I Favor The Villainess

Afterwards, the investigation proceeded smoothly for a while .
The strategy of offering plea bargains one after another bore fruit, until now more than ten n.o.bles have been arrested for their crimes .

It seems we became the topic of rumors right away, some n.o.bles with guilty consciences rewrote ledgers, hid doc.u.ments, or hurried to create cover-ups .
But, rewriting ledgers isn’t something done quickly .
If they have a guilty conscience, no matter how they try to hide doc.u.ments, they’ll strangely come out .
From the start, these are the doc.u.ments Rod-sama and his group investigated over the years .
Additionally, because I have a know-how to see through embellishments myself, n.o.bles creating cover-ups was useless resistance .
Bringing down corrupted n.o.bles Claire-sama and Lily-sama earned great popularity among commoners .

Such being the case, we were proceeding relatively smoothly, but the problem arose there .

“E, evidence leading to Dor-sama or Father isn’t coming out at all…”

While arranging doc.u.ments in the room provided to special officials in the Royal Palace, Lily-sama muttered such a thing .
That’s right .
Beginning with lower n.o.bility, the investigation reached some higher n.o.bles, but evidence leading to Dor-sama or Salas-sama isn’t coming out .
We were confident we were right on track, but it’s not enough .
Dor-sama and Salsama are thoroughly prepared .

“This is why I said Father and Salas-sama are innocent… I cannot say that, can I”

Claire-sama’s voice had no vigor .
There might not be definitive evidence, but there’s more than enough circ.u.mstantial evidence .
The possibility that Dor-sama or Salas-sama committed crimes is high .
Actually, the arrested n.o.bles above immediate grade spoke unanimously about how those two demanded bribes .
But, in reality no records remain of Dor-sama or Salas-sama giving such instructions .
Their guard is high .

While we were feeling gloomy, suddenly the door opened .

“Yo, looks like you’re doing your best”

“Rod-sama…”

The one who came in was Rod-sama .
Ugh .

“Good day”
“Yeah . Claire-sama doesn’t seem to be in a good mood though?”
“The investigation reached a deadlock”
“Well, I expected this much . Other n.o.bles aside, Dor and Salas are…”

Rod-sama who was conducting the investigation before we took over can understand the challenge we are facing .

“Rather, why don’t you try talking with them directly?”
“When we have no evidence?”
“There’s no decisive evidence, but there is circ.u.mstantial evidence . I guess that isn’t enough, but if their daughters present it, they might just crack?”

Is that so .
However, it’s a fact we can’t come up with anything else .

“Well, I’ll leave it up to you whether to do it or not . I have my own work”
“Wha, what is Rod-sama doing right now?”

Lily-sama asked .

“Do you know two rumors that are the hot topic in the royal capital?”
“Ah, these worthless rumors”

Claire-sama seemed to get it right away, but I have absolutely no idea .

“What are the rumors, Claire-sama?”
“Rei, is the difference between your sharp side and the side that feigns ignorance not too extreme?”

Somehow, I was insulted .
For me it’s a reward .

“O, one is a rumor about wrath of a spirit . The other is a rumor about Sein-sama’s birth”

Claire-sama further explained Lily-sama’s words .

“Recently, a rumor seems to be spreading that the Spirit of the Mountains is turbulent, and that spirits arrived at the decision to punish corrupt n.o.bles . Probably the source of this rumor are people angry at the scandal of n.o.bles’ crimes that came to light in these last few days”

“Recently, a rumor seems to be spreading that the Spirit of the Mountains is turbulent, and that spirits arrived at the decision to punish corrupt n.o.bles . Probably the source of this rumor are people angry at the scandal of n.o.bles’ crimes that came to light in these last few days”

Ah, I see .
It’s spread to that degree already, huh .
I felt ashamed, but I kept it from showing on my face .

“The other one is a rumor that Sein-sama is not His Majesty Rousseau’s child . Honestly… Commoners’ delusions are strong”

Claire-sama seems angry .
I don’t know how it’s now, but Claire-sama had a crush on Sein-sama .
Of course you’d get angry if a person you’ve liked was spoken ill of .

“Well, these are the rumors . Because I’ve entrusted exposing n.o.bles’ crimes to you, I’m investigating that”
“There is no need for royalty like Rod-sama to go along with such stories”
“No, that’s not right”

In an overly serious voice Rod-sama replied to Claire-sama’s grumbling .

“The rumor about Sein aside, it’s the fact that the Spirit of the Mountains unleashed its fury in the past . It was a long time ago”
“Is, is that so?”
“In the Spirit Church’s terms it’s Taboo Fire”
“A, aah… Sa.s.sal Volcano’s… is it?”
“That’s it”

When introducing baths of the academy I explained it, but the baths are hot springs .
That means the Royal Capital is in a volcanic zone .
The closest volcano to the Royal Capital is Sa.s.sal Volcano .

“In the records it says Sa.s.sal Volcano erupted several hundred years ago . At that time, it seems misgovernment was rampant in the Royal Capital”

The records say the eruption at that time was a devastating blow to the Royal Capital .

