"Well then, if that's settled, let's quickly wrap this up. Come on, Trinity, let's go!" Ava urged, leading Trinity toward the thieves' guild. I could've tagged along, but considering the possibility that the envoy's child might be targeted, I decided to wait here.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
About an hour later, Trinity and Ava burst back in, but it was clear that only Trinity was flustered; Ava maintained her usual demeanor.
"What was that all about?! They attacked us out of nowhere! I didn't sign up to be targeted just for seeking information!"
"Ah, so I was targeted after all."
"What!? Suzanne, you knew I was being targeted!? You should have told me from the start!"
"Well, I was curious to see how long it would take for you to notice... Guess you wouldn't have figured it out until you were attacked. Not exactly a talented thief, are you?"
"Ugh."
Trinity choked on her words at the remark about her skills. Even though she's only been a fledgling thief for about half a year, she apparently has some pride. According to her, they were ambushed on their way back from the Thieves' Guild.
"Well, that's why I teamed you up with Ava. Were you okay?"
"...I guess. The attackers were probably so surprised by my counterattack that they ran away."
"I'm sorry. We had a perfect chance to catch them. I never expected them to retreat so quickly. They must have been quite discerning."
Ava, looking apologetic, said this, but honestly, it was within the realm of expectation. What truly mattered was the nature of their attackers. As I pressed for details, it seemed they were two lightly armored men who dressed like adventurers.
"Hmm... so they weren't assassins after all?"
"That's for sure. If they had been assassins, I think I would have had a much tougher time with them."
Well, if it had been Ava, she probably wouldn't have had any trouble with assassins at all. With her mysterious strength, keen sensing, and magical detection abilities, it would be nearly impossible for any average assassin to take her down.
But if the attacker wasn't a serpent...
"Alright, Trinity, go back to the Thieves' Guild and negotiate again."
"Huh?! You just sent me there! Suzanne, are you okay?"
"We're not going for information; we're going to negotiate."
I clarified our purpose to the outraged Trinity.
"I see. If we received information about the messenger from Drake Castle and were ambushed on the way back, that means there's a mole within the Thieves' Guild, right?"
"Oh!"
Laura's insight finally dawned on Trinity.
If the attacker wasn't a serpent, then the Thieves' Guild can't be the mastermind behind the disappearance of the messenger from Drake Castle.
The true mastermind must be someone else, and there's definitely a mole in the Guild. This mole is likely the one who spread those malicious rumors about the messenger from Drake Castle.
The Guild would also be aware of this issue and would be conducting their own internal investigation.
Given that we sought information that could expose the truth behind the incident, it would be impossible for the Thieves' Guild not to notice the mole's movements.
We could leverage the mole's actions and any eyewitness accounts of the attackers (although the Guild likely already knows we were being monitored) to extract information about the mastermind who spread the rumors.
By the way, threatening them with the scandal of having a mole within the Thieves' Guild is one strategy. I decided to explain this to Trinity and send her back to the guild.
"Damn it, when I think about it, it means they used me as bait to catch the mastermind. Remember, I owe you one for this!"
As Trinity stormed out, I worried there might be another ambush, so Ava decided to accompany her.
"You certainly have guts," she remarked. "Using your teammates as decoys? Or are you just someone who can dispose of allies without a second thought?"
Now it was just Laura and me left at the inn, and she began evaluating my character. Meanwhile, the innkeeper was already out on business, and the children seemed exhausted, sleeping in their beds.
"Well, despite everything, I trust those two," I replied. "Ava's strength is a mystery, but she's undeniably strong. And despite her demeanor, Trinity has an exceptional sense for danger."
Trinity might not even realize it herself, but her reactions to threats are alarmingly swift. Perhaps she possesses a blessing for danger perception.
"Hehe, I'm just joking. It's clear your bond isn't as fragile as it seems," Laura said. Still, to be honest, this entire plan had come to me almost impulsively.
As soon as I realized how involved the Thieves' Guild was, the idea struck me to use Trinity as bait to gather internal information from them. Looking at it this way, I have to admit I'm a terrible person for using my comrades like that, especially since I haven't explained much to them. But, just as I told Laura, I still trust my friends, no matter what. If that's what bonds us, then so be it.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
--- March 26, AL 103 --- Early Morning ---
In the outskirts of the port town of Longness, one of the residential areas was being occupied by six men. Given its location in the suburbs, it seemed that there were quite a few vacant houses in the area. It looked like these men were squatting in one of those abandoned homes.
In the center of the room, a warrior who seemed to be their leader lounged back on a sofa.
"Hey, how's it going?"
A wizard-like man emerged from the next room, where he had been appraising their spoils. He tossed a gemstone toward the leader.
"Take a look at this. Just this one gem alone is worth no less than 10,000 gold. We've also got around 500 gold coins here, some of which are even red gold. If I estimate it all, we're looking at about 80,000,000 gold!"
"Wow! Are you serious? Hehe, this is an unexpected windfall!"
A thief keeping watch by the window couldn't help but exclaim, glancing toward the leader with excitement.
