The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

Chapter 34 - First Request (1)

The Imperial Social Science Research Institute.

As one might expect, the name "Research Institute" was merely a title, created as an excuse to move Yulia out of the Imperial Palace.

Thus, there were no plans to engage in any academic endeavors that could be called "research."

However, since it was an imperial institution, it had to produce some sort of results. Being a research institute, there would need to be research outcomes.

That was the problem.

Neither Lloyd nor the princess had the depth of knowledge to delve into any serious academic research.

‘That’s why we slapped on the “Social Science” title.’

A field where interactions with people could be considered research achievements.

In modern times, this would involve complex processes like various analysis techniques and statistics, but in this fantasy world, such things were hardly necessary.

‘Oh? Then we can meet our goals without actually doing any real research, right?’

With that conclusion, Lloyd and the princess established the Social Science Research Institute.

It was a place with a signboard that allowed them to lay low—a fitting cover for their scheming.

“...I never thought we’d actually get a request.”

Watching the princess mumble to herself, Lloyd couldn’t help but look at her in disbelief.

“Why would you think that?”

“Well, what exactly does a Social Science Research Institute do? From the outside, the building looks old and rundown. Why would anyone submit a request here?”

...Is that something the owner of the building should say?

“Is that something the owner of the building should say?”

“Lloyd, you’re saying your thoughts out loud.”

“My apologies.”

As Lloyd bowed his head, Princess Yulia gave him an exasperated look.

Lloyd quickly retreated to the first floor.

‘...I’m the advisor, so I have to work hard.’

On the first floor, a girl with reddish-brown hair was peeking through the slightly open door.

“I’m here to request...! Ah.”

Perhaps thinking no one inside could hear her, the girl raised her voice but quickly clammed up when she saw Lloyd. Her cheeks turned red, likely embarrassed by her outburst.

“What can I do for you?”

“Ah- uh, well! I came here to make a request!”

“Right this way.”

Lloyd’s face lit up as he guided her inside.

It was understandable since they needed to accept any request they could get.

Though the Social Science Research Institute was something of a shell company(?), as a royal research institute, they had annual goals to meet: a certain level of research achievements, records of requests received, and so on.

‘I was originally planning to make some deals with the local guilds later to fabricate results.’

It was much better to accept an actual request than to resort to such dubious tactics.

—Creak.

The door to the reception area, which had been thoroughly cleaned, opened smoothly.

Finally, the day had come to use the reception desk.

Lloyd led the girl to the reception area on the first floor.

As she looked around, her expression shifted from one of suspicion, as if wondering, "Is this place really trustworthy?" to one of slight relief.

“This place is more put-together than I thought...”

Ignoring her muttered comment, Lloyd stood behind the counter.

Thanks to his relatively tall stature for his apparent age, he cut a fairly respectable figure in front of the client.

“Please fill out this form.”

He handed her the ‘Request Form’ he had prepared under the counter, which made the girl tilt her head in confusion.

“Is there something you’re unsure about?”

After hesitating a bit, the girl cautiously asked her question.

“Isn’t there an adult here?”

“...Sorry?”

“No, it’s just... it’s not that I’m suspicious or anything.”

The girl pointed at Lloyd with her finger.

“It’s just that you look around my age. Aren’t you just an errand boy?”

“This is why I don’t like sharp kids.”

Lloyd briefly wondered how he should explain his abilities.

“You can trust me to handle it.”

Though, as it turned out, that wasn’t necessary since the princess appeared just then.

‘But wait a minute.’

Lloyd was taken aback when he looked at the princess.

And for good reason—Yulia wasn’t wearing her usual dress.

Her hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail.

She was wearing semi-transparent glasses of unknown origin.

And she was dressed in a tidy suit that closely resembled a knight’s uniform.

Anyone would mistake her for a professional guild master.

Combined with her royal aura, the effect was overwhelming.

“Ah, hello.”

The girl, who had been eyeing Lloyd with suspicion, immediately bowed her head when she saw the princess.

“You’re really committed to this research institute, huh?”

“Shut up.”

Blushing at Lloyd’s teasing remark, Yulia turned to the first client and smiled warmly.

“Despite his appearance, this boy is quite capable. You can trust him to deliver the results you want.”

“Y-yes! Of course, ma’am!”

The girl, now looking up at Yulia with starry-eyed admiration, resembled a fan gazing at an idol.

Well, considering Yulia’s noble and beautiful features, that wasn’t surprising.

Maybe I could use this as a selling point to attract clients.

Lloyd briefly entertained the thought before bringing his focus back to the matter at hand.

“So, what’s the nature of your request?”

