Lies
We stood before the library where Claire was, ready to persuade her—only to find ourselves at a loss.
"No response, huh?"
I called out to her multiple times, but Claire didn't answer. Tricia, the Student Council President, attempted to open the door using body enhancement magic as she had before, but as expected, it didn't budge.
However, the President made one thing clear to us.
"I will say this much—if I use my full power, I could open it. But in that case, the entire library would collapse, leaving only the archive intact."
That's not a Student Council President—that's a magic-wielding gorilla.
… Well, setting that aside, what should we do?
Just as we decided to return to the Student Council room to rethink our strategy, it happened.
"My, my. If it isn't Student Council President Tricia and Lake Gallard's party. Might you be here to see Claire?"
With an exaggerated tone, Walton made his entrance.
"Senior Walton, perfect timing. Could you, as her brother, help persuade Claire to open the door?"
I asked, but Walton slowly shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I can't do that."
"What did you say?"
His outright refusal made President Tricia suspicious.
Walton then began to explain.
"You do know that when she was little, she was kidnapped, right? That trauma left her extremely fearful of contact with others."
"... Huh? Kidnapped?"
That was news to me.
Could that be the reason Claire and I grew distant?
"Oh? You didn't know, Lake?"
"Uh, no…"
"I imagine your father was informed, but he must have spared you from the details. Perhaps he thought it best. If it were you, who grew up with her, or the Student Council President whom she trusts, she might have been able to talk about it. But as things stand, she can't even hold a normal conversation with anyone in the academy except for me, her family."
That’s a lie.
Because Claire wasn’t afraid of people at all—just recently, she was chatting cheerfully with the now-recovered Connie.
Walton must have heard about our meeting from her and, judging by her usual behavior at the academy, assumed she never spoke to anyone else and concocted this lie.
… This man can't be trusted.
The kidnapping part is something I can verify easily, so I'll check on that later. But it's probably true.
He wants to keep Claire and me apart.
That much is obvious.
Walton continued, further fanning my suspicions.
"Lately, she seems to have been recalling those days, which has made her somewhat unstable… So, if possible, I’d like to ask you to refrain from meeting her for the time being."
Ah, and now he's barring me from seeing her entirely.
How blatant.
"… Understood. Let's go back, President Tricia."
"Wh-what!? But—"
"Sorry for the trouble, Senior Walton."
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. When she’s feeling better, please come see her again."
"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse us. Let’s go, Connie, Lucina."
"Understood."
"Eh? Ehh? Y-Young master Lake!?"
"Wait a moment!"
Lucina followed me without protest, but Connie and President Tricia were clearly dissatisfied.
—Of course, I hadn’t just obediently backed down.
I had my own plans.
After leaving the library and walking a bit, I stopped and turned to the President.
"President… may I ask you a few questions?"
"Questions? Why so suddenly?"
"I need to get in contact with Claire."
"! So, you had a reason for backing off so easily."
"Of course."
She is a valuable talent, essential for the prosperity of my merchant association.
It would be a waste to let her languish away in that archive.
Much less as some lackey for that good-for-nothing brother of hers.
When I told President Tricia that I might have to break some school rules, she reassured me with a bold statement.
"As long as you don’t do it in front of me, I won’t have to report anything."
"Y-Young master Lake! I’ll help too!"
"I would also like to assist."
"No, this time, a large group would be a disadvantage. I’ll go alone. You two wait and pray for my success."
Connie and Lucina offered their help, but this wasn’t a situation that required brute force. I’d be better off alone.
Now that my course was set, I needed to extract the necessary information from the President and make my move.
【Important Announcement】 Suspension of "Villainous Merchant" and Future Plans
Hello.
This is Ryuichi Suzuki.
As stated in the title, I regret to inform you that "The Unwitting Heroic Tale of a Corrupt Merchant" will be taken down.
There have been multiple comments pointing out that the setting and content of my work bear a strong resemblance to a certain published novel on Kakuyomu. After reviewing it again, I have confirmed that there are indeed several similarities, particularly in the early developments and character designs.
Given this, I have decided that it would be inappropriate to keep the story up as it is, and therefore, I will be removing it from AlphaPolis and other platforms where it has been published.
As for the future, I plan to reevaluate the story's setting and characters and aim to release a new work within this month. I will do my best to ensure that Lake and his companions' story reaches a proper conclusion.
To everyone who has supported this work, I sincerely apologize.
Thank you for your understanding.
The translation will stay up.
-Shinsori
What do you think about this chapter?
