Chapter 402 - Episode 385: Expansion
About two weeks had passed since the occurrence of the strange residential burglary cases. Yuri's bad premonition had been correct.
"...So this makes four cases. Well, for now, at least there were no victims this time, which is a relief."
Following the occurrence of the thefts, the Grand Duchy's army strengthened patrols within the capital, Noeina. As a result, audacious residential intrusions like the first one ceased to occur, but several small incidents, presumably stemming from hatred and loathing toward beastfolk, have taken place.
One was a derogatory phrase, "Beastfolk are defiling this country," scribbled on the wall of a residence in the northeast district. Another involved a beastfolk walking the streets at night who had pig's blood splashed on their face from a back alley.
And today, another instance of graffiti on a wall had occurred, and Yuri had come to report it.
"I am truly sorry. We have yet to identify the culprit and have failed to prevent a recurrence; I have no excuse."
Before Noein, who gave a wry smile upon receiving the report in the office, Yuri—feeling the weight of responsibility as the Chief of Military Affairs—wore a heavy expression. Given the circumstances, his tone was stiff.
"It's just us right now, so you don't have to apologize with such formal language... The capital Noeina is unexpectedly large, and when you include the people entering and leaving from abroad, there are always about three thousand people here. It isn't realistic to maintain constant vigilance in every single location. You and the national army are doing more than enough."
Of the regular soldiers of the Grand Duchy of Arqvist, only about a hundred are stationed in the capital Noeina. Besides patrols within the capital, there are many other tasks to handle, and with training and leave rotations, it is not possible for everyone to be deployed at all times.
If one is slightly cautious and slightly lucky, it is possible to commit petty crimes on the level of pranks without being discovered. It cannot be called a failure of the military.
In this case, the problem was not the physical damage, but the content of the pranks.
"However, when things turn out like this, I worry about the mental state of the subjects. These eerie incidents are happening one after another. Some people will inevitably feel anxious. Especially the beastfolk."
"Yes. According to reports from the soldiers on patrol, an unsettling atmosphere has already begun to spread within the capital. They say some people, primarily among the beastfolk, are becoming agitated. Though the numbers aren't large yet."
Yuri nodded in agreement with Noein's concern.
Even if they were small, if similar incidents occurred in quick succession, rumors would spread among the people. The people could easily imagine that these incidents were born from hatred or loathing toward beastfolk.
"Rumors that strange incidents are occurring have reached the merchants coming from abroad and their mercenary guards. Until now, the overwhelming quality of public order was one of the Grand Duchy of Arqvist's selling points. If public order were to deteriorate, I wonder what the merchants who use our trade routes would think..."
"...Even if that alone wouldn't decrease the number of visiting merchants enough to cause a significant drop in income, the reputation of this country would fall. And my reputation along with it."
A monarch who cannot maintain good public order even in their own backyard. Being viewed as such by those around him was a disadvantage that could not be ignored as the head of a Great Noble House ruling a country.
"For now, I think I'll issue a proclamation to the entire capital in my name today or tomorrow. Stating that these are nothing more than pitiful and foolish incidents caused by a single subject who lacks education. And that there is no need for concern because the army is patrolling the capital diligently to protect the people. On top of that, I'll tell everyone to continue living their lives as usual and to report to the army immediately if they notice anything unusual."
As long as they could soothe the people's anxiety and suppress confusion, the incidents were not yet that serious. When Noein proposed this, Yuri thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Yes, I think that is a good move... I apologize for troubling you, Noein-sama. The military will also put forth its full effort in the response."
"Don't dwell on it too much. Tell the soldiers that as well. If you all are too tense, the people will actually become more frightened... It's alright, eventually eyewitness information will emerge and the culprit will be found."
"True. Even if they succeeded a few times through luck, they won't be able to keep running forever."
The capital Noeina was unexpectedly large, but at the same time, unexpectedly small. The culprit's luck would run out before long. That was what Noein and the others thought.
.....
A few days later, an abrupt report reached the military stating that "the culprit of the series of incidents has been found."
The suspect was a human laborer living in the capital Noeina, who was currently at a restaurant on the main northern road of the capital, having been restrained by other citizens who exposed him as the culprit. Upon receiving this report, Yuri headed to the scene leading a single platoon of infantry soldiers.
Normally, he was in a position where he could have waited for the suspect to be brought to military headquarters, but given the current state of affairs and the belief that it would be better for the people to see Baronet Yuri Granat acting personally, he made the trip.
As Yuri approached the restaurant in question, a crowd of roughly fifty or more people had gathered. The number of onlookers was increasing in real-time, and the soldiers who had arrived first were trying to settle the scene, but a few people were not enough.
"Quiet down!"
When Yuri raised his voice, the scene visibly regained its composure.
While the onlookers continued to whisper among themselves, there were none who tried to push past the soldiers' restraint to peer inside the restaurant or who tried to start a fight in their excitement. It seemed that no one could withstand a shout from Yuri, a veteran of many battles.
