She’d put on a colored wig, used makeup to slightly change her skin tone, and dressed like an employee so she would blend in. If necessary, she was ready to leap out and cry, “Hold it right there!” to defend Larusia.
If the officer questioned why a noble girl was dressed in an employee’s uniform, she could say she wanted to try working because it sounded fun. It was common for young noble girls to impose on commoners and wreak havoc as a pastime. The excuse was perfectly believable.
If he asked her to prove she was a noble, she could tell him that her country was far away and that he’d have to check with the Vanelian royal palace or upper nobility to confirm. Larusia’s words should’ve been enough, though. As the country’s sole distributor of the popular Yamano County goods, there was no reason to doubt her. After all, falsely claiming noble status could get a commoner beheaded. The offender’s cohorts and their family would be dissolved, and their fortune would be seized.
Not even a noble would escape punishment if they took part in falsifying someone’s peerage.
By the same token, the officer understood what would happen to him if he accused Mitsuha and Larusia of lying about her peerage knowing how unlikely they were to do so. The former was a foreign noblewoman, and the latter was the supplier of the highly coveted Yamano County goods, respectively. No one would accuse Mitsuha of lying about her identity unless they were an idiot or suicidal.
In the end, Larusia’s employees couldn’t be stopped, the officer’s subordinates weren’t following his orders, and the crowd of witnesses had seen it all. The horde of spectators grew in number as they glared at the officer. If he managed to arrest Larusia under those circumstances, it would’ve been impressive. Not just because of his courage, but also because of his stupidity.
And of course, as the officer was neither brave nor an idiot, he fled and commanded his subordinates to follow. Now that order, they obeyed.
Larusia Company employees piling into the royal palace were unlikely to be detained. Larusia had given them detailed instructions on what to do after she shouted the keyword, “Contact the royal palace”─like how to explain themselves if the gatekeepers didn’t let them through, how loudly they should yell, and what to say when other soldiers or civil officials approached them.
The employees had split up and taken different routes to the royal palace exactly as planned; they couldn’t have made such a spontaneous decision on the spot.
Just in case, Mitsuha and Larusia had informed the royal palace beforehand, which might’ve been unnecessary. Larusia Trading’s name was well known enough to let the employees pass if the message was that their boss was in danger. The royal palace also would’ve sent their soldiers to investigate after hearing that the city guards were breaking the law in full view of the public. Such an incident could harm the city guards’ credibility. They existed to protect peace in the capital, and a scandal could have unsavory consequences.
That was to say nothing of the sense of rivalry between the city guards, the capital army, and the royal guard. The three organizations didn’t get along and tended to dispute over anything from jurisdictional boundaries to girls at bars. That was common for professions that shared similar duties, and it was further complicated by the expectations and interests of the nobles who led them.
Because of that, the royal guards were unlikely to ignore Larusia Trading’s employees when they came knocking for help─whether Mitsuha and Larusia made prior arrangements or not.
But make prior arrangements they did. They’d spoken with nobles, royal guard officers, and capital army officers who were at odds with the leaders of the city guards. Who would refuse a meeting with the young owner of Larusia Trading─the company that had a monopoly over the limited imports of the luxurious alcohol, food, and cosmetics─and the foreign viscountess who supplied said imports? Especially if they arrived with insider info and gifts in hand.
Thus, the two girls were able to speak with many nobles, government officials, high-ranking military officers, and even a few royals (though not anyone as high as the king or his children).
Who knew meeting with a noble or royal would be as easy as going to an idol meet-and-greet?
Mitsuha and Larusia’s efforts ensured that if one of their employees was causing a racket at the royal palace gates, someone under the patronage of one of those nobles and royals would immediately attend to them.
The best way to deal with a small man abusing borrowed authority is to strike him with greater authority. People like him think they can get away with anything, but if you single them out in public, they’ll grasp that all responsibility will fall on them. That should put them in their place. Though at that point, it’s too late…
Then you tell their boss exactly what they did. If their boss was in on it, then you go to their boss. If that person is rotten too, then you find their boss. If you keep going up the chain, you’re bound to find a boss who’s decent.
If you don’t, then you bring it up with someone in the opposing faction. They’re likely to help…especially if you dangle the privilege of first dibs on Yamano County goods.
Mitsuha elected against meeting any city guard leaders, as that risked compromising the operation. She didn’t know how many of the apples in the barrel were rotten. There was a chance that the corruption went all the way to the top or to the nobles involved. She wanted to decide what to do after observing the city guards’ reaction.
I’m sure this will all work out!
The situation progressed over the next few days.
The employees of Larusia Trading who rushed to the royal palace that day were, as expected, restrained by the gatekeepers. They yelled for help at the top of their lungs and caused quite a commotion. The subordinates of the people who met with Mitsuha and Larusia acted quickly to let them through.
It all happened in a flash after that. A squad of soldiers immediately paid a visit to Larusia Trading, while others went to report to their respective bosses. By the time the soldiers arrived at Larusia’s store, the city guards had fled, but they took testimonies from the young owner, her employees, and the remainder of the crowd on the street. They even asked questions about the initial attack on Larusia Trading from weeks ago. The city guards had apparently never disclosed any reports on the incident. There was going to be heavy investigation into that as well.