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Chapter 324 – Identifying the Cause and What Comes Next
Come to think of it, this was the first time Quad-san and the others had actually seen Zeo and Carla directly since they’d been using one of the carriages as a makeshift living space.
They had been informed about the replacement guards, so their appearance didn’t cause a commotion. Naturally, no one knew where Zeo and Carla had come from. Their gazes darted back and forth between the two individuals with blood-red eyes and the corpse before them.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
What needed urgent explanation was the sequence of past disappearances and the perpetrators.
Also, the mastermind who had become clear from the testimonies needed to be revealed.
“W-were we attacked by something like this…?”
“This monster seems to amplify drowsiness. That’s likely why it targeted this time of day on the second day of our journey in the mountains. The mountain terrain is prone to wind currents. By scattering its scales from upwind, it ensured that no one could resist.”
I pointed at the monster, once called the Dream Theater, and explained.
It was a gray moth, about two meters long and larger than a human.
Its wings bore numerous round patterns resembling eyes, conveying a profound sense of repulsion on their own.
“A Monster Tamer? To command one up to A-rank, one must be quite skilled.”
“Do you know this monster, Zeo?”
“It’s a rare monster found in the hunting grounds southeast of the continent. It scatters sleep-inducing powder from afar and flies away if approached. It should be nocturnal by nature, but that doesn’t matter when commanded.”
“Hoho.”
So, monsters have nocturnal habits, too?
As expected of the knowledgeable Master Zeo.
He seemed pretty down earlier, but he seems okay now.
Zeo and Carla had been up all night and were already asleep when the skill hit, so there’s no need to feel responsible.
Carla was asleep standing up, clutching Zeo’s leg, so he didn’t seem bothered by anything.
“So, this bird that doesn’t look like a monster…is it the scout?”
“That’s right. It confirmed our departure timing and location from above and relayed information, such as when we’d likely pass through this area, to its master. That sort of intel was reliably passed on.”
“There’s no way we’d notice something like that while watching from the sky.”
“So, the pattern of the disappearances so far is this: The lizards and ants carry sleeping people and horses, or the lizards carry carriages instead of horses, to temporary burrows they’ve made for ambushes. After that, they’d eat the people and horses cleanly. Then, the carriages would be taken to Sanur and sold for cash.”
“That’s why there were no traces left. Our employees and hired guards were eaten alive. Ugh…”
“The Kius Trading Company instructed them to bring back anything that could be sold for cash. Besides the cargo, people with valuable skills were sold alive to slave traders. Just answer for yourself already! Isn’t that right?”
“Huh?”
“H-he was alive!?”
When the voice called out toward the mountain of corpses, the man who had been kneeling with his head bowed and had been silent this whole time finally raised his face.
Even though I spared him, his face was still as pale as ever.
“Yes, but keeping them alive causes more trouble, so most of them were fed to the beasts…”
“”…””
It was no wonder that they were both speechless.
Quad-san knew the fate of the comrades who had gone on transport missions before.
Begg-san surely had his own thoughts about the fact that only those worth money were kept alive.
But we couldn’t stay like this forever.
The sun was already setting. It was time to decide on the next course of action.
“So, that’s what happened while you were asleep, and that’s why people have been disappearing. Quad-san, what should we do from here?”
I looked at Quad-san, who had remained silent, as I spoke.
The “investigation into the cause” he had wanted was now complete.
The original goal was merely to tarnish the Kius Trading Company’s reputation.
If that remains unchanged, I’ll act as I please from here on out. If he’s willing, I intend to coordinate actions within reasonable limits.
It’s up to you now, Quad-san. Just as I thought this, he opened his mouth, his gaze fixed coldly on the perpetrator.
“There’s plenty to do. We need to report this to the guards in Domia immediately and identify him. If a clear connection to the Kius Trading Company emerges… Do you have anything? Like instructions from Kius or something proving the link?”
“Kius wouldn’t leave anything like that behind. All communication came through my magic bird, and that bird is already dead.”
“So there’s no physical evidence. Ah, but if he was receiving orders, that means he was hired, right? Then, if we take this guy to the Mercenary Guild—”
“The one who hired me directly is someone higher up, Baron Olan.”
“Huh?”
“And since I’m exclusive, this job didn’t go through the Mercenary Guild.”
