落とし穴外伝：犯人現る (Part2)
"I am currently planning to undertake a certain venture, and I am in the process of raising capital. A small amount will suffice. Say, one or two gold coins—would you be willing to invest? I shall, of course, provide a return once the profits are realized."
"..."
We stood in silence, stunned by the sheer audacity of his solicitation.
Still, it was an investment. A request for a loan, which meant it hadn't yet crossed the threshold into outright fraud.
Therefore...
"Hah. You haven't even identified yourself. We have no idea what this 'venture' entails. You cannot expect us to hand over money in such total ignorance. Surely you realize how unreasonable that sounds?"
Prol was doing what was expected, attempting to pin him down and extract a formal admission. That would serve as evidence. The man across from us had to know he was talking nonsense. No adventurer in their right mind would hand over their coin based on this. There had to be more to his scheme—some further bait to lure out the gold.
"Hahaha, fair point. However, if I were to reveal my true identity or the nature of my objectives, there is a risk my plans might be sabotaged. I hope you can appreciate that."
He was still demanding money while offering nothing. The level of insolence was staggering.
"At the very least, you must provide documentation. Without it, we cannot trust you. As it stands, you are nothing more than a common swindler."
Prol continued the dialogue, desperate to force his hand, to make him produce papers or slip up with his words. But even now, no adventurer would be foolish enough to treat this as anything other than a scam.
"You are quite stubborn, aren't you?"
"It is not stubbornness; it is common sense. There isn't a soul in this world who would hand over their money to someone who refuses to identify themselves."
"Phew. Very well. I suppose you are right. Such skepticism is, in its own way, a sign of reliability. I have come from the Kingdom of Swords, and I am acting under the instructions of Yuki-sama, who is fulfilling a request from a Count of that land."
Oh? He was playing the 'Count' card now. It was absurd enough that someone from such a high-ranking house would be begging adventurers for pocket change. And to do it here, in Weed, of all places...
But above all, the fact that he dared to invoke Yuki-sama’s name here caused our collective bloodlust to surge.
"And you expect us to believe that?"
Prol scoffed. He had named the Kingdom of Swords, but he hadn't specified which Count. It was only natural to assume he was a fraud.
"Ah, I suppose I have no choice but to make you believe. Otherwise, you’ll find yourselves in a world of pain. The knights behind me have been granted special authorization, you see."
At those words, the 'knights' standing in the rear—for reasons unknown—drew their swords from their scabbards.
Wait. How were they even carrying weapons in Weed...?
"You are forbidden from using weapons, yet we are permitted to do so. Surely you see that this is a simple, undeniable fact?"
He smiled and took a step toward us. We tried to retreat, but our backs were already pressed against the wall.
"So, how about it? Will you lend me the money? Three gold coins—no, let's make it four. After all, I’ve told you more than I should have."
Before I could even process the absurdity, Prol moved instantly, slamming into the piece of filth who had been doing the talking. Simultaneously, Hovis grabbed the heads of the sword-wielding 'knights' behind him and forced them face-first into the ground.
"Orelia, Yayui, disarm them."
"Understood."
We followed the order, snatching the swords from the knights' hands. That was when it finally hit me.
These were replicas. Nothing more than wood painted to look like steel.
"D-don't mess with me! Do you have any idea what you're doing to us? The Kingdom of Swords, Yuki-sama will... Ghu-ah!"
The scumbag, who had been punched, clearly hadn't been hit with full force, as he tried to scramble up and shout, but Prol was on him in an instant, pinning his head against the wall.
"Sagianai! I am arresting you for fraud involving the misuse of a noble's name, threatening others with weapons, and—most of all—for impersonating Yuki-sama!"
She shouted it with a roar of fury I had never heard from her before.
Perhaps drawn by the commotion, people began to swarm the area.
"Huh? Why are Yayui and the others here?"
Lari, who had likely been conducting her own investigation, arrived on the scene.
Now that we had the perpetrators in custody, the only question was how far the rot went. We could mobilize the adventurers openly now; we would get to the bottom of this.
A swindler never reveals the crucial details. We had to be patient until we secured a full confession.
Or perhaps, is it true that a swindler never actually lies?
Regardless, one thing was certain: this was going to be a massive headache.