Ch.137010 Investigation Record – At a New Corner of Life (5)

The Reveal had clearly done something wrong, as proven by this article alone. But I still couldn’t fully trust this elf yet.

I couldn’t ask him to prove he hadn’t done something either. I needed certainty to make the right choice, but there was no immediate way to get it.

In situations like this, asking directly was best. I read through the article I’d clipped from The Reveal and called the elf over. After clearing my throat, I spoke.

“Is there any way you could prove that you weren’t with the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn on the day they committed crimes? Like during this march, or any other day? This is ultimately about justification. To remove the stigma of being a core follower, you need to prove you weren’t actually involved.”

I didn’t bother adding “or at least make it look like you weren’t involved.” I had no intention of encouraging him to lie.

Even if he couldn’t prove it, I’d still help him somehow. But if he could demonstrate right here that he was just an ordinary person who genuinely wanted to cut ties with the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn, it would strengthen my trust in him.

“I know this sounds overwhelming, but you just need to prove you were somewhere else instead of being with the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn that day. That’s the only way to prove you didn’t do something.”

My approach might have seemed a bit dogmatic, as James the reporter, who seemed about to speak, simply nodded instead of offering his thoughts after I suggested an alternative.

The elf who had summoned me here pondered for a moment, then fortunately seemed to recall something and nodded vigorously. With a somewhat excited voice that suggested hope, he said:

“Ah, yes… I think there is something. The Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn march in New York was the week before National Memorial Day, right? I visited the Veterans Association Hall that day and signed the guestbook. If we could get that guestbook, I could prove I wasn’t at the march…”

This would effectively eliminate The Reveal’s justification. The elf, who had been speaking hopefully, began trailing off again. What had seemed like a good opportunity appeared to be fading.

“But, well, the Veterans Association Hall is usually kept closed. I only went because I thought it would be open at the start of Memorial Week…”

This elf seemed to have good luck too. Until now, I’d usually been the lucky one. I shared hope like a spring sharing water.

“That’s fine. The veterans will surely help us. I’ve even been given permission to use a password from a connection I made during reporting, so we’ll get extra help.”

“Oh? That’s… this is fortunate. Really. It seems like something lucky is finally happening to me…”

The feeling of sharing hope with someone trembling with anxiety and fear was truly warming. But even without knowing the password, the Argonne Invincibles would certainly have helped him.

They understood very well what it felt like to be seen as something other than yourself—the exact opposite of his situation, but they knew all too well what it felt like when others saw you as something other than who you really were.

The basic proof was now established. What needed to be done was clear, and all that remained was to fight The Reveal. I wouldn’t be as underhanded as hiring a detective, but I would need to be somewhat underhanded.

The Reasonable Insight primarily dealt in commentary. Most of their articles evaluated news, situations, or other articles with their own interpretations. They were arrogant, but useful in times like these.

Last time, that arrogance had grown so much that it trampled even the desire to commemorate the Cowboy, but this time it could be used more effectively.

Just as I’d learned ways to deal with people beyond simply employing them, I’d now learned to consider the usefulness of tools.

I’d acted quite foolishly until now. When using tools, I tried to treat them like people out of sympathy, while taking the people who were actually important to me for granted, treating them like tools.

So this is what Paulina meant when she said it was fine to become innocent but not to act childish. I turned to James and asked:

“Mr. James, has The Reveal done things like this before? Given that their name means to unveil something, I assume they specialize in exposés.”

The reporter, who had been restraining himself from speaking until now, finally pulled out articles from his briefcase. They contained clippings from The Reveal. I checked each one.

There was a record of them falsely accusing a widow of killing her husband, only to be punished after the real culprit was caught, and traces of further reckless attempts to make amends that had failed.

Just as Golden Age Press had revived by exposing Clichy Corporation, The Reveal was trying to revive by exposing this elf. Fortunately, The Reveal had many weaknesses.

“They’ve already been through the wringer for false accusations. Their previous exposés were essentially false accusations, so angels or police would have paid attention, but this time it’s about the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn, so nobody cares. This alone might be enough for a rebuttal article… What variables are there?”

This elf seemed to have contacted The Reasonable Insight before me. Since he had already completed most of the investigation, I could comfortably focus on planning.

“Newspapers headquartered in the Old Empire are siding with The Reveal. They can’t help it. The Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn are good at wearing masks, so they couldn’t single anyone out for condemnation until this elf showed his face. Rationally speaking…”

“Even without being rational, it’s the same behavior. First, excluding the Old Empire newspapers and publishing an article would create bad public opinion. I’m an elf too, regardless of what I’ve done.”

What defined this city wasn’t vileness. It was prejudice and misunderstanding. We misunderstood instead of knowing, and saw prejudice instead of people.

“From how you speak, it doesn’t seem like you’re planning to threaten them… Are you going to try to persuade them?”

“If they’re reasonable people, yes. I’ve been to the Old Empire before, and they were quite nice people, so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. So, first I’ll go to the Veterans Association Hall with the source, then to the Old Empire… Ah, until now I’ve always been treated as a burden, but this time I have to do everything myself. And these are all things I can do.”

It felt like someone was whispering that the time I’d spent hadn’t been in vain. Finding my confidence, I smiled brightly.

“That’s good, very good. Our Reasonable Insight will provide all the help we can. To be as honest as you’ve been with us, The Reveal and The Reasonable Insight have quite an overlapping readership. So, if this opportunity leads to The Reveal being pushed out…”

It seemed they were aiming to increase their circulation. At least their business plan was rational. I didn’t think it was bad. Greed often provided the most reliable motivation.

