The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me-Chapter 58 - Aina and Claire’s Confrontation (1)

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 58 - Aina and Claire's Confrontation (1)

‘What’s with this guy…?’

Even Asmael, who was considered quite the oddball within the Holy Office, found Lloyd to be peculiar. No, calling him peculiar didn’t even begin to describe him.

A madman. That was more appropriate.

Asmael realised something.

At some point, the smile that always graced his lips had vanished. Considering it was his default expression, this was an unusual occurrence.

“You want to… collaborate with me?”

“That’s right. I also want to root out the Blood Cult spies hidden in the Holy Office.”

“Why?”

“I need to take over a portion of the Holy Office.”

“Take over… the Holy Office?”

Lloyd said something utterly nonsensical without batting an eye. Did this man even understand that I’m a Heresy Inquisitor?

“Do you even know who you’re talking to?”

“A Heresy Inquisitor.”

“Saying you’ll take over the Holy Office could give me enough reason to arrest you for treason.”

“But you’re not going to.”

“...”

Lloyd stood up shamelessly and approached Asmael.

“You don’t serve the Holy Emperor or the Holy Office, do you? You only serve Deus.”

“...”

“And right now, the person closest to Deus is Saintess Aria, isn’t she?”

“How much exactly do you…?”

Lloyd shrugged.

“I just took a wild guess, but looks like I hooked the right bait.”

This guy…

Asmael’s fist trembled slightly as Lloyd’s smugness seemed to dance circles around him. Should I punch him just once? Hard enough so he doesn’t die? Actually, is there really any reason not to kill this guy?

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Lloyd spoke up.

“The reason I said all this was to show that we share the same goal.”

“How so?”

“I want to catch the Blood Cult members in the Holy Office, too.”

“And why on earth would you want to do that?”

“Because I hate the Blood Cult?”

“Don’t lie. You clearly said earlier you want to take over the Holy Office.”

“Oh, that’s true as well.”

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What kind of ridiculous honesty was this?

Asmael’s vision went blurry.

Staggering slightly, he leaned against the desk, and before he realised it, he had accepted the truth.

Lloyd was right. The only one Asmael truly served was the Saintess.

Neither the Holy Emperor nor the Holy Office.

As long as he could serve Deus, those things were nothing but hollow shells of value.

After all, Asmael had received a direct revelation from Deus.

So it was only natural that he was drawn to the Saintess. She was the only other person, aside from Asmael, who had received Deus’s revelation.

In Asmael’s eyes, Aria was the person closest to Deus in the entire Holy Office.

“If you help me, at least Aria won’t be harmed. You’ll also get to keep in check those who’ve been causing her trouble lately.”

“I don’t even want to know how much you know at this point.”

“So, wouldn’t it be better to work together with someone like me rather than make me your enemy?”

“I could just as easily choose to eliminate you.”

Asmael muttered lowly.

— Bang.

The door to the interrogation room burst open.

Both Lloyd and Asmael turned their heads toward the entrance. Standing there was a thin priest, appearing to be in his mid-thirties. He held a small mace-like torture device in one hand.

The priest, gasping for breath as though he had hurried over, finally caught his breath and looked around the room. His eyes widened as he alternated his gaze between Lloyd and Asmael.

“H-Heresy Inquisitor! What are you doing here?”

Without a word, Asmael glanced at Lloyd.

Lloyd simply shrugged in response.

The priest continued speaking.

“Th-This man is a wanted criminal under our jurisdiction! P-Please hand him over to us immediately!”

Indeed.

Asmael had merely intercepted Lloyd midway.

His original goal was to confirm whether Lloyd was a member of the Blood Cult. Now that he had confirmed that Lloyd was not, there was no reason to refuse handing him over.

‘Then he’ll end up being crushed to death by that mace.’

Asmael knew.

That blunt instrument was used to “accidentally” kill those subjected to interrogation.

“Hurry up and hand him over!”

The priest urged once more.

Asmael approached Lloyd.

Then, without a word, he lifted him up.

“…Sir Asmael?”

The priest asked in a daze.

Asmael opened his mouth, directing his words toward the priest.

“The interrogation is already over. This man is innocent.”

“Wh-What? But he’s a criminal under our jurisdiction…!”

The priest’s trembling protest was cut off by Asmael.

“Our jurisdiction, our jurisdiction. What exactly do you mean by ‘our’?”

“…Excuse me?”

