248 – Negotiation
Ha. hahahaha.
Once I found out the truth about the incident, I almost burst out laughing because of the absurdity.
52 Out of 54 people were spies?
This means that everyone except me and Leah was a fraud planted by Juliet.
For some reason, I tilted my head at the fact that all of the hastily selected employees were suspiciously competent, but I just passed it on, thinking that good luck would come to them by doing good work.
If you think about it, Juliet was in charge of everything from interviews to hiring. At the time, I was sorry that I felt like I was passing on too much work, but I never thought it would hit me like this.
No, is it retribution in the first place? Even after he discovered her true identity, she was so capable that he paid the full price for trusting her.
A mixture of feelings of betrayal and self-destruction swirled around him as he resented Juliet and was immersed in her regret, wondering if she deserved it.
Then, I realized one important fact too late.
The executive branch does not move just for the trivial reason that spies were mixed up in the company.
This is an organization that is only involved in any incident if it is related to mystery.
In other words, Juliet and her children were probably targeted by the executive branch for reasons separate from espionage activities.
As I dried my face and sighed, Catherine, who had been quietly watching me, spoke to me in her business-like manner.
“Have you finished organizing your thoughts? “You seem to be surprisingly calm and compliant.”
For a moment, I was conflicted about whether I should tell you how shocked I was, but I kept quiet because I thought that if I had not known anything, it might have been much worse than it is now.
The only way it could end this way was after I realized that Juliet had separated from me.
“···I guessed that there were employees with impure intentions within the foundation. “I never imagined there would be that many numbers.”
“If you knew but did not report it to the authorities, that also seems problematic.”
“It was just a suspicion, and there was no solid physical evidence, so it was difficult to act hastily.”
She seemed to think my excuse was plausible and nodded her head.
First of all, the good news was that the executive branch did not seem to have realized that I was a thief yet. If that was the reason the foundation was turned upside down, I would have given them a grand welcome as soon as I came to see them in person.
There is definitely some hidden truth. There is no way the executive branch will move simply because a spy is arrested.
To find out what it was, I took a bit of a risk and switched to a more proactive attitude.
“So have all those evil bastards been arrested?”
“We are currently investigating. “It is difficult to tell you more details because it is confidential.”
“It has been proven that I am innocent, right? “So you weren’t arrested.”
At first glance, this is a dangerous level that could be interpreted as a euphemistic provocation.
Catherine looked at me with narrowed eyes, as if trying to understand her intentions, and answered calmly.
“You were away on a business trip at the time of the search and seizure, and we just decided that there was no need to go to the trouble of looking for you right away. “Don’t forget that you are also a target of investigation, just because your priorities have been pushed back.”
An ordinary person would sense a cold atmosphere here and quickly take his or her foot out, but now I instead stepped on the accelerator more gently, as if the brakes were broken.
“This is absurd. If they had interrogated their employees, they would have known everything. I am a good citizen who has done nothing wrong! “I was just unfairly taken advantage of by those damn reactionaries!”
I guess my shameless attitude had flipped her switch, but the coldness overflowing from her expressionless expression was enough to make me startle for a moment.
“Can you take responsibility for that? Arsène Lupine, we checked your identity and found a few things that were suspicious. The status of a fallen aristocrat from the Frankish Kingdom was extremely ambiguous, and even when using separate informants, no trace of the noble family called Lupin could be found. Even if you are an innocent victim in this investigation, smuggling and identity laundering are clearly illegal acts.”
···I may have touched this incorrectly.
You mean you already figured it out? It’s only been two days at most?
Should we really admire the executive branch? This is a surprising amount of information gathering power.
At least it seems that the fact that it is a completely forged fake identity has not yet been discovered. Well, rather than entrusting it to some idiot, I entrusted it directly to a forger who can be said to be the pinnacle of the field.
However, if more time is given, there is a possibility of being caught. Regardless of whether the fake identity is perfect, if you follow my steps, there will be plenty of room for you to get caught.
“Ji, calm down. “I didn’t mean to provoke you, but I said it with good intentions.”
“That’s not even funny.”
