Chapter 113: Are You Jealous?
"...Should I be grateful I have a healthy body?"
"You should be thanking Rover for holding back, you idiot."
In the "crime scene" at Aeron's place—Ciaccona's cabin—the roles of attacker and defender had now reversed.
"Mhm, so you're saying that because Ciaccona showed Phoebe and the others something she shouldn't have, you 'punished' her like this?"
"Exactly! (with righteous confidence)"
As for the victim herself... she was currently hiding behind Aeron, covering her flushed face.
(What do you do when your boss catches you doing that kind of thing with a coworker? Asking for a friend, it's urgent (T_T).)
In complete contrast to Ciaccona, Aeron wasn't the least bit flustered. After all, as far as he was concerned, he had a perfectly valid reason.
"Second Young Lady, you know, as Ciaccona's producer, I have to ensure her physical and mental well-being. If she accidentally created some R-rated masterpiece, not only Montelli, but even Ragunna's reputation would be at risk!"
"OK, forget about when you gave yourself that weird title for a moment. Just the scene Rover and I saw when we opened the door..."
"...I plead not guilty."
"Sometimes I really envy your ability to shamelessly talk nonsense."
Seeing Aeron being so impervious to reason, Carlotta couldn't help but feel a twinge of awe, remembering that this guy was the one who, alongside Rover, had repelled the Leviathan.
"You should know, what you did to Ciaccona last chapter got flagged by the censors once already. For the sake of our future flourishing development, could you maybe apologize first?"
"Holy crap, that happened? Sorry, dear censor daddy, I was wrong... Wait, no! That's not something I should be saying!"
Anyway, this unexpected incident thus came to a hasty conclusion with "Aeron is guilty."
"Wait, that's not fair at all!"
"Sorry, Father, but Montelli makes the rules in Ragunna now. You brought this on yourself, so just accept it~"
Aeron wanted to argue against Carlotta's explanation—which wasn't really an explanation at all—but since he really was the one who caused all this, he had no choice but to give up.
And right at that moment, Ciaccona, who had been hiding behind Aeron the whole time, tugged on his clothes.
"Since you did that kind of thing... you have to take responsibility for me... partner."
"Could you phrase that differently? That just makes me sound even more guilty!"
Seeing Aeron's stubborn, unyielding attitude, Carlotta, standing nearby, truly had no idea what to do with him.
And while Aeron and Carlotta were bickering, Rover was currently staring at the "evidence of the crime" from Ciaccona beside her, lost in thought.
Although she had seen similar things before, those were always somewhat veiled or suggestive. Seeing ones with actual plots and such detailed depictions of the process was a first, not to mention so many different art styles and... plays.
In such a short time, she had already flipped through one volume after another.
Gulp... I really... learned something new today.
And so, the black cat came into contact with knowledge she really shouldn't have.
Meanwhile, Abby: Where did all this yellow waste come from, I'd like to ask????
By the time she closed the damning evidence in her hands, which depicted shocking scenes, the trial against Aeron had more or less come to a halt.
"By the way... aren't you Zani's boyfriend? Why would you do this kind of thing to Ciaccona and the others..."
Good question. It instantly rendered the other three people present speechless.
Come to think of it, Rover didn't seem to be around when the others were interrogating Aeron. Perhaps her impression of him was still stuck at "a rather troublesome guy."
So, Carlotta explained to this "king" of Ragunna just what kind of debts Aeron had racked up.
Yes, kneeling before her now was the boyfriend of the Averardo Vault's best employee, the poet of the Toccata Family's designated exclusive partner (and future idol project producer), Cantarella's certified husband (though Carlotta had reservations about that), and the current head of the Order's most cherished priestess within the organization (though he seemed a little dangerous).
"Uh... what about you, Carlotta?"
"No need to drag me into this..."
Though she said that, having it pointed out still left Carlotta feeling inexplicably annoyed.
"Of course, given someone's personality, he might use these impressive identities to do even more outrageous things—like what we just saw."
"Why does it sound like I'm some kind of criminal when you say it?"
After hearing Carlotta's description, Rover blinked.
Wow, just wow.
Though she couldn't quite grasp the full picture, encountering a genuine "four-family servant" in the flesh was still an eye-opener for someone who had traveled through Jinzhou and the Black Shores.
And Aeron, faced with this sudden accusation, naturally had to retaliate.
"...Are you jealous?"
With a hint of teasing, Aeron spoke up provocatively.
"..."
All he got in return were two icy stares.
Hey, it was just a joke, but that reaction really hurts, you know?
Carlotta shot him a glare, too tired to dwell on the matter any longer. She'd realized that taking this guy seriously would only exhaust her.
Meanwhile, Rover, who had been quietly standing by, reached out and naturally pinched his cheek.
"Ow, that hurts."
"Serves you right."
She offered a two-word assessment. Even she had to admit that, though Aeron caused plenty of trouble, being with him was never boring.
And honestly, she was glad to have met someone like him.
"Alright, alright, enough of this farce."
Carlotta clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back, her expression returning to its usual efficient demeanor.
"Ciaccona, regarding the detailed plans for the idol project, I'll have my assistant send them over later. As for you—"
She turned to Aeron, "Don't just sit around. There's serious business to attend to."
"...Huh?"
Hearing the words "serious business," Aeron tilted his head, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
What just happened was too sudden, he had forgotten—with two big shots from Ragunna showing up at the same time, how could they possibly just be here to catch someone in the act!
Aeron tried to resist and escape... Well, actually, he didn't even get a chance before Rover dragged him away.
"Can I ask what we're going to do?"
"Someone wants to take you to meet someone."
"Who?"
"Of course—the performer of Fractsidus."
"Why me?"
"We finally managed to capture such a living fossil, of course we'd want to interrogate them properly. Aren't you the best at getting under her skin? We need a bit of your skill."
"To be honest, it doesn't feel like you're complimenting me."
With that, Rover and Carlotta prepared to take Aeron away from Ciaccona's place.
"Well, then... take care, you three..."
Ciaccona quickly stood up and saw the three to the door, her tone somewhat hurried.
"Ah, I almost forgot."
But just as they were about to leave, Carlotta seemed to remember something and turned back, then used her Resonance Power to summon an ice gun.
"...Eh?"
Then, with a single shot, she froze the mountain of incriminating evidence Ciaccona and Aeron had piled up.
"Such dangerous things really shouldn't be left lying around~"
"Nooo!"