I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 449

< Words of Lies >

With just a little pressure, Stanley was blurting out facts he hadn’t even been asked about.

He kept adding that he had never imagined the massacre of the natives would be this severe until the crackdown actually began.

“Really. I really thought it would just be like dealing with slaves in the South in the past.”

“So, you’re saying you thought that would be okay.”

“Ah, no, that’s…”

“You thought it was right to treat inferior blacks as slaves, so you cooperated, didn’t you?”

“……”

Stanley couldn’t refute anything and simply shut his mouth.

I used the ‘kill each other’ skill, but I never intended to leave either of them alive in the first place.

Hasn’t the Congo Association amassed wealth by committing atrocities that would make you think everyone from the staff to the executives were beasts in human skin?

And now, after betraying them once at the end, he expects to live well and prosper for the rest of his life? No way.

“The testimony is enough for now. Hand over all the evidence that proves Leopold II gave you direct orders. Everything, without exception.”

If the employees of the detective agency who exposed Leopold II’s atrocities this time were the association’s staff, Stanley is one of the association’s top executives.

Leopold II intends to insist that Stanley fabricated orders by selling his name, but if he provides evidence that he received direct orders from the King, he will no longer be able to deny it.

A situation will unfold where he tries to cut off the tail but ends up having his spine pulled out as well.

“Um… Your Majesty. Since I’ve cooperated so faithfully, how about I…”

“Want me to help you get out of this? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re not unfairly blamed as the person in charge of this. I’m going to set up an organization in the Congo, so donate all the money you received from the association to it as a sign of atonement.”

“What? That’s almost my entire fortune. You’re telling me to donate everything…”

“Isn’t it a cheap price to pay if you can settle it with your entire fortune? Or would you rather be tried as a criminal who dared to sell the King’s name to satisfy his own selfish desires and disappear as dew on the gallows? Ah, but don’t be too upset. The person who used you to the fullest and then tried to abandon you will suffer much greater losses than you.”

There’s a saying in Go [a strategic board game], ‘A large group cannot die.’

A large group means that a large mass of stones is clustered together, allowing for the exploration of various escape routes. Also, if a large group is captured, it’s practically a defeat, so one tries desperately to save it, making it difficult to kill.

And this is a very well-known law in reality as well.

Large corporations with huge capital don’t go bankrupt easily, and if they do, the social impact is so great that the government tries to save them somehow, which makes it easy to understand.

How much more so for the royal family?

I have beaten the Russian royal family several times, but that was only possible because I made them a laughingstock throughout Europe.

And in fact, even after committing such acts, I didn’t directly take anything away from the Russian royal family.

If I had gone that far, there would have been strong backlash from within Russia, and it was obvious that people in Europe would say that even if he is a king, it’s better to be moderate and move on.

I judged that I had seen enough effect by dividing the nobles and the emperor and exacerbating internal conflicts, and in fact, that was the best thing to do at the time.

But now, the goal wasn’t just to punish the Belgian royal family.

If it were just that, frankly speaking, I wouldn’t have bothered this much.

I wouldn’t have needed to bring in Stanley; I could have just pressured Leopold II with the testimony of the detective agency’s employees.

However, if I had done that, wouldn’t it have inevitably resulted in the Belgian government taking Congo away from Leopold II, just like in the original history?

My goal is not only to corner Leopold II but also to take back the rubber industry from him.

To get back not only 5 million pounds but also the rubber business rights in addition to the 5 million pounds, I need to make Leopold II the worst scoundrel in the world and prevent the Belgian government and people from covering for him at all.

That was the best way to kill the large group and leave no stones of the opponent on the Go board.

Stanley, who was about to hand over his entire fortune, looked tearful, but since he already had money stashed away secretly, he wouldn’t really be squandering his entire fortune.

Above all, he wouldn’t want to be executed as a fraud who sold the King’s name, so he had no choice in the first place.

“So, how many days will it take for me to receive all the data I want? Just so you know, the sooner, the better, the higher the chance you’ll survive.”

“What? Weren’t you going to save me no matter what?”

“Look here. If you betray him, do you think an enraged Leopold II will leave you alone? Of course, he’ll try to harm you, so I’m saying I’ll provide a way for you to survive. Even though you’re a rotten bastard, if you hand over all the information I want, I’ll save you as a matter of course as a trading partner.”

No matter how much Leopold II is being beaten from all sides, he is the King of a country.

If he really sets his mind to it, he will definitely have the ability to bury an ordinary person, and needless to say, if that person is a jerk who has squandered almost all of his fortune and has no one to protect him.

He rolled his eyes and nodded vigorously.

“If you allow me to send telegrams, I can finish all the preparations within three days. I will give you all the data I have, and if your Majesty’s investigation team enters the Congo, I will secretly take out all the data stored in the association in advance and hand it over to you intact.”

“Very good. And as you well know, I hope you live with at least a minimum of conscience for the atrocities you have committed in the future.”

It was just a casual remark, but surprisingly, Stanley seemed genuinely ashamed and bowed his head deeply, unable to say anything.

It seems like he does have a guilty conscience.

If you thought this wasn’t right, you should have jumped out right away, but you kept persisting with self-hypnosis.

In the end, you lost everything: conscience, money, and social honor, didn’t you?