"Hey, stay alert! Seriously, since our ambush failed and raised suspicions, there's a good chance we're being targeted now," the leader warned the thieves who were gleefully admiring their newly acquired treasure.
Indeed, he was right. Whether the leader realized it or not, it was essential for everyone to be aware that they might be in danger.
"Gun's right. We're walking a fine line here. Keep a close watch," another lookout, a lightly armored swordsman, chimed in. It's likely this swordsman and the thieves were the ones who ambushed Trinity and Ava.
"I didn't expect it to go this smoothly," one of the men replied, a satisfied grin on his face.
"Didn't I tell you? Necromancers are valuable," he added.
"True, though I was worried when we accidentally killed Drake's envoy. I thought we might have a problem, but it actually turned out faster this way," the man seated across from the leader—likely a martial artist based on his bracer—enthusiastically acknowledged their achievements.
The leader had inadvertently revealed too much; there was no doubt they were responsible for the disappearance—no, murder—of Drake's envoy.
In the corner of the room, a man clad in tattered robes stood quietly, his deep hood obscuring his face. He cradled a large harp in his hands. The necromancer gestured for him to remove his hood.
From the depths of the hood emerged a bipedal turtle with pale green skin—a turtle person. This must be the envoy of Drake Palace. Yet, the envoy's eyes were devoid of life, resembling a living corpse, a dead man under the control of a necromancer.
"Heh heh heh, I look forward to tomorrow, oh envoy of Drake Palace," I said.
In games, necromancers often hold a prestigious role, but here in this fantasy world, I can't shake the feeling that it's a despicable profession. Then again, it's all about how you wield that power.
I found myself in the attic of the house that served as the hideout for the murderer of the Drake Palace envoy. Like a ninja, I was peeking through the ceiling, observing the activities inside. Of course, I didn't infiltrate the attic on my own; I was guided in by Shino-Biscuit.
Outside, Ava, Trinity, and a few others were waiting, ensuring that we wouldn't be caught by the watchful swordsmen and thieves.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
From the negotiations Trinity and the others conducted with the Thieves' Guild, we gleaned that the Drake Palace envoy had likely already been murdered. Thanks to our probing in the guild, we uncovered an informant and quickly pressed them for information. This investigation revealed that the envoy's disappearance was linked to an otherworlder.
At this point, Ava and I couldn't help but sigh in realization—we had a pretty good idea of the incident's cause. It seemed that the players still viewed AIWOn solely as a game, treating the characters such as Tenchi and Jin as mere NPCs.
They likely asked a messenger from Drake Palace to guide them to Drake Castle, but something went awry. Perhaps they found the NPC's attitude too sassy, leading to its murder. Our hunch was soon confirmed by information from an insider.
They didn't reveal where they had obtained it, but they possessed a map indicating the location of a sunken pirate ship filled with treasure in the Blue Sapphire Sea. Trouble arose when they tried to have the messenger guide them to the spot, resulting in a deadly conflict. Recognizing that we might face capture if we didn't act quickly, we decided to infiltrate the Thieves' Guild and enlist an insider to spread rumors about the messenger absconding with the treasure.
We promised the insider a handsome reward. The Thieves' Guild had a pretty good grasp of the truth behind the rumors, but they hadn't managed to pin down the insider, which is when we stepped in.
From there, it was smooth sailing as we identified the insider and the true culprit, ultimately collaborating with the Thieves' Guild to bring them to justice. Shino-Biscuit was set to relay internal information through a mental link, with a signal indicating when we'd storm in.
The reason I'm teamed up with Shino is that she's perfect for infiltration, even though she specializes in information gathering and can't fight at all.
Once the outside preparations were complete, Shino signaled me to burst in with a hand sign. I smashed through the ceiling, landing next to the martial artist, and swung my Unicorn staff, knocking him out cold instantly.
The leader and the necromancer, startled by my sudden appearance, took a step back in caution, while the two guards momentarily turned to see what was happening. In that fleeting moment, Ava and Trinity crashed through the window, taking down the guards in an instant.
The members of the thieves' guild, who had been waiting with Ava, quickly rushed in, tying up both the swordsman and the thieves.
"Unfortunately for you, your misdeeds have been uncovered. Surrender and accept your fate," I urged the leader, pressing Unicorn against him.
Meanwhile, Trinity used the Luf Grand Rope Sword technique to bind one of Drake Castle's messengers, dragging him away to keep him from acting as a shield against the necromancer.
The thieves' guild members had also secured the martial artist I had incapacitated, dragging him and the two guards outside.
What a seamless operation! While it's beneficial for us that they don't hinder the fight, their efficiency is impressive.
"Tch, so you're the ones who've been snooping around us. I can't believe you found our location so quickly."
"Let me tell you, it seems the thieves' guild has known almost from the start. It was only a matter of time before we got caught."
"Hah, so the guy from the guild we pulled in was useless after all. Oh well. I've mostly finished what I came here to do. Now it's time to make a clean getaway. Neji!"