The Merchant's Lair
"So, mister. Why exactly are you telling me all this?"
Zoid's words carried the implication that he might not be able to provide as much information as expected. I hadn't placed much hope in him either, not since seeing how lost he looked. After all, this man had only just learned about his brother's crimes after living apart for ten years.
After choosing my words carefully, I spoke.
"We're going to expose Jade Trustas's corruption and make him pay for his crimes."
"……I figured as much. That's how it should be."
—Crack.
Zoid clenched his fist. I had no interest in analyzing the emotions behind his answer. As long as he wasn't planning to stab us in the back, whether I understood his feelings or not wouldn't change the outcome.
"We won't be following legal procedures. We'll attack the merchant group while hiding our identities, steal the evidence, and distribute it to the lord and various organizations."
"The Trustas Merchant Group will face backlash from all the groups that have been using this dye. If the chairman and the executives can't respond properly, the group will be torn apart."
He had good instincts. Ten years of wandering hadn't dulled his edge.
'Zoid's probably around my age too.'
Why were people from this world so mature for their age? I could probably still pull off the "waaah, Franc mama, milkies" bit even at thirty or forty, but it seemed like getting your coming-of-age ceremony here just swapped out your brain's OS.
While thinking that, I raised a finger.
"Yes. We're currently in the preparation stage. To increase our chances of success, we'd like to hear what information you have, Zoid."
Places where account books or experiment records might be kept. Detailed building layouts, whether secret passages existed and where. Guard placements, numbers, and strength. And anything else.
"I'll do that. The building structure is like this. If they've added new secret passages or ones I didn't know about, it'll probably be around here."
Zoid, now fully cooperative, answered everything he knew. He even drew a cross-section of the merchant group building where he'd once lived.
"I don't know much about the guards either. The last time I visited my brother was the first and last time. In ten years, he's not the only thing that's changed."
"Probably not."
Especially if he had powerful backers. Zoid continued.
"Still, the guys guarding the merchant group weren't much. If we strike at midnight, most of them will have gone home. Aside from the night watch, there won't be many blocking the way—"
He looked us over.
"—and with skilled fighters like you lot, taking them down should be simple. But there's one guy you should watch out for."
"Who?"
"Enlir. He's the guard who's been stuck to my brother like glue."
Like glue, huh. Zoid's half-closed eyes made him look like he was recounting a horror story he'd personally experienced.
"The moment I saw him, I knew. No matter how many times I attacked— a hundred, a thousand— I wouldn't even graze his collar. In ten years, my gut's never been wrong. That's also why I felt like talking to you."
"……Just for reference, how do I compare?"
It might not help much, but Zoid seemed skilled and perceptive enough that his assessment was worth hearing. At my question, he let out a low groan.
"I don't know. To me, both you and that guy look like you could rip my head off easier than popping open a bottle. A fox can't judge between a lion and a tiger."
Goddamn it, why was my evaluation the same? Was it the clothes? I had no idea why my Arthur Wayne disguise got such a bad rep. I was just some shady macho in a black outfit and mask. And what the hell did he mean by me ripping off that blond tanned thug's neck?
"Though…… I do get the feeling they're similar somehow."
"Similar?"
"The atmosphere. You use magic too, right? That guy seemed the same. He was wearing his robe hood even indoors, but the muscles under his clothes looked vicious."
A hybrid of physical and magical damage. The fact that he specifically mentioned the name meant Enlir was someone we really needed to be wary of.
'A guard provided by the merchant group's backers, huh.'
If that was the case, there would be plenty to ask him too. Enlir. I filed the name away in my mind.
While I was thinking, Zoid started fidgeting like a dog that needed to piss. His golden-sun-turned-shit-dog cosplay wasn't particularly entertaining, so I gave a half-hearted reply.
"If you want to come along, I won't stop you. I can let you know before we move…… but if you interfere no matter how things turn out, we'll have a problem."
Zoid had the right to be present when his family's sins were exposed.
"……Thanks. When are you moving?"
Zoid bowed his head. I recalled the plan I'd discussed with the party members and answered.
"Three in the morning today. Assuming everything goes smoothly."
"Damn it, only four or five hours left. We're really cutting it close."
After grumbling, Zoid sighed and spoke.
"I'll catch some sleep in the next room. Need to sort out my thoughts too."
"Go ahead. Though I'd like to place a tracking spell on you, if you'll allow it."
"Better than being tied up with rope. Hurry up and do it."
