Chapter 7: The Blood Circulation Slows
“It is you after all, isn’t it?”
The one who called me to the café was Sophia.
She looked completely different from the last time I saw her. Sitting elegantly before me, she carried an air of someone who had survived numerous battles and hardships.
“…The way you summoned me here means, well, it’s that sort of thing, right?”
Though it was almost certain, I still asked for confirmation.
My suspicions had been on point, and they could lead to the worst possible scenario.
“Yes.”
Sophia admitted easily, showing no intention of hiding it.
“As expected of you, Vim. When did you first realize it?”
“Uh, well, from the beginning, actually. The procedures you asked me to follow were a bit odd… and then, your background was suspicious too. But I had no solid proof, and I knew you were helping the three of them, so I was unsure what to do.”
“I was troubled too. Just when I thought a delicious prey had rolled into my lap, it turned out to be not so simple.”
“Should I be happy that my parting gift was useful…?”
Sophia smiled a mysterious smile.
Her smile was small, but it carried a deep melancholy, showing that she had walked a path different from mine.
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And then she crossed her ring and pinky fingers, saying,
“I’ve set up a barrier. This is a conversation we don’t want overheard.”
“You really do things like a con artist…”
“Because I am a con artist.”
She said it matter-of-factly. Then she took out a piece of paper from her small bag and held it out to me.
“Here. With just your magical imprint here, all the assets of the ‘Dragon’s Wing’ will be transferred to me.”
Seeing the paper, I thought, as expected.
–The adventurer guild’s legal system before the introduction of the non-affiliation period was horrible.
Minerals, ores, jewels, magic stones, even water, food, and maps themselves. The resources of the labyrinth were diverse, and the parties that held rights to them came in many forms.
In the early days of the adventuring profession, all sorts of fraud took advantage of the vagueness of the rules and frameworks. Among these, the method of infiltrating parties with agents to legitimately steal assets and rights from within was particularly rampant. This was hard to crack down on, and each addition of new rules only made the system more complex, creating more opportunities for fraud.
Therefore, the adventurer guild once abolished all the rules and reorganized the system based on the premise of a non-affiliation period.
This completely established the framework of the party system and tied the legs of those who sought to profit from moving between parties.
However, even in modern times, human malice doesn’t disappear from the root. Fraud continued, changing its methods and scale, sending agents into parties.
As Sophia was now trying to do.
“Young parties are easy targets. With Chronos as he is, I thought it was a windfall, but it turned out to be quite troublesome.”
“Heh… A long time ago, I was really eager to protect the party, so I went through and set up all sorts of complex systems.”
“It was intentional, after all. No matter which route I took, it always required not just Chronos’ personal verification but also your magical imprint.”
“I got fired suddenly, so I couldn’t revert it all the way. But it’s not inconvenient unless a con artist tries to move a huge amount through irregular procedures. So I left it. Never thought it would actually catch someone.”
“A bit… frustrating.”
Sophia said with a smile.
If you looked at it skeptically, she was suspicious from the start.
First of all, the way she joined the ‘Dragon’s Wing’ was too simple. Like me, moving between parties usually involves more caution and evaluation, involving others.
Especially if a high-skilled adventurer leaves a party, it always becomes a topic somewhere, leading to a bidding war for salaries using the non-affiliation period. Someone should have known Sophia and there should have been some commotion.
But there was no such trace. Even the party she previously belonged to was uncertain.
Additionally, deciding to join ‘Dragon’s Wing’ immediately after I left, despite the non-affiliation period, was strange.
It’s one thing for a historic, large party like ‘Night Dragonflies,’ but for a relatively unknown new party, it’s reckless.
…Well, the most reckless one is Chronos, though.
Each element at best seemed suspicious. It could simply mean she was whimsical and careless. But meeting her, it was clear she was knowledgeable about the guild’s rules and smart enough to use them strategically.
That made her actions inconsistent with her intelligence.
Moreover, she stayed with ‘Dragon’s Wing’ despite knowing its disarray, which was even more suspect.
And if she pressed me for an unnecessary signature under the guise of ‘handover,’ it was all the more so.
“…Sophia, you seemed like a very good person. In fact, I think the three of them were greatly helped by you.”
“That’s what con artists do. They appear to be the perfect good person.”
