Chapter 180
A dark, dark space.
In other words, a report radiating pure wickedness was unfolding in a hotel guest room with the curtains drawn and the lights dimmed.
"I tried tracking the logistics line, but the Church erased its tracks and went into hiding a long time ago, so there hasn't been much success."
Head of Inspection Renard gave a report on his tracking of the Church by investigating the Church train and its suspicious technology.
In front of him, Pastel was nom-nomming on ice cream, which tasted even better because she was eating it in winter.
"It can't be helped. We originally responded cautiously because we intended to investigate with the help of the United Kingdom. We gave them too much time."
Logically, getting the permission and help of the United Kingdom, a Demon Realm veteran, was the proper procedure, rather than having a Governor-General, an imperial official, poke around and investigate the Demon Realm as she pleased.
Otherwise, it would be a diplomatic issue.
But she hadn't expected the Radical Faction to shamelessly interfere and the Moderate Faction to act so lukewarmly.
"Still, the Radical Faction, which was moderately bad demonkind, has now turned over a new leaf into moderately good demonkind, so it should be fine!"
Many people literally got their heads cut off in the process, but since they died for corruption, it was karma.
To commit corruption as a public official.
It was something for the good Pastel to be enraged about!
No wonder they terrorized the Demon Realm railway of the Kraft Merchant Guild, which hadn't committed a single misdeed!
It must have been a competitor's bribery scheme!
Renard tapped and shook the report.
"Hey, about that. If we're going to track them anyway, wouldn't it be better to get the United Kingdom's cooperation? With this incident, it seems the Council has also decided on a stance to oppose the Church. If it's a problem that occurred in their territory, they should be the ones spending money on it."
"That does make sense, but."
Pastel crossed her arms. Her ice cream spoon bobbed up and down.
In a position where she had to contact the Church and attempt a conversation with her dad, she found that having an official subjugation cooperation with the United Kingdom was a bit...
Renard, quick to catch on, furrowed his brows.
"What? Is there some reason I don't know about? You're hiding things from me too?"
The fact that her Dad was a high-ranking cultist was naturally a secret.
This was a secret that only Lord Demon, who had witnessed it with her, needed to know.
"Heh?"
Pastel rested her chin on her hand.
"Can't I hide it? Friend Renard?"
Her pink hair flowed down her shoulder.
"Ah, geez."
Renard ruffled his hair.
He looked annoyed, like someone who had become Pastel's exclusive secret friend only to find out she had a secret-secret friend.
Renard put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight to one leg.
"Hey. If you're running an intelligence organization and find out the owner is rolling information somewhere else too, how do you think a member would feel?"
Pastel thought carefully.
Then she smiled brightly and clapped her hands together.
"Pastel is a popular person!"
Woah.
Renard was dumbfounded.
"Ahaha!"
Pastel waved her hands.
"There's no other secret organization! Governor-General Pastel doesn't unnecessarily induce internal competition!"
In the first place, everyone here was a Friend Friend, so there was no reason to worry about betrayal!
"The popular person Pastel trusts her friends!"
This means she wouldn't do something like inducing division among her subordinates through mutual checks and balances.
Renard stared at her suspiciously.
"And someone like that orders a background check on the princess she called a friend?"
Gasp.
"That was just a public duty!"
Unrelated to the popular person Pastel!
"To begin with, Ellie was a friend managed separately on the friend ranking from the start, so the response method was a bit different!"
"What a load of nonsense."
"Ahaha!"
Pastel waved her hands enthusiastically. Her ice cream spoon swung around.
"Anyway, it's not like I'm hiding something from you regarding a public matter! I just have a personal reason, so I think we need to make moderate contact with the Church!"
Renard raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah? So you're saying we have to leave the United Kingdom out of it and investigate with our own manpower?"
"Yeah!"
At the useless waste of manpower, Renard facepalmed.
"Right, it's your property, so what can't you do? If it's moderate contact, you mean you're going to at least talk with the Church?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
Pastel scooped up a big bite of ice cream and ate it with a waaah~! The coldness mixed with the winter temperature made her teeth ache.
Wow, so cold.
"Then it's not like there isn't a way."
"Whoa! Renard is competent!"
When she gave a thumbs up, Renard snorted.
"We can just use that guy we caught last time. Given the Council's hostile atmosphere toward the Church, it'll be difficult right away, so keep that in mind."
"Nathaniel?"
"Yeah."
Nathaniel, who had even acted as an emissary for the Radical Faction, had survived this mass purge cleanly.
The reason was simple.
The period of disappearance during which he had resided for a long time in Pastel's residence for secret agent activity had created a perfect alibi.
Whether the Radical Faction plotted a Governor-General assassination against Pastel or whatever, Nathaniel hadn't left his room and had gotten along well with the Sky Island Knights during that time.
As expected of a secret agent!
There had been reasonable doubt that he might have participated in the assassination plot during his period of disappearance, but Pastel wasn't one to just watch an acquaintance croak. When she indirectly provided alibi testimony, he was cleanly freed from the purge.
