Chapter 79 - Looking for The True Culprit Behind the Counterfeit Along with What Sybilla Believes to be the ‘Key to Victory' Part 2

[An undercover soldier spotted our stall possessing fake money. On that note, that clerk is accused of fraudulent practice and was marked as a scammer for keeping the counterfeit. No amount of excuses we're heard and even I ended up being suspected…] The manager is obviously upset as he speaks of what had happened. Now that he mentioned it, the soldiers of Seiris are well known for their stern and severe practice. There's not a chance to think that they'll be gentle against someone they see as a scammer. [Is that so~. But if you think about it, there's no way that stall's clerk would be able to identify to whom he sold his products and for what particular money the customers have used, so how come you were able to arrive at the conclusion that I am the culprit? It's so fishy. But you said so yourself earlier, isn't it? 'I heard that it is that product', right?] It as Sybilla has surmised. The manager in front of us had been insisting earlier that the bracelet she wore is the one that was bought using fake money. [Indeed. I heard it from the imprisoned clerk that the bracelet in particular was sold that day. It was three days ago.] That's the day I bought Emmy her bracelet. Sybilla listens to the manager's story and offers her suggestion. [Then, why don't I personally meet this clerk-san of yours. We'll definitely clear any misunderstandings that way, don't you think? Besides, the culprit itself now has piqued my interest. Emmy-chan, Russell, that's fine with the both of you, right?] That's pretty bold if I have to say so. But nonetheless, me and Emmy nodded our heads as we show our agreement with Sybilla to cooperate on finding the real culprit behind this mess. [Oh, I forgot to mention but this haughty guy right here is a member of my party and is actually the .] [I have to really talk about you on how you describe me.] Sybilla showed my adventurer tag to the merchant (Saint portion only) which made him quite flustered and bowed his head to us several times. …I've just been listening silently to all of this but this girl really had been keeping the fact that she's with the saint all this time and kept the accusations coming towards us. I observe the manager's pitiful figure and glance at Sybilla's direction just to see her happily grinning at the merchant. Yare yare, oh how reliable of our Goddess-sama indeed. The merchant then brought us to a large government office on the city side. Unlike the beach, there's a port in the area where several ships come and go. This place is where the nobles and aristocrats reside as well so to avoid trespassing and unauthorized entries from happening, a large fence was made around it. There's also the lightly dressed soldiers sitting around with spears on their hands What's more, this place is located at the center of the city so it feels like this area in particular is being protected by the whole city itself. [Please wait for a moment as we process the necessary procedures.] After we entered the government office, the manager had a few exchanges with the receptionist before he returned to us with a soldier by his side. [Are these the people who will go with you?] (Soldier) [Yes. In order to obtain evidence, I am asking these people to find the true culprit behind this incident.] (Manager) [Understood. I would like for everyone to keep in mind to behave properly inside the prison. We will not tolerate even bad examples.] (Solider) The words regarding their strictness describe them really well. We nod our heads in agreement to the soldier's warning and he guided us further to the inside of the building. We've gotten deeper to the point that the light that enters the place started to get dimmer. The soldier that serves as our guide exchanges some words to the warden of the prison before we're allowed to enter. At the moment we make our first step inside the prison, the atmosphere becomes clearly different. The scent in particular. [We are providing them the minimum necessities but bathing is out of the question. It may be hard for the female convicts but it's part of the consequence they have to suffer for those who committed crimes. We'd appreciate it if you can understand.] (Soldier) [We don't mind~.] [Yep.] Sybilla didn't let the scent get into her and Emmy immediately gave her agreement. Then, we are taken in front of a cell where a young man is imprisoned. [ah…! Manager!] [Shut it.] [Yes …] The clerk who looked a little pale immediately reacted seeing us but was abruptly stopped by the guard which made him shrink back. [I am sorry for having you go through all this… I brought the person who has the bracelet you said. Please come forward Sybilla sama… Now then, can you confirm that this is the bracelet in question?] (Manager) Sybilla steps forward to show the bracelet she's wearing and seeing such, the clerk's eyes widened in surprise. [There's no mistaking it! The person who bought this bracelet is the one behind the fake money!] […Sybilla-sama, we hope to hear some kind of explanation for this–] [B-b-but no! She isn't the person who bought it!] [–...What did you say?] The clerk hesitantly looks at the owner and Sybilla before muttering his reply. [… It was a man.] [Ha?] [The person who bought the bracelet from me was a man…!] Now that should clear all suspicions behind Sybilla being the culprit. They've overlooked quite the miniscule details and lead to a big mistake on their investigation. The true criminal behind the counterfeit money is a man. They shouldn't have any reason to doubt Sybilla at this point anymore However… Since it was a man who bought the bracelet Sybilla is wearing, everyone else thought of the same thing. As such, the merchant and the soldier that was guiding us looked at me with suspecting eyes. …Even I can understand why they would react in such a way. No matter how you think about it, it seems that I am indeed the culprit. Which is in fact not true, but I don't have the evidence to prove my innocence. My best bet would be asking the clerk and have him verify that it's not me and someone else. But… There's something about it that strikes me as strange. I only took a glance at the merchant and the others so I was not able to confirm it, but now that I look at them closely, I became quite certain. –This young man, I've seen him before somewhere.