855 Bear, goes to the lord's house - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

"But why didn't the poison affect Yuna?" "Perhaps because I have a resistance to poison." Thanks to the bear equipment, of course, but if someone asked me to investigate it, I'd be in trouble, so I answer vaguely. "A resistance to poison, hmm." Mane looks at me with a skeptical gaze but doesn't press further. After a while, Ellelaura arrives. "Great job. And what's Corvo's status?" The moment Ellelaura enters the room, Mane promptly inquires. "He's still denying everything." "Even with all that evidence, he's incredibly stubborn." Currently, we have: - Mane and Corvo's conversations (including the attempted poisoning) - Conversations between Corvo and the men he sent to attack Mane - Testimonies from Lydia and others, and the drugs - Families of patients deceived like Lydia - Testimonies from apothecaries. "Where is Corvo now?" "The guards have him locked up. I've issued a gag order under my authority." "The guards are under the lord's jurisdiction, aren't they? How did you manage?" "I used the name of His Majesty the King." "If you get in trouble for using his name recklessly, that's on you." "Mane-sama and Yuna-chan were almost killed, so it's fine." "I get it for Mane, but me?" "Yuna-chan is His Majesty's favorite, after all." Me, the king's favorite? "If you mean Flora-sama's favorite, maybe." Technically, it's more like Kumayuru and Kumakyuu are her favorites. "Still, even His Majesty cares deeply for you. When he hears about this, he'll be furious." I wonder if that's fit behavior for a king. "And what about Corvo's father?" "I sent a forewarning earlier. We’ll meet at the manor tomorrow." "What did you tell him?" "About his son Corvo’s actions with the drugs, his treatment towards patients and apothecaries, and the attempted murder of Mane-sama, who works for the Magic Ministry." "And there's no risk of it being covered up?" "We already have the evidence and witnesses secured on our side. There's nothing they can do." Afterward, Ellelaura and Mane discuss what steps to take next, then Ellelaura returns to her work of compiling the evidence and testimonies. "Phew, I'm exhausted. Please bring Kumayuru and Kumakyuu." Mane collapses onto the bed and asks. With no further need to hide, we decided to stay at an inn. I summon the cub-formed Kumayuru and Kumakyuu onto Mane's bed. "Ah, this is soothing." Mane cradles Kumayuru and strokes her head. It's been a busy time for Mane, and Kumayuru and Kumakyuu are quite the remedies. "Come here, you too." Now she's rubbing Kumakyuu's tummy. "Yuna." "What is it?" "Thank you. Without you, I would’ve been dead. Never did I imagine Corvo would resort to poison. That was utterly my oversight." When pushed into a corner, people can do unforeseen things. "It's not your fault. Corvo was in the same room too." Poisoning despite being in the same room seems unlikely. "Even so, as an apothecary, I should’ve noticed." "Corvo mentioned it, right? A slow-acting, scentless poison to avoid detection." Perhaps Kumayuru and Kumakyuu might have noticed if they’d been there, but they weren’t at the time. "Ah... I'm so pitiful. We had gathered all the evidence and were ready to corner Corvo." She squeezes Kumayuru. If she had been killed, there would’ve been no one to corner Corvo. The dead tell no tales. Mane hadn’t shown it earlier, but she seems to be in shock. "But with Ellelaura here, everything will be alright now." The next morning, Ellelaura, who stayed at the same inn, comes to our room. When we step out, there are two carriages waiting. "You two, please board this carriage." Ellelaura directs her gaze to the carriage in front. "And the other carriage?" "Corvo's in that one." It seems we’ll be traveling together. Mane and Ellelaura get into the carriage, and I board it as Mane's guard. "So, is Corvo still denying everything?" "Yes, he claims he’s innocent. He seems to think he’ll be fine once he sees his father." He’s truly obstinate. After some time on the road, the carriages halt in front of a manor. As I disembark, a well-dressed middle-aged man and woman are waiting. Could they be the lord and Corvo's parents? Ellelaura steps down first, then Mane and I follow suit. The man mutters, "A bear?" then quickly averts his eyes from me to look at Ellelaura. "Lady Ellelaura, we've been expecting you." "As per yesterday’s forewarning, we’re here on business." "My apologies for my fool of a son." The man bows his head. "Dad, don’t be fooled!" Corvo