episode_0063

“How can I twist the newspaper club around my finger? I’d like some advice.”

“You don’t need to go that far. Sheryl just has to relay the message to the newspaper club, asking them to cover it once Eric or our side achieves results. No matter how swift the Empire’s investigative net is, it won’t be faster than us delivering the news directly.”

“Disappointed…”

Hearing Cecelia’s words, Sheryl slumped back onto the desk in apparent disappointment.

“It’s just reporting facts. Why be disappointed over that?”

“Dave, sweet and naïve as he is, wouldn’t understand… unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you wouldn’t know the thrill of manipulating people…”

Sheryl’s words were so diabolical that it was hard to believe she’d be the future publicity manager of the hero party. As I and the others worked to calm her down, we gradually pieced together the framework of our plan.

“Big sis. Isn’t class about to end soon?”

“Huh? Ah, right. I almost forgot. Well then, everyone, see you tomorrow.”

As Cecelia lightly clapped her hands, the barrier silently collapsed, and we returned to the academy’s daily routine. Somehow, the more meetings we held, the more it felt like we were straying from our original goal of becoming honor students. But oh well.

At least we hadn’t strayed from the subject of our classes yet.

—–

A few evenings after the meeting, Dave, Sheryl, and I were huddled in a secluded back alley. According to Cecelia’s intel, Priest Gillis was scheduled to receive a “donation” for the church’s “development”—commonly known as a bribe—here in just a few minutes.

“We found it faster than I expected. I thought we’d get lost in these winding alleys.”

“I didn’t expect Sheryl to be so passionately proactive.”

After yesterday’s meeting, Sheryl, as if her usual lethargic and indifferent demeanor had been a lie, energetically began networking with various students. It was nothing short of remarkable.

“She’s been incredibly active. I didn’t think she’d head straight to the newspaper club right after the meeting.”

“Well… Sheryl rarely moves for things that don’t interest her. This task from Lady Cecelia must have just perfectly aligned with her personality.”

In any case, while Sheryl was busy bonding with the newspaper club, she also gathered intel on the location Cecelia mentioned. Thanks to that, we managed to stake out this spot without scrambling around cluelessly.

“Stop praising me so much. It’s embarrassing.”

Blushing slightly, Sheryl shrank in on herself.

Her reaction reminded me of a snail retreating into its shell—oddly amusing.

“Don’t laugh. It makes it worse.”

“I don’t think it’s something to be embarrassed about, though…”

“Dave, we’ll get caught at this rate.”

“Well, Sheryl was the one who started this topic in the first place—”

“Shh.”

Dave fell silent. Ah, unrequited love really is tough. Despite being one of the academy’s top marriage candidates, Dave still struggles.

Both he and Sheryl are far from the type for direct, sweet confessions.

While it’s amusing to watch, the rest of our hero party doesn’t seem to agree.

“Grayv, Young Master? Why are you looking at us like that?”

“Huh? No reason.”

In the previous world, it wasn’t until Luciella forcibly shoved those two into the same dungeon that they finally became a couple. Somehow, it feels like this life might follow a similar path. It’s not like them getting together would be a bad thing, and the others are too preoccupied with me or the Demon Army to meddle, so maybe I should help them out this time.

But first—

“They’re here.”

“They’re way too brazen…”

Yikes. Lost in thought, I nearly missed it. Shaking my head lightly, I spotted a plump man in priest robes walking out not far away.

At first glance, he looked like a benevolent priest casually patrolling the back alleys with a gentle smile—but I could sense the unease beneath it.

“No doubt. That’s Priest Gillis.”

“Not necessarily. He might’ve just arrived early. There’s still time before the scheduled exchange.”

“Were the intel reliable?”

I answered Sheryl, who was staring at Priest Gillis.

“Yeah. Cecelia vouched for it, so it’s solid.”

“Hmm… Still, I didn’t expect him to move around so carelessly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what Priest Gillis is about to do blatantly violates both church and imperial law, right? Even if he’s confident he won’t get caught, isn’t this too reckless?”

“Yeah, seriously. What’s making him so bold? Is he not afraid of the Empire?”

“His words lack sincerity…”

“Ugh.”

Sadly, as Sheryl pointed out, the current Empire lacks the ability to immediately arrest Priest Gillis or catch bribes in the act. Had this been the Empire at its peak—back when Erelia’s father, the current emperor, was still healthy—this wouldn’t have been an issue.

The emperor was even more superhuman than Erelia, having built a near-perfect autocratic system that allowed him to handle matters impartially.

But now, in his old age, natural cracks have formed in the system, and the corrupt aren’t smart enough to leave them alone.

Though “old age” here just means stepping back from the frontlines—he’s not on death’s door. Back in the previous world, even years from now, when the Demon Army invaded the Empire, he personally led the palace staff in defending the capital. His stepping back now is likely just another test to choose a successor.

His Majesty probably believes he’s acting for the Empire’s sake, but it’s us unfortunate noble children who suffer under his policies.

“Priest Gillis is confident he won’t get caught. That’s why he’s here.”

“Out in the open like this?”

“The best way to deceive people is to stay where they least expect wrongdoing. But deliberately meeting in a deserted alley, where surveillance is easy if someone tries—”

“He’s either insanely greedy or confident.”

“Good summary.”

“Greedy?”

“He can’t relax unless he sees the money going into his own pockets… Annoying type.”

“He’s convinced he won’t get caught, so he’s waiting here so boldly. Keep an eye on both.”

At first glance, Gillis’s sweaty demeanor just made him look like an awkward priest.

But the moment I focused mana into my eyes, I could see his body was shielded with protections rivalling a fortress.

“He’s making sure to safeguard his own life.”

“Obviously! No matter how much money he makes, it’s meaningless if he dies. The way he flaunts his defensive magic rather than hiding it says everything.”

Priest Gillis continued pacing anxiously, sweat dripping down his face.

We naturally followed, but soon realized he was just patrolling a fixed route before relaxing slightly to await his counterpart.

Just as the wait was getting tedious, a figure holding a large bag approached from the opposite end of the alley.

“That must be the one.”

“Do we jump in now?”

“No. Our job is evidence gathering, not making arrests. Don’t get ahead of yourselves.”

As the distance between the bag-holder and Gillis shrank to zero, the bag vanished without a trace.

Then, the two pretended not to see each other, casually walking off in their original directions.

“—Dave.”

“Recorded. Still, that was way too obvious.”

Even Dave and Sheryl could see through basic concealment magic.

They probably figure that even if they’re noticed, it won’t matter—typical of the overconfidence of today’s church priests.

“What now? Keep tailing them?”

“Nah. This is enough. If we dig too deep too fast, attention might shift to us.”

Too much attention is poison. We need to avoid the church’s eyes and, more importantly, Erelia’s suspicions.

“We were just exploring the back alleys for our social studies assignment when we happened to witness suspicious activity involving a church priest. That’s all.”

We can stop here for today.

It’s enough to report back to Cecelia and Chris.

Though, speaking of which… what are those two up to now?

They wouldn’t be plotting something like an apology scheme for Eric behind my back, right?

“If they’re working together to trap me—”

“You’re being too paranoid, Young Master Grayv.”

“Totally agree.”

The doubt in their eyes—like they were questioning whether I’d lost it again—made me protest.

“You guys just don’t know them well enough to say that.”

If those two really were plotting to trap me, by the time I realized it, it’d already be too late.