The fall of House Croft was like a thunderclap, but the silence that followed was even louder. The court was watching me now. They saw a viscount who had somehow been connected to the uncovering of a major treason. Whispers followed me. "Lucky," some said. "Dangerous," whispered others.
I let them whisper. The amulet hung around my neck, a cold, secret weight. It was my turn to ask another question. Lord Croft was in chains, but his house was still standing, wounded but not dead. A wounded animal is unpredictable. I needed to finish this. I needed to show everyone—my father, Cedric, the entire whispering court—that crossing Klaus von Herrmann meant total ruin.
But I couldn't use the amulet on just anyone. I needed the architect of House Croft's finances. I needed their treasurer.
His name was Master Fenwick. A small, nervous man who wore clothes that were a little too fine for his station. He was not a noble, but he held the keys to the Croft treasury. My interface confirmed he was the perfect target. Master Fenwick: Favor: -20. Corruption: 75. A man who served gold, not honor.
I found him two days after the arrest, drowning his sorrows in a shady tavern near the merchants' quarter. He looked up as I slid into the seat opposite him, his eyes bloodshot with fear and drink.
"You," he slurred. "Herrmann. Come to gloat?"
"Not to gloat, Master Fenwick," I said, my voice low and even. "I've come to offer you a life raft."
He laughed, a bitter, wet sound. "My ship has sunk, boy. There is no life raft."
"I disagree." I placed the amulet on the sticky table between us. Next to it, I placed a heavy purse and a folded document. "This is a letter of passage and a new identity. The purse contains enough to start a comfortable new life in a faraway province. No one will ever find you."
He stared at the items, confusion and desperate hope warring on his face. "In exchange for what?"
"For putting this on," I said, tapping the amulet, "and answering one question. Truthfully."
His greed was even stronger than Gregor's. His Corruption stat pulsed. He was a drowning man, and I was throwing him a rope, not caring that it was also a noose. He snatched the amulet and put it on.
The compulsion took hold. His body went rigid.
"Master Fenwick," I said, leaning in close. "What is the single most illegal and hidden financial transaction House Croft has ever conducted? The one that would shatter its remaining credibility forever."
The truth was ripped from him. "The… the orphanage funds," he gasped, his face contorted. "Five years ago… a royal grant for the St. Aelred's Orphanage in the slums. Lord Croft… he had me forge the accounts. He took eighty percent of the gold for himself. The building was never repaired… the children… they still live in squalor."
He gave me dates, account numbers, the names of the fake contractors. It was perfect. It wasn't just treason against the crown; it was a crime against the most helpless. It was a sin that would turn the entire city against the Croft name.
I took the amulet back. I left the purse and the documents. He clutched them to his chest, sobbing with relief and shame.
The next part had to be public. It had to be a spectacle.
I didn't go to my father or the king. I went to the one person whose obsession with order and justice I could now direct like a weapon: Knight-Captain Lyra.
I found her in her office. "The Croft investigation is not over," I told her without preamble.
She looked up, weary. "The treason case is closed, my lord."
"I'm not talking about treason. I'm talking about theft." I slid a copy of the financial details Fenwick had given me across her desk. "St. Aelred's Orphanage. A royal grant, embezzled. The evidence is all here. The fake ledgers are in a hidden compartment in Croft's own study desk."
She read the paper. Her face, already hardened, turned to stone. But this was a different kind of anger. This wasn't the anger she held for me. This was a pure, righteous fury. Her Obsession stat, always focused on order, now had a clear, horrible target.
"You will lead the raid yourself," I commanded. "And you will do it now. While the court is still assembled for the afternoon session."
She stood, her eyes burning. "It will be done."
I made sure I was there, standing at the back of the main audience hall, when Lyra marched in. The court was buzzing with idle chatter. Prince Cedric was on the dais, listening to a petition. All conversation died as Lyra, in her full armor, strode to the center of the room and knelt.
"Your Highness," her voice rang out, clear and sharp. "I must beg the court's indulgence. New evidence has come to light regarding House Croft. Evidence of a most vile nature."
She laid it all out. The embezzlement. The forged documents. The suffering of the children. She presented the fake ledgers her men had just retrieved from Croft's desk. The hall was utterly silent, a silence so deep you could hear the rustle of silk as nobles shifted uncomfortably.
Then the whispers began. Not whispers of politics, but of utter disgust. "Orphans?" "He stole from children?"
I watched Cedric's face. He looked from Lyra to the evidence, his expression one of growing horror and fury. This was a blow to his sense of justice, to the very heart of the kingdom he was sworn to protect.
Lord Croft, who had been brought from his cell to face the new charges, stood trembling before the court. He had no defense. The evidence was too perfect, too damning.
Cedric stood. His voice, when he spoke, was cold and final. "Lord Croft, your crimes are a stain upon this kingdom. Your title and lands are hereby forfeit. Your house is dissolved. The remainder of your assets will be seized and given to the crown, with a significant portion dedicated to rectifying the wrongs done to St. Aelred's."
It was more than a defeat. It was an erasure. House Croft was wiped from history, its name synonymous with greed and cruelty.
As the guards led a broken Croft away, the court's attention turned to Lyra. She was praised again, her reputation soaring to new heights. But then, their eyes, and Cedric's, drifted to me.
I had been seen talking to Lyra just before the raid. I was the one whose family had benefited most from Croft's destruction. I didn't smile. I didn't look triumphant. I just met Cedric's gaze and gave a single, small, respectful nod.
The message was clear: I did this. I am the one who uncovered this horror. I am efficient, I am ruthless, and I am always watching.
That night, in the silence of my room, the rewards came. My interface glowed steadily.
[Reputation Increased: 'The Ruthless Efficient']
[Noble Faction Favor: +25]
[Influence: +20]
[Wealth: +5,000 Crowns (Seized Asset Allocation)]
[Corruption: 100]
The Corruption stat didn't budge. It was locked at one hundred, a perfect, frozen monument to what I had become. There was no higher to go. I had reached the peak of villainy.
I had taken the information from the amulet and I hadn't just used it. I had weaponized it. I had turned a financial secret into a public execution of a noble house. I had showcased my power not with a sword, but with a ledger and a well-timed revelation.
The court was now terrified of me. And terror, I knew, was a far more powerful tool than love or respect. They wouldn't just whisper about me now. They would fear to even speak my name.