3 bar menu

Chapter 68

With The 『Key to Victory』 In Sybilla’s Hand, The Search For The Real Culprit Behind Counterfeit Currency Commenced

 

While the interior is mainly white walls, the corridor is decorated with shiny golden furniture and paintings with expensive-looking frames.

However, neither the man leading the way nor even Emmy was batting an eye at those expensive-looking items.

They made no attempt to hide their wariness from each other and entered the room further back into the store.

 

The man urged us to sit down on a big sofa for guests and sat himself on the opposite side of us.

Sybilla sat in the center of the sofa, with me and Emmy sitting on either side of her.

He’s a middle-aged man and dressed in a flashy red and gold outfit.

 

「I am the owner of this Seiris Jewelry Store. First of all, I would like to offer my apologies. I would like to reiterate that we have absolutely no intention of antagonizing Holy Knight-sama in your party, it’s just…」

 

「What are you saying?」

 

「…Eh?」

 

「The one whom you should apologise to isn’t me, but Sybilla-san over here, am I wrong?」

 

Emmy’s usual cheerfulness is nowhere to be found as she interrupts the owner’s words with a stern look.

…But Emmy is right. Since you suspected someone of doing something, you should first apologize to that person. Emmy, who was particularly close to Sybilla, would find such one-sided suspicion disrespectful.

Knowing that, he first apologized to Emmy, a 【Holy Knight】, which shows that he only cared about protecting himself. Well, if only he knew that the other party is a 『Goddess』, which is clearly higher in status, I bet he would’ve completely flipped his attitude…

 

「…That is true. Dear customer… Sybilla-sama, please let me extend my deepest apology for my one-sided suspicion.」

 

Sybilla remained silent with her arms crossed while looking at the middle-aged man’s head.

That gaze was very sharp, and I couldn’t see a willingness to reconcile from her at this point in time.

 

When the man looks up, alarmed by the lack of response from the other party, Sybilla bluntly states.

 

「The reason.」

 

「…E-Excuse me?」

 

「Since you insisted that I was the one responsible for the counterfeit currency incident, you must have some proof, right? I mean, you seemed pretty certain about it. That’s why, give us your reasons. Surely, after all of what happened, there’s no way you wouldn’t tell us anything?」

 

「B-But of course. Since I suspected you, dear customer, I would like to share with you the incident that led to it. First of all, the reason why I suspected you was——」

 

And what the middle-aged man said next gave me some kind of premonition.

That everything up until now had gone exactly like Sybilla had planned.

 

「——because of the bracelet that you are wearing on your arm, dear customer.」

 

At the mention of her so-called 『key to victory』… this Goddess of victory smiled for the first time when she entered this room.

 

「……A moving stall?」

 

After hearing the question Sybilla asked, the middle-aged man nodded and brought out a case from a shelf, then began explaining as he showed the contents of the case.

 

「Yes. The stall is located on the west side of the city, which is not only close to the tourist district and port district, which are popular with the tourists who come to visit the beach, but also between the residential district of nobles and government officials.」

 

「Well, makes sense. Jewelry isn’t exactly aimed at the commoners after all.」

 

「Yes, that’s right. However, sometimes there are also some noblemen who visit the market incognito to make sure the city is managed properly, or young noble ladies who are interested in the foods the commoners are eating, and also nobles who obtained Jobs such as 【Sword Saint】 who would choose to visit the city rather than shopping for expensive clothing.」

 

So there are all kinds of people even among nobles, huh? Like how there are those who think that if they want to know the city better, it’s best to see the lives of commoners rather than those on top.

Even if they come from a noble background, could it be that those with fighting Jobs like Sword Saint might prefer to deal with things that are more practical?

I wonder if there’s someone like that around? For example, this Katie, the woman who Emmy told me about earlier, might be one of them.

 

Sybilla takes some of the jewelry in the case and traces its shape with her fingers.

 

「Ahh~ the design certainly looks very similar to the ones I’m wearing.」

 

「You can tell?」

 

「You really don’t have eyes for these, huh, Russell? Emmy’s bracelet has a streamlined design that looks like the wind with a shiny surface. In contrast, this store’s… look, like this ring in particular.」

 

Sybilla picked up the ring and placed it next to the bracelet as she continued her explanation.

 

「The ones from this store are made of thick and wide gold, with intricate decorations engraved on them. Naturally, since they use more gold than Emmy’s bracelet to make these and take more time to engrave, they’re inevitably more expensive.」

 

Is that how it is? Certainly, by comparison, I get the impression that Sybilla’s bracelet is closer to the store’s product than Emmy’s.

I didn’t understand much of Sybilla’s explanation, but the owner nodded his head in surprise.

 

「Y-Yes… it is as Sybilla-sama says. I thought your bracelet must be one of the items on display in our stall.」

 

「I agree. And? What does that have to do with the counterfeit currency?」

 

「A soldier recognized the currency used by the clerk who’s in charge of that stall as counterfeit currency. As a result, he was arrested by the soldiers as『counterfeiter』. They aren’t willing to listen to any excuse, and in the end, even I was suspected of the same crime…」

 

The owner explained and hung his head dejectedly.

