Vol 3 Chapter 26: Plans and Intentions

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Side: Nina

After seeing Shin and the others off, we began our investigation of the mansion right away.

Still, what exactly should we do?

Going around asking questions indiscriminately, like during our usual information-gathering missions, seemed like a bad idea. After all, this might very well be enemy territory.

“Fana, Alice, what’s the plan?”

“Let’s start by talking to Miss Mio, our client. If possible, we should also try to make contact with the lord.”

As we walked down the hallway past the entrance and through the grand hall, someone came into view ahead of us.

“…Well, speak of the devil. It seems she’s coming our way,” Alice remarked, her gaze directing us toward Mio.

Conveniently, this saved us the trouble of searching through the vast mansion.

“Hey, Mio, got a moment?”

“Yes? Of course, I don’t mind.”

Mio responded to my casual call with a soft, polite smile.

“Nina, you treat nobles the same as everyone else, don’t you?”

“Bold, or maybe just shameless… It’s impressive, in its own way,” Fana and Alice commented in slightly exasperated tones, which I chose to ignore.

Formal language? Never learned it, never cared.

“Since it’s a bit awkward to stand and talk, allow me to guide you to the parlor.”

With that, we followed Mio as she led us down the corridor.

We arrived at a spacious room and sat down around a large table, the four of us facing one another.

“This room ensures privacy, so please feel free to ask me anything.”

Mio remained cooperative and composed. Since she seemed willing to help, there was no reason to hold back.

“Let’s start by going over what happened after that woman arrived.”

“Of course. Allow me to explain…”

What she recounted was familiar:

A mysterious, bewitching woman appeared, and from that day on, Mio’s father began acting strangely.

Taxes were abruptly raised, treasures were hastily sold off, and funds were amassed. Female maids were dismissed, and even the male staff, such as butlers and cooks, seemed to gradually lose their energy.

“That woman would arrive unannounced at night, only to vanish like a ghost before anyone noticed.”

“—Forgive me, but what about your mother?”

Fana’s question caused Mio’s expression to tighten briefly, hinting at some discomfort with the topic.

“M-my mother… passed away when I was very young…”

“I see. Thank you for sharing such a personal matter.”

I see. That certainly left plenty of room for Reina to exploit.

“If possible, I’d like to speak with the lord as well. Do you think that might be arranged?”

Alice’s suggestion made Mio’s expression darken once more.

“I’ll try asking, but my father has been isolating himself in his study lately and refuses to meet with anyone. It may be difficult… I’m sorry.”

Judging from his attitude yesterday, it was probably best not to get our hopes up.

“That should cover what we wanted to ask for now. Perhaps we should speak to others in the mansion,” I said, looking at the others for agreement.

“Yes, thank you for your assistance. Please let us know your father’s response during dinner. In the meantime, we’ll take a look around the estate,” Fana said, standing to bow politely.

Following her lead, Alice and I rose from our seats.

“I understand. Please… take care of this,” Mio said, offering a faint, strained smile as she bid us farewell.

We left the reception room and began walking down the hallway, looking for people to talk to. Moving swiftly, we approached a few butlers and cooks to gather information.

“Hey, old man♡ Got a moment to chat with us?”

I called out to an elderly butler, emphasizing my cleavage and looking up at him with pleading eyes. He responded curtly:

“I’m sorry, but I have work to do. Please excuse me.”

“Oh… I see…”

He walked away without even sparing us a glance.

“Oh my, are you the chef? Thank you for the delicious meal yesterday♡ It was such a rare dish♡ Would you mind sharing some cooking tips with me? Pretty please…?”

Fana, with a coy tilt of her head, tried to charm a cook.

“Sorry, but I’ve still got prep work to finish.”

“Oh, what a pity…”

Unfazed by Fana’s sultry approach and her suggestive sister’s outfit, the cook simply returned to his duties.

Wherever we went, this was the response we got from the men we approached. Even though they weren’t particularly interested in us, the repeated rejection was starting to take a toll.

“Haha, they’re a tough crowd, aren’t they?”

“This isn’t going to be easy… Hey, Alice, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Alice, who had been calmly observing our repeated failures, responded without changing her composed expression.

“Were the butlers at your estate like this too?”

“Yes, even Jeeves and the others became lethargic and unresponsive, as though possessed.”

Although our efforts to gather information weren’t yielding much, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. The entity plaguing this mansion was clearly the same kind of being that had attacked Alice’s estate. The circumstances and reactions matched perfectly.

“Maybe… it’s time to get serious…”

Fana murmured, her eyes gleaming seductively. They carried the same fierce determination as when she’d gone to retrieve Shin.

“It’s getting close to evening. Since Kaguya and Shin will be back soon, wouldn’t it be wise for all of us to regroup and organize our findings?”

“Yeah, good idea. I hope they’ve dug up something useful.”

Soon, Shin and the others returned. We shared information, enjoyed a delicious dinner, discussed plans for the next day, and then retired to bed.

Speaking of Shin, will he be okay?

Fana made some… concerning remarks earlier. Well, we’ll figure it out.

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Side: Fana

That day and the following days, we continued our investigation.

Progress was slow, and there was no sign of suspicious women coming or going. To an outsider, we probably looked more like thieves snooping around than investigators.

Even Mio-san’s attempt to arrange an audience with Lord Ruflas failed, leaving us to wander aimlessly.

One morning, after several unproductive days, I addressed the gathered team.

“Today, I’d like to switch up the investigation teams. Is that all right?”

“No problem, but did something happen?” Shin asked, his expression seemingly normal, but there was a faint flush to his cheeks, and he looked slightly fatigued.

“Yes, we’ve spent enough time investigating the mansion. I think it’s time to allocate some manpower to outside areas.”

“That makes sense. Spending more time with those uncooperative butlers doesn’t seem like the best use of our efforts.”

“Yeah, staying cooped up indoors for so long makes my shoulders stiff… ugh,” Nina added, stretching and rubbing her shoulders.

The real reason for Nina’s stiffness was obvious. Watching her chest shift as she stretched, I couldn’t help but empathize with her struggles.

“Huh? Hey, Shin, where are you looking?♡ You perv♡”

“N-No! I wasn’t… I swear!” Shin stammered in panic.

Nina, noticing his gaze, teased him mercilessly. Despite his protests, Shin’s eyes seemed drawn to the swaying motion, unable to look away. His body stiffened as though he’d been physically jolted.

“Fufufu, everything’s going according to plan,” I murmured with a sly smirk, watching their usual banter unfold. It was good to see everything progressing as expected.

“F-Fana-san? Did you say something?” Shin asked nervously.

“No, nothing at all. Anyway, about the teams—”

I dismissed his question with a vague smile and continued.

Tomorrow, we’ll take more direct action. It’s time to flush out the enemy.

We must.

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