I nodded and called Larilura over with a glance— I couldn't say her name out loud. Still awkward in her mask, she walked over carefully so she wouldn't look too eager.
"Stay still."
"Just don't make it hurt."
—Flash!
Larilura cast Puppetry on Zoid's outstretched arm. Now we could track his location or interfere with his actions if needed. Knocking him down was possible, and he'd notice if we dispelled it.
'He doesn't look like the type to betray us, though.'
Zoid, looking gloomy, fiddled with the spot where Larilura's mana had been engraved.
"Anyway, sorry about this, even if it wasn't on purpose. You guys were probably hoping I was my brother's informant. Would've been more information to squeeze out of me that way."
"No, it's a relief that you're a decent person, Zoid."
"……You sure know how to say it nicely. I'll just say thanks."
—Creak. Thud.
With a bitter smile, Zoid entered the next room. He was probably planning to sober up and get some sleep. That would make it easier to move at night.
After he disappeared, I tucked away Tabula's steel mask. I probably couldn't use this mask anymore.
'Enlir might be connected to Tabula.'
If he saw through the face-altering magic, that bastard might recognize the mask and run instead of fighting. If he reported it first, we'd be at a disadvantage even if we took him down later.
Fortunately, the face-altering mask could be remade. I carved runes into the new mask using magical materials.
"Hey. Moving straight to the next prep?"
Dana, mask removed, asked. She was probably asking if we were going to inform the lord.
I thought it over before answering.
"No. Better to scrap that plan."
"……Don't tell the lord? Why?"
"Because the situation's changed. I told Zoid that, but when I first came up with the plan, I assumed Zoid was the merchant group's informant."
If Zoid really had been an informant like he said, we could've interrogated him for information and reported to the lord. With evidence, a witness, and circumstantial proof— a triple crown— the success rate would've been near 100%.
Someone who still experiences cognitive dissonance even after being shown evidence? Then they shouldn't be a lord, you fucking idiot.
"But when I actually checked, he turned out to be a decent guy, even if he doesn't look it."
Zoid was a good citizen who worked diligently as a guild guard, unlike a typical golden sun. He'd probably misunderstood after hearing he was the chairman's brother and seeing his appearance.
Of course, I had my own thoughts on the matter. Who would've guessed that someone who looked like that would be feeding stray dogs in this era's sweet golden sun? Honestly, if he'd lived up to his looks, that guy would've at least been the prince of the red-light district.
'Fuck. If you don't want to be suspected, walk around looking decent.'
I was even having such contradictory thoughts. If Zoid had walked around in all-black clothes and a mask doing bat-cosplay like me, I wouldn't have suspected him and just thought he was Hremar's friendly neighborhood guy.
I sighed and spoke.
"Our goal is to beat the shit out of the chairman and his lackeys, make them spill everything, and make them pay. But even if we raid at night, there's a high chance a fight will break out at the merchant group."
A criminal organization wasn't going to shutter up and go home to sleep just because it was quitting time. They'd have guards and traps set up. The otherworldly Darkness Seccom hired by the chairman would be on standby 24/7.
Of course, if those were just small fries we could handle with face-altering magic and sleeping gas, it wouldn't be a problem.
"But from what I heard, there's an opponent we absolutely can't take down easily?"
If a fight broke out at the worst possible time, it'd immediately turn into a boss fight. Naturally, the commotion would grow. And if the commotion grew?
'The guards working overtime because of the festival will surround the merchant group.'
Just like back in Heisvent when we set fire to the circus tent. Back then, we'd used the guards rushing in to create chaos, but this time that wouldn't work. Escaping the encirclement without beating up the guards— the embodiment of public authority— would be too difficult. Especially with our bodies exhausted from a boss fight.
That's why I'd captured Zoid before reporting to the lord. I was worried the guards would make interrogating him difficult. Since Zoid would definitely draw the guards if he resisted violently, I'd avoided informing the lord before the interrogation.
Then the situation changed.
Larilura scratched her mask and spoke.
"I think I understand. You're saying the lord might tell us to give up on personal revenge."
"Yeah."
If this were 21st-century Earth, I would've swallowed my anger and relied on the authorities too. That was the duty of a citizen in a rule-of-law country. But fuck, I couldn't expect that kind of law-abiding spirit from that bastard Jade, the chairman.
"If the guards miss the chairman, that's one thing, but even if that bastard gets thrown in prison, we can't relax."
