Under the City, Part 4
The underground district of Balifield, commonly known as the Undercity, was essentially Junk Town scaled up to a massive degree. Even with Yohan's extensive knowledge, finding this many scoundrels coiled up together beneath a single city was a rare sight anywhere on the continent.
—To think such a vast space exists beneath the earth. It is truly marvelous.
The Goddess could not hide her awe upon seeing the sprawling subterranean expanse. Her reaction made Yohan, who had once lived here, flare his nostrils in a brief, pointless display of pride.
"The funny thing is, even the people living here don't really know how this place was built."
—Art thou aware of its origins?
"Hell no. I only crashed here for a bit back in the day."
There were rumors that a war had swept across the entire continent in the ancient past, and that ancient people had built this place as a shelter to escape the flames of conflict. Others claimed it was simply a massive natural cavern system that had been gradually expanded over time. However, both theories were nothing more than speculation. It was highly doubtful whether anyone alive actually knew the true history of the Undercity.
—Junk Town seemed quite large to my eyes, but the scale of this place is truly magnificent.
"Right? Basically, every shady bastard in this region ends up here."
Having left their carriage and luggage at a lodging house on the surface, Yohan wandered through Balifield's underground district with a much lighter step. Falco, seemingly pleased to visit Balifield after so long, accompanied him with an expression that was noticeably softer than usual.
—With so many people gathered in a subterranean space of this magnitude, surely incidents and accidents must never cease...
The Goddess did not merely marvel at the Undercity. Yohan nodded in agreement with her astute observation.
"Exactly. The guards don't even bother coming down here in the first place."
"To be precise, they only stay away while they're on duty," Falco added.
—Indeed. Which means they visit often enough as ordinary citizens of Balifield, rather than as guards.
"Yep."
There were things down here that were hard to find on the surface. Unlicensed gambling dens and illicit taverns, for instance. This world suffered from a catastrophic lack of casual entertainment. For guards working for mere pennies from the Lord, gambling away their meager wages was one of their few pleasures. Yohan often thought that the reason inhuman monsters like Swordmasters and Archmages existed was probably because they had absolutely nothing better to do in their rooms besides training. At least, that was his theory.
—Then who maintains order in this underground space? Is there a sheriff here as well, like in Junk Town?
"Not a sheriff, but there's a much bigger entity in charge."
—Ah.
The Goddess seemed to quickly grasp what Yohan meant by "entity." A criminal organization rooted in the depths of Balifield, with its hands in various pies—including the grave-robbing business Yohan and Falco used to be part of.
"Their full name is the Undercity Gang," Falco said.
—As I thought.
Falco spoke while looking up at the empty air, just as Yohan always did. Knowing the words were directed at her, the Goddess replied immediately.
"From the Lord's perspective, a massive underground space right beneath his city is a major headache just by existing."
—But the gang provides the necessary policing services, and in return, the Lord turns a blind eye to their subterranean activities. Is that not so?
"You catch on quick."
—It is only because the way of humans has not changed since ancient times.
It seemed the world had spun the exact same way back in the ancient era when the Nameless Goddess was active. Yohan gave a casual shrug. In truth, the Lord of Balifield didn't just turn a blind eye to the Undercity Gang. There was a clear exchange of wealth between the two factions. The money spent by guards and citizens in the Undercity eventually found its way back into the coffers of both the Undercity Gang and the Lord through various channels.
—Now that I think of it, my Apostle.
"What?"
—Were not you and Falco also part of a subordinate branch of that very gang?
"Yeah, we were."
—And the fact that your grave-robbing crew was wiped out in Balifield means the parent gang discarded them.
She was right. Yohan nodded.
—If so... are not the two of you technically targets for elimination in the eyes of the gang?
"Ah, that's fine."
—And why is that?
"First of all, both of us were just low-level grunts. And as for her, she's changed so much that even people who knew her wouldn't recognize her."
Yohan glanced at Falco as he answered the Goddess's question. Even Yohan, who had watched her wounds heal right before his eyes, had never imagined she possessed such a face. Others would never dream that the gloomy figure who used to walk around wrapped in bandages from head to toe was the exact same person as this beautiful elf.
—Indeed, that is true.
"Still, we should be careful just in case."
As they conversed, Yohan and Falco arrived at a bustling area crowded with people.
—Where is this?
"The market."
Before entering the market, Yohan pulled a crumpled bundle of papers from his breast pocket and unfolded it. He began scanning the densely packed text written on it.
—Ah, the list of items stolen from the townspeople.
"Yeah."
Since one of the primary conditions of the quest had become impossible to fulfill, retrieving the townspeople's belongings was the next best option. If he didn't want his head lopped off by that muscle-brained sheriff's sword, he needed to present at least some proof that he had made a sincere effort to complete the job.
"Let's go."
Yohan stuffed the papers back into his pocket and quickened his pace.
The market run by the Undercity Gang was by far the largest district in the Undercity.
—It is as if we have stepped into a marketplace on the surface.
"Right?"
Crowded with countless patrons, the atmosphere of the market was no different from any bustling bazaar above ground.
