I hurried back to the inn and met up with Kanade and Tania.
　As it was, we planned future measures in the room.

''Nyaa.......I can't forgive such a thing that happened!
I don't like that guy. You're on your own!

　When they heard the story, Kanade and Tania were as indignant as they were.
　I guess it's a sign that he cares about Sola and Luna.
　At a time like this, I'm glad to see their reaction.
　It felt like a steady stream of trust was building up between us.

'I heard from the townspeople that the lord's son Edgar's insolent behavior has been going on for some time now. About once a month or so he takes a woman with him.......and does unspeakable things.

　Before returning to the inn to discuss future measures, we first asked the people of the city about Edgar.
　We heard a lot of stories about the bad impression they had of Edgar and how we had helped the people of the town.

''Things that I can't put into words... nyah.''

　The Kanade turned red.

'Are you actually muggy?'
'Yeah, yeah, yeah, no way!　I'm not thinking about anything weird!
That's weird.
There. You're getting off track.
Yeah. But still, from what I've heard, you sound like a hell of a guy.
Enemies of women, so to speak.
'Here's another thing I've heard - you can't refuse, and I've heard that those who disobey are caught making up treason or some other appropriate charge. You are a complete idiot. If we had been caught like that, the same thing would have happened to us.
We're told that some people abandoned the city and fled after being targeted by Edgar.
It's terrible....
A man like that, the son of a lord..... It's a classic example of what happens when you put power in the hands of a fool.
The problem is that we've been targeted.

　This Edgar guy I've only met him once, but he seemed to have quite the vindictive personality.
　He refused his request, beat up his guards and humiliated them in public.
　It was unlikely that nothing would happen in the future.

'I mean, I've been wondering...'

　Tania raises her voice.

'What is the lord doing here?　My son has his way with you and you leave him alone?
That's the headache I'm talking about...
Apparently, you love your only son very much. Instead of absolving him of guilt, you seem to be covering up the crime.
What?
'It seems that the people of the city have petitioned or appealed directly to the soldiers the Order. A lord is not a king, but only one who is entrusted with a part of his reign by the state. If he is judged to be not capable and proper, he should be dismissed from his position.......
The Order has conducted several audits in the past. But in each case they concluded that there is no evidence. I hear their ability to destroy evidence is quite impressive.
Rumor has it that the lord is not only defending his son, but also enjoying the company of his son.
....

　Tania was stunned.

Good. I'm going to go burn down the lord's mansion in a bit.

　Slightly, he uttered something outrageous with a straight face.

'Wait, wait, wait, wait!'
Hey, why don't you stop?
'Don't do anything rash!　You'll really be charged with treason if you do that!
'What do we do then?　If this continues, Sora and Luna are going to get the better of the stupid lord and his son!
I won't let that happen!
Huh.
I will protect Sora and Luna. And of course, I'll protect Tania and Kanade.
"...Rain...
I promise. And I promise you that I won't let them touch you. They'll never touch you, not one finger.
Yeah, yeah.

　Seemingly regaining her composure, Tania sits down in a chair.

'....What. That's kind of cool.
Yeah?
Hey, it's nothing.

　For some reason, Tania is upset.
　I'm curious, but....
　Now, let's move on.

"When push comes to shove, I'm willing to use force. But that would be the last thing we would want to do. Let's think about what we can do now.
'Nya but what can you do?　Do you want to spank me so I can't mess around again?
'We talked about how you would be charged with treason for doing that. The whole thing in the square would have been a close call if you hadn't just messed with the lord's son in addition to the guards.
So it's not like I'm going off on a tangent.

　Kanade turns his eyes around in a circle.
　Maybe she was thinking too much and her thought process had shorted out.

'How about I remind you that it's dangerous to mess with Sora and the others?　And Sola suggests,
What do you mean?
'We will show the lord's son the power of Sola and the others. On top of that, we will negotiate with Sola and the others to keep their hands off of them. With his superior ability to destroy evidence, the other party should not be stupid. If we show our power, they may think it's dangerous to mess with Sola and the others and retreat.
Hmm. I was thinking the same thing.
'Sure, that might be possible...'
Meow?　Instead of calling me an ant, Rain, you look awful.

　Tania sighs as if to say, "Good grief.

'Do you want me to guess what Rain is thinking right now?
What?
'If we do what Sola says, our problems might be solved. But the people of the city?　You'll still be weeping over the lord's insolent behavior... and that's about it.
....
Bingo?
Oh, yeah you're right.

　Did they read your thoughts?
　As much as I thought of such things, Tania made a great case for what I was thinking.

'Nya, that's a very Rain-like opinion,'
'Rayne is one hell of a softie, isn't she? Not just about themselves, but about other people, too.
'That's ... but I don't blame you, do I?　I can't leave you alone when you know this stuff.
Good grief. Our Lord is a pain in the ass.

　But..." he continues, and Luna grins.

'I'm not averse to that idea.
'Sola and the others were saved by that kind of thing in Rain. If you want to help the people of the city, I'm all for it.
'....Are you sure?　We could be crossing a dangerous bridge, you know?
You're gonna take care of us, right?
Of course it is.
Then I'll take your word for it. I'll take Rain's word for it. My answer is no more!
I feel the same way as Rain. The people of the city have been good to me, giving me good food and teaching me many things, and I'm grateful to them. If you're in trouble, I'd love to help you.

　I'm glad that everyone agreed with me.
　I'm glad that they thought of the people of the city.
　I don't know...maybe I'm exaggerating, but I felt like I was going to cry, just a little bit.
　That's how much everyone's words made my heart tremble.

'Alright!　So the basic policy, then, is in the direction of getting to the root of the problem, right?
""No objection!"

　Everyone nodded in unison.

''Let's give the joking lord and his son a crack at it.
Your arms are going to chirp!
'But what exactly are you going to do?　What do you have in mind?
'Well...'

　Think about it.

　How to establish our security.
　How to keep the peace for our city's people.
　How to stop an overbearing lord.

　All those things, under what conditions?

''Well you've been audited by the Order a few times in the past, haven't you?

　He thought back to what he'd heard from the people in town.

'Yes, that's what I've heard,'
Only to end up with no evidence and no punishment?

　In other words, if the evidence is found, the lords will be punished.

''Can't find any evidence, or.......I'd like to hear some more details about that.
Did you come up with anything?
They're getting away with it by destroying evidence. If we can figure out how to do that...
So you're saying you want to take away their ability to destroy evidence and have them audited. In doing so, you mean to say that the lords will expose their misdeeds?
Tania, you're right.
Meow!　Then you can help the people of the city, too.
'But it's not as easy as it sounds, is it?　It's not usually the case that there's no evidence left behind when you're moving pretty flashy. What the hell kind of methods do they use?
That's the thing, isn't it?

　In what ways are the lords destroying the evidence?
　After that is revealed, we will have them audited again.
　Then all the wrongs will be revealed and the lords will be disposed of.

　But I don't know how they are destroying the evidence.
　I try to think of a few things, but they are all just my imagination.
　I can't find a clear answer.

''No good. Thinking about it won't give me a clear answer.
Meow ... what should I do?
Let's go talk to someone who knows a lot about these issues.
Meow?　Who's in the know?
The Order.