Chapter 35
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Secretly and Greatly (5)
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Oh, damn.
That was my first thought. The ground, weakened to its limit by the fire, gave way as if it couldn't bear any more impact.
An unpleasant sensation of my lower body floating in mid-air. I instinctively recalled a spell I had read about in a book.
Instantly, my mana core resonated, spewing out green mana.
Just before my body could be smashed into the ground, a sensation of being lightly lifted wrapped around me.
Feather Foot.
It was an intermediate wind-attribute spell.
I hadn't even formed a clear image in my mind, yet my body reacted on its own. The results of my hard training were finally beginning to shine.
Twisting my body slightly in the air to adjust my posture, I landed softly on the collapsed debris.
"Platoon Leader-!!!"
"Ah, Lumia! I'm over here!"
I answered the frantic voice that rang out the moment the floor collapsed. Lumia poked her head out from a corner of the collapsed ceiling.
"Are you alright?!"
"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."
"……J-just wait a moment! I'm coming down right away!"
With that, Lumia channeled her mana and leaped down toward me.
Just like I had moments ago, she descended while casting Feather Foot.
As expected of a 1st-class red-tier mage, she seemed to have mastered intermediate wind magic as well.
"Ah."
But that wasn't the problem.
As she jumped down from the air, Lumia's skirt billowed up in the wind. For an instant, I saw black stockings connected to a garter belt...
I hurriedly averted my gaze, but Lumia, completely unaware, came running over to me in a fluster.
"Are you hurt anywhere?!"
"No, I'm not."
"Thank goodness..."
Right, sometimes, not knowing is a blessing. I asked Lumia without letting on anything.
"What about the fire outside?"
"It's all been extinguished. What kind of spell did you use to put out that fire all at once?!"
"That's not the important thing right now... Doesn't that look like the records office?"
I pointed at the door, now nothing but a blackened silhouette. Black ash fell from it in flakes.
The moment Lumia cautiously approached the office and grabbed the doorknob.
Thump-.
The standing door crumbled helplessly. Fortunately, it fell inward, so Lumia wasn't hurt, but the state of the records office was utterly pathetic.
As it was an enclosed space, embers had remained, and since most of the contents were paper, which burns more easily than wood, the floor was littered with piles of ash.
In this situation, there was no way the records were safe. Even if they were, a proper search would be impossible.
"There are traces of a physical ward on the door... It seems they didn't expect someone to set a fire. The ward didn't function properly."
"Who could have predicted it? I wouldn't have thought to just set the guild leader's building on fire either."
Once again, I realized just how high Captain Ramur's position in Cherno City must be.
To openly set fire to the Merchant Guild's building.
It was an attitude that said he didn't care about the consequences. To go to such lengths for a cover-up, he was practically royalty.
'It's surprising he hasn't been reported sooner.'
But I wasn't particularly shocked.
The merchants would have chosen a suitable coexistence over resistance, feeding off him.
A unit that let any injustice slide because it was a 'trash platoon,' and a city that turned a blind eye to crimes in exchange for the benefits brought by an organization—it was all the same to me.
"You there, suspicious guys! Come out right now!"
As we were examining the office, the sound of clattering military boots came rushing down from the wide-open upper floor.
The city guards of Cherno.
The bastards who had just watched the building burn now tried to crawl inside only after the fire was completely out. There could be only one reason.
"Lumia, did you bring your identification?"
"Of course."
"Get it out now, just in case."
Because the political maneuvering was about to begin.
Soon, the guards from upstairs came down the stairs to the basement, and a man who seemed to hold the highest rank among them shouted threateningly.
"You dare commit arson against the guild leader?! You two are subject to the death penalty!!"
Just as I thought.
How could they not try to pin the blame on unknown people who entered the building?
I couldn't help but laugh at how easily I had predicted their behavior.
"Looks like you've lost your mind. Let's see if you can laugh like that after being dragged to pri—... Huh?!"
Of course.
It didn't take them long to shut their mouths after seeing the identification we held out.
"Th-then, you are... an officer?"
"As you can see, I am Second Lieutenant Enok Levandel of the 3rd Magic Battalion. I was in the city and took legitimate action against the fire that broke out."
"Ah...!!!"
"Is there a problem?"
Even a second lieutenant, the lowest rank among officers, is a completely different status from mere municipal guards or soldiers.
Thugs might not care and pick a fight, but as a legitimate law enforcement organization, the city guards apply the same hierarchy as the Ukran Duchy Army.
Meaning, I am clearly their superior.
If they wanted to tangle with me, they'd need to bring Captain Ramur, the man they fawned over.
Just to show that fact without filter, the guard who had been threatening me moments ago cautiously approached.
"F-first, I need to confirm your identity."
The thoroughly intimidated man compared my ID to my face, then...
"What the hell?! Your face is different! You forged official documents to make a fool of me?! Tie these bastards up and take them away!!"
"Yes-!!"
Huh? Damn it.
This isn't right.
***
"We've confirmed it. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Luckily, since Lumia was just wearing her robe without any other disguise, we were able to clear our suspicions faster than expected.
"Why did you suddenly dye your hair?"
"There were circumstances that required it."
The guard, who had informed us the suspicion was fully cleared, tilted his head.
