Became the Villainess’s Guardian

In the earl’s eyes, Freugne appeared to wield considerable authority within the organization.
Leaving aside the exceptional quality of the information she conveyed, it was clear that she possessed substantial discretionary power.

One need not look any further than the conversation we had the day before the meeting at Keres Martop.

“To obstruct the expansion as much as possible – a simple objective, which is good. But before that, may I ask something?”

“Of course.”

“What if Keres Martop refuses your proposal?”

“Ahaha… refuse, you say.”

After rolling her eyes, Freugne soon realized there was no one else around and let out a chilly laugh.

“Naturally, such an occurrence must be avoided.”

“…I see.”

“I trust you understand well.”

Unlike other children who were simply told to deliver a letter without any further context, Freugne had the authority to modify orders to some degree on the spot.

This implied a considerably close association with the unidentified organization’s leader.
Of course, the earl did not entertain the notion that Freugne herself was that very person.

The possibility of an ordinary high school girl being behind this entire conspiracy?
If he were seriously considering that, he should promptly seek the nearest psychiatric institution. He would sooner believe Edan had come from another world.

Keeping that premise in mind, let us move on to the next stage.
Why, and what benefit was there for the organization’s leader to issue such orders to him?

As the head of an investment company that had to operate discreetly, the earl had long been informed by Freugne that chaos would arrive within a year.

However, to pour so much money into rescuing Keres Martop from that quagmire.
If he had truly pursued only profit, he could have simply left Martop to its demise and acquired it cheaply later. So this was an order that conflicted with financial interests.

The hypothesis that could be drawn from this was that someone – presumably Martop’s leadership – was deeply involved with the organization and could not allow Keres Martop to simply falter.

For instance, Freyja, or if not her, then Edan.
And Edan had that adoptive father-daughter connection with Freugne, did he not? The picture became clearer – Edan had issued the order to Freugne.

Additionally, upon reaching this conclusion, the earl simultaneously realized:

‘He’s trying to use me as a meat shield!’

If Edan himself directly opposed the expansion, he would undoubtedly face complaints from other shareholders.
Then, if Edan were to claim, ‘In truth, I wanted to expand too, but the major shareholder objected, so I had no choice,’ all the arrows would be directed at the earl instead.

Therefore, until the day of reckoning arrived, Edan’s honor and status would remain intact, and Keres Martop, the foundation of his power base, would endure.
A conclusion where no one but the earl, destined to be an emotional punching bag for half a year, would be hurt.

Of course, he would lose the honor of having predicted the chaos, but that was undoubtedly a calculated move to avoid such a spotlight.
Was this not precisely the mentality of an organization’s boss, who paranoidly concealed their identity and refrained from taking the front stage?

“Um, Mr. Edan the mage.”

“What is it?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

The earl, who had parted his lips as if to protest the obvious conclusion, ultimately chose silence instead.
After all, had he not taken the role of an investment company head precisely to shoulder such troublesome burdens in the first place? All he had to do was play the scapegoat for half a year.

Moreover, since he had not revealed his own awareness, he could not predict what might befall him if he acted knowingly.
Having only recently become the head of an investment company, he had no desire to be apprehended by the sharp-eyed Geadreid, who the organization’s boss seemed to wield like a pocket knife.

Thus, Earl Norton merely thought to himself:

‘The mage Edan is a formidable man.’

‘Far more so than I had imagined.’

Not because he was the organization’s boss or a close aide, but rather the callousness with which he unhesitatingly used even his adopted daughter as a pawn. The way he feigned ignorance while deflecting the spotlight onto others.

Edan’s name was renowned not only as an inventor but also as a philanthropist, yet he concealed such duplicity.
Truly, living in Londinium for an extended period exposed one to all sorts of things.

But speculation would go no further.
The earl was not so risk-seeking as to blurt out, ‘Might you be the boss, perchance?’

“I hope you will consider this positively.”

If not for the organization, then for his own desire to live long.

After respectfully bowing his head, the earl left Martop.

In the conference room where Keres Martop’s executives had gathered.
After a brief wait, employees finally arrived with the results of their three-day investigation.

I flipped through the documents placed before me. There were quite a few numbers that would be difficult for an ordinary person even to decipher.

“Norton Investment is a company jointly established by investors including Earl Norton. As it has not been officially operating for even a year, it can be considered a newly established company.”

“Yet it seems to be handling a considerable amount of money for a newcomer.”