Seiris’s soldiers have a reputation for being very strict. If they found out someone is using counterfeit currency, they won’t let them go easily.

 

「…I see. But thinking about it logically, isn’t it odd that you suspect me when you don’t even know to whom the item is sold with the counterfeit currency, not? Despite this, you said, 『From what I was told, it was this item for sure』 with certainty, didn’t you?」

 

She’s right. The owner seemed pretty adamant that the bracelet Sybilla was wearing belonged to the real culprit who used the counterfeit currency.

 

「Yes, about that. The clerk on the stall who was put in jail told me that what he sold that day was a bracelet. That was only three days ago.」

 

Ahh, I see, it was the day I bought the bracelet for Emmy.

While listening to the owner’s story with her arms crossed, Sybilla made a suggestion.

 

「Then, if we go see the clerk, we might be able to find out about the things we don’t know, right? Now that we’ve come this far, I’m also curious about the real culprit. Emmy-chan, Russell, you’re okay with it too, right?」

 

I can feel her determination from those words.

Both Emmy and I nodded our heads and accepted Sybilla’s suggestion to show that we would 『cooperate in catching the real culprit』.

 

「Oh, and my other party member over here is a 【Saint】, by the way.」

 

「That was unnecessary, don’t you think?」

 

Sybilla touched the tag to show my Job (only the Saint), and the owner jumped in surprise and hurriedly bowed his head to me repeatedly.

……Although talking to the store owner was her plan from the beginning, she deliberately kept quiet about it because she held a grudge for being suspected.

Seeing the store owner looking so desperate that it was almost pitiful, Sybilla broke into a grin, in typical Sybilla fashion.

 

Good grief, what a handful Goddess she is, though she sure is reliable.

 

The place we headed to after that, together with the shop owner, was the government office, which is the largest building in the city. Unlike the city with its sandy beach, the opposite side is a port area with a variety of ships of various sizes.

 

A large fence has been erected to prevent people from easily entering the noble’s residential area.

Nearby, lightly armed soldiers sat on chairs with their spears at the ready.

I see, so this area is the center of the city, huh? It’s as if this area is protected by the city itself.

 

「I will handle the permission, so please wait here for a moment.」

 

We entered the government office, and the shop owner went to exchange words with one of the officials before returning with a soldier in tow.

 

「Are those people accompanying you?」

 

「Yes. We finally found some clues, so we would appreciate your cooperation in arresting the real culprit.」

 

「Understood. Tell your companions that if they cause trouble in prison, they will be committing a serious crime that will make it impossible for them to live in the city anymore. So please be careful and make sure not to do anything foolish.」

 

Looks like they’re just as strict as the rumors say. We nodded in agreement with the soldier’s advice and followed him into the back of the building.

 

The light gradually fades as we head deeper into the building.

The soldier leading us and the soldier guarding the prison gave each other a salute, and after exchanging a few words, he led us inside.

 

The moment we entered the prison, I immediately noticed the change in the air.

It was the stench.

 

「We provided the prisoners with the bare minimum, but bathing isn’t one of them. I apologize for the discomfort this may cause to the ladies, but this is just how a place to hold prisoners is. So I hope for your understanding.」

 

「It’s alright.」

 

「I understand.」

 

Sybilla brushed it off casually while Emmy nodded seriously.

We were brought to one of the cells by the soldier, and inside it was a man.

 

「…Hii!? A soldier!?」

 

「Silence!」

 

「O-Okay…」

 

The slightly haggard-looking clerk shrank back and took a step back under the soldier’s glare.

 

「I’m sorry for the trouble… I brought someone who has a bracelet like the one you described. Now then, please come closer, Sybilla-sama. …Are you certain that this is the right bracelet?」

 

「Sybilla stepped forward and showed the man her bracelet, and as she did, the man’s eyes widened.」

 

「Y-Yes, there’s no mistaking it! The person who bought this bracelet is the counterfeiter!」

 

「…Just what is the meaning of this, Sybilla-sama——?」

 

「H-However, it wasn’t her! This person wasn’t the culprit!」

 

「——…What?」

 

The man glanced back and forth between the store owner and Sybilla with a troubled look and muttered something.

 

「It was… a man.」

 

「Ha?」

 

「The person who bought the bracelet from me… was a man!」

 

That testimony clearly proves that Sybilla isn’t the culprit.

I was distracted by minor details and missed the most important part.

The real culprit behind the counterfeit currency is a man. This should clear the suspicion against Sybilla.

 

But before long… everyone began to understand the significance of the bracelet being the real thing.

And eventually, the shop owner and the soldier turned their suspicious gaze toward me.

 

…I understand where they’re coming from.

With how things unfolded, I would inevitably be likely to be the culprit no matter how you look at it.

It goes without saying that I’m not, but there’s no way to prove it. I can only hope the clerk would say that it was someone else.

 

But… there was one thing that bothered me more than that.

I didn’t notice it when the shop owner’s body blocked my view of the other party, but now that I could see his whole body, my doubts turned into near certainty.

 

——I’ve seen this clerk somewhere before.