It's been a few days since the day the idiot reptile stormed into the Sunshine Pavilion.

Today was the trial.

'Defendant, Pompeo.
'Wait a minute, guys!What the hell did I do?

This is an improvised courtroom made by moving the seats of the Sunlit Pavilion into a U-shape.
The defendant in this courtroom is Pompeo, the owner-chef of Luxury, a restaurant so famous that it is said to be the place to go for cakes in the forty districts.

We are surrounded by Pompeo in the sunlit pavilion.
Ginette is on Pompeo's right, Loretta, Estella, and Delia in front, me on his left, and Paula in the back on the audience side.

'What the hell is going on?Isn't that rude?

Pompeo is fascinated by Umaro. So I used Umaro for a moment to ask, 'Would you like to see the interior of the restaurant I renovated?I'll give you a special tour of the inside,' he said, luring me out and kidnapping me when I was just in front of the excited Sunlit Pavilion. Peacefully.

'We will try her peacefully.
'Aren't you already violent in your methods?

Pompeo, a handsome man who looked like he was about to step into the realm of a dandy, twisted his face.

'Release me now!I'm the most respected person in the forty districts!Do you really think you can get away with this?You'll start a war!
'No, the Woodcutter Guild is definitely the best.

And Torbek is second.
You're just trying to look good for the noble girls, aren't you?

'Luxury is the face of District 40!If you were to ask me what the specialty of the Forty-second District is, everyone would say the cake from my store!

Isn't that the cake I taught you?

It seems that the shortcake I taught you has been gaining explosive popularity in luxury lately.
It's sweeter and prettier than the brown sugar buns, and the girls are going crazy over it.
d*mn, I should've saved my margin.

'I've come all the way to the 42nd district to see the interior of the restaurant Umaro-sama worked on!I don't have time for you guys!
'Oh, that's because I'm talking about here.
'What?
'This restaurant was completely renovated by Umaro, right?

...... in exchange for 'two months free rice'.

'That's why I thought ...... the air was delicious.'
'You're actually pretty random, aren't you?

The reason the air is so good is because it's in the country.
The air is good because it's in the countryside. ...... The forty wards are pretty good too!

'So, what the hell is this?Why do I have to be treated like this?
'Ask your own heart!

Suddenly, the voice of a beautiful dog-eared girl came flying out. It's Paula.
Paula, who had been listening to the conversation in silence up to this point, finally overflowed with anger and stood up, slamming the table.

'It's no use playing dumb, you know!
'Well, calm down, Paula. Or I'll poke your tits.'
'Huh?No, no, no!Oh, my breasts are for ...... special people only, so ...... not yet, no.'
I'm not sure what you mean by that.

You don't even have tits to poke. ......

'You don't even have tits to poke ......'
'I can at least poke them!Rubbing them can be a bit difficult, but ............ what do you want me to say?

Oops. I think I just let my thoughts dribble out of my mouth.

'Hey ......, why in the world did I get brought to this place?

Pompeo watched this exchange with a twitching face. He looks like he wants to go home as soon as possible.

'Ask my tits,' he said.
'Breasts!My own breasts!'

Paula complains, slapping her own breasts. ...... The gesture looks like 'Come and jump into my tits! It's a nice gesture.

'I don't remember any of this. I haven't done anything to make you hate me.

Slapping himself on the chest, Pompeo asserts in an unruffled voice.
I don't want to jump into his chest, even though it's a ...... similar gesture. Not even slightly.

'...... most'.

Pompeo's eyes narrowed as his eyelashes, long for a man, slowly lowered.

'If you say that the cakes in my store are too delicious and are taking away my customers,......, then I'm prepared to bear a grudge.
It's a good thing I'm not the only one. It's not like we're on the same page.

Most of the customers of luxury hotels are aristocrats and rich people.
On the other hand, most of the customers of the Sunlit Pavilion are ordinary people. It's not like we're taking customers away from each other.



I wonder if this guy's goofiness is getting more sophisticated.
Do you remember the time when you smugly claimed that brown sugar bread was a cake?
Even if you pretend to be a high class person, you are using what the aristocrats call "poor man's sugar".
But the aristocrats who are happy with it are the ones who are laughing. I bet you don't know the difference in taste, do you?

'May I ask you a question, Mr. Pompeo?

Estella stood up with a dignified face and stepped in front of Pompeo. Then she asks in a serious tone.

'What does the 42nd district look like to you?The cakes that your store is selling are spreading at a tremendous rate.
'I don't see it.

Pompeo replied in a relaxed, confident tone.

'My store doesn't sell 'cake'. I offer 'an elegant moment, eating a cake with elegance. The luxury of my store is not something you can try to imitate, and customers know that, which is why they patronize my store.

