Chapter 97: The Victim
“Well, well, if it isn’t the branch manager of the Mimina Trading Company, Tocciliano.”
Hmm? Mimina Trading Company… Oh, right! I remember there was a slender man when I visited before. Was that the branch manager? I felt like he glared at us pretty intensely, but did we do something to provoke him?
“Ah, Clay-kun! Just the person I wanted to see. I have something to tell you.”
“Yes? What is it?”
The store manager, Caligil, glanced our way, perhaps wondering if it was appropriate to discuss this in front of customers.
“Don’t worry. I won’t take up too much of your time. Unfortunately, we’ve decided to cut off the funding from our trading company. I came to inform you of that.”
“—Huh?”
What? What does that mean? This sounds like something we shouldn’t have overheard. If they cut off funding, it could mean we won’t even be able to buy clothes from this store anymore. Thankfully, there’s no one else around, but if someone overheard and spread the word, it could lead to serious trouble.
“I’m sorry, but we have our own circumstances to consider.”
“W-What do you mean?”
Tocciliano cast a meaningful glance our way.
“It’s quite simple. Our trading company has found itself in a situation where we need to manage our finances more carefully. Someone, we don’t know who, has destroyed our lumberyard, and we must begin restoration efforts.”
Hmm…? The destruction of the lumberyard? That sounds familiar. I turned my gaze to Nil, who was idly yawning at the entrance of the store.
“I see…”
“Indeed. We are all victims here. I believe you are receiving funding from other trading companies as well, so I hope you can manage to get by.”
“I-I understand.”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
Tocciliano turned to leave but suddenly stopped in front of us and spoke again.
“By the way, I’ve been asking various adventurers about something. May I ask you a question?”
With his narrow eyes wide open, Tocciliano leaned in closer.
“What is it?”
“Do you happen to know who destroyed our lumberyard?”
I steadied my nerves, trying not to show my unease at the question I had anticipated.
“I heard at the Guild that a giant Silver Wolf was discovered in the forest and was subsequently defeated. Could it be related?”
“Yes, but I suspect there is another culprit.”
Tocciliano’s piercing gaze made a cold sweat trickle down my back. Now that I think about it, when Nil first appeared before us, he had caused quite a ruckus, destroying the lumberyard in the process. I hadn’t realized it was the Mimina Trading Company’s lumberyard, but to think that cutting off funding to other stores could lead to such hidden damage…
“I see. That sounds serious.”
“Therefore, if you happen to know the culprit, I would appreciate it if you could inform me.”
“Unfortunately, I have no idea.”
“Hmm… I see.”
As Tocciliano suspected, the culprit was not the defeated Silver Wolf but someone else—specifically, our tamed monster, Nil. The destruction had occurred before Nil was tamed, so it wasn’t our fault. The Guild had assured us that was not an issue. However, the fact that we had brought him into town left me with an undeniable sense of guilt.
“Understood. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Well then, I must be off to secure funding. I’ve already issued a notice, but next, I need to go to the Beldran Workshop to collect a debt.”
The mention of the Beldran Workshop immediately brought Clay-kun’s face to mind. I remembered him joyfully riding on Nil’s back. They had done excellent work, but had they borrowed money from the Mimina Trading Company? They never gave off that impression, but then again, in business, they might not want to advertise a financial crisis.
“By the way, there was still a young boy at that workshop. I hope he won’t be sold off for not being able to pay the debt…”
““Huh?””
Tocciliano’s words made both Rio and me exclaim in unison. Sold? Did I just hear that a boy would be sold? Surely, I must have misheard.
“Oh? You weren’t aware? If debts go unpaid, families can sometimes be sold as debt slaves to slave traders.”
He explained it in a way that felt almost patronizing, but I struggled to absorb the information. Clay-kun sold as a debt slave? No, that can’t be true…
“Well then.”
I felt an urge to stop Tocciliano as he turned to leave, but the words wouldn’t come.
“…What does that mean?”
Rio’s quiet murmur echoed my own confusion, leaving me at a loss for words.
“W-Well, we should go to the Beldran Workshop…”
“…And then what do we do?”
Rio’s calm interjection cut through my thoughts. What were we supposed to do?
“Well, I mean…”
I faltered, unsure of how to respond. Should I shout, “Stop the debt collector!”? Even if we intervened, whether to pay or not, it would raise the question of “Why?” Tocciliano had spoken as if he was certain Nil was the culprit. Was he trying to frame us as the perpetrators?
Regardless, I felt a strong desire to prevent the damage caused by Nil’s presence from affecting this store and the Beldran Workshop.