Chapter 43

After arriving in the capital, Aldis booked a suitable inn and began visiting taverns that were open.

Of course, it wasn't to drink alcohol, but to gather information.

He paid for information from the tavern masters and a few informants, probing to see how the commotion in Trias had spread.

Naturally, he couldn't ask directly. So, based on the information about Nelle sparring with mercenaries on the road, he pretended to be a young mercenary challenging a rumored female mercenary.

From this, he learned several things.

First, it was known that Nelle had been part of the Grinder extermination team.

Second, it seemed that no arrest warrant for Nelle had been issued in the capital.

Finally, he learned that information about Aldis and the twins had not reached the capital.

Thinking that this information was reassuring, Aldis was suddenly presented with a piece of information he couldn't ignore from an effeminate-looking informant named Cesare.

This informant was drinking fruit water slowly in the tavern on the first floor of the inn where Aldis had booked a room.

When Aldis asked the tavern master to introduce him to an informant, the master mentioned Cesare, saying, "He's not here at this time, but he should be here by noon."

After visiting several nearby taverns and returning around noon as the master had said, Aldis was introduced to Cesare, who had just appeared in the tavern.

Cesare, despite being an informant, spoke politely and had a gentle demeanor.

He was handsome, and some might even say he had a noble air. His hair, which looked wet, was light brown, and his eyes were a dark brown.

If he dressed up nicely, he would likely attract young women in the city, and if he dressed more formally, he could pass for a noble's son.

The information Aldis obtained from Cesare was much more accurate and up-to-date than what he had gotten from other informants.

Cesare was the only one who knew about Nelle being nearly captured in Trias.

Additionally, he seemed to have heard that Nelle had already disappeared from Trias.

Furthermore, he mentioned that he still had more information and wanted time to verify it, so they agreed to meet again the next morning.

Of course, Aldis couldn't take Cesare's information at face value.

After parting ways with Cesare, Aldis continued to meet multiple informants to verify how much information about Nelle had reached the capital.

By the time the sun had set and the sky was filled with the pale sky, Aldis was walking alone down an alley near the back streets.

The back streets had their own world, where different information circulated compared to the main streets.

Aldis had come to meet a back-street informant as a precaution, when a group of people suddenly surrounded him.

They seemed to have targeted a quiet alley with no one around.

"What's going on?"

Facing the obvious hostility, Aldis asked in an annoyed tone.

He was surrounded by more than ten people in front and behind, with no escape routes on either side. They had clearly planned this ambush from the start.

The leader-like man in front spoke up.

"Don't worry, we won't kill you. But if you fight, you'll get hurt unnecessarily."

"Is it about my wallet?"

"Ah...? Yeah, we might as well take it too."

It didn't seem to be a simple robbery.

The idea that they might be pursuers from the Trias army crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

It was hard to believe that the army would entrust the capture of Aldis and Nelle to such thugs.

Even mercenaries would look down on them. The army would avoid involving street thugs.

"Either way, I'll just crush you."

"How long do you think you can keep that attitude? — Boys, get him!"

At the leader's command, the thugs attacked simultaneously.

"Fools."

In the narrow alley, they only got in each other's way and couldn't move effectively.

It was foolish to give up their numerical advantage in such a confined space.

Of course, even in an open square with no obstacles, the chances of Aldis losing to such thugs were almost zero.

Without drawing his sword, Aldis kicked the first man who attacked and positioned himself against the left wall to block attacks from behind.

At most, three could attack simultaneously due to the space constraints, and they were completely untrained.

Aldis, fighting unarmed, quickly knocked out two of them. For him, these were easy opponents even without a sword.

"Damn! No choice! Be prepared to lose a limb or two!"

The leader drew a dagger and got into position, signaling the other thugs to draw knives and short swords.

Aldis used wind magic without incantation.

The sudden gust of wind shattered the thugs' weapons one by one.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Why?"

The thugs, unable to understand what was happening, were quickly knocked out by Aldis's punches.

