<<Previous Chapter | Let's Manage the Tower | Next Chapter>>
Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Silavin
When they arrived at the next town, they handed over the leaders of the attackers.
The organization they belonged to seemed to be quite well-known in the area, and the guards looked panicked.
During the handover, Rein was questioned, but was not detained for very long.
It was a relatively large town located along a highway, and because it was an area where many bandits target peddlers who come and go, the guards were accustomed to dealing with them.
The guards were able to respond to the situation, and after a few questions that sounded like the kind of questions they always ask, Rein was allowed to go.
Rein did not ask for the bounty, so they probably did not ask for that portion of the procedures.
After all, Rein and the others would not know what happened to the attackers until they arrived at the next town, and the group’s intention at the time was to quickly hand over the other cargo and head for the next village.
Aside from what Kousuke and his group were going through, various things were beginning to move in other places.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Two men were sitting across one table in the room.
“So? Is there something wrong that you came all the way here to see me?”
“Yes, the thing in question was intercepted while being transported.”
“What…?”
The one in charge almost stood up, but quickly regained his composure when he saw the demeanor of the man facing him.
He saw the unchanged expression on the man’s face and decided that the object itself was safe.
“So? And from your attitude, it appears that the object itself is safe and sound?”
“Yes, and it is still moving steadily toward us. It appears that it was attacked, but the adventurers we hired fought them off.”
“…Hmm. I see.”
“The problem is that the people who attacked seemed to belong to a certain organization… ”
“I see.”
The Lord’s expression changed as if he was interested in the term ‘organisation’. Then, with one hand, he urged him to continue talking.
“…Also, they ended up handing the attackers over to the guards.”
The Lord looked up, as if ruminating on what he had heard from the other party.
Next, he turned to ask what happened after.
“Oh and about the results. Despite being attacked by twice as many members of the whole convoy, all of their goods were well protected, and the leader was handed over to the guards.”
“That’s the short version of the events, isn’t it?”
“…Are you thinking that this is all made up?”
There was a good reason why the Lord said so. The organization the members who attacked the convoy Kousuke and his team were escorting was renowned for its many skilled members. It would be unreasonable to expect him to believe the convoy was able to defend themselves and come out unscathed.
“You don’t have to believe everything, but I think it has some credibility.”
“Huh?” The Lord urges the man facing him to continue.
“The men who were supposed to have been taken in by the guards were released immediately after the merchants left the town.”
“I see… it is understandable.”
The man facing the room remained silent without changing his expression in response to the Lord’s dumbfounded words.
The Lord was silent for a while, but eventually opened his mouth.
“…Well, that’s fine. If what you say is true, they will definitely arrive here. Besides, the closer they get, the easier it will be for us.”
“Yes.”
“But… If it’s at all possible, I hope the ones who organized the attack would show their tails out before they reach this place… ”
The Lord’s last whispered words fizzled in the air without reaching his partner.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
“So? The raid failed?”
“…Ha.” The man turned his contemptuous gaze towards the other man who was hanging his head in front of him.
“And this is the result of all your big talk and useless charge. I guess it is time to end our relationship?”
“I have no words to describe my disappointment in this as well.”
“…Hm.” The man who kept on being arrogant to the other party, who was bowing down, just sniffled.
Even if he cut him off because he was useless, it was also true that he would be left with no pawns to make the next move.
No, in fact, there were pieces that could be moved, but as soon as they were moved, his involvement would be easily identified.
He would not be able to continue to act as if he was innocent, as he was now. That move was only to be saved as a last resort.
“…Well, no matter. You’ve made your next move, haven’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Then, good… Don’t forget. The job is not done until you get what you were tasked to, right?
“…Yes, sir.”
After watching the other person, who kept his head down, walk out of the room, the arrogant man also left.
In the first place, he had chosen a place where he would not normally go in and out of so that the people around him would not know about the meeting.
He had no intention of committing the folly of revealing his true identity here.
After being fully alert to his surroundings, he returned to the place where he should be.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Unaware that such an exchange was taking place, Kousuke and the others continued their ‘leisurely’ peddling trip.
They sold some goods in the town where they left the attackers, but they also purchased new goods, so there was no increase or decrease in the number of goods in they were transporting
As before the attackers came, Nana was once again repeatedly dealing with monsters passing them by.
If anything had changed, it was that the adventurers’ attitude toward Kousuke and the others had improved.
Despite being attacked by more than twice their group size, the convoy managed to escape unscathed, both in terms of personnel and goods.
This was a miraculous result.
They were taking this attitude because they knew that they could not have prevented the attack by themselves.
They had never been condescending before, but now they were looking at Kousuke’s group as if they were above the clouds. At the very least, few adventurers would have taken Kousuke’s C-rank at face value now.
So the group continued on their way to the capital with a smooth sailing feel, but no one thought they would reach the capital without incident.
After all, the letter that Rein had received from the merchant’s guild, that had requested the request, indicated that the attacker entrusted to the guards in the previous town had been released.
Everyone believed it was better to assume there was pressure from above.
Thus, the fact that they were able to proceed smoothly without any particular dropouts or deaths was undoubtedly thanks to the ability of Kousuke and his team.
Still, if they were surrounded by an army, they would have to give up gracefully. After all, facing that would be impossible. It would be beyond their imagination to think that they could win against the army of one country.
As for Kousuke and his group, they naturally had no intention of showing that much of their cards.
Incidentally, Kousuke and his group had already confirmed what they were going to do if such things happened using telepathy.
Since the involvement of the country’s upper echelons or the royal family was likely, Kousuke and his group were expecting to receive some sort of proposal when they arrived at the capital.
They still did not know if everyone in the convoy would be invited to hear of this proposal, or be a part of it.
Nevertheless, if they received such a proposal, that was also fine.
Rather, if that happened, it was more likely that they would be involved in a more troublesome situation, which Kousuke would want to avoid.
While the situation was moving according to the thoughts of each party, amd the merchants in the middle of the whirlpool continued on their way to the capital as if nothing had happened.
<<Previous Chapter | Let's Manage the Tower | Next Chapter>>
