Ch.98009 Investigation Record – Towards Gremory (5)

“Is Madam Gremory always such a good person? I mean, the demons I know weren’t like that. You know what comes to mind when someone mentions an archdemon, right?”

Archdemons were a race that only looked at efficiency. They weren’t that bad, really. More precisely, when being bad offered no benefit, they could be kinder than anyone. The problem was when they didn’t care.

Getting more money from a demon boss was simple. Just go to them during break time and ask for a raise. If you were productive enough to deserve more money, they would increase your pay immediately.

Even if you weren’t, they wouldn’t get angry and call you rude like other races might—they’d just offer some words of encouragement and tell you to go back to your break. After all, unhappy workers produced more defective products.

However, if you went on strike and stopped their factories, hired thugs would flood in before half a day passed, and job postings for factory workers would appear around town even before the thugs arrived.

Still, Gremory didn’t seem like that kind of demon. I’d never heard of an archdemon building schools. The ogre security guard who guided us smiled, revealing sharp tusks.

“Everyone says that. She’s always like that. A few months ago, there was a large-scale strike in a town called Erie up north, and it ended without a single casualty.”

“Not a single one?”

I wasn’t doubting him, just expressing surprise, but the ogre guard rolled his eyes and then sighed. It seemed someone had died after all.

“Well, exactly one person died. The union leader who led the strike, a human who rejected Madam Gremory’s negotiation offers several times. She was dragging out negotiations trying to squeeze every last penny from Madam Gremory, but when someone from the American Federation of Industrial Workers or somewhere showed up to investigate, she committed suicide. That was the only one. Anyway, shall we go in?”

I wish I could avoid thinking about the detective when hearing the word “suicide”… Plus, Madam Gremory had said the detective killed someone to protect her ideals, so it was probably him.

Was it really just luck that I survived on the 11th floor of the Divine State Hotel? Somehow, I could almost feel that brutish grip on my neck again. I took a deep breath and nodded.

“It must have been unavoidable. Oh, can I bring my lawyer with me? We always go everywhere together.”

I deliberately emphasized that we always went together. When you want to keep someone with you, it’s effective to say you want to be with them. If I had really wanted to bring her in, I would have just walked in together without saying anything.

The ogre guard looked around the cafe briefly and slowly shook his head. It didn’t seem to be because there were too many people. He didn’t appear to think the crowd around Madam Gremory posed any danger.

“While all of Madam Gremory’s guests would be welcome, someone bringing a lawyer might be viewed with suspicion. You’ll be perfectly safe near Madam Gremory anyway, so please go in alone. The lawyer can stay by the door with me. That’s about the distance we keep when guarding Madam Gremory anyway.”

Paulina didn’t seem to mind. It was an unavoidable fact that bringing a lawyer to a first meeting could seem threatening. She just smiled slightly.

“If that’s what the expert says, I have no reason to refuse. Besides, insisting on staying by Rose’s side right now might come across as overprotective. Don’t you think, Rose?”

“I don’t think you would, but… you do seem a bit overprotective, Paulina. Anyway, I’ll go in alone!”

Good. I’ve separated from her. While Paulina was an excellent lawyer and bodyguard, she wasn’t as sensitive as an elf. From her reaction yesterday… Paulina seemed to know something.

If nothing else, she was a lawyer hired by my father for the family, not by me personally, so it made sense that she would know more about family matters than I did.

I wish suspicions could remain just suspicions, but if that wasn’t the case—if my father really was connected to the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn—it would be better if Paulina wasn’t around when I called the detective.

I sighed deeply and walked into the cafe. Why was I so certain about this?

The idea that my father might be connected to the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn felt incredibly realistic. It seemed to connect all the clues.

Was I thinking this way just because it made sense once? Or was there something else I couldn’t remember? I felt a stabbing headache like yesterday’s. The only way to find out was to have the detective investigate.

After that, I could either apologize to Father in my heart, or… or what? What could I do if Father was one of the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn? I felt overwhelmed with thoughts.