Some were hit in the throat, others in the stomach, some in the jaw, and others in the groin, writhing as they fell.

With more than half of the thugs defeated, the rest lost their will to fight and scattered, including the leader.

"Who hired you?"

Aldis forcibly pulled up one of the fallen thugs and interrogated him coolly.

"I, I don't know! I swear! We just followed the boss's orders to attack you!"

"Did you plan to capture me?"

"Y-Yeah! We really didn't mean to kill you! The boss told us to capture you without hurting you too much!"

Deciding that further questioning was futile, Aldis let the trembling thug go. They weren't worth killing.

As he left the scene, Aldis thought.

Was there someone in the capital who wanted to capture him alive? Who would benefit from it?

The most likely candidate was the Trias army.

They might capture Aldis to make Nelle reveal her whereabouts. The army had a reason to capture Aldis alive.

But if the army was behind it, they would send more skilled people, not such thugs.

The church or nobles might be involved, but it was unlikely they knew Aldis was in the capital.

Only Aldis, Nelle, and the twins Fia and Reina knew he was in the capital.

He hadn't run into any acquaintances in the capital, and Aldis wasn't a well-known figure.

With a nagging feeling, Aldis returned to the inn without reaching a conclusion.

It wasn't until the next day that things became clear.

The next day, Aldis dedicated the morning to gathering more information.

But no new information came in.

The only information from other informants was that Nelle had participated in the Grinder extermination, and nothing about the capture attempt or her disappearance had spread.

Aldis returned to the inn at noon, waiting for Cesare's report.

He approached Cesare, who was drinking fruit water slowly at the counter, just like the previous day.

"Did you keep me waiting?"

After a moment, Cesare turned around.

He looked at Aldis's face closely and said, "Please sit down."

"So? How did it go?"

"Regarding the 'incident' I mentioned yesterday, it seems that the lord issued a capture order for the female mercenary. The reasons were assault on the army's soldiers and suspicion of child abduction. The guards surrounded the female mercenary's house, but it was empty, and the capture failed. Her whereabouts remain unknown."

Cesare's information was indeed of higher quality than that of other informants.

"However, it seems that the capture order was the lord's personal decision and not approved by the Law Court. Therefore, Trias is currently trying to cover up the fact that the capture order was issued."

This was good news for Aldis.

The lack of the Law Court's seal had already made him suspicious, but it confirmed that the proper procedures were not followed.

If Trias was trying to cover it up, it was unlikely that Aldis and Nelle would be publicly wanted.

"Is this information reliable?"

"I confirmed it yesterday, but I couldn't verify it fully. I'd say it's about 70% reliable. But it's probably information that no other informant has. Probably only the national intelligence agencies know about it."

"I see."

The information might not be entirely accurate, but six days had passed since the capture attempt.

If Trias wasn't covering it up, other informants would have already obtained the same information.

The fact that other informants didn't know suggested that Trias was indeed trying to cover it up.

However, Aldis felt something was off.

Why didn't Cesare, who knew so much, mention Aldis at all?

Before the Grinder extermination, Aldis and Nelle had always hunted together.

They were often seen together in the city.

Moreover, the capture attempt had taken place at Aldis's house, and he had faced the guards.

When Nelle disappeared, Aldis had also left Trias.

Given his involvement, it was strange that Cesare didn't mention Aldis at all.

When Aldis realized this, he had a sudden realization.

He remembered the nagging feeling he had after the attack by the thugs.

The only people who knew Aldis was in the capital, besides Nelle and the twins, were...

The effeminate man in front of him might have recognized him as Aldis.

Deciding to set a trap, Aldis said, "Well, it's enough for one day. I have companions waiting, so I need to leave the capital this afternoon."

—Wishing the prey would fall into the trap.

2016/12/30 Typo correction: Obstruction of justice → Assault

2017/12/19 Typo correction: Both armies' soldiers → Army's soldiers

2018/03/25 Typo correction: Grinder → Grinder

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2019/07/30 Typo correction: Visit → Inquire

*Thank you for reporting the typo.