Chapter 68: Crucible Street (part five)

The matter about business dealings is delicate and has to be handled carefully, you know?

TL: clover

ED: clover, xtostos, eristol

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“Why do you know about that, Erica……!”

 

Harold finally squeezed out his voice.

His facial expression and voice both had a slight anger.

That would also be my natural reaction if I hear from an outsider, ‘Your parents were scammed.’

 

Now then, what should I do?

I will never hide the fact that I am the daughter of the Duke of Aurelia.

That is because it would make it difficult for them to trust me if I deceive them with a poor lie.

The question is, how to explain it so that they will believe me.

 

“If I say that I am Erica, the daughter of Duke Aurelia and that my deceased mother was Countess Argene, will you believe me?

“Ha, haaah!? No, it is true that the daughter of Duke of Aurelia is eight years old or so, but……”

“Wait, Botchan. Stay calm.

Ojou-san, even if you say such a thing suddenly, we cannot judge whether we can really believe you or not.

Can you prove it somehow?”

 

Harold, who couldn’t regain his mind in his confusion, was covered by Gilbert who was somewhat calm.

Well, of course it would come to this.

I pulled out a pendant from my neck and showed them the seal carved on the tip.

 

“Is this fine?”

 

The golden pendant head was decorated.

It was a substitute for a seal used when closing the sealing wax.

A design similar to the crest of the Duke of Aurelia and a design of the star.

However, it showed that the star had become a falling star to incorporate the emblem of my maternal family.

It was a coat of arms to prove myself.

 

“The design of the sea and the star, huh.”

“Indeed, this is the coat of arms that is only permitted to be used by the Duke of Aurelia, Aniki.”

 

This coat of arms is not something to wear as a joke.

Although penalties were not clearly stated, there is little to be gained by making others believe you want to pick a fight with an opponent who holds such authority.

They seems to have believed me in some way.

There are other means if they didn’t believe me even after I showed them this.

 

“I figured that you are a daughter of a noble house, but this, another amazing truth has come out……”

“Well, it’s like the people who have been coming to our store.

I was wondering if you were a lady from some noble family who was traveling incognito, but the duke’s daughter herself~~!?”

“It’s Aurelia too. If the society is the world, then for us she is like a princess, Botchan.”

“P-princess……Ohime-sama!?”

“That’s right, Ohime-sama!”

 

Huh, why did it come to this?

They are starting to get excited about something strange.

It has been several hundred years since King Aurelia became the minister of King Ignitia, so they didn’t have to react like that.

Don’t we have something to seriously worry about?

The fraud, you know, the fraud!

 

“The important thing right now is to find out whether the mining rights is genuine or not, and to find out the partner who received the money from Earl Nibelheim, right!?”

 

As I said that, they appeared to have regained their senses as a result.

Harold replied that it would be difficult.

 

“We borrowed money from a northern noble.”

“That is seriously bad. The guys from Lucanrant have no mercy.”

“The money must be returned in two to ten years.”

“This fraud’s timing is bad.

At present, unless you get the mining rights, the silverware industry won’t be able to keep going, right?

Because it seems that those guys will want you to return their money back starting tomorrow.”

 

Gilbert looked bitter.

Lucanrant have many aristocrats who still remain barbaric.

Depending on the partner, even if he says that he was caught in a fraud and would like to have time extension, there are northern aristocrats who won’t let him off.

This is a tough situation.

 

“Um, if you believe my words, Harold, I’d like you to tell your father.”

 

Harold made a thoughtful expression and nodded to my words.

 

“I believe in you. If we have been scammed, we must do something before my family gets destroyed!”

“Thank you, Harold.”

“I’m the one who is thankful.”

 

The line between me and Harold is now connected.

The thing that will cause me to die in the original game was that Harold’s house was destroyed by ‘the fraud of my territory’.

 

It wasn’t me who deceived his family directly, but it couldn’t be helped even if he misunderstood and blamed me.

