Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Tail Chase (6)
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Having temporarily dismissed the guards, Galen and Lilia called them back in and switched places with them before leaving the underground prison.
The two headed straight for Shane.
"Ventis."
"Yes?"
"That's the name of the guy we're chasing. The last location the administrator knew of was Jamila."
"Jamila?"
"Yes. He apparently delivered stolen goods to Madros here, stayed for a while, and then headed there not long ago."
"Hmm, Jamila..."
Shane's brows furrowed as he listened to Galen's explanation.
"Something wrong?"
"I wouldn't think a supplier works year-round with that kind of diligence."
"If he were that diligent, he'd be doing honest work in the light of day."
"Exactly. But even when he plays, things have to line up... I'm not sure if Jamila fits that."
The massive high mountain range commonly called the Great Mountains spanned an astonishing length across the continent, stretching over three grand dioceses—from the southeast through the east to the northeast.
In other words, the terrain of the northeastern grand diocese sloped generally higher in the west and lower in the east, blocked by the Great Mountains to the west with spurs extending from there.
Madros was a city located on the western edge of the northeast.
And Jamila was a city that lay to the west of Madros—three days by carriage.
If you went even further west from an already western spot?
It meant getting that much closer to the Great Mountains.
"Jamila isn't a resort town famous for tourism, or a bustling city great for fun, or even a hub on the way to other major cities. It's just a sleepy mining town. Didn't the administrator mention that?"
"He says he doesn't get involved in the supplier's activities. He only hears reports after the fact. He doesn't know why he went there, but he doesn't care much. He said they're the type who wander off on their own anyway."
"...That sounds unreliable. Is he really in Jamila?"
"That's exactly why I think he is."
"Pardon?"
"Like you said, it's a city with no reason to go to, so if he's hanging around there, it's suspicious. And the guy we're chasing is suspicious."
"So... even if it doesn't fit as a stolen goods supplier's behavior, it could fit a magic weapon supplier's?"
"Yes. We'll go check, and if not, we'll deal with it then. I'm planning to drag the administrator along—got a decent carriage?"
"I'll assign a few tight-lipped, trustworthy guys."
"Please contact Lord Beron too. It's late, but I gave him advance notice we'd reach out tonight, so he'll take it."
"Got it."
"He might have everything wrapped up by now."
"Yes. Rest well, then. Call if you need anything."
Shane bowed politely and withdrew.
Lilia, who had been deep in thought until then, spoke up cautiously.
"What if Jamila is a trap or something?"
"If the administrator set a trap, he'd be dead on the spot. No way he'd risk that."
Galen shook his head slightly.
"But saying Ventis set it up doesn't fit either—he wouldn't have anticipated the pursuit. The only one who knows the supplier's whereabouts is the administrator..."
"It was possible because he's family. Black market administrators aren't easy to catch otherwise. Should be fine, then!"
"But I'd prefer if they were targeting us. We could just smash through that... I'm worried about what he might be plotting."
Even something on the scale of what he'd done in the Dawn Archipelago would cause serious damage.
"We need to hurry."
What would have been tough with just Galen and Lilia went smoothly with support.
Thanks to Shane preparing everything overnight, they could depart the next morning.
The large carriage carried the masked man and a few of Shane's men. It looked like a luxury carriage—and it was, on the surface—but it was actually an escort wagon.
Any funny business, and he'd be subdued on the spot. Even if he miraculously escaped the carriage by some stroke of luck, the moment the commotion was noticed, it was summary execution.
Galen and Lilia rode in a smaller carriage right behind, and they'd been informed of that, so the man behaved.
And trailing their carriage was another one—Lord Beron's.
They weren't close enough to share a ride, but surveillance was necessary, so that's how it was.
"I said I had personal business and left it at that."
"Well done."
"...But I mentioned you two to some people—like my brother Alon. If you're up to no good, it'll get noisy."
"Same here."
"What?"
"I hope not, but if Steelwall is involved in this, we can't let it slide quietly."
"Hmph... Let's see just how big a scheme they're cooking up."
There was some friction, but it was minor.
The trip from Madros to Jamila was usually three days by carriage, but they shaved off some time by hurrying.
Instead of evening on the third day, they arrived around lunchtime—half a day early.
They grabbed inn rooms and had a meal first.
"Might as well scout around while we're here."
Muttering that, Beron headed to Jamila's town hall.
As a direct blood relative of the family head and a Gold-rank warrior, his status in the family was top-tier.
Since Jamila fell under Steelwall territory, the mayor and everyone else had to bow to him.
He was probably planning to use local manpower to check for anything suspicious.
While Beron was away...
Galen and Lilia dealt with the masked man—no, now maskless, so just the administrator.
"These guys don't know my face. A mask would just make me more suspicious."
"I was being considerate by not making you take it off. If you want to, go ahead."
"...You've both been without yours for a while."
"What, planning revenge after memorizing our faces?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
"We took off the handcuffs and shackles, so don't even think about running, or we'll sever your ankles. No tricks."
"I won't!"
With light banter, the three headed to the black market branch.
It wasn't anything grand. Jamila was a small city, and the black market mostly dealt with thieves, not some organization dominating the entire underworld.
"From headquarters."
"Yes, sir!"
Despite appearances, the substance was decent. Eavesdropping was key for thieves, so surprisingly useful info was plentiful.
