Chapter 30: Beastman Thief Sheila
"Thank you very much!"
I left the magic tool shop, hearing the shopkeeper's voice behind me.
...There were no magic wands that met the condition of being suitable for staff combat and having excellent durability during magic activation.
I thought I could easily get a staff if I went to Termwills... but Battle Mages themselves seem to be a rare species, and there are no peers around. Naturally, it seems there's nothing that can fulfill my needs.
I guess I'll either search for more treasure chests in the lower levels or gather materials myself and request someone to make it.
On the other hand, I did find a mage's coat. It's not a robe but a coat, which is not exactly what I wanted, but it seems to be made from thread spun from Luna Worm cocoons, so it's a good item.
With additional magic, it can be temporarily strengthened, and the price is 400 kiligs. Considering the price, it should have sufficient performance.
I put on the coat and leave the shop immediately.
I thought about exploring the city a little more, but I felt a vibration that seemed to hit the soles of my feet from the ground. It was a signal from Caduceus, hidden in the shadows.
...The beastman again. I don't know where they were tracking me from, but they must have noticed something suspicious when I left the store. They seem to have been caught in Caduceus' surveillance network.
Without looking around, I pretend not to notice and start walking.
I close my left eye and link my familiar's senses—my field of vision—to it.
I use my right eye to see the scenery in front of me and my left eye to see what's behind me through Caduceus' senses.
Among the crowd, I can see a person wearing a hood who tends to walk with a slight hunch.
For now, let's create a situation that's hard to explain.
I pretend to casually stroll through the city—leading them to the old townscape, just like it exists in Kagehisa's memories.
I turn at the corner leading to the alleyway, and when the gaze from behind me is cut off, I activate magic circulation. Kicking off the walls, I quickly leap up to the top of a building.
The person who had been tailing me until the corner momentarily froze below me, then seemed slightly panicked when they suddenly lost sight of me, and ran into the depths of the alley.
"Now then..."
This time, I became the one chasing the person who had been tailing me.
However, this won't turn into a game of cat and mouse or sneaking. It's because this path ahead is a dead end.
During the BFO era, as someone who had made Termwills my home, I know every nook and cranny around here. I used to enjoy walking around the meticulously designed townscape as well.
I am particularly familiar with the old townscape near the central area.
Considering its origin and structure, which borrowed a part of the labyrinth, it won't change much in the future.
The pursuer, surrounded by buildings in an open space with no exits, looked around trying to figure out where I had disappeared to. They looked up at the tall walls and checked for any gaps between the buildings.
"Who are you looking for?" I called out to their back.
They turned around as if startled when they heard my voice.
"I... I've lost my way," came a woman's voice.
I intended to determine my response based on how she would react, but it seemed she had no intention of immediately attacking me. In that case, I should try to handle the situation peacefully, at least to some extent. However, I wouldn't let her go if she tried to deceive me.
"I see. You were lost behind my house last night, weren't you?"
I could tell she gasped beneath their hood.
"So, you're looking for someone after all?"
"How..."
How, indeed.
How did I notice I was being followed? Or how did I manage to get behind her? Or perhaps, how do I know about what happened yesterday?
"A mage is always prepared. Could you show me your face?"
As they said that, the beastman shrugged her shoulders slightly. There was an air of resignation about her. When she took off their hood, a woman's face was revealed, with large triangular ears twitching.
"I can't say I'm not suspicious... but I don't intend to harm you."
"I'll believe you if I hear your purpose."
She didn't seem like she had been specifically monitoring my house, so I could trust her to some extent.
"I'm called Sheila. I'm searching for friends who have gone missing."
"And... why did you come to me?"
Sheila narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and spoke to me.
"Snakebite."
Ah, so that's it. I thought it might have had something to do with the Earl's family.
Missing friends, huh? I speculated that Snakebite might be involved in a kidnapping case.
In response to her probing, I maintained a poker face as much as possible. As we silently stared at each other, Sheila continued speaking.
"I investigated and learned that you captured Snakebite. I also heard about the dispute with the Cardiff Earl's family. If I stay with you, the Cardiff private soldiers might appear."
Huh? What's this? Is she trying to imply a connection between Snakebite and Cardiff?
If she had been wandering around, knowing about me and the surrounding circumstances, she would have heard about the incident involving Cardiff. There's also the possibility that she listed both parties to pique my interest or to deceive me. The information about Snakebite, which should have been difficult to obtain due to the Adventurer's Guild's secrecy, is something she should consider as her main objective for finding me.
