Chapter 106:

Wilhelm brought back good news and bad news together.

The good news was that there was a place to borrow a horse.

The bad news was that they couldn't find a trace of the Raven anywhere.

It wasn't just a matter of not being able to find it.

“Looking at the records from Cesare, the amount of supplies moved should be considerable, but where on earth did they hide it?”

“I've checked all the smugglers' hideouts, but there were no traces. Even if they used them, they must have already cleaned up afterward.”

Wilhelm replied, adding a square mark to the map.

My hopes were highest for the smuggler bases around Ruhindorf that Cesare had told me about, but it was a failure.

The guys who actually did the work had either met with an accident or lost contact, but looking at the records left in the Borgia Liquor Guild, it was clear that a considerable amount of supplies had been moved.

It's impossible to not leave a single trace.

The problem was that the impossible had actually happened.

Am I too late?

No.

If they were perfectly prepared, the Raven would not have taken such a reckless measure to stop me so hastily.

“Are there any other places nearby that can hide large-scale supplies?”

“The most suspicious is the logging site, but it's not very large and there's almost no foot traffic, so it might be a cache, but it's not a good operational base.”

The more I listened to the story, the stronger my suspicion grew that I was on the wrong track.

“Good work. For the time being, please conduct only minimal surveillance near Ruhindorf, and I'd like you to investigate a wider area.”

“How wide an area are you talking about?”

“Hmm, looking at the investigation results so far, it should be about this much.”

As I marked a distance of two hand spans on the map, Wilhelm's expression darkened.

I could guess the reason.

It would take at least a week to investigate an area this large.

“I think you've set it too wide.”

“Normally, that would be the case, but if the opponent is conducting some kind of experiment, we also need to broaden our way of thinking.”

“…I understand.”

Wilhelm nodded, understanding that there was no other way.

I feel like I'm working him too hard, but I'll just have to send him on a generous vacation when this is over.

“Where is the place where we can borrow a horse?”

“Merchants are setting up camp and resting at this junction. It's quite large and they haven't been there for long, so it doesn't seem difficult to borrow a horse if you offer a good price.”

Merchants, huh.

Are they perhaps related to Ruhindorf?

As if he had noticed my inner thoughts, Wilhelm shook his head.

“Seeing as they've set up camp far from Ruhindorf, it doesn't seem like they're directly related. For now.”

“I hope so. I'd rather not have things get any more complicated. What is the name of the merchant group.”

“It's the Falsh Guild.”

I paused for a moment.

Falsh.

It was one of the many names Valheit used.

It was also the alias I had used in Novosibir.

I shook my head.

It's an overreaction.

I have taken over Valheit's body, so who would be using Valheit's alias?

It must be a coincidence.

It was a rational judgment. I understood it with my head.

But a corner of my heart remained unsettled.

***

The Falsh Guild was considerably larger than I thought.

I thought it would be small since they were set up on a country road like this, but there were many carts and heavily armed guards.

It was a relief that the atmosphere wasn't that tense.

When I said I came to borrow a horse to go to Poroz, the guard nodded without asking further questions.

“I'll ask the commander.”

It was convenient not having to ramble on with the excuses I had prepared in case they questioned me closely.

I guess I've become too used to people being suspicious whenever Valheit comes around.

After waiting for a few minutes in the shade of a tree, a man who looked like the epitome of an affable merchant appeared, grinning.

“Greetings! I didn't expect a customer to visit this corner of the countryside, so please understand that our hospitality is a bit shabby.”

“It's fine.”

The merchant nodded and looked me up and down.

It wasn't a very pleasant feeling, but I didn't find fault since it would be a process of checking if I could pay.

“You don't seem to be from around here, are you traveling?”

“I'm visiting on business.”

“Ah, you're similar to me! By any chance, is it this?”

When the merchant made a coin shape with his fingers, I shook my head.

“It's a more rigid job than that kind of business. An official's work, shall we say.”

“Oh my, I apologize. I thought you were a fellow merchant, but you're a person of high standing. No wonder your dignity is different from ours, hahaha. Please, come in!”

I wondered why I was being invited in just to borrow a horse, but I followed without a word.

The merchant, who had prepared a seat under an awning, hit his head as if he had just remembered.

“Look at me, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Falsh of the Falsh Guild.”

“…I'm Brauder.”

I was thinking of using the name Valheit but decided to use an alias.

If the other party knew the name Valheit, it might get troublesome.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Brauder! You said you wanted to borrow a horse, right? And that you're going to Poroz. You must work in administration?”

“You could say that.”

“That's great! I was just about to go to Poroz to take care of some business as well. It would be boring to go alone, so how about we go together?”

“It seems you're the one who's bored, Mr. Falsh, not me.”

“Haha, you've caught me. I was thinking I'd rather go alone than with these boring guys, and then you showed up.”

Falsh laughed cheerfully.

I hesitated for a moment at the unexpected offer of companionship.

There was a risk of being held back unnecessarily.

“Ah, of course, I have no intention of disturbing your work, Mr. Brauder. I'm just suggesting we go together. I'll give you a big discount on the rental fee too. A public official's salary isn't that generous,is it?”

It seems he really doesn't want to go alone.

