Chapter 65 – Decoys and Hostages

“…My apologies. Thank you for accompanying us until our return.”

“Not at all. I’m just glad everyone is safe.”

We returned to the stone monument at the labyrinth entrance.

Mercedes and the exploration team were all unharmed. We had also decided to withdraw since I was concerned about whether Irmhild was unsettled.

The door still wouldn’t open no matter how much we pushed or pulled it. To begin with, I don’t know how to open that door.

I considered using High-Tier Magic to smash it open… but I don’t know if that would even work, and even if I could easily destroy the door, if that girl was on the other side, I couldn’t act recklessly.

“With trees shaking all over the place in complete darkness… That was really tough.”

“And I don’t wanna eat mushrooms for a while…”

The soldiers sat down on the spot and sighed with relief.

“You all. I’ll allow you to rest, but remember we’re in public. Don’t let yourselves look sloppy.”

Gently chastised by Mercedes, the soldiers hurriedly straightened their postures.

…It seems I’ve earned the trust of the exploration team soldiers. Since she offered to use her own pocket money for our Request fee, the soldiers probably feel indebted to her.

I proposed accompanying them until their return for a Reward of 100 kirig. Well… I think that’s exceptionally cheap for an Escort Request. Even if they say it’s too cheap, this is about the labyrinth after all.

I don’t like taking advantage of others in life-or-death situations. That said, working for free isn’t good either, so that’s the price I set.

“My apologies again. I’ll definitely bring the Request fee, perhaps tomorrow.”

“There’s no need to rush, though.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. However—I must report to the Royal Castle today. I’ll definitely mention Theodore-dono’s name as the discoverer.”

Though we found the door at the same time.

To begin with, finding the sealed door was just a prerequisite – there are probably various things beyond that, so I don’t think there’s any credit to claim.

“Could you wait a bit before going to report?”

“…Why?”

“It would be more convenient if we could save some trouble, right?”

Leading a puzzled-looking Mercedes, I headed to the Adventurer Guild lobby.

As usual, Heather sat behind the Counter and greeted us with a smile.

“Hello, Theodore-san. And everyone else too.”

“Hello, Heather-san. I’d like to buy a sheet of paper if you have one.”

“Paper? Will any kind do?”

“Yes.”

Heather tilted her head but still pulled out a stack of paper from under the counter.

“If scrap paper for memos is fine. Of course, I wouldn’t take money for something like this.”

“That helps. I’d also appreciate it if I could borrow some ink.”

“Here you go.”

Taking the paper and ink from Heather, I went to a secluded spot and had Caduceus create a mirror image of the relief, then applied ink to its surface and pressed it like a stamp. When flipped over, it left a perfect copy of that door’s relief.

Coming out from the secluded spot, I handed the relief copy to Mercedes who had been waiting.

“For now, please take this with you.”

“This is…”

Mercedes took the paper, bowed deeply, and left the Guild.

“The Knight Order has it tough too.”

Heather gave a wry smile and returned to organizing the documents in front of her. That she didn’t ask for details was probably because she understood from the incident with Mercedes that the Knight Order didn’t want to be questioned.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? If I had met her before, she should be older by now?”

After returning home and resting a bit, when I asked for opinions about what we saw today, Irmhild tilted her head.

“…I don’t think she’s just a child who looks exactly as she appears.”

If she’s a resident of the labyrinth side, even if she looks like a human child… to be frank, anything is possible.

“Either way, if she can escape like that, capturing her would be difficult.”

“She didn’t feel like an enemy, after all. There’s also the question of what we would do if we caught her.”

“But she might not be an ally either.”

To begin with, since we don’t know her purpose for acting, it’s hard to make a judgment.

It looked like she guided us to that door, but it could also be seen that she panicked and ran away after being detected by Sheila or Irmhild’s detection abilities.

“Either way, we have no choice but to put it on hold for now.”

Sheila said.

“Well… that’s true. Irm, are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah. I’m fine. I’m not the type to worry about small details to begin with.”

When asked, Irmhild smiled as usual.

“…Thank you, Theodore-kun.”

“I don’t think I’ve done anything worthy of thanks.”

“No. We’re definitely gaining more clues, and I feel like we’re moving forward.”

She shook her head.

“So really, don’t worry about me.”

Saying this, Irmhild tilted the teacup containing the tea Grace had brewed.

“…Still.”

Sheila, who had been listening nearby, spoke up.

“This house is cool and comfortable. Even before returning, going outside feels like a chore.”

I wondered what she meant.

The area in front of the Ice Pillar created in the bucket had become her regular spot recently.

Since I was using Wind Magic to circulate the air in the room, staying near the ice provided considerable coolness.

Irmhild smiled faintly at Sheila’s unguarded appearance, something rarely seen outside.

“Would you two like to stay for dinner as well?”

Ashley, standing in the kitchen, asked with a smile.

“Mmm… I have a payment to make at the Thieves Guild.”

