Commemorative SS for the release of volume 1: Events at the beginning of autumn (3)

Licia went to the salon again after dinner. The salon where Ulysses had made a reservation.

The reason why she went back was because Sarah had invited her.

“This is definitely suspicious! I think they must be hiding something!”

I had a strong sense of unease about the flow of money, and I called her to talk about it.

Licia wasn’t the only one who was summoned here.

Because she wanted to share information with Fiona, with whom she had talked in the evening, Sarah had also approached Fiona, even though they were from different factions. Without Fiona, the other two would not have been able to set foot in this salon.

It is typical of Sarah, who is a heroic faction but is close to Licia, a neutral faction member, to have an attitude that’s not bound by factions. I could see that she was slightly relaxed toward Fiona as well.

The three people sitting on the sofa continued their conversation.

“I and Licia-sama also think the case is suspicious, but what do you want to do, Riohard-san?”

Fiona asks with a puzzled look on her face.

“It’s been a short time since the summer riots, so we should be more serious about investigating this matter!”

“Eh, uh, ……?”

“Sarah, Fiona-sama is in trouble.”

Licia let out a sigh for the umpteenth time today.

“I was just saying that if there is any suspicion of corruption, we should look into it more! I can’t stand the thought of illicit money flowing to the demon king’s cult!”

Both Licia and Fiona understood this sentiment, but they were certain of one thing.

This time, the demon king’s cult was not involved.

There was only one reason for this certainty. Ulysses’ movement were slow.

“………… Right, Fiona-sama?”

“……. Yes. I think Licia-sama has the right idea.”

The two shared their thoughts without saying it out loud, just by looking at each other.

The two of them have been having a hard time since the summer uproar, but the hardness that existed before has diminished somewhat.

“Don’t you think so too, Ignat-sama?”

“Well, uh…. I understand your feelings, but how do you intend to investigate, Riohard-san…..?”

Fiona who had a troubled smile on her face also turned her attention to Licia.

Licia had no choice but to say “Please give up”

“I’m going to go ahead and get the accounts of the Norman trading company in detail —-“

“On what pretext are you going to investigate? If you suspect something and don’t find anything, you will be in trouble. In the first place, there is no way that evidence of fraud will be revealed from the accounts that are within the scope of an open investigation.”

If people like Ulysses and Lessard pursue the matter thoroughly, no matter how much they hide it on the surface, suspicions will be raised as in this case, and it can even be said that the fraud is certain.

But the three of us here are not strong enough in many ways.

“Ugh, ugh…..that’s why…….”

“We can suspect the so-called illicit flow of money, but unless we find out why the money was given and why it was necessary, we can’t move even if we wanted to. There is no way that our fathers would approve of us making a move.”

“As expected, it’s no good..”

“Remember when you were a little girl and a boy named Vane saved your life. If you want to do the same thing, I’ll stop you.”

Even Sarah, who had maintained a vigorous attitude, couldn’t say anything about it and was dismayed as if her fangs had been pulled out.

“I’m going to ask you just in case. What were you going to do, Sarah?”

“……My father told me about some items that the Norman Trading Company had purchased in secret. I was wondering if I could find out anything from that….”

Licia and Fiona looked at each other.

If they had asked for any clues, they would have wanted to be the first to tell us.

Fiona looked at her as if she had no choice, and Licia laughed again with a sigh.

“Riohard-san, if you don’t mind, could you tell me about the item?”

Sarah, who had been lying on the table for some time, seemed to have lost some of her strength after Licia’s rebuke.

“A magic tool to level the ground and chemicals to harden the ground.”

“The only thing I can think of is that they are materials to be used for the expansion of the magic ship station. It seems to me that they could also be used for road maintenance, so I don’t see anything suspicious about them.”

“But it seems that Viscount Galgazia had prepared all the necessary items for the construction.”

“Oh…. then why…?”

Fiona, thinking with her hand on her cheek, is a picture in itself.

Licia, who had almost unintentionally admired her profile, shakes her head and ruminates over Sarah’s words as she thinks.

(Does it depend on whether it’s for their own use or for sale ……?)

Licia once considered the former.

“If they bought it for their own use, it’s still strange. After paying for it with money that’s not appropriate for the size of the association, they are spending money on it again. I wonder where they got the money.”

“I was thinking the same thing as Licia-sama. I don’t think it has anything to do with the money flow that has come to light.”

The problem is that it is extremely difficult to find out the connection between the two.

The girls were puzzled by that fact.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Actually —-“

Radius, who was about to say something, had a map of the Galgazia area spread out on the table between himself and Ren, who was sitting opposite him.

This was after the two of them had mentioned the flow of illicit money.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a map of the area around Galgazia, dating back several hundred years. As you can see, there have been hot spring water flowing underground for a long time and there have been places to enjoy them in this area for centuries.”

