CH 109

The three of us entered the royal capital.



At that time, we used the entrance gate reserved for nobles.



To our surroundings, we looked like three young noble ladies ignorant of the ways of the world on a tour of the royal capital.



After all, we were dressed like nouveau riche showing off their wealth, yet we didn’t have a single bodyguard with us.



No matter how safe and secure the royal capital was, being so unguarded could only be considered foolish.



Moreover, we were all beautiful girls, so we stood out a lot.



After arriving at the royal capital, we had lunch at a restaurant frequented by upstarts coming from the countryside, then we enjoyed a good chat while sightseeing.



[That lunch we had earlier was great. The royal capital’s food sure is tasty, right?] (Dia)



[Yes, it truly was. But it was awfully expensive. I could cook enough meals to last a week with the money we spent.] (Tarte)



Dia wholeheartedly enjoyed the food, but Tarte couldn’t enjoy it at all because of the price.



I picked that kind of restaurant in order to play the role of the foolish daughters of prosperous aristocrats.



…Still, Tarte really is a terrible actor. Even though I told her that she’s supposed to play the role of a wealthy noble’s daughter, she’s blowing her own cover.



[I had a marvellous time. Putting on an act every day is so exhausting, but this sort of outing can be relaxing to have every now and then.] (Lugh) (TN : Here, Lugh uses the female pronoun “watakushi” instead of his usual male pronoun “ore.”)



Perhaps it was because they weren’t used to me speaking like a girl, but Tarte and Dia’s smiles twitched a little.



Since I was dressed as a woman, my manner of speech, voice, gestures, and everything else about me screamed woman.



Dia let her opinion slip out as she whispered, “This feels so awkward I’m scared.”



On a side note, my outfit was inferior to theirs.



The setting we were going with was that the three of us were close friends, but I was actually one step behind in terms of financial power. And as for my false social status, I was the highest in the aristocratic hierarchy, and the leader.



The reason I opted for such a burdensome setting was to make it easier to gain the sympathy of my target.



I had a pedigree, but no money. I was an impoverished aristocrat. Convincing others with a persuasive setting was the ABC of earning their sympathy.



[I thought getting into the royal capital would be tough, but it actually went smoothly.] (Dia)



[Indeed. All we needed was our IDs.] (Tarte)



[I told you so. There is nothing wrong about sightseeing in the royal capital. We are noblewomen. So show more confidence.] (Lugh)



The IDs I had prepared were authentic, but they belonged to other people.



There were countless aristocrats in need of money. If you presented them with a little bit of cash, they would gladly hand their IDs to you on a silver plate. 



And as long as you had a noble’s ID paper, while it didn’t allow you to live there, you could be given entrance to the royal capital.



[I wanted to ask, why are you wearing this outfit even though it’s hard to move in? It’s a dress, right? It’s hard to walk around town in this.] (Dia)



[Because we are in the royal capital. I have to be appropriately dressed, lest I make a fool of myself!] (Lugh)



On a side note, that line just now was to establish myself as a poor, yet haughty individual.



[That’s not the only reason, is it?] (Tarte)



I couldn’t answer Tarte’s question while we were pretending to be three noble young ladies clueless about the world.



So I casted a wind spell. I called it【Whisper】. 



It was a spell that carried my whispers to the ears of my interlocutor, and vice-versa.



We could now have conversations in whispers no matter what the circumstances, and I had trained the two of them so that, on the condition that this spell was active, they could speak in such low voices that no one could listen in, and without hardly moving their lips.



From an outsider’s point of view, we just seemed to be walking in silence.



[I plan to attend a party held by a guy who’s supposed to testify against me. So I needed to be dressed accordingly. He throws parties  very often. That’s where I’ll win him over before bringing him to his room. That way, I’ll be able to persuade him without anyone getting in my way. And I’d like you two to lend me your support.] (Lugh) (TN : He’s back to his usual manner of speech.)



[…You know, the fact that it’s you, a guy, who are in charge of charming the target feels hurtful in itself.] (Dia)



[That’s because I’m the most qualified for the task. Besides, I don’t want to see either of you hitting on another guy.] (Lugh)



[Ehehe…! That doesn’t feel so bad when you put it that way.] (Dia)



[I’m happy to hear that too. …But that means you will take our place and do this and that with a man…? *Gulp*] (Tarte)



[Erm no, because the whole point of cross-dressing as a woman is just to take him to his room.] (Lugh)



[Ahaha. Yes, of course. That’s a relief.] (Tarte)



For some reason, I sensed a bit of disappointment in her sentence, but maybe that was just my imagination.



The reason I intentionally used makeup to make Dia look less attractive and hid Tarte’s huge breasts was so that no one would lust after them.



On the other hand, if I had made them downright ugly, they wouldn’t have had the appropriate looks to be allowed into the party.



Therefore, I reduced their beauty by half, just enough so that no man would accost them at the party.



Conversely, I was the one who would play the role of the seductress, so I went all out on my disguise.



