Montblanc's Test (2)
It had been five days since I left alone on that lonely road, and finally I had arrived at Tipun village, the last place where the assassination target Jeffrey Isaac was sighted.
It was not a city ruled by a king or queen, but a decently sized village. The population was around five hundred people.
Normally, villages in remote areas were cautious about outsiders, but I felt no such gaze. It seemed like a village where many outsiders came and went.
'Now what...'
Still, there was no reason to attract the attention of others, so I plopped down in a corner and started pondering.
I could not simply show Jeffrey Isaac's portrait and ask around. Although the population was around five hundred, rumors would not take long to spread. As the saying goes, a word without feet travels a thousand miles.
If the assassination target was still in the village, they might hear the rumor and disappear or flee far away. Then things would get complicated. I had to move carefully and secretly.
'Damn, I should have done this in my previous life.'
I had said this many times, but in my previous life I was just an ordinary Korean. If I had done fortune-telling, maybe, but I never trailed people or tried to find someone.
I, who was like that, had to chase after Jeffrey Isaac. The test given by Montblanc was an extremely difficult task for someone with no tracking experience.
'I miss the snakes.'
Snakes, snakes, snake... If the poisonous snakes that were following me had been alive, I could have received help in tracking! But they all died with me during the Kutlanka raid.
Live together, die together...!
It reminded me of the Peach Brothers from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
But sadly, snakes did not have resurrection ability. It was truly an unfortunate thing.
'Well, let's just wander around.'
Since no good tracking method came to mind, I decided to use my body. I stood up from my seat and went out to the street, carefully scanning the faces of the people.
"Tsk."
After wandering around the streets for about an hour, it still did not work out as easily as I thought. I checked many people's faces, but there was no one I was chasing.
'Yeah. A guy being chased by Palos's Bird would not just wander around the streets openly. Maybe he left the village while I was coming here.'
I was just sighing. If I had known this, I really should have brought the kids?
"Whatever."
As the saying goes, even Mount Kumgang is just a mountain after eating, so let's eat first and think.
Usually restaurants also ran inns, so I rented a room at the inn where I ate.
"Tsk."
The shabby room did not please me, but I had no choice. A guy being chased by Palos's Bird would not stay at a high-class hotel, right?
I sat on the bed and checked the documents Montblanc had given me again. The only clue I could rely on for tracking was this document.
[Name: Jeffrey Isaac (Male/36)] [Level: 80~83 estimated] [Class: Thief (Lv.26~30 estimated)] [Main weapon: Dagger, Poison, Wire] [Specialty: Trap installation] [Physical features: Slightly dark skin, short brown hair, no left earlobe, eyes slanted to the side...] [Last sighted location: Tipun village general store (confirmed purchase of trap making kit and poison)]
"A thief whose specialty is trap installation... makes sense."
Thieves who used traps and poison were always troublesome. Always had to be wary of traps, and even if they got close, had to be careful of poison.
"I should buy some universal antidote bottles?"
There was an antidote called universal antidote in this world. It was about five times more expensive than normal antidote, but since it could neutralize any poison, it was in high demand.
I had the [Healing (Lv.17/General)] skill, but it only healed wounds and did not detoxify poison.
One of the enemy's main weapons was poison, and I did not know which poison he would use, so for catching this guy, universal antidote was essential.
"Hmm... But is there no information organization here?"
In any world, information organizations existed. In martial arts worldviews and in fantasy worldviews. Even in SF, and even in the reality of my previous life, there were information organizations operated by national intelligence agencies.
People's living places were all the same; information was money and power in any world.
So there should be an information organization here too. The problem was I did not know how to contact them.
"Let's go to the general store first."
I immediately stood up and headed to the general store mentioned in the documents.
The time left until completing the test was twenty-five days, which felt like an incredibly short time.
"..."
The shopkeeper asked if there was a male customer with a cut earlobe like Jeffrey Isaac's description. Then the shopkeeper trailed off and glanced at the cash register.
'Damn, there are no good things in this shop.'
Not many usable items in the general store. Compared to William's General Store in Baidu, the difference was huge, like between a large corporation and a freelancer.
No item here would help me. But to improve the shopkeeper's memory, I added some nearby items to the cash register.
Even if it was throwing away money, I did not need to buy things I did not need, so I picked simple snacks like candies.
"Should I calculate first?"
"... Yes."
When I nodded, the shopkeeper smiled happily and started calculating the items on the cash register. He seemed to be calculating first because he thought I might leave after just hearing the info. Damn. Just do not have useful info.
"14,000 gold, customer."
Tsk. Only used honorific speech when calculating?
"Let's see... Around a week ago? The man you described came to my store. He said he was going to use it for a dungeon and bought trap making kit, poison, wire, etc."
That was already known info.
"Is there anything else? For example, did he say where he was going?"
