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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Oops.”
That was the first thought that crossed my mind.
When the weakened-by-the-fire ground received an impact, it seemed the floor had simply given way.
An unsettling feeling of my lower body floating in the air. Instinctively, I recalled a spell I had read about in a book.
Instantly, my mana core resonated and spewed out green mana.
Just before my body was about to slam into the floor, a sensation of floating in the air enveloped me.
Feather Foot.
It was an intermediate-level wind attribute magic spell.
Even without consciously visualizing it, my body reacted automatically.
The results of my diligent magic training were finally shining through.
In mid-air, I slightly twisted my body to regain balance, then gently landed on the collapsed debris.
“Squad Leader-!!!”
“Ah, Lumia! I’m here!”
As soon as the floor collapsed, I heard Lumia’s urgent voice and answered, and Lumia peeked her head out from a corner of the collapsed ceiling.
“Are you alright?!”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“…J-Just wait a moment! I’ll come down soon!”
Lumia said that and then deployed mana, leaping towards me.
Just like me earlier, Lumia cast Feather Foot as she descended.
As expected of a 1st-Class Crimson Magician, she seemed to have mastered intermediate-level wind magic.
“Ah.”
However, that wasn’t the problem.
As she jumped down from above, Lumia’s skirt billowed upwards, catching the wind. For a fleeting moment, I saw a garter belt connected to something black…
I quickly averted my eyes, but Lumia, seemingly unaware, rushed towards me.
“Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s a relief…”
Yes, sometimes ignorance is bliss. I tried my best not to show any reaction and asked Lumia.
“What about the fire outside?”
“It’s all extinguished. Just what kind of magic did you use to put out that fire all at once?!”
“That’s not important right now… Judging from the looks of it, isn’t that like a ledger archive?”
I pointed to the door that was now just a black, shapeless mass. Black ash crumbled and fell.
The moment Lumia cautiously approached the archive and grabbed the doorknob.
Thud-.
The door, which had been standing, collapsed weakly.
Fortunately, it fell inwards, so Lumia wasn’t hurt, but the state of the ledger archive was utterly miserable.
Being an enclosed space, embers were still definitely lingering, and furthermore.
Paper, being more flammable than wood, was mostly what was inside, so piles of ashes were scattered all over the floor.
In this situation, there was no way the ledgers could be safe. Even if they were safe, proper searching wouldn’t be possible.
“There are traces of a physical barrier on the door… They probably didn’t expect someone to set it on fire. The barrier didn’t work properly.”
“Who knows? Even I didn’t expect someone to set fire to the Guild Master’s building so brazenly.”
I could once again feel how significant Guard Captain Lamur’s position was in Cherno City.
To openly set fire to the Merchant Guild building.
His attitude was that he didn’t care about the aftermath.
To resort to such reckless methods of proceeding for the sake of destroying evidence, he’s practically like a king.
‘It’s strange he hasn’t been reported already.’
But I wasn’t particularly surprised.
It was obvious that the merchants would have chosen to coexist and benefit by sticking with him, rather than resisting.
A worthless squad that endured any unfair treatment, or a city that turned a blind eye because they were blinded by the profits that criminal organizations brought.
To me, they were all the same.
“Hey, suspicious guys! Come out here right now!”
While we were examining the archive, the sound of boots rushing in from the opened upper floor echoed.
They were the Cherno City garrison soldiers.
The guys who had just been watching the building burn were now crawling inside after the fire was completely extinguished, and there was only one reason why.
“Lumia, you brought your ID, right?”
“Of course.”
“Find it now and keep it ready.”
Because, now the political maneuvering was about to begin.
Soon, the garrison soldiers from the upper floor came down the stairs to the basement, and a man who seemed to hold the highest rank among them shouted menacingly.
“Daring to commit arson on the Guild Master’s property! You are going to be severely punished!!”
Just as expected.
Unknown guys went inside, and they weren’t going to pass up the chance to pin this on us?
A laugh escaped me at their all-too-predictable behavior.
“Has he lost his mind? Let’s see if you can still laugh like that even when you’re dragged off to prison… H-Huh!”
Of course.
It didn’t take long for them to shut their mouths after seeing the IDs we presented.
“Y-You are… officers?”
“As you can see, I am Second Lieutenant Enoch Levandal, belonging to the 3rd Magic Battalion. I legitimately took action regarding the fire that occurred while I was visiting the city.”
“Ah…!!”
“Is there a problem?”
Even a second lieutenant, the lowest rank among officers, is of a different class altogether compared to garrison soldiers who are merely local warrant officers or enlisted men.
Thugs might not care about such things and still mess with them, but the garrison, being a legitimate security organization, applies the Ukranian Army’s rank system in the same way.
In other words, I was clearly their superior.
If they wanted to argue with me, they’d have to bring someone like Guard Captain Lamur, whom they so readily suck up to.
As if showing that fact without reservation, the garrison soldier who had been speaking menacingly just moments ago cautiously approached me.
“W-We will first need to verify your identity.”
The visibly intimidated guy alternately checked my ID and my face.
“What is this!? You look different!! Are you mocking me by forging official documents!? Arrest these guys and take them away immediately!!”
“Yes-!!”
Huh? What the hell.
This isn’t how it was supposed to go?
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“Identity verified. We apologize for the discourtesy.”
Fortunately, because Lumia hadn’t made any disguises apart from wearing a robe, we were able to clear up the suspicion faster than expected.
“Why did you suddenly dye your hair?”
“I had my reasons.”
The garrison soldier who had announced that the suspicion was completely cleared tilted his head in confusion.
I couldn’t exactly say it was to avoid the city’s criminal organization.
