The Bait
After entrusting the surveillance to those rascals from NyangNyang TV, Franc fell into a quiet, contemplative silence. I kept my mouth shut so as not to disturb her thoughts, but the moment we reached the inn, she suddenly spoke up.
"The bait?"
"Yeah. When we watched the circus at the colosseum, and even this time when Larilura mistook me for a child. So starting tonight, I'll pretend to be a little kid walking around alone at night."
Franc raised three fingers as she explained. I made a clearly displeased face at her suggestion.
"You're saying you'll act as bait to lure out the kidnappers?"
"Isn't it possible? If the kidnappers who target children are still hiding in the city, they probably haven't had much success lately with the guards patrolling everywhere and people being so cautious. They'd be getting desperate. They'd definitely try to grab me."
"That..."
It was a good idea. Except for the part where Franc would be in danger. I kept my mouth firmly shut. If I opened it, I'd probably reject the idea outright without even thinking it through.
Undercover operations were effective, but I'd heard they weren't used much anymore after entering the 21st century. Sometimes the undercover cops or detectives ended up aiding the crime, and the people running the operation often found themselves in serious danger.
But Franc isn't the type to not know that.
She had to understand how dangerous this plan was. The reason she was making this suggestion anyway was probably because of her meeting with Erika.
People find it hard to truly empathize with others' suffering. Even if they feel pity seeing orphans or refugees in Africa, very few actually move to help them. We were the same. We felt sorry for the kidnapped children, but we weren't about to abandon our own lives to obsess over solving the case. There were countless unhappy people in the world besides those kids.
In a world where monsters existed and human lives were as cheap as flies, carelessly sticking your neck out for someone else's problems was just asking to get yourself killed.
At some point, neither Franc nor I could treat this as someone else's business anymore.
I had seen the children who suffered after being kidnapped by bandits. Franc had grown close to those kids and now couldn't stop thinking that one of them might be in danger tomorrow. So leaving Heisvent while the case was still unsolved left a bitter taste in our mouths.
"Alright, Franc. Let's do it."
I finished my thoughts and spoke. Since Franc had already resolved to take the risk, I didn't want to stop her out of my own selfishness. Coddling her and shielding her from every danger would be no different from treating her like a doll. After I fought the bandits last time, hadn't we decided that in situations like this, we'd fight together?
Franc nodded at my answer.
"Let's plan everything out until nightfall. Since I'm playing the bait, I just need to carry weapons inside my coat."
"Got it. Then I'll step out for a bit. I'll get some potions and information just in case, so wait here for me."
"Where are you going?"
I pulled out Arthur Wayne's robe and answered.
"The Transport Guild."
Pulling the hood of the robe deep over my head and covering Tabula's mask with a scarf, I made my way to the Transport Guild in Heisvent.
"I heard you were looking for me...?"
Robert, who had remained in Heisvent, came out to the reception room with a puzzled look, only to widen his eyes the moment he saw me.
"Could you be...?"
It was no wonder he didn't recognize me right away. Even though I was sitting openly on the sofa without any stealth effect, the Impression Camouflage was still working as strongly as ever.
I stood up and greeted him.
"It's good to see you again. Come to think of it, I never properly introduced myself. I'm Arthur Wayne."
"R-Robert Graves. Have you been well?"
"Same old, same old for me."
We shook hands and sat down. Robert skillfully hid his surprise, but his curiosity was plain to see.
"I'm truly glad to see you again. But what brings you here today? No, more importantly, how did you know I was here...?"
"Ah, I should start from there."
To give off a different impression from my usual self, I crossed my legs. The polite, Confucian-stick-in-the-mud Nord would never do something like that.
"After that unfortunate incident last time, I visited the Heisvent Transport Guild to see if I could reduce any problems with deliveries, even a little. While I was there, I happened to hear news about you, so I made time to come."
"I-I see. I'm truly sorry about what happened back then."
"Not at all. I have no intention of blaming the guild. Besides, my shipment was something that could be sent in multiple batches anyway."
Last time I had been too traumatized to realize it, but theses could be sent multiple times at one-month intervals. Even if one got ninja'd along the way, you could just shrug and move on. You'd keep sending them out like a worker rush until the university confirmed proper receipt, then stop. The downsides were that the shipping costs were fucking ridiculous, and I couldn't put my heart and soul into writing each thesis. Since it might get lost, the quality of handwriting and readability would inevitably drop. Still, the university would probably understand that much.
