Chapter 487: The Guarding Shield
By dusk, the ship reached the inland river port near Longsong Stronghold.
Petrov had learned of their arrival and was waiting at the dock with his retinue. On returning to the castle, Roland found a welcoming banquet laid out across the entire ground-floor hall. Since taking possession of Longsong Stronghold, he had noticed a change in himself at precisely these moments: watching nobles raise their glasses to one another, he felt the cost of each bottle as a subtraction from his own accounts.
He made brief greetings to the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family and cut straight to the matter. “Have the Rats resurfaced?”
“From the reports we’ve received, it appears so.” Petrov guided him with a gesture toward a quieter corner of the hall. “The criminals we’ve arrested recently are mostly operating alone—thieves, burglars, a few murders. We’ve been hanging them in the public square. Because you required us to act only on verified evidence, the number actually executed is a fraction of what’s been reported. The verification work takes considerable time. And beyond that…” Petrov paused. “We’ve run into a more serious problem.”
“Go on.”
“Someone is openly defying your policies, Your Highness.” Concern was plain in Petrov’s voice. “Earl Medde knows the details. I’ll have him explain it directly.”
Rene came at once, bowing to Roland before beginning. “Something serious has happened on North Street in the outer town. Sheriff Vader would call it a serial killing case.”
“And so would I, as it happens,” Roland said. “Continue.”
“Since three days ago, a resident has been found dead in his home every night,” Rene said, his voice deliberate. “All male. All living alone, without family. And without exception, all had applied for work through the City Hall.”
Roland’s brow tightened. “Registered employees?”
“If day laborers count as full-time, yes.” The young Earl nodded. “In each victim’s room, a painting had been made on the wall in blood—a crown and a cross, combined. When I confirmed with the City Hall that all victims appeared on the same list—workers about to be sent to the Redwater District for construction—the pattern became clear.”
“Their intention being—”
“To destroy your enrollment program, Your Highness,” Rene said. “Rumors have started moving through North Street: apply for work through the City Hall and you will become a target. Currently the story is confined to that one block, but if it reaches the other districts, it could shut down construction entirely.”
“I agree with his assessment,” Petrov added. “Our recruitment numbers are already below expectations. There are applicants withdrawing their names, claiming physical inability to travel—they’re asking the City Hall to remove them from the roster. The effect is real.”
Roland was quiet for a moment. “Any leads on the suspect?”
Rene hesitated. “There are no witnesses. We don’t know where to begin.”
“How did you handle cases like this before?”
“The patrol team?” The Earl looked uncomfortable. “They had no standard procedure. In a prominent case—one where the victim’s family appealed to the Lord, and the Lord chose to make a public showing of justice—they would pressure the Black Street gangs to hand someone over. Whether that person was actually guilty was not always verified. If the victim was a foreigner or lived alone, the patrol typically let it go.”
Handing over jurisdiction to the Rats. Roland felt the old exasperation sharpen into something colder. No wonder every man on the street knew the gang bosses had as much authority as the official lord. In this era there was no such thing as criminal investigation—no witnesses meant a suspended case, and a suspended case meant nothing. That was only ever true for commoners, of course. Border Town had been under Nightingale’s watch for long enough, and its population was simple enough, that crimes had always been resolved quickly. He had grown complacent about how rare that was.
Rene didn’t say it, but he likely thinks my insistence on verified evidence is unreasonable. Roland set that thought aside. He would not allow scapegoats, not in his territory.
“Starting tomorrow, the Security Bureau takes over this case. All you need to do is cooperate.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Rene’s relief was visible.
After the banquet, Roland climbed to the top-floor study of the castle.
It looked nothing like the room he remembered. The shelved walls had been cleared and rebuilt; a couch, tea table, and cushions had been added. Behind the desk, the wall had been opened and two French windows installed—not crystal glass, but wide enough to expand the view considerably. Through the faint tint of the panes, Roland looked out over Longsong Stronghold in its darkness and nodded.
Petrov had followed the instructions carefully. Choosing him as deputy was the right call.
“How do you intend to handle this?” Nightingale stepped out of the Mist and settled onto the desk, legs crossed.
“I’m not going to handle it at all.” Roland smiled. “The primary task tomorrow is getting the returning nobles organized into a secondary City Hall—departments established, people assigned, structure in place. The sooner that’s done, the sooner Soraya can begin drawing identification cards. The criminal investigation is yours.”
“Mine?”
“You head the Security Bureau. How to solve a case is entirely your decision. The City of Neverwinter’s entire police department answers to you. Both Vader and Rene are your subordinates.”
“But—didn’t you always say that departmental authorities should be separated, and that administrative ranks should be equal?” She looked puzzled. “This arrangement seems to put the Security Bureau above the City Hall.”
“Territorial security is the top priority, which is exactly why you report directly to me,” he said. “Not only the police department—all oversight of the City Hall and the army passes through you. Each department operates independently and doesn’t interfere with the others. But something has to act as the web that binds them—that prevents abuse of power, that stops corruption from rotting the structure from the inside. You must have heard it said: the firmest defense collapses from within.” He met her eyes. “You are the most powerful shield against all of that. My personal safety and the security of this territory—both are in your hands.”
Nightingale said nothing for a moment.
Outside the French windows, Longsong Stronghold lay dark and still, the distant lights of the outer town scattered like embers across the black ground.
Chapter 487: The Guarding Shield
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
By dusk, the ship reached the port of the inland river near Longsong Stronghold.
Petrov had heard about their trip and greeted them at the port with his followers. When they returned the castle, a grand welcoming banquet awaited them in the hall of the first floor. After taking over Longsong Stronghold, something changed in Roland’s heart. When watching the nobles giving toasts to each other, he felt the money spent on the banquet came out of his own pocket.