There were other questions he could have asked, of course.

How did she find out about the Social Science Research Institute?

Did she have the money to pay for the request, and so on?

But naturally, the most pressing question was about the nature of the request itself.

She must have seen the signboard before coming in, so what kind of request would she make?

‘Judging by her appearance, she seems to be from a farming village.’

The cloth tied around her head to keep her hair in place.

A headscarf used to shield from the sun while working in the fields.

That would mean she came from a farming village.

‘Did a political dispute break out in her village?’

Or perhaps it’s a scandal or a love affair.

Otherwise, there’d be no reason for her to come all the way to a Social Science Research Institute.

That’s why Lloyd was surprised when the girl fished out a small box from her belongings.

She carefully untied the cloth wrapping and placed something on the counter.

“It’s because of this.”

It was about the size of a person’s fist.

Half of it was brown, and the other half was black.

And it was...

“The potato is sick.”

Lloyd shot to his feet.

Why on earth would someone bring a sick potato here?

“You should take it to a hospital or something.”

“That’s not it!”

The girl pulled Lloyd back down as he was about to rise from his seat.

“No one will take on this request! I’ve tried the guilds, I’ve gone to other large farms, but no one knows what’s wrong! They won’t take it because they can’t figure out the cause! They say it’s not worth the trouble...!”

“Well, of course, it’s just a sick potato.”

“Please. This is the only place left. It might seem trivial, but potatoes are our village’s main source of income. Without them, we’ll all starve... We’ll be ruined.”

The girl’s voice trembled as she held back tears.

‘...The village will be ruined?’

Lloyd turned back to look at the potato.

A potato with about half of it blackened.

“Will it kill you if you eat it?”

The girl shook her head.

Lloyd cautiously touched the blackened part of the potato with his fingertip.

‘It’s not burnt.’

He brought it to his mouth.

“Lloyd! What are you doing?”

Yulia’s shout was brief.

Lloyd, who had only tasted a tiny bit of it, spread his arms to indicate he was fine.

He concentrated on the sensation on his tongue.

“Ugh.”

He spat it out immediately.

It was so bitter that it made his tongue sting.

The rest of the potato he tasted was the same.

“My family has farmed potatoes for generations... If this keeps up, we’ll all starve to death. These potatoes are inedible.”

The girl, sniffling and wiping away her tears.

Yulia, who was comforting the girl, looked at Lloyd with her eyes.

‘What are you going to do?’

Lloyd crossed his arms.

In truth, potatoes weren’t his area of expertise.

And it wasn’t exactly the type of issue that a “Social Science Research Institute” would handle.

But there was a suspicious smell about this.

After all, she did say the entire village farmed potatoes.

Someone might be targeting the village.

“Has anything strange happened in the village recently?”

Even as she sobbed, the girl spoke.

“N-no, nothing strange. But a guild has been visiting the village more often lately.”

“A guild?”

“Yes.”

Blackened potatoes.

A village on the brink of collapse.

And a guild that frequents such a village.

Lloyd felt like he was starting to get a grasp on the situation.

“Make sure you have plenty of money for the request.”

The girl stopped crying and stared at Lloyd as he grinned.

◆

—Clatter!

Unlike the royal carriages, the farmers’ wagons had a rougher ride.

“Potato farming... I can’t believe this. Me, the future emperor...”

Grumble, grumble.

The complaining from beside him added to the roughness of the ride. Lloyd quietly ignored it, though he was more concerned for her.

“Princess Yulia, please refrain from saying something like, ‘If there are no potatoes, let them eat cake.’”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s the advisor’s heartfelt advice.”

“Hmph.”

Though she pouted, Yulia murmured softly as she sat calmly in the wagon.

After a few hours of travel, as the landscape transitioned from buildings to more fields, the wagon finally came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived.”

At the coachman’s call, they disembarked from the wagon.

The girl—Jenna—who had jumped down first, spun around and introduced the village.

“Welcome! This is Namir, known as the Fields of Eastan!”

Her tearful demeanor from when she made the request was gone, replaced by a cheerful tone as she introduced her village.

“You can tell how much she loves her village.”

“Indeed.”

It was quite a lovely village, even in Lloyd’s eyes.

Though most of it was farmland and not particularly well-organized, the vast, sprawling fields had their own charm.

“And... this is the field with the problem.”

As they followed Jenna around the corner.

“Ah.”

Yulia’s gasp was the first thing they heard.

There, stretching out to the distant horizon, was a field of potatoes, all blackened.

And before they could even react.

“Jenna! You brought outsiders here again!”

A booming voice called out from behind them.