Episode 37: Huh, I'm a Riddle-Talker Too!
"What are you laughing at?"
"...Was it that obvious?"
"More than obvious... it was kinda gross."
Simultaneously roasted by Carlotta and Rover, Aeron thought back to his past life experiences before finally reining in the lecherous grin on his face.
"Alright, let's get back to business."
"What business?... Wait, you weren't doing something shady just now, were you?"
"Of course not, Second Young Miss. What kind of person do you take me for?"
"Pervert." Carlotta showed no mercy.
"Scumbag." Rover delivered the finishing blow.
"..."
Six-six-six, he'd really triggered lethal tempo here.
Clearly, Aeron's reputation had already hit rock bottom in their eyes.
To prevent his already bruised ego from taking more damage, Aeron decided to skip this clearly disadvantageous topic.
"Ahem, no more jokes." He composed his expression, leaning slightly forward with his elbows resting on the polished lacquer surface of the round table. "Second Young Miss, Rover, what are your thoughts on Ragunna's current situation?"
"Your way of addressing me is a bit strange..." Temporarily ignoring the commentary, Carlotta raised an eyebrow at Aeron's words while maintaining her elegant posture."
"From Montelli's perspective, we only know Ragunna is currently experiencing undercurrents. Though we're part of it ourselves, we can't deny our intelligence is severely lacking."
"...Moreover, Fractsidus activities are becoming increasingly frequent. Although the Echoes out-of-control incidents have been suppressed, the root cause remains. The Order... is also unusually sensitive about certain matters."
Rover immediately followed up Carlotta's remarks, summarizing their observations of Ragunna's situation during this period.
"So everything remains uncertain. If not for that little poet, we'd still be completely in the dark."
"Ugh, why are you saying such cringey things..."
Faced with Aeron's sudden change in tone, Carlotta felt goosebumps rising.
'This guy... wasn't he really doing something shady just now?'
Meanwhile, such thoughts quietly took root in her mind.
"...The Order's reaction to those musical scores and poems was abnormally intense. They seem quite afraid of the contents being made public."
Fortunately, Rover's attention remained focused on what Aeron had brought up.
"Not 'seem'—definitely," Aeron confirmed. "The poetry society's works were deemed 'heretical' by the Order, its members exiled, and the works themselves condemned for defiling the image of the Sentinels."
"But... if that's the only reason for conviction... wouldn't that be too rash?"
Aeron's words raised some doubts in Carlotta, indicating his guidance had taken effect.
"Second Young Miss, what we're doing now is working backward from the outcome to find the cause."
"They're just a few poems that could have been ordered corrected, yet what the Order did was make everyone involved disappear..."
Rover had now completely caught up with Aeron's reasoning—truly worthy of being the protagonist, their mind worked quickly.
"...Could they have touched upon something the Order wants to conceal? The truth about Rinascita, Ragunna, or even the Sentinels?"
Snapping back to reality, Carlotta grasped the underlying meaning in Aeron's words.
"But drawing such a conclusion is too hasty without concrete evidence..."
"There is evidence, Second Miss, there is."
Aeron immediately seized the conversational initiative from Carlotta, especially since a living example stood right beside them.
"Just look at Ciaccona's demeanor. Does the Toccata family strike you as the type to harm people with dangerous poetry?"
"..."
Once again, Carlotta fell silent.
She knew Ciaccona's character well—it was precisely because of this that Ciaccona bore the title "Topaz." It was truly difficult to imagine that the family Ciaccona once belonged to would engage in actions that harmed others.
As the saying goes, "appeal to reason and move with emotion." Aeron had already accomplished the latter half; now it was time to complete the former.
"Please consider this carefully, Second Miss. The Montelli family has been promoting 'private Echoes' and more liberal ideologies, with the greatest resistance coming from the Order."
"If we can prove that the doctrines the Order has been preaching for centuries aren't the original, complete truth—this—"
"...Aeron."
Before Aeron could finish, Rover interrupted him.
Nothing he said was incorrect. As a wanderer in Ragunna, Rover had witnessed numerous events, large and small, from an observer's perspective. She, too, had picked up many clues; connecting them would lead her to conclusions similar to Aeron's.
However, she would never convey the truth to Carlotta in such an inflammatory manner.
Carlotta fell into brief silence, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.
It had to be admitted that Aeron's words held great appeal, but the accompanying risks were even greater.
Although the Montelli family had always clashed with the Order, this time it wasn't just minor skirmishes over technical disputes like "private Echoes." One misstep could plunge the entire Montelli family into an abyss.
Even though Aeron had indeed helped the Montelli family once before, she couldn't entrust the fate of her entire family to such an outrageous proposition based solely on his words.
"...If you're going to make such claims, Father Aeron, you should at least have substantial evidence to back them up. After all, as a bard, Ciaccona's credibility doesn't carry much weight against the entire Order of the Deep, does it?"
"Rest assured, Second Miss. I don't fight battles I can't win."
"...? What do you mean—"
"Let's focus on preparing for Carnevale first. Don't worry about other matters for now."
"....Huh?"
Both Carlotta and Rover were waiting for Aeron to unveil some grand scheme, never expecting that he had no immediate plans to find a solution.
Aeron himself knew perfectly well—where could he possibly find evidence right now? Moreover, this was akin to storming heaven itself; mere evidence would never be enough.
He admitted his previous slander against Cristoforo had gone too far, but after speaking in riddles himself, he discovered an inexplicable thrill in being cryptic—was there anyone who understood this feeling?
Having finally secured this breathing room for himself, he definitely needed to make the most of it.
Moreover, it's unlikely that Fractsidus could revise its existing action plans in such a short time. Their collaboration with the Order has reached a critical stage, so they naturally wouldn't abandon it now.
Therefore, in Aeron's plan, they actually didn't need to do much—it was all his own tasks to handle.
He had already planted the seeds in Carlotta's and the Rover's minds, and that was sufficient for now.
However, to ensure he could live peacefully after everything was settled, there was one thing he still needed to do.
"By the way, Second Young Lady, could I ask you for a favor?"
"...Go on."
Carlotta was still a bit annoyed by how Aeron had teased them earlier without delivering any substantial information. She was curious to see what request he would make now.
Meanwhile, the Rover had been giving Aeron a deadpan stare since earlier.
"Help me get in touch with Zani. I'd like to invite her out for a meal."
"... " x2
"What's with those looks?"
"Pervert." / "Scumbag."
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