"You lot, help with the security of the scene. And you, explain the situation."
As Yuri barked orders, the ten soldiers who had accompanied him from headquarters moved to organize the onlookers, and one of the soldiers who had been there from the start stepped forward to explain to Yuri.
"Y-yes. I will report."
According to the report from the still-young soldier, a certain man eating at this restaurant was judged by those around him to be the culprit of the series of incidents based on his remarks and was subsequently restrained.
As Yuri entered the restaurant while listening to the soldier's explanation, there were several subjects claiming they had "restrained the culprit," another human man who had been eating with the suspect, three soldiers handling the situation, the suspect who had been made to sit on the floor, and the restaurant owner and employees who had been caught up in the commotion.
The suspect's eye area was swollen purple on one side, and he had several other bruises and wounds within visible range, suggesting he had been restrained roughly. The several citizens who had judged him to be the culprit were all beastfolk.
"...First, I will hear the circumstances from each—" "I-I'm not the culprit!"
Just as Yuri attempted to request an explanation of the situation, the suspect suddenly screamed.
"Fool! Do not interrupt the words of Lord Granat!"
"Please believe me! I'm not the culprit! I was just talking while eating with my buddy, and those guys suddenly attacked me from behind!"
"It's exactly as he says! He's actually the victim!"
Ignoring the soldiers' restraint, the suspect pointed toward the beastfolk. The man who claimed to be his friend also spoke up.
"Don't lie! You were saying things like it's only natural for beastfolk to be made fun of! And in a loud voice, too!"
"That's right, that's right! On top of that, he said he'd do the same thing himself!"
"He said such things loudly, so he's obviously the culprit!"
Yuri sighed as he looked around at the suspect, his friend, and the beastfolk who had begun arguing with soldiers sandwiched between them, and he spoke again.
"Stop making a scene! From this point on, anyone who speaks without permission will be considered as obstructing the investigation and will be held accountable!"
Instantly, silence spread through the shop.
"First, I'll hear your story. Why did you consider this man the culprit?"
The content of the subsequent interrogations of each individual was enough to give Yuri a headache.
According to his friend, the man who became the suspect had a foul mouth from the start and a habit of speaking discriminatorily about beastfolk without malicious intent. Although it had softened since his initial migration several years ago, he occasionally got into fights with beastfolk during drinking sessions and such.
And during today's lunch, the topic of recent incidents came up, and the suspect remarked, "Since the citizens of this country are originally from the Kingdom of Roadberg, it's only natural if there are those who make fun of beastfolk. I can understand the culprit's feelings. A few years ago, I would have done the same thing." He truly had no malicious intent, and he spoke in a loud voice.
The beastfolk sitting at the neighboring table overheard this.
Among the beastfolk citizens, quite a few were agitated by the series of incidents, and these individuals were particularly so. Hearing the suspect's remarks in such a mental state, their thinking leaped to the conclusion that since he says such things, he must be the culprit, and if they caught him, the current unsettling situation would end.
Driven by anxiety and a sense of justice, they attacked the suspect. That was the conclusion of this commotion.
In such a situation, the attacked man could not be called a suspect. He was at fault for making careless remarks without reading the room, but that alone was not enough to justify arrest and restraint.
"First, you. Be careful of your remarks and the volume of your voice in public. Many citizens are agitated right now. There's no way you didn't know that."
"Y-yes... I'll be careful not to say anything stupid."
The former suspect, glared at by Yuri, bowed his head repeatedly.
"And you lot. I understand you're anxious, and I understand you found this man's remarks unpleasant, but that doesn't mean you can treat another person as a culprit and cause this much of a scene without any strong evidence. It would be different if you had seen the scene of a crime in progress, but if not, do not act on your own. Report to the military first."
"""W-we're sorry..."""
The beastfolk, having regained their composure and realizing the weakness of their own argument, apologized honestly.
"Shopkeeper, was anything broken during the commotion these people caused?"
"No, nothing in particular... Um, we're fine here, so please go easy on them. They're all regulars at my place."
Perhaps not wanting to leave ill will between himself and his familiar customers, the shopkeeper seemed not to want to make the commotion any larger.
The monarch, Noein, dislikes giving arbitrary punishments. As someone in the position of maintaining public order based on that will, Yuri could not hold them to a heavy crime. Yuri thought this inwardly.
"...Then, we will settle this matter as a severe warning for this time. However, the responsibility for causing a commotion that fuels anxiety when so many are already feeling anxious is heavy. Do not forget that. There will not be a next time."
After declaring this and dismissing the involved parties, Yuri let out a breath barely audible to those around him.
This scene was settled, but nothing had been resolved regarding the series of incidents. The days of vigilance and investigation would simply continue. He would have to deliver another report of "no results" and an apology to his lord.
He could only hold his head in his hands over the unfamiliar criminal investigation.