“You’re correct. It was founded by wealthy capitalists who came together for some reason, although I’m not sure what inspired them.”

“Is there any possibility of their involvement in unsavory activities?”

“Given their short history, there are no particular red flags. Their operations all appear to be legal as well.”

The Martop financial department then took over.

“Upon careful review by our team, the earl’s words do seem to hold some merit.”

“At the very least, they don’t appear to be assassins sent by a competing Martop to bankrupt us.”

The preliminary checks were complete. Then came the time for a decision.
While it was a request from the major shareholder, Freyja and I could still overturn that decision if we joined forces.

My contemplation continued until our late dinner.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“Hmm?”

Freugne, who had put down her fork, was already looking up at me.
After studying my expression, she gently asked:

“May I offer some counsel?”

“…I intended to expand Martop overseas, but there are concerns that the timing might be too risky, so it cannot proceed.”

“Is that such an easy decision?”

“If we take on debt and attract new investments, we would have to accept the risks, but it would be possible. The very thing you expressed skepticism about.”

I could not simply dismiss Freugne due to her youth.
In this modern era with rather lax standards for adulthood, it was only natural for her to mature quickly, having lacked parental love and care from an early age.

Above all, the girl who would have undoubtedly become the kingdom’s mastermind if left unattended could hardly be accused of lacking foresight.
Only a fool could never rise from the bottom to acquire power and authority.

Perhaps her speculation was the result of keen insight, akin to Earl Norton’s.

“That would make you even busier than now, to the point of requiring work on weekends too.”

“I might even have to travel overseas myself.”

After a moment’s contemplation, Freugne finished her meal, and as she helped clear the dishes, she remarked in passing:

“Come to think of it, Edan seems to be moving rather urgently.”

“Such an impression was indeed given.”

“Yes, that too.”

It was a phrase Professor Magni had often told me in my youth.
Freyja had also mentioned it to me recently.

If even Freugne had noticed, it must have been glaringly obvious up close.

“In truth, I still don’t fully understand economics, management, and such matters. Nor the gravity of the burden you bear, with mouths to feed beyond just mine, including your own.”

“……”

“Still, I wish you would take some rest, and lean on others when faced with difficulties.”

Then, her voice softened slightly, as if embarrassed:

“After all, aren’t we family?”

“That’s right, we’re family.”

It was only then that I came to my senses.
Looking back, I had been devoting less time not only to home but also to the orphanage and charitable foundation due to various preparations.

Glancing at the mirror, I saw a man with dark circles under his eyes – an appearance I was all too familiar with from my youth, when I worked double shifts at a textile factory and a printing press.

Freugne gently placed her hand on my shoulder from behind.

“I’m worried you might collapse later on.”

“So you’ve been thinking about that.”

I pushed aside the dishes and leaned back in my chair, letting out a small sigh.

“…Am I a little convinced now?”

“Not yet. Roll this.”

From the drawer, I retrieved a 20-sided persuasion die and handed it to Freugne.
Oblivious to its meaning, she rolled the die, which clattered across the table before stopping in front of me.

“I don’t know the significance of this action, but it’s a 20.”

“Alright, now I’m a bit convinced.”

Thanks to that, I could sort out my thoughts more clearly.
For today, at least, I decided to turn in early for a change.

Freugne was delighted that my concerns seemed to have been resolved, although she did not know the reason.

The next day.
Like a true modern-day head of the household with more than just one or two mouths to feed, Freugne triumphantly declared victory at the hideout.

“Everything is proceeding according to plan.”

“……”

While Ulr was generally taciturn, to the point where even stabbing him with a needle would not draw a single drop of blood or reveal any hint of human emotion, he was surprisingly well-versed in psychology, likely from frequently observing people’s candid behavior using his invisibility ability.

And in his eyes, Freugne was harboring an emotion that was…

“Heheh.”

…distinctly more viscous than mere familial love, no matter how he looked at it.

Not that it was any of his business, of course.
Instead of prying, Ulr decided to ask about something that did concern him.

With the preparations for the chaos complete, her cherished Edan taken care of, and the organization’s growth not just smooth but explosive, her next move could hardly be ordinary. Ulr swallowed dryly.

“So what do you plan to do until the chaos arrives?”

And Freugne answered as if it were a given:

“What else? Obviously, I need to study.”

“Hm?”

“Mr. Edan sent me to school, didn’t he? If not to study, what else would I do there?”

Ah, right.
It was a fact Freugne herself occasionally overlooked, but her primary occupation was indeed that of a student.