"Indeed. That was quite a disaster, wasn't it?"
"Right? I think we should be praised just for making some progress in the relationship between my sister and the duke."
While talking about such things in my room, I went through the pile of documents that had accumulated.
Each document contained important matters, but all of them had a red mark in the upper left corner.
This indicated that the issues had been resolved.
While I was away, Fine had been actively working on them. These documents were, in a sense, the fruits of her labor.
Fine served the tea with a smile, along with some cookies. She insisted on doing this task herself, even refusing to let Sebastian do it.
Sebastian, too, no longer insisted on doing it himself and accepted the tea from Fine without complaint.
"Hmm? Fine, this issue hasn't been resolved yet?"
"Oh, the theft case. I apologize. After investigating, I thought it would be better not to resolve it..."
"Better not to resolve it?"
Sebastian sipped his tea elegantly and began to explain.
In summary, several merchants had pleaded for help with thefts.
However, upon further investigation, these merchants turned out to be unscrupulous and were widely criticized.
Moreover, at the time of the thefts, money was being distributed to the people in the outer layers.
Furthermore, according to eyewitness accounts, the thief had a child-like build. However, even the Imperial Guard and the Patrol Corps, whose job it was to maintain order, couldn't catch the thief.
Therefore, they had requested the capture of the thief from Leo's faction, offering assistance as a condition.
"The thief that even the Imperial Guard and the Patrol Corps couldn't catch. If we capture them, we'll not only incur the people's resentment but also waste a lot of manpower. So, I advised that we put this on the back burner."
"Indeed. Sounds like an interesting character."
The Imperial Guard and the Patrol Corps aren't incompetent.
Even if the merchants involved are unscrupulous, they wouldn't just leave the thefts unattended. If they couldn't catch the thief despite their best efforts, it must be a highly skilled individual.
"Is the thief an assassin by trade?"
"I don't think so. Based on the state of the crime scenes and the testimonies, the thief uses quite forceful methods. It doesn't seem like the work of an assassin. Rather—"
"Yes. The roughness and boldness. If it were a high-rank adventurer, it would make sense."
However, I've never heard of a high-rank adventurer who is a child.
But, regardless, the fact that they evaded the search by the Imperial Guard and the Patrol Corps is undeniable.
"Leo is looking for a woman named Rebecca from the Sitterheim family. What we know is that she is a knight, a woman, and probably in her mid-teens. That's about it."
"The name Rebecca isn't that rare, and it sounds like a difficult task."
"Indeed. Moreover, we can't search openly. We can't let other factions notice. If the kidnapping organization is as large as we suspect, they've probably already sent someone to pursue her."
"The uprising of the lords in Bassau must have reached the organization, and they have eyes and ears everywhere."
If they get word that a trusted knight of a lord has left Bassau, they will undoubtedly be tracking her.
The purpose is easy to guess.
"The goal is undoubtedly the Imperial Capital. She has a letter from the lord. It's probably a letter of accusation. If we get it, we can expose the corruption in the south. But if it falls into enemy hands, the evidence will be destroyed. We need to find Rebecca as soon as possible."
"So you need capable people for that?"
"Exactly. Linfia is absent, and we need people who can move freely. Ideally, someone with the skills to face assassins and can operate covertly like an assassin."
"Isn't that asking too much?"
"I thought so too, but we need someone close to that. If we can recruit them, it will be a significant boost to our forces."
"But how do we catch them?"
In response to Fine's question, I raised a finger.
"There's a suitable person who is currently idle."
With that, I decided to take action immediately.
"Really... to be dragged out on the day my house arrest is lifted..."
The one complaining is Elna, who is wearing a deep hood.
Thanks to the intervention of my sister, Leo, and Jürgen, her house arrest has been lifted. However, she hasn't been reinstated as a royal guard, so she is currently free.
"Unfortunately, we're short on manpower. We can't afford to let capable people sit idle."
"But to help unscrupulous merchants move their goods..."
"Relax. We'll take care of them after this."
"Sebastian is infiltrating their merchant guild. He'll gather evidence and hand it over to the Patrol Corps."
Elna looked at the cart with a satisfied expression.
We were in charge of the goods that the unscrupulous merchants were supposed to transport. Our side and Elna were guarding the cart. The merchants tried to provide their own guards, but we declined.
