The Council's Grand Conference Hall was solemn yet bustling. Administrative officials were busy moving around until the last minute, putting their heads together to review documents.
At the back of the conference hall, newspaper staff who had undergone thorough security checks occupied seats one by one, holding pens and notebooks. Their expressions were somehow all indifferent.
The one standing in front of the podium in the conference hall, having received the final briefing materials, was Shorendo, the Deputy Commander of the Central Branch. He tapped the small magic circle in front of the amplifier to activate the spell. Soon, he checked his voice echoing with an "Ah ah—" sound.
Council members and staff who had been chatting stopped talking and leaned back in their chairs.
"Case classification number 999-PEN-1093. I will now proceed with the briefing on the cause identification and final investigation results of the party house explosion incident that occurred in Pentagove."
Hugo and the battalion commanders, who had entered the hall almost last in order, found their seats and sat down. However, Hugo's position today was somewhat special.
It was the front row of the conference hall, not the senior commander's seat where he usually sat. It was a somewhat burdensome seat assigned to key observers, witnesses, or authorized suspects.
As he nodded while looking ahead, Shorendo, who received the signal, began the briefing.
"On August 21st, 999 of the Raina Logia calendar. At 6:25 PM local time in Pentagove. A major fire broke out with successive explosions during a banquet at the party house near Lake Karad. This incident resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including Count Duncan, the host of the banquet, and a total of 56 people with serious and minor injuries..."
At the front of the Grand Conference Hall, an image of the burning building at the time was displayed. The scene then moved to a photograph that zoomed in on the floor of the facility room after the fire was extinguished.
"After intensively examining the degree of carbonization and combustion patterns at the incident site, it was determined that the power facility room located on the second floor of the party house was the initial ignition point. Part of the joint of the cylinder supplying mana energy was damaged, causing liquid and gas to leak, and the liquid that flowed to the floor came into contact with other cylinders, resulting in an explosion."
This accident differed from previous explosion incidents in that it occurred at a party house, not an industrial complex or special facility filled with fire or gas. Considering that the location was in the heart of the city and the main victims were high-ranking nobles who were the pillars of the pro-emperor faction, public opinion initially leaned toward it being a definite terrorist attack.
The problem was that no evidence to prove terrorism was found at the scene.
"As a result of analyzing the distribution and types of debris during the investigation process, no substances or chemical reactions used as raw materials for explosives were detected. In addition, multiple testimonies from attendees were secured that the ceiling lighting facilities flickered unstably about 10-15 minutes before the accident occurred."
In the end, this incident, which had been widely discussed as terrorism targeting nobles, seemed to be shifting toward an accident caused by facility problems.
However, the bereaved families were nobles with great family backgrounds and wealth, and they strongly insisted that this incident was terrorism, not an accident.
They argued that the situation was too blatant, given that it was a gathering where many high-ranking nobles of the pro-emperor faction had assembled, and the explosion occurred in a building that was not even deteriorated.
To support their claims, they indiscriminately identified powerful suspects. The first to be mentioned was the noble faction, which had clashed over political ideology on every issue.
When the arrows were directed at them, the noble faction mentioned the fact that rioters had been arrested by the Council several times as the main culprits in the previous noble murder cases.
Naturally, the next targets became reactionaries or rioters who were said to be everywhere. As a result, all criminal organizations near Pentagove at the time were repatriated to the Council for investigation. Although no organization with clear connections was revealed among them, a major cleanup took place amid social condemnation and beatings.
Meanwhile, an unexpected target was mentioned as the main culprit of the terrorism. It was Duke Agrizendro, who was a key figure in the pro-emperor faction led by Duncan but had luckily avoided the accident.
Given the Duke's unrivaled public reputation and recognition, reactions that it was nonsense predominated at first. However, as it became known that only the Duke and his relatives arrived late to the banquet hall, rumors began to ignite that he had betrayed the same faction and plotted a conspiracy.
The situation was gradually falling into a labyrinth, and when only indiscriminate suspicions were being repeatedly raised.
There was one person who quietly opened his mouth. It was the servant who had last checked the facility room on Richard Duncan's instructions.
Shorendo took a sip of water, then took his eyes off the script and continued speaking.
