Chapter 279

TL: Zimmings

As I left the mansion, I asked Johann to kidnap the Duke of Amity, and also told him how to kidnap him.

If you were the Duke of Amity, he’d be caught by ‘that method’.

‘Look around the whole capital. Can you find the Duke of Amity?’

I left Reginald and Mina behind and entered the investigation room.

***

The situation became interesting.

They ordered people to catch Mina, but it wasn’t just an investigation order like the first time.

At first, we were given an investigation order, but the imperial soldiers who brought us were not armed forces.

However, this time, armed forces were in the capital. They were taking over the capital as if they’re really looking for the culprit.

Upon hearing the news, the cardinals rushed to the imperial palace.

“Crazy! Armed soldiers are scouring the capital! Everyone will think Mina is the culprit!”

“The second child of fate ran away from the imperial palace in defiance of the investigation order. Be grateful that His Majesty did not order immediate murder.”

“This……!”

It is true that Mina trampled on the imperial palace’s consideration and ran away. The cardinals didn’t say much.

The temple lashed out at Reginald for failing to properly support Mina. It was quite an interesting sight for Reginald to do nothing about it.

Unlike Mina, who ran away, the investigators were gentle to me, who calmly came to the imperial palace and was investigated as I was told, and answered well.

“I checked and found that the lady was not in the Dubblede territory. Where were you?”

“It’s true that I was in the capital.”

“You mean that you entered the capital secretly without going through a teleportation scroll?”

“Yes, I’ve been in the capital all along. My eldest brother is cursed, how can I stay in the castle? However, many eyes were too focused on me because of the mock battle, and there were a lot of high-ranking nobles who wanted to contact me, so I just lied.”

“You mean you were in the shopping district?”

“Yes, but I’ve never cast meteor.”

“Witnesses said that you tried using it.”

“That’s weird for me too. If I try it while a meteorite falls, isn’t it likely to be a defensive spell? But why did they point me as the culprit? Even a mage can’t tell what a spell is by looking at the outside. Isn’t it highly likely that someone aimed at me and created a witness?”

Investigators also shook their heads a few times, exchanging gazes as if they thought so too.

The investigation, which took a full two days, ended like that. Of course, I was not completely excluded from the list of suspects. Only a few people had the divine power to demonstrate such an ultra-high spell.

However, after being properly investigated, I returned to the mansion. The investigators saw me off and the atmosphere was friendly.

“I’m sorry, lady. You can’t leave the mansion until the investigation is completed.”

“I understand.”

“I’m thankful that you understand my position, haha.”

When me and the investigators were laughing and talking, I could see a person being dragged from afar. It was Mina.

Mina was haggard. I don’t know if she hasn’t slept for two days, but her face is pale, and her under eyes are all black. Her beautiful hair, which had always been beautifully trimmed, was also bushy.

There were a few cardinals with awkward expressions following behind her.

Mina and my eyes met. She shook off the soldiers recklessly and ran to me as she grabbed me by the collar.

The servants, the investigators, soldiers, and even the cardinals were greatly surprised.

“Mina!”

“Let go!”

The cardinal and the soldier rushed to Mina.

“Where is he? Where did you hide the duke?”

I deliberately shrugged and raised my eyebrows.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Leblaine…….”

When I repeat what she said to me before, Mina’s face is distorted.

“You can’t do that. How can you to your father…… What kind of person is he to us…?”

“My father is in the mansion.”

“Leblaine!”

I shook Mina’s hand with an expression as if knowing nothing.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“The duke…!”

“So, which duke are you looking for from me? I don’t think he’s my father, Grimoire? Marche? if not… Amity?”

“You know I’m talking about the Duke of Amity!”

“Why?”

“…… What?”

I pretended to find the situation absurd and burst out laughing.

“So why are you looking for him so desperately?”

“He’s my…!”

“Mina!”

Reginald blocked Mina’s words with a pale face.

‘As he should.’

Mina will be taken as a maniac if she says, “The Duke of Amity is my father.” And it’ll be very disadvantageous for them.

In the worst case, it could have been believed that the temple and Amity colluded to create the child of fate.

Reginald blocked Mina awkwardly.

“The second child of fate admires the Duke of Amity very much. She seems to have lost her reason because he disappeared.”

The investigators said with a look of astonishment.

“If anyone sees it, they’ll think his father has disappeared.”

“Due to a series of incidents, she can’t sleep for several days.”

