Ch.228228 – Secret (Not Really)

<228 – Secret (Not Really)>

Arcadia was saved with Oknodie’s help.

The Ceviche family narrowly escaped total collapse.

The public’s cold treatment toward her also became confused.

Now that the family hadn’t fallen.

Should they continue to ignore Arcadia as before?

What if she made a splendid comeback?

Unlike many who feared her and watched her every move, Arcadia had no interest in dealing with those who betrayed her.

‘I survived with blood on Oknodie’s hands.’

This was a debt.

A debt equivalent to having her life saved from a crisis where her family could have been ruined, she could have been expelled from the academy, and further, she might have been hunted down by those coveting her family’s wealth, captured and enslaved, or even killed.

If so, she too must repay an equal debt.

Rather than turning a blind eye to the suspicious darkness surrounding Oknodie with excuses like “it’s the Foundation’s business” or “that child will manage somehow,” she would face it head-on and uncover it.

And then steadily pull her from the darkness of the shadows into the light.

This was the only way to repay the debt.

From the moment she defined it as such, the method of repayment was decided.

“Giselle. Despite my shamelessness, may I ask you to provide information to help Oknodie?”

“You seem to feel indebted in your heart.”

Indeed, she was sensitive to people’s hearts.

Unlike Canillien Truffle who had gauged Arcadia’s complex feelings through a long conversation, Giselle saw through all her emotions with just that one sentence.

Even considering that she knew the circumstances, it was remarkably quick.

“I understand your feelings, but you’re still in a precarious situation. The Ceviche family has lost its ducal title and been demoted to an earldom, hasn’t it?”

“…Still, the external crisis for my family has stopped. And they can’t harm me recklessly since I’m presumed to have the slave ledger.”

“But you haven’t regained your position as faction boss. You stepped down after being disappointed by your followers. Those who think you’ve turned against them will become even more hostile to overcome their fear.”

“That’s not difficult. With the information I gathered as faction boss and the relationships between the children, I could shatter any hostile faction into dozens of pieces.”

Arcadia had excellent political skills.

Though she was kind and considerate, the very fact that she could maintain such “kindness” along with her high title meant she possessed inherent strength as a person.

For someone who isn’t clever but wishes to live kindly must either have a guardian or themselves be able to wield extraordinary power.

Giselle liked such kind people.

A strong person who doesn’t lose their goodness in a position where they should be evil naturally shines.

Although that light might not match Oknodie’s, Arcadia was still admirable enough to be considered a partner, which was why Giselle respected her.

With that respect in mind, Giselle granted her request.

“Very well. If I tried to break your stubbornness, my back would give out first.”

“Please stop calling me ‘Lady’ when I’m no longer a duke’s daughter.”

“Should I call you Countess then?”

“My name is enough.”

“As you wish, Arcadia.”

After exchanging light banter and smiles, Giselle took out a notebook from her breast pocket and tore out a page.

“Take this.”

“What is…?”

“The results of my investigation into the ‘Clown Mask Group,’ the Foundation’s subordinate organization that Oknodie was summoned to for her last mission.”

“…I was planning to start by investigating Professor Destroyer at the academy, considering Di might have received a dangerous mission from him.”

“Trust me. The Thief Guild has thoroughly blocked information from that direction. With your current information network, you’d be caught quickly.”

“Is there really no way?”

“The Thief Guild’s skills are overwhelming, having handled information support for hero parties even in the demon realm. Even underworld informants would suffer great losses if they clashed with them.”

Let alone the diminished power of the Ceviche family, now reduced to an earldom.

“I understand.”

Arcadia gracefully accepted this and examined the notebook. Her expression hardened as she looked at Giselle’s notebook pages.

After seriously reviewing the contents, she held up the note and asked:

“What is this record?”

“As you can see, it’s a record of the Clown Mask Group’s national tour route and the villages that were destroyed along it.”

“…Do you think Oknodie’s hometown is among these?”

“There might be something even worse.”

“Worse?”

“Villages destroyed by Oknodie’s own hands.”

The noblewoman’s hand moved surprisingly quickly to draw the gun from the holster on her thigh.

“…You. How can you say such things about Oknodie? Such terrible words about a child who you thought was kidnapped by them!”

“Why do you think it shouldn’t be mentioned? They’re an organization that kidnaps children and raises them as killing machines. Have you never once considered that they might test Oknodie’s ‘loyalty’?”

“!!”

“Please stop. You’re too precious to dig into such matters. If you knew how filthy the information that comes into my possession can be, you’d wish to be blind and deaf.”

This wasn’t an attitude of looking down on a well-bred lady.