As she spoke, Sheila’s ears drooped. Her expression was the same as usual, but she seemed quite disappointed. Well, I get it. Ashley’s cooking is delicious too.

Regular tribute payments to the Thieves Guild, huh.

The term “tribute to the guild” doesn’t give a good impression, but in practice, it’s more like membership fees. The strict handling of arrears and the difficulty of quitting are the main issues.

So, Sheila and Irmhild spent some time at the house, then as the sun set and it cooled down, they returned to the West District.

—Or so it should have been.

Shortly after starting dinner preparations, someone knocked on the door, and when I went out, Sheila and the others had returned.

“…Did something happen?”

I thought they might have forgotten something, but since both had stiff expressions, I invited them inside before asking for details.

“We’re being followed.”

After closing the door, Sheila said apologetically…

“I don’t think of it as you getting me involved.”

“…Thank you.”

Since she seemed concerned, I should state it clearly.

It would be foolish to optimistically think that someone hostile toward them might be favorable toward me.

Even if that were the case, if they lay hands on my companions, I would consider them enemies and act accordingly. We can listen to the circumstances slowly once we judge the threat has been eliminated.

So, coming back immediately was a good decision.

From Sheila’s perspective, she probably thought that if they were attacked where people were sparse, fighting would be somewhat difficult.

It’s not about Sheila or Irmhild’s capabilities. From Sheila’s viewpoint, she’d want to avoid Irmhild returning to her Lamia form and causing a big commotion in the city.

“Caduceus.”

Caduceus, who had been lounging in cat form, became amorphous and went out through the window.

Linking with Caduceus’s vision, I observed the situation around the house. Then—ah, there they are.

They had stationed one person each at the corners… waiting in position to be able to follow us no matter which direction we took from the street in front of our house.

“What will you do?”

“Having the two stay here, then following them when they either give up and go home or switch shifts would be good, I think.”

I’d like to capture and interrogate them immediately, but even if I did, there’s no guarantee they wouldn’t feed me false information. First and foremost, simply following someone isn’t necessarily a crime in itself. Having to respond defensively is somewhat troublesome, though.

“Should I—become the decoy?”

Sheila placed her hand on her chest as she spoke.

“Decoy meaning?”

“I go out walking alone and observe their movements.”

“Sheila-chan, that’s dangerous.”

“But it would be faster. We could also determine to some extent whether they’re after me or Irmhild.”

“Then, I’ll—”

At Irmhild’s words, Sheila shook her head.

“This kind of thing is my specialty. Things like not letting them realize we’ve noticed we’re being followed would be impossible for Irmhild.”

Saying this, she looked toward me. When asked, I considered it.

Certainly, Sheila’s proposal has… some merit, that’s true. But exposing a companion to danger, well…

If I’m going to let her be the decoy, I’d want to ensure her safety first.

“…I have several conditions, though.”

If Sheila accepts them, I could give permission.

“…Don’t make a sound. Come with us.”

Pressing a blade against Sheila’s back as she crouched down, the man spoke.

The followers made their move after we entered the West District where there were fewer people.

Partly because Sheila had chosen a less crowded path, pretended to drop something, and deliberately stopped.

Sheila was probably just testing their reaction, but the other side saw it as an opportunity and immediately tried to abduct her.

…They move quickly. You could even call it hasty, but do they have some urgent reason?

She obediently raised both hands and followed the men. The Dagger at her waist was cheap. From the beginning, it was meant to be confiscated, and we’re holding onto the boar tusk dagger here.

Eventually, the place she was taken to was a residential house in the same West District.

As for me—I’m in the night sky. I’m tracking from high above at considerable altitude. Since I’m wearing black clothing, spotting me from below would be extremely difficult.

Grace is in her Released Form, waiting at home. Ashley is fully armed, Irmhild has released her human form, and they’re all in combat readiness in case the house is stormed at any moment.

That said, they probably think I’m at home too. Since there were few followers, it’s unlikely they would use force against our base.

As for Sheila… Caduceus is attached to her like clothing and is constantly in Defense stance, so a blade like that couldn’t even scratch her.

…The drawback of this plan is that when I link senses, I can see information like Sheila’s body shape. …I should try not to think about it too much.

Since she entered the building, I closed my eyes and shifted my senses to Caduceus. Sheila had been led by the men to the basement.

“We caught her.”

“Heh. That was surprisingly easy. Now we can summon that brat too.”

The one who said this with a triumphant smile was… Jasper. I see. A hostage against me, huh. I’m starting to understand why they were in such a hurry.

If they have business with me, I’ll go crush them directly… but I’ll storm in only after properly assessing the situation inside the room.

First, as the culprits… there are several men, probably Jasper’s new adventurer companions. …Fernando doesn’t seem to be here… but there are others tied with ropes to chairs.

The ones tied up are—Mercedes and her exploration team soldiers. And also—hmm? Chester too?

Regardless of the others… why is even Chester captured?