Royal Capital of Kashiram – General Goods Store: The Gathering Place
“You won’t be able to buy anything here, sorry, but please go home.”
“Please, tell us the reason.”
“I owe a significant favor to the Matere Trading Company for their investment. So when that man says to follow his lead, I have no choice but to comply. It’s just how the adult world works, I’m afraid.”
Everywhere I looked—inns, equipment shops, eateries, and even general goods stores—was in the same state. Last night, I ended up staying at Hans’s house, but I felt bad about imposing on him for too long. Especially when Kurinka was turned away at a restaurant; I half-expected her to transform into a dragon right there and incinerate the place. The sight of her with tears welling in her eyes, persistently pleading, was somewhat adorable, but it didn’t seem very ladylike. If I were to say that, Lua-chan would probably remind me of the painful truths I’ve endured regarding femininity.
“Everywhere we go, they’re all just puppets of the Matere Trading Company! Is that man really that important?!”
“If they cut off their funding, some shops might go under. I think this whole area is pretty much under his thumb. More importantly, I’m hungry… Should we just head back to the palace?”
Since the palace seems willing to help with the bandit extermination, we have no choice but to rely on them. Right now, our only option is to defeat the bandits and return to the Kingdom of Avangarde. I have no idea how far the Matere Trading Company’s influence stretches, but at least in this royal capital, we can’t act freely anymore. Just thinking about that wrinkled, detestable face makes my stomach churn with anger.
“Kurinka, at this rate, soon we won’t be able to shop anywhere. We won’t even be able to deal with the bandits…”
“Should we apologize then?”
“Absolutely not! That’s the last thing I want to do!”
“Then, should we take them down?”
“I want to!”
“Once we’ve taken the job, we can’t neglect the bandit extermination either…”
I seriously considered just firing off the Sonic Ripper. If we did that, we’d truly have nowhere left to go. So, I want to take them down before it comes to that. This is really frustrating; they might be even tougher than the Demon Lord Army.
Royal Capital of Kashiram – Hans’s House
“That Matere bastard is already making his moves. All the orders I had lined up are getting canceled one after another. Of course, they won’t tell me why.”
It seems that everyone who withdrew their weapon crafting requests had a pale face. Hans believes that Matere has some dirt on them. Thanks to that, what was once a thriving business is back to square one. Hans can’t just go and punch Matere, so he has no choice but to suppress his frustration.
“You two have had a rough time, huh…”
“I really want to hit back at the Matere Trading Company. Got any good ideas?”
“If there were any, everyone would be doing it. Just think about how many people must have held a grudge against that company for it to grow so large. They’ve probably done plenty of bad things.”
“Then if we expose that…”
“Only if it’s something serious. There must have been others who thought the same and acted on it before.”
This is what it means to feel helpless. To be on the receiving end of Matere’s harassment without being able to fight back is just too unreasonable. At this point, we might have to go to the Matere Trading Company and teach that man a lesson. Honestly, that’s the only idea I can come up with right now.
“I don’t even know where the Masked Giant is hiding, so maybe I shouldn’t have jumped in so easily…”
“What are you talking about, Kurinka? Innocent people are being killed because of scum like the Comet Wolf Brigade!”
“But I want to scream because I have no leads…”
“What’s this? An A-Rank Adventurer isn’t all that impressive, huh? You’re still just kids after all.”
Hans, red-faced from drinking after work, smirked at us, and I knew it wasn’t just the alcohol talking. I wanted to retort out of frustration, but the truth stung too much for words. Other A-Rank Adventurers probably could have solved this problem much more easily. Seigel and the Five Elites have dealt with such difficult issues before; they must have more experience than us. When I think about it, we’ve mostly only handled extermination requests.
“So, do you have any ideas, Hans?”
“Yeah, at least I have a clue about how to investigate. You guys aren’t the only ones; even the stiff-necked folks at the palace are surprisingly lazy. Listen, when you’re searching for something, you can’t just go at it blindly.
First, you need to look for things related to it. For example, if you’re looking for a missing blacksmith, who would you ask? Another blacksmith, or one of his customers? Maybe a shop that sells his weapons or something related to ores? Just thinking about it opens up a ton of possibilities.
So how do you think we can find the bandits?”
“Things related to the bandits…”
“How do they make a living besides stealing? In this day and age, a bandit group can’t survive on plunder alone. Especially the Comet Wolf Brigade; they’re a massive organization, right? That means they need a source of funding. And since they’re bandits, it can’t be a legitimate source.”
I get what Hans is saying, but even after hearing it, I still have no idea what to do. It feels like he’s teasing us as we ponder. The smirk on Hans’s face shows that he finds it amusing, and it frustrates me even more.
Even though we’re A-Rank, we’re still just clueless kids. If I’m learning how to be an adventurer from a blacksmith like Hans, I clearly have a long way to go. I can fight as much as I want, but can I grow in this area? I’m not very confident about it.
In the midst of this, Tatarka suddenly slammed his fist into his palm. Maybe he figured something out.
“…Human trafficking?”
“Sharp as ever, Tatarka.”
“Jinshin Baibai?”
I shouldn’t have asked about the unfamiliar term. After a brief explanation, our anger reached a level that even Hans seemed taken aback by. I couldn’t even articulate what I was shouting. But one thing was certain: I felt an unprecedented disgust toward those who buy and sell people. Of course, I would break a table or two. I would pay for the damages, but once I calmed down, it would be Hans’s turn to go berserk. I really felt like I was going to be made to sit in seiza.
“Seriously! Are you guys really adventurers?! We know about slaves and human trafficking too! Sure, it might be a terrible thing, but it’s a necessary evil!”
