Chapter 77: Help Me, Caleb!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: Help Me, Caleb!
I suddenly recalled the last time I saw Neko at the Public Security Headquarters.
It was when I was being rewarded for arresting Ennes and cooperating with the investigation.
“I owe you a lot. Thank you so much.”
Neko thanked me profusely and gave me a certificate of commendation and a cash prize.
There wasn't any kind of ceremony; it all happened quietly in Neko's team office at the Public Security Headquarters.
I preferred it that way. Better than drawing unnecessary attention.
“How did it feel to arrest your superior?”
I asked jokingly, but Neko was serious.
“I knew the Public Security Headquarters was corrupt, but I never imagined it was this bad. Honestly, it's a huge shock.”
“Were you close with him?”
“He was the one who taught me how to conduct investigations right after I joined.”
So, let me get this straight. Her investigation partner at the Public Security Headquarters was kidnapped by Blackdog and is probably dead, and now she's been betrayed by her superior?
Poor thing.
“I don't know how many more people like him are in the Public Security Headquarters. I have to find them.”
She said it resolutely, but her ears were drooping sadly to the side. They were usually perked up.
“Caleb.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know about the organizational structure of the Public Security Headquarters?”
I had a general idea.
There was one Chief Inspector, and below him were the Consul, Magistrate, and Inspector, in that order. At the bottom were the Constables.
So Neko was at the bottom of the ladder. However, she was the top Constable, so she was in a position to command the operations of other Constables. She might even be promoted to Inspector soon, especially since there was a vacant spot.
But her goal wasn't just to become an Inspector.
“I want to become the Chief Inspector.”
She was dreaming big.
It wasn't just about catching criminals; she'd need to play politics, too.
“Sohen is full of organizations that live outside the law. Blackdog and the Magic University are prime examples.”
“Why the university?”
“The institution itself is just too powerful for the Public Security Headquarters to force them to do anything.”
I see.
That made sense. Sohen's Magic University was one of the most powerful mage organizations, even when you considered all the other Labyrinth Cities. And on top of that, a prestigious magic family like the Bertengas was also in Sohen.
“Do you know why it's like this?”
“Why?”
“It's because of the Possessors.”
“...”
“It's because political opinions on otherworld Possessors are so sharply divided. There are the extreme hardliners who say they should all be killed, the moderates who believe we should cooperate, and even a faction of followers who think we should serve and obey them.”
“What do you want to do, Neko?”
Feeling a little targeted, I decided to probe.
“I believe we should manage them through a registration system. The Public Security Headquarters would manage all their identities, form them into regular parties, and send them into the Labyrinth on a set schedule. In return, we would guarantee all their rights as free citizens and protect them from social persecution.”
It was certainly the most orderly and stable system.
“Possessors are the key to my plan. Sohen is a Labyrinth City that revolves around the Labyrinth, after all. If we gather the Possessors, guarantee their safety in the name of the Public Security Headquarters, and pool their knowledge, the Public Security Headquarters can become the strongest force in the Labyrinth.”
“...”
“Based on that, I'll clean up Sohen's messy power structure and strengthen central control. I'll make the Public Security Headquarters the one and only power capable of managing this city.”
Neko gently took my hand, the one holding the certificate.
“Caleb, you have outstanding combat skills, excellent deduction and investigation abilities, and a strong sense of justice. From my perspective, you're far more trustworthy than most of my colleagues at the Headquarters. Even though you're not a Constable... you're a wizard from the Magic University. I'm a graduate myself. I'd like to lean on our shared alma mater.”
“...”
“I have a feeling the day will come when we'll work together again.”
Neko's ears perked up again. Color returned to them.
“When that time comes, please help me, Caleb. And I'll do anything for you in return.”
“I'm sorry, but I don't think we can.”
I refused as politely as I could to the Lizard, who was the leader of Public Security Team 2.
“Hmm...”
The Lizard didn't back down immediately.
“Caleb. Those poachers are causing great harm to all the adventurers on the 4th floor. Of course, it's the duty of the Public Security Headquarters and the Labyrinth Union to deal with them, but,” the Lizard said, “as a fellow 4th-floor adventurer, won't you consider helping?”
