Episode 85
There’s a saying that fits the world quite well: “A guilty conscience needs no accuser.”
It’s not just thieves; anyone who’s committed a crime or caused trouble tends to react in some way.
Some people, without being asked, insist on their innocence or emphasize their alibis, desperate to prove their point.
But that’s a tale for ordinary folks.
A seasoned ruler like Philip II of France wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake.
Especially since it’s been confirmed that he has sociopathic tendencies.
Even if he were plotting something, he’d never let it show.
So when I heard he’d sent a letter, I couldn’t help but be curious about its contents.
“Let’s see… Hmm? Was the French royal seal always like this? It doesn’t seem forged, but…”
At first glance, I hadn’t noticed, but something felt slightly different from what I’d seen before.
Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the design was subtly altered.
The original seal symbolizing Philip II’s reign depicted him seated on a throne, holding a scepter and a lily.
The seal on this letter wasn’t drastically different.
However, the lily’s form was more pronounced this time.
Perhaps they wanted to emphasize the royal emblem more.
Well, there’s no rule against updating a seal, so let’s focus on the letter’s content first.
Philip II had a lot to say, filling over five pages.
It’s hard to believe he’d be such a chatterbox without some hidden agenda.
“Dear Count of Auvergne. As I write, the weather in Paris is particularly sunny, reminding me of you. I’m curious about your experiences since you left for Jerusalem, so I decided to write…”
Reading it, most of Philip II’s letter was trivial chatter.
He did mention the recent incident, but only in passing.
“It’s unfortunate that this regrettable incident overshadowed your glorious return.”
“Richard and Henry VI are both asking for my support, which is troublesome.”
“Alberic is holed up in his estate, claiming he needs more time to think, and it’s quite dull.”
In a letter over five pages long, that was all he said about the incident.
Instead, Philip II detailed the atmosphere in Paris, his daily life, and his hobbies.
He even expressed curiosity about me, which felt like a subtle nudge to reply quickly.
“So, he’s trying to probe without asking directly?”
Philip II likely doesn’t know I’m suspicious of him yet.
My suspicion stems from knowing he trapped Richard using similar tactics in the original history.
Without that knowledge, it wouldn’t make sense to suspect him as a prime suspect.
On the surface, this letter is just a typical, mundane greeting.
With a king writing such a detailed and friendly letter, I can’t ignore it.
And I can’t just send a brief, one-page reply either.
I need to respond with a letter as detailed and filled with trivialities as his.
Philip II might glean quite a bit from it.
Of course, he won’t get any real information, but he seems intent on exploring who I am.
I know him well, but he knows nothing about me.
Unlike Henry VI, who takes things at face value, Philip II seems to dig deeper.
But knowing this, I can avoid falling into his trap.
I dipped my quill into the ink and began writing my reply swiftly.
I stuck to the truth, as any clumsy lies could be easily detected.
Of course, objective facts don’t always equate to the truth.
Lies only come to life when they wear the mask of truth.
While Philip II wastes time deciphering this meaningless message, I’ll get closer to the truth.
“Found it! There’s another one here.”
As my reply made its way to Paris, Fatima and Jean were busy searching the vacant estate of the Viscount of Limoges.
Nothing particularly special stood out.
There were reports on the state of the fiefdom and research on advanced farming techniques from Auvergne.
If the viscount were hiding something, he wouldn’t leave it in plain sight.
Fatima had been sneaking into the viscount’s private quarters at night, searching for hidden secrets.
On the third day, they finally found something promising.
“Isn’t this a ledger? Why hide something like this?”
“Well, nobles always have a few dirty secrets, don’t they?”
Jean, not yet as devoted to Marshall as Fatima, replied nonchalantly.
Even if the Viscount of Limoges was hiding something, it didn’t necessarily link him to the current incident.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he were plotting something Richard shouldn’t know about.
“We’ll need to analyze this further…”
“There are a few more hidden documents here.”
