Chapter 46: Background Investigation

At Stein’s request, I agreed to help him prevent his older sister, Lady Olive, from cooperating with the Demon Lord’s army.

What exactly I’m supposed to do, though—that part’s still a mystery.

"So then, Sir Stein. Do you have any evidence to support this claim?"

"Um, well… not yet."

"If there’s no evidence, then is it possible you’re simply mistaken, Sir Stein?"

"…I happened to overhear a conversation the other day. And when I looked into the background of a new merchant who recently started doing business with our family, I discovered he had connections to the underworld…"

"In other words, circumstantial evidence suggests something very suspicious."

"That’s right."

So he doesn’t seem to have any solid proof.

He’s working off fragments—things he’s overheard and what he’s learned from background checks on people connected to the household—and drawing conclusions from there.

"In that case, it’s still just a suspicion, isn’t it?"

"…I won’t deny that. But even as a suspicion, it’s already troubling. And if it turns out to be true… well, it would be catastrophic. Besides, on a personal level…"

At that, Stein lowered his eyes.

So, emotionally speaking—he’s already convinced she’s guilty.

"I understand your concern, Sir Stein. However, asking for my assistance seems a bit… of a leap, don’t you think? Especially since I’m an outsider. Ah! But don’t worry—I’ll keep your secret. I’m very good at that sort of thing, you know."

I puffed out my chest a little for emphasis.

"I can tell you’re someone I can trust, Lady Ains."

Stein smiled bashfully.

The sunlight streaming through the window caught his chestnut hair, making it sparkle softly. It was quite beautiful.

"…Also, I hesitate to bring this up, but—the man who accompanied you to our country, Lord Maor… it seems he’s an extremely important figure, one very close to the Demon Lord."

"…!! L-Lord Maor is—"

For a moment, I was slow to react—not out of shock, but because I almost said, Well, of course he is.

An ordinary person would probably be surprised to hear their companion was connected to the Demon Lord. I hurriedly put on an expression of astonishment.

…But an important figure, huh.

“Close” doesn’t really cover it. He is the Demon Lord himself.

Still, the fact that Stein managed to get that close to the truth from such fragmentary clues… honestly, that’s impressive.

This kid might actually be a genius.

But what should I do now…

"Let’s assume for a moment that your suspicions are correct—that Lady Olive really does have ties to the Demon Lord’s faction. Making that public would be a major scandal for your ducal house. Acting purely out of a sense of justice might not be the wisest move, don’t you think?"

I pointed that out with the calm authority of an older, wiser woman.

"…You’re right. As the next heir, I must protect our family. But if I ignore my sister’s wrongdoing, that itself would endanger the house. No—such a stain would forever mar the Liner Kingdom!"

Ah, youth.

In my home country, the Sugarcreek Kingdom, even powerful people like the chancellor openly supported the Demon Lord’s faction, and we even had a non-aggression pact with them. So adding one more noble daughter from a small foreign duchy probably wouldn’t cause much of a stir.

Still, Stein is earnest to a fault.

I couldn’t help but smile softly.

"W-What is it, Lady Ains? Why are you smiling all of a sudden?"

He spoke a bit too quickly, his cheeks flushing bright red.

"…It’s nothing. I was just thinking that with someone like you around, the Liner Kingdom’s future is in good hands. Very well—true or not, we’ll need to gather information first. Unfortunately, I’ve been instructed not to leave the manor…"

"That’s all right! As long as you’re with me, no one will stop us!"

Blushing furiously, Stein looked up at me with determined eyes. I reached out and gently patted his chestnut hair.

He didn’t seem to dislike it; rather, he made a ticklish little face.

"Hehe. Then I’ll leave it to you, Sir Knight."

"Y-Yes! Please count on me, Lady Ains!"

His eyes sparkled as he squeezed my hand tightly.

Ah, what an adorable boy. ♥

"…If you ask me, it just looks like they’re having a pleasant chat."

We sat in a corner of a café, quietly observing Lady Olive and the Demon Lord from a distance as they enjoyed their tea.

Well, she was smiling radiantly. The Demon Lord, on the other hand, had his usual stony expression.

Actually, no—he looked downright bored. Definitely not enjoying himself.

"Lady Ains, we can’t jump to conclusions. They might just be pretending to act normal to deceive us."

I really doubt that. The Demon Lord doesn’t bother with such trivialities.

We ordered tea for ourselves.

Stein seemed to prefer milk tea—he added plenty of milk before taking a sip.

As for me, I love mine sweet, with lots of milk and sugar. I also ordered a fruit-filled cake, drizzled generously with honey.

"…Your cake looks very sweet, Lady Ains."

"It’s absolutely delicious. Would you like to try some, Sir Stein?"

"I’ll pass, thank you. …Still, we can’t hear what they’re saying. Should we move a bit closer?"

