Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: A Treacherous Subject Has Their Uses
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A week later, at the hideout within Sir Malderov's private estate.
The original plan was three days, but Beonald, having spent an entire week in the mountains preparing something else, finally returned to the village.
Arriving at the hideout, he butchered and dismantled the monsters and animals he had hunted in the mountains, storing everything usable as feed for Alterio and discarding the rest.
Then, Beonald looked at his reflection in the river once more.
He was now dressed like the adventurers, and after a week of running around the mountains, covered in blood, sweat, and grime, he looked convincingly ordinary.
"Good. This should be enough preparation... Alterio, I've gathered plenty of feed for you, so I'll be out for a few days."
Squeak!
Leaving Alterio to see him off, Beonald began infiltrating the territory's city in earnest to gather information.
First, he sold monster materials at the adventurer's guild to make his face known, and then he paid merchants and adventurers he met here and there or made 'favorable' deals to earn their goodwill one by one.
While doing so, he casually dropped a bait, and naturally began to hear stories about the 'Teal Slums'.
"Come to think of it, I almost wandered into the 'Teal Slums' today by taking a wrong turn. Not being familiar with the city's layout... There were a lot of people with menacing looks, so I ran away quickly. What kind of place is that?"
"That place! You almost got into big trouble. I guess hunters really have a good sense for danger? Anyway, you ran away just in time. That's a place you shouldn't even associate with."
"What exactly goes on there? Just from the name 'Slums', it sounds like a gathering place for low-quality people."
"Roughly speaking, it's a place where former mercenaries or soldiers, guild thieves, other thugs, assassination squads, and the like fight, kill each other, and battle over illegal businesses every day. In short, it's a place with absolutely nothing good to gain from getting involved."
"Why do you think even the lord gave up on it?"
In response to Beonald's bait, the people at the adventurer's guild kindly warned him of the danger for an outsider's sake.
However, wanting to take a step further for more crucial information, Beonald realized that since they weren't people actually living in the Teal Slums, they had no idea what specific illegal businesses they ran or how they fought.
'Hmm, it seems I'll have to kidnap someone from there and interrogate them.'
To catch a tiger, one must enter the tiger's den. Beonald headed towards the Teal Slums to obtain more detailed information.
But going during the day felt burdensome, so he decided to return to the hideout for a while to rest and also see Alterio after a long time.
Upon arriving at the hideout in Sir Malderov's private estate, he found a stranger standing there.
'Who's that?'
"My, my, your condition is quite something, Young Master."
"...Magician Selina?"
A beautiful woman with a tall stature of about 175 centimeters. A wide-brimmed hat and robe that seemed to have 'I am a magician' written on them, and a staff. It was undoubtedly her.
She was not a welcome presence to meet here, especially since the first problem was how she knew about and came to this hideout, which was supposed to be a secret from Sir Malderov. Beonald placed his hand on his sword and slowly approached her.
"How did you get here?"
"Ah! Please put that killing intent away. I didn't come here to cause you any trouble."
"Isn't the very act of coming here already troublesome? First of all, how? Sir Malderov isn't the type to tell people..."
"I only came because I wanted to receive the promised griffin feather. You haven't visited the study even once since then. And I couldn't possibly go to Young Master Beonald directly. It would have a huge impact on the internal family situation at the mansion! You know that, right?"
As Selina said, she, a 4th-class magician of the Magic Tower, was one of the Count's key personnel, wielding enough influence to participate in meetings.
Just Sir Malderov's backing alone had a significant impact on the mansion; if she, a person from the Magic Tower who wielded the special power of 'magic', also showed support for Beonald, the internal political situation of the mansion would become extremely chaotic.
"To begin with, I had no interest in such things, so I just waited, thinking you'd come back to read books, but! You didn't come."
"...That may be so, but can you explain how you came here?"
"Of course, I came looking for that child. The griffin! It's a proper magical beast. A living creature that generates and manipulates magical energy! Tracking its presence isn't that difficult."
"That doesn't defy logic. However, I don't think trespassing on Sir Malderov's private estate is very good, do you?"
"That~ I do feel sorry about. But I really, really, really~ needed the griffin feather, and I heard you took on that dangerous Teal Slums business, so I just~"
When the mention of the Teal Slums business was added, Beonald slightly relaxed his guard.
While it was impossible to completely erase his suspicions, he felt he might be overreacting due to her background with the Magic Tower and being a magician.
And since it was true that he had previously promised to give her the feather, Beonald decided to give it to her for now.
"Fine. Then I'll give you the item. I'll fetch it from inside... Stay right here. If you make any unnecessary moves, I'll resort to force immediately."
"Hmm~ Really now, aren't you being too wary? Of course, noble family education is like that, and I understand you think differently, but if you keep being so stiff, you might regret it soon?"
"Regret. That sounds like a statement implying you'll hold a grudge against me over this."
"No, not that. It's just that I have information about the Teal Slums~ you see."
Important information reached Beonald's ears, but without a hint of agitation, he calmly went inside to fetch Alterio's feather.
His excellent advance, without even a moment's hesitation, left Selina, who had thrown the bait, with a flustered look, but inwardly, Beonald wanted to ask about that information right away.
