I Favor the Villainess Chapter 94Stalemate

The door we knocked on was simple, as if to represent the room owner’s personality.

“Please, go in”

“Excuse us”

Claire-sama in the lead followed by Lily-sama and me entered Prime Minister Salas Lilium-sama’s office in the Bauer’s Royal Palace.

The thing that first caught my eye in his office are countless lined up glasswork.

The glasswork range from tiny paper weights to enigmatic curios and big objects.

“These are… glasswork?”

“No, they’re icework. They’re made with water magic out of unmelting ice”

Which reminds me, Salas-sama has medium water magic aptitude.

If I remember correctly it’s not suited for attack, his specialty is suggestion that affects memory.

“It’s my hobby. Even though I’m hopeless at it, I still love it, and sometimes there are people who purchase these. Well, in most cases they seem more interested in the maker’s status than the workmanship”

While working on the documents at his desk, Salas-sama spoke jokingly and laughed.

He may say so, but I can see quite tasteful items here.

Well, I hate Salas-sama as a person.

“You haven’t come here just to chat, have you. Are you here because you suspect me of fraud?”

As our talk reached a stopping place, Salas-sama asked calmly.

His attitude showed no signs of guilty conscience, he even had a smile on his face.

The expression presence of mind suits him.

The reason we came here, just as Salas-sama said, is the fraud investigation.

Following Rod-sama’s suggestion was a little vexing, but as we haven’t come up with a better idea, we’re trying to talk with him directly.

But, we can’t expect much.

The reason is, before we came here, we had already failed in Dor-sama’s house.

I recalled Dor-sama’s words as we were leaving his office.

‘Claire, I thought you were a bit smarter’

I know it’s not as those words say, but Claire-sama must feel complicated about them.

She had no choice but to suspect her own Father she wanted to believe in, moreover she heard such words from him.

Well, she may feel a little relieved her suspicions weren’t confirmed.

Because that happened, Claire-sama is dispirited.

Today the main fighting power is Lily-sama.

“Fa, Father! Please stop it!”

Unable to endure it, Lily-sama raised an accusatory voice.

“Lily, please don’t raise your voice. What in the world should I stop”

Opposite of her, Salas-sama was calm and collected.

He slowly got up from his chair and stood in front of us three.

“The, there were testimonies from nobles who were close with Father! Father demanded bribes from them!”

“Is that so. So, where’s the proof?”

“A, are you still saying such things! So many people testified! You cannot evade――”

“So there’s no proof?”

“U, ugh…”

At Salas-sama’s quiet but intense voice that neither confirmed nor denied, Lily-sama sank into silence, overpowered.

This situation is bad.

“Could we examine this room?”

“I do not mind, but documents related to national politics are off-limits”

Salas-sama added a condition to my request.

“We have been given authority to investigate”

“It’s a financial audit, right? The right to investigate national politics is granted by the House of Lords. You do not have the authority to investigate them”

He grasped our weak spot.

As expected, he’s got no openings.

“I don’t mind if you show us what you can. Then, please produce the ledgers”

“Yeah”

Afterwards, we spent some time investigating the ledgers.

But, no matter how much we investigate, there’s not a single contradiction.

It was creepily like an honest ledger.

“Could we examine that safe?”

To the side of his desk was a solid safe.

“This is off-limits. Highly classified information regarding national politics and diplomacy are stored there”

“You want us to believe that?”

“If you want to investigate no matter what, please obtain the authority to do so”

Even we try to force it open, only Salas-sama knows the combination to this safe.

At the moment, there’s nothing to accuse Salas-sama of, at the present time. . . . . we don’t know the whereabouts of the evidence.

There’s nothing we can do.

“Father… Lily is sad”

Just as were we to go back, Lily-sama muttered few words.

“Certainly, there may not be physical evidence. But, it became clear to Lily as we investigated. Father is committing fraud”

“It is a false accusation”

“No matter how much you deceive, God is watching. Sins will eventually be judged. Before that happens, Lily prays Father will confess to sins yourself”

“Lily…”

“Excuse us”

Saying so, Lily-sama tried to leave the room.

We were also about to follow.

“Wait”

Salas-sama called us to halt.

“Lily, you better remember one thing”

“…?”

Lack of understanding showed on Lily-sama’s face.

“Just praying never solves anything. If you want to accomplish something, don’t be afraid to dirty your hands”

“Is it about yourself, Father?”

“One way or another. However…”

Then Salas-sama hesitated for a moment,

“Lily… You are a pitiful child”

It was a little later when I understood what he meant.

◆◇◆◇◆

“In the end, it turned out as Rod-sama said”

Claire-sama said with a gloomy expression.

Pinning blame on subordinates and abandoning them – it’s exactly like that.

“It is irritating… Despite coming so far, to find no evidence”

“Li, Lily feels so too”

Both Claire-sama and Lily-sama are earnest people.

Furthermore, their fathers may have committed crimes.

There’s no way they wouldn’t worry.

“There are still some leads left”

When I said so, the two exchanged glances.

“Leads you say, will you confront other nobles?”

“No, not nobles”

Probably, we can’t corner those two by going through nobles.

Actually, I knew that in advance.

And what I should do next.

“I think I’ll try contacting Resistance”

“Resistance?”

“…?”

Both Claire-sama and Lily-sama tilted their heads.

Well, of course.

“Resistance is… the revolutionary force of this country”

“!?”

Their complexions changed.

This is also understandable.

Both Claire-sama and Lily-sama are people of privileged class.

For them revolutionary forces are nothing but an enemy.

“What foolish thing are you saying! I do not want to be involved with such people!”

“Li, Lily thinks so too!”

Naturally, they raised voices in opposition.

However――.

“Then, both of you please stay home. I will go meet them alone”

I won’t yield.

It’s a necessary action, sooner or later.

“Reconsider! Rei is already related to me! Do you think revolutionary forces will let such you contact them!?”

“I do”

“!?”

Claire-sama’s face was asking for an explanation, but I ignored it.

“Anyway, leave it to me from now on”

“You must not! I will not forgive it!”

“Claire-sama…”

“It is too dangerous! What if something unexpected happens!?”

“It’s okay”

Even if I say that, I don’t have the ability to persuade her.

What should I do.

“Then, let’s do this. We’ll go negotiate with people of Resistance to stop something dangerous like a revolution. How about discussing the frauds afterwards?”

“Will the other party be open to talks?”

“At least, I don’t think they won’t let us return home. In the first place, Resistance is a small organization for what they plan to do, making a revolution happen at the present time is just a pipe dream”

“…”

“Besides, we may be aristocratic forces, but we’re on the side that’s cracking on fraudulent aristocrats, right? I think there’s a chance they’ll hear us out”

I tried cajoling them, but Claire-sama looked unconvinced.

However――.

“Do, do those people posses the evidence of Father’s wrongdoings?”

Lily-sama showed an enthusiastic appearance.

“Cardinal Lily. It is not yet certain that our fathers are guilty――”

“I can guarantee it. They definitely have leads on your fathers”

It’s not evidence itself though.

“How can you declare such a thing?”

“I apologize, Claire-sama. I cannot explain that”

I couldn’t possibly say it’s the game knowledge.

“Rei!”

“Claire-sama, let’s try believing Rei-san”

“Cardinal Lily… you…”

“Father also said it. Don’t be afraid of dirtying your hands to achieve something“

However, Lily doesn’t understand what he meant by Lily is pitiful, Lily-sama weakly smiled.

“Lily wants Father to atone for his sins. If Father won’t turn himself in, as his daughter Lily will present him the evidence”

Because, Lily-sama continued.

“Because, sins must always be judged”