I paid a visit to Giral’s house in the village.
Giral was sprawled out on the sofa. Curled up into a ball on top of his stomach was the Orthrus, Ol. They had been getting along for a while, but they certainly seemed to have closed the distance. Apparently, they had bonded while Guronde was busy overseeing the children’s studies. Well, I didn’t mind.
I had brought some sweets made by Raimeiren and Hiichiro—actually, they were made by Gral. I had specifically picked out the ones Gral had made, as Hiichiro’s batch had been completely monopolized by Raimeiren and Gral. Meanwhile, Raimeiren’s own sweets were being eaten by Dos, Hakuren, and Draim. The flavor wasn't bad, mostly because the High Ogre maids had supervised the process. To be fair, they were still inferior to the ones made by Dos and Giral, but if I were to say that out loud, I’d be inviting a world of resentment. I resolved to call them delicious and leave it at that. I had no intention of getting caught in the middle of a dragon-sized quarrel.
As for Ol, he didn't so much as twitch when I beckoned for him to come over. Did he prefer Giral, or was he just too lazy to move?
"Don't try to answer me just by wagging your tail," I muttered.
Now for the main topic. The reason I had come to Giral’s house was because he had sent for me.
"Forgive me for the trouble," he said. "There are too many ears at the Village Head's Mansion."
He had a point. I asked him if this was a secret.
"No, no, it isn't anything quite that serious. It's just not the sort of thing I want to go around broadcasting."
I sat back and listened.
"It's about the newspaper in Village Five," he began.
I asked him if there was a problem.
"No, no. There aren't any problems yet."
"Yet?"
"Ah, this might be meddling on my part, but... a newspaper can be a dangerous thing for those in authority. I simply wanted to warn you to be cautious."
He was talking about the potential for media to incite the public.
"As long as you understand the risk, don't let your guard down," Giral continued. "If people with malicious intent realize the power a newspaper holds, things will get messy."
"I see. Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind."
When I returned to the mansion, I was greeted by Lalabel, one of the Civil Official Girls I had entrusted with information gathering in Village Five.
"Village Head. I have something to discuss regarding the newspaper..."
She told me that Laladel's Father had warned her that the newspaper was dangerous and required caution. Specifically, he had suggested that we should have agents infiltrate Delzen Publishing.
I thanked her and told her to convey my gratitude for the advice. I added that if her father wanted a reward, she could pick something suitable from the storehouse.
"Thank you very much," Lalabel replied. "The sake you sent previously was very well-received, so I believe I’ll take more of that."
"Wait, that was just a standard gift meant for outsiders. You’re welcome to choose something better."
"No, no. That is more than enough."
If she insisted, I wouldn't press her. I moved on to the advice about agents in the publishing house. I asked her how we should handle it.
"Please, rest easy. I have already sent several trustworthy individuals into Delzen Publishing."
"Oh?"
"Their role is to serve as an alarm in case suspicious people approach or try to sneak in. They won't be able to actually capture anyone, however."
That was perfectly fine. I could leave the dangerous work to the Security Team and the like. I told her to make sure they coordinated properly with Yoko.
"Understood," she said.
Once Lalabel left the room, I took a moment to think. So, the wall newspaper was now "media." It was a tool for agitation. I recalled hearing a theory once that the French Revolution was fueled by the rising power of the press. I wasn't doing anything that would warrant a revolution, but I had now been cautioned by both Giral and Laladel's Father. I needed to be careful.
However, I didn't want to resort to censoring the articles or illustrations. That would be a hassle, and it would only breed resentment. So, what was the best move? Was the fact that Delzen Publishing held a monopoly the problem? Should I create a rival? No, that would just double the amount of work I had to monitor.
I considered the leadership at Delzen Publishing. They were Versa's Comrades. Given their nature, they’d likely focus on Versa’s hobbies rather than starting a revolution. I couldn't be careless, but we were probably safe for the time being. Still, I figured I should explain the dangers of the media to Versa just in case.
When I spoke with her, she simply replied that she already knew. She assured me they were always on guard against such things, so I could relax. I suppose she realized that if chaos broke out, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her hobbies. I decided to trust her.
"I get it, I get it," I told her as she lingered. "I’ll tell Progenitor-san that having you around is a huge help."
I promised to mention it casually so she wouldn't have to worry.
As a side note, Lu and Tia had also recognized the danger of the newspaper. However, their perspective was a bit different.
"I wondered if you were planning to use the newspaper for various operations if the need arose," Lu admitted.
"I assumed you were already making preparations for that, Chief," Tia added.
It seemed they were already looking at the "dangerous" side of things as a tool to be used. I clarified that I had no intention of doing so and that such preparations were unnecessary. Still, the Angels always seemed to be at their most peaceful when they had a task to sink their teeth into. One might even say they looked quite lively.
"Tia," I said. "You can go ahead with the preparations, but tell them I have no plans to actually use them for now."
"Understood," she replied.