Chapter 100: Migration Broker
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Migration Broker
I briefly recalled my earlier conversation with the Spider Doctor.
That cunning monster had told me this:
‘Caleb, I hear you killed a Possessor in Wyndham? A Fox Spirit named Hyedam.’
He knew I had killed Hyedam because he'd eavesdropped on my conversation with Soyul.
And that was followed by this piece of information:
‘Some Otherworld Possessors have come to live in the inter-floor villages.’
Why did the conversation suddenly jump like that?
Moreover, the Spider Doctor claimed to know another secret, one even more important than that.
What could it be?
What kind of information would be valuable enough to offer me as a deal right after hearing about Hyedam?
Wouldn't it naturally be something related to Hyedam, or her party?
For example…
‘What if Bipa and Mugol were the ones who migrated the Possessors to those inter-floor villages?’
They're known for slaughtering Possessors indiscriminately, but is that really true?
I, who was part of that party, am also recorded as having murdered Hyedam, yet no one has actually confirmed seeing her body.
[Could you please look into how Bipa and Mugol killed the Possessors? -Caleb-]
“Send message.”
I sent the note to Isel.
It's possible their murders of Possessors were also covered up without any direct evidence, just like what happened with me and Hyedam.
And if they really did migrate those Possessors to the inter-floor villages, it would explain why they're looking for Ingelam now.
Why?
Because using the stairs or elevators managed by the Labyrinth Union would leave too many traces.
In fact, this was a problem I'd been pondering ever since I first heard about it from the Spider Doctor.
If a party member went missing every time they entered the Labyrinth, wouldn't anyone find it suspicious?
‘Where'd your party member go?’
‘Oh, they were a Possessor, so I killed them.’
If that happened just five times, any newcomer to Hyedam's party would automatically be labeled a Possessor, and wouldn't the constables come calling?
Besides, they could be tracked to a specific floor based on the location where they disappeared.
Therefore, if you're migrating Possessors to an inter-floor village, the best way is to leave no trace of ever entering the Labyrinth.
Using Ingelam's elevator makes that possible.
But Ingelam has been captured.
That's why the two of them are panicking.
They're worried that transaction records from the elevator, a ledger of the migrants, or logs of the floors the elevator traveled to might have fallen into the hands of the Public Security Headquarters.
They rushed over to Sohen to deal with the situation and clean up the mess.
...If I assume all that, the puzzle pieces fit perfectly.
But there's no proof. For now, it's all just circumstantial suspicion.
But if all my guesses are correct...
I might be in far more danger than I realize.
Why? Because I'm the one who caught Ingelam, goddammit.
A chill ran down my spine.
How do Bipa and Mugol see this situation?
What was the extent of the agreement between them and me? Do they suspect I'm a Possessor now that I've captured Ingelam and caused a massive disruption to their migration business? Or was the migration business something that never involved me in the first place?
The worst-case scenario is that the two of them are planning to get revenge on me.
With so many unknowns and such a lack of information, my mind was racing.
In that case, it's better to make the first move.
“Yernil.”
“Yes?”
“I'm going to do it.”
“Do what?”
“The thing the Consul talked about.”
The Public Security Headquarters thinks there's a chance Teramond's killer might target me or Yernil.
And they want to use the ‘Constable Caleb as Bait’ operation.
“Caleb! That'll be incredibly dangerous!”
It won't be without risk, but in return, I'll be under the direct protection of the Consul and the Public Security Headquarters.
“And in the meantime, I'll find the elevator.”
“The elevator?” Yernil looked completely baffled. “Why the elevator all of a sudden?”
Bipa and Mugol probably don't know its location either. The elevator is basically Ingelam and Lilweed's hideout, and Ingelam was the type to even hide his own face. He wouldn't have exposed his main base to outsiders.
They probably handed over the Possessors at an intermediary meeting point. And Neko is searching for it now because he doesn't know the location either.
