but it carried a sharp edge. "Everyone except Elric. The boy wanted him to live, to feel the pain of losing his loved ones. As a final punishment, he..."
She hesitated, glancing at Elric, who was still struggling.
Magnus's eyes narrowed. "What did he do?"
Selene sighed. "He castrated him."
Magnus and Alaric winced visibly, and the two eavesdropping men quickly averted their gazes. But for a fleeting moment, all eight eyes darted toward Elric's crotch in unison.
Selene's arms folded over her chest, voice level, yet cold. "The curse in question wasn't some mystical affliction; it was Elric's ruined manhood. The boy made certain he could never hurt anyone else that way again."
Magnus leaned slightly forward, his brows knitted. "Could Eri cure it?"
Selene raised an eyebrow. "Technically, yes. The players are given options: kill the dark mage, cure Elric, both, or neither. I chose to let the mage go and didn't bother curing Elric. He's a bastard and a scoundrel who deserved it."
Magnus leaned back in his chair, nodding thoughtfully. "I can't say I disagree."
Then her expression changed, and she looked at Magnus with an expression as if something suddenly came to her mind. Huddling closer to Magnus, she whispered, "Speaking of bastards, when I investigated the dark mage in the game, I found out that he has been extorting money from merchants and businesses in the name of taxation."
In an instant, Magnus's expression turned dark. "Is that so? Tell me everything."
Selene nodded, her voice lowering to a whisper to avoid the notice of the other men. "Elric operates a small network with two other ministers, preying on the misfortunes of merchants with threats of withdrawing licenses or limiting their usage of specific trade routes. For a price, they let the businesses operate-most especially during the harvest season when businesses gain more-and all off record, of course. They do all these through lower-rank officials so as not to raise any suspicions. Eri has evidence from this game that points to Elric being involved in at least fifteen fraudulent trade agreements."
Magnus's face darkened, and his hand clenched into a fist on the armrest. "Fifteen? Others too?
"Lord Balthazar, Minister of Agriculture, and Lady Cordelia, Minister of Trade. The three of them split the profits, funneling money through shell accounts in neighboring duchies to cover their tracks. The merchants who don't comply? They 'mysteriously' lose shipments or find themselves accused of false crimes."
Magnus's voice turned icy. "And you're sure of this?"
"Positive," Selene replied. "The game provided detailed files. If you confiscate their assets, you'll find an Ebonweave Orb among them. Can I have it? I need all the help I can get; my level is rising too slowly."
Magnus sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Fine, the orb is yours if it's among the confiscated items."
Now radiant, her spirits instantly lifted as she was already working out how she could fit the orb into her strategy. The moment she wandered off into her reverie, Magnus leaned over toward Alaric, lowering his voice. "We need to check out her claims and get into that as soon as possible."
Alaric groaned, rubbing his forehead. "We're not even done with the Dr. Valmont case yet. How much more can we handle?"
Magnus let out a long exhale. "I feel the same. My mansion is crawling with criminals, and now I find out some of them are helping me run the fiefdom. Makes me question my competence." His face hardened as he added, "But my father was the one who appointed these ministers. That might explain some things."
Just then, Selene turned back, seemingly snapping out of her reverie. She held up the encyclopedia and dropped it into Magnus's lap with a heavy thud, causing him to wince.
"You need to take better care of this," she muttered. "This book holds the future of not just the kingdom but the whole continent. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could cause catastrophic trouble."
Magnus looked sheepish and jammed the book in his storage space. Behind him, Alaric's shoulders were shaking in an attempt to stifle a laugh.
Meanwhile, the two eavesdropping men had caught only parts of what had been said, as their attention was torn by the increasingly loud diatribe from Elric.
"Let me go!" Elric roared, his voice hoarse. "This is treachery! I demand to be heard!
The stocky man holding him grunted. "For the last time, Elric, calm yourself! You're making a fool of us all!"
"Fool?" Elric spat. "The real fools are the lot of you, bowing to that cursed girl! She's deceiving you—bewitching you!"
Another noble muttered, "He's lost it."
Elric's struggles became wilder. "You'll regret this when the duchy falls into ruin because of her! Mark my words!"
Selene ignored him utterly, turning back to Magnus. "There's something important I need to discuss with you," she said. "Can we meet in my room after all this is over?"
Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Very well."
Selene nodded, satisfied, as chaos continued to erupt behind her.