Volume 3 Chapter 56 Tips For Gaining Trust In Sudden Techniques
While Catherine was riding her carriage to the Church alone...
On their way back from the meeting, Randy looked at Liz and asked, "Was that okay?" He was worried because they ended up helping Catherine, and it all started from his own anger.
"Yeah. What Lady Catherine did was not right, but because of that, we are here now. I don't hold any grudges anymore."
Liz smiled, not bothered at all.
"Also, staying angry forever is a waste, right?"
Looking up at the bright blue winter sky, Liz squinted and said so, and she continued, "The world is so beautiful," which made Randy nod quietly, "Yeah... you're right."
"But... Randy. You shouldn't act out like that."
"No, I wasn't planning to──."
"No. That look on your face was definitely for acting out. If you had done that there..."
Liz was lecturing Randy, saying that if he had flipped everything upside down at that moment, it could have turned into an international problem between the Dukedom and the Kingdom. It might not have been a civil war, but it would have gone exactly as the Church wanted.
"Seriously..."
Randy apologized, bowing his head, but Liz suddenly burst out laughing when she saw him.
"But I'm glad. You really are Randy after all."
Liz smiled and held Randy's hand, saying, "You should get angry in situations like that."
"I mean, no matter who the opponent is, you can't just stay quiet when you're being used. You have to stand your ground. That's why I trust you, Randolph Victor."
Seeing Liz's perfect smile, Randy replied with a shy smile, "O-Okay."
"Hey, Randy, look behind you."
Luke's words made Randy turn around. There stood Lucian, with a smile but a serious look on his face.
"Randolph needs to learn when and where to behave."
Was it about flirting with Liz? Or was it about trying to change the situation in the meeting? Either way, Lucian was right, and Randy could only bow his head and say, "I'm sorry."
As Randy bowed, Lucian cut in, looking a bit guilty.
"I'm sorry too."
Since they were in the castle hallway, Lucian didn't bow his head, but he continued, saying he had been too focused on crushing the Kingdom and the Church.
"If I had dragged Saint into this, I would have fallen to the same shameful level as them. You made me realize that, Randolph."
With a smile, Lucian made Randy respond with a hesitant, "No..." Randy was just about to lose his temper at that moment; he hadn't thought too deeply about it.
The one who calmed that anger and brought out the best result was definitely Liz.
"Liz is the real hero here."
"Absolutely."
The two of them smiled and thanked Liz.
"If I could help you both..."
Liz smiled shyly, and Lucian nodded, looking satisfied,
"You've gotten stronger. Well then, I'll take my leave first..."
Lucian got into his carriage, heading to a camera unveiling event with Cedric. Randy and Liz were invited too, but Randy politely declined, thinking it would be better to let the Marquis family take the spotlight.
Besides, presentations like that weren't really Randy's strong suit. He would just end up getting in Cedric's way.
"See you later, Liza. Maybe tonight."
"Okay."
Liz smiled happily, planning to stay at the Marquis family's villa while they were in town. Since the Kingdom already knew about the connection between the Marquis and Liz, there was no need to hide it anymore.
"Randolph, I'm really sorry again for this time."
Randy shook his head at Lucian's smile, saying, "No problem."
"I was reminded too... that some things can't be solved just by strength, as my old Man used to tell me."
Randy scratched his head, and Lucian nodded as if he understood.
"I guess your father might be the scariest."
"I think old man would say the same thing."
They both laughed, and the carriage started moving to take Lucian to his destination, with him saying, "Feel free to come by anytime."
As they waved goodbye to the Marquis's carriage, Cecilia muttered, "Still, I have to say..."
"The Marquis is really scary, but also someone you can rely on."
Cecilia smiled wryly. Even though Liz and Randy were angry, things ended up pretty much how Lucian suggested. Plus, they even got back at the other side.
"My father is the type who goes all out if he gets pushed."
Liz scratched her cheek, and Randy nodded in agreement. They looked back at the Royal Palace, feeling a bit sorry for the kingdom that made Lucian their enemy.
"By the way, the Crown Prince wasn't there, right?"
Even though he was involved. Liz chuckled at the unspoken meaning and looked back at the Royal Palace.
"Crown Prince Edgar is a bit too stubborn and has a strong sense of justice."
"I see..."
Randy nodded, remembering that day at the party. He completely misunderstood and blamed Liz. For a little while, he didn't believe the woman he was engaged to and thought he was right.
"...I hope they don't start saying the Crown Prince was being controlled or something."
"Please don't say that."
Liz gave Randy a side-eye, and he shrugged, saying, "Sorry." No matter how foolish the king or the Minister of Justice might be, that would be too much. If someone said the Crown Prince was controlled and broke off the engagement, Lucian would definitely not stay quiet.
Honestly, thinking about Liz's view of Edgar, he didn't think he could swallow that lie.
"Those people aren't that stupid."
Cecilia smiled wryly but wished Luke wouldn't call the king stupid right in front of the Royal Palace. She shot a disapproving look at him, but he just looked away in silence.
She wanted to say that a servant should at least hold the reins of their master, but arguing in a place like this would be foolish. Changing his mindset, Randy turned his back to the Royal Palace, saying,
"Well, anyway... I'm hungry, so let's eat and then go see Sir Cedric's performance."
Randy stretched widely, and Ellie appeared, excited, saying, "Sugar Star Puff, right?"
"Are you kidding? I said food."
"There's always dessert after a meal, right?"
"Okay. Only if we eat properly first."
With that, the 4 of them cheerfully left the Royal Palace.