It's not as if the service is inadequate for .......

But the sign that says "the place where the aristocracy gathers" is huge. The very act of going to a luxury restaurant becomes a status. As Pompeo said, it's not easy to imitate.

'I don't care what kind of cake you make. I'll just keep serving my cakes.

That's quite a graceful statement.
I guess it's people with this kind of thinking that make them stand out from the crowd. An unshakable belief is valuable by itself. People's beliefs can be easily shaken by a little anxiety.

'In the first place, it would have been impossible for me to go all the way to the Forty-two Wards myself without Umaro-sama's invitation. For me, the 42nd district is such a place.

Pompéo says this as if it were a matter of course, without hesitation or hesitation.

'I see. Thank you.

Estella turns on her heel.
Then she leans in close to me and whispers in my ear.

'You're looking down on me.

The words that she whispered to me were not angry or sneering, but just joking with a wry smile, 'You're in trouble.

That's the 'norm' in this town.
The lower class wards are looked down upon unconditionally.
Maybe Pompeo's right, maybe they're not even looked at.

'So there's no way that Pompeo was trying to destroy his rival's store. ......
'I don't think so, not from the looks of it.'

She exchanged a glance with Estella.
She was not seriously doubting Pompeo, but she was trying to eliminate the possibilities one by one. It's just that the most suspicious, given the circumstantial evidence, was a cake shop ...... in another district, namely Luxury.

'Hey, Yashiro. Do you believe that unsavory man?

Paula comes in with anger in her shoulders.
Then she leans in close, just like Estella did earlier. I wonder if she has some kind of rivalry with Estella.

'I don't trust you at all.

In the whispered words, a hint of dissatisfaction could be seen.
Well, I suppose it can't be helped.

For Paula, Cantalcica is her whole life.
He has always given his all in cooking, management, and service.
He can't stand the fact that they are tarnishing it.

Anybody would lose their temper if something important to them was defiled.

To use a simple metaphor, it's like when you see your colleague's charlatan messing around with an innocent, quiet girl who is soothing to look at. It makes me want to kill him. If someone tries to make me laugh with some mild s*xual harassment, I'd have to kill them socially by any means necessary.

So, Paula's anger is understandable.
However, the trouble is that ...... Paula's anger has shifted from the muscles of the bug riot to the mastermind behind it, and now to the "vaguely suspicious" Pompeo.
If that guess is true, there's no problem. ......

'He had a bad attitude when I taught him how to make cakes, didn't he?

When he taught Luxury how to make cakes to promote sugar, Paula was there, but she didn't like Pompeo from then on.

'Why don't we just go in there and make it impossible for Luxury to do business?Then they won't be our rival and they won't harass us like this anymore.

Snorting, Paula said something outrageous. She is convinced that Pompeo is the culprit.
She seems to be too displeased to make a clear judgment.
I'm going to have to correct him.

'If we do that, we'll be the bad guys.
'But they say an eye for an eye: ......!
'Can I have a word with you, Paula?

Estella held up her hand to stop Paula, who was about to make her own argument.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and what you can do to help.
'But ............ you're so suspicious?I'm not sure what to make of that.

In Paula's mind, Pompeo is a complete bad guy. Poor guy.

'Aside from his eyes ......, you can't use the Judgment of the Spirits on just anyone because they're suspicious, can you?
'Well, ...... yes, but ............, well, yes, yes.'

I'm not sure if Estella got her point across or not, but Paula stepped aside quietly, somewhat frustrated.

In the event that you've got a lot more than one of these, you'll be able to get a lot more than just one.


If he turns into a frog, the murderer is Pompeo, and if he doesn't turn into a frog, Pompeo is innocent.
However, "Judgment of the Spirits" is not something that should be used carelessly.
The same is true if it is used as a threat.
The Judgment of the Spirits is a weapon that can take away an opponent's life in an instant, like a handgun.
Even if you are dealing with a suspect who is 99% suspicious, you should not pull a gun on him or her lightly.

Think about it. If your friends and neighbors get the impression that you are a dangerous person who pulls a gun on them whenever something happens, ...... you will not be able to live a normal life.
If you are in a business like a restaurant, it is even worse.

I understand how Paula feels.
If the most suspicious person is someone you don't like,...... everyone will assume that it's him. And you'll want to take immediate action.
That's why we have to be cautious.

This is why we must be cautious, and deal with the situation in an orderly fashion.
Judgment of the Spirits is a trump card. A trump card is effective only if it is played last.
If it is flashed from the very beginning, you will be caught off guard at the critical moment.

In addition, what happens if the trump card you play ends up being a failure? ......

The difference between the "Judgment of the Spirits" and a gun is that it can be evaded if the opponent is not lying. And if it is evaded, it means that the opponent's innocence has been proven.

