Section XXXVIII. Money

It should be said that they were lucky today, and the financial officer, Russell, was at home on vacation today. The two sisters and Russell knew each other, and when they told Russell what had happened to them, the latter immediately offered to help as much as possible.

However, in any case, the treasurer and the sheriff are two completely different positions, and their jurisdictions can be described as unrelated. So Russell asked the three of them to wait in the living room of his house, and he went to the governor's palace as quickly as he could to find out the situation.

However, he just went away and never looked back. As mentioned earlier, the two sisters were notified of the breakfast incident. Therefore, when they arrived at the mansion in Russell, it was still early. They waited long in the living room, long enough to make three laps around the small town of Brassian, but Russell still didn't come back.

"Haven't you come back yet?" Hoshimi asked again. She couldn't remember the first time she had asked the question, but Ashrufat walked out of the living room and glanced out. From this vantage point, you can see outside Russell's house, and there is no carriage that belongs to the treasurer parked outside, in other words, he has not returned.

"Maybe something is delayed. Ashrufat said. "Maybe he's helping me get rid of this problem directly. ”

Let's hope so.

There seems to be no end to this long wait, but all they can do now is wait.

Ashrufat picked up the book from the top of the fireplace again. In the boring waiting just now, he had already read the book twice. This is also a illustrated book that tells some of the historical stories of the Kingdom of Gruni. Although these historical stories have parts of the author's interpretation, they are generally in line with the historical record. One of the most important is the story of Garunas, the sage of the wilderness. The book is a detailed account of his ingenious ideas and strategic arrangements. While some of it was too much to take for granted, there were some that were really worth reading.

Of course, this "worth reading" is for a foreigner like Ashrufat. The two sisters were already familiar with such stories, so they had no interest in reading them at all.

Suddenly there was a loud neighing of horses outside, it was the neighing of multiple horses. Before they could tell if it was a carriage passing by the door, the owner of the mansion, the treasurer, Russell, walked briskly into the living room.

Russell was a short, thin man with a face that always maintained a seriousness that belonged to an official. As soon as he walked into the living room, both Hoshiki and Hoshimi immediately stood up and looked eagerly at the protector's expression.

"It's a pity. Russell hesitated for a moment, and finally opened with this sentence. Hearing these three words, the hearts of the two sisters were directly half cold.

"I'd like to ask...... What the hell is going on. Xingke asked after the most reluctance.

"Don't worry, I'll explain to you in detail what I just encountered. Russell sat down on the couch, across from the two sisters. "I immediately went there and looked at the files related to this case. He said. "As you said, I've seen Io's letter of complaint. The letter is exactly what you say. In his letter, he questioned the inheritance of your estate. ”

The two sisters nodded, which had been expected.

"If this is what you say...... Then it is an extremely shameless attack, a pure fraud. He's going to be ruined afterwards. Unfortunately, he had already left the city of Bracian and went to the royal city. The reputation here is no longer of much concern to him. But that aside, as the only son of the Knight of Erenster, if he is indisputable in terms of bloodline, then he does have the right to dispute this succession. The law says so. The inheritance of the eldest son must be respected. ”

Russell's eyes glanced over the two sisters. Hoshiki bit his lip tightly, and Hoshimi's uneasiness was clearly written on his face. His gaze was most distracted and rested on Ashrufat. Ashrufat was the only one who seemed calmer.

"In short, this accusation is indeed in accordance with the law, and we know this. Ashrufat said. "But why do you give a verdict without a trial?"

"It's already been judged. Russell, the treasurer of Brassian, replied.

"This can't be!" cried the two sisters in unison.

"The record of the trial, the sheriff's verdict, and your signatures on the verdict are all available. ”

"Signed, but we don't know anything. ”

"I also went out of my way to check and proofread the signatures, which took a lot of time. The signature was indeed genuine, signed by Miss Katyuya herself. ”

"But......" Xingqi tried to argue, but a hand suddenly pressed on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at Essrubat, who placed his hand on her shoulder, and Ashruphat made a silent gesture.

"Eventually, I found a deacon in charge of the matter, a friend of mine. Russell continued. "I inquired about the matter, and according to him, it was just a very ordinary property inheritance dispute, and the magistrate had a great deal of autonomy in this kind of dispute. At the same time, because such property disputes are not irremediable after the fact, the magistrate's judgment can be used as final judgment without appeal......"