The documents were found in a small box beneath the floorboards under the lord’s bed.
It was even locked, requiring some effort to open.
If these were ordinary documents, they wouldn’t be hidden so securely.
As expected, Fatima’s face lit up with a smile as she examined each document.
“Look at this. Isn’t this the smoking gun?”
“Let me see. ‘I’ll leave the agreed items at the edge of the forest stretching from the bridge over the Seine, visible from the cliffs of Château Gaillard in Limoges, towards the border…’”
“This was sent from France. It seems the Viscount and the French were in cahoots. It even mentions burying the items and artifacts from Limoges in Auvergne and the Holy Roman Empire’s Provence.”
“And it instructs them to leak information to both sides and disguise themselves as troops to seize half the items. This is undeniable evidence.”
With evidence this solid, there’s no room for denial.
Fatima used her tools to create fake documents and swapped them with the originals to avoid detection.
Though hastily made, they wouldn’t be scrutinized closely unless someone was exceptionally thorough.
“Marshall was right; targeting the accomplices was faster than going after Philip II. He truly knows everything.”
“But why would they leave something like this behind? Shouldn’t they have burned it?”
“The viscount couldn’t fully trust the French king. They must have promised him something, and if they reneged, he’d have no leverage. So he kept evidence to blackmail them, as Marshall predicted.”
Fatima, delighted with the documents, shivered with renewed respect for Marshall.
Jean, too, seemed to acknowledge the truth, nodding silently.
Even realizing the ‘impossible’ that no one else knew was enough to erase any doubt.
Fatima thought so but kept it to herself.
“Anyway, with this, we can settle things quickly.”
“Indeed. It was a scandal that shook all of Europe, yet it seems to be wrapping up rather anticlimactically.”
“That’s a testament to Marshall’s brilliance.”
Fatima, just in case, created fake ledgers and returned them to the bag.
These didn’t need to be perfect, as they wouldn’t be scrutinized closely.
Feeling triumphant, Fatima left the Viscount of Limoges’s estate with Jean, leaving no trace behind.
No matter how light-hearted she felt, she left no evidence.
That’s how a skilled assassin operates.
Richard’s eyes widened, his eyelids trembling as if in an earthquake.
It was a sign of his boiling anger, but he didn’t shout.
Instead, he took a deep breath and looked up.
The face of the person who brought the documents came into view.
It was Edward Marshall.
”…Just to be sure, these aren’t fabricated, are they? I mean, not that you forged them, but could Ademar V have hidden fakes from the start?”
“Of course, I’ve verified it. It’s genuine.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. You live long enough, you see all sorts of madness.”
Though the language was far from refined, Marshall didn’t stop Richard.
“Your Majesty’s anger is justified. We almost ended up in a pointless war with the Holy Roman Empire. I’m sure they’d be just as furious if they knew the truth.”
“We’ve received reports that they’re already gathering their troops. I’m doing the same, so I can’t entirely blame them, but at least we’re not too late.”
“Shall we make this public and condemn France?”
“Naturally, we should… No, wait.”
After all the trouble France has caused, we can’t just let this slide so easily.
With undeniable evidence in hand, we could hold France accountable, but if we proceed too straightforwardly, we might just give them a chance to wriggle out of it.
We need to strike when they least expect it, just as they did to us.
“Marshall, no matter how I look at it, I can’t forgive what they’ve done this time. Surely God wouldn’t find my feelings unjust?”
“Countless innocent lives were nearly lost. I believe Your Majesty’s anger is righteous.”
“Then the culprits must face the consequences. We must ensure they can’t escape and hold them accountable.”
Philip II, who orchestrated this, and the Viscount of Limoges, who supported him—these two must be trapped in a situation they can’t escape from, where all the facts will be revealed, and divine retribution will be delivered.
To do that, we need to fill the stage with as many influential figures as possible.
Richard’s eyes, burning with vengeance, glared with the intensity of a lion eyeing its prey.