Chapter 32

"Thank you very much."

Leaving the magic tool shop with the shop owner's voice at my back.

...There is no magic wand that meets the condition of being suitable for staff techniques and having excellent durability during magic activation.

I thought that if I went to Termwill's, I could easily get a staff, but it seems that battle mages themselves are a rare breed, and there isn't even a peer. As a natural consequence, there seems to be nothing that meets my needs.

I might have to search through treasure chests in lower levels or gather materials myself and have a wand made.

In exchange, I found a coat for magicians. While it's not a robe as I had hoped, it is made from threads spun from Luna Worm cocoons, so the quality is good.

It can be temporarily enhanced with additional magic, and the price is 400 kirig. Given the price, it should have sufficient performance.

I put on the coat and left the store.

I thought about walking around the city a bit more, but a vibration like a tap on the soles of my feet came from the ground. It's a signal from Caduceus, who is hiding in the shadows.

...Is it that beast person? I don't know from where they were tracking me, but they must have reacted suspiciously when I came out of the store and got caught in Caduceus's alert network.

Without looking around, I pretended not to notice and started walking.

I closed my left eye and linked my senses with my familiar.

With my right eye, I see the scenery in front of me. With my left eye, I see behind me through Caduceus's senses.

I can see a hooded figure walking with their head down, a bit away in the crowd.

Let's create a situation where it's hard to deny.

Pretending to walk around the city casually, I led them to the same old streets as in Kei's memory.

Turning the corner that leads to a back alley, I activated my mana circulation at the moment the line of sight from behind was cut off. Kicking from wall to wall, I jumped up to the top of the building in one go.

The person who had been tailing me, now under me, froze for a moment after seeing me, then ran into the back alley, looking a bit flustered at suddenly losing sight of me.

"---Well, then."

Now I'm the one chasing the person who was tailing me.

But it won't turn into a game of tag or stealth. Because it's a dead end ahead.

As someone who had a home in Termwill's during the BFO era, I know this area inside and out. I used to walk around the intricately designed streets because I liked them.

I am particularly familiar with the old streets near the center.

Given their structure and formation, which are said to be partly adapted from a dungeon, they won't change much in the future.

Sure enough, the tracker was in an open space surrounded by buildings with no exit, looking around for where I had disappeared. They were looking up at the high walls or checking if there were any gaps between buildings.

"Who are you looking for?"

When I called out from behind, the beast person turned around as if they had been startled.

"...I got a little lost."

It's a woman's voice.

I intended to decide my response based on her reaction, but it doesn't seem like she will attack me immediately. I'll try to handle the situation more peacefully. I won't let her off easily, though.

"Is that so? You were lost behind my house last night, weren't you?"

I could tell she took a breath behind her hood.

"Are you really not looking for someone?"

"...Why?"

Why, you ask.

How did I notice I was being followed? Or how did I get behind you? Or how do I know about last night?

"Magicians are well-prepared. Can you show me your face first?"

When I said that, the beast person shrugged slightly. There was a sense of resignation in the air. When she took off her hood, a woman's face was revealed. Her large triangular ears twitched.

"I can't say I'm not suspicious... but I don't intend to harm you."

"I might believe you if I understand your purpose."

She didn't seem to be monitoring my house from the start. I can trust her to some extent.

"My name is Sheila. I'm looking for friends who have gone missing."

"And why come to me?"

Sheila narrowed her eyes and said to me.

"Snakebite."

...That's it, then. I thought it might be related to the Earl's family.

Missing friends, huh. I had speculated that Snakebite might be involved in a kidnapping case.

I tried to maintain a poker face in response to her probing. As we stared at each other in silence, Sheila spoke again.

"I found out that you captured Snakebite. I heard you had a conflict with the Cardiff family. If I keep an eye on you, Cardiff's private army might show up."

Hmm? ...What? Are you saying Snakebite and Cardiff are connected?

If you had been hanging around and knew about me, you would have heard about the incident with Cardiff.