“Well… there are people among us who dye their hair as a hobby too, I guess.”
Since it was just hair dye, the garrison soldiers seemed to dismiss it casually.
“But why did a fire suddenly break out in the perfectly fine Guild Master’s building?”
“Guard Captain Lamur said it was Shakov destroying evidence. When he tried to seize and search the ledgers, the Guild Master brazenly set it on fire.”
So, that’s the narrative they decided to go with.
Knowing the whole story, I couldn’t help but scoff at the explanation.
“Was the Guild Master involved in corruption or something?”
“Isn’t that what merchants always do? They only know how to fill their own bellies.”
“Has the suspect been apprehended?”
“Yes, fortunately, we arrested him on the spot as a flagrant offender. He’s being interrogated in the basement right now.”
I exchanged glances with Lumia.
Understanding my meaning, she suddenly clutched her forehead and frowned.
“Ugh… Just a moment, I suddenly have a terrible headache…”
Lumia swayed. It felt as though she was genuinely about to faint.
“I think I used too much mana while suppressing the fire earlier…”
“Ah, the medical unit is right outside, if you go straight down the left corridor.”
“It’s my first time at the garrison barracks, so honestly, I don’t really know my way around. C-Could you possibly… guide me?”
When she showed a pitiful expression, the greatly flustered garrison soldier gulped.
What difference would men be anywhere?
Even I, as their squad leader, would sometimes be captivated by her looks, so if Lumia came at them with that kind of appeal, there wouldn’t be a male alive who could resist.
“Why don’t you go for a bit, Lumia. I’ll be outside having a smoke.”
“T-Then I’ll just escort you there.”
“Squad Leader, I apologize. I’ll get treatment quickly and come back.”
Acting that was near perfection.
I watched the two of them disappear down the opposite corridor for a moment, then went down the stairs.
It was the time when garrison soldiers would be on patrol.
Only a minimal number of personnel would be left in the barracks, so I was able to reach the basement without any particular restrictions.
‘According to the facility map I saw when entering, the detention cells should be around here…’
While I was wandering around for a moment, the sound of footsteps began to be heard not far away.
Could it be personnel stationed in the barracks?
I opened the door that was right in front of me, and a storage room filled with miscellaneous items appeared.
I went inside without delay and hid myself.
Soon, following the footsteps, the content of the conversation they were having also became clearly audible.
“…So, what do you plan to do?”
“Isn’t the evidence already secured? Merchants are bound by money rather than loyalty, so if they don’t want to get screwed themselves, they’ll play dumb about Shakov.”
“We just need to keep him locked up until the National Military Police takes the bait.”
“Right, don’t treat him too roughly. It’ll be a problem if they nitpick.”
A familiar voice.
It was Guard Captain Lamur’s voice, which I had heard at the Guild Master’s building.
Since they were talking about Shakov, it seemed that place was indeed the detention cells.
Since the Belgo Fortress investigation had already begun, Lamur must have quickly heard the news that the National Military Police had arrived.
‘He’s crafted a scenario quite well for himself.’
Of course, he probably couldn’t have imagined that a second lieutenant cooperating with the National Military Police was witnessing the entire situation.
If even I had come here without knowing anything, I might have believed the story that Guild Master Shakov was responsible for everything.
“By the way, I heard a magic officer suppressed the fire at the Guild Master’s building?”
“Yes, we just finished the identity verification a moment ago. He’s from the 3rd Magic Battalion.”
“3rd Magic Battalion? What’s his name?”
“Enoch Levandal… He had black hair.”
“Black hair, then it’s probably not that bastard.”
“Is there someone you’re looking for separately?”
“No, not me, but my younger brother is looking for him.”
Anyone could tell it was about the story of when I and Bel cleaned up the thugs last time.
‘Ha, it’s not just the garrison, but the Guard Captain himself is the backer? That’s why they run rampant.’
It was a revealing moment that showed why the city’s security forces were in such a state.
I don’t know who the city lord is, but they’re not managing internal affairs at all?
If this was a real game, I would have dismissed not only the city lord but also all related officials.
‘Should I just take them down right now?’
I still had the National Military Police insignia that Major Lanister had given me.
The conversation I had just heard was enough to drive that Guard Captain out of his mind, but… I decided to wait for the next opportunity.
Only a killing blow.
I needed a massive killing blow, a giant spear, to send the Guard Captain, the city lord, and the Guild Master all down in one go, as a set.
Getting entangled in petty squabbles and sending them off in a half-hearted way isn’t what I want.
I couldn’t just waste the opportunity that Major Lanister, someone from the National Military Police, had created for me.
“…S-Sir… I…”
“…Keep it…”
I confirmed Lamur’s voice fading into the distance, then cautiously opened the storage room door and slipped out.
The corridor was silent.
I moved stealthily and swiftly in the direction where the footsteps had come from.
A sense I had momentarily forgotten resurfaced, and my footsteps became much lighter.
Yes, this was it.
Memories I had briefly lost. I entrusted my body to my senses and dashed through the corridor like the wind.
Naturally, there were no guards.
They probably couldn’t imagine that some crazy bastard would infiltrate the garrison barracks and come all the way down to the detention cells.
I successfully infiltrated the detention cells without difficulty.
I checked the Guild Master, who was slumped down between the empty iron bars, and approached him.
As my shadow flickered across the swaying torchlight, Shakof raised his head.
“…Who are you?”
“Shhh, keep it quiet.”
I held out the National Military Police insignia to the Guild Master and said.
“If you don’t want to be falsely accused and dragged off to the capital, tell me only the truth.”
Shakov’s eyes widened as he confirmed the National Military Police insignia.
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