"Lord Russell. Ashrufat said suddenly. "We really don't have an interest in the legal red tape, so let's just talk about the results. ”

As a result, for the time being, this matter can only be handled according to the verdict, and there is no other way. ”

He paused. "If, as you say, you can provide crucial evidence, you can countersue afterwards. At that time, Io will have to spit out all he has gotten. If he escapes or is unable to pay compensation, our sheriff will be fully responsible for it. That's it. ”

"Well, you mean, we have to come out with ten thousand gold coins in fifty days, otherwise ......"

"Otherwise, the estate will be auctioned. Russell, the treasurer, replied, looking a little embarrassed because he could barely help in this incident. "The proceeds of the auction are divided equally between the two parties. ”

"Just like the one on the notice?"

"Yes. But this is temporary. When Countess Marianne returns, then Io must spit out all the proceeds of the fraud...... Otherwise......"

"Otherwise, our sheriff Falord will be removed from his post?"

"I don't think so. Because I know that Io seems to be very favored on the side of the royal city, and has a great future. A mere 10,000 gold coins really can't compare to his future. On Falode's side, it would cost a lot of money to get this position. ”

"I see. Ashrufat replied. "Thank you for your help. Let's take our leave. ”

As they walked out of Russell's door, Starmark asked.

"Why are you leaving, we obviously didn't sign ......"

"Dear Miss Katyusa. Ashrufat said. "Our treasurer, Lord Russell, has done his best. He can't help us anymore in this matter. So no matter how much you stress it, it doesn't make any sense. What's more, I don't think this signature is so incomprehensible. ”

"What are ......you for?"

"Remember when Falot came to the door? At that time he said that he had fulfilled some 'obligation to inform,' so he asked you to sign it. ”

"So the signing ......," Hoshimi exclaimed.

"It's a lie. The main thing is to get your signature, and then whether it is counterfeit or cut is a matter of technique. Ashrufat replied. "A sheriff has come to inform you...... I originally thought it was because Aunt Mary was big enough, but now I think it was a trap in the first place. ”

"Then ......"

"At least in terms of legal formalities, they have a perfect layout and can't find a weak spot to attack. Ashrufat said. As they spoke, they had returned to their carriages. "But such a lengthy approach...... What is the special value of this land that would allow someone to deliberately resort to such a means?"

The two sisters glanced at each other. "Probably not. They hesitated. After living here for so many years, they really haven't heard of any special value here.

"Could it be the legendary gold mine? But ...... over there."

"Not that. Ashrufat replied naturally. "Is there anything else? I mean, not just our land, but the whole of Bracian, or the whole of North County. There is nothing unique about this place...... For example, the treasures of the ancient kingdom, mysterious ruins, and so on. ”

"I haven't heard of it at all. After thinking about it for a long time, Hoshimi replied.

Is it. Ashrufat pondered. This time the attack seemed to come from the fog, and the identity and purpose of the opponent were completely ungraspable. This is the worst situation in a fight, because it means that you can only see the moves, and you have no chance to fight back, or even what kind of formation the opponent has laid out.

"What will happen to us?" said the star carving. Although she usually seems to be calm and calm, she is completely out of shape at this time. It's not a fight they're good at, and their abilities and skills mean nothing in this kind of fight.

"Looks ...... We have to come up with 10,000 gold coins. Ashrufat replied.

"We don't have that much money......" Star Carving replied with a dejected expression. The amount of money spent to maintain a decent squire status is definitely not a small amount. In fact, the real income of the two sisters is only enough, far from being rich.

"How many?" asked Ashrufat.

"Five hundred ......," Xingke reluctantly replied. "If you sell the gold and silver vessels, it will be enough for a thousand. She had expected Ashrufat to be amazed or lamented, but the latter simply nodded.

"Then we are short of nine thousand five hundred. Ashrufat said

"This is Jewel, not copper!" Xingke said softly. But it was only a whisper. At this time, she could no longer maintain her usual cold attitude towards Ashrufat. Before he knew it, Ashrufat had become the one of the three who took the idea. This kind of thing is not surprising, when a person has no master, he can only entrust everything to the others around him, especially those who are still thinking calmly.