But I can narrow down a list of potential locations. I have to use that to seize the initiative against Bipa and Mugol—
“Caleb.”
Yernil's ears twitched.
“Yes?”
“I think someone's outside...”
Clorence visited not long ago. Logically, it was more likely to be a faculty member.
But Yernil's expression was grave.
“Who is it...?”
Thanks to her, I realized this visitor was no ordinary person.
“There are two of them. And their footsteps...”
Despite the soft pads and thick fur characteristic of felines suppressing the noise to an extreme, the sheer weight of a massive body reached Yernil's ears.
In contrast, their companion is much lighter and more slender. Just like the Spirit Race and Beastfolk I saw earlier.
Fuck.
There's no time.
No time to think, no time to prepare.
Deep Layer adventurers force the situation to move quickly.
Thump, thump, thump!
A knock sounded at the door.
Shh.
I put a finger to my lips, signaling Yernil to be quiet.
Then, with her, I slowly moved toward the window.
-This seems to be the right room. According to the dormitory administration's files.
Bipa's voice came from outside the door.
-Caleb. Are you in there? Let's talk for a moment. We have something to discuss.
Did they really just come to talk? Or do they have another purpose?
Are they here to ask about Ingelam? To ask if I know the elevator's location? Or have they realized I'm a Possessor and plan to 'migrate' me? Or maybe they're here to punish me for killing Ingelam?
I couldn't figure it out.
Yernil.
I pointed to her wrist guards, then gestured outside.
Get out.
It was a signal to use Sentry Relocation. Yernil caught on quickly, but she shook her head.
'N-No.'
Yernil's eyes grew moist.
Sentry Relocation, unlike Shadow Leap, can't transport a companion.
Ingelam's Ethereal Movement necklace was broken and I'd already sold it, so I had no way to escape this room.
That's why Yernil couldn't bring herself to leave me behind.
-Should I break it down?
Mugol's voice.
There was no time.
I'm fine.
Honestly, I wasn't fine. I was scared shitless, too.
But I had to get Yernil out first. Whether she was here or not, she'd be no help against the Deep Layer duo.
Go get the professors.
I sent her off with that one failsafe.
Sentry Relocation!
Yernil slipped out through the crack in the window.
Clang!
A screw fell from the front doorknob's hinge.
-Click!
The doorknob turned.
The dorm room had a security lock, but it was useless against the brute strength of a Deep Layer Beastfolk.
I quickly headed for Yernil's room—the one Clorence had smashed.
I crawled under the bed and activated the magic contained in Ingelam's coat.
“Universal Camouflage Chameleon.”
Please, let me survive this.
CRACK!
Mugol, having smashed the door, strode into the room.
“Doesn't look like anyone's here.”
The tiger-man's sharp, cold gaze swept across the living room.
“Think they went out?”
“Maybe.”
“What happened here?”
Bipa noticed that one of the dorm rooms was wrecked.
The door had been blown all the way to the bed, and the impact had knocked down a picture frame and shattered the light fixture.
“Did someone attack the place?”
The Spirit Race man had the friendly, easygoing look of a pleasant fellow, but his eyes had sharpened.
He scratched his pure white hair and slowly began to search the room.
'Magic explosive.'
It seemed that kind of magic had been used. The entire door had been blown off, and the vibrations through the wall had knocked down the frame and broken the light.
“The Sohen constables mentioned it earlier. That there's an anti-slave crime wave,” Mugol said.
“You think this is the work of that anti-slave criminal?”
“It's a possibility.”
“Hmm.” Bipa nodded.
“Judging by the explosive magic, the intruder is a skilled magic user. They might even be a wizard from this very magic university.”
“That would explain both the student murdered on campus and the attack on this dorm room.”
“The killer would be familiar with the location. However,” Bipa tapped his lips with the tip of his fan, “there are no signs of a fight.”
“Right.”
“Caleb had already escaped before the intruder got in.”
Bipa spotted a long strand of hair on the mattress. It belonged to the elf they'd seen earlier.
