第６２４堀：獣人美人刑事純情派 学生誘拐事件 裏 (Part1)
Chapter 624: Pure-hearted Beastman Detective, Student Kidnapping Case - The Underbelly
Side: Riel
"Alright, let's give it our all today!"
"Ooooh!"
Dressa and Mikos enthusiastically raised their arms in response to my call.
"But, what exactly are we doing? I don't know anything!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Dressa, this is your first time participating, isn't it?"
That's right, we're on a rotation, and today Dressa has joined us in place of Ria.
While we're investigating this town, the three of us are the leaders, so we can't be taken off the case. I'm a bit unhappy that I can't be assigned to guard Yuki-san, but well, this is a job only we can do, so we'll do our best.
With that said, I'll explain to Dressa, who's participating for the first time, what we did yesterday.
"Um, you heard that we seriously started investigating Ounock yesterday, right?"
"Yes."
"First, I'll explain yesterday's results. Tori managed to make arrangements with Viscount Ounock, and we got permission to investigate within the town. If anything comes up, I, Tori, and Kaya can use the forced investigation mandate to take forceful action."
"Oh, really? So you can investigate to your heart's content then."
"I see. So you're going to barge in one by one, huh."
...These two are hopeless.
Even though this is Dressa and Mikos's first time with a full-scale investigation, things could get troublesome later. I need to put my foot down.
"Um, this mandate is a last resort, okay? If you go around investigating every single place so openly, the targets will escape. We'll catch them after verifying the evidence and investigating their connections. If you act rashly, I'll tell Yuki-san, and she'll have you stand by, alright? Understood?"
"Ugh. Understood."
"I-I understand! It was just a joke."
...Mikoss might be fine, but I'm worried about Dressa. Knowing her personality, I hope she won't get carried away by her sense of justice and cause trouble. Can she handle the task of quietly gathering evidence?
Well, if she gets in the way, I can just send her back.
Yuki-san told me to let her gain experience, but she also said to send her back if she becomes a hindrance.
"So, our main job today is to hear from Gudo-san."
"Gudo-san? Come to think of it, you just handed him a letter yesterday and didn't talk at all, did you?"
"Who's Gudo?"
Mikoss saw the exchange yesterday and already knew him, so she wasn't too confused, but Dressa is hearing the name for the first time today, so I need to explain.
"Ah, Dressa, you wouldn't know. He's like the 'Big' of this town."
"Big? The leader of the thugs in Baide?"
"That's right."
When I said that much, Dressa finally seemed to understand what I was trying to do, and she clapped her hands.
"I see. 'The path of the snake is for snakes,' as they say."
"Exactly. 'The baker bakes bread.' It'll be much faster than us investigating."
"But Riel, when did you become acquainted with Big? You haven't made an appearance in Baide, have you?"
"No, that's not entirely true. You see, Baide submitted to Catherine and is practically Weed territory, right? So, I was helping Shera with public safety matters. Well, I actually met Big after I gave birth."
"Ah, so that's why I didn't know."
"That's right. So, when I asked Big if he had any connections regarding this investigation, he said Gudo-san was originally from Baide and was someone he knew."
"Huh. Mikoss, did you know about this?"
"No. Not at all. I just tried not to ask too deeply about Gudo-san. I was just passing along information about the nobles' movements."
Hmm. Just as Yuki-san said, Mikoss's intuition for sensing danger seems quite sharp.
Or maybe Gudo-san is more good-natured than I thought?
Well, the fact that Mikoss is a noble and a student at the magic academy is probably why she's been safe so far. But that's not important right now. Let's focus on the job.
"So, for that reason, we'll first meet with Gudo-san and confirm if these thugs in Ounock have heard anything strange."
"Understood."
"Understood."
And so, once again, we made our way from the back streets into the alleys.
"...The smell is terrible."
"Really?"
As soon as we entered the alley, Dressa wrinkled her nose at the strong odor.
Mikoss, seemingly accustomed to it, tilted her head.
"...I want to scrub it clean with a deck brush."
Wow, is that her innate sense as an intelligence-gathering cleaner?
It's good to see she's working seriously in Weed.
"I understand how you feel, but you can't start cleaning, okay?"
"I know. But seeing places like Baide and Ounock really makes me think Weed is special."
"Cleaning? Is Weed that clean? Or rather, are you the one cleaning?"
"Hm? I told you I'm in charge of various things by Yuki, didn't I? Part of that is gathering information while cleaning. Of course, I also clean seriously, so Weed is spotless."
"Wow. A town like that exists? I always thought alleys were basically like this. I want to visit Weed someday."
"Yuki said it was okay, so you'll probably be able to come soon, right? When you do, I'll show you around the town. It's a return favor for today."
"Thank you, Dressa."
As the two of them were chatting without regard for the situation, a door facing the alley opened, and Gudo-san emerged.
"What are you three doing chatting so amicably out here? I told you not to get involved with unsavory types."
"Thanks to that, it was easy to find you, wasn't it?"
When I said that, his angry expression turned to one of surprise.
"You did it on purpose? Honestly, you're a troublesome young lady. Come inside."
With that, Gudo-san went back through the door, and we followed him. Inside, contrary to the appearance of the back alley, we were guided into a surprisingly clean room.
"Heh. The interior is cleaner than I expected. It's a close match to Big's place."
As Dressa murmured while looking around the room, Gudo-san reacted to her comment.
"You know Big too, young lady... wait, hmm? Hold on a moment, is your name Dressa?"
"Yes, that's right. Was it written in Big's letter or something?"
"...Ah. He said to treat you with utmost respect if you don't want to die."
"Oh, that's quite a rude introduction. I'll complain to Big about it later."
Rude or not, I think it's the truth.
I heard she caused quite a stir during the subjugation of Baide, and that she was tossing enemies around like ragdolls with Aslin, Firia, Labyris, Vilia, and Hiiro.
"That's right. Tell Big about that. And Riel, did you get permission?"
"Yeah. Right here."
I said that and showed him the forced investigation mandate.
"You really teamed up with the Viscount. There must be something that requires this level of action."
"Indeed. So, can you cooperate?"
"I'd like to say yes, but we have to make a living too. First, can you show me the reward?"
"Sure."
I took out ten large bags of flour, five barrels of sake, and a bag containing a considerable amount of money from my item box and placed them in front of Gudo-san.
His eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he quickly approached and turned his face towards me.
"May I see them?"
"Of course."
With that, Gudo-san carefully checked the contents.
He's thorough. This person is in charge of an organization properly.
He's not just some random thug.
"No mistake. You guys, take this to the warehouse."
"Understood."
"Understood."
"Understood."