“But there was no problem with that. Because if my safeguard worked, you were just a failed con artist and a competent helper.”
I was talking fast,
worried if she could understand.
“Vim, you’re very practical. This will make things easier.”
Seeing her face, I realized something.
I was talking fast because I wanted to delay.
“Let’s get to the point, Sophia.”
The facts were already clear. We both had been acting as if we didn’t know each other’s motives because that was easier. Everything would eventually fall into place if left alone.
But she called me out.
She wasn’t here to beg me to imprint my magic. Her demand could be easily dismissed by me. It would end there.
So, Sophia must have a bargaining chip.
“What is the deal?”
This was the main point.
From an outsider’s view, I was already quite fortunate. Wealth wasn’t a bargaining chip. Knowing the ‘Dragon’s Wing’ situation and my nature, revenge was also off the mark.
Then, what was the bargaining chip?
Something that works for me.
I had an idea.
Rita Heinckes’ “Please Take care to Laura” was a hint. She was intentionally hinting to hit me where it hurt.
I didn’t want to believe it. It was just suspicion with no solid evidence, so I avoided that leap.
Combine two elements.
The recent unnatural advances of the ‘Dragon’s Wing’ and the special-class dark map created by sacrifices like Laura.
Sophia took out a bundle of papers.
“These are transaction records between ‘Dragon’s Wing’ and ‘Twilight Owl.’ Chronos bought dark maps. Our recent successes largely rely on these dark maps.”
Her eyes were steady.
She knew how I would take this fact, and she was confident it was a strong bargaining chip.
If this was true, I–
“Beastkin under ‘Night Dragonflies’s’ protection were sent to the labyrinth at Chronos’ request. Several dark maps were already made and used, costing at least dozens of lives.”
–would bear a significant responsibility.
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“Chronos must find it easy. He’s not exploring unknown places; he knows the safe paths and the threats. Even if the exploration fails, he can just copy the dark map onto the report and take the credit.”
“…Does that even, uh, turn a profit?”
“No, not at all. The dark map is worth so much that minor achievements don’t even matter.”
“Well, you sell it because it’s more profitable than using it yourself, right…”
My mouth still moves. My head is still working.
But the blood flow keeps getting worse. The question of responsibility wanders in and out of my mind.
Before reaching a conclusion, I decide to try and defend myself.
All the direct causes are Chronos’s fault, and the root of all evil is the Twilight Owl, who creates and sells the dark maps. I haven’t done anything.
So blaming me is completely misguided. This can’t be used as a bargaining chip. Do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with me.
That’s what I thought, but yeah, it’s no good.
I’m undeniably a part of it.
It’s not a matter of ethics or law; it’s just a fact.
If I had made a different choice, Laura wouldn’t have suffered like that. The other victims might still be alive.
What particularly came to mind was Laura’s smile directed at me.
“Lord Vim! Lord Vim!”
What was it again? Did I want to seem like a good person?
What a self-serving act.
Even though it’s all my fault.
It’s unshakable. Because it’s a fact. There’s an unchangeable causal relationship where someone was hurt and died because of me. That’s how it seems to me.
“…Are all the documents true?”
I asked, refusing to give in.
“Yes. They are admissible as evidence in court. I guarantee it as a con artist.”
“What kind of joke is that?”
I check the documents.
Each testimony is meticulously marked with a magic seal.
“Let me confirm, Ms. Sophia. How much has the Dragon’s Wing paid the Twilight Owl?”
“Three hundred thousand Merks have already disappeared. Another three hundred thousand are due in a few months.”
Hmm. Even with some savings, that’s an amount I wouldn’t have considered paying without the reward from defeating the floor Lord.
“…Even with the dark map, Chronos and the others couldn’t defeat the floor Lord. I think they must have used a lot more external help. What do you think?”
“It has been confirmed that multiple civilians and adventurers were hired with money and used as decoys. This was led by a man named Geleon from the Twilight Owl, but Mr. Chronos also agreed to it. The details of the transactions and amounts are written in the back of the documents.”
I cross-check this information. I judged it to be true as well.
With this, the facts are confirmed.
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OK, I admit, Sophia being con artist is an unforeseen development. My respect to author. Chronos being trash is something everyone already knows though.