The Sinful Young Master

Chapter 364: Debate with the minister

A ripple of surprise moved through the hall when Richardus himself stepped forward.

The Finance Minister of the Imperium did not prosecute minor cases. His presence alone elevated the charges beyond rumor and scandal.

It made sense.

Jolthar faced two accusations—one of finance, one of law. Misuse of baronial funds and the legitimacy of his rise. Only a man who commanded both ledgers and statutes could stand at the center of such a case.

Richardus taking the role of prosecutor was not excessive.

It was justification.

And it told everyone watching that this trial was no formality, it was a decision the Imperium intended to enforce.

"Baron Kaezhlar, did you personally kill Baron Rothgard?"

"I did," Jolthar confirmed without hesitation.

A ripple went through the crowd.

Admitting to the killing so directly was bold.

"And did you have written authorization from the Ministry of Justice to execute a sitting baron?"

"No."

"Did you have verbal authorization from any imperial official with the power to sanction such an execution?"

"No."

Richardus spread his hands as if the case were already proven.

"There we have it. By his own admission, Baron Kaezhlar executed a nobleman of the empire without any legal authority whatsoever. This is murder, regardless of any justification he might claim."

"Baron Rothgard was enslaving his own people," Jolthar said calmly.

"He was torturing them, working them to death in the mines. I acted to stop ongoing crimes against humanity."

"Alleged crimes," Richardus corrected sharply.

"Were these crimes investigated by the Ministry of Justice? Was Baron Rothgard given an opportunity to defend himself in court? Was any evidence formally presented and examined?"

"There wasn't time—"

"There is always time for justice," Richardus interrupted.

"That is the entire purpose of our legal system. To ensure that accusations are proven, that the accused can defend themselves, and that punishment is proportionate and lawful."

He faced the magistrates again.

"If we allow individuals to execute nobles based on their personal judgment of guilt, we invite chaos. Every grudge could be settled with a blade, justified by claims of wrongdoing."

Halvren nodded slowly.

"The minister makes a valid point. Jolthar Kaezhlar, what evidence can you present that Baron Rothgard's crimes were so immediate and severe that execution without trial was the only option?"

Jolthar kept his composure.

"The evidence was the people themselves. Dozens of villagers bearing scars from torture. Mine shafts filled with bodies of those who had been worked to death. Children who hadn't eaten in days because all food went to the baron's household while his people starved."

"Testimony from peasants," Richardus said dismissively.

"Easily coerced or fabricated. Where is the official documentation? Where are the formal complaints filed with imperial authorities?"

"The people were too afraid to file complaints," Jolthar replied.

"Rothgard controlled everything in the barony. Anyone who spoke against him disappeared into the mines."

"Again, allegations without proof," Richardus countered.

"Baron Kaezhlar, did you personally witness Baron Rothgard torture anyone?"

Jolthar hesitated fractionally. "Not personally, but—"

"Did you personally see him enslave anyone?"

"The conditions in the barony made it clear—"

"Please answer the question directly. Did you personally witness Baron Rothgard commit the crimes you accused him of?"

"I witnessed the results of his crimes."

"That is not the same thing," Richardus pressed.

"You made a judgment based on circumstances and testimony from individuals who might have had their own reasons to want their baron removed. Then you executed him without investigation, without trial, without any oversight whatsoever."

He turned to the magistrates.

"This is exactly why we have laws against vigilante justice. Jolthar Kaezhlar appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner."

One of the senior magistrates leaned forward. "Jolthar Kaezhlar, was Lady Maena Kaezhlar present during the execution?"

"She was."

"And did she authorize it as an imperial representative?"

Jolthar's jaw tightened.

"No. I acted independently."

The magistrate exchanged glances with his colleagues.

That admission was damaging.

Richardus smiled thinly.

"Now," Richardus said, his voice carrying effortlessly through the chamber, "we come to the second charge, embezzlement."

The word settled heavily.

When Richardus announced the charge of embezzlement, the chamber leaned forward as one body.

The people from the newspaper scribbled with swiftness as they recorded every word of Richardus.

Raayani and Cleora exchanged glances.

While Milan observed the ministers. They are out for blood and wouldn't let Jolthar leave unscathed.

"Tekkora has transformed at an astonishing pace. Roads restored. Mines reopened. Trade routes expanded. Public works initiated simultaneously."

He gestured mildly, as if listing curiosities.

"Such development requires substantial upfront capital. Jolthar Kaezhlar, where did this money come from?"

Jolthar answered without hesitation.

"From a combination of emergency treasury allocation, private investment, and credit secured against projected yields."

Richardus's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Emergency allocation?"

"Yes," Jolthar said calmly.

"Authorized."

A faint stir moved through the hall.

Richardus withdrew a vellum ledger.

"According to the certified records submitted to the Ministry of Finance last year, Tekkora's revenue barely met operational survival. No surplus sufficient for construction of this scale."

He raised the document.

"And yet within months, you financed infrastructure that would normally take years. Either those reports were false, or significant capital entered the barony without disclosure to the Crown."

Jolthar inclined his head slightly.

"The reports reflected taxable income at the time of filing. The capital in question was not income."

"Explain."

"Debt," Jolthar said.

"Loans issued by a merchant consortium, secured against future production and transport rights. Under imperial statute, debt is not a taxable revenue stream until converted or forgiven."

"And Baroness Cleora had come to the capital to request necessary documentation required for us to proceed further."

Richardus smiled thinly.

"A technical truth."

"An accurate one."

"Even debt requires collateral," Richardus pressed.

"No lender advances tens of thousands of crowns to a province on the brink of collapse. What security did you offer?"

"The land," Jolthar replied.

"And authority."

At that time, Cleora's father was the one who helped them, and at that time, there were no documents or proof given, as he was Cleora's father. It was just the verbal agreement.