Let me focus on Gremory until the detective returns with his findings. Don’t forget why you came here, Rose… Leafman. Yes, Rose Leafman the reporter. I patted my cheeks to focus.

As I pushed open the cafe door, Gremory, who had been sitting straight despite the admiring gazes around her, stood up. She was taller than an elf, but the height difference wasn’t too great.

“I saw you talking with Oleg outside. You must be reporter Rose Leafman? Welcome. I’m Gremory, the president of Gremory Chocolate Company and someone who shares secrets with you.”

Gremory smiled cheerfully, her eyes curving. Her voice rang out as delicate and moist as it had sounded over the telephone. I considered bowing but extended my hand instead.

“We already introduced ourselves over the phone, didn’t we? Yes, I’m Rose Leafman, reporter for Golden Age Press. I came all this way to interview Madam Gremory…”

I paused and looked around. The workers filling the surrounding seats all had expressions suggesting they could talk for two hours about Madam Gremory’s good qualities if anyone asked.

“It seems I could write an autobiography rather than just an article! Will we talk here? That’s fine with me! I often use cafes for interviews in New York.”

“That was the original plan, but I think it would be too inconsiderate to the cafe owner. Linda, please put everything these people ordered on my tab. I’ll come by tomorrow morning to pay.”

How good must her memory be to remember even the cafe owner’s name? After saying this, Gremory stood up. She hadn’t even needed to sit down in the cafe chair.

I had managed to separate from Paulina, but now my plan to call the detective after saying I needed to make a quick phone call was falling apart.

The ogre security guard, who had gotten up when he saw us coming out, returned with a car. Like Paulina’s car, it was a large vehicle sized for ogres, stopping in front of us. It was large for both me and Gremory.

“Oleg, please take us to the office. Oh, I’d like to know the lawyer’s name too, if that’s alright? It seems rude to keep calling you ‘lawyer.'”

Paulina, sitting in the front passenger seat next to Gremory’s ogre guard, straightened her clothes. She turned to look at Gremory and spoke with a relaxed expression.

“You can call me Paulina. I’m the Leafman family lawyer, but since Rose needs me more than her family does with all her reporting trips, I’m practically her personal attendant.”

It was the excuse we always used for people who might find it strange that a reporter would be accompanied by a lawyer. And it usually worked well. Gremory nodded with a smile.

“Thank you for your kindness, Paulina. Oh, Rose, if there’s anything you’d like to ask, please feel free. It would be a waste to just sit stiffly during our drive to the office, wouldn’t it?”

Her mention of efficiency suggested that Gremory was still a demon after all… In fact, there was only one thing I really wanted to ask, so the words escaped my lips immediately.

“If you don’t mind… honestly, ‘good archdemon,’ like ‘good entrepreneur’ or ‘good capitalist,’ sounds like an odd combination. Grammatically it’s correct, but it feels like an error, like something that should be crossed out with red ink. Yet I see such a person before me. So, my question is…”

Gremory slowly shook her head. As if understanding what I meant, she smiled gently again and placed her hand on her chest, as if asking if she could speak. I nodded, of course.

“I’ve never tried to be a good demon. It’s just that there are always good people in the world. I don’t know if I’m that good… I’ve just been successful. You shouldn’t try to be a good person, Rose. Ideals and the future are fundamentally unreachable. We can only change today, and doing my best for today is my only secret.”

It was the Cowboy’s words again. Don’t look at tomorrow that’s been wagered; look at today in your hands. The good people around me always told me this.

“And I use demon methods too. When building schools, I choose locations that can accommodate as many children as possible, and when planning row houses for workers, I stay up all night with other demons discussing whether it will truly benefit the company. The answer was always yes, though.”

Her eyes were filled with certainty. It was the confident smile demons often showed. Now Gremory was starting to look like an archdemon.

I was so absorbed in watching her that I forgot to record what she said, and Gremory’s snow-white finger came over to tap my motionless hand. She smiled slightly.

