Shinji was walking alone through the hallway of the main building.
(I never
thought I would come to the same room two days in a row)
Yesterday, Fuukei had called him to the reception room in the main
building. And today, Shinji, who was invited to the room again, thought back to
what Hiyuri's messenger had told him.
(I want to
consult with you in private about the future of the village. I'll be waiting
for you with some delicious liquor)
This is how the messenger explained it to him. To be honest, there
is no reason for him to accept the invitation, but after discussing with Freri,
Shinji decided to accept the invitation.
Since Alvin had been made an Honorary Knight, the situation had
changed, and Shinji had a vague idea of what Hiyuri wanted to discuss.
The fact that Hiyuri was asking for advice at this time meant that
someone had heard Alvin's loud voice and knew that Alvin was going to be made an
Honorary Knight. And what would Hiyuri do to make up the shortfall in funds?
(Political
marriage is the only way. Perhaps she wants to ask me to act as an intermediary
since Alvin will attract a lot of attention right after he becomes an Honorary
Knight)
Ironically, the request was the same as the one from Fuukei.
Although it would be better if she wanted to marry by herself rather than being
forced to do so, but the fact that it was Fuukei's idea was irritating.
『So, we should go with my idea』
『It depends on her willingness. I'll try to suggest her』
『I'm sure Hiyuri will choose my idea』
Shinji, who was receiving Freri's thoughts happily, visited the
reception room with a wry smile on his face.
◇ ◇ ◇
As he expected.
What Shinji heard from Hiyuri, who was sitting across from him in
the reception room, was a request for a political marriage from Hiyuri herself.
Hiyuri also found out that Alvin had been made an Honorary Knight, and so, she
was asking for his help.
She bowed her head slowly in front of Shinji as she explained the
lack of funds was the reason.
「...So, if
there are any unmarried men who can help me with funds, I would like you to
introduce me to them. Could you please do something for me...?」
「I understand」
Shinji nodded as he watched Hiyuri lower her head.
If he looked at Hiyuri again, her good looks would stand out, and
there would be men who would want her as their wife even if they had to pay a
lot of money. And because she has already shown her face in the <Medio> town
as a ring girl in a fighting tournament, it will not take much effort to make a
connection.
Also, if he can find her a good match, the village will be saved,
Hiyuri and her husband will be happy, and <Running Wolves> will be able
to get benefit from it. Shinji thinks it's a good way to keep everything in
line, and he understands why Hiyuri is so determined.
If it had been a day earlier and Fuukei hadn't had negative
feelings, he might have nodded immediately.
「There's one
thing you need to know before my answer」
「...? What
exactly is that?」
Hiyuri blinked, neither confirming nor denying, and when Shinji
signaled with his thoughts, Folt, who had come outside the room, entered.
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「Folt? We
have something important to talk about right now....」
「Shinji-sama,
I've brought it」
(Shinji-sama?!)
Interrupting
Hiyuri, Folt presented Shinji with a stack of papers she had brought with her.
Hiyuri was confused as to why she was addressing Shinji as “-sama” and an
oversized paper was added to her confusion.
「Hiyuri-san.
This is your brother's ledger book. He has been defrauding the village funds」
「...N-no way....」
When Shinji placed the ledger on the table, she was stunned but
picked it up. After examining the contents of the book, she found that it
contained information that she would not have been able to describe if she did
not know about the village, and that it contained most of Fuukei's illegal
activities that had been carried out discreetly and secretly.
This ledger book had been retrieved during the day.
Because
Fuukei, who had been 「charmed」 by Clara, was in a position to be puppeted at
any time.
Hiyuri finally looked up from the ledger and looked up at Folt with
a questioning look in her eyes.
「Did you know
about this...?」
「Yes, I was
cooperating with Fuukei-sama. I was his lover」
「......」
Hiyuri could not say anything.
She was not good with her brother. However, his ability to run the
village with his father was good, and his reputation among the residents was
not bad. But because of this, her impression of her brother as a good worker
was falling apart.
She realized that it was because he was good at his job that he was
able to cut out the middleman to the extent that there was no problem and no
exposure of the problem.
Folt was also a good maid, and her father, who had passed away, was
a responsible man who was in charge of the mine. So, she had thought that Folt,
his daughter, was also a maid supporting her father and brother, but she had
never thought that she had conspired with her brother to drain the funds.
(...Uh, I've
never... been very interested in the village's affairs until now...)
Because of the crisis in the village, she was able to reaffirm the
importance of the place. If it hadn't been for that, Hiyuri would have never
thought about the village so much and would have just done what her father and
brother told her to do.
「This is what
you should have known」
Shinji's words made Hiyuri raise her head in surprise.
「Yesterday,
Fuukei asked me to take care of Hiyuri-san's marriage. It was dark story that
he wanted me to keep the secret from you, and in return he offered me money and
women, so I punished them a little and found out about this」
The expression on Shinji's face was indifferent as he spoke in a
matter-of-fact tone. The fact that she could not read his emotions made Hiyuri
feel scared.
「She told me
that Fuukei gave her to me at that time. That's why I asked her to bring me the
ledger today」
「I hope I've
been helpful to you, Shinji-sama... ♡」
Folt was corrupted by Shinji overnight.
Taking into account the fact that she was a pawn of Fuukei, he tied
her up physically and mentally with careful training using hypnotic magic. She
is now a maid who loves Shinji's cock, not his money.
「Do you still
want to marry somewhere after knowing this?」
「That's...
but it's ....」
Hiyuri could not reply to Shinji's words. She thought that her
father and brother would take care of the rest as long as she managed to get
the money, but when she found out that this kind of fraud was going on,
Hiyuri's heart was filled with bitterness.
Still, Hiyuri could not think of a better way. There was no doubt
that the village needed money. Her confusion turned to anger as she learned the
truth she didn't want to know, and even though she knew, she couldn't help but venting
and scream at Shinji.
「Then what
should I do! The village needs money!」
Hiyuri stood up, breathing hard and glaring at Shinji with a strong
gaze. Shinji's expression changed from nothing to a smile as he looked up at
Hiyuri, who was glaring at him from above.
「I have a
suggestion for you. Will you sit down and listen?」
Hiyuri gulped as she sensed something unexplainable in Shinji's very
calm words.
- A discussion with Hiyuri.
- When Hiyuri found out about her brother's wrongdoing, she was inspired.
- There's new series that I translated right now, you can read it through this link. Its story is good and it's not an fantasy/isekai.