Chapter 37
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Annihilation (1)
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The guild building was completely burned down, leaving only a blackened skeleton.
The faces of the merchants who had been cheerfully chattering in front of it just a few hours ago were utterly hollow.
"Lumia."
"Yes, understood."
She didn't need to be told anymore; Lumia was already handling her duties with practiced efficiency. In fact, she was at a level where she could be promoted to deputy squad leader right now if needed.
After scanning the gathered crowd, she spotted someone she vaguely knew and approached them.
Well, she had been in the unit longer than I had and had been in charge of interior affairs all this time, so it was only natural she'd know a person or two in the city's merchant guild.
"Mr. John, the clerk!"
"Ah...! Sergeant Lumia."
"Do you happen to know where the chief clerk, Alphera, is?"
"If it's Mr. Alphera, he should be doing clerical work inside, but... as you can see, this is what's become of it. I really don't know."
"Then, could you at least tell me where his house is...?"
Lumia pressed on, but he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, my head is all over the place right now, I don't think I can be of any help."
"Ah, no. My apologies for bothering you!"
"Others probably won't know either. Mr. Alphera was famously private about his personal life."
So that's why Shakov entrusted him with the job. To buy as much time as possible in case Ramur tracked him down.
Lumia continued to ask about Alphera's whereabouts, but all she got in return were the ramblings of half-crazed merchants.
Eventually, she failed and trudged back.
"What do we do now?"
"If Alphera really did go into hiding to avoid Ramur's pursuit, and the merchant guild has been destroyed like this, he's probably hidden himself even more meticulously."
They even set the building on fire to destroy the evidence. In this situation, it's just plain unreasonable to be snooping around. Especially if he was so thorough with his privacy, he would have abandoned his old address and holed up in his 'real' secret hideout.
"For now, it's better to return to the unit. It's getting late."
If we can't find him, it's better to report back to Major Lanister quickly. After all, the reason Lumia and I came to Cherno City was for preliminary investigation, not to dig into the backs of the garrison or the merchant guild.
If only Ramur hadn't been stupid enough to burn down the guild building, Lumia and I would be leisurely taking a walk right now. This whole situation is purely coincidental.
"And who knows. Captain Ramur might catch on."
Even though we're disguised, the moment the garrison figures out I'm the officer who caused the last commotion, it's only a matter of time before my identity is revealed. Even if they are a criminal organization that's about to be wiped out by the military police, we should avoid running into them right now if possible.
If I get into a physical fight like last time, I might end up bedridden with body aches again tomorrow, right? And I can't exactly use magic on civilians either, so it's better to make a quick exit.
'I could have Claude or Bell handle the additional investigation.'
I felt like those two would do a good job.
...Or maybe not?
Anyway, returning to the unit is the right call for now. We're avoiding it because it's a mess, not because we're scared.
At that moment.
Tap— Someone lightly bumps my shoulder and passes by.
"Hey, you!"
Lumia grumbled, annoyed that he bumped into me first and didn't even apologize. Through the gap in his hood, his eyes met mine directly.
In the instant our gazes met...
I instinctively knew he was the 'chief clerk Alphera' that Guildmaster Shakov had mentioned.
"-!!"
The man slipped into the alley as if beckoning us to follow.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Where to... wait, Squad Leader!"
I immediately chased after the man, and Lumia, not knowing what was going on, followed right behind me.
He skillfully ran down the alley filled with all sorts of garbage and randomly discarded boxes, and finally stopped when he reached a dead end.
"You're quite fast."
The man chuckled from under his deeply pulled-down hood. When he took off the hood hiding his face, pitch-black hair was revealed.
'That's unexpected.'
I thought a chief clerk would look like a bespectacled, straight-A student type, but he looked more like a very agile delivery boy.
He looked back and forth between me and Lumia and asked.
"Judging by your looks, you don't seem to be from Ramur's side... Who sent you to find me?"
"Honestly, I didn't expect your information network to be this good."
When I told him the password I received from Shakov, Alphera clicked his tongue in admiration.
"W-well, of course. We're the military police...!"
"Hmm."
To be honest, it was just a lucky guess, but neither Lumia nor I bothered to correct him. It's much better if he misunderstands on his own. That way, he won't try to pull any tricks.
"Does the garrison know about this?"
"They don't. Since no solid charges have been proven yet, we're only moving on our own for now."
Lies rolled off my tongue effortlessly. It's been a while since I felt this.
'It used to be so hard to do this.'
Back when I was still wearing a military uniform. What always held me back during missions wasn't my shooting skills or physical strength, but my way with words. The various ways of speaking I learned while getting chewed out by my seniors were still effective in the world of Hearts of General.
