Chapter 29

At the east faction, Ruddy and other nobles under his faction joining together making a conference about the robbery case. "Duke Ruddy, we must act now before we will be their next victims." One of the nobles represents others trying to persuade Ruddy to take down the thieves. The other nobles whispering to themselves talking about the same thing.

In the conference room, all the nobles including Ruddy were discussing at the big dark brown oval table. Ruddy that quietly sitting there didn't respond to the represent words. "Duke Ruddy, my family were afraid of what people call 'the Robin Hood', we didn't feel safe in this place even though I already been living since I was born." One of the nobles stands express how much burden the fears that he and his families that they hold.

Another noble stand and smashing his on the table."Yeah! We need to protect our families." "Yeah!" All the nobles shouted while knocking on the table simultaneously and repeated to show they and their families need to be protected. The room starts to chaos because Ruddy didn't give any words from the start of the conference. All the nobles need the answer to solve this robbery case.

The voices of nobles risen making chaos in the conference room and cannot be stopped. All of them debating among themselves but there is no one listening. Some of them throw up the papers that had been prepared on the table causing the room to become a mess. "Enough!" Ruddy feels stress after seeing all of them fighting with each other.

"It won't solve anything if you do like this. We are not barbarians, we are gentlemen and nobles that have manners. So, Act like it." Ruddy complaining about the noble's behavior that will damage their dignity as noble. After that, Ruddy sit down back on the table while sighing disappointing about their rage. Ruddy looks at the edge on the right side of the table, he saw one noble showing his sad expressions.

"Baron Luiz, you are the victim of yesterday's robbery. May we know more detail about that accident? In the report from the police, you say you and your wife saw big fur like a beast trying to attack you. Then, your maid suddenly screams in fear because she saw a ghost in the shadow messing all the stuff in the hall, and finally, your guards fight the thieve and almost catch him, am I correct?" Ruddy read back the full police report trying to confirm back whether the report is accurate or not. Furthermore, the report is quite strange and cannot understand the situations when the accident occurs.

Baron Luiz nodded his head that the statement report that had been read by Ruddy was the truth. Looks at the baron Luiz in pale and trauma states. "I know that you are still in fear but it will be a great help for us to know more detail about the robbery accident." Ruddy trying to persuade baron Luiz to speaks. Baron Luiz looks restless because he is unsure whether he wants to speak or not but all the nobles inside the conference room stares at Baron Luiz waiting for him to speaks makes him looks under pressure.

"At that time I and my wife were sleeping that night. Suddenly there is a clanking noise disturbing our sleep. It was loud makes me and my wife feel uneasy. I checked up outside through to the window, but nothing strange happens." Both baron Luiz's hands shaking while gripping his fist. "It was so fast, I heard our guards groaning like they were facing something dangerous. After that, one of the maids screams after saw somebody scattered stuff and… and it breaks the door of our bedroom and there is a monster hiding in the shadow… a big fur figure trying to kill us." Baron Luiz was terrified after explaining the situation that he faces.

"It was all beast-folk doing, Duke Ruddy." One of the nobles concludes after hearing from baron Luiz's story. After that, all the nobles support that conclusion by raising their voices. "Yeah! Exterminate all the beast-folk." Another noble rage wants to dispose of the beast-folk and again all the nobles raise their voices to support that idea.

Ruddy knocking the table very hard making the loud noise cutting the noble's voice. All the nobles silence at once and look at Ruddy. Some of the nobles calm themselves by sitting back on their chair. "I know that we are in a state of fear but we still didn't get any solid proof about the criminal. If it's true, without hesitation I will prison all the border guards because they know all the beast-folk was prohibited in my faction." Ruddy speaks to the nobles very strictly. "Right now, let the investigators do their job" Ruddy continues. All the nobles were completely silent and there is nothing they can do only to agree to Ruddy.

"What we can do if those thieves coming to rob us again?" A good question coming from the nobles. "This case is the imperial already issue and we had discussed it. The king was concerned about that, he agreeing to approved us to increase our military to guarding every our houses, every street, and alley not only for securing ourselves but also for the peoples living in this faction." Ruddy answers the questions with full of spirit. All nobles stand and raise the voice to support Ruddy by calling his name.

The conference room began to calm as all the noble dismissed the room leaving Ruddy behind. Ruddy looks at the table saw today's newspaper. He read on the front page, there is a big title 'The Robinhood strikes again'. Ruddy becomes headache after too many problems that stressing him. He tries hard to think but he still doesn't know where to start handling those problems. He massages his forehead trying to relieve his stress.

Ruddy's assistant Liam, enter the conference room to meet Ruddy while holding a brown color with the rectangular shape in his hands. "Your Grace, I have the ledger document you had asking for." Liam handover the envelop that he holds to Ruddy. Ruddy open up the envelope and inside of it there was data about the transactions detail and mana stones delivery. Ruddy checking back all the data if anything is suspicious and inaccurate so he can track down who's embezzle mana stone trading. He checked carefully the data to make sure that he didn't miss but unluckily all the data were perfectly fine.

"Your Grace, may I know what are you searching for in this ledger document." Liam got a little confused about the purpose Ruddy searching for in the ledger document. Ruddy takes out something from his pocket. On his hand, there is a viridian color handkerchief that neatly folds. Then, Ruddy put it on the table. "What do you think?" Ruddy opens the handkerchief folds slowly. Inside the handkerchief fold, there is a small broken piece of mana stone.

Liam carefully looks closer to the mana stone, nothing strange about the mana stone but he realizes that the color was different, too different just like colorless and dull. "Strange…"One word is enough to show Liam's expressions. "Someone has misused this mana stone causing the injuries to the peoples." Ruddy explaining his purposed to used the ledger documents. "So, you want to check the people who are behind this?" Liam guessing what Ruddy and he was right. "Precisely, because I am the only one who controls this mana stone trade." Ruddy continues checking the data.

Finally, Ruddy gives up after he has not found the name of who embezzles mana stone trade. He sighing for a moment because the ledger document did not help him. "It was clean." Ruddy slams that document on the floor causing the document papers in mess. Some of the papers fall to the ground and the rest are still on the table. Now he found the dead-end, don't know where he can track down the criminal who uses this mana stone as a bomb. Liam saw the ledger papers in mess, he quickly collects back the paper and organizes it back in order on the table.

Ruddy looks at that viridian handkerchief and gently touches it reminds him of Tiara who was the owner of this handkerchief. "What will you do?" Ruddy asking at handkerchief-like imaging Tiara with him. With his imagination, he tries to explore what she thinking and what alternative way she will be used to solve the problem. Ruddy trying to think deeper and deeper trying to reaching her thinking.

Ruddy quickly snapped his head like he got an idea. He quickly checking back the ledger papers. "Do you know any strange about the trading in these few months?" Ruddy questioning Liam if he knows about the strange occurrences. "What do you mean by strange things?" Liam does not understand what Ruddy means. "Did you know if there any problems like smuggling, robbery, black market, too much defective some new buyers or suddenly ordering in the big quantity of mana stones?" Ruddy explaining more detail what he means.

Liam quietly starts recalling if anything strange things that happen in trading. Ruddy give eyes to Liam, it looks like Liam giving some promising hint for Ruddy. "Your Grace, I think there is one strange thing at the ordering section. May I look at that ledger document." Liam asks permission to let him check the ledger document. As Ruddy gives the document, Liam quickly searching the person that he suspected. "This one your grace, a person who suddenly ordering the big quantity of mana stones." Liam pointed to the person who was Ruddy searching for on the paper. "Got it." Ruddy smiles happily and quickly leaving Liam behind the conference room.