Radius’ finger pointed toward a mountain near the town of Galgazia.

“There existed a complex of subterranean veins where hot spring waters intersected. Until more than a hundred years ago, the Elfens used to travel through this area, and the hot springs that gushed out healed the people.”

“Until more than a hundred years ago, that means the water no longer gushes forth.”

“Oh, yes. The family of the landowner has been lamenting this and praying for the spring to come up again, even though they have been replaced by different generations.”

In the past, they made a lot of money from the hot spring water that came out of the springs and had much more money than those nobles.

But they could not set up without it, and it is known that they have paid only taxes on their land holdings.

“Viscount Gargazia initially intended to buy the entire mountain.”

“But the family, unable to forget its past glory, refused.”

“That’s right. The landowners who owned the surrounding lands sold them decades after the hot spring water stopped gushing out. Only this landowner’s family has held onto their land for as long as they have wished.”

They had paid the taxes already, so the empire and the Viscount Gargazia had no complaints.

“But this time, since it was a public project, they couldn’t refuse everything, and the landowners had no choice but to agree to sell part of their land because the price they were offered was higher than the market price.”

“Why didn’t they just sell off the mountain?”

“I agree, but the landowner’s family got their wish.”

“Yeah?─ is there a possibility that the hot spring will come up again?”

Radius shook his head.

It seems that there’s no possibility of spring water gushing out.

“It seems that another story has surfaced between the Norman Trading Company, which was in charge of the geological survey, and the landowner family.”

Ren was able to realize without much hesitation what this other story was.

Ren feels that he has grown up. In the past, he would have been out of the loop when it came to this kind of belly flopping and scheming, but it seems he has gained a surprising amount of experience.

“—-hehe, have you found out what’s going on yet?”

“I can’t say for sure without looking into it, but it’s as good as done. The only thing that remains is the source of the supposedly illicit money, but I have an idea of where it came from.”

“So you’re planning to get your hands on it.”

Radius, who folded his arms in response to the question, put his hand to his mouth.

He gets up from his chair, turns his back on Ren, and walks into the room. He pours himself a drink at the bar space set up in one corner, and then returns to Ren with two of the drinks in his hand.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. So in response of the question of whether to get involved—-“

Radius who returned to his seat had a cool smile on his handsome face.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next morning, the invited guests went to the magic ship dock.

Although it wasn’t a completion ceremony before the party, a similar event was held.

The magic shipyard, which has been expanded to 1.5 times its original size, was extremely crowded during this ceremony. The aftermath was felt throughout the town.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all—-“

Viscount Galgazia, who is over seventy years old, uttered the common greeting in a hushed voice.

Licia and her friends were inside the building of the magic ship pier.

Through the huge, spotless windows, they could see every corner of the expanded magic ship yard

A special seat was set up in the facility like a control tower, from which they could watch the ceremony.

The three daughters were spending time together today as they had done yesterday.

From a special seat separate from their fathers, they stared out at the outside.

“Sarah, you still look unhappy.”

“Because, when I think about it, it’s not fair. Don’t you think so too, Ignat-sama?”

“I have no doubt….. but”

Neither Licia nor Fiona wanted to cause trouble for everyone by doing things on their own.

But.

(If it were Ren, in a situation like this…)

He would definitely move in accordance with his own sense of justice.

On the other hand, Licia is not without a sense of justice.

She’s a truly Saint who understands the responsibility of the nobility and is willing to make self-sacrifices at times.

But she fears that by moving on their own accord, they will exacerbate the situation.

Perhaps realizing her hesitation, Fiona calls out to her, “Licia-sama”.

“How about talking to our fathers once?”

Fiona felt the same way as Licia.

Fiona knew that the three fathers were probably working on it, but it was something they didn’t want to ignore.

Her own heart wouldn’t allow her to sit idly by and do nothing.

“I think we should tell our fathers what we’ve found out and let them decide,”

Licia replied.

The three fathers are in a different special room, so they have to go there first.

The girls left the special seats and went to the special seats in the other room.

There were several special seats prepared this time.

As for whether or not it is okay to get together with different factions, They were not too concerned.

This is because in large projects, as in this case, nobles may be engaged in work regardless of their factions.

Therefore, they seldom go out of their way to make a show of bickering at a ceremony.

This was especially true in the case of these three families.

After visiting their fathers at the special seat in another room, each daughter went to her father and told him what she had noticed.

None of the three fathers were surprised and listened sincerely to the daughters’ words.

Then Ulysses spoke up on their behalf.

“Ha ha! The three of you together are so dependable!”

Everyone looks at him.

Licia and Fiona knew that Ulysses was acting differently than usual.

