After that, we all voted on several courses of action and then we started taking action.
I had delivered a letter from me, no, from "Society...", to Loriza's cousin, Viscountess Loterica de Wallisvald, the victim of this case, and her father.
I hoped that I could bring some peace of mind to Loterica and her family...
And now, members of "Society (us)" were engaged in schemes here and there.
...You think we shouldn't go to all that trouble and just announce the facts we have found and that Loterica is innocent?
No no, that would be like a weekly magazine in Japan writing a false article, causing a huge uproar, then being sued and then publishing a small apology in the magazine; the damage would hardly be repaired.
Rumors were gossip that was expanded and spread in a humorous way, but correction articles didn't get any attention at all and didn't spread.
As a result, the rumors did not go away, the victims' reputations were not restored, and even if a lawsuit was filed, the compensation of several million yen that the magazine company had to pay was insignificant compared to the amount of sales the magazine made.
...Whoever did it first won.
Therefore, if you wanted to correct the information, you had to completely overwrite it with a topic that had more impact than the last time.
And then, we made those with power over the perpetrator... such as the perpetrator's father or a noble relative... believed that if things continued as they were, something bad would happen to them, forcing them to take action.
...Right. In other words, it has to be "serves you right."
We need to be careful of "Serves you right," but I don't think he's a reincarnated person, and we have the strategist Micchan with us, so we should be fine.
"...Who is the 'strategist'?! And what are those meaningless words like 'serves you right' and 'reincarnated person'..."
"Oh, did I say it out loud?" (Mitsuha)
Anyway, they were too sloppy.
Their family had a higher nobility rank.
A male-dominated society.
The person with the loudest voice, the person who got the word out first, and the person with the most people spreading the rumor had an overwhelming advantage.
And the shameless liar benefited more than the honest person.
Because of the kind of society we lived in, people tend to underestimate and took the world for granted.
...Then let's switch positions.
Behold the rage of the Yamano clan and our fellow members of "Society"!!
A party held by a certain Count's family.
At the venue, Lorentz (ローレンツ), the third son of Count Elthof (エルトフ), who had framed Loriza's cousin, Viscount Loterica de Wallisvard, and called off their engagement, and the Count's second daughter, his mistress, were chatting pleasantly with wine glasses in hand...
"……eh?"
Lorenz had his mouth open in shock at the conversation he had just heard from the group of girls nearby.
And the story he heard was...
"Loterica has become a member of that 'Society'?"
Society.
They were a group of beautiful and intelligent girls who were said to be saints who had received the protection and favor of the goddess.
It was a social organization for chosen girls, presided over by the daughter of a certain marquis family, rumored to be royalty, and fully supported by a foreign girl with a title herself as vice-president, with girls from all over the country eager to join.
...The Society, which boasted overwhelming support and popularity among both aristocrats and commoners, and whose members were said to be able to heat a bath every day just by submitting an engagement proposal...
It was originally extremely difficult to get into, and it was said that they were no longer accepting new members.
"Wh-why..."
His new partner... the second daughter of a Count's family, with whom he had an affair... was also stunned.
Perhaps she had applied to join and been turned down.
And perhaps she could not accept the fact that while she, the daughter of a Count, was rejected, Loterica, the daughter of a Viscount with a bad reputation, was accepted...
"...But it's strange..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Lorenz and the others listen carefully to the girls' conversation.
"Because he is the third son of Count Elthof who publicly called off his engagement to Lady Loterica.
Lady Loterica is a wonderful person, and if he married her, he would be able to remain a noble...
Apparently, the woman he cheated on with was the second daughter of count.
Since he has two older brothers, a younger brother, and an older sister, it's almost impossible for him to inherit the title.
As for him, as the third son, the chances of him succeeding his family's Count title are low, unless a war breaks out and all of his brothers die..."
"That's not a very flattering topic to talk about!"
"Ah, excuse me, I was just..."
Things like war breaking out or the death of another family's heir were not things a lady should broach, even if it was just private talk among close friends.
So, after being scolded by the other girl, she seemed to have sincerely apologized.
"Oh? But isn't that the same for Lady Roterica? I'm sure Lady Roterica also has an older brother..."
"Yes, she has one older brother and two younger sisters...
However, unlike his cheating partner, Lady Roterica is second in line to succession.
If something happens to her brother..."
"That's why I told you not to talk about bad luck from other families!"
"Ah, I'm sorry..."
The young lady was scolded again. She seemed to be very remorseful.
"...And so, even if her brother succeeds the family without any problems...I believe Lady Loterica will be given the title of baron.
In fact, Lady Rotelica's family is a Viscount, but she also holds the title of Baron.
Apparently, her mother holds a title...
Lady Loterica's family home, Viscounty Wallisvald, actually only accounts for four-fifths of the current operational area, with the remaining fifth being the neighboring barony of her mother.
This is just my imagination, but I think that perhaps her parents were childhood friends whose territories were next to each other and that they married passionately for love...
It's a great love story that overcame the obstacles of her family, who were vehemently opposed to her mother's decision to marry her only daughter!"
"Oh! How wonderful, so romantic!"
"How envious..."
"She's the winners..."
"As a woman, I am a winner in life!!" (All 3 girls)
The people around listened intently to the girls' conversation, which was gradually getting louder.
This was not only an interesting story, but also a scandal for other noble families.
If a certain noble household were to lose power, it could have an impact on various things, such as factions and related businesses.
Therefore, it was common sense for nobles to have a firm grasp of this kind of information.
From that perspective, Lorenz should have stopped the girls from loudly talking about things that were inconvenient for him and the Elthof family, but he wanted to hear the rest of the story that he didn't know, and perhaps because he was so distracted by the unexpected content of the conversation, he didn't think that far ahead.
And perhaps because of this, he didn't even seem to protest when he was called the "third son" and his girlfriend was called the "mistress."
"That's why I find it strange for him that Lady Loterica, who is sure to at least have the title of baron, would switch to a woman without a title, even if she is the daughter of a count.
No matter how noble a person is, if they are not the heir, they are only a member of a noble family. If their spouse does not have a title, then they are no different from a commoner after they leave home.
It would be nice if he could become a knight or a civil servant, but he is a man of little talent..."
"…………" (All 3 girls)
That's why girls from noble families aimed for an heir, and if that's not possible, then they aimed for someone who looked like they could rise to become a civil servant, or a knight... and if that didn't work, then they aimed for an heir to a large family.
"Perhaps there was a problem with Lady Loterica..."
"That is absolutely not the case. It has already been confirmed that all the accusations made by the third son in front of so many people are completely groundless.
All of the people who testified at that time were friends of the third son, and it seems they all committed various crimes together."
"Huh? How did you know that?"
The young lady who was explaining the situation smiled brightly and answered the question.
"Well, Lady Loterica joined that 'Society' after her engagement was broken off...
That Society requires rigorous investigation into who can join, and only honorable women are admitted...
Do you think the protection and favor of the Goddess can be bestowed upon those with impure hearts?
And the day after the engagement was broken off, the new couple was already getting cozy.
Who do you think was the unfaithful one?
And I wonder what everyone in the Society, who are rumored to value their allies, will think about their newfound enemies..."
"Ah……" (All 3 girls)
Ah…… (Everyone's mind)
Not only the girls who had been in the conversation, but the people around them who were listening also generally guessed what was going on.
And of course, there was a couple standing there, pale-faced and trembling...