“I don’t think it’ll happen, but I can’t ignore people’s worries”
“What about the rumor regarding Sein-sama?”

Is it not a family squabble following Yuu-sama’s matter, Claire-sama asked .

“Regarding that, I won’t say it myself . Ask Sein directly”

“Regarding that, I won’t say it myself . Ask Sein directly”

Rod-sama said ambiguously .

“So, Rei . Feel like responding to my proposal?”
“No, not at all”
“Rei!”
“Ahaha! Ah, way to go . Saying no is also an expression of fondness”

How old are you, I wanted to say .

“We’re busy now, since Rod-sama is also busy let’s get to work without jesting”
“Yes yes . Well, regarding the rumors, tell me if you overhear something . Laters”

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

“Ah, wait a moment, Rod-sama”
“Oh? What is it?”
“There is a small village at the foot of Sa.s.sal Volcano, isn’t there”
“Ah, there is”

As expected of Rod-sama .
He knows the kingdom’s geography well .

“You better evacuate that village”
“Why?”
“If it erupts, magma that gushes out will hit it directly”

At my words, Rod-sama stroked his chin .

“Of course, I also would like to evacuate it, but if the explosion only ‘may’ happen people won’t move?”
“… That’s right”

I guess it’s hopeless .

“Well, I’ll keep it in mind . Then, laters”

Saying so, Rod-sama waved his hand and left the room .

“Rei, you…”
“Stop, Claire-sama . Didn’t we decide to shelve the matter of marriage”

“Rei, you…”
“Stop, Claire-sama . Didn’t we decide to shelve the matter of marriage”
“… We did, did we not”

Claire-sama still seemed like she wanted to say something, but for now she didn’t say anything else .
It’s love!

“…”
“What’s wrong, Lily-sama?”

I noticed Lily-sama made a stiff face and called out to her .

“N, no… It’s nothing”
“There is no way it is nothing . Your face is ghastly pale?”

Certainly, Lily-sama’s complexion is poor .

“Ta, Taboo Fire… Lily is worried about it”

So it was about Sa.s.sal Volcano’s eruption .

“The, the volcano… will it really erupt…?”
“It cannot be helped even if you worry about it . Things like spirit’s wrath are beyond human knowledge”
“Tha, that… might be the case”

But, Lily-sama continued .

“According to the records of the eruption, it seems terrible damage had occurred . Is it okay if we don’t prepare in any way…?”
“Cardinal Lily . There is no way the Royal Family and n.o.bles have not prepared in any way?”

Claire-sama pointed out in a calm voice to Lily-sama who was still worried .

“In the Royal Capital there are stockpiles of crops prepared in case of a bad harvest, and the organization called military is prepared for emergencies . Even if the eruption occurs, there is no way nothing would be done”

What Claire-sama pointed out is correct .
It’s correct, but I know it’s not enough .
Moreover―― .

There’s not much time left until the eruption .

Afterwards, the investigation proceeded smoothly for a while The strategy of offering plea bargains one after another bore fruit, until now more than ten n.o.bles have been arrested for their crimes

It seems we became the topic of rumors right away, some n.o.bles with guilty consciences rewrote ledgers, hid doc.u.ments, or hurried to create cover-ups But, rewriting ledgers isn’t something done quickly If they have a guilty conscience, no matter how they try to hide doc.u.ments, they’ll strangely come out From the start, these are the doc.u.ments Rod-sama and his group investigated over the years Additionally, because I have a know-how to see through embellishments myself, n.o.bles creating cover-ups was useless resistance Bringing down corrupted n.o.bles Claire-sama and Lily-sama earned great popularity among commoners

Such being the case, we were proceeding relatively smoothly, but the problem arose there

“E, evidence leading to Dor-sama or Father isn’t coming out at all…”.

While arranging doc.u.ments in the room provided to special officials in the Royal Palace, Lily-sama muttered such a thing That’s right Beginning with lower n.o.bility, the investigation reached some higher n.o.bles, but evidence leading to Dor-sama or Salas-sama isn’t coming out We were confident we were right on track, but it’s not enough Dor-sama and Salsama are thoroughly prepared

“This is why I said Father and Salas-sama are innocent… I cannot say that, can I”.

Claire-sama’s voice had no vigor There might not be definitive evidence, but there’s more than enough circ.u.mstantial evidence The possibility that Dor-sama or Salas-sama committed crimes is high Actually, the arrested n.o.bles above immediate grade spoke unanimously about how those two demanded bribes But, in reality no records remain of Dor-sama or Salas-sama giving such instructions Their guard is high

While we were feeling gloomy, suddenly the door opened

“Yo, looks like you’re doing your best”. “Rod-sama…”.

The one who came in was Rod-sama Ugh

“Good day”. “Yeah . Claire-sama doesn’t seem to be in a good mood though?”. “The investigation reached a deadlock”. “Well, I expected this much . Other n.o.bles aside, Dor and Salas are…”.

Rod-sama who was conducting the investigation before we took over can understand the challenge we are facing

“Rather, why don’t you try talking with them directly?”. “When we have no evidence?”. “There’s no decisive evidence, but there is circ.u.mstantial evidence . I guess that isn’t enough, but if their daughters present it, they might just crack?”.

