Once everyone had gathered in the reception room, the former margrave was the first to speak. Part of the reason was likely consideration for the current margrave and Emilia-san, both of whom were in a particularly difficult position.
“First and foremost, I must express my gratitude to you and Ao, Shun. Regardless of the outcome, you succeeded in capturing members of the criminal organization that had been hiding within the territory.”
“We were fortunate as well. If they hadn’t been keeping the Margrave’s estate under surveillance, I don’t think we would have been able to find a lead on them.”
“Even so, the achievement is significant. Whether they choose to talk or not is another matter entirely, but there is no doubt that you’ve reduced the threat they posed.”
We had captured a large number of the operatives, which certainly weakened the organization. However, there was no way of knowing whether we had caught every single one of them. Naturally, none of us intended to let our guard down.
“Well, dealing with the aristocratic side of things is our responsibility. You don’t need to burden yourself over it, Shun. Given the nature of the incident, this isn’t something the margrave’s family can decide on their own anyway.”
His words carried a note of resignation.
The matter had grown far beyond a simple local problem. With noble houses implicated and a criminal organization operating in the shadows, any final judgment would inevitably involve the authorities in the Royal Capital. In other words, the fate of those families was no longer solely in the Margrave family’s hands.
The Margrave spread his hands in a gesture of surrender.
Given that multiple noble families were entangled in this shadow organization’s activities, dealing with the aftermath was bound to be complicated.
“Incidentally, Casey’s and Telma’s brothers looked genuinely shocked when they saw the two of them. It seems they had been under the impression that Casey and Telma were no longer in the territory.”
“That still doesn’t justify joining a criminal organization and trying to harm the Margrave’s family though.”
No matter how complicated the circumstances were, it could never excuse turning to crime. I could only hope that Casey-san’s and Telma-san’s brothers would come to understand the gravity of their actions.
“Regardless, our priority is making sure the Harvest Festival concludes without incident. After that, we still have to put a stop to this organization. Unfortunately, the army isn’t expected to arrive until the day after the festival.”
“They might try to bring in reinforcements before then. We’ll stay on our guard.”
Just as Emilia-san feared, this wasn’t over yet.
The threat still lingered in the shadows, and there was no telling what the organization might attempt next. With those thoughts weighing on our minds, the meeting finally came to an end.
As I made my way back, I found Sue waiting quietly in front of my room.
“Sue, how are they doing?”
“They’re not in a good state. The strain is getting to them. Learning that their own brothers were involved in such a serious crime has taken a tremendous toll on them, both mentally and emotionally.”
As their closest friend, Sue was deeply worried about the two of them.
For the time being, we’d need to make sure that Ao, Shiro, and the others stayed by their side at all times.
“Ao used magic to put them to sleep.”
“That was probably the right call. With how tense they are, I doubt they would have been able to sleep at all otherwise.”
Neither Sue nor Ao had made the wrong decision. No matter how difficult things were, Casey-san and Telma-san needed proper rest more than anything right now.
“What did the Margrave say?”
“He said that handling the negotiations and disputes between noble houses was his responsibility, no matter how troublesome it might be. Other than that, he warned us to stay vigilant, since we still don’t know whether we’ve caught all of the perpetrators.”
“I see… Thank you.”
Sue lowered her gaze slightly. There were undoubtedly many thoughts weighing on her mind as well.
After parting ways with her, I returned to my guest room. I needed to get some rest too. First and foremost, we had to make the Harvest Festival a success. Only after that could we focus on bringing this entire affair to an end.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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