“I say it’s true. At least you acknowledged that I was an innocent victim in this case, right? So, as a representative, I can actively cooperate with the investigation by providing information about my subordinates.”
It was made to seem like an attractive offer, but in reality, it was nothing more than a bright apricot. The executive branch was guaranteed by the government the right to force me to sit down anyway and pressure me to cooperate with the investigation.
The only difference is the presence or absence of proactiveness due to voluntary participation.
I don’t know exactly why, but the current executive branch seemed to be quite sincere about this investigation. In other words, even if it’s a cat’s hand that you wouldn’t normally pay attention to, you may be feeling it desperately right now.
I use that earnestness to raise my status. Not as a suspect who has been arrested and gives a statement, but as an informant who cooperates with the investigation.
Catherine quietly looked at me with her blue eyes. I also did not avoid her gaze and met her head on. Eventually she answered by closing and opening her eyes.
“What a shallow waterway. Do you think that will make us relax our guard against you?”
“Oh my. “It’s disappointing when you react so coldly.”
Well, it was expected that the other person would notice.
But it doesn’t matter. Anyway, this is like a rash that cannot be avoided even if you notice it.
My information was essential to the other party no matter how I came out. Therefore, I can never refuse when someone extends their hand first. Even if those hands give off a dirty smell.
“Then let’s talk right away. “I am the investigation officer, so you can tell me right away.”
“Before that, I also want to ask you something.”
“Haa… I knew it would be like this, but you’re really thick-faced. “Aren’t you afraid of what I might do to you?”
“hahahaha. A civil servant should not threaten a good citizen. “I believe in the public power of our proud Britannia.”
As I slyly brushed it off, it seemed like she quietly muttered, ‘To the subject of Frankish origin…’, But it was clearly my imagination, so I decided to ignore it.
“I have only one question. “Why on earth are you investigating this case and not the police?”
As soon as I asked the question, the atmosphere in the room felt colder. She asked back bluntly, having become so cold that she missed the friendly atmosphere from before.
“How much do you know about the executive branch?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about all of a sudden.”
“Don’t act like a fool. The intent of the question is clear, right? “It means that they knew that the purposes of the police and the executive branch were different.”
“Well, since the purpose is different, the name will be different.”
“The executive branch belongs to the National Police Agency. “From the front door of the building to the moment you entered the room, there was no information to separate the executive branch from the police.”
After hearing the story, I felt like I made a bit of a mistake, but I didn’t panic and responded calmly.
“Okay. Actually, I knew a little about it from the beginning. “You can guess it just by looking at the fact that I came straight to the executive branch in the first place, right?”
“The general public cannot know about the existence of the executive branch.”
“That means that anyone other than the general public can fully understand, right? I guess you could say I’m halfway into that world too. “It is difficult to explain in detail.”
The executive branch, like students at the Magic Academy, must be involved in the mystery to know its identity.
As it was established for the purpose of protecting the order of the world from mystery, the executive branch is pathologically obsessed with not revealing its identity to the general public.
“···I need to raise your alert level by one level.”
“I don’t know what that means, but it doesn’t seem like a good thing. Anyway, what is the answer to my question?”
Catherine returned to her normal self and answered calmly.
“It’s confidential.”
“No, I even asked a trump card, but it came out like that? Think about it carefully. “I need to know the minimum amount of information so I can select and give you useful information.”
“I can’t tell you. There is no room for negotiation in this regard, so being pushy will not change anything. It’s for your safety, so just accept it.”
This thing is so stubborn that there is no way to poke at it.
At least I need to know the purpose of the executive branch so I can decide how to act.
While I was licking my lips with regret and wondering what to do, I heard a knock behind me and the door opened slightly.
“Executioner. “The ward you were talking about has arrived.”
“I will finish it soon, so please wait a moment.”
“Yes. All right.”
The door closed immediately.
Catherine shrugged her shoulders and said.
“Did you hear? Since something more urgent has come up, we’ll talk about the rest later. “We will ask you to attend later, so you can come back then.”
“······.”
I couldn’t say anything.
This is because I saw it through the slightly open door.
It was only a silhouette that passed by for a split second, but it was definitely clear.
The one standing with the guard outside the door just now was Gina Granger.