There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 54

“……What?”

“A building that hasn’t been addressed by the authorities—through demolition or other means—for a significant period after its completion is considered to have been granted permission exactly ten years after construction. This clause protects the vested rights of those who have relied on it for their livelihood for a decade.”

The man’s jaw dropped.

Philomel turned to the owner and asked,

“Looking at this building, it seems to be well over ten years old, wouldn’t you say?”

The owner nodded vigorously.

“And there’s been no action from the authorities in all that time? No demolition orders, no notices to vacate?”

“Not that I’m aware of! My grandfather built this place, and neither he nor my father ever mentioned anything like that.”

“Then it’s safe to assume permission was granted long ago.”

“Really? Is that how it works?”

“Absolutely. As long as it passes the safety inspection, there shouldn’t be any issues.”

At that moment, the man exploded.

“That’s ridiculous! What kind of law is that? I’m reporting this to the authorities! I’ll make sure it’s declared illegal through that so-called safety inspection!”

“Suit yourself.”

Philomel smirked.

“But if it fails the safety inspection, the authorities will be in trouble too. It means they’ve neglected a dangerous building that could collapse at any moment for over ten years, you know.”

The responsible official was likely aware of the building’s existence but deliberately ignored it. That would have made it easier to collude with these guys and extort money from the owner.

They were exploiting the fact that most people, except for a few intellectuals, are ignorant of the law.

“I’m going to file a formal complaint with the higher-ups as well, so go ahead and try your luck.”

“You really think those high-ranking officials will listen to the likes of you!”

*I wish I could say that the Emperor, the highest authority in this country, would listen,* Philomel thought, then gestured towards Jeremiah.

“I wonder whose son our young master might be?”

As expected, the title of ‘young nobleman’ wasn’t just for show; Jeremiah exuded noble bearing.

He looked every bit the part of a nobleman’s son who had deliberately dressed down in simple clothes.

“Y-you…….”

The man trembled, wanting to argue, but eventually lowered his head.

And with that, they drove all the men out of the shop.

The owner, tears welling up, bowed deeply to them.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“It’s alright. We didn’t really do much.”

“I don’t know how I can ever repay this kindness…….”

“Really, it’s fine.”

Philomel waved her hands, looking slightly flustered.

“No, please, let me know if there’s anything you need. If it weren’t for you two, I would have been at their mercy for the rest of my life.”

The owner said, his eyes red.

“Um, well then…….”

Philomel glanced at Jeremiah and then spoke.

About thirty minutes later.

A fresh apple pie arrived at the table where Philomel and Jeremiah were seated.

The owner worried if this would be enough to express his gratitude, but it was more than sufficient.

Slicing the new apple pie, Jeremiah spoke.

“By the way, you seemed remarkably knowledgeable about the law.”

“Well, I picked it up while studying various subjects.”

Heir education naturally included the study of law.

She hadn’t memorized every law in the empire, but she was familiar with those that significantly impacted people’s lives. Among them, Article 34 of the Commercial Code was particularly familiar because it was often the subject of legal disputes.

“More importantly, try the apple pie quickly. It’s incredibly delicious.”

“How delicious can a pie be…….”

Finally, Jeremiah put a piece of pie in his mouth.

Instantly, his usually impassive eyes lit up.

“……It’s not bad.”

Even though he phrased it so dismissively, he kept stuffing pieces of pie into his mouth. Unlike Philomel, he didn’t even bother with tea.

“Why are you grinning?”

“Am I? I wasn’t smiling.”

“You were smiling.”

Before Jeremiah could get annoyed, Philomel quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, Jeremiah, you seemed to fight really well earlier. And that sword you carry around your waist—are you perhaps a swordsman instead of a mage?”

Even though she already knew from , Philomel pretended not to. It wasn’t so much genuine curiosity as it was laying the groundwork for a conversation.

Jeremiah, oblivious to Philomel’s intentions, answered readily.

“To be exact, I’m a magic swordsman.”

