Yes, Lady Funina!

Maybe those criminals have some kind of leverage over Richard and are using it to threaten him? Well, that's usually how it's portrayed in dramas.

In short, it's definitely not possible that Richard did this on purpose!

Double Standards

After establishing Richard's innocence as the central idea, Funina quickly came up with a question.

"Does Villette know?" Funina was very worried, fearing that Richard had been captured by Villette.

“I don’t know, maybe they’ve already guessed, but that’s not important,” Richard said.

In fact, when Fukaros said at the meeting that the matter would be put on hold for the time being, Navelette already had a plan in mind, otherwise she would not have entrusted the task of preventing 'corrupt officials' from causing trouble to Funina.

After all, it is unreasonable for Fucarus, the water god who is the god of justice, to show obvious 'sloth' in fighting criminals.

Behind every unreasonable behavior, there must be a reason that makes it reasonable. For Fucarus, who can make him compromise and make concessions?

—Richard.

Without much thought, the name naturally came to mind for Villette. Although he didn't know why Richard would do such a thing, he believed there must be some reason behind it.

Although Navelette was a fair and impartial Grand Inquisitor, he was not a rigid man. On the contrary, he was quite adaptable, and he only showed his tough side when it came to matters of principle.

In some ways, people like Navelette are actually easier to get along with than most people, as long as you find the right way to interact with them.

Therefore, as long as Richard wasn't caught red-handed, Villette wouldn't mind turning a blind eye, especially since the Water God was the nominal supreme ruler of Fontaine.

Since neither of the two water gods had any objections, he naturally wouldn't either.

Moreover, he knew that having opinions was useless, since he really couldn't beat Richard.

This sense of difference wasn't obvious before Navelette became a complete dragon, but only after he regained control of the waters did he clearly feel the gap between himself and Richard.

No, it should be said that it is the difference in the powers and responsibilities they hold.

This gap can be visualized as the difference between planets and stars, and it may even be greater, since there are differences even between stars.

"Is it really not important?" Seeing that Richard didn't seem to be lying and didn't look flustered, as if it were just a small matter, Fulina breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Without a doubt, Funina had always put herself on Richard's side and never considered betraying her own family or making a righteous report.

A well-proportioned butt is considered a good sign.

“In fact, didn’t we already say that at the previous meeting? There’s no evidence.” Richard gestured for Funina to relax; he had already settled the matter.

In Fontainebleau, both accusations and arrests require evidence. Without evidence, even if you know someone is a criminal, you usually can't do anything about it.

Moreover, unless Richard reveals it himself, no one will ever know what he did, let alone have any evidence.

I'm a law-abiding citizen, sir. Without evidence, be careful, or I might sue you for defamation!

Richard's case is even more outrageous. He had people all over the government, and with all the corrupt officials in the chain of corruption being eradicated, no one would ever mention it again.

No, Vilette wouldn't, Fucarus wouldn't, and Fenina certainly wouldn't either; she practically wanted to side with Richard!

Even if it were brought up, given Richard's status, position, and connections, it might very well lead to a real-life version of "Who dares to accuse me?"

"That's good..." After figuring out the key points, Funina finally felt completely relieved.

With her biggest worry resolved, Funina naturally wanted to ask Richard why he did that.

Richard had anticipated that Funina would ask this question, and immediately repeated what he had said to Fukaros to Funina.

After hearing Richard's explanation, Funina's last doubts were dispelled. She thought to herself, how could the person she liked be a corrupt official who held a position without doing any work?

Just as Funina was talking to Richard, Claurind returned from outside.

"Lady Furina, I'm back. I'm sorry, I didn't find out anything useful. If you're really worried, I can investigate on my own..."

As the official strongest dueling agent, Clarinde is responsible for handling duels caused by trials, and she also often takes on other commissions, among which apprehending criminals is one of her specialties.

If Funina is really worried about that corrupt official, Clarinde wouldn't mind going back to her old ways.

'This is a good opportunity to take a few days off...' Clarin thought to herself.

Don't get me wrong, the rest she's referring to isn't work, but rather...

Clarin glanced at Richard and realized he was looking at her too. She felt a little flustered, and her legs involuntarily went weak.