“The Holy Office is a unified body made up of those who serve Deus. Why is there an ‘our’ and a ‘their’?”

The priest froze, as if his tongue had been tied.

“Who exactly is included in your ‘our’?”

“…W-Well.”

“There’s no need to answer. It must be High Priest Julius.”

“H-How did you…?”

So this is how it works.

Asmael, applying the “speak assumptions as if they’re true” technique he had just learned from Lloyd, had extracted valuable information. He tugged on Lloyd’s arm.

“In any case, this man is now my guest. He was falsely accused, and I’ll see to it that he receives appropriate treatment.”

“Sir Asmael!”

“I’ll not be listening to any more objections. Priest.”

Referring to the priest by his rank was a clear assertion of authority.

And Asmael was, after all, a Heresy Inquisitor—directly beneath the Holy Emperor.

“…Understood.”

The situation was resolved cleanly.

◆

In a nearby city on the outskirts of the Britannian Empire’s capital.

Several luxurious carriages stopped outside the Harold Trading Company’s Eastan branch.

The sheer size and grandeur of the carriage procession drew a crowd of onlookers.

But soon enough, they scattered in fear.

“It’s… it’s the Imperial Crest!”

Someone had spotted the Estrid emblem engraved on the side of one of the carriages. It was a symbol only used by the Royal fFamily. Which meant someone inside the carriage was either a Prince, a Princess, or perhaps even the Emperor himself. Running away was only natural.

One wrong move, and you could easily lose your head.

— Rattle.

The carriage door opened.

A violet heel extended beyond the door, clicking sharply against the ground. Then followed a head of golden hair, gently swaying in the wind.

“It is an honour to welcome Princess Aina.”

The Eastan branch manager of the Harold Trading Company rushed over, bowing his head deeply. Aina nodded slightly before stepping inside the building.

The hallway wasn’t extravagant, but it was decorated with high-quality wood befitting its status.

Without hesitation, Aina strode down the hall and opened the door at the end. Despite the rudeness of the action, the girl sitting inside the office remained calm and spoke up.

“You’ve arrived, Your Highness?”

“You don’t even bother to come out and greet me anymore, Claire?”

“Well, it’s not like we were ever on good terms to begin with, were we? Not since Lee Han’s death. We’ve merely had a business relationship.”

“That’s exactly what I’m curious about.”

Screeech.

Aina pulled out a chair at the guest table and sat down, growling as she spoke.

“Why have you cut off the funding?”

“Oh, the funding?”

Claire clapped her hands as if she had just remembered.

“It just doesn’t seem worth maintaining a relationship with you anymore.”

Aina froze for a moment at Claire’s blunt reply.

“What… what kind of nonsense is that?”

“Exactly what I said. There’s no more value in our relationship. Weren’t we always business partners? My role was to support you in ascending to the throne, and in return, I’d receive certain privileges.”

“That’s right. Then why—”

“Because I don’t think you’ll be able to ascend the throne anymore.”

“What?”

Aina’s mouth hung open, frozen in shock.

It was no wonder she was stunned.

After all, they had once fought side by side as part of the Hero Party, hadn’t they? Claire had even been part of the plan to take down Lee Han. Sure, that was the event that had driven them apart, but still… Aina had trusted Claire, at least to some extent.

No, it wasn’t trust. It was more like mutual reliance. They had shared the same goal and mutual benefits.

But now, Claire was betraying her.

Betraying her, a Princess of the Empire.

“…Claire.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Do you understand what you’re saying right now?”

“Yes, I’m fully aware.”

“You think you can abandon me and still succeed in growing your trading company?”

“That would be difficult.”

“Then why?”

Bang!

Aina slammed the table.

Yet Claire didn’t even blink.

“Why are you turning against me? You had a clear goal of expanding your trading company!”

Aina’s words sounded more like a threat than anything else.

But Claire remained unfazed as she continued speaking.

“That’s not what matters anymore.”

“What?”

“What would I achieve by growing a mere trading company? At best, I’d just be stuck scavenging for scraps under you.”

Claire adjusted her posture calmly.

Only then did Aina realise.

Claire was utterly at peace. Even as she was turning Aina into her enemy. This behaviour could be interpreted in many ways. Perhaps Claire simply no longer valued Aina. Or… perhaps…

“Claire.”

Aina spoke in a trembling voice.

“You’ve found Lee Han, haven’t you?”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]