"Arrived!!" (Mitsuha)
After a series of transfers via Earth, I arrived at the royal capital of the Norveth Kingdom, Mileisha's home country. At this time, I heard that Mileisha's family was staying in their mansion in the royal capital rather than in their territory, and it was not possible to know about changes in the political world unless you were in the royal capital.
"Well, first we'll visit the Mileisha's house, the royal capital mansion of the Larisdelle family." (Mitsuha)
I still had the letter from Mileisha in hand, so there was no problem. The story went that a friend of Mileisha from Kingdom of Vanell, where she was studying abroad, happened to be going to this country and had been entrusted with the letter.
This way, there was no way I wouldn't be welcomed, they would want to hear how Mileisha was doing, and it would be easier for me to find out what Mileisha's current status was here. Of course, I heard a lot of things from her, but there were some things I didn't understand myself.
"Welcome! We're grateful to hear that you and Mileisha are good friends!"
When I visited the Mileisha's family, Count Larisdelle's mansion in the royal capital, I handed the letter that Mileisha had written to the servant, so I only had to wait a short time until I was ushered inside.
That's what you would expect if you read the letter, which is written exactly as I asked. It says that we are good friends with Mileisha and that we help each other in various ways. No parent would treat their daughter's friend who is studying abroad in another country poorly. As a nobleman and as a parent worried about his daughter...
Then, I then gave them some sweets and alcohol as souvenirs and we exchanged various information. Her family had heard from Mileisha herself about her daily life. In the letters she had sent up until then, she had probably avoided anything inconvenient and only wrote about things to cover up. So it was helpful as they asked me about her failures and funny stories, and they were very happy about it.
As I thought, it seemed that in her previous letters she had only written inoffensive things so as not to worry her family... He seemed truly relieved to hear from me about Mileisha's real life...even though it's probably heavily embellished.
…Of course, we didn't talk about current predicament at all. We only talked about things that happened a while ago and stories with her close friends. Although he was reluctant to talk, I convinced him that these stories would make his family happier, and that they were absolutely necessary to gain his trust, so I got him to reveal a lot of information.
Oh, I had met up with Mileisha secretly in a private room at a high-class restaurant to talk to her about various things before going here, but one of the guards there was not the same one as before. The person who didn't say anything at that time and the other was a young woman. I guessed the person who was involved with me was removed because they had questions about their eligibility?
It would be one thing if he was only removed when he was meeting me, but if he was completely removed and sent back to his country. The disgrace of being dismissed as the young lady's personal bodyguard could cause a lot of trouble. But, having someone like that as a guard would probably have led to something even more terrible down the line, so it might have been better that way.
The bad rumors that are being spread now seem to be all groundless rumors, but the fact that he yelled at me and used abusive language on me certainly qualifies as a bad rumor. ...Moreover, it's a fact.
I'm the mastermind behind Society right?
Additionally, I'm the head of a noble family from another country (there's suspicion that I'm royalty), and I brong various luxuries to Kingdom of Vanell. A simple foreign student, a daughter of a noble family, me. As for which one the noble families of this country would cherish more...
He had that attitude even towards me, who was asked for a favor. He probably had the same attitude towards the other young ladies. It didn't matter what their parents' titles or political positions were, it was the thought that the girls he served should be given top priority...
Such stupid guards would do more harm than good. If things had continued as they were, the actions and words of that guard might have led people to believe the bad rumors about Mileisha were true.
Actually, the other person who didn't stop it was also a bit of a problem, but if they both are removed, there won't be any escort left. Is the woman who replaces him an ordinary maid, or an escort maid with some combat ability who accompanies him to places where men cannot enter? Somehow, I had a feeling it was the latter. No, based on her aura, her gaze, her movements...
...And instead of me speaking, I asked her family about any messages they wanted to convey to Mileisha. The latest developments, how Mileisha's friends were doing, and news about the country— In a word, there was nothing abnormal. Apparently, there is no trouble at home...such as a fight for succession or an engagement. Okay, next one, next! Withdraw!!
I then checked among Mileisha's friends and those with a vested interest, but I didn't find any information of interest. Thanks to the gifts and the updates of Mileisha current situation, everyone was pretty talkative. Nobody doubted us.
"...Hmm, it seems the people of this country have nothing to do with this..." (Mitsuha)
"Yeah. I don't think there was anyone suspicious either." (Sabine)
"…………" (Beatrice)
Sabine-chan seemed a little disappointed that she didn't have a role— Beatrice-chan was silent. Come to think of it, Beatrice-chan remained silent the whole time during the interview. Why...? Ah!
"...I'm sorry. Beatrice-chan didn't understand what we were saying here..." (Mitsuha)
"Ah……" (Sabine)
Sabine-chan also stood frozen with his mouth wide open. Even Sabine-chan made these kinds of oversights sometimes...
Beatrice-chan probably never imagined she would be brought to a country where the language was different. Oh no, this is a huge failure!
"Sorry……" (Mitsu-Sabi)
"No, it doesn’t really matter. I’m more than happy that you brought me along. Just being able to go on a sightseeing trip to a faraway foreign country with Sabine-chan and Mitsuha would be fun enough! Also, because I didn't understand the language, I was able to focus on the changes in the other person's facial expressions and determine whether they were lying or not." (Beatrice)
As expected from Beatrice-chan. She's gone to great lengths to make sure we don't have to worry...
"Thank you both! I'm not very good at understanding the secrets of nobles, so having two people who can see through them is a great help!" (Mitsuha)
Yep, lip service is free and it has a big effect. Their facial expressions had also improved.
Well, it's not like I was always doing research. Even if the trip was only for a moment, since I had come all the way there, I looked around the country's royal capital and enjoyed myself in many ways. Sabine-chan had been traveling a lot since we started hanging out together, but Beatrice-chan hadn't had as many opportunities to do so. In addition, it would be beneficial for the two of them in the future to see and hear first-hand information about other countries.
Anyway, it looked like they both had a lot of fun, so that was good—Of course, I had plenty of fun too.
"Ah, you two, when you tell Colette-chan about this, make sure you say that the main focus was on research, with only a little bit of sightseeing, okay?" (Mitsuha)
Yes, there's no need to hide the fact that we were doing research, but if you keep saying "It was fun!" too much, it won't be very entertaining for Colette-chan. She's not the type of person to complain about something like that, but that's exactly why we have to be a little careful about it... Maybe Colette-chan could come and play with us again next time.
...Anyway, that's all for now...
"Transfer!!" (Mitsuha)
"...Now then, since the possibility that the cause was in her home country has greatly decreased, let's proceed with our own investigation..." (Mitsuha)
That's right, in the first place, I didn't think that the problem laid in her home country. But if, after conducting a thorough investigation here, we found out that the mastermind was actually someone from her home country, that would be infuriating. So that was why I investigated that first.
It's not 100% perfect, but I can accept that it's inevitable that I won't understand it at the time. With this, I can concentrate on my research in this country (Kingdom of Vanell).
"Well then, let's start by analyzing the information everyone gathered at the emergency meeting of Society... I'm counting on you, Sabine-chan!" (Mitsuha)
"Leave it to me!" (Sabine)
...Yes, when it comes to things related to conspiracies, Sabine-chan really comes alive... If you become too devious, I'm a little worried about your future... When I first met you, I thought you were like an angel...
"...Dear Sister, are you thinking of something rude?" (Sabine)
"N-no, no, not at all..." (Mitsuha)
Ugh, she's glaring at me with distrustful eyes...
Translation Note
Thanks to TV.Station for the comprehensive suggestions