If he asks this much, it would be strange to refuse.

“It will be a short journey, but I'll be in your care.”

“Oh, of course. Prepare two lively horses!”

The preparations were made in an instant.

As the merchant group grew farther away, Falsh's chatter grew longer.

At first, there was some interesting information, but as time passed, similar content increased, so I just chimed in appropriately.

“Those stingy Vestol bastards, I don't know what they disliked so much, but they kept picking fights and nitpicking, and in the end, when there was nothing to find fault with, they almost cried as they paid the bill!”

“You must have had a hard time.”

“Hmm, it seems my stories are getting boring for you. Well, the stories a merchant experiences are all pretty much the same….”

“It's fine.”

“No, no. I'm the one who insisted we go together, so I'd feel bad if I did this. I'll tell you a different kind of story. A spooky kind of story.”

Now that his life story session was over, was it time for a horror special?

As I nodded moderately, Falsh began to chatter excitedly.

“It was a few months ago. I was going around sticking my head in here and there to secure new sales routes, and I ended up visiting a strange place.”

As if he didn't expect a response, Falsh continued to speak animatedly.

“It was a large mansion in the middle of a lake, and boy, I thought to myself that I'd want to live in a place like that too if I make a lot of money later.”

Huh?

“I met the butler to make a contract, but what came out wasn't a butler but something like a war machine. He was wearing a suit, after a fashion, but it didn't suit him at all. Of course, I couldn't laugh back then. If I had, I felt like my back would have been folded in half.”

Wait, this….

“I found out later that it was the villa of an incredibly high-ranking person in the Empire. I asked a certain noble, and he shuddered and advised me not to even go near there.”

He's talking about the headquarters.

To think I'd meet a merchant who supplies the headquarters in a place like this?

What kind of coincidence is this?

“Ah, I see Poroz over there! Goodness, we arrived in an instant while we were talking.”

As I was lost in thought, Falsh made a fuss and pointed ahead.

Indeed, buildings were faintly beginning to appear.

“I need to stop by the Chamber of Commerce, where do you plan to go, Mr. Brauder?”

“I came for administrative work, so I'll probably go there. It's my first time, so I'll probably have to wander around a bit to find my way.”

“Ah, I understand. In a boondocks town like this, all the buildings look the same, so it's tough. Shall I guide you?”

Seeing Falsh's slickly smiling face, an unpleasant feeling washed over me.

Although his tone was friendly and his offer was full of goodwill, I felt an instinctive repulsion.

“It's alright. I've already borrowed a horse, I can't ask you for that much.”

“Hmm, if you say so. Let's meet again at the town entrance when you're done.”

Falsh rode away, humming.

Watching his back, I unknowingly frowned.

What is that guy?

***

A man with an ordinary appearance entered the dark basement.

As he went to a corner where dust was flying, a door slid open.

“You're here.”

“Yeah.”

The man replied with a blunt face and went inside.

The room, which would be full with about four people, looked even smaller because of a map that filled one entire wall.

“How's the situation?”

“The supplies were dispersed before they arrived, so it seems they haven't been caught yet.”

“The enemy's location?”

“We haven't been able to grasp it yet. It seems they are using the routes used by smugglers, but….”

As the subordinate trailed off, the man stroked his chin.

There's no way it would be resolved that easily.

Originally, the plan was to make no one pay attention to this boondocks town by escalating the conflict between the Dukes and the Emperor with the culprit provided by the Raven, but it failed spectacularly.

“The Three Blades.”

“They've only dispatched one person. Aren't they just observing to see what's going on?”

He's underestimating the Three Blades too much.

If the Three Blades, who were in an uproar over Brauder's confession, sent one person, they would have sent their most skilled one.

Still, if it's just one person, they won't be an immediate threat.

In the end, is Valheit the biggest threat?

“Anything else.”

“Uh, a merchant group staying at the junction here is snooping around here and there.”

“Are they related to Valheit or the Three Blades? Or are they the Vestol guys.”

“No. They seem to be just a really ordinary merchant group. I don't know why they're wandering around.”

The man frowned.

At any other time, it would be a problem he would have just let pass.

But in a situation that was already tangled, he shouldn't ignore the appearance of such a variable.

“Personnel to investigate the merchant group?”

“One or two should be possible.”

“Attach one to them and have them watch.”

As the situation has become more complicated, they cannot proceed with the experiment blindly.

They must eliminate as many variables as they can.

“Sir there was a message from the Duke.”

Damn it.

It can't be good news.

If he had his way, he would have liked to pretend he didn't receive it, but he knew well what would happen if he did, so he nodded.

“He said that if this experiment is discovered or fails, he will hand all of us over to Valheit.”

“Son of a bitch.”

He couldn't hold it in and cursed.

The subordinate wriggled his body, not knowing what to do, but the man stood still as a stone.

He cannot beat the old snake.

If so, he should at least not lose.

“Relay to all Ravens. We will carry out the experiment in three days.”

“Isn't that too sudden?”

“Who said I was curious about your opinion?”

The subordinate, who knew well that he should just shut his mouth when the leader came out like this, nodded and left the basement.

The man, left alone, stared at the map and muttered in a drained voice.

“I'll have to give up on returning to the duchy alive.”

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