"Locking him up on your first meeting was a problem, but since you saved his butler, the grudge relationship is roughly settled, and with this favor on top of that, he'll naturally cooperate. Though it is funny to call locking him up a favor."
"But since Nathaniel became a survivor of the Radical Faction, he seemed busy with this and that trying to solidify his position in the Council."
Even though he had a gambling hobby, he was still the family head of House Friesli, so he was working tirelessly now that an opportunity had come. The Radical Faction had shrunk due to this incident, but it was a massive opportunity for Nathaniel.
"Who cares."
Renard snorted.
Gasp.
Such a misdeed.
Something only Renard, who used to run Playing Leader, would do.
However, since meddling in a subordinate's affairs wasn't the virtue of a superior, Pastel stayed quiet.
Gasp.
Startling herself, she scooped up some ice cream and put it in her mouth.
Nom.
"Got it! Then work on it once the hostile Council atmosphere settles down! I'll just do my personal business in the meantime!"
Woah-Woah.
Ice cream is delicious.
#
Pastel visited the headquarters of the Demon World Corporation located in the capital of the United Kingdom.
It was a super huge skyscraper, true to a place that was an alliance created by imperial trading groups pouring in money to bleed the Demon Realm dry, and one that stealthily engaged in smuggling behind the Empire's back just for the money.
A very scary place for the Kraft Merchant Guild, which hadn't even managed to build a single decent skyscraper.
However, it wasn't a scary place for Governor-General Pastel, who had been delegated authority by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and had gained the rights to the Demon World Corporation's private army.
They say military power has always been stronger than financial power since ancient times!
Hehe.
She entered the chairman's office.
Count Macenas, draped in a black suit and gold accessories, welcomed her. The Count clapped slowly.
"Congratulations on becoming Governor-General, Marquis Kraft."
"Thank you. Thanks to the grace of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, I have obtained an undeserved position."
As they exchanged light greetings, a secretary poured green tea.
Pastel smelled the aroma and took a sip.
"It's good."
"Isn't green tea drunk in the local area particularly special?"
"It really is."
"It is especially special to me, as my interest in the Demon Realm also stemmed from a desire to drink fresh green tea rather than aged black tea."
"Wow, really?"
"Picking fresh green tea from the Demon Realm and transporting it to a Sky Island client while avoiding unnecessary procedures that drop the freshness, like border inspections, was my first business trip."
Count Macenas smiled softly.
"I traveled alone without a mercenary, so I would have died if I had run into the wrong pirate, but to recklessly do so... I was truly young back then."
Woah.
The guardian of green tea freshness!
Pastel saw Count Macenas in a new light.
After all, she was also transporting goods in order to maintain magic stone freshness, while avoiding unnecessary procedures that drop the freshness, like border inspections.
The guardian of magic stone freshness!
I completely relate.
Count Macenas, who had been lost in memories, met her gaze.
"But how is it that you have only come now? I received the message that His Imperial Majesty the Emperor delegated the private army rights, and I waited eagerly for when the Marquis would visit. Yet, you have only just arrived?"
Ah.
She had nothing to say.
It was a business impropriety.
However, for Governor-General Pastel, who couldn't just look at money, there was an unavoidable reason.
"Because the Hawks were being stubborn, and since I had been delegated the private army rights, it would have been troublesome to give off unnecessary signals by making contact with you, Count."
In the end, since she hadn't wielded the Private Army rights, it was a good response.
The Count's finger tapped the table.
"I suppose that would be the case."
Count Macenas looked back at his secretary.
"Still, you have come before it is too late."
"Pardon?"
The secretary brought a sealed envelope. Its stylish design made it look more like an invitation than a letter.
The Count handed her the invitation.
Oh?
"During our last meeting, I gave you an invitation to the art gallery. Did you attend when you visited the imperial capital?"
Ah.
"My schedule was busy, so I couldn't attend."
To be exact, she was so distracted by being swept up in the schemes of the central political circles that she couldn't even think of it. And after somehow tying up loose ends, she was too busy running away to Sky Island to avoid His Imperial Majesty the Emperor's gaze.
"From what I heard, it seemed so."
His finger pointed at the invitation.
"This time, Duke Nastasha Redgrave is holding a solo exhibition of the Demon Realm visit. I will also be attending, so if you are interested, how about we go together?"
A frontline scene for sharing know-how on things like how to evade property taxes using artwork.
This was totally a Tax Evasion King solo exhibition.
Gasp.
"I'd love to!"
Pastel quickly accepted the invitation.
Yay-yay!
But suddenly, she felt like something was on the tip of her tongue, about to surface in her mind.
Duke Nastasha Redgrave.
Leader of the Imperial Republican Faction.
Her conversation with Mr. Penguin came to mind.
—His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! The Republican Faction is the Traitor of Prophecy! The good Pastel has no connection to the Republican Faction at all!
Gasp.
Pastel turned pale.
Hwaaah!
Du-u-ke!
The good Pastel didn't say anything!
For real...!