落とし穴外伝：情報収集の基本は酒場
**Dungeon Side Story: The Basics of Information Gathering is the Tavern**
**Side: Hovis**
We began our trek after receiving information from those "good-hearted" thugs, but the area was… blatantly awful.
"It stinks, doesn't it?" I said, pinching my nose. Because it really did. It reminded me of the back alleys in the town I used to live in.
"…Trash is just scattered about as if it’s normal. There doesn't seem to be any sign of cleaning," Orelia noted. As she said, it hadn't been cleaned in quite a while. But the children are supposed to be cleaning these areas…
"The 'good' thugs from earlier said they were doing guard duty in dangerous places. That implies it’s not a regular occurrence, right?"
"Ah, you're right. Now that you mention it, I can't imagine it’s never been cleaned. If it were left alone forever, there would be even more trash."
When you put it that way, it makes sense. If no one were throwing trash away, it would have piled up like a mountain. Still…
"We can't just let a place like this exist. We have to contact Milly-sama and Guild Master Rock," I insisted.
"Yes. You’re right, Hovis. There’s no reason for such a filthy place to exist in Weed." Orelia nodded immediately.
Exactly. We can’t let our Weed become a den for scum. Even if those thugs were guarding the place out of concern for the children, the location itself should be eradicated. I’ll have to mention this to Yuki-san and Seraria-sama as well.
"That’s something to discuss with Yuki-sama and the others. Did you record it? You can’t just rely on words alone."
"Yes, I have it covered," Yayui replied firmly. She must have used her camera function to capture the evidence. She’s always so diligent when it’s not related to Yuki-sama.
"Now, as unpleasant as it is, our objective is at the end of this alley."
"..."
That’s right. We still had to walk through this. Ugh, I felt like the air itself was going to soil my clothes, let alone the ground. But I couldn't say I wanted to turn back, so I steeled myself and pushed through the path of garbage. That’s when I noticed a suspiciously blatant sign.
"This is the tavern we’re looking for. But why would the victimized adventurers come to a place like this?"
"Who knows? Maybe they wandered in, or happened to be exploring on a day when cleaning was scheduled. Or maybe they were lured in…"
"Um, Prof-san? If they were lured in, doesn't that mean it was coordinated with the cleaning schedule?"
"..."
We all fell silent at Yayui’s sharp observation. That would mean the Adventurer Guild might be involved.
"Nothing is confirmed yet. Don't speak based on wild assumptions. Those thug-like people would see hell if you're wrong."
We nodded silently at Prof-san’s words. If someone from the Adventurer Guild was acting as a guide, it would truly be a massive problem.
"In the past, merchants who handled individual or small-scale transport to Rumel were often targeted. That was…"
"…I’ve heard of that. They said staff from Weed’s Adventurer Guild were leaking information."
I’d heard of it too. Actually, Milly-sama had complained about it like a rant when we were drinking together.
"Of course, it wasn't just the staff in Weed; the guilds and adventurers in Rumel and the transit towns were involved, but the root of it was the staff here in Weed. Milly-sama was apparently furious."
That’s only natural. She was working so hard to help Yuki-sama, so it’s no wonder she’d be angry that her own subordinates were tripping her up.
"To verify that, let’s go in."
Putting those unpleasant thoughts aside, we entered the tavern.
"Welcome."
Surprisingly, a staff member greeted us normally. The interior looked like a somewhat stylish bar, and there were already a few customers inside. We took a seat at an empty table…
"What would you like?"
"Four recommendations."
"Understood."
Prof-san ordered safely. Then, she looked around at us. "Be careful with what is served. There’s a possibility it contains drugs."
"Understood." Orelia replied on our behalf, and we all nodded. Taverns like this are capable of colluding with criminals to strip you of everything you have. Sleeping pills are prescribed for insomnia at hospitals, and Rurua-sama says the combo with alcohol is the worst, so it’s dangerous. Everything depends on how it’s used.
As we were discussing this, the staff member returned with the drinks.
"Thank you for waiting. Today’s recommendation is a Mimosa made with oranges."
The drinks were poured beautifully into elegant glasses that didn't match the exterior of the shop at all. While I was wondering about that, Prof-san spoke to the staff member.
"Mind if I ask a question?"
"Yes, what would it be?"
"We found this tavern by chance, but isn't the outside terrible? The atmosphere is so different from inside."
I thought that was a bit too direct, but the staff member didn't seem offended and answered.
"Ah, yes. That is a source of worry. However, because of that, the land rent here is cheap, and it’s easy to rent. Because of that—here is the menu."
When we looked at the menu he handed over:
"Oh, it’s cheap," Yayui said honestly. Looking at the menu, it was indeed cheap—about 20% lower than a normal shop.
"Yes, we can offer it cheaply. However, as you mentioned, the location is what it is, so not many people come. It’s mostly newcomers with no money or adventurers trying to save. I wish it were a bit cleaner."
"Why don't you talk to the town office or the Adventurer Guild?"
"We have, but they say doing it regularly is the best they can do. They can't send children here every single day."
That’s true. They can't just assign cleaning duties here every day. But there was something suspicious.
"If you just collect the trash and put it out on the designated days, it wouldn't get this dirty, right?"
As Yayui said, the administration properly collects trash, so if people followed the rules, it wouldn't get this filthy.
"This shop does that, but it seems the others don't. There are a lot of rough types, and well…"
"In other words, the public order is poor."
"Unfortunately. Though, even here, it’s overwhelmingly better than other countries. Cleaning crews do come by regularly." The staff member said with a wry smile.
The more we talked, the more mysterious it became. Did this person know nothing, or were they just not talking? How should I press them? No, I should try to probe like Prof-san.
"I see~. There’s a lot going on. Well, if it’s cheap, that’s all the better. You mentioned there were other shops, are there any that handle weapons or armor?"
"Yes, there are. Like this shop, it’s hard to find unless you get close, but there’s a weapon shop two doors down."
"That’s good to hear~. I’ll go check it out later. Oh, and I heard this place was 'dangerous'—in what way is it dangerous? Do you know anything?"
"That’s simple. As you said, the public order is poor, so there are many troubles. Because it’s cheap, there are many fakes unless it’s food or drink. You need a sharp eye and the ability to discern lies."
"I see~. So it’s not much different from the outside world~."
"That’s right. Now, other customers have arrived, so please excuse me."
My conversation ended as other customers entered. We sipped our Mimosas…
"There are no drugs or magic in the drinks."
"So this shop itself is clean?"
"No, it’s dangerous to conclude that. They might be leaking information. Like telling someone about us who just arrived."
"I see. The location isn't fixed to just this spot, after all."
The area where the damage occurred was the whole neighborhood. It wasn't like the fraud only happened at the tavern.
"Still, this place where the trash piles up is strange. Does the Adventurer Guild know? Milly-sama, and Yuki-san and the others… Well, I’ll ask about that later. First, let’s catch the swindler. That is our goal. We mustn't lose sight of that."
"Yes. But what now?"
"Let’s show our faces at the weapon shop Hovis found out about."
And so, after gathering some light information at the tavern, we returned to the filthy street to search for hidden gems, just like adventurers.
The classic place to gather information. Even so, the type of information changes depending on where you drink. You have to be careful about that.