"Oh my~ Thank you. Finally, I can make a new reagent with this. Ah, right. But I can't just take it for free... How much would it be? I brought gold coins..."
"Forget the money. Instead, let's hear the information about the Teal Slums that you have. I can't trust it 100%, but it's still better than wasting time. Follow me."
"I knew you'd choose that, Young Master."
However, information was indeed valuable, and since it could save him the process and time of going to kidnap and interrogate someone now, Beonald wanted to hear her story.
Thus, Beonald brought Selina inside the mansion and, since she was a guest, reluctantly brewed tea himself and served it to her.
'To think I'd be in a position to personally brew tea. My territory's retainers and knights would be shocked if they saw this.'
"Even though I visited rudely, for you to serve tea like this... I'll enjoy it gratefully, Young Master... Oh my? What is this?"
After drinking the tea, she widened her eyes, unable to hide her surprise.
Beonald didn't show it outwardly, but inwardly, he smiled a triumphant smile.
This wasn't a commonly available tea, but a tea personally blended by Beonald, a Master Alchemist. It was a blend of three types of leaves, steeped and mixed simultaneously, which he had prepared as a test when setting up the facilities here.
"How is it?"
"My goodness... This is a first for me. How on earth! Where did you get these leaves? Goodness gracious~"
"That's a secret. Anyway, let's hear that information."
Having taken minor revenge for being tested, Beonald looked at Selina with a satisfied smile.
Seeing this, she sighed as if there was no choice and got straight to the point.
"Currently, three organizations are expanding their influence in the Teal Slums while running illegal businesses. First, the 'Ba'alas Organization'. They control brothel operations within the territory's city, including the Teal Slums, and the illegal slave market. By utilizing brothels and the slave trade, they've broadened their connections with mercenaries and adventurers, giving them the most abundant martial resources."
"Hmm... Next?"
"Second is the 'Darktis Guild'. It encompasses both thief and assassin guilds. Their main tasks are illegal information gathering and assassination. However, their scale is small, and except for a very few assassin guild members, the martial prowess of other members isn't very high, so they can't meddle in noble affairs and mainly take requests from merchants, adventurers, and fights with other organizations."
"If they are knowledgeable about information and specialize in assassination, that's to be expected. Then the last one?"
"The last one is the most dangerous organization. The name is the 'Agrasander Group'. They are drug dealers who cultivate and sell narcotics. They influence not only this Callermain territory but also the surrounding territories. And as you know, drugs are infamous for their addictiveness and pleasure... The organization's own capabilities seem good too; they've even recruited many alchemists and are employing chimeras, synthesized from enhanced humans or monsters through forbidden experiments."
"I see... So that's why even the Count's family couldn't easily resolve it."
"Of course, but since it would be problematic if their business was hindered, they pay enormous bribes to the Count's family and maintain a symbiotic relationship."
"Haha, what are you expecting me to do about that now? Seriously~"
He had thought it would be at most thug organizations living like outlaws in the slums, but the scale was so large it was beyond ridiculous.
What was even more ridiculous was that the Callermain Count's family was involved, holding hands with such scum and profiting from it, and knowing this, they had thrown this task at him, making him furious to the point of anger.
'I was planning to make some decent money and call it quits... This is too much. There are too many infuriating points.'
Starting with anger towards Count Callermain, who lacked the capability to handle it himself yet dumped the work on him, to anger as a noble who, even while seizing power and pursuing personal gain, still tried to make his own garden, his territory, the most beautiful place in the world, at the trashy criminal organizations running rampant, and finally, anger as a Master Alchemist recognized by the Magic Tower, at those who blasphemed alchemy.
'...I'm angry.'
Simultaneously boiling with three types of anger, Beonald contemplated how to wipe out all these bastards, but he still lacked information.
"If you know anything more, please tell me. Everything, now."
"Huh? Ah~! Well then, first, a rough map and structure of the Teal Slums and~ also... places you might be able to go too...!"
Seeing Beonald's sudden transformation into a terrifying gaze, Selina was momentarily speechless, pierced by skin-prickling killing intent and an oppressive feeling weighing down the air.
Feeling a fear and pressure she couldn't even sense from Count Callermain, she noticed the confidence burning and the intense will within his eyes.
'Oh my? Don't tell me... he's seriously planning to do it?'
The very thought of eliminating the Teal Slums, which even the current 'Callermain Count's family' couldn't handle and had given up on after taking bribes, was itself an astonishing matter.
It was too intense a seriousness emanating from Beonald now to dismiss as mere bravado or youthful recklessness.
"Anyway, thank you for the information. Then, I have things to do from now on... Please finish enjoying your tea before you leave."
"Um, um, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Hmm... Please don't disclose to anyone the fact that we had this conversation today and what I plan to do. I can't go around boasting about something I haven't even succeeded at yet, right?"
"Yes. Ah, understood."
Pressed by an absolutely unopposable pressure, Selina nodded her head vigorously, expressing that she had no intention of going against Beonald.
And after she left, Beonald let out a slight sigh, then descended to the underground where the alchemy laboratory was and began preparing something.