…Nevertheless, even without her chest, Tarte still looked cute and charming, and even though her skin was unclean and her face was covered in freckles, Dia remained a beautiful girl. I regretted having to make them less appealing than usual.



[Still, for him to host parties like it’s nothing despite how much it costs, that aristocrat must be thriving.] (Dia)



[That’s what you would think for most people, but it’s different with that guy. If anything, he throws parties to earn money.] (Lugh)



[Um, why does he raise money at parties that cost him money?] (Tarte)



[He’s from what you could call a formerly prestigious family. His father was not only incompetent, but also obsessed with works of art, in which he dilapidated his assets and fortune, causing him to be indebted, then he was frowned upon by many people when he tried to forcibly collect them and fell into ruin. Even so, their family name still holds some value. Attending a party hosted under that name is a sign of status in itself. That’s why the upstarts who have nothing to their names but money will gladly participate… even if they have to pay a high price for that.] (Lugh)



[Wow. A noble selling his pride is already bad enough, but those who believe that something like this can be bought with money are just plain amoral.] (Dia)



As a former high-ranked aristocrat, Dia despised such practices.



Money alone couldn’t buy grace and tradition.



So they used it to buy their connection to a well-known aristocrat.



Of course, from the perspective of nobility, being connected to a fallen aristocrat was nothing but an object of ridicule, but if those nobles wanted to compete with their fellow upstarts and put them down, then they would be content with being invited to a famous aristocrat’s party, regardless of the internal affairs of nobility.



[There is one more thing I would like to know. Why did you say that going there as a girl would be more convenient?] (Tarte)



[Well about that, it seems the guy’s been awfully stressed out because his sponsors, aka the moneybags attending his party, told him to bring in beautiful women, and blue-blooded noble daughters at that. The aristocratic society is already spreading nasty rumors about him, so the average noble won’t associate with him. After all, his guests are a bunch of nouveaux riches who believe that money can buy anything. If he brought girls into this party, they would surely be treated as harlots. So if the guy saw three naive, beautiful girls on a tour of the royal capital, what would he think?] (Lugh)



[…He would be tempted to trick them into attending his party, right?] (Dia)



[But will he notice us?] (Tarte)



[It’s unlikely that it would happen by chance. However, I’ve already done the prep work. The agent I’ve assigned here in the royal capital, the one who gave me the information, is also an aristocrat. He’s related to the original owner of my fake ID. So I had him tell the target that his relative, an aristocrat’s daughter, would be coming to visit him in secret with her two friends. And just as I thought, he took the bait. Our appointment with them is in 10 mins.] (Lugh)



When it came to assassination, the most crucial part was the prep work.



It only took a second to kill, but what mattered was how well-prepared you were before then.



The fountain to the east of the royal capital was a famous and well-used tourist attraction.



The agent I had posted in the royal capital told me to wait there. 



When I took a look at my pocket watch, it was time for the appointment.



There it begins.



[Ah, Lou! So you’ve already arrived. And these are your friends?] (Royal capital operative)



“Lou” was my alias as a woman. A good-looking man with close-cropped blond hair came running towards us, waving.



His name was Robert, the second son of a viscount.



He was a follower of mine who worshipped me as a hero. …And the guy right behind him was my target.



[It’s been a while, Robert-niisan. I’m sorry for taking your time even though you’re busy with work.] (Lugh/Lou)



[Anything for my cute cousin. I don’t mind at all. Are these girls your friends?] (Royal capital operative —> Robert)



[Yes, they were telling me how much they wanted to meet you. This is Torte and Till.] (Lugh/Lou)



[It’s my pleasure to meet you, my name is Torte. I heard a lot about you from Lou.] (Tarte/Torte)



[I’m Till, nice to meet you! I’ve been looking forward to visiting the royal capital for a long time.] (Dia/Till)



[The three of you are so pretty. I feel in high spirits!] (Robert)



Tarte and Dia’s fake names were Torte and Till respectively. Those were the names on the IDs I bought.



Robert and I were chatting in a friendly and cheerful manner as if we had known each other for a decade.



We looked like close siblings from every angle.



The reason we acted like this was so that our target standing behind Robert would trust us.



But I have to say, Robert sure is a useful man. He’s a spontaneous actor, smart enough to guess what our aim is, and an excellent conversationalist.



Alright, that should be enough to show him how well we get along. Now let’s begin.



[Um, Robert-niisan, is this man one of your acquaintances?] (Lugh/Lou)



[Oh right, sorry. This is a friend of mine. A charming prince who’s inviting you to his social event.] (Robert)



[Social event? What do you mean?] (Lugh/Lou)



The guy was a man who was looking for an aristocrat’s daughter to fulfill the demands of the nouveaux riches.



And now he had three gorgeous and innocent noble daughters who were longing for a party hosted in the royal capital. It didn’t take a genius to know where that would lead to.