tumbles out of the carriage behind ours. His wrists are tied, making it difficult for him to disembark properly. Corvo tries to rush over but is restrained by knights on either side. So he is his father, which means they’re indeed the lord and lady and Corvo's parents. "I have no intention of listening to you." "Dad!" Ignoring Corvo, his father turns to Ellelaura. "Lady Ellelaura, this isn’t the place for this. Please, step inside." Corvo’s screams are silenced by the knights. We follow the lord and lady into the manor and are shown to a parlor. "My deepest apologies for my idiotic son." The couple bows their heads. "Ugh..." Corvo groans behind us. "First, may we show you the evidence? Is that alright?" "Yes, please go ahead." "Firstly, here’s the recording proving he instructed others to attack Mane of the Magic Ministry." The recording of the exchange between Corvo and the men plays, and the lord and lady’s expressions darken. As the conversation between Mane and Corvo from the previous day continues to play, anger swells on their faces. Ellelaura begins to explain Corvo's wrongdoings: his intentional avoidance of curing patients for continued drug sales, low-priced herb procurement, obstruction of other apothecaries, and sales of low-efficacy drugs. "You rascal, do you plan on dragging this house to ruin?" Corvo's father approaches and grabs him by the scruff of the neck. "Calm down." With Ellelaura's voice, Corvo is firmly rebuffed. She continues to unveil wrongdoing after wrongdoing of Corvo's that I had no idea about. He'd been exerting pressure on the commercial and adventurer guilds, using local thugs to extort money from patients, and even those men who attacked us were involved. It turns out he’d been using his father, the lord's, name for all these misdeeds. "You despicable fool." In his anger, Corvo's father punches him away. "I hereby banish you from the Feriton family. You shall not pass through these doors again, nor claim the Feriton name!" Ellelaura instructs the knight to remove the gag from Corvo's mouth. "If you have anything to say, go ahead." "It's not true, Father. It's all lies, all nonsense!" "Why would Lady Ellelaura come all the way from the capital to frame a mere apothecary like you?" "That's..." "Besides, with all this evidence, the testimonies will certainly ensure your conviction." "Are you abandoning your own son?" "Our family has not fallen so low as to defend a criminal." He brushes off Corvo, who tries to sidle up to him. "Lady Ellelaura, I deeply apologize. It is my failure for not keeping my son in check. I will accept any punishment." "For now, we will not hold you accountable." "But..." "He is an adult. His actions are his own responsibility. However, the fact that the Feriton name was used is undeniable. Not being aware of this is your fault. Had you listened to those around you, you might have realized." "Yes." Still, that's easier said than done. If someone remains tight-lipped, no words will reach you. Even Cliff had made mistakes in the past because of this. "It seems bribes were being handed out as well." Apparently, Corvo was careful to ensure his actions wouldn't be discovered by his father. The discussion moves forward without even needing testimony from Mane and me, perhaps because Corvo's father is a sensible lord. Sometimes, parents can be decent while the children are not, and vice versa. "Let me apologize on behalf of my son to those he harmed." "That’s unnecessary." Mane, who had been silent until now, speaks up. "Why not?" "As Ellelaura mentioned, this is Corvo’s responsibility. Not the parents'. It's also the responsibility of the apothecary guild for not supervising him." There's an apothecary guild? I’ve heard of a blacksmith guild before, so it must be something similar. "But still—" "We will have Corvo’s assets go towards reparations. Making a big deal out of it could destabilize the city and cause unnecessary worry to its residents." Once a lord is labeled as untrustworthy, shaking that label is difficult. "If you feel remorse over your son's actions, create an herb garden. Sell herbs to apothecaries at fair prices." "An herb garden?" "Some apothecaries operate individually, but if the city cultivates one, it becomes invaluable during emergencies. Yet, it’s costly, so few lords initiate it. If you want to make amends, focus on future patients." "I understand. I will establish an herb garden." Mane seems pleased with his response. Perhaps she’s glad that the herb garden might help save even more patients.