After that, Lorentz seemed to have given up on Loterica completely.
Well, maybe that's obvious. If it's stated so clearly then...
Since he wasn't originally meant to be the heir, it seemed he wasn't removed from the list of successors or disinherited. Naturally, he ended up being the one paying the compensation, and so he ended up working on his family's territory to repay the money his parents paid.
Even after his brother took over as the lord, it seemed he would still have to work to repay his debts...
It would be great if he could marry into a noble or merchant family that would pay off my debts, but with the word of his mess spreading, maybe that might also be hopeless...
Well, it's his own fault, so there's nothing he could do about it.
And what was surprising was the woman he was having an affair with.
It seemed that due to her skill at maneuvering around people, knowing when to quit, and her ability to deal with crises, she had received several marriage proposals from lower-ranking nobles and merchant families involved in criminal activities...
What is thaaaat?!
No, it seemed like even our other members respected her highly!
I definitely didn't want to become friends with her, but she might not be such a bad person to ask for a special job...
In the end, it seemed she made a name for herself in a way, without suffering any significant damage.
...was that really okay?!
Well, it's true that she simply asked a man to break off his engagement and marry her; she didn't commit a crime, nor did she directly frame anyone with her own hands...
Maybe this wouldn't be considered a crime even in Japan.
...Somehow, I'm not convinced!!
There's something that's been bothering me a bit right now.
It's the Sorority for the daughters of nobles that I started in the Old Continent...
...I didn't have a chance to play...
That's right. Unlike Kingdom of Vanell's Society, Kingdom of Zegreius's Sorority had no external track record whatsoever.
The New Continent's Society had achieved many brilliant results.
Not only internal operations such as supporting Count Silvert's daughter, Carlia-chan's attack operation, but also the operation to rescue Baron Wennar, the prophecy from the Goddess, the founding of the children's group, their performances at concerts, support for the orphanage, and many other activities whose results were widely known to the entire nation...
However, this country's Sorority had no record of such activities.
It's a social gathering for close friends, and... to a certain extent, cosmetics were used to raise the level of social interaction.
As for the cosmetics, there's no sample of "The pinnacle of Japanese makeup technology" by Colette-chan here, it's just a practical demonstration by one of our members by Adelaide-chan.
Nor were there any spectacular practical demonstrations by the beauty consultants.
...And so, they hadn't acquired the same level of skill as everyone else in Society.
Unlike the Society of the New Continent, where all members were respected, the Sorority here was merely a society in which the three members, Her Highness the Third Princess (Sabine-chan), the Great Saint (Beatrice-chan), and Archpriestess-sama (me), participated as honorary members, and also in the sense that we could become friends with the daughters of influential nobles.
Yes. The value was "Being a member of Sorority" only, not in each individual member.
Well, there were certain benefits for the individuals, such as the Earth products (not for sale) at General Store Mitsuha, including cosmetics and makeup techniques, and the sweets at tea parties, but it's not like each of them was carrying an invincible golden signboard on an individual level like the members of the New Continent's Society...
So, the members of Sorority were neither called saints nor viewed as heroes.
Perhaps this was also the reason behind the complaints that had been made about the maids' performances earlier.
That's why everyone felt a sense of dissatisfaction, and there's a lack of unity.
But still, in an aristocratic society where factions and relationships between families were often tense, Sorority was being one of the most friendly and successful people...
But when you compared it to the New Continent's Society...
I'd like to do something to help them act as a refuge for the men who were after me, and also to make Sorority more appealing...
"...Do you have any good ideas?" (Mitsuha)
Yep, when I was stuck for ideas, I would rely on Sabi-Colé.
"...Once again, ane-sama has made an unreasonable request..." (Sabine)
Sabine-chan said that, but...
"As the saying goes, three heads are better than one!" (Mitsuha)
"You know what they say: two people are companions, three people are foes?" (Sabine)
Ugh, Sabine-chan is in her rebellious phase...
"Too many captains, the ship will climb up a mountain[1],..." (Colette)
"Oh, Colette-chan knows?!" (Mitsuha)
"……Eh?" (Sabi-Colé)
Huh? Why do they both look so puzzled?
"Colette-chan, you think it's better for everyone to think about it together, right?" (Mitsuha)
"How's that conclusion just from Colette's example?!" (Sabine)
Huh? What are you talking about, Sabine-chan?
"Well, the analogy Colette-chan gave was that if many commanders join forces, the impossible becomes possible, right?" (Mitsuha)
"That's not it!!" (Sabi-Colé)
"How can you have such a misunderstanding, even though it's a Japanese proverb?" (Sabine)
"Sabine-chan and I have studied and know the details..." (Colette)
Eh? Whaat?
Did I do something wrong?
Aaaarghh!
They both taught me the correct meaning.
I felt so embarrassed...
I see, that's what it meant, the boatman's idiom...
"So, maybe, when they say 'kindness is not good for others,' it doesn't mean that showing sympathy to someone in trouble is not good for that person..."
"That's not true at all!!" (Sabi-Colé)
Gaah!!
"Well, well, let's put that aside..." (Mitsuha)
"You covered it up!"
"You tried to cover it up, huh..."
Shut up!
"Anyway, come up with a good idea that will improve the reputation of Sorority! … Preferably one that doesn't cost much money, isn't too troublesome, and isn't a terrible match-pumping scheme." (Mitsuha)
"So that's an unreasonable request!" (Sabine)
Complaints from Sabine-chan would be ignored.
"Mitsuha, on the other continent, the Society was passive in all matters, right?" (Colette)
"Eh?" (Mitsuha)
Colette-chan asked me if I had any ideas.
"In every case, something happened, or they reached out to us for help... Apart from the middle, there was nothing that started with Mitsuha plotting something from the beginning, right?" (Colette)
"...Ah, yeah, if you put it that way, I guess that's true... Supporting Carlia-chan's attack, the operation to rescue Baron _WENNARU_, support for the orphanage, the prophecy from the Goddess, all of it was a request for help, right? Well, we offered to help with the rescue operation for Baron _WENNARU_, but..." (Colette)
Indeed, what Colette-chan said was true.
"Mitsuha, you can't use high-pressure selling or match pump tactics on something like this. If it were discovered that you had deliberately fabricated your achievements, you would lose all credibility in an instant, you know?" (Colette)
"Y-You're right..." (Mitsuha)
Hmm, that's difficult...
Well, maybe I'd just have to wait for the right opportunity to come along and not get involved...
Translation Note
[1] Literal translation is "Too many captains will steer the ship up a mountain," but it's equivalent to "Too many cooks spoil the broth." Its (supposed) meaning is, "If too many people are involved in a task, it will not be done well."