TN: Please read my translations only on my website nyx-translation.com since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi, and join our Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!
Enjoy~
Chapter 314 – Quad Trading Company
On the way to Domia, I surveyed the mountainous region spreading across southern Ortran.
Until I crossed a particularly tall peak, the landscape was bare mountains with light brown, exposed slopes—places where hiding seemed utterly impossible.
From there, the green gradually deepened, and before I knew it, the landscape had transformed into the familiar sight of densely overgrown mountains.
The farther west I went, the more hiding spots appeared, though most of them were just scattered rest areas. Even from above, I couldn’t spot any side paths leading anywhere.
There was only one long, winding mountain road threading its way through the gaps between the peaks and stretching westward.
Human actions, monster actions, some kind of natural disaster, employee betrayal—
Various possibilities came to mind, but the journey was long, and without even a trace of the disappearance, narrowing down the focus was impossible.
If this continued, it would be hopeless, so perhaps the quickest solution was to accept a convoy escort request. That’s what I was thinking.
(Hmm… No escort requests from the Quad Trading Company here either.)
There were no related requests at the Hunter’s Guild or the Mercenary Guild I visited beforehand. Here in Domia, only a wooden tag regarding “cause investigation” hung.
I thought a base town would have recruitment posts, but I suppose they’d be cautious after being targeted four times.
“Excuse me. I have something I’d like to ask.”
“Yes, yes, what is it?”
“Has Quad Trading Company, the one posting this ’cause investigation’ request, stopped recruiting for escort jobs?”
As I asked this and showed the wooden tag, I thought I saw a slight cloud pass over the receptionist’s face.
“Probably not. When they last hired us for an escort, they said it would be ‘the last time.’ They hired a lot of mercenaries separately from the Hunter Guild.”
“The last time?”
“I suppose they ran out of funds. Quad Trading Company is a relatively new firm that is just barely on the verge of reaching ‘Gold’ rank in terms of scale. They were quite active for a while, but losing cargo, carriages, and employees four times probably means they can’t operate properly anymore.”
“Ah, I see. That’s the situation.”
Since they allocated 15 million Beeke to investigate the cause, I assumed their funding issues were still manageable…
But the reality seems completely different—they can’t even manage their supplies.
But this is tough.
Without a carriage, there’s no way to find a solution.
I’ve never heard of the client, and this job seems like it’ll just waste time and effort.
I’m not obligated to take it, but the receptionist at Sanur said that at least five fairly capable mercenaries with resonance stones have already disappeared in this case.
It’s hard to believe that only specific merchant guilds are being targeted by natural disasters or monster attacks. It’s highly likely that a villain capable of wiping out this level of force without leaving a trace is involved.
That’s precisely why I’m interested, and why I’m hoping for a victory, even though nothing is visible yet.
“As a Silver-rank trading company, Quad only has a branch in Domia, right?”
“That’s true, but you’re not seriously thinking of going to meet them?”
“Well, I was thinking I might try talking directly to the client.”
“The reward is high, but you should reconsider.”
“Huh?”
“…”
Unlike Sanur, this woman lived in the town and seemed to deal directly with the head of the trading company. She must know something.
However, her shrug and return to her work meant that this information wasn’t related to the request.
Knowing that something unspeakable was involved was enough.
After stepping outside and asking passersby, I found the place I was looking for relatively quickly.
It was a fairly large establishment—too big to be called just a shop—with a warehouse attached in the back.
However, there was no sign out front. Peering inside, I saw no merchandise.
Instead, someone with a drooping tail, identifying them as a beastman, was sipping from a glass of liquor at the counter in the back, completely unaware of my presence.
Looks-wise, probably a “dog beastman,” I’d say.
“Hello. I’m here to discuss the request. Are you Quad, the head of the trading company?”
“Huh? I’m Quad, yeah… A request?”
“Yes, regarding the ’cause investigation’ you posted. I’d like to proceed with the inquiry.”
“Ah, right. I totally forgot about that request. Over ten mercenaries are already dead, and people still want to take it on? Money really talks, huh?”
“That’s precisely why I came here, given how many have died. But never mind. I found nothing suspicious in the area where the caravan was attacked, including the Orial Mountain Pass.”
“I know that. That’s why I’m stuck.”
“So, I was wondering if you might have any information that could provide a clue. It seems your trading company, Quad-san, is being targeted. Do you have any possible causes or suspects in mind?”
“We already know the cause, and we’ve got a prime suspect.”
“Huh?”
“We were targeted by the ‘Kius Trading Company’ that runs Domia. They’re trying to force us out of business.”
“…”
What the hell is this?
I wanted to know the cause, but the client already knows.
Then why did they make the request?
“Hehehe, you look puzzled. It’s just revenge, man. A guy who lost everything bet his last bit of cash on a gamble—just revenge, with no guarantee it’ll work.”
“I don’t understand how that connects to revenge at all.”
“I know for sure that the culprit is the Kius Trading Company, but I don’t have any proof. Kius is probably just sitting back and watching the whole thing unfold anyway. I want to catch the actual perpetrator and use that to expose the truth publicly.”
“So, the gamble is whether you can uncover the cause and find the perpetrator?”
“Even after we successfully find them, though.”
“?”
“Kius Trading Company seems to have very close ties with Baron Olan, the feudal lord.”
…Ah, I see.
That explains why the mercenary guild receptionist wouldn’t recommend it or state the reason clearly.
While it doesn’t directly attack nobles, the high reward comes with the risk of nobles taking notice and viewing it as interference with their money-making schemes.
That probably explains why so many participants came from Sanur.
In Domia, which is ruled by that Baron Olan, it must be difficult to find participants.
“But isn’t there a chance the nobles are involved? Even if it goes well, won’t it just be hushed up and forgotten?”
“I know that’s highly likely. But it’ll stay in people’s memories, right? They’re doing things way out of line with human decency just to protect their own interests. Then, someday, they’ll definitely get their comeuppance. God’s watching over us, after all.”
“So the goal is just to damage their credibility?”
“Hehehe… It’s that last bit of resistance, you know? Like, ‘I’m not going down without a fight.’”
“…”
“I worked my ass off, you know. I started with a street stall, moved on to peddling, and finally got a shop. I hired broke Beastmen who came up from the south to work. But then, just because I wanted to deliver good food to folks whose land in the east had dried up—just because I kept delivering—they said, ‘You’re delivering too much,’ and crushed me on a whim.”
The man said this, downing his glass of liquor. Then he gave a weak, regretful chuckle, as if lamenting his own life.
(Well, what should I do?)
What exactly transpired between this man and the Kius Trading Company remains unknown.
After all, I’ve only heard one side of the story. It’s impossible to deny the possibility that Quad-san was at fault.
But even so, “if we deliver once more,” the truth will come to light.
It’s unjust to attack a caravan transporting legitimate goods.
Then, there’s only one thing for me to do.
The scary part is “striking out,” but if they’ve been attacked four times in a row, I’d expect a high probability of a fifth attack.
Assuming Quad-san’s story is true, we just need to prepare for transport. The enemy merchant guild should start moving behind the scenes on its own.
“In that case, I’ll provide the escort. Shall we try transporting the goods one more time?”
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!