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As Siervian was testing her luck, Marco pulled something from his pocket suddenly. As expected, despite reading comments about how gullible Marco seemed, she couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss.
He retrieved a booklet made of paper from his pocket.
“What’s that?”
“It’s the report that was sent just now.”
“…!”
Siervian couldn’t help but wonder if it was the ledger Palton had failed to conceal earlier.
“This is…” Siervian hastily unfolded the paper, as she had learned how to read ledgers from Marco before.
“It’s an exceptionally well-kept ledger, isn’t it?”
“….”
However, contrary to expectations, Marco still didn’t grasp any clues.
“Even when I worked in the finance department, I never came across such a meticulous ledger. Hm? Why do you look that way, Your Highness?”
“Oh… It’s nothing.”
Siervian briefly looked at Marco with a melancholic gaze then continued to calmly peruse the accounting.
Apparently, this wasn’t the ledger that Palton had wanted to hide. It was most likely something that had been cleverly fabricated to appear genuine.
“Hmm? Something seems odd.” But the more she examined it slowly, the more she sensed that something was amiss, just as Marco had mentioned.
“Is there anything else you would like to know?”
“…There doesn’t seem to be any particular issue.”
In her view, there was nothing suspicious. She could clearly see the substantial profits realized from the Simbu coast. Could it be that they were trying to deceive her by making the ledger appear legitimate?
“Oh, by the way. The amount indicated there arrived safely in the Empire. We confirmed its arrival before we departed, and the remaining personnel there have also completed additional verifications. So, I am reporting it to you now.”
“…Is that so?”
However, that wasn’t it either. If they had presented fake gold coins, Marco would have noticed it first.
‘Then what kind of scam did they pull off?’
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It seemed that there was still something she needed to investigate.
* * *
The next day, Siervian purposely visited the branch without Marco. Without giving prior notice, she arrived, but Palton welcomed her with apparent delight.
“Your Highness! It’s an honor to receive your visit for two consecutive days! What a joyful occasion!”
[Palton]
Thoughts: These Empire bastards! Why are they here again!
Of course, his seemingly bright smile concealed such dark thoughts.
“Yes! I felt like it, so I purposely came.”
Siervian also smiled and responded playfully to Palton’s spoken greeting.
“Well… Is that so?”
[Palton]
Favorability: -50
She had the rare opportunity to witness someone’s favorability plummeting.
“Ahem, Your Highness. Since you’re here, I want to discuss the matter of assigning a knight. I don’t want to put you in trouble.”
Since there was no way to prevent the owner of the branch from coming, Palton, who had nothing to hide, changed his goals.
[Palton]
Thoughts: I can’t even get my hands on the ledger while that goddamn knight is glaring at me!
‘As expected, it’s good that I left the knight behind.’
Of course, Siervian was clearly aware of the ruse and smiled innocently like Marco again.
“It’s okay, it’s all for Palton’s sake!”
“…I apologize, Your Highness.”
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Palton seemed like a seasoned con artist in possession of the ability to control his facial expressions. Despite openly teasing him like this, he could still smile so warmly! Siervian found it unsettling and quickly changed the subject. She felt sorry for Marco for being deceived.
“I saw the ledger yesterday.”
“Is that so, Your Highness?”
She deliberately emphasized the word ‘ledger’ but Palton casually responded. Suspicious of his reaction, Siervian asked the question she had been pondering, “It seems our Conoa candle sells really well.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Contrary to Siervian’s expectations, Conoa candle was indeed surprisingly popular. Marco hadn’t exaggerated for no reason.
“Over 2,000 units sold in just one month! I had no idea it was in such high demand!”
Siervian had various motives behind her carefully chosen question. Because Palton was the only one capable of pulling off such a scam, she wanted to uncover the true sales figures and prices. Therefore, this question would inevitably reveal the ‘actual’ sales volume of Conoa candles.
“Of course. It’s all thanks to Your Highness’ virtue!”
[Palton]
Thoughts: They don’t even realize that the actual sales are more than double that. Stupid Imperial fools.
‘So that’s how it is!’
Ironically, the issue was that the fragrance developed by Siervian was simply too good. It attracted more attention than Marco or Siervian had anticipated, making it possible for Palton to divert a certain portion of the money without raising suspicion.
Besides, with a significant amount of coins already returned to the Empire, there was no reason to suspect anything.
[Palton]
Thoughts: Those Empire folks still haven’t grasped its true popularity. This will be a long-lasting product.
