Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Villainess: Peria Alperatz (6)
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The office located at the top floor of the lord's castle.
In the office filled with countless dragon decorations, Peria Alperatz was watching a boy sorting through ledgers.
The eldest son of the House of Alperatz, Philip Alperatz.
The mage, who had only recently risen from his sickbed, was handling the territory's administrative duties in Peria's stead today as well.
"Hmm..."
Scratch, scratch.
The sound of Philip busily moving his pen from his seat echoed through the office.
The repetitive paperwork had become part of his daily routine.
With the previous lord confined due to his mental instability, only Philip and Peria could manage the territory.
That was why Philip, who had at least received heir training, was taking care of the territory's affairs.
"Philip, working hard again today?"
"..."
Peria's gaze, perched on the desk behind Philip's shoulder as he stared at the documents, reached him.
In a situation where Philip himself, who had given up succession, was handling more work than the acting lord Peria Alperatz.
It was hard to tell who the real acting lord even was.
But Philip himself thought it was better to handle things personally than to leave them to his sister beside him.
His sister was utterly unreliable in that regard.
Tap, tap.
After staring at the ledger for a while, Philip soon dipped his pen in ink and spoke up.
"Something's off... the numbers don't match."
No sooner had those words, laced with contemplation, slipped from Philip's mouth...
Twitch.
Peria, who had been watching him, shuddered faintly.
Sensing the subtle tremor transmitted through the desk, Philip turned a suspicious gaze toward her and asked.
"Sis Peria, the budget's a bit short. Do you know why?"
"Th-that, uh, well...? Maybe it went toward something good for the territory's people...!"
Upon hearing Philip's question, Peria reacted with immediate intensity.
She had never been good at lying, even from the old days.
That awkward performance she was putting on now was proof that Peria Alperatz was lying.
It was obvious she had unilaterally used the territory's budget on her own.
"Sigh... Yeah, I suppose so? The budget we allocated last time wouldn't have been enough to install that many magic tools."
"Y-yes! That's definitely it...!"
"Well, if you say so, sis."
However, Philip decided to take Peria's clumsy lie at face value.
It was too late to nitpick over something this minor now.
How many suspicious things had he seen Peria do over the past while?
From some eccentric doctor whose origins were unknown, to the pure white dragon perched on her shoulder—
He had already witnessed all sorts of bizarre sights.
"...Got it. I'll cover the shortfall myself."
To Philip, this level of deviation felt like mere child's play.
There are truths in the world that only bring trouble if uncovered.
Haah.
A bitter sigh escaped Philip's lips as he let Peria's little lie slide.
"..."
Swish.
Right after Philip's slender hand began moving the pen again.
Perhaps feeling awkward from their exchange, Peria, who had slipped under the desk at some point, clasped her hands together and cheered at Philip.
"I'll trust only in you, Philip! Go for it!"
- Kyao~!
After Peria and the little white dragon's cheer rang out.
She promptly left the office with the baby dragon in tow.
Creak.
In the spot where the two intelligent beings had departed, only Philip remained alone.
Scratch, scratch.
Philip Alperatz's hand began filling in the blank ledger entries once more.
"Watching it closely, that dragon's starting to resemble sis."
Dragons live in the Alperatz marquisate.
That was the price of a dream Philip had once harbored in his heart.
* * * * * *
Bartus, the largest city in the Alperatz marquisate.
Jayden Marcus, a young administrator working in the city, finally headed home late into the evening today as well.
The various development plans that had recently begun within Bartus had been forcing overtime on Administrator Jayden every single day.
That was why he was only now making his way home late at night.
"..."
Beneath the starry night sky, the sound of Jayden's footsteps echoed.
Step, step.
Even though it was later than usual, the street visible in Jayden's view wasn't all that dark.
Thanks to the magic tools densely lining both sides of the wide boulevard crossing the city.
"She told us to call them 'streetlights.'"
Walking the street, Jayden looked up at the streetlights.
The streetlights, distributed in Bartus on the acting lord's orders, now illuminated the city's darkness every night.
Was it the effect of the streetlights being installed all over the city?
The number of crimes reported by the guards had also dropped significantly compared to before.
"The lady said to install those expensive magic tools until there wasn't even space left in the city."
Each one boasting an enormous price tag.
They had densely packed the city with them on the acting lord's command.
Even for a wealthy noble, it would be hard to spend so lavishly for the citizens' sake.
Yet Peria Alperatz had bestowed an absurd number of magic tools for the sake of the citizens.
She could truly be called a benevolent lord overflowing with compassion.
"And besides those... there were so many tasks it gave me headaches for a while..."
Moreover, that wasn't all the acting lord had ordered.
She had directed the distribution of magic tools so every household could use clean water.
Or to operate massive mobile magic tools regularly at fares cheaper than carriages.
A flood of orders had come down to the territory's administrators.
And as a result, the current Bartus was a completely different sight from before.
Next to people drawing clean water from public fountains, crowds of citizens waited for the mobile magic tools.
It was a futuristic scene unimaginable in other cities, unfolding right before Jayden's eyes.
"The city's landscape has changed so much from before, hasn't it?"
"Tsk tsk... With how many magic tools the acting lord has installed, of course it's changed like this."