Of course, there is the possibility that he may have been wrong in his words. The "Judgment of the Spirits" is a system with unexpected holes.
But even so, how many people can use the "Judgment of the Spirits" once it has ended in failure twice or three times?
If you think about ...... if it is evaded again, there will be very few people who can do it.

Judgment of the Spirits should not be abused.

If the attack is too strong, you will end up choking yourself.

Therefore, it is best not to use Judgment of the Spirits carelessly.
In the first place, they have rarely used Judgment of the Spirits so far. They are afraid of its power, its efficacy, and the consequences it can bring.
And it is because of this fear that this city is still running peacefully and safely.
There is no way that a world in which even ordinary citizens shoot guns at random can maintain a sane state.
However, I can't deny the feeling that my resistance to the Judgment of the Spirits has diminished, if only slightly, because I have used its power several times.
If that's the case, then I have to make it clear to him.

Too strong a weapon can kill you.
Those who don't know that are drowning in power.

'For now, ......, Paula.'
'What?'
'I'll take care of it.'
'............ Yeah. I will.'

I smiled, and a little of the venom drained from Paula's face.
She must have sensed our thoughts even though she didn't say anything.

'I have a feeling that Yashiro will take care of it, and I shouldn't get in the way.

No, I don't want to get my hopes up too high.

'Well, I'll at least try to keep the crazy ones from wandering around here.

That's why I need to find out what's behind him.

'So, is my suspicion confirmed?
'Well, it looks like he's not black.
'Of course not. Even if I didn't have to do such a foolish thing, there's no way my restaurant would lose to a diner like this one that only has an outstandingly wonderful interior atmosphere.

He only praised the Umaro part. ......

'So, are we done here?
'Yeah. I'm sorry to bother you. Shall we leave?'
'No, let me have a good look around the store!

...... How much do you love Umaro's? ............

'But first, Mr Pompeo. Would you like to try one of our new products?'

Ginette walks up to Pompeo, holding the 'new product' that she prepared this morning.

'New product?What is it?
'It's a fruit tart. The sweetness of the custard and the refreshing sourness of the fruit combine to make it very delicious.
''Hmm. This kind of cake imitation is .......''

Hey, come on!Don't say such a thing.
A tart is a deep and sublime cake.

'Well, you might as well try a bite. ........................ ...... Yum!

As soon as I put a piece of the tart in my mouth, Pompeo's eyes widened and he darted in front of me. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea. ...... scary scary scary!

'Do you want me to teach you how to make this?
'......You...............'

I thought you didn't care what kind of cake we served, you were going to serve your own cake. ......

'I'm sorry ...... Oh, well. It's a great success.

As I began to think about kicking Pompeo out of the way, Assunto arrived at the sunlit pavilion. --Bringing good news.

'I've found him. The iguana man.


'Are you sure?'
'Yeah. Mr. Yashiro's sketch is amazing. It was said to be a true likeness.'

Assunto says admiringly as he flips through the sketch I've given him of the stupid reptile.
Assunto had been asking me about the stupid reptile while I was working.
I avoided the muscles in the worm case because they were cautious and seemed to be trying to hide their identities.
I'm sorry if I did Assunto a disservice by prying into his affairs.

But I'm sure the stupid reptile will be fine.
He's such a careless man. I'm sure he's been similarly careless elsewhere.

Sure enough, he sprouted a tail right away.

'His name is Otmar. He's a member of the ragtag guild that has forty districts as its stronghold.
'A ragtag guild?Is there such a thing?
'Oh, no, no. There isn't. Not officially.

'Officially, you mean ...... an unofficial organization.

'It's an unofficial guild formed by a bunch of halfwits who can't belong to any guild. But ...... sadly, they don't seem to be in need of work.

I don't have a problem with work. In other words, there is no end to the number of people who will pay such a ragtag group to do their work for them.
The kind of work you would ask a ragdoll to do is ......

'So their main job is to harass people like this?
'Yes. They don't have the guts. They can't do responsible work like guarding the city or being a bouncer. They can only use their vaunted strength to bully the weak, that's how they are.

But there's no shortage of people bringing in requests, right?
This town must be rotten behind the scenes.

'But that's strange.'

Estella clenched her jaw and stared into the air. She seems to be trying to remember something.

'I think it was that incompetent reptile, ...... excuse me, Otmar?I believe he said that he was walking down the street when he was suddenly approached by a stranger?
'Oh, that's right.'

Hearing Estella's words, I noticed something strange too.

'If you form a guild, don't requests come from the top?
'Because they can't follow those rules, they're outcasts.

In other words, they're just doing what they want.