“So that Caleb fellow is involved with that elf. And it hasn't even been that long since Hyedam left.”
“Weren't they from the same slave team?”
“Right. It's possible both of them were targets.”
Bipa left Yernil's room.
The living room window was open. The gap was too narrow for a person to slip through easily.
But it would be possible with a movement skill like Shadow Leap or Sentry Relocation.
A 4th-floor wizard? Does Caleb have a way to get through a gap that small?
It's possible if he used an accessory with a spell like Ethereal Form. But those aren't common.
Click.
Bipa moved to the next room.
“Is this Caleb's room?”
It was a tidy, quiet room.
Underwear, a sweater, cotton pants, a shirt, simple writing tools, and books.
<The Labyrinth Eruption Incident 12 Years Ago>
<An Overview of Magic Builds>
“...Another elf hair in here, too. Was this guy secretly a player?”
“If Hyedam saw this, she'd rip that elf's liver out.”
“Hahaha!”
Bipa and Mugol headed back toward Yernil's room.
“Caleb's room is untouched and quiet, while this one is completely wrecked.”
“It's hard to guess what happened.”
“The university faculty might show up soon.”
“True.” Mugol leaped up and sat on Yernil's bed with a thud.
No. You crazy...
The mattress suddenly sank all the way to the floor. I was almost crushed to death.
That insane tiger bastard. Do you think that bed can handle your weight?
“It's truly amazing that Caleb was able to kill Ingelam,” Bipa's voice said.
I clamped a hand over my mouth and held my breath.
“It seems he's been on a roll as a wizard ever since coming to Sohen.”
“He might have been possessed.”
“……”
They hadn't figured out I was a Possessor yet. But they suspected.
“What do we do if he is a Possessor?” Mugol asked.
“We migrate him, of course.”
I knew it! I wasn't wrong!
But why the hell are those bastards migrating them...?
“Because they're precious sacrifices.”
“……”
“We can't afford to waste a single one. Not for Hyedam's sake.”
“We need to find Caleb quickly. Ask him what he knows about Ingelam and the elevator, and confirm if he's a Possessor. If he is, we capture him immediately.”
What is this crazy talk?
Sacrifices?
Sacrifices?
This isn't some cult making human offerings. Are they saying they sacrifice Possessors to the Labyrinth?
“Let's get going,” Bipa said, stepping out the broken door.
“Before the professors arrive. We'll get tangled up in something annoying if we stay here.”
“I just hope Caleb isn't dead yet.”
I felt the mattress rise again. From my hiding spot under the bed, I could see the tiger-man's tree-trunk-like ankles.
Okay. I've found out a few important things, and it looks like I'll get through this situation safely—
Pop!
A small magical explosion went off.
And a note appeared before my eyes.
[This is Isel.]
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Isel, you bastard! Isn't your reply a little too fast?
CRUNCH!
I quickly snatched the note and shoved it into my mouth.
Universal Camouflage Chameleon is similar to invisibility. Like a chameleon changing its protective coloring, my body and coat matched my surroundings perfectly.
Even what I'd swallowed was invisible.
Whoosh!
The Spirit Race man's face dropped down below the bed. Our eyes met.
But he still couldn't see me. I was in my chameleon state.
“……”
“……”
A frown formed between Bipa's white eyebrows.
He scanned the floor from top to bottom.
“See anything?” Mugol's voice came from above.
“No.”
Bipa slowly stood up.
I prayed it would end just like that, but of course, it didn't.
Deep Layer adventurers aren't sloppy. It was true with Krom, and it was true now.
“Could you move the bed for me?”
Scraape.
Along with Bipa's request came the sound of claws scratching the bed frame. The tiger-man had grabbed the bed. And then.
“Take a closer look.”
Mugol lifted the bed with a heave.
“My senses perceive all.”
The Spirit Race man opened his fan. With an incantation.
“It's useless to hide.”
The chameleon effect broke.