That son of a bitch was a dark-evolution Tinkerbell sprinkling magical daddy powder on Franc's hometown. There was a high chance he'd use bribes or connections to get out of jail. And behind him were those fucking bastards who seemed to be his backers! If he escaped or got released, we could find and beat him again, but if he got silenced with a 'suicide' in prison, we'd be the ones left chasing chickens.
We absolutely couldn't allow ourselves to suck our thumbs and play by the rules while the enemy flipped off the law.
Dana spoke as if agreeing with me.
"The worst part is that the lord's also a bastard. He might hear us out and do nothing, or even if he's decent, he might arrest all of us together."
"Yeah. That's a problem too."
To convince someone, you first had to give them trust. In other words, to convince the lord while hiding our identities, we'd have to reveal information. But just mentioning the charcoal dye would make identifying the Trustas Merchant Group trivial. It'd be like telling them which merchant group we were going to hit.
"Even if there's some commotion at the merchant group building, not many guards will gather. But if the lord knows the merchant group is involved in crimes, he'll definitely send soldiers."
Loyalty to the lord, loyalty loyalty. Tonight, your righteous Avengers are scheduled to crack some criminal skulls at the Trustas Merchant Group?
Cut the bullshit. We're not Kaito Kid— why the fuck would we give advance notice?
The more I calculated, the more it seemed like reporting before the raid would be a bad move.
"In times like this, a post-raid report is best."
I said this while looking at my party members, who were staring like they were asking what we were going to do.
1. First, raid the merchant group. Find and hide the evidence.
2. Then beat down the chairman and his guard Enlir.
3. Escape while avoiding the guards.
4. Send a clone to the lord, who's probably getting a headache, and gift him the evidence.
If we proceeded in that order, there'd be no problems. The lord would be busy dealing with the aftermath, so he'd examine the bait we'd thrown and swallow it whole. We'd be able to make the chairman pay his due.
"Let's rest for a bit, then infiltrate the merchant group."
I declared this and looked at Franc.
"—That's what I want to do. Is that okay?"
"Yeah."
When I asked, Franc nodded expressionlessly. It wasn't her usual answer of "Do whatever you want, Nord." I guessed her mood and decided not to ask further.
***
So we took a short nap while waiting for the night to deepen. And when the pocket watch pointed to three o'clock.
We ran stealthily across the rooftops of the city, whose night was buzzing with festival energy. After arriving at the Trustas Merchant Group's grounds, we checked if magic was cast on the stone wall. Once we confirmed there was no problem, we jumped over the wall and hid ourselves on the grounds.
"Grrrr……"
Maybe to avoid unnecessary suspicion, the guard dogs released on the garden grounds were ordinary hunting dogs.
Whoosh……
"Kuuuung……?"
I put them to sleep with sleeping gas. I couldn't negotiate with trained guard dogs through conversation, after all.
[The guard dogs might have shift changes too. I put them to sleep for about five to ten minutes, so let's move quickly.]
Using Veronica's rune to connect our thoughts, I sent a telepathic message. If there was an interval before the guard dogs returned, the person managing them might notice. It was better to put them under lightly and slip away quietly.
Zoid, also wearing the mask I'd given him, quietly followed behind. He didn't seem to have any intention of betraying us.
[Haaaaam…… Hey, I'm gonna go take a piss.]
[Go ahead. That old bastard isn't here today either.]
As expected, there were more guards than suited an ordinary merchant group. But maintaining an ironclad security system that had been problem-free for over twenty years wasn't as easy as it sounded. Avoiding their lax vigilance and infiltrating inside wasn't difficult.
—Crack.
We deployed a sound-blocking barrier and broke a window to open it. The western half of the merchant group building was a section that closed at night. At the same time, it was also a suitable location for creating something secretive.
The chairman's room was on the third floor, but considering the possibility that he might be in the room, we planned to leave it for last.
After jumping inside, we carefully made our way to a room without making footsteps. Franc, wearing her mask and thick gloves, thoroughly investigated the building's rooms like she was searching a trap-filled ruin. It was when we were exploring the third room that seemed like a candidate for a secret warehouse.
—Click.
Franc's hand found something. It was a device hidden in the wall. Veronica moved without needing a signal. As she scattered rune stones taken from her slate on the floor and activated a sound-blocking magic, Franc pulled the wall door without hesitation.
Rumble rumble rumble……
With a sound like millstones turning, stairs appeared on the wall pillar.