落とし穴外伝：休みの結末 (Part1)
Pitfall Side Story: The End of the Holiday
The End of the Holiday
Side: Yuki
Barely a single day.
That was all it took for the culprit impersonating me to be apprehended.
That was the report brought to me by Yayoi and the others.
As for the details...
"Ahaha, are they kidding? These guys?"
"Indeed. They are quite ridiculous. Truly."
Lyushi, who was with me as my guard, and Fiora, who had joined us later to relax, were crumpling the report in their hands, clearly incensed.
"The background check is currently being led by the police, with the Adventurer’s Guild, the Commercial Guild, and the diplomatic corps all involved in the investigation. That said, in their own confessions, they claim they just wanted money and that there’s no deeper connection. Well, that’s likely the truth."
After all, their status screens show no ties to nobility or any suspicious organizations.
While there is a non-zero chance they are acting as criminal proxies behind the scenes—much like the nobles in Irinau—these are just commoners with no standing. The most they could manage is petty fraud or some amateur information gathering.
"Is that so?"
Lyushi is still in the middle of training to discern such backgrounds and is still learning the ropes of politics, so it’s natural she wouldn't know. But Fiora seemed to share my assessment...
"That is correct. Even if they intended to stir up trouble in Weed, their actions were small-scale, and there were no others moving in the shadows around them."
"Yeah."
"Others?"
"Right. Just because Yayoi and the others are eager to handle things doesn't mean I leave everything to them. It’s not that I don't trust them, but I have to ensure security. I was tracking the situation while playing games over here."
I opened the call screen and projected the data of the scene's map from that time.
"Oh, is this from when Yayoi-san and the others caught the culprit?"
"Exactly. If it’s within Weed—or rather, within the dungeon—I can track activity logs. I can see who was where. And this, as Lyushi might imagine, is the record of when they made the arrest. If you look at the movement of people in the area at that time, there’s nothing particularly suspicious."
The crowd that gathered for the commotion was just ordinary passersby, or people from the nearby taverns and weapon shops. Even when I scrubbed the information on those further away who hadn't even heard the noise, nothing turned up.
"Wow, you can do something like this?"
"Convenient, isn't it? That’s why I can grasp the presence of anyone suspicious immediately."
"But then, why did you give Yayoi-san and the others permission to investigate? Couldn't you have used this to catch the culprit right away..."
"No, it’s not that simple. Look, you have the audio recording Hovis submitted, right? It was all about cooperation and investment. The fact that they used my name only came to light because of that recording. I can track where the damage occurred, but that doesn't mean I can make an arrest."
"Ah, I see. This record alone wasn't enough evidence."
Exactly. It wasn't enough evidence.
It looks convenient, but it’s always one step short of being a silver bullet.
That said, if I were to collect information constantly, there would be no such thing as privacy.
The private lives of high-ranking officials don't contribute to national defense, but invading the privacy of individuals only invites resentment from the masses.
Well, perhaps the concept of "individual privacy" doesn't really exist in this world yet, but that’s exactly what happens when that sentiment begins to take root.
I’m not saying a managed society is inherently bad, but there must be moderation.
As I was thinking this, Fiora, who had been looking at the data alongside me, spoke up...
"That is how it is. Though, it seems you had already anticipated that something was happening here, Yuki-sama."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Well, Lyushi has been studying hard lately, so I don't know if she’s aware, but this isn't the first time someone has tried to commit fraud by impersonating me."
"Ah, I have heard of that. It’s unforgivable, isn't it?"
"Indeed, it is intolerable."
"At that time, the damage was greater... though it was mostly centered on adventurers, it was a bit more significant than this incident. That’s when we started discussing how criminals have nowhere to run."
"Nowhere to run? What do you mean by that?"
"Perhaps you mean places like slums where outlaws gather?"
"That’s a good way to put it. You’d think, 'That place is scary, I should stay away,' right?"
"Yes, I would think so."
"That’s why I initially moved to ensure no such places were created in Weed. Or rather, I didn't have the luxury to allow them. I was already stretched to the limit just accepting immigrants."
Weed’s foundation lies in its acceptance of war refugees.
In other words, I managed everything thoroughly with the intention of providing everyone with a job and a place to rest.
If refugees were to starve, fall ill, or collapse from overwork, it would damage Weed’s reputation, so I put my heart into it.
"The origins are different, after all. Weed accepted war refugees as citizens. Outlaws and those living in slums are mostly illegal residents. They aren't permitted by the state. It’s impossible for them to just settle in Weed on their own, so it’s impossible for illegal slums to form spontaneously."
"As Fiora says, since only those who were officially permitted came here, there was no foundation for slums to form."
"That’s not a bad thing, is it?"
"Looking at it from that perspective, no. But as I mentioned, there’s no 'hiding place'—or rather, no gathering place—for criminals. If that’s the case, you can understand that they have no choice but to turn existing locations into criminal bases, right? I mean, the people who want to commit those crimes."
"I understand that. Since there are no slums, they have to create such places themselves."
"Right. But since we had planned and built everything here, it’s a problem if those kinds of crimes or 'bad spots' like slums form in existing areas."
"I suppose so. Dressa-sama and the others had some dangerous encounters, didn't they?"
"They did. Well, we were the ones who sent them out to maintain public order, so... I have no excuse. Or rather, I was also thinking about flushing them out."