It's possible you listed both to pique my interest or to throw me off. The information about Snakebite, which the Adventurer's Guild is trying to keep quiet, is hard to come by... At least it seems you reached me through that route.

"Will you listen to me? We might be able to help each other."

Sheila tilted her head without changing her expression.

If I can't act secretly, I'll contact you and try to get you on my side. It's a reasonable approach.

"I'll listen. But there are things I can't answer."

I was asked to keep quiet about Snakebite by the Adventurer's Guild and received payment. I consider it a contract once I've been paid. This is a matter of trust, so I can't just spill everything because I'm "interested."

"I'll give you the facts. I know my friend was talking to Snakebite at the Adventurer's Guild about a request to create a dungeon map. And I know that someone from the Cardiff family was entering and exiting the building where Snakebite was."

"...So, you're saying that the Cardiff family or someone related to them is involved with Snakebite and your missing friends?"

The Cardiff family was in financial trouble, and if you consider how they filled the gap left by Talcott's failed marriage proposal... it's not impossible that they resorted to illegal activities.

"I see it that way. But I don't have enough information."

"Have you told the Adventurer's Guild?"

Sheila shook her head.

"I was turned away. I knew the Adventurer's Guild was trying to keep Snakebite's information under wraps, and I didn't want to be questioned by the magic inquisition."

"Why not?"

Sheila closed her eyes. She seemed to be hesitating about whether to speak.

Eventually, she opened her eyes and spoke clearly.

"Because I am a member of the Thieves' Guild."

"...So, you're worried that the magic inquisition will find out?"

When I asked, she nodded.

If it's an internal matter, I can share information, but I can't go through the magic inquisition.

"Thieves should not kill. They should hone their skills every day."

...There are such detailed rules. They might seem like righteous thieves, but they are not champions of justice. The upper echelons might be closest to yakuza.

To be honest, I don't like thieves. I understand the difference between bandits, robbers, and scouts, but...

There are Thieves' Guild members among adventurers, and they should be active as scouts.

One of the rules is that members should not reveal their affiliation to others. I know this from game knowledge, but as an outsider, I shouldn't know the rules. So I had to choose my words carefully when asking Sheila.

In fact, by talking to me, Sheila is taking a significant risk.

"What about talking to the upper echelons of the Thieves' Guild?"

From the information I got from BFO quests... there should be Thieves' Guild members who operate as slave traders in public. I think those connections still exist.

If they kidnap someone, they might disguise them as criminal slaves, cast a servitude spell, and sell them. That would certainly be a declaration of war against the Thieves' Guild.

Slaves can be broadly divided into two types.

First, there are indentured slaves who become slaves to pay off debts. They can buy themselves back with the money they earn and gain freedom.

On the other hand, those who have committed serious crimes and become slaves are permanently bound by a servitude spell and cannot gain freedom.

This servitude spell is a tricky thing because it can control the actions and words of the person it is cast on.

So if someone is kidnapped and disguised as a criminal slave... it would be difficult for the victim to prove their innocence. They could be sold to the other side of the sea.

"There is a member of the upper echelons who operates as a slave trader. I can't trust them, and I don't know if Snakebite is really involved, so I can't talk to them based on speculation. I need to gather more evidence myself."

So the information about the black transmigration stone hasn't leaked.

Without knowing the method, it's hard to be sure of the connection between Snakebite and the missing persons.

That's why you were waiting for Cardiff's operatives and planned to track them to gather evidence or search for your friends.

"I see... I understand your proposal to cooperate."

"Then..."

"That's a separate matter. It's a matter of trust between me and the Adventurer's Guild. I can't share information with you."

Sheila frowned and slumped her shoulders. Her disappointment was written on her face.

"But... I have no problem going to the Adventurer's Guild to offer assistance or provide information. If that's acceptable to you."

Her eyes widened and she looked up. Indeed, it would be beneficial for me too.

If this resolves the Cardiff issue, there's nothing to complain about.

Fortunately, I have some credibility with the Adventurer's Guild through Belline.

Whether Cardiff is really involved in the incident... I can find out relatively easily at the guild.