“Can’t you just say that she’s not in her right mind?”

“Sir……!”

“Really. To trample on His Majesty’s favor and to be captured by armed soldiers yet still run rampant.”

“She’s still young. She was originally a brilliant person.”

Investigators looked at Mina coldly. I looked at the hardened cardinals and smiled as I passed Mina.

I also whispered in a very small voice.

“If you want to find him, bring Benedict to me.”

“……!”

Mina stared at me, so I smiled brightly.

“How long will the Duke of Amity be alive?”

Mina’s pupils shook, and tears were in her eyes staring at me.

“Bad girl… Bad, bad…… Leblaine!”

Mina once again lashed out. The cardinals hurriedly tried to cover her mouth, but the surrounding gaze became colder.

I smiled once again and waved at Mina and the cardinals.

“Cheer up.”

Yes, I’m a bad girl.

And I’m going to do my best and get worse.

***

Dubblede’s mansion.

When I returned, the people of the mansion approached me.

“Lady, your body…”

“Are you okay? Are you fine?”

Leaving behind their worries, I went up the stairs and told the administrators.

“Sever the support of suwon from the villages adjacent to the border.”

Nos stared at me in surprise, but I continued without caring.

“Distribution of long distance teleportation is prohibited. Make the news that Dubblede is stockpiling for it to spread throughout the continent. Of course, don’t send the teleportation scroll to the battle area. Blue spinel too.”

“…….”

“The same goes for all the sponsorships in Dubblede. Stop slums, disaster areas, talent and every other sponsorship.”

“People won’t be able to hold on.”

“I mean it, make it unbearable.”

“Lady…!”

I stopped walking and looked at Nos.

“Don’t make me order it twice. Eugene Nos.”

“…Yes, lady.”

I left Nos and went up to the greenhouse. When the door was opened, the chairman, Seria, and Trigon, who had been called in advance, bowed their heads at once.

“Dubblede cut off all support for the empire. There will be people who can’t hold out. Lend them money and collect it with a lot of blood.”

Seria flinched and said, “Lady…!”, but the chairman shook his head, blocking her with one arm.

I approached the window and grabbed the window frame.

“The hope mercenary guild will let go of everything except for usury.”

I really intended to do my best to become evil. It was a moment when the empire was overturned.

The doors of Dubblede, the richest family in the empire, were closed, and the hope mercenary guild pulled out of all businesses.

Of course, the most serious thing was the economy.

There was no promise when Dubblede and hope mercenary guild would resume business, and the first action taken by the guild leaders in such a situation was dismissal of employees.

Of course, the noble were also experiencing a considerable crisis. As long-distance teleportation was not distributed, the price of short-distance teleportation rose to the ceiling, and the price of blue spinel also rose. The nobles who fought large and small battles with immigrants adjacent to the border could not hold out.

When the noble also predicted the crisis and stocked their wealth, the shopping district, which had been booming day after day, became desolate.

Seria, who was giving me the tea, muttered worriedly.

“The resentment against Dubblede and hope mercenary guild will grow.”

“Do you think so? Not me though.”

“Huh?”

“They might blame us for a moment. But in the end, their anger will be a temple.”

“What…….”

“Now that there is no Dubblede and hope mercenary guild, the temple is the only one that can mine a small amount of blue spinel and distribute short-distance teleportation. Who raised the price?”

“Isn’t that an inevitable price increase based on the market? I don’t think the temple will be blamed. There are many people looking for it, but the number of distributors is small, so the price has no choice but to rise…….”

“But wouldn’t it seem to people that the temple has raised the price?”

Just then.

I began to hear a loud noise outside the window.

Boom! Boom!

It was the sound of people with huge logs destroying the door of the central temple.

Look, it started.

And my communication device rang like crazy. The sender is the temple.

As I connected the call, Reginald’s roar came.

[How far are you thinking of going?]

I said, bewildered.

“Why do you ask? Of course, until you die after being beaten by an angry crowd.”

[Child!]

“Oh, it’s noisy, really.”

[I beg your pardon?]

“I’ll call you back when you calm down.”

Bye~!

I greeted him in a clear voice and cut off the call.

In the next call, Reginald forcibly lowered his voice.

[I’ll go to the mansion.]

He was afraid that I would cut off communication again, but even though he was holding back, his voice seemed to burst with anger.

“You can’t because I’m afraid.”

Goodbye~!

I hung up the phone again.

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