“What’s necessary about it?! Selling people into slavery! This is ridiculous! What the hell is the Comet Wolf Brigade?!”
“Shut up! You’re just kids!”
“Everyone’s so loud!”
Just when it seemed like things were spiraling out of control, Rama smacked our heads with her fist. From the way Hans was almost in tears while patting her head, it seemed she was serious about it.
“That hurts! Come on!”
“Stop being mean and just tell us already!”
“Damn it… You don’t get my jokes and you hit me for real. You’re seriously a demon wife…”
“Huh?”
“Sorry. Here, this is a map of the royal capital. I don’t know if there are any clues on it, but go check it out.”
The map Hans pulled from the shelf showed the entire layout of the royal capital. He pressed his finger on a specific area.
“What’s this?”
“That’s the Black Market District of the royal capital. It ranges from antique shops to slave traders.”
“Slave traders… There are such people in the royal capital?! This country really is messed up!”
“Enough with that discussion! Listen, if you get mad and go beat up a slave trader, you’ll lose any leads right then and there! Plus, you won’t have a place in this country anymore! Remember that!”
“Okay,” we replied reluctantly, and seeing us like that, Rama patted our heads instead of hitting us. I wondered if my mother would have done something like this if she were alive.
But somewhere in Hans’s heart, I felt he was trying to challenge us, who had been underestimating the bandit extermination. Since he offered to let us stay at his house tonight, we decided to accept his kindness. For a moment, I wondered what to do, but I enjoyed talking with Tatarka in our makeshift bed. But when asked about my ideal man, I had no answer. I just couldn’t think of one. More importantly, Tatarka secretly shared some valuable information with me. This was something I couldn’t talk about in front of my father. It might just be a significant clue alongside the slave traders.
Royal Capital of Kashiram – Black Market District
It felt suspicious. If I had to sum up the atmosphere in a single word, that would be it. What was so suspicious, you ask? Unlike the main street, here, I genuinely couldn’t tell what kind of shops lined the streets. There were stores displaying what looked like monster fingers and eyeballs stuffed into jars. People were cheering as they watched a snake battle some small creature, and there were performers dancing in a way that would be an insult to actual street performers. A small amount of money sat in a netted cage nearby.
No way, this is not a place for us. Just the thought of having to walk through such a shady area made me want to turn back. The kind of rough-looking people wandering around only added to my unease, and I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible to avoid any trouble.
“Hey… we really stand out, don’t we?”
There were hardly any girls around. Instead, I felt the weight of countless stares boring into us, making me even more uncomfortable. And with those eerie chuckles echoing around, it was hard not to think we were being eyed like prey.
“Hey there, girls! What are you doing? Did you run away from home? If so, I have a great job for you!”
I decided to silence him before he could say anything more annoying. I delivered a gentle strike to his stomach, but to the onlookers, it would only appear as if he suddenly collapsed after talking to us. No one saw me hit him. Good, no problem there. He might have been a decent guy, but we were in a hurry. A little pain was a small price to pay for our peace.
“Are you okay? Not dead, are you?”
“Probably…”
“Just like the Flash Strike Girl…”
“Stop that.”
In a place so unfit for girls, we continued our casual conversation as if we were out shopping, heading toward the location Tatarka had mentioned last night.
◆ Royal Capital of Kashiram, Black Market District, Unfathomable Shops ◆
“Welcome! We have some good girls here, just for you… Huh? Who are you?”
I wanted to ask him the same thing. The only entrance was surrounded by gaudy pink decorations, and there stood a man desperately trying to attract passersby with his sales pitch. I had seen plenty of strange jars and dubious equipment in the shops we passed, but this one was a complete mystery. I couldn’t even tell if it was a shop at all. One thing was clear: it was definitely a place that would be surprised by our presence.
“Um, please let us work here.”
Kurinka spoke as Tatarka suggested. I kept quiet to avoid giving anything away, but even Tatarka hadn’t clearly stated what kind of shop this was. That alone sent a shiver down my spine, but unfortunately, we weren’t here to work. The only surprising thing was that the person running this place might be connected to the Comet Wolf Brigade. I had heard that Formas, when drunk, had mentioned such shops. He had boasted that these places often had ties to shady organizations. It was unsettling to think that Formas knew about the inner workings of such bizarre places.
Why were we here in the first place? It was to extract information from this person and the one behind him. A forceful approach would cause a scene, so Kurinka suggested we proceed calmly, but it felt futile. There was no way they would willingly share information, so it seemed pointless to avoid a commotion.
“Hmm. You girls look like adventurers, right? What, can’t you make a living just being girls?”
“Well, something like that.”
“That’s fine! You girls have the looks, and I bet you’ll attract plenty of customers in no time. Follow me!”
As I followed the suspicious man’s back, we stepped through the pink entrance.
◆ Shin Report ◆
“Great job, old man!
With this, they won’t be able to sustain themselves, and they’ll run out of strength.
I see, the best way to defeat them is with a surprise attack, huh?
Still, I can’t let my guard down.
If that brat is around, she’ll surely survive by eating the grass by the roadside.”
Even in such a situation, they were still talking about dealing with thieves—how carefree.
Slavery has existed since ancient times.
Rua, the foolish girl, was furious just from hearing about slavery.
But as that old man said, slavery is a necessary evil.
Rua, unlike Shin, is too foolish and naive to understand that.
More importantly, I can’t report anything from here on out.
That shop, Shin knows about it.
It’s… unsettling.
Those brats have no idea what kind of shop it is, yet they still enter.
So, Shin will just watch from here. Stares