Cooperation
Cooperation
The atmosphere inside Englem was decidedly poor.
So much so that the moment we stepped into the city, we were flooded with stares tinged with bewilderment and outright hostility.
"What the hell happened to cause this bullshit?"
Sen, who had been scanning those stares one by one to gauge the situation, threw the question at Kunz without any filter, but he just showed a troubled smile and seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
I had been given a heads-up by the guard that some major incident had occurred, but I hadn't expected such a cold reception to be so pervasive throughout the city. I started wracking my brain, trying to guess what sort of events might be coming out of his mouth.
That said, nothing in particular popped into my head. The public order in this country wasn't so utterly fucked that there were many cases of thieves actually entering a city—you could count them on one hand.
But even the scenario I managed to narrow it down to turned out to be quite shocking news for us.
"To put it briefly... thieves joined hands with some adventurers and committed murder and robbery within the city."
"Fuck."
Huh, even that one was cursing. I was so dumbfounded I couldn't even speak.
Thieves committing outright murder and robbery inside a city? This wasn't just causing a bit of trouble; this was a historic-level shitstorm they'd stirred up.
"It's an incident remarkable enough that I find it quite astonishing the Guard Force is cooperating so amicably with the Adventurer's Guild."
Mr. Gaendal's words must have struck a nerve with Kunz, because the smile on his face wavered slightly.
Even at a glance, the situation was ripe for a grand blame game championship, with fingers pointing at both the Guard Force and the Adventurer's Guild. Depending on exactly what form this 'joining hands with adventurers' that Kunz mentioned took, the specifics would vary slightly, but it wouldn't be easy for the two groups to get past this on good terms.
"Calling it... cooperation is a bit of a delicate situation."
Kunz stopped talking there and closed his mouth. For our part, rather than pressing further, we decided to focus on scanning our surroundings and making sure we didn't get hit by any stray rocks or anything.
For me, getting hit by a stray rock would mean I might as well go drown face-down in a dish of water, so I directed my attention elsewhere.
Paying close attention not only to the citizens' stares but also to the looks and movements of the city patrols and guards, we made our way to the Adventurer's Guild, where an air of utter desolation hung over a building far too large for it.
"Wow, I've never seen this place so empty before."
Apparently finding it quite unbelievable, Kals, who normally never speaks first, was the one to open his mouth. Once again, Kunz could only offer a bitter smile.
"The stable is prepared separately, so we will have your horses taken care of. As you can see... it's quiet."
Seeing the Adventurer's Guild of such a large city—large enough to have a separate stable prepared—completely empty as if it were a holiday was, in many ways, a memorable sight. As we entrusted our horses to the stable keeper who approached at Kunz's gesture, Seneran asked,
"There can't be absolutely no adventurers left in the city, right?"
"They are lying low in places that do not refuse them. Right now, the only ones who can walk around the city with a broad smile are probably the innkeepers and brewers."
Hoo boy, would we be able to secure lodging? Should I have listened quietly when that guard was trying to tell me something earlier?
When I looked at Sen with eyes full of distrust, surprisingly, everyone's gaze was already fixed on her.
"Ah, n-no! Just trust me on this! I'm Kikuidel Sen! I'm a native here, I tell you!"
Even so, it was Kunz who stopped Sen, who looked ready to bolt out that instant and start looking for an inn with a vacant room.
"Haha, you needn't worry too much. Not everyone remained in the city under these circumstances. There are quite a few who wish to leave the city until the situation is settled."
Since they said they were refusing adventurers and focusing on an internal search, I had assumed a prime suspect still remained in the city and they were trying to find them. But they were actually letting people leave the city? I tilted my head, wondering what kind of stupid shit this was, and when I looked back, most of the others seemed to be thinking the same thing, as they were busy exchanging questioning glances.
Amidst it all, Asilie quietly raised her index finger to cover her own mouth.
Shh.
Hmm. Then I should keep quiet.
Leaving Asilie, who was diligently wiggling her ears, behind, I continued the conversation with Kunz.
"That's fortunate, then. Anyway, we're planning to sell most of the goods loaded on the horses. Would it cause problems for us to move around outside separately?"
The issue likely wasn't just entering the city; the adventurers staying here probably didn't want to leave their inns either. Sure enough, Kunz answered at a speed that could almost be considered an immediate response.
"Honestly... it will be quite a bit of trouble for you. As I mentioned before, the incident this time involved murder and robbery. We can provide a guild mark to prove your spoils came from outside, but we are not in a position to vouch for the origin of those spoils."