"Will you listen to me? We might be able to cooperate."
Sheila tilted her head without changing her expression.
So, she want to establish contact and gain allies if she can no longer act in secret. Well, that's reasonable.
"I'll listen. There are things I can't answer, though."
I've been asked by the Adventurer's Guild to keep Snakebite a secret, and I've received payment for it too. Once I receive payment, I consider it a contract. Trust is built on such aspects, so I can't just blabber about it just because I got "interested."
"I'll tell you only the facts. I know that my friend had a conversation with Snakebite at the Adventurer's Guild, involving a request for creating a labyrinth map. And the building where Snakebite was coming and going from, the Cardiff Earldom's staff members were also entering and leaving."
"...So, it means that Cardiff or its associates are involved with Snakebite and my missing friend?"
The Cardiff Earldom was in financial trouble, and if we consider how Tarcoth didn't get a fiancé through arranged marriage, it wouldn't be surprising if they resorted to illegal activities.
"That's how I see it. However, I lack information."
"Did you tell the Adventurer's Guild about it?"
Sheila shook her head.
"I was turned away. I knew that the Adventurer's Guild was trying to conceal information about Snakebite, and if I raised suspicions, I would be in trouble, facing magical interrogation."
"Why is that?"
Sheila closed her eyes. She seemed hesitant about whether she should speak or not.
Eventually, she opened her eyes and spoke clearly.
"Because I am a member of the Thieves' Guild."
"Um... If it's revealed during a magical interrogation, it would be a problem?"
She nodded in response.
She could disclose information privately here, but she couldn't undergo a magical interrogation.
"Just steal, don't kill. Sharpen your skills every day."
...That's the kind of petty rules there are. It may seem like a righteous thief, but I'm definitely not a hero. The higher-ups are probably more like honorable yakuza.
Or rather, I dislike thieves. I know the difference between bandits, highwaymen, robbers, and thieves... or at least I think I do.
There should be lower-level members of the Thieves' Guild among the adventurers, acting as scouts and such.
One of the rules is that the fact of being a member should not be known to others. I know that from my gaming knowledge, but as an outsider, there's no way I would know the rules. So, I needed to carefully choose my words to ask Sheila.
Well, just by talking to me, Sheila is already shouldering a considerable risk.
"What do you mean by talking to the upper echelons of the Thief's Guild?"
According to the information obtained from the BFO quest... there should be a member of the Thief's Guild who operates as a slave trader on the surface. I think there are probably still connections in that area.
If you ask what they do with the kidnappings... the first thing that comes to mind is disguising them as criminal slaves, enchanting them with enslavement magic, and selling them. That would definitely provoke a fight with the Thief's Guild.
Slaves can be roughly divided into two types.
First, there are debt slaves who become slaves as collateral for their debts, similar to indentured servants. They can buy themselves back with the money they earn, and once they do, they can regain their freedom.
On the other hand, those who fall into slavery for committing serious crimes cannot become free, as they are bound by the enslavement magic.
This enslavement magic is tricky, as it can restrict the actions and words of those affected by it.
In other words, if you kidnap someone and disguise them as a criminal slave... it becomes difficult for the victim themselves to plead their innocence. It would be better to just sell them off somewhere overseas.
"Someone in the upper echelons is operating as a slave trader on the surface. I don't know if I can trust them, and I don't know if Snakebite is really involved. I can't just go and talk to them based on speculation. I need to gather some evidence myself."
So the information about the black turnover stone hasn't leaked, huh?
If you don't know the method, you can't be confident about the connection between Snakebite and the missing persons cases.
So you're waiting for a task force with Cardiff's influence to come, and then you'll investigate and gather evidence by tracking them or searching for your friend's whereabouts.
"I see... I understand the part about cooperating with each other."
"If that's the case..."
"But this is different. It's a matter of trust between me and the Adventurer's Guild. I can't give you the information."
Shiela frowned and slumped her shoulders. It's evident that she's disappointed.
"However—I can go to the Adventurer's Guild and offer to cooperate in the investigation or provide information. That shouldn't be a problem. If that's acceptable to you."
At the continuation of her words, she widened her eyes and lifted her head. Indeed, it's a beneficial proposition for me as well.
If things can be settled with Cardiff through this, there's nothing more to say.
Fortunately, I have some credibility with the Adventurer's Guild through my relationship with Verine.
Whether Cardiff is truly involved in the incident or not... I should be able to easily find out by going to the guild.