Lumia seemed about to say something, but she looked a little surprised at how I handled the situation flawlessly without even blinking.
"So I just need to show you the evidence, then."
As I nodded silently, Alphera stood up from his seat.
He said this place was the secret library of the Cherno City Merchant Guild. A kind of 'archive' known only to the guildmaster Shakov, chief clerk Alphera, and their close aides.
It contained not only the documents related to the artifact theft incident, but also a complete Pandora's box of evidence for all the illegal activities the garrison and other merchants had been conducting secretly all this time.
"All of this is evidence of corruption?"
Lumia made an expression that looked somewhat dismayed at the sight of the mountain of ledgers.
"Guildmaster Shakov is a man who always keeps a dagger hidden."
Alphera pulled out a single, tightly sealed envelope from the mountain of documents.
"Here it is. The security document co-signed by the client who commissioned the transport to Belgorod Fortress is also included."
I broke the seal on the envelope and checked the documents inside.
[Cargo Transport Ledger]
[Item: Fresh Food]
[Destination: Regular Military Ration Supply]
To anyone else, it would look like a simple transport ledger, but the problem was this part:
[Note: Subject to Special Inspection]
It was a phrase written as if painted over the document. Below it was the garrison captain's stamp.
"It's common to have special inspections for military supplies, so I just passed it off, but normally, it's rare for the garrison captain to conduct the inspection himself."
As expected of a chief clerk, he had meticulously checked the document's oddities.
"With this, is it enough to prove it?"
"More than enough."
I took the document envelope and handed it to Lumia. Just thinking about it, it's a tremendous harvest. Since we also received intel from Shakov that 'the person who leaked the information was Ramur', if we return to the unit like this, the military police can move out. We didn't have to drag it out for long; we achieved results as soon as we received Major Lanister's request.
Doesn't it feel like another diamond is right in front of us? It feels like one is really about to be added?
But I didn't show any excitement. You have to stay cool-headed until everything is settled.
"Then, I will take full responsibility for the part you cooperated with."
"I'm counting on it."
Alphera bowed his head, and I gave a slight nod before standing up.
Just as we were leaving the alley and finally arriving at the carriage waiting station where the driver was supposed to be waiting...
It was already occupied by heavily armed guards. When the driver with a troubled expression turned his head toward us, the garrison's eyes all focused on us at once.
"Found them-!!"
The gathered crowd wasn't just the garrison.
"M-must be them, right?"
One of them, dressed differently from the guards, pointed a finger at me. A face I thought I'd seen somewhere. One of the thugs from the gang I'd dealt with alongside Bell Mayer.
'If they're mobilizing thugs too, they're really planning to gather every last bit of power they have.'
It seems the garrison captain has definitely caught on. There's no reason for the guards to treat us this way now that my identity as a magic officer has been confirmed.
"Lumia."
"Y-Yes?!"
Even the sergeant seemed to think the garrison wouldn't go this far, as she looked clearly flustered. That is, unless Ramur recognizes us as part of the military police or an equivalent force. If we get handed over to the Gendarmerie, we won't see anything good.
In that case, wouldn't it be better to capture us so we can't report, and threaten or negotiate with us? But that's only if we can't escape the city, right?
"Go back to the alley we were just in, hide there, and take a carriage straight out of the city."
"Huh?! But what about you, Squad Leader...!"
"I can figure out how to run away just fine."
Two people attract more attention. For buying time, it's much better to be alone.
"Take good care of the transport ledger. Report the situation in the city to the Battalion Commander as soon as you get to the battalion."
"Enok, Squad Leader...!"
"Hurry! If we get caught, we're done for!"
As I urged her, Lumia bit her lip hard as if frustrated and disappeared toward the back.
"Phew."
I took a deep breath and immediately deployed my mana. The moment I summoned a scorching fireball in an instant, the guards who were rushing in without a care stopped dead in their tracks.
"Don't come any closer."
"We are merely carrying out our official duties according to proper procedures! Withdraw your magic!!"
"Proper procedures?"
What a ridiculous excuse.
"I'm also just exercising my right to self-defense according to proper procedures."
"D-do you really intend to use magic? Unauthorized use of offensive magic is a serious felony...!!"
"I've already done it once, so the second time is easy."
Rex spouted the same nonsense, so I gave him a proper lesson. And besides, if your backer is the garrison captain, my backer is the gendarmerie captain.
All Stats +50%
Pain Resistance: High
HP Drain: -10/sec
"Let the bastards who want to be discharged from the volunteer corps come at me first."
Just try me, you sons of bitches.