My Werewolf System - Chapter 1609: The True Cost of Greed
Chapter 1609: The True Cost of Greed
Bluebird was true to his word: the investigation was frighteningly thorough and swift.
It wasn’t a slow bureaucratic process. It was a surgical strike led by a Council member with political weight and the backing of the elite Kingdom Knights. Every single person involved in the initial assessment, from the assessors to the observers and even the administrative staff, was scrutinized.
They checked financial records, track histories, and used specialized mages to verify the truth during questioning, a powerful, if not entirely infallible, technique designed to make outright lying almost impossible under pressure.
Ultimately, the process was easier than Bluebird had anticipated. The combined weight of the Kingdom’s elite scrutiny, especially with Bluebird himself leading the charge, proved too much. Not only did the entire Rock Guild crack and confess to their part in the bribery scheme, but Sir Kale, the chief assessor knight, and one of his partners also folded.
The other knights from the assessment team, who were truly innocent, were baffled and felt betrayed. They had worked alongside Sir Kale for years and had chosen to believe him over the mere accusations of a mercenary group like the Rock Guild. The revelations of deep-seated corruption shook the entire corps.
Siz had been held in a comfortable, though isolated, interrogation room. He sat there nervously, expecting harsh questions, until the door clicked open. It wasn’t a grim-faced soldier who entered, but Bluebird, looking impeccably groomed despite the long day.
“Young man, why don’t you come with me,” Bluebird requested.
Siz blinked, confused. He was in an interrogation room, prepared to give his detailed account, yet he was being carted off somewhere else. “Are we, are we not doing the questioning now?”
“There will be no questioning for you, Siz,” Bluebird said, stepping aside for him to exit. “You can relax. We have all the information we need.”
“What, really?” Siz stammered, his eyes wide. “Why?”
“Because we have already come to the conclusion of our meeting,” Bluebird explained, leading him down a brightly lit corridor. “I wanted to bring you somewhere specific.”
They stopped outside a reinforced wooden door. Bluebird opened it, ushering Siz inside. It was a small, clean meeting room. Inside, Siz spotted Sir Kale, the assessor, and his partner knight seated at a table. Both men had their heads bowed in profound shame.
Bluebird closed the door quietly, the sound echoing in the small space. He didn’t have to prompt them. The two disgraced knights slowly lifted their heads, their eyes heavy with regret.
“I… I deeply apologize for my actions,” Sir Kale began, his voice gravelly and low. He couldn’t quite meet Siz’s eyes. “You certainly had the skill to pass the assessment, and it’s admirable that you came to retake the assessment again and again. You have the true virtue of a knight, while I do not. I am deeply sorry for my actions and how it affected you and your future.”
Siz stood frozen. The apology was crushing. For years, he had internalized the repeated failures, thinking they were due to his own lack of strength or speed. He had pushed himself through brutal training cycles because he believed he simply wasn’t good enough.
Hearing Kale confirm that his failures were rooted in another man’s greed, not his own inadequacy, was a powerful, destabilizing shock. It validated years of struggle, yet felt like a crushing blow to his sense of self-blame.
“How long have you been a knight for, Sir Kale?” Bluebird asked, his voice sharp, pulling Kale’s attention away from Siz.
“Six years, sir,” Kale replied, his head hanging again.
“Six years, and you have thrown away everything you worked for just like that?” Bluebird’s disappointment was palpable, thick with the weight of the Council’s authority. “Knights are well paid, and your records show you had no financial struggle. The reason you did this and affected the lives of those around you is purely due to your own greed and vanity.”
Bluebird walked to the center of the room, fixing both men with an icy stare. “Which is why I have come to the decision that you will be stripped of your titles. Both of you are no longer knights. You are dismissed.”
Kale and his partner slumped, awaiting the axe to fall, exile, prison, or worse, beheading.
Bluebird continued, softening his tone slightly. “However, if you truly wish to become a knight again, to atone for your failure not just to the kingdom, but to the people you swore to protect, you shall re-enter the two-year training process and start over from the ground up, as a recruit. If you complete it, honorably, and without incident, you will be considered for re-acceptance into the corps. Do you accept this as your punishment?”
Both men snapped to attention, their eyes suddenly ablaze with shock and overwhelming relief. This was far, far better than they had anticipated. They quickly stood up, stumbling slightly, and then knelt on the ground, bowing low.
“We accept! Thank you, Sir! Thank you so much for giving us a second chance!” Sir Kale choked out, tears pooling in his eyes.
It was the closest they could ever get to truly wiping the slate clean. With their acceptance confirmed, everyone left the room except Siz and Bluebird. Siz remained deep in thought, processing the strange mixture of justice and mercy he had just witnessed.
“What’s the matter, Siz? Did you think I was too lenient on them?” Bluebird asked, sensing the young man’s conflict.
“My opinion doesn’t matter, Sir,” Siz replied honestly. “However, I have heard of cases like this happening before, and the knights involved were often beheaded or kicked out of the kingdom to never come back… so I was just wondering why you had done that.”
Bluebird nodded, a rare, thoughtful expression on his face. “Because every person deserves a second chance, Siz. The Kingdom is what must come first, and every knight vows allegiance to the Kingdom, but a Kingdom is nothing without its people, even the flawed ones. They must be given a path to redeem themselves and serve, rather than being cast out to cause more trouble.”
He paused, his eyes reflecting something distant. “The truth is, even I am here today, holding a seat on the Council, because I was given a second chance, once upon a time. So it’s only right that I pass that grace onto others.”
As Siz and Bluebird parted ways, Siz now heading towards the knight training enrollment center with renewed purpose, Siz couldn’t help but admire the Council member. That was exactly what he thought a true knight should be: powerful, just, and compassionate. He wished to embody that same virtue one day.
Eventually, Bluebird returned to the square building where the temporary holding cells were. He found Kai, Gary, and Lupus patiently waiting, exactly as he had instructed. They hadn’t attempted to break the enchantments.
He stopped outside their bars, the shadow of his armor darkening the cell floor.
“I have some good news for you,” Bluebird stated, his voice ringing with finality. “It turns out what you said is true. Your innocence regarding the bribery scheme has been verified, and you have all been cleared.”
Gary offered a mock salute. “See, told you we were innocent.”
Bluebird ignored the quip, his expression turning serious, his voice dropping in volume. “But now, I have some questions of my own. We know you aren’t involved in the corruption here, and that you are extraordinarily talented fighters. Why are the three of you truly here? You’re not really here to join the army, are you?”
***
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