'They just kind of flock to the same places and do the same things to get money. Occasionally, they are given a job by someone with power and act as a group. That's the extent of their connections.
'You don't seem to have much of a connection, vertically or horizontally.'

Estella shrugs.
If the stupid reptile Ottmar had done something scandalous, it would be impossible to hold the representative of the ragtag guild accountable.
In a way, they are the perfect people to do bad things.

'A lizard's tail cutter.
'Oh, that ...... iguana's tail can be a big problem if you cut it off.

Ginette says, raising her hand.
Yeah, that's not what I'm talking about, you know. So, I'm sorry,......, but could you please shut up for a second?

The bottom line is that it's getting harder and harder to hang Otmar's scandals and get him to tell his clients. If the request was made without going through the guild, no one but Otmar would know who the client was.
And even that Otmar describes the client as 'a stranger'.

'This is going to be troublesome, isn't it?
'Yes, it is. It might not be possible to talk to the client and make him stop .......''

Estella and I look at each other.
This one. I don't know how we're going to end this. ......

As a condition of victory, the restaurants and residents of the 42nd district will no longer be subjected to the unjust harassment of the ragtag guild.
If you can't identify the source of the problem, you'll have to guard the entire city. ......

'We're sending a lot of vigilantes to work on the city gates. ...... Security inside the city is stretched thin right now.

The installation of the city gates can be said to be the destruction of the outer wall.
In District 42, where the outer wall faces the forest where many hexenbiests live, it is essential to dispatch a large number of vigilantes. If anything should happen, the city will be destroyed in no time at all.

'Do you want me to help you?I'm sure Magda and Norma would be quite useful.

Delia said to me.
It's true that the three of them would be able to defeat most hexenbiests. ......

The three of them will be able to defeat most of the hexenbiests and the ragtag guild.
You can't just throw the three of them in and solve the problem at once. It's a very difficult opponent.

'Well, what happened to Magda today?I can't see him.
'Magda-san is on a hunting trip today.
'Is he hunting or something?
'That's Magda's main business.



Ginette is answering Delia's question politely.
Once the city gates are completed, Magda's workload will be greatly reduced.
That's why we don't want to delay the work by sending the vigilantes to do other jobs.

'Hey. That ragtag guild is doing a lot of bad things, can't we just go in and destroy them?

To Paula, who seems to have a strong sense of justice, this seems like the right thing to do.
Evil must be destroyed,.......

'It's going to be a war, then.

Estella said with a wry smile.

'It's not just the forty wards that have ruffians. They're in almost every ward.
'But this time we're dealing with ruffians from District 40, right?
'No, it doesn't stop there.'

Estella explained the danger in a way that Paula could understand.

The connections between the ruffians are indeed tenuous, and even if one of them messes up and gets caught by some vigilante, they will continue to pretend that they don't know. I had nothing to do with it.
However, if the vigilantes start to destroy the ragtag group, ...... they will probably unite and start attacking the vigilantes and the lord who took action.
If they do, they will unite the racketeers, who have only tenuous ties, and create a large force.
After all, for the ragdolls, tomorrow is their own fate. They will be desperate to resist.

'And once a force is born, it is difficult for it to go unnoticed. It's best not to provoke them.
'...... Yes, I know.

It's frustrating, but it's the only way.
We don't have the power to wipe out the corruption in this city.

The best we can do is to defend our own city.

'For now, let's go to District 40 to gather information.
'Right. If Ottmar received a request in the 40th district, there is a possibility that the client is also in the 40th district,.......

Well, it's not out of the question.
If he wanted to hide his identity, he might ask a ragtag group of people from other districts to do the job. ...... It's hard to say.

'Pompeo'.
'Mogumogu............ something?'

'Don't eat that, you tart. ......

'You came here in a carriage, didn't you?Can you give me a lift?'
'You, .............'
'I'll show you the tart.'
'I'll show you the tart.' 'You can take me back and forth as many times as you like.'

No, not that much. ...... Oh, yeah, sure. Then I'll let you go back and forth as many times as you like.
Feel free to use Pompeo's carriage when you go to the 40th district in the future. Mm-hmm. I got your word. Don't say no.

'But my carriage is small. It can only hold two more.'
'Is it small?
'I'm not a nobleman.

'Well, it's quite a feat to have your own carriage.

'Well ...... there's no space ............'.

I look around at the members of the group and choose one to ride with me.

'Then you're the only one who can do it, right?

He pats Estella on the shoulder and turns his gaze to her chest.

'It saves space.
'...... I don't think that space is relevant, do you?'

Estella clenches her fists tightly.
I'm just kidding. Hahahaha. I can't say ...... out loud. Because you'll be turned into a frog.


That's why Estella and I decided to go to the 40th district.
Well, I guess we won't get much out of it.