“Aren't there many parties more experienced with the 4th floor than us?”
“That's true. But it seems Senior Constable Neko finds your party the most trustworthy.”
To be honest, I wanted to help, too.
If this were a game.
I would have accepted this event right away and gone after Ingelam. If I lost, I could just restart the game.
And if things went well, there would be a lot to gain in the long run. It would mean having a connection in the Public Security Headquarters.
But...
‘My life is on the line right now.’
And it wasn't just my life; I was carrying the lives of three other party members.
The bigger problem was that I didn't even know who Ingelam was.
From what Neko told us through Team 2, he was a famous wizard who had made it to the 5th floor. Fighting someone of that caliber recklessly, without any information, was insane.
“If the situation allows, of course we'll help Constable Neko, but...”
It couldn't be helped.
“We won't be the ones to take the lead. I'm sorry.”
They say you shouldn't make promises you can't keep. What if I agreed to help and Ingelam turned out to be too strong? What then? Do we run away on our own? Abandon Neko?
I couldn't give a careless answer in a situation like this.
“...I see.”
Constable Lizard nodded calmly.
“Understood. I apologize for the intrusion. And thank you for apprehending the replica-crafting suspects.”
Lilweed's party had already picked a fight with us once and gotten their asses handed to them.
I had stunned Lilweed with Superconductivity, summoned a Cumulonimbus, and Aimus had smashed one of the rogues' heads in with his iron staff.
And when Yernil aimed her bow, the enemies all tucked their tails between their legs.
“We will take Lilweed's party into custody and handle them.”
When Public Security Team 2 showed up, Lilweed confessed without a fight.
After all, his replica-crafting charges would be exposed once he went outside the exit gate anyway.
“Good work, Caleb. And to the rest of Caleb's party. Let's see each other at the headquarters next time. A belated introduction, but my name is Constable Dreta. Please come find me at the headquarters.”
The leader of Public Security Team 2, the Lizard Dreta, shook our hands, then handcuffed Lilweed's party and left.
“Will they be okay, boss?” Back Attack asked, watching their retreating figures.
“What do you mean?”
“That cat constable. It looks like they're going to hunt the poachers by themselves.”
“...”
Probably.
“But Caleb, aren't we heading to the ironworks anyway?” Aimus asked.
“That's right.”
I wanted to use the special ability modification hammer there.
“Then, Caleb, isn't it possible we'll run into a fight with the poachers there?”
So the Monk wanted to help Neko catch the poachers too.
His point was, since they were a threat we might have to fight anyway, we might as well cooperate with Neko. Something like that, right?
“That's true, but...”
“We don't have to be dead set on the ironworks. We can always come back later. We'll scout with a Wizard's Eye, and if Ingelam is too strong, we'll avoid him. Just like we planned.”
“What if the constables' party is fighting the poachers' party? Will you help the constables then?” Yernil asked, posing another hypothetical.
“...Depends on the situation.”
The mood was a bit sour.
My party members were too nice.
Especially Back Attack. He was busy making sarcastic cracks about being Blackdog's B-team in front of the constable, but now that we'd refused, it seemed to be weighing on his mind.
But to be honest, I felt the same way.
Wasn't Neko the one who repeatedly told me not to overdo it when she asked me to infiltrate Blackdog?
So how desperate must she be to ask for my help with such a dangerous job?
‘It means she's that short on manpower.’
The Public Security Headquarters requires its members to meet certain combat power standards based on their rank.
Just like how modern police or soldiers have physical fitness tests.
A Constable is usually on par with an adventurer between the 1st and 4th floors.
Neko was probably around the 4th-floor level, too. That's why she made the call. She knew it would be difficult with just her own party.
“Isn't there some way we can help Constable Neko's party?”
Even after getting her revenge on Lilweed, Yernil didn't look particularly satisfied.
“A way...”
Was I getting swept up in the mood? I found myself mulling it over, too.
“Constable!”