[I’ll take it from here. My name is Gran Flantrude. Though I may be young, I am the head of my county. I would like to invite you all to a social event I’m hosting.] (Count Flantrude)



[A social event in the royal capital? How delightful! A dance hall with sparkling chandeliers, beautiful music, graceful dancing— Oh, I’m sorry. I’m… from the countryside… And there is nothing sparkling like that over there, so I have been yearning for such an event…] (Lugh/Lou)



[It’s alright, don’t worry about it. If it makes you so happy, then it was worth inviting you. Whether it’s chandeliers, a dance hall, beautiful music, or a dance-loving upper class crowd, my party has everything. Feel free to enjoy it to the fullest.] (Count Flantrude)



[Thank you so much! Fufu…! I’m glad I dressed up for this occasion. See, Torte, Till? I told you dressing fashionably was the right call after all.] (Lugh/Lou)



[Yes, with our outfits, we can already go to the party.] (Tarte/Torte)



I smirked.



I had already done my research on Count Gran Flantrude. 



He was still in his mid-twenties, but as he stated, he was already the head of House Flantrude. 



And he happened to be there the day I fought that last demon, which was why he was chosen to be a witness.



And that wasn’t the only reason they picked him. He was a man who would do whatever it took to rebuild his household. Therefore, the mastermind concluded that he would do anything he wanted as long as he was paid for it.



House Flantrude was on the decline because of the previous lord’s wasteful habits, and if things were left as they were, their household would fall into ruins.



So he decided to kill his father and become the head of his household himself to salvage it.



After that, he tried to rebuild his finances by selling his father’s art collection, but his father didn’t have a discerning eye, and most of the works were worthless forgeries, and he even had trouble paying interest on his debts.



So he focused on using the name of House Flantrude to butter up the upstarts and nouveaux riches.



Personally, I didn’t hate this guy.



He had resolve, he was proactive, and his actions made perfect sense.



His methods were dirty, but admittedly, he had no other alternatives.



[Torte, Till, you should thank him as well. You girls also wanted to attend a party in the royal capital, didn’t you?] (Lugh/Lou)



[Thank you very much for your invitation.] (Tarte/Torte)



[Wow, a party at the royal capital. What joy.] (Dia/Till)



Dia’s reply sounded slightly monotone, but it was passable.



In fact, Count Flantrude smiled.



Behind his facade, there was a hint of mockery he couldn’t conceal.



…I guess he’s thinking something like “Those stupid country upstarts, they don’t even realize they’re being fooled.”



He didn’t realize who was actually fooling whom.



The easiest people to fool were the ones convinced that they were fooling others. Because their condescension left them full of openings.



And so, I did some probing as I chatted with Count Flantrude.



Also, I was confident about one thing.



I was now Count Flantrude’s favorite.



He was focusing his lustful eyes on me. Although, that was because Robert told me what his preferences were, allowing me to work on my disguise.



My hair color, my hairstyle, my clothes, the tone of my voice, my gestures, my scent, my topics, they all matched his tastes.



He had a complex about not having as much money as his followers even though his status was high, and he was putting on airs.



I didn’t forget to insinuate that I was in a situation he could easily relate to.



That way, I could fine tune and correct my character so I could be more to his liking.



I learned a few things during our conversation.



This man wanted to be respected.



The decent nobles mocked him as a fool who sold his pride as an aristocrat, he let the upstarts use him in exchange for their money, and he had no choice but to smile through it all.



He was trying to rebuild his dying household by any means necessary, but his relatives were now antagonizing him. He is in agony because no one recognizes him. He was in anguish because no one approved of him.



In such a situation, no doubt that being the object of envy of a naive noblewoman must have been a pleasant feeling. Even a single random compliment made his day.



If I flatter him some more, he’ll probably try to take me to his room.



Once we’re alone in his room and locked together, I’ll be able to make him the perfect string puppet.



[Well then ladies, my carriage is this way. I will take you to my residence. Here’s an idea, we should make a detour. You said you came here to explore the royal capital, right?] (Count Flantrude)



[My, how marvelous. And how thoughtful of you. Are all the gentlemen in the royal capital so attentive? There is a certain air to you that I’ve never found in any man I know.] (Lugh/Lou)



[Hahaha! Not everyone is like this, but the least I can say is that I never fail to show consideration to women.] (Count Flantrude)



He was in an even better mood.



I see, so rather than mere empty praise, he likes to be told that he’s better than those around him.



This was surely the flip side of his complex. I could spit out as much flattery as I wanted to please that guy.



Like how he was more refined than the upstarts at his party, or how he was a genuine aristocrat, etc.



I should keep praising him by comparing him to the people who usually give him a hard time.



[Flantrude-sama, um… Will you… dance with me at the party? I would like to dance with you.] (Lugh/Lou)



[You are one assertive young lady. Sure, if you’re okay with me.] (Count Flantrude)



When we boarded his carriage, he held out his hand to help me up alone, and let his men help the other two.



The first stage was a success.



I made a good first impression, and kept him from approaching Tarte and Dia.



Everyone got in, then the carriage drove off.



This was an interesting situation though. Two genuine liars who were both convinced that they had the other in the palm of their hand.



But it wouldn’t be long before this battle of lies was settled.



In half a day, it would be clear who was the greatest liar.