"If we get that close, we’ll be spotted. Oh, and by the way—there’s no need to call me ‘Lady,’ you know."

"Then you don’t need to call me ‘Sir,’ either."

"Hmm. In that case, may I call you Stein-kun?"

"Yes! Then… may I call you Ains-san?"

"Of course, of course. Call me however you like, Stein-kun."

"Right."

He looked a little embarrassed.

While we were having that harmless little exchange, some movement caught my eye over at the Demon Lord’s table. A large man had approached Lady Olive, leaned down to whisper something in her ear—and then looked straight toward us.

Olive’s eyes snapped in our direction—sharp and hostile.

Following her gaze, the Demon Lord turned his head as well, locking eyes with us.

"Oh. Ains! So it was you. What, you came here too? You could’ve said something, you know! And who’s this kid, huh?"

Without waiting for an invitation, he dropped heavily into the empty seat beside us.

"!! A-Are you Lord Maor himself? I’m Olive’s younger brother, Stein. It’s an honor to meet you."

Stein immediately stood up straight and bowed with perfect formality.

"Mm. Yeah, nice to meet you, kid."

The Demon Lord gave a casual wave, clearly with no intention of remembering his name.

Once the introductions were out of the way, he began chatting about the interesting things he’d seen while exploring the city. Apparently, the Liner Kingdom had quite the array of art museums and historical exhibits—even the capital was home to several renowned institutions.

Before I knew it, we’d somehow agreed to go visit one together.

"…By the way, Lord Maor, what exactly were you doing here today?"

"Oh, Olive put in a request through one of her contacts and managed to secure a seat for me at the upcoming meeting. That means I’m in."

The Demon Lord announced this with a triumphant grin.

So he’d managed to charm Lady Olive and use her connections to get himself a spot at that meeting. Great. Just great.

At this rate, he and Princess Sonia might actually run into each other at the venue… which would be an absolute disaster. I needed to do something about this fast.

"Ma–Maor! We were just about to meet that person I mentioned earlier!"

Apparently, Olive had been eavesdropping on us the entire time—she suddenly stood up and cut into the conversation.

"Ah, right. Guess I’d better go, then. Well, Ains, I’ve got a little errand to run, so I’ll be heading out. Don’t go sneaking off on your own, got it? Wait properly at Olive’s place."

"…Ah, sure."

"See you later, then."

He waved lazily as he left the café.

As we watched him go, Olive quietly approached. Her eyes were cold, a faint trace of anger simmering behind them.

"Ah…"

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Stein. I’d like to ask what exactly is going on here, but I have important matters to attend to. You should return home at once."

"…What I do and where I go is none of your business, sister."

"My, how bold you’ve become. Very well. Just don’t make me waste my time cleaning up after you."

And with that, she swept out of the café.

"Are you… not on good terms with your sister?"

"She used to be kind… back when we were younger."

He looked down, his expression filled with quiet sorrow.

He really did look pitiable like that.

The carriage clattered softly over the cobblestone road.

In front of me, Stein sat quietly, his hands resting neatly on his lap.

I reached out and gently took one of them in mine.

"…My sister used to be kind."

"I see."

"But then, all of a sudden, she changed. After the prince’s engagement announcement last year, it was as if she became a completely different person."

"Ah…"

"Since around that time, I also began noticing traces of the Demon Lord’s faction. Given the timing, I believe my sister must have fallen under their influence."

"Hmm."

"So, I thought… if she could just sever ties with them, maybe that kind, gentle sister of mine would come back."

"…In other words, you think your sister has been deceived by the Demon Lord’s followers?"

"…Yes."

For now, I went along with his version of the story—the one where Lady Olive was the victim.
But in my mind, I was already drawing up a very different picture.

Your sister isn’t being deceived, Stein-kun. She’s cooperating with them of her own free will.

A duke’s daughter, no less. The pieces certainly fit.
And the prince’s engagement, too…

"…If you don’t mind my asking—do you happen to know who the prince is engaged to?"

"I don’t know all the details, but I heard she’s not from a particularly high-ranking family. Technically she’s a noble, but rumor has it she only became one after being adopted—some even say she was born a commoner. Ah! I—I didn’t mean any offense! I wasn’t trying to insult you, Ains-san!"

"It’s all right, Stein-kun. I don’t mind."

I smiled gently, continuing to stroke his hand in reassurance.

But inside, my suspicions had already solidified into conviction.
If I wanted to make his sister cut ties with the Demon Lord’s faction, I’d have to resort to a slightly mischievous method.

Still… I’ve never actually used that on my own before.
It’s a little scary, to be honest.

"For now," I said, "there’s going to be a church-sponsored gathering in the capital soon. I’ll take care of your sister after that. Until then, please be patient, all right?"

"You will, Ains-san?"

"I have a good idea. Leave it to me."

I gave him my very best sly grin.