Is that so However, it’s a fact we can’t come up with anything else

“Well, I’ll leave it up to you whether to do it or not . I have my own work”. “Wha, what is Rod-sama doing right now?”.

Lily-sama asked

“Do you know two rumors that are the hot topic in the royal capital?”. “Ah, these worthless rumors”.

Claire-sama seemed to get it right away, but I have absolutely no idea

“What are the rumors, Claire-sama?”. “Rei, is the difference between your sharp side and the side that feigns ignorance not too extreme?”.

Somehow, I was insulted For me it’s a reward

“O, one is a rumor about wrath of a spirit . The other is a rumor about Sein-sama’s birth”.

Claire-sama further explained Lily-sama’s words

“Recently, a rumor seems to be spreading that the Spirit of the Mountains is turbulent, and that spirits arrived at the decision to punish corrupt n.o.bles . Probably the source of this rumor are people angry at the scandal of n.o.bles’ crimes that came to light in these last few days”.

Ah, I see It’s spread to that degree already, huh I felt ashamed, but I kept it from showing on my face

“The other one is a rumor that Sein-sama is not His Majesty Rousseau’s child . Honestly… Commoners’ delusions are strong”.

Claire-sama seems angry I don’t know how it’s now, but Claire-sama had a crush on Sein-sama Of course you’d get angry if a person you’ve liked was spoken ill of

“Well, these are the rumors . Because I’ve entrusted exposing n.o.bles’ crimes to you, I’m investigating that”. “There is no need for royalty like Rod-sama to go along with such stories”. “No, that’s not right”.

In an overly serious voice Rod-sama replied to Claire-sama’s grumbling

“The rumor about Sein aside, it’s the fact that the Spirit of the Mountains unleashed its fury in the past . It was a long time ago”. “Is, is that so?”. “In the Spirit Church’s terms it’s Taboo Fire”. “A, aah… Sa.s.sal Volcano’s… is it?”. “That’s it”.

When introducing baths of the academy I explained it, but the baths are hot springs That means the Royal Capital is in a volcanic zone The closest volcano to the Royal Capital is Sa.s.sal Volcano

“In the records it says Sa.s.sal Volcano erupted several hundred years ago . At that time, it seems misgovernment was rampant in the Royal Capital”.

The records say the eruption at that time was a devastating blow to the Royal Capital

“I don’t think it’ll happen, but I can’t ignore people’s worries”. “What about the rumor regarding Sein-sama?”.

Is it not a family squabble following Yuu-sama’s matter, Claire-sama asked

“Regarding that, I won’t say it myself . Ask Sein directly”.

Rod-sama said ambiguously

“So, Rei . Feel like responding to my proposal?”. “No, not at all”. “Rei!”. “Ahaha! Ah, way to go . Saying no is also an expression of fondness”.

How old are you, I wanted to say

“We’re busy now, since Rod-sama is also busy let’s get to work without jesting”. “Yes yes . Well, regarding the rumors, tell me if you overhear something . Laters”.

Saying so, Rod-sama tried to leave the room

“Ah, wait a moment, Rod-sama”. “Oh? What is it?”. “There is a small village at the foot of Sa.s.sal Volcano, isn’t there”. “Ah, there is”.

As expected of Rod-sama He knows the kingdom’s geography well

“You better evacuate that village”. “Why?”. “If it erupts, magma that gushes out will hit it directly”.

At my words, Rod-sama stroked his chin

“Of course, I also would like to evacuate it, but if the explosion only ‘may’ happen people won’t move?”. “… That’s right”.

I guess it’s hopeless

“Well, I’ll keep it in mind . Then, laters”.

Saying so, Rod-sama waved his hand and left the room

“Rei, you…”. “Stop, Claire-sama . Didn’t we decide to shelve the matter of marriage”. “… We did, did we not”.

Claire-sama still seemed like she wanted to say something, but for now she didn’t say anything else It’s love!.

“…”. “What’s wrong, Lily-sama?”.

I noticed Lily-sama made a stiff face and called out to her

“N, no… It’s nothing”. “There is no way it is nothing . Your face is ghastly pale?”.

Certainly, Lily-sama’s complexion is poor

“Ta, Taboo Fire… Lily is worried about it”.

So it was about Sa.s.sal Volcano’s eruption

“The, the volcano… will it really erupt…?”. “It cannot be helped even if you worry about it . Things like spirit’s wrath are beyond human knowledge”. “Tha, that… might be the case”.

But, Lily-sama continued

“According to the records of the eruption, it seems terrible damage had occurred . Is it okay if we don’t prepare in any way…?”. “Cardinal Lily . There is no way the Royal Family and n.o.bles have not prepared in any way?”.

Claire-sama pointed out in a calm voice to Lily-sama who was still worried

“In the Royal Capital there are stockpiles of crops prepared in case of a bad harvest, and the organization called military is prepared for emergencies . Even if the eruption occurs, there is no way nothing would be done”.

What Claire-sama pointed out is correct It’s correct, but I know it’s not enough Moreover――

There’s not much time left until the eruption