However, Clarinde did not receive the request from Frynn that she had expected. Instead, Frynn's worried expression disappeared, and her tone became unusually light as she said:

"No need, Clorind. I think I already know who that person is..."

Chapter 186 "The Investigator Series"

"You know who it is?" Clarinde was taken aback, clearly not quite understanding.

So fast?

"Hmm, Richard, you can speak, right?" Funina asked Richard for his opinion.

“Yes, Clorind is no outsider.” Richard nodded. After all, if Frynn knew but Clorind didn’t, it would seem like he was showing favoritism.

In terms of distance, Clarind is much closer than Frynn; they've been practically face-to-face countless times...

From this perspective, Clarinde is arguably more qualified than anyone else to be Richard's wife.

When Clarin saw Frynn consulting Richard, she gradually understood everything.

It turns out that Richard had already figured out who the culprit was, which makes sense.

But... why didn't she just say it directly? Why did Funina have to specifically ask Richard for his opinion?

Is the other person's identity very sensitive and something they're ashamed to be seen in public?

However, Furina's next words quickly answered Clorinde's question.

"That person was actually Richard."

"?"

Clarin slowly typed a question mark. When she typed a question mark, it didn't mean she had a problem; it meant she thought you had a problem.

It's still a big problem.

She rarely volunteers to investigate criminals, and then you tell her that the criminal she wants to investigate is actually Richard?

What's the difference between this and walking right into a trap?

It was only because Funina had mentioned it beforehand that she was able to catch the criminal when she finally found Richard sitting inside, leisurely enjoying tea.

Then, seeing himself suddenly barge in, Richard calmly asked him what he was there for.

Then tell the other party, "I'm here to arrest you, so you'd better surrender immediately."

Then I got thoroughly fucked.

It's really turned into the "Investigator Series".

——Clorind of No Misfortune

Thinking about this made Clarinde's mouth go dry. She tried her best to control her facial expressions and asked Richard, "Really?"

“Really,” Richard replied affirmatively.

"Then...then we won't investigate?" Clarind didn't even ask Richard why he wanted to do this, and immediately backed down.

“We’ll definitely investigate, even though it’s destined to be fruitless, but we still need to maintain the proper appearance.” Richard said, a meaningful smile appearing on his face. “After all, I’m quite curious about how you handle cases, Clarind.”

I'm curious about what Clarinde looks like when she's solving cases (×)

Curious about what Clarinde looks like in her investigator form (√)

Claude was no longer the naive girl she once was. Having been "exploited" by Richard multiple times, she was naturally able to understand Richard's subtext.

Suddenly, something felt off. Her body temperature rose noticeably. Although it didn't seem like anything on the surface, Clarinde was actually starting to feel hot.

"Is that so..." Clorinde didn't know what to say, especially with Fryna here... Ugh, why does it feel even more exciting?

Compared to Clarinde's agitation, the naive Frynn clearly did not realize the implication in Richard's words, and only thought that Richard was genuinely curious about how Clarinde handled cases.

Even our Minister of State—no, I should now call him Prime Minister—chose, adding, "Now that Richard mentions it, I'm a little curious, Clarinde, when you're handling cases, do you wear a uniform similar to that of Shadow Court officials, or do you have a special uniform, like in the theater, wearing a tight black leather suit, wandering through the night in Fontainebleau..."

"Lady Furina, are you talking about assassins?" Clorind couldn't help but complain.

"is it?"

"What detective or investigator would wear a tight leather suit for no reason?"

Who would be so nice as to wear a full-body black tight leather jacket and roam around at night?

“Well, wasn’t the plan to conduct a secret search? I think this would be more discreet,” Funina insisted on her opinion.

Clarinde was speechless. It might be fine for Frynn to wear a tight leather outfit, but if she were to wear one... it would have a bit of a sting operation feel to it.

After all, with Clarinde's figure and the tight leather outfit, it's easy to arouse people's latent criminal desires.

The thugs were excited and their clothes were...

Even the most proper tight-fitting leather outfit would probably look indecent on Clarinde.

Of course, Clarinde didn't want Frynn to continue talking. Didn't she see that Richard's eyes were starting to look a little strange?

Could this guy really be planning to make me wear a tight leather outfit? Clarinde's body tensed up; she didn't have any of those tight leather outfits that Furnessa was talking about at home.