All of that was self-inflicted, so I didn’t feel sorry for him.

* * *

Some time later.

As promised, Leopold II confirmed that Killian had moved the investigation team three days later than scheduled and breathed a sigh of relief.

Secretly from Stanley, he contacted Commander Roger in the Congo and ordered him to fabricate all the evidence to make him the culprit in this case.

Anyway, if this matter is revealed as it is, Commander Roger will not only be dismissed from his command immediately but also have to take off his military uniform, so he will obediently listen to our orders.

When the British Empire’s investigation team’s announcement comes out, he can simply hand Stanley over to trial as a criminal who impersonated the King’s name and moved the association at will.

Even if he does this, he won’t be able to avoid criticism for negligent management, but at least he can protect the Congo.

Unlike the original plan, he will have to accept government intervention, and it is highly likely that excessive exploitation of the natives will become impossible, but still, what is this?

Even if profits are likely to decrease by about 60 to 70 percent, this is still a goose that lays golden eggs.

He can generously pretend to operate humanely for about 5 years, and then gradually increase the intensity when people’s interest fades.

However, after the Congo investigation team returned to the British Empire, Stanley, who was staying in Brussels pretending to know nothing, suddenly disappeared, and Leopold II felt a strange sense of foreboding.

And just as he suspected.

-As a result of this investigation, it has been confirmed that all the terrible atrocities that took place in the Congo were directly ordered by none other than His Majesty King Leopold II of Belgium. Several undeniable pieces of evidence have been discovered, including an order sent directly by His Majesty Leopold II to Henry Morton Stanley of the Congo Association. Handwriting analysis confirmed that it was a genuine handwritten order from His Majesty without any manipulation, and the royal seal was actually stamped on it.

Leopold II’s eyes trembled violently as he checked the articles that were simultaneously featured prominently in newspapers in the British Empire and various other countries.

“What, what is this! What the hell is going on!”

-Furthermore, the investigation revealed that His Majesty Leopold II attempted to fabricate evidence in order to blame all of this on Henry Morton Stanley, the manager of the Congo Association. However, Stanley, who knew this in advance, ordered his employees to secretly take the original of the order elsewhere, and the remaining fake data were replaced with completely different fabricated evidence by officers of the Belgian army.

-According to Stanley’s testimony, His Majesty Leopold II ordered the Congo Association to be friendly with the neighboring tribes and shower them with gifts to win their favor even before the Congo Free State was established. Then, taking advantage of the fact that they did not understand the letters, he made them sign to give up all their rights.

-As a result of confirming with other tribes in the Congo, countless people were found with their wrists, as well as their entire hands, cut off, and the managers who carried out this act testified that everything was done under the orders of His Majesty the King······.

I’m going crazy… I’m going crazy…

“Stanley, that son of a bitch! He dares to stab me in the back and try to get away with it!”

The fact that he had been staying in Brussels until now was definitely an act to make him lower his guard until the last moment.

“No, wait… But how did this guy know that the British Empire’s investigation team would disappear just before arriving in London?”

Isn’t something strange?

Is it really a coincidence that he created fake data as if he already knew that he would fabricate evidence, set a trap in reverse, and suddenly disappeared the day before the British Empire’s announcement?

“Could it be… Killian, that human… …”

When you think about it, wasn’t that the guy who gave the hint to sacrifice Stanley and cut off the tail in the first place?

At first, I thought that he was at least creating a loophole to escape as a matter of courtesy since he was in the same position as a royal family of a country, but what if all of this was a trap?

Then, from the beginning to the present, all of these processes fit perfectly.

“Ah, no. That can’t be. Even if he attacks me like this, what great thing would that guy get… …”

Half out of his mind, he blankly read the British Empire’s official investigation report like a possessed person.

And when he read the phrase located near the very end, he felt a shock that made his heart stop.

-Through this, it has become clear that His Majesty Leopold II had been deceiving the British Empire and various European countries from the beginning. First of all, the opinions of diplomats are that all rights of the Congo Association should be temporarily suspended and a fundamental review of the contents agreed upon at the London Conference is necessary, and we hereby declare that the contract between the British Empire’s royal family and the Belgian royal family will be strictly enforced… .

What the hell are these people saying?

Does enforcing the contract mean paying back the penalty? No, no. This is already an issue that was discussed with Killian before.

In the end, there is only one clause left, but before that, if all the rights of the Congo Association are suspended, doesn’t that mean that rubber cannot be sold for the time being?

Then, of course, it becomes impossible to repay the 5 million pounds that must be repaid to Killian, and if that happens… …

Leopold II, who had thought this far, was finally able to understand what Killian had been aiming for from the beginning.

“This, this son of a bitch… From the beginning… Everything from the beginning.”

Looking back, it was strange from the beginning.

He was the first to bring up the story of rubber, which he thought would be difficult to make a lot of money at the time… .

He insisted on including investment and penalty clauses.

But if all of this was a planned design, doesn’t everything fit perfectly from beginning to end?

Leopold II dropped the report he was holding on the floor without realizing it.

A chill ran down his spine, and his whole body was shivering, and his jaw was trembling.

“Keuh… Keuheuh…”

He is a demon who casually commits inhumane acts and the worst liar in the world?

Isn’t that guy the most vicious con artist in the world?