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Chapter 64

After arriving at work, I shared what I'd found with the guild members.

"Before the Duchess's kidnapping, a high-ranking guest visited the criminal group. We need to find out who that guest was."

"I found out that much too! I also tracked down the financial records!"

Surprisingly, Susanna had also made her own contribution.

"There's a suspicious entry in this criminal group's records—they sold drugs and received a large sum of money!"

"But they're a criminal group—isn't selling drugs natural?"

Cedric asked, but Susanna shook her head.

"At this price, they'd have sold 100 tons of drugs at the time. If that much drugs were sold in the Empire, the entire population would have been addicted!"

"Ah...! So they disguised it as drug money and were actually paid for something else!"

"They double-disguised it so that if they got caught, it would look like they were selling drugs rather than being hired for a crime!"

In other words, this criminal group had met a high-ranking guest, received a large sum of money, and kidnapped the Duchess. It was highly likely they'd been hired for a crime.

"Then the way to find out who that high-ranking guest was..."

I recalled how Count Fairfax was caught in the original story.

Fortunately, thanks to the original, I had a sense of where to go.

"Hmm, actually, I suspect Count Fairfax."

I openly shared this with the guild members.

"Count Fairfax bears a grudge against the House of Kaliad and has been obstructing them at every turn."

"Isn't that just a hunch?"

"Assistant Manager Susanna, you know my intuition is more accurate than anyone's, right? Thanks to it, back then at the bookstore, that essay..."

"Aaaah! The Guild Master's intuition is the best!"

After silencing everyone, I instructed them to find a way to approach a former employee of Count Fairfax.

In the original story, the heroine finds Count Fairfax's former scribe and obtains information from him.

"I've been thinking—it would be good to approach someone who was fired from Count Fairfax's household. For example, a butler or a scribe who had access to a lot of information..."

"A scribe!"

An unexpected answer came.

"I've met one before."

"Assistant Manager Morian?!"

I never expected such a coincidence! Where did you meet?

"Yes, I met him a few times at the exam study group. He was exactly a scribe for Count Fairfax. I also remember a few scribes from other households."

"Why are there so many scribes in an exam study group? ...Wait, I think I know."

Now that typewriters were developed, the profession of scribe was declining. In other words, they'd become "unemployed."

"The exam study group finally came through with something. I'm very happy."

Morian adjusted his glasses and muttered.

With Morian's introduction, we decided to meet a former scribe from Count Fairfax's household.

---

"...A crime from 17 years ago?"

We sat across from the scribe from Count Fairfax's household, whom Morian had introduced. He looked haggard from preparing for the civil service exam.

"Yes, we'll pay you for the interview."

When I slid over the prepared envelope, their faces brightened.

"I can pay next month's rent for the exam prep center."

"Oh, you're staying at an exam prep center..."

"Yes. It's just big enough for a bed and a desk. Very small and cozy. Last time I sneezed in my sleep and got a warning!"

So this world's exam prep centers were the same...

"Did you run out of the money you saved as a scribe? I heard you worked as a scribe for a long time..."

"The rent is too expensive. The government gave us subsidies recently, so the landlord raised the rent."

"......"

"That's injustice itself."

I agreed with Cedric. This world was truly unjust...

"Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll remember things from seventeen years ago, but I'll do my best to answer."

"By any chance, did Count Fairfax's household ever send this amount of money somewhere seventeen years ago?"

I wrote down the amount Susanna had found out and passed it over. The scribe narrowed his eyes as if recalling the past.

"Well, who would remember something from seventeen years ago..."

"Hmm, of course there are no documents from back then, right?"

"Yes, but perhaps..."

The scribe glanced around nervously and spoke.

"To be honest, Count Fairfax wasn't a very good master, and perhaps I might be able to help you."

Understanding his implication, I signaled to Morian.

Morian quickly handed the scribe the envelope I'd given him just in case.

"...Thank you. Actually, I know where Count Fairfax stores all his past documents. There's sure to be information there."

"Does it really have all the secrets?"

"Yes, records from before typewriters were especially precious because they'd be harder to recover if lost, so they were never thrown away."

He gave us information about Count Fairfax's basement.

"So now we infiltrate?"

After finishing the interview, Cedric once again said something naive.

"Senior Staff Cedric, do you have the combat skills for that...?"

"I do."

"...That strange former company. Anyway, of course we're not the ones who'll be moving here."

I declared confidently.

"Now everything depends on the House of Kaliad."

"But we don't have evidence, do we?"

"The House of Kaliad will do anything for their daughter. Even with the slightest suspicion, they'll act quickly."

I returned to the guild and called the House of Kaliad.

I told them the location of the basement, the amount of money likely paid to the criminal group, and that they should arrest Count Fairfax to prevent his escape once the truth came out.

"Isn't this private retaliation? I don't think it can be called just."

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. A preemptive strike for a preemptive strike."

When I said firmly, Cedric looked convinced.

"Well, come to think of it, I've also done private retaliation..."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

And I immediately made the call.

"Lady of Kaliad, please tell the Duke to investigate Count Fairfax's household immediately... Yes, the evidence to look for is in the basement... Ah, yes. Though you said you're only at the level of nearly Sword Master, don't you think you could be of help... Of course, you don't have to go personally since it's dangerous... Ah, though you said you have a first-class cryptography license but aren't sure if that would help... Just go. Oh, just go."

A few days later, we were able to confirm the following article:

[Breaking News] Lady of Kaliad Revealed to Be the Lost Real Daughter... Count Fairfax Imprisoned

It has been revealed that the daughter the House of Kaliad lost long ago is the same person as the current Lady of Kaliad.

The decisive evidence was the awakening of the 'Falsehood' ability, known to manifest only in those of Kaliad blood. Accordingly, the Lady has been officially confirmed as the Duke's biological daughter.

The investigation revealed that the mastermind behind the incident was Count Fairfax, a branch family of Kaliad. The Count is suspected of colluding with a criminal group to kidnap the Duchess and attempt to murder the young Lady, and all related evidence has been secured.

Count Fairfax is currently convicted and imprisoned.

→Full details on page 2!

"Everything's resolved."

Unlike in the original story, Count Fairfax hadn't escaped to the Temple.

As a result, I was able to gain the original heroine's favor while also avoiding the Temple's suspicion.

'Both the Imperial Family and the House of Kaliad are on our side now.'

At this rate, we could join forces to defeat the Temple.

And the Red Rose Salon and the Platinum Mercenary Corps were also firmly on our side.

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