Because no matter what the reason was, his father who got caught up in this fraud would die.

 

“Well then, I’m going to change my clothes since it will be bad if I go in this appearance.”

 

Harold went to the back of the store while running fast.

 

“Then, during that time I will go to the Notary Guild.”

 

Gilbert who remained offered so while picking up his cloak from nearby.

He seems to be moving for Harold’s sake.

 

“I will leave it to you, Gilbert-san.”

 

Notaries are essential occupations for contracts in which a large amount of money is involved.

They write down, manage, and certify ‘what kind of people underwent commercial transactions and what kind of conditions they undertook for the commercial transactions’.

In this large trade city, it is said that a notary who was approved by King Ignitia made a guild.

 

The power they can exercise is also great and at the time of non-compliance, the penalties are given under their authority.

 

The Notary Guild should be in the guild hall.

As expected, the confirmation with the guild will be difficult for children like me.

It is good that Gilbert had stayed in this place.

 

“If it’s over there, there should be documents about the recent business transactions.

First of all, it’s not worth considering that they won’t suppress the detailed contents of the mining rights trading.

Especially, the one who contracted with Earl Nibelheim, I wonder who it is.”

 

When we worked out the details, Harold returned.

He was dressed in a dark green fine cloak and looked like a son of a noble house.

 

We told Harold that Gilbert would go to the Notary Guild.

 

“Aniki……!”

“You should depend on me at time likes this, Botchan.

Since I am the youngest child, sometimes I want to be depended on as someone else’s older brother.”

 

Gilbert raised his thumb while winking.

 

“Then, I will leave the matter about the Notary Guild to Aniki, I will go to my father!”

“Do you know where Earl Nibelheim is today, Harold?”

“Perhaps, he’s in the Water Palace. Because there should be business dealings.”

 

Harold sighed deeply.

There were deep wrinkles between his eyebrows.

 

“The problem is whether he will hear my story properly or not.”

“If I go with you, I think it will be fine.

After all, if the heiress herself says that the inheritance is not for sale, I think that he will believe it.”

“Is that fine? It will cause you trouble……”

“Because it’s not totally unrelated to me, you know?

Because the fraud was done using the name of my property.”

“That’s right, because we cannot afford to buy the mining rights that the legitimate owner herself didn’t sell.”

 

Gilbert crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.

 

“Uh, by the way……if I leave it like this, will it only going to leave debt for my house?”

“If we can catch the con artist, wouldn’t it be fine?”

“No, even if we catch them, if they don’t have the money on them, it’s over.

Even if you want to contract a new different mine, you won’t be able to borrow money.

Earl Nibelheim won’t only be deprived of money, but also his reputation, which is the most important thing in business.”

 

As Gilbert pointed it out, Harold’s complexion steadily became paler.

I felt sorry when I looked at him.

 

“Then, I will go to the Notary Guild before lunch time and ask about the contract.

Since my seventh big brother is there, the conversation should be fast.”

 

Gilbert quickly wore his cloak and pulled out his bag.

He opened a door different from the one we have been using and went out of the Wunderkammer.

 

“Now then, us too……ah, if we leave in this way, won’t your companion search for you?”

“I will write a note on the blackboard here. He will certainly notice it.”

 

I left a message to Tirnanog on the blackboard we used for the lecture yesterday.

It was information about the matter of fraud and where we would be going.

If I was late, I instructed him to meet me in my room in the Water Palace.

 

“Today my father is supposed to be in the Water Palace.”

“Then, let’s take a boat there quickly.”

 

After that, Harold and I went out to the city from the back door of the store and went through a dark-colored canal using a boat.

 

“But I wonder if we can quickly find Earl Nibelheim in that huge palace.”

 

Certainly, the Water Palace have lots of rooms indeed.

 

“It’s fine. Because Knot Reed, including that palace, is my garden.”

 

Harold said so while staring at the white palace across the canal.

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