Anyway, that wasn't what I was here for today.
"I heard in Sargadis that you took the kidnapped children with you. Did they all return home safely?"
"Of course. I just finished returning the last one to their family and came back."
Robert spoke with confidence.
"One of them was from an orphanage and wanted to stay at our shop, so I took them in. I'm still debating whether to adopt them as my son."
"That's wonderful."
It seemed things had turned out roughly as I'd imagined. I moved on to the main topic.
"The reason I came to see you today isn't because I doubted whether you properly returned the children. I simply have one question I'd like to ask."
"I'll tell you anything I know."
"Thank you. Then, may I ask about the kidnapping incidents currently happening in Heisvent?"
At my question, Robert's face brightened.
"Are you thinking of solving this case as well?"
"I'm not sure yet. We don't even know if the kidnappers are still active. That's why I'm asking—have there been any more victims since the children we rescued?"
I asked. The reason I'd come looking for Robert was precisely to confirm this. If the kidnappers had already pulled back, then Franc acting as bait would be completely pointless.
Robert bit his lip hard at my words.
"...Yes. Even after the bandit group that kidnapped me and the children was wiped out, two more children have gone missing."
"Do you believe they're still operating, Robert?"
"I don't know."
Robert clenched his one remaining hand so tightly that it looked like it might bleed. He was holding back his anger.
"From what I investigated separately, the most recently missing child disappeared five days ago. The previous pattern was about three days between incidents. This excludes any unreported victims."
"So either they've gone quiet, or they've stopped. It's an unknown factor."
"That's correct."
"Any suspects?"
"It's a chilling thing to say, but... there are so many that it's actually hard to narrow it down."
"I see... It's hard to say out loud, but Heisvent isn't exactly a pleasant city to live in."
When I muttered that, Robert gave a bitter smile.
"Our esteemed lord has little interest in the lives of commoners like us."
"That's unfortunate. Anyway, thank you for the valuable information."
I stood up. It was dangerous, but if Robert's words were to be believed, Franc's undercover operation wouldn't be meaningless.
Robert stood up as well and asked.
"Are you leaving already?"
"Yes. I hope I'll be able to bring you good news."
I was about to leave when I stopped and asked one more thing.
"Ah, that's right. Would you happen to know a good place to buy potions? I need some healing and antidote potions."
"We keep mid-grade ones in stock at the guild. I'll bring them for you."
"That's wonderful to hear, but are you sure it's alright?"
Two mid-grade potions would normally cost at least two silver. Was it really okay to just hand over something worth two million won like that? When I asked while hiding my surprise, Robert smiled.
"A hero's departure requires scattered flower petals and a triumphal song. Even if the good deed is done quietly where no one can see, someone must still support that hero, don't you think?"
"Haha. A hero? That's quite an embarrassing title."
It was a rather grandiose title for a pathetic master's student who could barely take care of himself and his girlfriend. But Robert smiled with genuine warmth and said,
"Please don't be embarrassed. To me and those children, you, Mr. Wayne, are a far greater hero than any Master Class on the border."
"That's an honor. I'll do my best not to disappoint you."
I accepted the potions Robert brought and left the Transport Guild.
Ah, fuck. Looks like I'll have to solve this case under the name Arthur Wayne now. Otherwise Robert's gonna figure out that Nord equals Arthur Wayne in no time.
Whatever. Fuck it.
I'd just think of Arthur Wayne as an identity for dodging responsibility. When I caused trouble, I'd do it in this form.
When night fell, Franc and I secretly slipped outside. The time was 8:10 PM, after the sun had set. It was the hour when crowds gathered at the colosseum to watch the circus.
Anyone wandering around at this hour can basically be treated as suspicious.
Especially if someone was following Franc, there was a ninety percent chance they were a kidnapper. I touched the sword at my waist and spoke to Franc.
"Let's follow the plan. Come here."
"Ah, okay."
I carved a rune onto Franc's forehead. Naturally, it was the forward-facing ᚲ (Kenaz). Fuck, at this point wasn't I basically a one-trick Kenaz pony?
"How is it?"
"It's... a strange feeling that's hard to get used to."
Franc touched her forehead, looking a bit shy.
"Is it really okay for you to use this all the time, Nord? Hearing sounds from far away feels so weird."
"You'll get used to it quickly once you start handling mana."
Now that I thought about it, I had adapted to the changed senses without any discomfort at all. It had been the same when learning acrobatics. It seemed I really did have talent in this area.