“It would be a great help to The Reasonable Insight. You could even say, ‘Read The Reasonable Insight instead of The Reveal, which only tells lies.'”

James nodded quietly. He didn’t seem embarrassed, but he wasn’t proud of it either. That was enough.

I had more to ask of him. First, when an article was published, it would be more effective if many newspapers published it together. Unfortunately, I didn’t have media connections yet.

“James, can you contact other newspapers, believing that I’ll be able to persuade the orc newspapers? I don’t have many press connections yet. If I fail after all this…”

As my confidence rose, I became more cautious. Rather than doubting my abilities, I was preparing for the possibility of failure. However, James shook his head.

“There’s no need to create alternatives from the start. It’s better to make contingency plans after experiencing failure. All we know now is that orc newspapers are favorable to The Reveal.”

James seemed to embody the name of The Reasonable Insight. He didn’t try to lead me, but he corrected my path whenever I strayed.

“Ah, then I’ll first go to the Veterans Association Hall with the source. Are you heading back to your company, Mr. James?”

He nodded briefly. He searched his pocket, took out his business card, and handed it to me. I gave him mine in return. After making my first friend, I now had my first… no, second business partner.

“Yes, I’ll go back to the office and contact other newspapers to join in publishing an article condemning The Reveal. Going to the Veterans Association Hall and then to the Old Empire will take…”

Quite a long time. It was the elves’ sin. The sin of being intoxicated by the honeyed words of the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn, even while knowing they were like ticks that cling to plants and drain them to death.

James Farmer left first, saying goodbye to my source. My source, the elf who had asked me to help with this matter, was… to be honest, trembling with anxiety as if cold.

“So, I… I guess I should go out now.”

From what the caretaker said when we came in, he’d been threatened by orcs for a week. He must be afraid to go out right now. Orcs were big and strong enough to be frightening.

Normally, I would have persuaded him to go out, but now I didn’t want to force him to confront anything. Confrontation is difficult enough when done by one’s own will.

Even when I confronted my father, how many times did I steel my resolve, only to feel it unraveling like a tangled thread? How much did I struggle while wavering?

“I have good connections with the veterans, so if you just tell me your name, I can go alone and get the information. I can also go to the Old Empire alone. What would you like to do?”

When fleeing helps, it’s okay to flee. Even if he decided to stay home, I would move forward and try my best to succeed and return.

I recalled what I felt when facing the Forest’s Firstborn. The fear and anxiety that no one else would solve the problem if I didn’t. I didn’t want to make someone else feel the same.

I still held a torch in my hand. A torch soaked in oil and pitch that could brightly burn with the flame of justification if someone just lent me a spark. And I was quite a good torch-bearer.

He couldn’t muster the courage. It didn’t matter. I had enough courage for his share too.

“I, I’ll stay home with my family. Ah, that is… I don’t need to be there right now, right? If you mention Philip Williams, the Veterans Association should know. Probably.”

“The only time Philip really needs to be present is when we write the article. I’ll go for now! And if you give me your contact information, I’ll let you know how things are going, even if I have to use a public phone. You’d want to know, right?”

After getting his contact information and receiving a $5 bill for taxi fare despite his insistence, I left the row house. The orc who had been in front had already left.

For the first time, I felt the weight of someone else’s responsibility on my shoulders as I took a taxi. Though it was a bit far, I headed to the Veterans Association Hall overlooking Fifth Avenue and lightly knocked on the door.

An eyehole opened. Someone met my gaze. Probably an Invincible member nicknamed the Professor. His eyes looked quite warm.

“Have you been baptized in the blood of the lamb? Are you purified?”

I returned the password whose meaning I now understood, and which I could answer with a sentiment that made me one step closer to them.

“No, that was definitely not a lamb.”

As I finished speaking, the heavy metal door was opened with one hand. After crossing the threshold, I could finally greet the bespectacled Professor.

“It’s been quite a while. Ah, there seemed to be something going on. Everyone was looking at Golden Age Press saying, ‘Isn’t this reporter the one who came to the poet’s funeral?’ and such. Taking down the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn alone is something even an Invincible couldn’t do, so you should be proud. Ah, do you need something?”

I nodded vigorously at his words. Without picking up my camera, I said:

“I’d like to check the Memorial Week guestbook. I’m working on another case now. I’m helping someone who barely dipped his toe into the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn before leaving, but is being treated as a core follower and representative. I need evidence that he was here when the Followers marched through New York.”

I said what would resonate with him. Though it was similar to what I might say to others, I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt in a corner of my heart.

Still, he immediately brought me the guestbook. Living up to his nickname of Professor, he opened the guestbook to the day of the Followers’ march and handed it to me.

I still hadn’t raised my camera, and only after he put down the book did I ask. I didn’t want to stir up the hell that the Argonne Invincibles had already been through.

“I’ll be borrowing the guestbook, but could I also take some photos? Cameras are prohibited in here, right?”

The Professor burst into brief laughter at my uncharacteristic caution. He nodded readily.

“Do as you please. As long as you’re not taking pictures of veterans to sell for articles, anything is fine.”

Only after receiving his permission did I photograph the guestbook. Now I had secured one piece of evidence. Next, it was time to visit the orc newspapers that were helping The Reveal.

The story of the orc I saw in front of Philip’s house would help. Though the two races didn’t usually have much in common, right now elves and orcs shared the desire not to become another Follower of the Forest’s Firstborn.