Richard should have known this, after all, the other party had already looked through all the clothes in the closet and damaged several pieces...

Thinking about it carefully, she really needed to fill out her wardrobe recently. Before meeting Richard, Clarinde felt that she had quite a lot of clothes, but after meeting Richard, especially recently.

Clarinde then realized that she didn't actually have as many clothes as she had imagined, nor were they as durable as she had thought.

But then again, even the best materials and the most sturdy workmanship probably couldn't withstand the kind of torture Richard endured, right?

I wonder if Chiori can customize leather jackets...

“It’s just for show, no need to take it too seriously. Besides, although the Shadow Court does have specific uniforms for handling cases, they’re not leather. Apart from being more durable and suitable for various extreme situations, they’re actually no different from ordinary uniforms,” Richard said, coming to Clarin’s rescue.

Of course, he was actually a little bit curious about the tight leather outfit that Funina had mentioned, well, just a little bit.

If Claudia really didn't want to wear it, Richard obviously couldn't force her to. In fact, Richard had never forced Claudia to wear any specific clothes before, fully respecting her personal wishes.

Besides, Richard didn't actually need to force her. Claude was quite proactive; he only needed to mention it briefly, and she changed it herself without Richard even having to urge her...

Sometimes Richard even wondered if it was possible that Clarinde herself wanted to wear it, but she just couldn't find an excuse normally, and now that he was here, she had one.

By the way, Clorinde's wardrobe is quite a mixed bag, mostly uniforms. Don't get me wrong, they're the proper uniforms—duel agents, shadow court, guards, and more. Clorinde has had some contact with these professions before, so it's not surprising that she has these clothes.

Speaking of this, Richard was also a little puzzled as to why Funina would suddenly think of a tight leather jacket. Normally, when it comes to solving cases and tracking down criminals, one would think of things like trench coats and pipes, right?

After all, these designs not only exist in real life, but also frequently appear as the personal images of protagonists in various detective novels.

So, did Funina read some strange novel again?

"I see..." Funina fell silent, thinking to herself that the "Adult Fashion Frontier Magazine" she had bought earlier was really unprofessional.

They even got the clothing style wrong; the investigators don't wear tight leather jackets at all!

Well, thinking about it, most of the clothes in that magazine were strange, tattered and not at all like clothes that could be worn in public. Funina actually knew that there was something wrong with the magazine, but she just wouldn't admit it.

Also, Richard definitely can't see those magazines, otherwise his image in his eyes will be ruined!

The discussion about investigating a major corrupt official hidden in the Mo Mang Palace ended abruptly with a discussion about what clothes investigators should wear.

However, its impact was far-reaching. Apart from the internal investigation carried out by the authorities, Fu Ningna never imagined that the ordinary adult magazine she had unintentionally bought would bring her so much trouble in the future.

------

"It's been so long, and that guy has only sent a few letters. Shadow, I'm not saying this to be mean, but I don't think he cares about us at all."

The speaker was a stunningly beautiful woman dressed as a pure white shrine maiden. What was most striking about her, besides her ample bosom, were her fox ears hidden in her pink hair—she was actually a fox spirit!

The woman sitting opposite the fox spirit was equally extraordinary, possessing not only stunning beauty that rivaled even the fox spirit, but also a figure that was just as captivating.

Her silky dark purple hair was braided and hung down her back, the color of which lightened towards the ends, and fine flashes of lightning could be faintly seen when focusing on it.

This is the manifestation of the power of thunder, and also symbolizes that the woman before him is the most sublime and noble being in the mortal world.

—Inazuma Narukami Balzebu

It can also be called a terrible movie.

"Divine Child, didn't you just say these things yesterday?" Ying's eyes revealed helplessness. Ever since she stopped hiding in the Pure Land of One Heart, the Eightfold Divine Child has been coming to the General's Mansion to meet with her every few days under the pretext of reporting on work.

Kage didn't dislike Yae no Miko's frequent visits, but the Shogun seemed to have some objections, believing that this seriously affected the pursuit of eternity, but Kage suppressed them all.

"Really? But you don't seem to be in a hurry at all." Yae no Miko knew, of course, that she had said something similar yesterday; she didn't have amnesia.