I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 230: Acting Like a Karen Always Works

"How many times do I have to say this? There’s nothing here. You’ve already combed through the whole place twice..."

Evelina tapped her foot, impatience written all over her face.

So they’d been here for a while, huh? And—wait. Did she just say they combed through the entire mansion twice?

Twice? While I was gone?

And they’re still not leaving?

"Twice? Are you all really that suspicious that you’re still not satisfied?"

I walked up to Evelina and stood by her side, trying to take over the conversation before she snapped.

"We just need to be precise," the inquisitor said. "If this thing somehow slips through our grasp, it could pose a danger — even to you two."

"Then just be better at your job..."

When dealing with self-righteous types like this, the worst thing you can do — if you actually want them to leave — is cooperate. And since they’d already checked the entire place twice and were still hanging around...

Well, there was one method I’d grown particularly fond of in my previous lives.

Act like an absolute bastard until they get sick of you.

"I assure you, we’re doing our best. The creature’s nature makes it hard to—"

"All I hear are excuses. And here I thought you were supposed to be some elite group..."

I crossed my arms and put on the most punchable expression I could manage. They might’ve been above the law, but they still had just enough morals not to abuse it.

Which meant they couldn’t just punch a civilian in the face — even if that civilian was being an insufferable brat like me.

"My lord, I repeat, I assure you—"

"If you’re going to look for something, then go look for it. If you haven’t found anything, that either means there’s nothing here, or you’re all incompetent. Everyone here is busy, y’know? Especially her. You can’t just barge in and disrupt how we run our own territory just because you’re incompetent."

Let’s see how he handles that.

"I–I..." The inquisitor seemed to choke on his words. For all their supposed charisma and diplomacy...

They were still mostly warriors. And while being above the law was convenient, they couldn’t afford to make enemies out of every noble they decided to investigate. If I remembered correctly, this was exactly how Marcellus drove them off in a later arc.

If you’re up against a moral opponent, then the best way to gain leverage is to lean on that morality — their patience, their understanding.

Because beneath all their rigidity and power-tripping...

They were still paladins.

"F-Fine..."

The word came out strained, like it had been dragged out through his teeth. The inquisitor straightened, his grip tightening around his spear for a heartbeat before he forced it to ease. Even through the mask, I could feel it — irritation, barely held in check.

"However," he went on, his voice slipping back into that flat, controlled cadence, "we cannot simply abandon an investigation of this scale without certainty."

Of course not. That would’ve been too easy.

Evelina clicked her tongue beside me, clearly running out of patience.

"Then what exactly do you want?"

She asked. Her tone wasn’t just annoyed anymore; it was sharp.

"You’ve searched the estate. Twice. You’ve questioned the militia. Twice. You’ve even checked the surrounding grounds." Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What’s next, tearing down the walls?"

There was a pause. Even the other inquisitors shifted at that, subtly, but noticeably.

The lead inquisitor tilted his head, as if turning her words over... or maybe reassessing us.

"There is one remaining possibility," he said.

Ah. There it is. I felt it coming before he even said it.

"A direct examination."

...Yeah, no.

Evelina’s smile didn’t fade; it sharpened. "I beg your pardon?"

"You and your associate," he said, gesturing lightly between the two of us. "If the aberration possesses concealment capabilities beyond standard detection, it may be... attached. Hidden. Integrated."

Oh, that’s bold.

"Let me get this straight," I cut in, tilting my head. "You want to inspect us. Personally."

"Correct."

Silence dropped between us for a moment.

"Heh."

I laughed. Not loud, not forced, just enough.

"You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that." I stepped forward, just enough to put myself slightly in front of Evelina. Not shielding her, but clearly taking point.

"But let me ask you something," I said, my voice dropping a notch. "Do you have any idea who you’re talking to right now?"

The air shifted, not dramatically, but enough to feel. Behind us, the mansion stood quiet. Too quiet, like it was listening.

The inquisitor didn’t answer right away. Good.

I took another step closer.

"You’ve already stepped onto our territory, disrupted our operations, searched our property multiple times."

I said, ticking each point off on my fingers, slow and deliberate.

"And now you’re asking to inspect us like we’re suspects?" I let a beat hang. "That’s not an investigation anymore."

I smiled.

"That’s just harassment..."

The word settled between us, heavy.

It was a cheap card to play, but I wasn’t above using it. Calling it harassment might’ve seemed insignificant, yet if something like that ever spread...

Especially for people with connections such as us...

It would only make life harder for the inquisitors in the long run.

Unlike everyone else in this city, the inquisitors definitely know who Evelina is, even if they have no idea who I am. That makes a threat like this work in my favor.

Nobody wants their order to be branded as a bunch of power-drunk bullies.

Even a god’s authority couldn’t stop the other nobles from eventually growing tired of being treated with constant suspicion. They were only waiting for someone of a higher rank to speak up before they dared to move.

And with a testimony from Evelina and me, their ability to operate freely within the empire would quickly fall apart.

Evelina stayed silent, but I could feel it, the faint pressure of her presence rising just a touch, enough to make the other inquisitors shift again.

The lead one finally spoke. "We are acting under divine authority."

So he decided to double down...

"And we’re acting under territorial authority," I shot back without missing a beat. "Funny how that works."

Another pause, longer this time. The tension stretched thin between us, like a wire about to snap.

Then...

"...Very well." The inquisitor lowered his spear slightly. "We will withdraw."

Oh...? That worked faster than I expected.

Guess that ’Divine Authority’ thing was just his desperate last stand.

"But," he added, turning just enough for that empty gaze to settle on me, "if we find evidence that you interfered with this investigation—"

"You won’t," I cut in — flat, immediate, confident. Any hesitation would kill the bluff.

Another beat. Then he nodded, a small, almost imperceptible motion.

"Understood."

He turned, and the other inquisitors followed without a word, white robes shifting as they pulled back from the gates and then from the courtyard entirely.

Just like that, they were gone.

I watched them until they disappeared down the street, then let out a breath. "...That was annoying."

Silence.

Then—

"You handled that well." Evelina’s voice came from beside me, calm, with a hint of amusement. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

I glanced at her. "Yeah? I thought I overdid it a bit."

"You did," she said immediately.

"...Wow. Thanks."

"But it worked," she added, a small smile tugging at her lips, "and more importantly, you stopped me from doing something far less diplomatic."

I raised a brow. "Oh?"

She met my eyes, and for a heartbeat, there was something dangerous there.

"Let’s just say," she said lightly, "they’re lucky you got here when you did."