Giselle sincerely believed she couldn’t handle worse information than this.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not such a coward that I’d turn away from darkness out of fear when I owe someone my life. The name of Ceviche might tolerate turning a blind eye to injustice, but the name Arcadia cannot.”

“I feel uncomfortable for having provoked you with unnecessary words. I hope you don’t get too deeply involved. There are limits to what we can touch right now.”

Seeing that Arcadia was mentally stronger than expected, Giselle tore out another page from her notebook.

“Find this student.”

“Zaku. First-year lower class student. The student who experienced dark mana overload during the mana response test. Can this student help track the Clown Mask Group’s atrocities?”

“Yes.”

“Who is he that he can access such information?”

“He’s a Foundation scholarship student. Like Oknodie, he’s likely someone who has dirtied his hands.”

“!!”

“But you must approach with extreme caution. If you approach carelessly, the Foundation might silence him, or he might act unpredictably.”

“Don’t worry. I have no desire to lose the first lead I’ve just obtained.”

Arcadia confidently turned away.

* * *

To learn about someone, it’s good to know their usual movements and which facilities they frequently use.

After figuring out their routine, the next step is to approach naturally and establish a friendly relationship.

“Excuse me! Is Zaku here?”

“Zaku? That guy should be in the training room.”

“Lucky him… Zaku’s getting attention from another girl.”

The lower class students glared at Zaku, who was just leaving the training room, with envious and jealous eyes.

Zaku wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel while pushing back his curly hair.

Several passing female students either stole glances at him or gave each other thumbs up as they passed by, making the male students’ gazes even more piercing.

“Hey there!”

“…What?”

“Are you Zaku?”

“Follow me. If we talk while those guys are glaring at us, we’ll end up with holes in our bodies like we’ve been hit by a rain of arrows.”

Zaku led the way to a relatively secluded outdoor terrace from the first-floor rest area of the training building.

The breeze was cool and the scenery was nice, but few people used it because of rumors that second-year students occasionally appeared there, making it a perfect spot for private conversations away from prying eyes.

“What do you want?”

“Actually, I came at someone else’s request. Can I ask you a question?”

“No.”

“Aww, just one please?”

“…Fine, just one then.”

A female student carrying a strange lighting stand.

With her cute appearance and playful personality, Titosoga easily unlocked the door to Zaku’s heart.

“First, please accept this letter!”

The sender of the letter Titosoga delivered was, of course, Arcadia.

After opening and reading the contents, Zaku realized he had been dragged into something both troublesome and dangerous.

“Sigh.”

As he scratched his curly hair with a sigh of complicated feelings, he noticed Titosoga sitting across the table, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

“Isn’t your business finished?”

“That letter. It’s a love letter, right?”

“…You don’t know the contents?”

“I was just asked to deliver the letter. Still, it’s the first time I’ve seen the Lady write a letter to a male student and ask me to deliver it.”

“It’s not a love letter. Don’t be silly.”

“Aww, that’s disappointing.”

After briefly pouting, Titosoga smiled brightly and said cutely with her hands clasped:

“Oh right! She told me to ask this question after you received the letter.”

“…What now?”

“If you had a chance to repay your debt to Oknodie, would you be willing to help?”

What a suspicious person.

Writing in the letter that she knows my identity.

Sending an innocent girl to make it seem like she has no ill intentions, stirring up my feelings.

Still, it was somewhat relieving.

At least my identity hasn’t been discovered by someone who wants to use it for evil purposes.

“Of course. If it weren’t for her, I would have been expelled from the academy before even taking the midterm exams.”

“Wow! That’s great. Then come with me to meet the Lady!”

“I don’t want to.”

“Aww, why not?”

“Are you seriously asking that?”

Titosoga.

Cute but really stupid girl.

“You want me to go discuss plans to help Oknodie in a meeting where Oknodie herself is present? What kind of torture is this?”

This was the problem.

The letter sender tried to hide her identity, but the person delivering it kept referring to “the Lady’s letter,” revealing the source.

And then bringing the absolute last person who should be present to a meeting about helping Oknodie.

Is she messing with me?

That’s the level of suspicion here.

“Oh, just pretend you don’t see her and continue talking comfortably!”

“…How is that possible? What were you thinking?”

In response to Zaku’s protest, Titosoga smiled shyly like a harmless small animal.

“I felt shy going alone to deliver a letter to a boy! So I brought Oknodie, my best friend, with me.”

It was truly an innocent and straightforward reason.

* * *

“…So you brought both Zaku AND Oknodie?”

“Yes! I did well, right?”

Arcadia’s fist trembled at Titosoga’s innocent expression.