Ventis's whereabouts—the most crucial bit—remained elusive, though.
"You don't know? You reported to HQ that an executive came here, but now you're clueless?"
"Y-you know our situation. We had no reason to monitor him closely..."
"Even so, you should have some rough idea where he is!"
"S-sorry!"
The branch chief kowtowed reflexively, and the administrator, under Galen's narrowed gaze, broke into a cold sweat and chewed him out.
"Find him now."
"B-but..."
"Don't want to?"
"No! It's just... we really haven't seen him for days. He might have already left the city..."
"What? Damn it."
The administrator seethed inwardly but couldn't blame the branch chief further. That's how black markets operated.
"No mention of his next destination?"
"N-none."
"Think! Anything that could be a clue!"
It was broad daylight—what a mess. Grumbling internally, the branch chief racked his brain desperately and came up with something.
"Ah, well... not sure if it's a clue, but he asked about info on nearby villages."
"Villages? Why villages?"
"You know the villages around Jamila. I explained their locations and populations using a map... No idea why."
He wouldn't suddenly want to settle in some backwater village, and if it was about stolen goods, he'd ransack cities, not villages.
They took the map with the branch chief's notes just in case, but what could it mean?
The administrator could only order his underlings to search for Ventis and leave the branch.
Galen smirked at the man's constant wariness.
"Relax, I'm not killing you."
"A-hem! As you see, this isn't my fault—"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's hope your men are competent."
"But... what if Ventis already left? What then?"
"Then we go to the next city. You're sticking with us."
"Damn it."
Dragging the dejected administrator, they returned to the inn.
They'd handed him off to Shane's men for surveillance and were resting when...
"Hm?"
Lilia, with her sharper hearing, perked up her ears.
Galen was about to ask what was wrong as her fine brows furrowed.
Bang!
The door flew open violently.
Beron stormed in, his face twisted in fury.
Lilia sprang up reflexively, shielding Galen as she demanded,
"What happened?"
Thankfully, it didn't escalate to her drawing her sword. Beron still had a thread of reason left.
"I hope this has nothing to do with you two."
"What doesn't?"
"You really don't know?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't ask. Calm down and tell us."
Galen spoke coldly on purpose.
That seemed to help; Beron's rage cooled slightly. He growled,
"Bad news just came from the town hall. Savage dwarf bastards wiped out an entire mining village."
"What... did you say?"
The abrupt, out-of-left-field statement left Galen and Lilia momentarily baffled.
"Savage dwarves? You mean earth fairies?"
"Yeah."
"Earth fairies raided and obliterated a village? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Looks like they want war."
Beron flashed a chilling smile.
"Think the relic dispute was the first time? Far from it. Clashes have always happened where our territory meets theirs."
"But it nearly went to full war just that once, right? That's why the church intervened."
"It did then. We held back, and this is how they repay us—right on the day we arrive, no less."
Only then did Galen understand Beron's attitude.
He'd come along suspicious of them, and bam—a major incident hits right on cue. Couldn't help suspecting a connection.
Lucky it was dwarves and they were humans; otherwise, the accusations would be far bolder.
'...But we came here chasing Ventis.'
And just earlier, at the black market branch.
Ventis had inquired about nearby villages—info a supplier had no business needing.
Galen's eyes sharpened.
"Lord Beron. Are you certain earth fairies did it?"
"You seemed chummy with them at the ruins. Defending the dwarf scum?"
"Forget that nonsense—this is more important. Answer me."
Ignoring Beron's sarcasm, Galen replied gravely.
"If it's total annihilation, there are no witnesses. A survivor reported it?"
"...No, total wipeout. They went to check after contact cut off and found a burned-out village."
Sensing Galen's unusual demeanor, Beron frowned but answered.
"Then why are you so sure it was earth fairies?"
"The mining village has a history of disputes with dwarves."
"That's it?"
"Silver-rank warriors are stationed there to fend off fiends. Only dwarves have the skill and motive to take them out."
"..."
"You gonna claim a natural fire killed everyone without a single escape?"
"It would still be burning if natural. I think the culprit torched it to cover tracks. Just... I suspect an even likelier perpetrator this time."
"What?"
"Magic weapons."
Beron was as stunned by "magic weapons" as they had been by "dwarves."
But after hearing the full story, even he couldn't deny it.
Why the secrecy, dragging the administrator, the veiled threat about not letting it slide if connected...
He knew how touchy the church was about demon-related matters, so he held his tongue.
"...No guarantee it's magic weapons, though."
"No guarantee on dwarves either. That's why we check together."
Galen cut straight to it.
"Whoever did it, leaving it be risks more mining villages."
"We stop that."
"I picked up a map earlier that might help."
The Jamila area map marking villages Ventis had asked about.
Beron scanned it and jabbed a spot.
"Here—this is the village from today's report. We start here."
"Close to the burned one."
"Biggest mining village, and another dispute zone with dwarves. Matches the conditions."
"Let's go now. Could be urgent. Lilia?"
"Of course!"
"I'll prep right away."
Lilia agreed without hesitation, and Beron nodded.
"Daring to mess around in Steelwall territory."
Beron muttered, his eyes blazing.
"I won't forgive it."
And that evening.
Thanks to departing immediately, their target village came into view in the distance.
"Huh?"
The red mountainside wasn't dyed by sunset.
The village was burning.