"Since the possibility of terrorism could not be ruled out, additional investigations were conducted to secure eyewitness accounts and statements, focusing on individuals who had access to the facility room on the day of the incident. In the process, we were able to hear the testimony of the Count's family servant who had last examined the power facility room, which stated that he had encountered a suspicious stranger in front of the facility room about 5 minutes before the incident occurred."
The servant confessed that he had kept his mouth shut for fear of being suspected as a terrorist if it became known that he was the last to enter the facility room. He also added that he had survived thanks to the stranger who had made him go outside, and he had been thinking a lot about whether it was right to report someone who might be his benefactor.
Originally, he had thought about not opening his mouth at all, but he was very concerned about the situation where the Duke, whom he respected, was being unjustly suspected.
"Based on the eyewitness's statement, we cross-referenced the list of attendees, but due to the witness's unclear memory, he couldn't pinpoint an exact match among the three individuals narrowed down. However, we identified one person with partially matching attire, and only the pattern and color of the necktie worn by the late Viscount Ronteno on the day of the incident were identical. However, both the Viscount and his wife..."
Both the Viscount and his wife had attended the party and died, and their son, the heir, was also injured while in the first-floor hall. The majority opinion was that, logically, they would not have led a terrorist attack risking the lives of their family members. In the end, the servant's testimony lost its effectiveness, and there were even suspicious glances suggesting that the real culprit might have spread false information to evade the investigation net.
"Considering that the servant entered the facility room due to the sudden instruction of the late Count Duncan, and that there had already been unstable lighting conditions before that, it was judged that there was no suspicion.
Also, although the party house building itself was not old, the facility ledger records for the past three years remained blank. During the investigation process, it was confirmed that safety measures such as traces of leakage due to pipe corrosion and insulation management of the distribution box had not been properly implemented.
Therefore, after comprehensively reviewing all these matters, the Council's anti-terrorism response team and fire accident investigation team determined that there was insufficient physical evidence to view the party house explosion incident as terrorism. As a result of discussions among the Upper House members and senior commanders of this Council, the incident was determined to be 'an accident caused by inadequate facility management.'
We sincerely apologize to the imperial citizens and bereaved families who may have deepened their anxiety during the prolonged investigation, analysis, and review period."
Shorendo, standing beside the podium, bowed nearly 90 degrees. With the Commander having lost some authority now, in Hugo's eyes, the shoulders of the Deputy Commander acting on his behalf looked particularly heavy.
Several shutters went off toward the bowing Shorendo, but they didn't last long. These were probably photos that had already been taken many times.
As the sound ceased, Shorendo straightened his posture and stood in front of the podium again. At that moment, a newspaper staff member at the back of the conference hall raised his hand and asked as if shouting:
"What happened to Duke Agrizendro's suspicion?"
For a moment, the gazes in the hall turned in that direction. Then people's eyes moved to the front row of the hall.
Hugo simply ignored the gazes fixed on him, staring only at the front with his arms crossed.
Shorendo stared at the newspaper staff member with deliberately cold eyes. Then, with a cough, he slowly continued speaking.
"Through this incident, the Council plans to completely review the facility inspection and safety management audit system, and implement strengthened administrative orders to prevent the same incident from occurring in the future.
In addition, regarding Duke Agrizendro, it was confirmed that on the day of the incident, he had an audience scheduled in the morning by order of His Majesty the Emperor, and after its completion, he had a carriage accident on the main road in Pentagove while moving to the party house."
The scene that transitioned with Shorendo's gesture contained the sight that Hugo had instructed his attendant to photograph at the time of the carriage accident.
"This accident had multiple matching eyewitness testimonies mentioning the location, time, and situation. Additionally, Duke Agrizendro's side submitted on-site evidence photographs to confirm the alibi of the situation before and after the incident, and it was concluded with no final charges, judging it to be an unexpected accident without intentionality. To prevent further harm to His Grace the Duke, who always serves and dedicates himself to the Empire, please refrain from indiscriminate speculation."
Shorendo, who had finished his answer, looked around at the audience. His expression asked if there was anything more to say.
The noble faction newspaper staff member who had boldly asked the question lowered his hand quietly. As the situation seemed to be wrapping up, Shorendo, who had adjusted his necktie, nodded and concluded:
"If there are no additional questions, this concludes the final investigation results briefing."