It would be troublesome if they were around. If they were top merchants in the Imperial Capital, they might insist on sending guards, but these were mid-level merchants.
They handed over the goods to us without a fuss. Apparently, their business was suffering because their goods were being stolen.
Well, the goods were obtained through dubious means, so it's their own fault.
I pretended to be a merchant and stood on the cart.
"Alright... let's go! Remember, don't let anyone steal the goods! Defend them with your life! The goods are the most important!"
I acted like a typical unscrupulous merchant as we moved through the night in the Imperial Capital.
We were transporting the goods from the warehouse to the store, but we would be attacked during the move.
We could have moved them during the day, but it would be risky to move dubious goods in broad daylight.
So, we were moving through the night.
"Stay alert! No sleeping on the job! If you do, no pay!"
"It makes us look more unscrupulous, doesn't it?"
"Yes, if I didn't know you, I'd believe it."
I nodded in satisfaction at Elna's words.
If it doesn't look different from usual, we won't be able to draw them out.
As I was thinking this, two of the guards in front suddenly collapsed.
"This time, the merchant is quite young, isn't he? Boy, if you don't want to get hurt, leave the goods behind."
A small man with a hood and a spear appeared. The voice suggested a male, but the body was only about a meter tall, and the spear was longer than he was.
He looked like a child, but his tone was older than mine. What is this strange feeling?
"Are you the thief who's been raiding our goods recently?"
"Our goods? What a joke. The thieves are you guys. I'm just here to reclaim what's mine."
"The goods were obtained legally."
"Is that so? Then I won't talk to you. I'll take them by force!"
Elna stepped in and blocked his sharp attack with her sword.
"Hmm? Impressive, to block my spear?"
"It's been a while since I've faced such a sharp attack. I'm disappointed I couldn't spar with Lady Lieselotte, but I can clear this frustration here."
Elna pushed the man back with a series of attacks.
The other guards tried to intervene, but Elna stopped them with a word.
"Stay out of it! Don't interfere!"
"Quite a feisty girl. I like that. I would have lost interest if the others had interfered."
The man readied his spear and spoke in a low voice.
"I can't hold back. Don't die."
"That's my line. I'd be in trouble if you died, so try to survive."
The battle began at lightning speed.
The force of each blow caused damage to the surrounding buildings. Elna was fighting with serious intent. Who is this man?
The man, with his short reach, was using the spear to fight Elna skillfully. Is he a dwarf? No, he's still too small.
As I was thinking this, Elna thrust her sword.
The man dodged it and suddenly turned to me.
"Sorry, but this isn't a duel. Take this!!"
The man's spear aimed at me.
But Elna seemed to have anticipated it and swept his feet out from under him.
Elna attacked the off-balance man, who barely blocked it with his spear but was blown back and crashed into some hay.
"Not really. The feel was off."
"It was a trick. He was using something to make himself taller."
Sure enough, two wooden sticks lay next to the man.
Was he using those to fight Elna?
But more importantly, was he using them to make himself taller?
As I was thinking this, the man emerged from the hay.
However, his appearance was far beyond what we had expected.
He didn't seem to realize it.
The hood had fallen off, and the stilts were gone, revealing his true form.
There, standing before us, was a—
He was talking normally, but his appearance was that of a baby bear.
Brown fur and black, round eyes. He looked like a stuffed animal.
He tried to put the hood back on, but it was too late.
The hood, designed to be worn with the stilts, was now too loose, and the tension was gone.
"Damn! No choice! I'll let you off today!"
I stopped Elna, who looked at me with dissatisfaction.
Elna wanted to finish the fight, but our purpose was, in a sense, achieved.
His true identity was shocking, but we had exposed it. Now we just need to find him.
By seeing him distribute money and goods in the outer layers, we can guess where he's hiding.
"Let's head back. Put the unconscious ones on the cart."
Elna glared at me in dissatisfaction and looked in the direction the man had gone.
The fight had ignited the warrior's spirit in her.
"Let me have a rematch if we catch him."
With that, we started walking through the night streets of the Imperial Capital.
A mysterious mascot appears.
Your reviews and feedback are the driving force for the author.
Please leave a review after reading.
This will remain for a while. If it makes you uncomfortable, I apologize. Please see the activity report for the details. m(_ _)m