* * *
After filling their stomachs, the 4 headed to a corner of the main street where there was going to be a camera showcase.
"Now, I wonder what kind of presentation Sir Cedric will give."
Cedric had asked them to check out some prototypes. How Cedric would use them and how this showcase would hit the Church hard.
Since the plan was already out of Randy's hands, he was curious.
Of course, he understood the general idea. They would use a scandal to hit the Church's upper management and reveal the hidden truth about the ghost. Then, as a final blow, they would announce the truth about the Crown Prince assassination case.
The scandal was the first step in that plan. This showcase was part of setting that up.
While Randy was thinking about all this, Liz suddenly said, "Huh?"
"What's up, Liz?"
"Well... I just passed by Lady Catherine's carriage."
When Randy turned to look, he saw a pink carriage, just like the Saint's, going up the street.
"Since the Church is over there, she must be coming back from there, right?"
"Yeah, I think so."
Putting Catherine out of their minds, they reached the corner of the main street, where a big crowd had already formed.
"Wow, there are a lot of people..."
"Now the Marquis is really popular."
As Cecilia said, everyone in the kingdom... no, in the whole continent knows Marquis Lucian. He's been improving carriages, selling beauty products, and recently, he's even made smaller refrigerators and developed freezers. Marquis is like a toy maker, bringing Randy's ideas to life one after another.
He's already teamed up with Cory's family in the capital, and they're starting to sell to commoner too.
So, when Marquis announces a new product, it's no surprise that there's a big crowd.
"Probably some competitors are mixed in here too."
Luke sighs in the crowd, but Randy just laughs it off, saying, "No problem."
If someone buys the camera and takes it apart, they'll figure out how it works.
Like the lens and the shutter.
Or the special liquid that sprays when you take a picture.
It's different from cameras in the other world, but the design is pretty simple. Competitors could probably copy the camera itself.
But the photo paper is made by Valion, and the special liquid is mixed with ghostly magic. It's not something anyone can easily get.
Of course, they plan to reveal the magic later, but even if someone could copy it, they'd still have to deal with Valion's photo paper. Hunting that down would be tough for regular adventurers. And the perfect mix of magic is also a challenge.
"It's definitely impossible. It's a special quality that goes beyond normal tests. No matter what, His Excellency will win."
While Randy and the others were talking, a platform was set up in front of a big building facing the main street. At the same time, the restless crowd suddenly went quiet.
Of course, it was Lucian who stepped up onto the platform.
(He looks like St*ve Jobs.)
With confidence, Lucian held the camera, and Randy was reminded of memories from his past life.
"Thank you all for coming. Today, we're introducing──."
As the camera reveal event started, the atmosphere quickly changed from confusion to shock, and then to cheers.
It's understandable. If someone suddenly says, "You can capture and save a moment," it sounds confusing to first-timers. But after seeing a demonstration, they were amazed and praised the invention.
With the cheers rising, Liz was also excited, bouncing up and down, saying, "That's amazing!"
(I should make a video someday.)
As Randy thought this, Cedric stepped up to the platform in place of Lucian.
(Now, let's see what he can do.)
Cedric caught Randy's eye and winked for just a moment, as if to say, "Watch this," which made Randy smile.
"Now, for everyone here today... I'd like you to experience something special."
When Cedric snapped his fingers, a few staff members dressed in matching outfits appeared.
"We'll be giving out tickets to the first 300 people who want to participate."
To sum up Cedric's explanation, it was a hands-on photo contest.
It was called 'My Favorite Thing.'
For one week starting today, this gallery will be the registration point, and staff will accompany participants to lend them a camera and 2 rolls of film. Each person can use the camera to take pictures of their favorite things.
Of course, staff will be with them, but it's a rare chance to operate the camera and take photos themselves.
After the photo-taking period ends, the pictures will be displayed in the gallery for a week for everyone to see. And it's not just for looking.
"The displayed photos will be voted on by the local residents. And guess what... the winner will receive this camera and film set as a prize!"
This big announcement made the crowd buzz with excitement. To ensure people vote, they'll even give out coupons from the merchant guild connected to the Marquis family──Randy's idea for the coupon concept.
"Of course, the photos you took will be returned to you later, so please join in!"
With a prince-like smile, Cedric stepped down from the platform, and immediately, some quick people rushed to the staff. They were probably there to encourage other spectators, but as if drawn in, the crowd quickly gathered around.
"Please don't push! If you got a ticket, come this way!"
The Marquis family's tickets with their family crest seemed to have been given out to almost everyone who was there, and you could already see some people heading to the town with their tickets and staff.
Randy was impressed by Cedric and the real purpose behind this hands-on event.
"Wow. I would never have thought of this."
Because he used to be a modern person, he had a blind spot. He thought of photos as something normal. But for the people in this world, it wasn't the same.
To help them understand better, Cedric probably set up this hands-on event. If they take their own pictures and see what they captured, they would start to trust the idea of photos.
This means that later, when they see the photos revealing the Church's scandal, they would believe in them without any doubt.
"Going all out, huh... impressive."
And this contest was probably part of the plan too. To show photos to a lot of people.
"If you want to hide a tree, put it in a forest. No, it's more like he 'created a forest to show the tree'."
Randy watched as Cedric showed off with a proud look.
* * *
That night, as the excitement about photos grew...
"Hey, did you hear? They say the 'Pope's ghost' appears in the cemetery."
"Why would the Pope's ghost show up?"
"Oh, I've heard that too. It's in the western cemetery, right?"
...In a corner of the tavern, unsettling rumors about the Pope were quietly spreading.
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