Even two men walking opposite Jayden were chatting about the city's transformation.
Swish.
Jayden's eyes turned toward them with intrigued interest.
'The lady has bestowed so many blessings on the territory, so the citizens' views must have shifted greatly from before.'
The magic tools installed by the marquis's lady had already permeated countless citizens' lives.
Magic tools bestowed out of compassionate intent for her subjects.
The reactions of citizens using those tools must have changed dramatically as well.
Perhaps now, many more people understood the lady's true intentions.
As Administrator Jayden watched the men opposite with such expectations.
From the mouth of a man basking in the streetlight's glow came talk of the acting lord who had installed the magic tools.
"But why did the lady suddenly bring out these things? Magic tools are ridiculously expensive to begin with, aren't they?"
"You don't know?"
"..."
"Our lady, who's part of that terrifying secret society, would install these pricey things without some horrific plan behind it?"
Wobble.
Jayden's legs, listening to their conversation, involuntarily tilted to one side.
He had stumbled in sheer bewilderment at the absurd content.
But rendering Jayden's reaction moot, the citizens' shocking exchange continued.
"Then... all of these are...?"
"Exactly as you're thinking."
"No way! So in the end... it had to come to this."
The man under the streetlight looked at his companion.
Nod, nod.
The man opposite nodded gravely in response.
"What a truly horrific plan..."
"So don't pry any further. It could hurt you and me."
"...Sorry. I misspoke."
"Don't worry about it. It's just between you and me."
Jayden, who had staggered in place, blankly stared at the two.
What on earth could their exchange have meant?
Even Jayden, eavesdropping on the conversation, couldn't comprehend it.
What was frightening them so?
What reason made the marquis's lady seem ever more terrifying?
Jayden Marcus simply couldn't grasp the thoughts of citizens who feared the lady.
"..."
It seemed the time hadn't come yet.
Perhaps embellishing tales around the marquis house's shadowy lady had become a popular pastime among the current citizens.
Thus, Peria Alperatz was stacking up yet another infamy today.
Hah.
A breath tinged with futility clouded before Jayden's eyes.
"No matter how I think about it, there's no way the lady is part of a secret society..."
A terrifying villainess exists in the House of Alperatz.
At least, escaping such rumors wouldn't be easy for a while.
* * * * * *
The temple of the White Order located in the empire's north.
Archbishop Matthias, who had been assembling an investigation team from the northern diocese's clergy, had halted the meeting and was now glaring at the mage seated before him.
A stern-faced mage clad in the robes of the Magic Legion.
Just as Matthias had been passionately addressing reliable clergy, a representative from the Magic Legion had suddenly arrived with outrageous news.
"What did you just say?"
"..."
Archbishop Matthias's voice, facing the Magic Legion mage, clearly carried an interrogative tone.
That alone spoke to how shocking the information was.
Grip.
As Archbishop Matthias clenched his staff tightly.
The Magic Legion mage, head bowed, answered the archbishop's question.
"Kalife, the lead mage scheduled to join the investigation team... was killed in an attack by the blasphemer Sirius in the western region..."
"Ha..."
"Kalife was an investigator highly regarded for his competence from the capital! Our legion dispatched him to the field to assist the Order's investigation...!"
The mage's urgent explanation flowed out briefly.
Thud.
Soon, the archbishop's staff, swept in fury, struck the floor, cutting off the words.
Archbishop Matthias's eyes, having slammed down the staff, fixed on the mage with sharp intensity.
"Why on earth... did he go to the marquisate alone without even a single consultation?"
"..."
"One of our Seven Pillars met his end there in such a ridiculous manner. Surely you understood how dangerous this matter is?"
Crack, crack, craaaack.
From where Archbishop Matthias's staff had struck, massive cracks spiderwebbed outward.
"The Magic Legion always handles things this way. For the empire's sake, our Order has tried to prioritize your legion's policies whenever possible."
"Archbishop Matthias, Your Eminence...!"
"I had believed the empire's own mage unit wouldn't mishandle things so sloppily."
Immense holy power overflowed from the staff's tip.
The overwhelming force permitted only to high clergy.
As the uncontrolled power swirled, Archbishop Matthias rose from his seat, staff in hand.
"And yet here I am, hearing such news again. That he died at the hands of a blasphemer, one of our Order's archenemies, no less—!"
"It's a misunderstanding, Your Eminence! The investigator selection was solely to assign competent personnel for the Order's sake...!"
"Enough—! Shut your mouth, please. I'm done with your tiresome excuses."
"..."
"How long must our Order watch your incompetence?"
Even from Archbishop Matthias's standpoint, retreat was impossible now.
It had been quite some time since the oracle descended.
All they had uncovered in that period was that the mad doctor and blasphemer Sirius were involved.
Beyond that, they had no substantial gains.
"We've shown ample courtesy to the empire by now. So it's your turn to show us some."
"...Your Eminence."
"I have no desire for further bickering, so go report to your superior who sent you right now."
He was here not merely as a diocese head, but representing the Order's supreme leader, Saintess Arianne.
Thus, Archbishop Matthias resolved to take a firm stance.
"We can no longer return empty-handed. Make sure of that."
Archbishop Matthias Bartiers.
He was determined this time to finally seize their trail.