“Huh? Wait…exclusive? What’s that?”
“It’s like being a handyman who gets top priority on any request. I got paid a fair wage whether or not I had work. This time, it just happened to be about sabotaging the Quad Trading Company’s transportation. That’s all.”
“…”
“Quad-san. Sorry, but going to the Mercenary Guild is probably pointless. The state runs that place. They won’t provide the kind of information we need—the kind that would be inconvenient for the nobility.”
“So, that means our only option is to go straight to Baron Olan’s place.”
When I looked over, Quad-san’s body was trembling even though he wasn’t being touched.
Now that the lord’s name has been mentioned and he has been confirmed as the mastermind, direct confrontation is the only viable solution. Is this the expected reaction from the inhabitants of this world?
As someone from the outside world, this part was a bit beyond my understanding.
It’s okay. The possibility of tracing it isn’t completely gone yet.
“If this attack succeeds, you have orders to cash it in and take this carriage to Sanur, correct?”
“Y-yes, that’s…”
The moment I spoke, the perpetrator’s composure, which had just started to settle, became unsettled again. However, I couldn’t afford to dwell on every little thing.
“So naturally, you have a buyer lined up. Where is it?”
“The Kius Trading Company… The Sanur branch.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
If the Kius Trading Company specifically ordered the goods to be brought back, it would be more profitable for them to receive the cargo directly and sell it themselves than to have it sold elsewhere for cash.
If they sold the stolen goods elsewhere, they wouldn’t know where the trail might lead. If the large trading company had its own sales network, handling the sales themselves would be more convenient.
But the problem was, who exactly was receiving this cargo in Sanur?
Given that it was a whole carriage full of goods procured through an underground route, it couldn’t possibly be just a lowly employee.
“Who’s the contact?”
“Huh?”
“Who’s receiving these stolen goods? Since the goods are being delivered by monsters, someone important must be handling it.”
“Well…it’s… Chairman Kius himself.”
“Oh?”
I’d considered various possibilities—the shop manager, the lord’s subordinate, and Kius’s relatives—but this is arguably the best outcome.
Amidst the inevitable commotion, Begg-san, the de facto leader of the slaves, spoke up.
“Isn’t Kius, the head of the trading company, supposed to live in the capital?”
“Usually, yes. But this time, he’s coming to Sanur. He can’t resist an opportunity to get a huge amount of goods for free… Yeah, that’s it…”
“D-don’t you dare joke like that!”
At these words, one man’s eyes narrowed in fury.
“Do you have any idea…?! What it means for us to receive crops from farmers and transport them? Do you even understand?!”
His tail bristled as he charged forward, a small knife clenched in his hand. That was clearly a bad idea.
I had maintained some distance just in case, and I’d severed his right arm to prevent him from wielding his favored spear. Even so, he was still an A-rank mercenary.
I hadn’t enslaved him yet. Charging in blindly out of rage would only guarantee Quad’s death.
Besides, killing the perpetrator here would defeat the purpose.
“Now, now. I understand how you feel, but please calm down first.”
“But! But! This man doesn’t care about those he’s hurting! You—”
“Quad-san, Please consider what it means to spare this man and the consequences that follow.”
“Meaning? What meaning?”
“If things had gone according to the original plan—if the horse had been swapped for a monster lizard and this man had driven the carriage to Sanur—what would have happened?”
“……Ah!”
I suppose he would have finally calmed down.
Even if we took this man to the Kius Trading Company or Baron Olan and they played dumb, that’d be the end of it.
I have the ultimate technique, “summoning Ria,” but it only satisfies Ria and me because it works by peering into someone’s mind. To everyone else, it’d just look like a lunatic running amok.
Relying on Ria is a last resort when all else fails.
If we can prove the connection between the Kius Trading Company chairman and this man through legitimate means, it’s more likely to achieve Quad-san’s original goal of damaging their reputation.
However, if I intervene, I doubt the company will be able to continue doing business afterward.
Quad finally calmed down and looked satisfied, as if he understood the benefits of letting things proceed as planned.
All that’s left is to get this guy to do his part.
“So, you’ll take this carriage to Sanur as planned, right?”
“I-if I do that, the promise…”
“Of course. Reaching Baron Olan is the goal, but if you cooperate that far, I’ll keep my word. I’ll definitely kill you painlessly.”
“”???””
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