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Chapter 68: Crucible Street (part five)

“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 heard from an outsider, ‘Your parents are scammed.’

Now then, what should I do.

I would never hide the fact that I was the daughter of Duke of Aurelia.

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

The question was, how to explain it so that they 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 or so years old, 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 that was carved on the tip.

“Is this fine?”

The golden pendant head had been decorated.

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

A design similar to the crest of 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 by Duke of Aurelia, Aniki.”

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

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

They seemed to have believed me in some way.

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

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

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

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

“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 were starting to get excited about something strange.

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

Didn’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 earned money from Earl Nibelheim, right!?”

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

Harold replied that it would be difficult.

“We borrowed money from a northern aristocrat.”

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

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

“This fraud’s timing is bad.

Now, unless you get the mining rights, the silverware industry wouldn’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 had many aristocrats that remained barbaric.

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

This was a tough situation.

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

Harold made a thoughtful expression and nodded to my words.

“I believe in you. If we are 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 was now connected.

The thing that would 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 with this appearance.”

Harold went towards 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 seemed to move for Harold’s sake.

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

Notaries were essential occupations for contracts in which a large amount of money was involved.

They wrote down, managed, and certified ‘what kind of people who underwent commercial transactions, and what kind of conditions they undertook commercial transactions’.

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

The power they could exercise was also great, and at the time of non-compliance, the penalties were given under their authority.

The Notary Guild should have been in the guild hall.

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

It was 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 wouldn’t supress 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 like this, Botchan.

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

“Does Harold know where Earl Nibelheim is today?”

“Perhaps, he’s in Water Palace. Because there should have been 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 said 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 with 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 doesn’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 in my house?”

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

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

Even if you want to contract with 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 I will 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 what we have been using and went out of the Wunderkammer.

“Now then, we 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 Water Palace.

“Today my father is supposed to be in 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, Water Palace should 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.