“You’ve got a chance to interview an archdemon, you’re not planning to memorize everything, are you?”

“Oh, no! Of course not…”

“You shouldn’t always be the little match girl, Rose. If an elf stands in the cold winter holding a spark, many people will offer help. Someone might drape a coat over you, someone might raise their voice to help sell matches. But all those people eventually pass by. To turn the spark in your hand into warmth, you must move yourself.”

The smell of ozone, like mana reacting with air, began to emanate around Gremory, and soon a small spark appeared at her fingertips. The growing spark disappeared when Gremory gently closed her hand.

“Many people have probably told you that already. Oh, let me ask one more thing. Am I good or evil?”

She didn’t seem to be waiting for me to say she was good. It was a test question. After taking a small breath, I spoke as if facing a fairy godmother.

“You look gray to me. Light gray, but still gray. You seem like a good and capable person who has earned people’s love in the right way. But people seem to love you too much. Those people looked like they would do anything for you. If used in the right direction, that could be a good thing, but…”

Gremory responded with what seemed like an amused smile. Her moist eyes showed a warm gaze suggesting I had spoken very well.

“I didn’t even hide the fact that the detective I hired killed the union leader, yet the angels didn’t even care. Everyone said it was worth it. If I had bad intentions, it would be a disaster. Yes, as you said. I’m glad you’re not narrow-minded.”

For the first time, it seemed like I hadn’t been called incompetent or naive by someone I’d just met. Good people would say it indirectly, many would say it directly, but Gremory did neither.

“Just a month ago, I would have given you a thumbs up and called you a good person without hesitation. I just… feel like I’m changing as a person.”

I poured out words like a confession, forgetting about the interview. I even put away my notebook, but Gremory didn’t scold me. There was plenty of time for the interview.

“Every childhood has an end, and everyone changes. How boring would the world be if people always stayed the same, Rose? I’ve changed too. I was the one who asked the detective to kill the union leader. But I thought very softly about it. ‘He won’t really kill her,’ I thought. But that wasn’t the case. The union leader was lying face down, making the red velvet carpet even redder.”

Gremory’s moist eyes held guilt, but not just guilt. It would be more accurate to say it was an expression that had swallowed guilt.

“Not everyone needs to go through such difficult processes. Some might mark the end of their childhood by shooting someone and recalling that sensation, while others might end it by hearing loving words from family. What’s important is grasping that moment.”

Though Gremory couldn’t be reading my mind, it sounded like she was encouraging me to entrust the job to the detective. It sounded like she was telling me to confirm my suspicions rather than bury them.

The car soon stopped. We stopped in front of a building owned by Gremory, and following a lavish lobby decoration of chocolate-colored tears flowing from machines forming a lake, we took the elevator.

The president’s office was, of course, on the top floor. Again, Paulina remained outside the door rather than entering the office with us, leaving just Madam Gremory and me inside. I took another deep breath.

“Could I borrow your phone for one call? Just one call.”

Gremory nodded willingly, and this time I remembered the detective’s phone number, dialing each digit carefully. I didn’t forget this time. This forgetfulness occasionally cleared up.

The connection tone rang across the district boundary, then rang a couple more times before the call connected. The detective was his usual self. His businesslike voice came through.

“Husband Detective Agency. Who is this?”

“It’s reporter Rose Leafman, Michael. I’d like to make a request.”

He was someone who wouldn’t refuse any job if the money was sufficient, and this time was no exception.

“What’s the matter? From your voice, it sounds urgent.”

“Yesterday, there was an attack on a train near New York by the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn. I was wondering if you could investigate it personally. And I’d appreciate it if you kept this from my father. Please.”

Would he refuse? Was he hiding something like Paulina? Anxiety rose, but fortunately, the answer was hopeful. Or at least, it could be called hopeful.

“Twenty dollars a day plus expenses. And I’ll add an extra charge for keeping my work secret from someone, so keep that in mind when you get the bill.”