The leader of Public Security Team 2, Constable Dreta, who was leaving to find the exit room, heard Caleb's urgent voice chasing after him.
“Pant... pant...”
Caleb's party barely managed to catch up to Dreta's Team 2 and the Lilweed group they were escorting.
Caleb was breathing heavily, his stamina drained from the long run.
“What is it?”
“I just... pant... pant... couldn't get it off my mind.”
“Are you going to help Constable Neko?” Dreta's face lit up.
“...”
Caleb bent over, catching his breath for a moment, and nodded.
“Yes. And I have a good idea,” Caleb said.
“What is it?”
“We use the magic equipment Lilweed's party has!”
“What?”
“You constables don't have any magic equipment, so you're all operating in raincoats, masks, and goggles, right? If we strip Lilweed's party, we'll probably find some protection against volcanic ash, and it'll help in combat. Let's share it.”
“But Caleb, these are pieces of evidence. They must be transported to the Public Security Headquarters for investigation. That's the protocol.”
“But catching the poachers is a higher priority, isn't it?”
“Of course, but I still can't misappropriate evidence for personal use. For now, the owner is still listed as Lilweed.”
“Then what if the owner is dead?”
“What?”
“Lilweed's party attacked us earlier. So we killed one of them. As you saw,” Caleb said.
“How about this? What if Lilweed didn't actually surrender back then?”
“...”
“And we had no choice but to kill all the suspects during the fight.”
“W-wait a minute.”
“So, since we couldn't just toss the bodies and items through the exit gate, we used their magic equipment to catch the poachers first. How about we report it like that?”
“Caleb!” Dreta shouted in horror.
“What are you talking about! We can't do that! We... huh?”
The Lizard Constable Dreta sensed something was wrong.
It was like the chill a poikilotherm feels as its body temperature drops when thrown into the cold. An instinctive sense of foreboding pricked at the constable's mind like a sharp spike.
“...”
The constable took a step back.
“You,” he said.
“Are you... a poacher?”
“What are you talking about? The card's right here. Seventeen parties,” Caleb said, pointing to the card on his shoulder.
“That's why I'm asking if you're a poacher.”
Dreta ripped the card off his own shoulder.
Another card was revealed underneath.
[Current 4th Floor Adventurer Parties: 16]
“What?”
Caleb frowned.
“Is that the real card?”
“You rip off your card and show the real one underneath!”
“No way. Shit, look at these bastards' clever trick. They used disguise magic to put a fake one on top...”
“No.”
The constable quickly drew his sword.
“The one underneath was the fake.”
“...”
“The real number is seventeen. Prepare for battle!”
“...Ha.”
Caleb burst out laughing.
“This damn card keeps messing things up.”
He raised his wand.
“Dispel disguise. It's been a while, Lilweed.”
The elf businessman, Lilweed, turned pale.
“There is no way to help Neko.”
I stated it firmly. It was to steel the resolve of two soft-hearted kids(?) and a Monk whose testosterone levels seemed to be dropping.
“So there's no way,” Aimus said, nodding as if giving up.
“Yes, not yet.”
“Not yet?”
“There's no way because we don't know anything about their party.”
“Then...”
“First, let's find the ironworks. Before the poachers do. Then we'll go inside and make some preparations.”
The preparations were as follows.
First, find and use the well that appears in a fixed location inside the ironworks. This is to give Aimus, Yernil, and Back Attack new skills.
Second, use Byullant's hammer to modify or strengthen our party members' special abilities.
“This was our original goal. Let's just add one more thing to the list.”
We would observe Ingelam's party from a distance while stealthed.
What equipment they were wearing, what classes they were, what skills and magic they were likely to use, and so on.
Then, we would formulate an attack strategy in real-time.
We would coordinate the timing of our ambush by exchanging messages with Neko's party.
“But if we're observing from a distance, won't they be disguised? Can we even observe them properly then?” Back Attack asked.
“They won't drop their disguises unless a fight breaks out, and if a fight does break out, it'll be with Neko's party. Shouldn't we rush in to help immediately?”
“There is a way to break their disguises from a distance.”
All three of them were completely bewildered.