Chapter 59: Carrying out the plan.

Good evening, everyone. It’s Rosarin. Just now, I have been kidnapped. I will now tell you how that happened.

First, I gathered information while manipulating it at the same time.

Had any of you thought that something was strange during Walse’s introduction? The suicidal act of kidnapping the Prince’s favorite, yes? No matter how rare Beneficiaries are, no matter whether you are treated as a commoner, you wouldn’t normally do something like that.

Then, let’s look at it from a different point. What if you had not thought of doing it, but you couldn’t avoid doing it... what then?

This thin line that one has to walk appeared... in short, Walse is a sacrificial pawn. The nobility uses him to play the role of a villain. Things like bribery at the national border too were mediated by Walse. Even if it gets exposed, they just have to cut their ties with him. Though he is not involved in the slave trade just yet, it’s a matter of time. He makes the children he has been entrusted with work hard for little to no wage. When I checked with Jend, I got a testimony from him that he got beaten up by the person in charge of the children. Also, there’s something that’s on my mind. I think you will understand from this incident though.

There’s a plenty of evidence, but rather than someone who has been put up for the role of a villain, wouldn’t you want to catch a larger game? That being the case, we used this plan.

Now then, I had more information circulated around.

『Walse has displeased a Ducal House』

『Walse will be caught before long』

It’s these two rough rumors. The main point is that they are not lies. There is the matter with Jend that left Walse’s shin wounded.

Moreover, these rumors are fatal to his company. His customers will decrease and his trust is going to plummet. Moreover, if he gets news that it was me who spread those rumors... well, he will try to eliminate me.

Furthermore, there is a faction that wants to eliminate me too.

Do you remember everyone? It was one of my death routes.

Among them was an execution, but do you think Father would allow that to happen? I am a child of his beloved wife, you know? You think he would disown me and let me die?

I talked about this with Rosalia too, but apart from the nobility, this is also connected to the Wolfanea, where talks regarding me as a nuisance started surfacing. In the first place, Rosalia’s position in the game was quite delicate, so when she was adversely suspected as the spy of Wolfanea, rather than letting his daughter get tortured over and over again, Father used his last, remaining power to sentence her for a quick execution. I was on this for three years, tracking all suspicious people. Thus, I have been able to confirm Walse’s connection.

And thus, I had Dirk complain to the knight connected to Walse.

「Rosarin got conceited as her rank raised, now she’s turning up at the Adventurer’s Guild without guards」

「She come to the work regularly, but there are days I cannot accompany her too, so I am quite worried」

As a result, I was kidnapped wonderfully! The fishing was a success! By the way, I have Sage Jiisama’s transmitter and recording magic tools on me. Dirk, Arc, and Martha are following behind us stealthily. Manya was left behind to guard our home just in case.

By the way, as for the means of the kidnapping, I was pulled into a back alley a little while after leaving the Adventurer’s Guild and got kidnapped after I was made to sniff a medicine of some kind... thanks to my abnormal state invaliding earrings, I had to pretend to sleep. The opponent seemed to be used to it quite a bit as he quickly loaded me into the carriage and carried me to somewhere hidden.

Somehow, I was laid on the bed? Nn? Am I not treated too politely?

「Is she not awake yet?」

「She should be waking up soon, I think...」

I heard such voices, so I pretended to wake up. I did not forget to look frightened like a young noble lady would.

「Where is this?」

「I am truly sorryyyyy!!」

「Ha?」

No, I indeed did not expect this. Morning Dogeza is harsh... wait, Dogeza? Why Dogeza??

「... Who?」

A head with bunny ears was before me. Don’t be downhearted. It makes me want to comfort you. The bunny-eared uncle was sitting in Dogeza before me. Ordinary, leptosome, timid. Eh? Why are you kneeling before me the moment I woke up? Also, is it just my imagination that people like kneeling on the ground recently?

「My name is Ravioli Walse, I work as a merchant in this town」

「H, haah...」

「Jend has suffered due to my lack of management. I am truly sorry. Somehow, please could you somehow appease your anger, and forgive us?」

「Will you send me home if I forgive you?」

「Of cou-「Not trustworthy at all」

Ravioli-san tried to agree, but from behind him a... snake? no, a Crocodilian Beastman interrupted.

「You are?」

「There’s no need to name myself」

「Gator! You are rude! I am sorry, please forgive my son...」

「... Son?」

「My wife is a Crocodilian Beastman, you see」

Oof, he was his real son, huh. Ehhh, how amazing...

「Old man, you be quiet!」

Ravioli-san was thrown away by the one called Gator, and he crashed against the door, but... the tearful voice he let out... you are way too weak, Ravioli-san!

「Umm, your Otousama is rather pitiful」

「Shut up」

Gator tied me up, put a Magic Sealing Collar around my neck, wrapped me in sheets, and left from a window to the town in the evening.