After briefly greeted the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family, he cut to the chase. “Have the Rats come out again?”
“Judging from the reports we received, it seems so.” Petrov made a gesture to guide the prince to a corner of the hall. “Compared with the former organized Black Street groups, the criminals we recently arrested mostly acted individually, such as thieves, burglars, and murderers, all of whom were pulled to the square to be hung. Since you asked us to judge with adequate proof, the criminals we executed were only a small portion of all the reported criminals. Verifying the information in hand took quite some time. Besides…” The eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family paused. “We’re in a great trouble recently.”
“What is it?”
“Someone openly resisted your policies, Your Highness,” Petrov said in a worried tone. “Earl Medde knows more about it. I’ll ask him to tell you in detail.”
“Your Highness, the Elk Family greets you.” After being summoned, Rene came and bowed to the prince, and then he began to tell the whole story. “Recently, something serious happened in North Street of the outer town… Um, Sheriff Vader would call it a serial killing case.”
“Um, it’s actually what I would call it.” This triggered Roland’s interests. “Carry on.”
“Yes,” Rene Medde said in a serious voice. “Since three days ago, a resident has been found dead at home every night. The victims were all male, lived alone, had no families, and most importantly, they applied for jobs in the City Hall.”
The prince frowned. “Were they regular employees?”
“If handymen can be counted as full-time job, then yes.” The Earl of the Elk Family nodded. “In the room of each victim, there was a painting drawn with blood—a crown and a cross. Because of the identical mark, I sought confirmation from the City Hall and then found all the victims were among the list of people who were about to be sent to the Redriver District to build houses.
“You think their intention is…”
“To sabotage your enrollment plan, Your Highness,” Rene replied. “Rumors have been spreading in North Street saying that whoever applies for a job in the City Hall will be a target for killers.”
“I believe that’s what’s happening.” Petrov chimed. “We’ve employed less than we’d expected, and there’re barely any applicants from North Street. Moreover, there’re applicants who regret applying and say that they’re physically unfit for going out of town and hope that the officials can take their names off the City Hall’s enrollment list. Now, the rumor is only spread in North Street, but if it goes as far as other blocks, it could sabotage your construction plan.”
Roland contemplated for a moment. “Have you got any clues about the suspect?”
“We…” Rene opened his mouth and said after a while, “There were no witnesses to the crimes, so we’ve no idea where to start the searching.”
“Really…” Roland felt surprised. “How did you solve such cases on previous occasions?”
“Do you mean the patrol team?” The young Earl of the Elk Family hesitated for a while. “As far as I know, they didn’t have standard handling methods. If it was an influential case where the families of the victim appealed to the Lord, and the Lord decided to show his subjects justice, he would pressure the Black Street gangsters and order the Rats to hand over the criminal—the patrol team didn’t care if the person they handed over was only a scapegoat or not. If the victim was only a foreigner or lived alone, the patrol team would usually ignore it.”
“This is outrageous!” Roland was shocked. “The patrol party’s way of handling such cases is equal to handing over the jurisdiction to the Rats. No wonder people were saying that Rats were the other party who ruled the city. Besides, in this era, there seems to be no such a thing as a criminal investigation, so if there’s no witness in a murder case, it’ll most likely become suspended—of course, that’s only the case for civilians.
Border Town has always been under Nightingale’s supervision, plus it has a simple population composition, so all the crimes here are instantly cracked, which led to my neglect of this matter. Although Rene didn’t say so, he might think that my request of a verdict on verified evidence is too demanding.
But no matter what, I won’t allow the using of scapegoats in my territory.”
“I see. From tomorrow on, the Security Bureau will take over this case, and all you need to do is to cooperate.”
“Yes. Thank you, Your Highness,” Rene said joyfully.
…
After the banquet, Roland returned to his study on the top floor of the castle. The interior of the study looked very different now—the book shelves around
the walls were all torn down, and a soft couch, a tea table, and cushions were added. Behind the desk, the wall was knocked open, and two French windows were installed. Although they were not made of crystal glass, they greatly expanded the view of the room. Through the slightly tinted glass, Roland overlooked Stronghold, enveloped in darkness, and nodded with satisfaction.
It seems Petrov followed my orders with great care, which means my choosing him as my deputy was a wise decision.
“How do you plan to handle this?” Nightingale emerged from the Mist sitting on the desk with her legs crossed.
“I’m not planning to handle it at all.” The prince smiled, shaking his head. “Now that all the nobles have returned to Longsong, tomorrow the primary work is to have them establish the secondary City Hall, divide them into departments, and place some people in charge. The sooner the structure is established, the earlier Soraya can draw identification cards. You’ll be the one in charge of fighting crimes.”
“Me?”
“You’re the head of the Security Bureau, so it’s totally up to you to decide how to solve a case… The whole police department of the City of Neverwinter is in your command; both Vader and Rene are your subordinates.”
“But didn’t you always say that the authority of the departments should be separated, and administrative status should be equal?” Nightingale felt bewildered. “I don’t understand how the City Hall operates, but this arrangement seems to put the Security Bureau above the City Hall.”
“Territorial security is top priority, which is exactly why you report directly to me,” Roland said affirmatively. “Not only for the police department, but all the examination work for the City Hall and the army will be carried out by you. Indeed, each department should be separated and not interfere with one another, but there needs a web that binds them together and stops power abuse and corruption. It’ll prevent the collapse of the new system from
within. You must have heard the saying: the firmest defense collapses from within.” He paused for a while, looking into Nightingale’s eyes. “You’re the most powerful shield to prevent all these things from happening. Now, both my personal safety and the security of the territory are in your hands.”
.”