So if he gradually reduces the money sent to the Empire, his share will increase. Hehehe.
“By the way, precisely how much was the sales volume last month?”
Afterward, Siervian deliberately bombarded Palton with questions about the ledger. Perhaps due to her outward appearance as a young child, Palton answered politely. It seemed that he believed Siervian didn’t fully understand the ledger.
‘Hmm, the answers are perfect.’
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Furthermore, as a skilled con artist, Palton showed no sign of hesitation in his responses. The contents matched exactly what Siervian remembered from the ledger Marco had shown her. It was a moment where the persistence Palton had shown in assisting Marco with the underlying work for years became apparent.
[Palton]
Mood: Irritation
Thoughts: Damn it, I can’t hide the real ledger like this.
…It won’t work. Although he doesn’t like it, he will have to rely on the guild…
After the tedious process of deliberately asking repetitive questions, Palton finally considered hiding the ledger himself.
‘The guild?’
Within that thought, Siervian discovered an unexpected fact, narrowing her eyes.
* * *
A few days later, the situation became much more significant than expected.
‘Even con artists have guilds…!’
Surprised by the mention of the guild, Siervian cautiously sought assistance from her surroundings. Through her investigations, she astonishingly discovered that con artists had formed guilds.
“Are you ready, Roid?”
“Yes, Your Highness… it’s dangerous, so I must accompany you, right?”
“Yes!”
They were looking at the ordinary guild building that the con artists were currently using as their hideout. Although it appeared to be a small merchant guild, their investigations had led them to suspect it was the con artists’ lair.
“Princess, I will protect you at all costs!”
Beside Siervian was Prince Abrel Garambell, who had officially offered assistance to the Mosae Kingdom.
“Thank you, Prince.”
Siervian doubted whether they could handle the situation with just the knights, considering they didn’t know how many swindlers were inside. Moreover, if they acted recklessly with their military forces in another kingdom, it could create significant diplomatic problems.
Such collaboration was inevitable.
[Abrel Garambell]
Favorability: +50
However, once they passed along the truth to Mosae Kingdom, they were given additional information. It seemed that the con artist guild, to which Palton belonged, had been making efforts to infiltrate Mosae Kingdom recently. Listening to the misdeeds the scammers had committed in the capital, Siervian could understand how Palton had attempted to penetrate the upper echelons of the empire.
‘…The con artists have extended their reach to Garambell. In my previous life, they would have hesitated due to the epidemic.’
Siervian had never heard of such a large group of mountebanks before. It seemed to be a side effect of the altered history.
‘Get a hold of yourself!’
Nevertheless, thanks to that, having military forces, including Prince Garambell, was achieved. Roid, who had been observing the building, spoke in a low voice.
“There’s the target.”
“Hmm…”
Siervian used a simple magic spell, moving her fingers and bringing it before her eyes. As a result, she could see the distant location as if it were right in front of her.
‘It’s going according to plan.’
The knight who had been placed in the branch was deliberately summoned to Siervian’s side. She didn’t forget to act like a young child around Palton and pretended it was a child’s whim. She also discreetly had knights positioned around them. Feeling nervous due to her constant presence, Palton wished to move the ‘ledger.’
“That… is magic.”
Standing beside her, Abrel Garambell murmured softly, and his face, which had been close to hers all along, turned slightly red. In truth, Siervian had wanted to leave him behind since it was a risky operation for a child to undertake. Of course, she didn’t say it aloud as it wasn’t appropriate for a young lady. Additionally, her busy schedule and the fact that her father couldn’t accompany her made her sigh and suggest bringing the prince instead.
“Would you like to see?”
“Yes, yes!”
Anyway, since the prince expressed his willingness to protect her, Siervian kindly brought her finger in front of him.
[Abrel Garambell]
Favorability: +50
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Today, his favorability seemed to be rising exceptionally well.
‘Is it because the prince is nervous?’
Since Siervian herself was also tense, she shifted her gaze again. Walking around inconspicuously, they naturally headed toward the branch building. Then, they began conversing with someone at the entrance.
“We will subdue them shortly.”
“Okay.”
The knights provided by Mosae Kingdom silently moved toward the target building. The plan was to catch Palton entering the guild and hiding the item.
At that moment, Palton’s status window appeared before Siervian.
[Palton]
Thoughts: What? Knights from the palace?
‘How did he find out?’
Surprisingly, he had noticed the plan while conversing in front of the guild building.