Baron Platz was furious at my brazen response.

"You, Viscount Rothschild! Do you have a face made of iron? Our army has just secured victory at Breitenfeld thanks to Deus' divine favor and the exceptional command of the Elector of Wittenberg, and while collecting the spoils, we found a massive cache of weapons manufactured in the Toscani Empire!"

Being interrogated like this reminded me of something a friend once told me over drinks before he got arrested for his crimes.

"If the police present you with clear evidence and demand a confession, just admit it—at least you might get a lighter sentence.

But if you committed a crime and they tell you they have all the evidence but never actually show anything concrete, deny everything to the bitter end.

Because what they’re trying to do is use your confession as their only real proof to lock you up."

This was exactly that situation.