If it were you, would you tell a stranger that? Anyway, that's it."
"Eh?"
"What I know about the person you're looking for ends there. A week ago, he came to our store, bought the things, and disappeared."
"..."
I stared blankly at the shopkeeper who was speaking boldly. I spent 14,000 gold to hear information I already knew.
"Shopkeeper. Did you have fire insurance?"
"Insurance? What is that?"
"You do not need to know. Anyway, I heard the story."
I picked up the items and left the general store.
"Haa..."
A sigh came out involuntarily. Where could I find that guy?
*****
-That night.
Fwoosh-!
"Aigo! My store! I thought the neighbor's house was on fire, but my store is burning! Aigo! Aigo!"
The general store in Tipun village caught fire.
*****
I went around selling things for two more days and got some income. He entered meat shops or grain stores to buy ingredients. That meant he was in the vicinity.
But I still could not estimate his hideout, so I changed my thinking.
Sitting on the bed, I stared fixedly at the portrait of Jeffrey Isaac's face.
"I am Jeffrey Isaac."
I was not the pursuer, but the fugitive. Now terrifying people were chasing me from behind. In the past, I was one of them, but for some reason I ran away from them. They did not spare traitors. I had to avoid pursuers. I bought trap making kit and poison at the general store to avoid being a pursuer...?
"... Is this really the action of someone avoiding pursuers?"
For a fugitive, trap making kit was unnecessary. It would only be a burden.
Then why did he buy it? Maybe to buy it to shake off pursuers who might come.
"No."
The trap making kit was not an item that made a trap pop~ when used. You had to dig the ground and install the trap yourself.
"... To counterattack?"
I could not enter cities ruled by a ruler. The Palos's Bird was spread all over the city. If I entered the city, I would be caught quickly.
"This guy... Does he not have any intention of running?"
He would run. Until the pursuer found his hideout. When the pursuer came, he would use the trap to eliminate them and then find a new hideout.
The basis for my thinking was two things.
First, ingredient purchase.
In Tipun village, besides the inn where I stayed, there were several restaurants. No need to bother cooking, just eat at the restaurant. But he did not do that. He bought ingredients and left the village.
That meant he had prepared a hideout near Tipun village.
And second, he was a member of Palos's Bird.
Palos's Bird was a group that valued efficiency highly despite its huge scale. The evidence was the fairy sent to seduce or assassinate the Blood King.
At that time, the fairy who came to kill the 4-star Blood King was also 4-star. Even though they could send a 5-star fairy to easily kill him, they sent a fairy of appropriate level that could kill the Blood King even if a bit difficult.
Therefore, he likely judged that the pursuer who would come to find him was 4-star like himself. And that level was enough to kill him.
"Shit, what the hell? Suddenly I seem so smart. Really sexy."
I was surprised that I was such a sexy man. Anyway, let's do another deduction.
"I am Jeffrey Isaac."
I was not the pursuer, but the fugitive. Now terrifying people were chasing me from behind. But actually, those terrifying people were not that terrifying. Because I was one of them. I knew them very well. They would never send 5-star to kill me. That would be wasting manpower. Efficiency-focused guys would send pursuers at the level that could just kill me.
Currently, I had prepared a hideout near Tipun village. I could run farther, but surviving in the wild was not easy. Especially in the south with little resources. To fill a hungry stomach, I had to go to the village. So my hideout was not too far from the village. If too far, energy consumption was high. Also, hard to counterattack when pursuers came.
Where did I make my hideout? It should be close to the village and visible from the village. So I could quickly detect the presence of pursuers. At the same time, it should be good at hiding. A place where people did not come. So I could easily hide my traces.
"... Good."
I picked up the portrait of Jeffrey Isaac and stood up from my seat. Based on the facts I deduced so far, I started searching again.
When I came out, I first found the kids.
"Follow me!"
"Hello kids?"
"... Who is the uncle?"
I approached the kids playing war with sticks and talked to them. Then the kids looked at me with wary eyes.
"I have something to ask you."
"... What?"
"Hey, do not answer. Mom said not to answer if a stranger talks to you!"
One kid shouted. He was well-educated at home.
"Just asking something, so no need to be that serious. And if you answer the uncle's question, I will give you this."
"Eh? Candy!"
The kids' eyes changed quickly. There was no kid who did not like sweet candy. First, I gave each kid a candy to actively seek cooperation.
"What is the uncle curious about?"
"Is there a place near here where the village is visible? A place people do not come to often."
"A place where the village is visible? Hoo..."
"If you go to the back mountain there, the village is visible!"
"Idiot! If you go to the hill next to it, it is even better!"
"Idiot! There are many uncles going to that hill!"
To get more candy, the kids actively told the places they knew. Then, a somewhat gloomy-looking kid opened his mouth.
"The, even at the communal cemetery, the village is visible."
Communal cemetery?