「Ow, ow, ow...」

「You new looks suit you, Miss Rosarin」

The person looking down upon me... who is that? Probably a nobleman. From the appearance’s way of meaning. Someone’s follower... I think. As expected, I can’t ask “Who are you?” in this situation.

I will go with the flow.

「... You think you will be forgiven by doing something like this?」

「You have moved way too gaudily. Having caught that person’s eyes, you have run out of luck」

「That person... I am surely going to die here anyway... the person who wants me dead, who is it?」

The possible nobleman was in high spirits from hearing my feeble (acting) voice.

「I will tell you so you have a pleasant memory to take to the afterlife. The one who ordered your death is Duke Gerald」

Uah, a truly big catch... I remember. This noble is the follower of Duke Gerald whom I beat black and blue at the evening party after he spoke unfavorably of Dirk.

The nobleman raised a silver knife overhead. I obtained the necessary information. It’s a good time end. However, a silver-colored flash knocked down the nobleman before I could give the signal.

「Don’t bully my Oneechaaan!!」

While crying, the silver flash... Jend, turned towards Gator after knocking down the noble.

「Dirk!」

Realizing my intentions, my beloved jet black appeared from the ceiling and covered Jend. From the ceiling, huh. Are you a ninja? Because we are indoors today, he decided not to use a spear but a dagger instead.

Although I am wearing a Magic Sealing Collar, it had no effect because of my earrings, so I did not have a problem using magic. But, I activated the Warrior Maiden’s ring and changed it into a pair of swords.

The nobleman was knocked out by Jend in a single blow, so I slipped out of the rope and tied him up. I retrieved a Demon Sealing Collar from my pouch-type high-capacity bag and put it around his neck just in case.

As expected, not being Jend and Dirk’s opponent, Gator was on the ground as well.

「Oneechan!」

Judging that there’s no more danger, Jend rushed over to me.

「Jend, why are you here?」

「... I had a bad feeling. I felt that Oneechan... Oneechan was doing something dangerous, so when I chased after Oneechan’s smell, I saw Oneechan being bullied by these uncles...」

「You have come to my rescue, huh. Thank you, Jend」

「I have saved Oneechan?」

「Yeah. By the way Jend, you are able to talk now?」

「N? ... Huh? I’m talking」

A shock therapy? The person himself wasn’t aware of it.

「Rosarin! Any injuries?」

「None, as you can see... hey, Dirk! Hands! Blood!」

Both of Dirk’s hands were bloodied. I healed him with recovery magic in a panic.

「... Did I grasp too tightly while enduring, I wonder...」

Ah~ somehow, sorry. It would be difficult for me too if our positions were reversed. He was holding back even though that was the plan, huh. I kissed his bloodied hands.

「... Kill me」

I heard a low voice that spoiled the mood. It was Gator.

「Kill me! I am the mastermind!」

N? No, the mastermind is someone else, you know?

「Gator, stop acting tough. I know that you are not a bad guy, okay?」

「Shut up, be quiet, Jend!」

「Oneechan, you won’t save Gator?」

According to Jend, Ravioli-san was originally a kindhearted person, but the nobility started going to him once he started a business with Wolfanea, and his treatment became much worse. Gator was threatened too, and he was apparently bringing food to the children in secret.

Everything is connected at last. An operation to give Walse a bad reputation, huh. No matter how much of an Ojousama Lumia-san was, she wouldn’t entrust her child to someone she couldn’t trust. Ravioli-san himself was a virtuous person who played the role of a villain so the other Beastmen didn’t intervene. Yes, he was used as a sacrificial pawn thoroughly.

「Hmm, an acquittal wouldn’t be possible, but I do have a way of escape」

「A way of escape?」

Jend’s eyes sparkled... Ugh, those pure eyes of his...

「Ojousama, all insects have been dealt with according to your instructions. With the magic of Spirit-sama of Darkness, they won’t wake up until the morning」

Hi~, fu~... six people, huhh. Quite the number.

「Thank you for your hard work, Martha, Arc」

I have informed the two beforehand that there might be assassins lurking in the dark or other essential personnel.

「You don’t let slip anything past you」

「Thank you, Arc. First of all, let’s return to the Walse mansion, everyone. I would be troubled if all the evidence is destroyed in the arson」

「Haah!?」

Gator was shocked. I will explain to him.

「You guys are sacrificial pawns, so isn’t it only given that the evidence would get destroyed if you fail? Did you not think about the possibility of being thrown away? The quickest way would be a fire, no?」

Gator hung his head down.

「Besides, Ojousama fears that the unrelated people might get involved. As expected of her」

「Ah... ahh...」

Gator was somewhat despairing. I’m telling you that I won’t let it happen. But, explaining everything is troublesome and we don’t have the time either, so I teleported everyone back to the Walse mansion.