Home/How to Survive in a Good Small Guild/ch 60

Chapter 60

"So, can I secretly meet the prisoners in the prison?"

Even after the guild members had left work, I remained at the guild. Since I had nothing to do at home anyway, I decided to do some voluntary overtime.

As soon as I called Cedrian's number, luckily he answered directly rather than Eric.

-Yes. I'll help you.

"Thank you, Mr. Rian. When should I come?"

-Weekdays are difficult—let's do the weekend.

"Are you sure the weekend is okay?"

-I have important duties on weekdays.

I suppose as the Crown Prince, he'd be busy with work on weekdays. I understood and agreed to meet him on the weekend.

"Oh, Mr. Rian. I have one question... what's important for awakening an ability?"

-An ability?

Surprised by my sudden question, Cedrian hesitated, but kindly answered.

-You can awaken an ability by feeling the right emotions strongly.

"What emotions did you feel, Mr. Rian?"

-...In my case, I felt a strong sense of responsibility to protect.

Through that, I could tell that Cedrian had awakened his ability around the time the Empress was assassinated.

"Thank you, Mr. Rian."

After hanging up, I fell into thought.

"Hmm, what should I do now..."

Putting off the prisoner interrogations for the weekend, I decided to do what I could in the meantime.

'The person used in the original story to reveal that the Lady of Kaliad was the real daughter... Ah.'

The name came to mind.

'The Star Tower's Luna Moore!'

The Lady of Kaliad, like me, won favor and conquered the Red Rose Salon, Star Tower, Platinum Mercenary Corps, and Golden Scales Society one by one.

So she received help from the Star Tower scholars, and in that process, the genius scholar Luna Moore was of great assistance.

'I'll get Luna Moore's help, just like in the original story.'

Though I wasn't at the stage where I'd earned the favor of the Star Tower scholars like the Lady of Kaliad, I still had the right to enter the Star Tower openly.

Because I held a Master's degree in Cactus Spine Avoidance Studies!

---

"Hello, Ms. Luna Moore."

"Who are you?"

Having apparently forgotten my previous visit, Luna Moore narrowed her eyes as I knocked and entered her lab.

"I'm Odrette Lavendel, Master of Cactus Spine Avoidance Studies."

"What? Get out."

She snapped at me immediately, but I didn't mind.

"Now, I'll take some time to read Ms. Luna Moore's Master's thesis..."

"Ack! Wait!"

Using the weakness I'd discovered last time, she became more cooperative.

"What do you want! I'll listen, so just say it!"

"Hmm, Ms. Luna Moore, you're a Doctor of Criminal Investigation. An authority in that field."

"Right? No one can match me there."

When I flattered her, Luna Moore's mood seemed to improve.

"Now, could you take a look at this map?"

It was a map of the cliff where the low-level criminal member was said to have fallen.

The House of Kaliad believed the newborn baby had fallen with him, but...

"Now, let's hypothesize. There was a low-level member with asthma who fled with a newborn baby without his inhaler. Since he was also being used, a higher-up in the organization appeared and pushed him off with the baby."

"Hmm?"

"In this situation, if the newborn survived, how could that have happened?"

"Hah, you should take that to someone with a degree in creative writing who writes mystery novels."

Despite grumbling, Luna Moore kept her eyes on the map.

"If what you said is true... a newborn can't survive on its own. Someone must have rescued the baby."

The same deduction I'd seen in the original story came from Luna Moore's mouth.

"Given the circumstances, it's likely that the person who tried to attack the low-level member changed their mind, attacked only the member, and rescued the baby."

"Why would they do that?"

"We can reason as follows."

Luna Moore's blue eyes glinted coolly.

"If they were members of the same criminal organization, the higher-up would have realized: just as they used the low-level member's life as a tool, their own life could also be used as a tool."

"Oh."

"So they needed some bargaining chip to save their own life in an emergency. That's why they spared the baby."

"Where would they have sent it after saving it?"

The House of Kaliad, just in case, had already investigated two orphanages near the cliff where the low-level member had fallen.

But no child had been brought in on that day.

"It wouldn't be these orphanages."

Luna Moore stated firmly.

"It had to be a secret only they knew, so they wouldn't hide it somewhere it could be discovered."

"Then where would they have gone?"

"Somewhere that wouldn't be discovered. So a small facility, one lacking support and manpower..."

Luna Moore's eyes quickly scanned the map.

"I need information on who the culprit was."

"Hmm, I'm not sure about that..."

"People seek out what's most familiar in a crisis. Among small facilities, they likely chose one they were familiar with."

"Ah, that criminal group was made up of people who grew up in District 19."

"There's your answer."

Luna Moore rummaged through her drawer and unfolded a map of District 19.

"Find an orphanage here that lacks support and manpower. Among these two... Ah, this one is a government-run institution."

"Then..."

There were two orphanages in District 19, and one was government-run, so according to Luna Moore, there was one small facility.

Luna Moore pointed to a spot on the map with her finger.

The Seedling Orphanage.

"At present, this is the most likely place where the baby was left."

She stated firmly.

And I knew the name of that orphanage.

It was the orphanage where the Lady of Kaliad had been adopted.

---

The next day, I sat before the orphanage director. Perhaps many curious people had already come asking about the Lady of Kaliad, as she frowned.

"If you're trying to dig into the Lady's childhood, I can't help you. Many forces have already targeted her, and I've promised the House of Kaliad not to speak recklessly."

"I'm not trying to find the Lady's weakness."

I asked in a calm tone.

"Seventeen years ago, you found a baby abandoned in front of the orphanage. Where is that baby now?"

"Excuse me? That was already in the newspapers over ten years ago. It was such an amazing story."

The director said, her eyes widening in surprise.

"That baby is the Lady of Kaliad. A remarkable rise in status—oh, I shouldn't say that. Anyway, it made the news."

"...So the baby abandoned at the orphanage the very day after the House of Kaliad's real daughter disappeared. And coincidentally, that baby was adopted as the Lady of Kaliad."

"Yes, that's right."

Naturally, the director seemed to dismiss this as mere coincidence.

Her reasoning was correct. The real daughter, the Lady of Kaliad, had been adopted into the ducal family through that very path.

People would have dismissed this as a simple coincidence. That's how dramatic the development of the adopted daughter actually being the real daughter was.

But for me, who had read the original story, this was sufficient evidence.

Of course, unlike me, the House of Kaliad would probably say there wasn't enough evidence and refuse to believe it. It was just the speculation of one doctorate-holder named Luna Moore.

But there was one simplest way to prove the Lady of Kaliad was the real daughter.

If, after hearing my words, the Lady of Kaliad came to believe she was the real daughter.

If she gained confidence and conviction in herself.

If she awakened the 'Falsehood' ability.

That itself would be proof that she was the real daughter.

In other words, what I needed to do now was...

'I need to convince the Lady of Kaliad.'

So that she could gain confidence in herself.

So that she could be certain she was the Lady of Kaliad.

And so that she could eventually awaken her ability.

That was what I had to do.

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