“A magic swordsman is someone who uses both magic and swords, right?”

“Yes. I’ve been interested in swords since I was young. There were a few magic swordsmen in the Magic Tower.”

“Then are Le Guin, Lexion, and Cardin also magic swordsmen? They all seem too burly to be ordinary mages.”

This she was genuinely curious about.

Unlike Jeremiah, there wasn’t much information about those three in the book.

Le Guin only made a brief appearance, and the other two didn’t appear at all.

“Cardin is. Lexion isn’t interested in swords… I’ve never seen Le Guin handle a sword.”

Jeremiah said, shoving another piece of pie into his mouth.

“It might be a bit much to say in front of Jeremiah, but I actually thought all mages were brainy types.”

“You thought they were all frail?”

“Not exactly…….”

That was accurate.

In fact, most of the court mages Philomel knew, including Humphrey, seemed to have little to do with physical prowess.

“You’re not wrong. In the magic world, people who train their bodies are considered oddballs. They say it’s more efficient to learn one more combat spell in that time. However…….”

He raised his fist.

“Fists are faster and simpler than magic. That’s Le Guin’s motto.”

That was quite a brutal yet practical motto.

After that, their conversation continued in the same vein. Philomel would ask questions, and Jeremiah would satisfy her curiosity.

The time spent in conversation, filled with trivial and everyday topics, flowed by.

After scraping the plate containing the apple pie clean, the two of them left .

“Goodbye!”

The owner followed them to the door and bowed.

Philomel looked regretfully at the shop’s shabby exterior.

“The apple pie is really delicious, but it’s a shame there aren’t any customers.”

“With such a flashy store across the street, who would come here?”

“That’s true.”

Philomel resolved to come often to buy pies and help keep the store from going bankrupt. She didn’t know how often she would be able to visit, though.

Afterward, Philomel and Jeremiah strolled together through the central square.

Originally, the purpose was to show Jeremiah around, but Philomel herself was soon captivated by the various sights.

When she had gone incognito before, she was always surrounded by escorts, so she couldn’t look around freely.

She had initially wanted to freely observe the lives of ordinary people in Saengen after running away, but even the streets of Saengen, the largest city in the north, couldn’t compare to the central square of the capital.

Philomel’s eyes sparkled as she watched a man controlling snakes freely by playing a flute.

“Wow, look at that! Do snakes understand the sound of the flute? How does he do that?”

“It’s just magic. Look closely. There’s a magic circle drawn on the flute.”

“……Jeremiah, always shattering people’s fantasies.”

“Tch, I get scolded even when I tell you the truth.”

“I’m just kidding. Thank you.”

“……It’s been a while since lunchtime. Let’s go eat.”

Embarrassed, Jeremiah changed the subject and hurried away.

They had already filled their stomachs with apple pie, so they had a simple lunch of street food.

Sitting on a bench, holding a paper plate and eating a sausage, Philomel felt Jeremiah’s gaze.

“……Is there something on my face?”

“No.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that…….”

“I’m just amazed.”

“About what?”

“You’ve lived as a precious princess all your life, but you eat anything without complaint. And you say that seeing the square is your wish, something so trivial.”

“It’s not trivial. It’s not just about seeing the square.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s meaningful because I’m seeing it with Jeremiah.”

After a long pause, he replied.

“You say such embarrassing things so casually.”

Is that so? Now that she thought about it, it was an embarrassing thing to say, but Philomel hadn’t given it much thought. In truth, seeing the square was part of her plan to make Jeremiah her ally.

After the meal, while walking again, Jeremiah suddenly stopped.

“Wait, in the end, we just had a lot of useless talk and sightseeing. So what is it that you actually wanted to say to me?”

Oh dear. He’s caught on.

Philomel pretended not to hear Jeremiah’s question and shouted, pointing to a distant spot.

“Ah! There’s an open-air theater over there! It looks like they’re performing a play. Let’s go quickly and watch!”

“Hey! Slow down!”

And she ran towards the theater so that he couldn’t bring it up again.