"Mana, huh... I wish I could use it soon too."
"Hehe. Cut me some slack. If you start using mana too, I won't be able to compete with you in strength anymore."
We joked around to ease the tension, then put some distance between us.
Good. Even at this distance, I can still roughly sense her position.
I closed my eyes and gauged Franc's approximate location. I'd learned this while reading the book I borrowed this time. Magic like rune magic that maintained its effect at long range could also be applied to location tracking. Since only the caster themselves could use this tracking method, I didn't have to worry about the mysterious black organization chasing me because of Tabula's mask.
"Nyaong. (Let's go.)"
"Yeah. Let's do this."
The chubby cat on my shoulder urged me on. I'd attached one to Franc as well. They were basically disposable walkie-talkies and messenger pigeons (also disposable). You could call them biological drones that worked half a day for the price of half a fish.
─Swish.
Franc wandered through the alleyways completely defenseless. The ᚲ (Kenaz) rune that served as my personal GPS also gave Franc's senses a buff. It was insurance so she wouldn't get taken down too easily by the kidnappers.
I'd also handed over all the potions I received from Robert to Franc. It was to reduce her risk even a little. Still, I wasn't too worried.
There's a high chance the kidnappers have someone above them.
I recalled the merchants the bandit leader had mentioned. They were the ones the kidnappers sold the children to. The bastards I'd beaten were lured by the high pay Tabula offered and had come near Sargadis only to die, but originally they must have been bandits operating around here.
Those guys outsource the actual kidnapping.
The less directly connected they were to the kidnappers, the easier it was to cut off their tails in an emergency. The guys who only kidnapped kids couldn't be that skilled anyway. Whether they were the ones buying or selling, they were all low-quality, bottom-tier trash among criminals.
As long as I make sure Franc doesn't get taken hostage, I can overpower them easily.
With Beast Regression, I held an overwhelming advantage against low-level opponents. This was a good opportunity to test the enhanced body control I'd gained through acrobatics in real combat.
While thinking that and following behind Franc, it seemed my own vigilance had grown lax.
I noticed the sound of something cutting through the air from behind a beat too late and threw myself forward.
─Swoosh!
Thud─!
The missed spear slammed into the wall I'd been leaning against. No, fuck, it didn't just hit it—it was completely embedded. If I hadn't dodged, it would've gone straight into my shoulder, you son of a bitch.
"NyaAAAAA!!"
The chubby cat ran away in fear. That fucking cat had sensed the danger and ditched me.
While keeping an eye on Franc's condition, I glared around to see which bastard had pulled this shit. Even with the mask's stealth effect, becoming completely invisible was impossible. It wouldn't be strange for the opponent to have seen me first and attacked.
Wait. But why did they attack me first?
It was understandable that I hadn't noticed the preemptive strike because I was focused on Franc, but who the hell was the opponent that they attacked without warning?
Had our plan been exposed?
I stayed alert for the enemy's appearance while worrying about Franc's safety, but the one who emerged from the alley was an incredibly unexpected opponent.
"Found him!!! It's the kidnapper!!!"
"Kill him!!! No, beat him half to death!!!"
"Make him spit out his backers!!!!"
A flood of guards, guards, and more guards poured out! In the blink of an eye, the alley behind me was packed full of city guards!
"Huh?"
Why the hell were these guys here? What the fuck is going on?
I was so shocked by this completely unforeseen development that my mind went blank for a second, but seeing their murderous expressions, I finally caught on.
I was wearing Tabula's mask for the stealth effect, and while I was at it, I'd also put on Arthur Wayne's full costume. It was to reduce any clues that Nord = Arthur Wayne.
Keeping that fact in mind, let's think again.
A grown man in a black robe, wearing an iron mask and wrapped in a scarf, stalking a young girl in the middle of the night.
Even the Pope himself would call this guy a kidnapper and execute him on the spot.
Oh shit!
I was horrified at my own mistake. I'd been so focused on catching the kidnappers that I hadn't considered how I would look to other people!!
Five guards charged at me with bloodthirsty eyes!!
"Die, you kidnapper!!!!"
"Wait, no, fuck, hold on!! You said you wouldn't kill me!!"
This wasn't a situation where I could take off the mask and introduce myself!!
I had fallen right into this fucking barbaric other world's principle of presumed guilt!!!
Screaming my girlfriend's name, I fled down the alley!! The only one who could save me from these crazy bastards was Franc!