"The market is roughly divided into two sections."
—And what might those be?
"The open market where we are now, and the auction house further inside."
The first was the open market, where buyers and sellers mingled, setting up stalls and haggling face-to-face. The second was the auction house, where relatively high-value items were put on display for a crowd of wealthy bidders.
—Since the stolen goods are all valuables, would it not be wiser to search the auction house?
"Ah, actually, no. We're looking here."
Yohan shook his head in response to the Goddess's question.
—Why is that?
"They might be precious to the folks in Junk Town, but objectively speaking, they aren't exactly high-value collector's items."
—Ah, I see.
Most of the items stolen from the Junk Town residents either had very little actual market value or were common commodities that were extremely easy to liquidate. In other words, they were practical, everyday items rather than rare treasures that collectors would bid on.
"But we'll still drop by the auction house later."
—While I welcome the prospect, is there a particular reason to visit the auction house?
"You never know. There might be a Sacred Relic up for bidding."
—That is indeed a fair point.
For some reason, Yohan could vividly picture the Goddess wearing a smug, pleased grin. He imagined her crossing her arms with a proud smirk, only to casually wipe away a sudden sniffle with the back of her hand.
"But can we really find them?"
Falco, who had been quiet all this time, asked Yohan.
"Honestly, it's going to be tough. We don't even have proper drawings of the items, just some scribbled descriptions based on hearsay."
Because of this, Yohan wasn't particularly thrilled with their current situation. The most foolproof method would have been to capture a few of the runaway grave robbers and drag them back to Junk Town, but since they had already been wiped out in Balifield, that ship had sailed. Thus, his backup plan was to recover at least some of the stolen goods to show that he had 'made a good faith effort' to fulfill the request.
"Hmm..."
Or... since things had already turned out this way, what if he just completely smashed the Undercity Gang? Yohan entertained the thought for a moment. He was no longer an ordinary human. Even if she had been stripped of her name and imprisoned, he was still the Apostle of a powerful deity, wielding her divine strength. Come to think of it, wasn't it the boss of the Undercity Gang who had ordered the purge that ended with a dagger in Yohan's back? This was the perfect chance to vent the resentment of being caught in their crossfire. Since this was technically an act of vengeance, it wouldn't even go against the virtues his Goddess championed.
"Should I just wipe them all out? Slaughter them so thoroughly they can't even squeak..."
As he muttered his dark thoughts aloud, Falco, unable to listen to his nonsense any longer, snapped at him.
"Yohan. We don't have time for your delusions."
—My Apostle. You occasionally do good deeds, but you are normally quite unhinged.
The Goddess chimed in as well.
"Whatever. Let's just start looking."
With that, the two finally began searching for the stolen goods. Yohan got the feeling that the Goddess was also keeping a sharp eye out, hoping to find one of her Sacred Relics.
"I don't see anything."
"At least we managed to salvage this much, though."
After combing through the market for several hours, Yohan and Falco looked at the few stolen items they had managed to recover and let out a collective sigh. If they had at least possessed drawings of the items, it might have been different, but trying to locate specific goods based purely on vague written descriptions was an absolute nightmare. It was only thanks to the sharp eyes they had developed during their grave-robbing days that they had managed to find anything at all.
—What if the townspeople claim these do not belong to them?
"Then those ungrateful bastards get their skulls cracked... No, wait, that won't happen."
—Oh?
The Goddess let out an intrigued hum at Yohan's response. However, Yohan was absolutely certain that the recovered items belonged to the residents of Junk Town.
"This sword. What do you think it was used for?"
Yohan raised the recovered sword and asked the Goddess.
—Though the blade is well-honed, the excessive and useless ornamentation suggests it was not meant for actual combat.
It was exactly as she said. The sword Yohan had recovered was engraved with strange symbols and inscriptions, making it look more suited for ceremonial rituals than actual battle.
"This is the kitchen knife the innkeeper used. You know, the inn we stayed at briefly."
—Is he mad?
If the Goddess had been physically manifested, she probably would have spat out her drink.
"They live in the wilderness. You can't expect them to have normal common sense."
—I suppose that is true, but still...
In Junk Town, this level of eccentricity was hardly unusual. In fact, it was precisely because of its bizarre nature that the sword's appearance had been burned into Yohan's memory, allowing him to spot it instantly.
"Well, now that we've got this, let's head over to the auction house."
"Okay," Falco replied with a short nod.
Flinch.
Just as they turned to head toward the auction house, Yohan froze, a sudden, bizarre sensation washing over him.
"Yohan?"
Falco, on the other hand, had taken a few steps forward without noticing anything. Seeing him stiffen, she cast a bewildered look back at him.
"Hey, just now..."
—Yes. I felt it as well.
As the Apostle of a deity, Yohan sensed an extraordinary energy emanating from the direction of the auction house. A strange aura, resembling the divine energy of his Goddess's Sacred Relics yet fundamentally different in a jarring way, swept over his skin like a cold breeze. Something was in that auction house. Something closely tied to a divine entity.