And that this situation was within his imagination.

“Then I have a proposal. What kind of wrongdoing has taken place between the Norman Trading Company and the landowners? I would like you to show us if you can uncover it without the cooperation of adults.”

“Oh, father! What are you saying all of a sudden? Please don’t say something that will cause trouble not only for you but also for the Riohard and Clausel families!”

Then Elk replies.

“Not really. I don’t think it’s something that should be stopped, as long as Sarah doesn’t make any moves on her own.”

“Ignat-san, actually, I think the same thing.”

Each of the three fathers responded to Ulysses’ words without showing any denial.

This was only discomfort from Ulysses’ daughter’s point of view. She stared at her father’s face, searching for the truth behind his eyes.

But it was Ulysses Ignat who wouldn’t let her search for the truth.

“What do you have in mind, father?”

“Many things.”

“I was hoping you could tell me about them, but you won’t anyway, will you?”

Ulysses just shrugged his shoulders, smiled and said nothing more.

It was pointless to ask any more questions.

“Fiona, what shall we do”

“When they say we can investigate on our own, I wonder if it’s really okay.”

Fiona took her attention away from Ulysses after seeing Licia and Sarah’s reaction.

The three of them looked at each other.

“Apparently, my father and both of your fathers have some ideas.”

I would like to ask them about their hidden thoughts, but they won’t tell me anyway even if I asked them.

Their own daughters —- must all be daughters of high position, too.

Nevertheless, such a proposal itself was far from the general idea of ​​aristocrats.

However, this is only for ordinary nobles.

In the case of Ulysses, he’s not an ordinary nobleman by any means.

In the case of Lessard, he too has gained a variety of experience and is continuing to increase his ability. He is a capable nobleman that even Ulysses recognizes.

In the case of Elk, he’s the head of one of the seven great heroic faction and a descendant of Ghazir Riohard, who was one of the seven heroes and a heroic swordsman.

It is no wonder that he entrusted his daughter with a major role in the prepared environment.

Sarah, exhaling with a huff, says.

“—-I’m a bit confused, but it’s not that bad. If our fathers want us to look into it, we’ll look into it. I, Sarah Riohard would never allow any wrongdoing in the country saved by the Seven Heroes.”

Licia nodded in response to Sarah who said in a strong tone.

(—- I know, right?)

Earlier, I wondered what Ren would do.

If I could move as he did, I thought I should move without hesitation.

“Fiona-sama, are you okay with this?”

The same goes for Fiona who was asked by Licia.

She thought that if she could move as Ren did, she should move without hesitation.

“Of course. The three of us will join forces.”

Despite the sudden turn of events, one thing was clear.

The three fathers had a clear purpose in urging the three of them to create the situation they were now in.

This may not need to be said now, but …….

The three of them, Licia, Fiona, and Sarah, were still full of determination to get on board as they gradually saw through the adults’ ideas.

They had no intention of answering, “We’ll leave it to our fathers,” after being set up so well to witness the injustice that they had just witnessed.

So, they were determined to get closer to the truth of the injustice because they were going to ride on their bandwagon.

—- If this were the legend of the Seven Heroes, it would be nothing more than a mere delusion, but if that were the case, surely…

[A subquest arose.]

Do you wish to accept “Illicit Money Flow Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆”?

Yes/No

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Edgar, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“You can count on me. I will work with the others and see to it that your daughters have the opportunity to have a valuable experience.”

It may be a bit mean to describe it as a miniature garden.

Therefore, it would be better to describe it as an opportunity for learning.

Ulysses has always believed that he wouldn’t be able to protect his daughter forever. He has always believed that people die sooner or later, and he has tried to give Fiona a wide range of experiences.

And this incident is just another opportunity for her to do so.

And neither Lessard nor Elk are negative about the idea.

If adults can take responsibility and guarantee their safety, it will lead to the growth of the three girls.

“What a great idea to have our daughters join hands across factions.”

Elk said with a complicated expression on his face that could be either positive or negative.

“My Licia is well acquainted with both of your daughters. As a neutral party, I’m pleased with the situation. Call me naive, but we are nobles for Leomel.”

It may sound idealistic, but the best thing is to be able to cooperate with each other regardless of faction.

The two people of the royalist and heroic factions quietly listened to the words of Lessard, who spoke of his dream of such a future.

—-The three ladies left the special seats and headed for the town of Galgazia.

Edgar, who had left the special table to escort the girls in secret, was visited by a subordinate who wasn’t supposed to be with him at this time.

“Oh? What are you doing here?”

“A message has arrived from a certain source.”

“Let me take it.”

He opened the letter that his subordinate had given him and checked inside.

Then, Edgar smiled softly, as if he were a butler.

“It seems they, too, have moved.”

He muttered meaningfully.

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