Chapter 72

"Still, that's amazing. I know beastmen have high physical abilities, but for a child to be this strong..."

"Yeah, that's right... I can't even compete with him at all."

Behind Fred, who was chatting with a patrol team member who seemed to be an acquaintance, I firmly held down Kohaku, who was complaining, "Don't treat me like a kid! No way!" I didn't want to scold her for her good performance, but I had to point out that her way of speaking to someone she just met was inappropriate.

It seems she still has a long way to go before she can be considered a full-fledged adult.

At least, I was able to understand what happened regarding the capture where Kohaku excelled. Her boldness turned out to be a good thing, leading to the best possible outcome. If it were me, I would have wasted time trying to confirm if the person was really a bad guy pretending to be a patrol team member, and I wouldn't have been as quick as Kohaku to get into a combat stance.

"Well, as expected, there's nothing to prove his identity... just cash in his wallet... he looks like he has more than he should for his appearance."

"Later, let Rastano know and have him send the old staff to the headquarters."

Why would the name of the deputy guild master of the Adventurers' Guild come up? I wondered to myself, and Fred explained, "These kinds of criminals are often former adventurers. Otherwise, we'll just have to prepare a wanted poster and ask around the tavern district." I see, that's a possibility...

"?! Wait, wait a moment. That person... the one in the brown jacket! I might recognize his face."

When I arrived, the intruders were lying face down with their hands tied behind their backs, so I couldn't see them clearly. Now, as the patrol team was turning them over to check their belongings, I recognized one of the men.

"An ordinary-looking middle-aged man with a bad attitude...? Where did I encounter him... No, don't all middle-aged men look the same to someone Reina's age?"

"Stop it, Fred. That comment hurts even the unrelated middle-aged men."

I didn't know what to say to Daniel of the patrol team, who was pressing his chest with a pained expression, so I decided not to say anything for now.

"No... it's not just a sense of déjà vu... but even though I recognize him, something feels off, like a discrepancy in my memory..."

I crouched down and peered at the unconscious middle-aged man. ...Maybe it's harder to recognize him with his eyes closed? I raised my hand to wake him up and see the color of his eyes, and as the shadow fell on his face, I remembered where I had seen this man.

"...Ah! This man... he's one of the criminals I witnessed during the kidnapping case!"

"Kidnapping, you mean the one involving the lord's son in this city?"

"Yes, he came out of the abandoned building where the child was being held... I even provided a sketch, but the beard he had when I saw him is gone."

Probably because of that, his appearance changed significantly, and I didn't recognize him immediately. His hairstyle might have changed as well.

The patrol team member also confirmed, "Now that you mention it, he does look like one of the wanted posters." I was worried that it might have been my imagination, but I'm glad others agreed.

"Right, I remember that the main culprit hasn't been found yet, even though Reina caught the perpetrator, right?"

"Yes. Since the hideout was an abandoned tavern whose owner had died, we couldn't trace further from there. We've alerted the surrounding areas and continued to be vigilant at the city gates, but..."

In other words, it was thought that after the crime in the city failed, they had already moved on. They couldn't trace their next steps from the hideout, and the current situation seemed to be at a dead end.

Then, a question came to mind, and I voiced my realization.

"But if that assumption is wrong, does that mean he didn't leave the city and has been here all along after the kidnapping case?"

"That... could be the case."

It's possible he could have returned, but it doesn't seem likely to me. After a failure and with the city on high alert, he wouldn't return on purpose. I think he has a base in this city.

"However, despite the vigilance at the city gates and the patrol team, and even distributing the wanted posters to inns and markets, no information has come to the patrol team since then. I thought they had checked all unused buildings, regardless of ownership, and there was no place for criminals to hide in the city."

If that information is true, it means they didn't stay at an inn, didn't shop, and didn't break into empty houses.

"Then... there must be someone providing a base, helping them with necessities so they don't have to go out..."

The words Fred said casually created a heavy atmosphere in the room.

The situation is worse than just a criminal from elsewhere planning kidnappings and thefts. It seems the case involving the events at my workshop and home is far from resolved.