I couldn't exactly say it was to avoid the eyes of the city's criminal organizations, could I?
"Well... some of us dye our hair as a hobby too, I guess."
Since it was just a dye job, the guard seemed to brush it off as no big deal.
"But why did a perfectly fine guild leader's building suddenly catch fire?"
"Captain Ramur said it was to destroy evidence. He said the guild leader set the fire in a panic when we tried to seize the records in a raid."
So that's the story they're going with.
Having a general idea of the full picture, I could only scoff at the explanation.
"Did the guild leader commit some kind of corruption?"
"Isn't that what all merchants do? They only care about filling their own stomachs."
"Has the suspect been arrested?"
"Yes, fortunately, we caught him red-handed. He's being interrogated in the basement right now."
I exchanged a glance with Lumia. She understood my meaning and suddenly grabbed her forehead, contorting her face.
"Ugh... Just a moment, my head suddenly hurts so much..."
Lumia swayed on her feet. It was so convincing I almost thought she was really about to faint from anemia.
"I must have used too much mana putting out the fire earlier..."
"Ah, the infirmary is that way. Just go straight down the left corridor."
"This is my first time at the guard barracks, so to be honest, I'm not familiar with it. C-could I... possibly ask you to guide me?"
The moment she showed those pitiful eyes, the guard gulped in a fluster.
Men are all the same.
Even as her platoon leader, I sometimes found myself staring blankly at her beauty, but no male could withstand it if Lumia deliberately put on an act like this.
"It might only be for a moment, but go ahead, Lumia. I'll go outside and have a smoke."
"Th-then I'll see you part of the way."
"I'm sorry, Platoon Leader. I'll be back right after I get some quick treatment."
It was a near-perfect act.
I watched the two disappear down the opposite corridor for a moment, then went down the stairs.
It was the time when the guards would be patrolling. Since only the minimum number of personnel remained in the barracks, I reached the basement without facing any particular obstacles.
'According to the facility map I saw when I came in, the detention cells should be around here...'
As I was wandering for a moment, the sound of footsteps began to echo from not too far away.
Could it be the personnel stationed at the barracks?
I opened the door right in front of me, which revealed a storeroom full of junk. Without hesitation, I went inside and hid.
Soon, the sound of footsteps was followed by a clear conversation.
"...So what do you plan to do?"
"We've already secured all the evidence. The merchants are only connected by money, not loyalty. If they don't want to get in trouble themselves, they'll pretend they don't know about Shakov."
"We just need to keep him locked up until the National military police takes the bait."
"Yeah, but don't handle him too roughly. It'll be a pain if they find something to nitpick."
A familiar voice.
It was Captain Ramur's from the guild leader's office. Since he was talking about Shakov, it seemed the detention cells were that way, as expected.
Since the investigation into Belgorod Fortress had begun, Ramur must have heard the news that the National military police was coming as well.
'He seems to have prepared his scenario quite well.'
Of course, he probably never imagined that a second lieutenant cooperating with the military police was witnessing the entire situation.
If I had come without knowing anything, I might have believed that the guild leader, Shakov, had done everything.
"Speaking of which, some magic officer put out the fire at the guild leader's place?"
"Yes, we finished the identity check just a moment ago. He belongs to the 3rd Magic Battalion."
"The 3rd Magic Battalion? What's his name?"
"Enok Levandel... He had black hair."
"If he's got black hair, then it's not that bastard."
"Is there someone specific you're looking for?"
"No, not for me. My younger brother is looking for him."
Anyone could tell it was about the time I, along with Bell, had beaten up those thugs.
'Ha, so it's not just some guard unit, but the captain himself is the backer? No wonder they can run rampant.'
This was a perfect example of why the city's security forces were such a mess. I wonder who the city mayor is, but they're doing absolutely nothing about managing the administration?
If this were a real game, I would have dismissed not only the city mayor but all the related officials as well.
'Should I just crush them right now?'
I still have the military police badge that Major Lanister gave me.
The conversation I just heard was more than enough to make that captain's head spin, but... I decided to wait for the next opportunity.
A single, decisive strike.
I needed a massive spear to take out the captain, the city mayor, and the guild leader all at once.
I didn't want to fiddle with small fry and send them off in a half-baked manner.
I couldn't just waste the opportunity created by Major Lanister, a member of the National military police.
"...Se... ha... nida."
"...Okay."
Confirming that Ramur's voice was fading away, I carefully opened the storeroom door and slipped out.
The corridor was quiet.
I moved secretly and swiftly toward the direction the footsteps had come from. A sensation I had momentarily forgotten came back to life, and my steps became much lighter.
Right, this was it.
The memories I had let slip for a while. I let my senses take over, dashing down the corridor like the wind.
Naturally, there was no guard.
They would never have imagined that some crazy bastard would infiltrate the guard barracks and make it all the way down to the detention cells.
I infiltrated the detention cells without any difficulty.
I spotted the guild leader, who was slumped down between the empty iron bars, and approached him.
As my shadow was cast by the flickering torchlight, Shakov lifted his head.
"...Who are you?"
"Shh, be quiet."
I showed the military police badge to the guild leader and spoke.
"If you don't want to be falsely accused and dragged to the capital, you will tell me only the truth."
Shakov's eyes widened as he confirmed the military police's emblem.