第１５１４堀：色々聞きつつ美味しい物で盛り上がる (Part1)
Chapter 1514: Inquiring and Indulging in Delicacies
Side: Yuki
"Ah, my apologies. I am not intimately familiar with the location, but I have heard that a hidden treasure lies within a cave located in the mountains held by Vinoshia."
Upon hearing this information from Canary, my wives responded immediately...
"““Suspicious.””"
"No, I am not lying, I assure you!"
Canary tilted her head, taken aback by the sudden dismissal. Well, it’s only natural she’d be confused when told she’s suspicious right after being told she’s trusted. It’s a bit of a non-sequitur.
However, from our perspective, we cannot simply take it at face value. Given that the dark guild we are dealing with likely has ties to a Dungeon Master, the mention of a "hidden treasure" in a cave sounds like...
"What do you think, dear?"
"We don't have enough information yet. Canary, may I ask for more details?"
"Yes, of course. Though, I’m afraid I don't know very much."
Canary tilted her head again as she replied. It seems she isn't relaying this with any ulterior motive. Well, it’s unlikely they would feed information to a princess just to set a trap for us. I questioned her again.
"When did you first hear about this treasure?"
"When? It has been a topic of conversation for a long time—ever since I was a small child, actually."
"Does that include the specifics? Like the fact that it’s in the mountains, or the details about the cave?"
"The location? Let me see... come to think of it, I heard about the specific location just before I was sold."
"I see."
That makes a trap seem highly probable. The others seemed to reach the same conclusion, their expressions turning grave.
"Could it be that the information was kept secret, or perhaps it was simply too difficult to locate?"
"That is possible. But what bothers me is that you heard it just before being sold. It’s not exactly a fond memory, but when were you actually sold into slavery?"
Knowing who told her is important, but the timing is even more critical. Whether she was sold recently or a long time ago changes the entire meaning of this information.
"I believe it was about a year ago. Now that you mention it, if they knew the location, one would wonder why they didn't send an exploration party. But given the chaos of that time, I doubt they could have organized a treasure-hunting expedition."
"In other words, you were told the location only after Vinoshia had fallen. And why were you the only one sold? You had been on the run for nearly five years, hadn't you?"
The fact that she was sold a year ago is already unnatural. How does someone who has been hiding for five years get caught only a year ago?
"I don't know the details myself. When I fled the country, I was hidden away through the connections of a merchant who served the royal family. But just before I was sold a year ago, I was told about the treasure."
"I see. So there was some sort of transaction involved."
Honestly, I could come up with a mountain of theories, but I can't narrow it down yet. Perhaps the other royals were disposed of, or maybe they were sold off as well. Hiding a former royal is a massive liability, even for a merchant. But since there have been no reports of other Vinoshia royals being captured or killed, should I assume they are still alive?
*Wait, wait.* I just told myself it was useless to speculate.
"Alright, there’s no point in dwelling on the 'why' right now. Do you know where you were hiding? If we find that, we might be able to pinpoint the treasure's location."
"No, I was always transported in a carriage with the curtains drawn, and I never stepped foot outside the garden. It was the same when I was sold."
Right, that’s a standard precaution. They wouldn't risk revealing the location of the people hiding them, especially since they were the ones who destroyed the country. If it got out, the merchants would be ruined along with them. Normally, the best course of action would be to keep her hidden there forever.
Yet, considering that, even putting a former princess up for sale is a dangerous move. Unless they were forced to abandon her in a hurry, it’s natural to assume that the goal was to bring Canary out into the world. In other words, the objective might be to leak the information about the treasure to the public. After all, for those who sold the princess, the treasure information wouldn't pay off their debts or restore the country. It’s too unnatural.
We need to gather information from the slave-trading side as well. Getting through to them via Bamai-dono might be difficult, but having Mikos handle the negotiations is a certainty.
Oh, the silence seems to be making Canary nervous.
"I see. Can you narrow down the location of this supposed treasure based on what you know?"
"Yes. Since the conditions are a cave in the mountains, there aren't that many candidates. That is why I was told not to speak of it until the time was right—until the sale was finalized."
"Naturally. I have one question, though: you told the slave traders about this, didn't you?"
"Yes. If I hadn't, they wouldn't have trusted me at all."
"Do you know if they sent an exploration party or anything of the sort?"
I understand Seraria’s line of thought. There’s a non-zero chance the slave traders have already found the treasure and are now just selling off an empty shell of a princess. They could make any excuse they wanted, regardless of whether the treasure exists or not. Given when she was captured, it’s entirely possible.
"I don't know. Even when I was with the slave traders, I was forbidden from going outside."
"Well, I suppose that’s to be expected. If they went out of their way to sell you... no, that’s just speculation. But logically, we should assume the treasure hasn't been found yet. If it turned out to be empty, the slave traders would face backlash."
"I believe that is correct."
Canary affirmed Seraria’s words. It’s true that they could spin it any way they like, but being accused of defrauding buyers isn't good for the slave traders. In that sense, auctioning off a former princess carries nothing but risk.
...It really is strange. Why was Canary sold? It’s almost as if she’s bait to lure us out. Does that mean this auction is targeting us?
No, no, that’s jumping to conclusions. We weren't even planning on participating in this auction to begin with.