In the event that we had looted legitimate adventurers or civilian homes outside and brought in stolen goods, the moment the guild vouched for them as legitimate spoils, they could suffer enormous losses. So it was an entirely reasonable measure.
Normally, there would be no problem, but he was probably warning us that hostile merchants were likely to hassle us, whether by lowballing prices or filing reports. Whether that hostility stemmed from genuine bad feelings or was just an act to maximize profit remained to be seen.
But upon hearing that, Sen, looking full of confidence, boasted to me,
"Well, we'll figure something out somehow, Eldmia! Ah, Kunz! We'd like to report on our request first; could you get us a place to do that?"
"Of course, Sen. Will Eldmia and the rest of your party be moving together?"
"No. That's something we handled among ourselves. No need for everyone to come in for something that bothersome."
"Well then, we'll be off to take care of our business!" Sen and her party disappeared upstairs with Kunz, their cheerfulness conspicuously exaggerated. Gaendal watched them go, then slowly spoke.
"It would be best to use the opening Miss Sen has created for us to talk. What does everyone think?"
No one reacted as if to ask what he meant. It was Rellie who first broke the brief silence of contemplation.
"Even if we try to sort things out in order, there's more than one or two issues. What should we discuss first? The incident?"
"It certainly is a major thread, but it doesn't seem like something we need to concern ourselves with immediately. Eldmia, what are your thoughts?"
"I share the same opinion as Mr. Gin. There's no particular reason for us to get involved. There's no need for us to discuss it urgently here and now or to figure it out."
We hadn't accepted a request, nor were we entangled in it. We were merely travelers passing through who just needed to sell our goods, rest a bit, and then leave.
"Then what about the standoff between the city and the guild? Would that be similar?"
"Whichever side holds the upper hand, I don't think it'll matter much to us either way. In the end, what we have to worry about is the Guard Force. Honestly, the best outcome would be for us to finish disposing of our spoils and leave this place before we even have to worry about that."
It was Seneran who gave the immediate answer to Yekaterina's question, but we all nodded in agreement with her response as if on cue. Following that nodding, Asilie, who had stopped wiggling her ears, raised her hand slightly as if trying to get the floor and opened her mouth.
"I think what we need to be most concerned about and cautious of right now is the direction the 'incident' is progressing."
The topic Asilie brought up was about the unspoken question we had all shared earlier.
"When I heard they were blocking entry, I assumed the attackers were still hiding inside, and they had issued a blockade order and were in the process of searching for the culprits."
Again, everyone nodded as if on cue. I had been the same. Until I heard Kunz's words, that is.
"But that fellow Kunz spoke as if they weren't stopping people from leaving."
Mr. Gin, stroking his beard as was his habit, opened his mouth and, after a brief pause, continued.
"In my view, they've either already identified who the culprits are and where they are, or they've completely narrowed down the suspects."
"Or... they might have known from the very beginning."
Including the additional point Gaendal tacked on, everyone agreed this time as well.
"Is it that they won't catch them, or can't catch them?"
Seneran murmured quietly. The distinction was enormously important, but whichever it was, the fact that it was a fucking mess remained the same.
"Sadly, whichever it is, it's not particularly beneficial for us."
Rellie, who had caught that point precisely, said with a furrowed brow.
If they won't catch them, it could mean that one of the two groups has ties with those attacker bastards and is backing them.
If they can't catch them, it could mean both groups are incompetent, failing not only to prevent the incident beforehand but also to even resolve it.
In the former case, they'd be pulling bullshit to safely extract their associates somehow. In the latter, they'd be searching for means and methods to deal with the bastards somehow. Or, they could be split into 'won't catch' and 'can't catch' factions, with both situations erupting simultaneously.
And in such a situation, adventurers who had forced their way into the city even at the cost of selling out another city's guild master...
No matter who had what purpose, the likelihood that they'd see us as convenient tools to be used for their own fucking schemes seemed extremely high.
Not wanting to get tangled in that kind of shitty situation, I asserted in a resolute tone,
"Once Sen comes down, we'll secure lodging first, then dispose of the spoils as fast as possible and bolt."
If there was a silver lining to point out, it was that absolutely no one wanted to take the initiative and get tangled up in this troublesome affair.
Finding great comfort in the fact that there were six people in this chaotic city who shared the same opinion, we waited for Sen to return.