When I pushed him into the vacant interrogation room, Gantz looked up at me with a frightened expression.
“Wh-what do you want? Mr. Wolf. I haven’t done anything wrong…”
His restless and uneasy demeanor was distressing.
Despite being threatened by Pulppua, Gantz has been refusing to hand over the Tangle-tan file so far.
But Kimberley had mentioned that it was only a matter of time.
Pulppua’s relentless pressure bore down on him relentlessly, gradually wearing away his nerves.
“You’re being blackmailed to obtain the Tangle-tan file for Pulpua, aren’t you?”
Confronted with this sudden revelation, Gantz’s stocky body tensed.
“How did you find out…?”
“I have my own network of information.”
After all, I had a skilled spy at my side.
“Please don’t misunderstand, Mr. Wolf. I told them I didn’t want to do it! But that bastard Pulppua…”
“I know you’ve been trying your best. But isn’t there a limit?”
When I asked that, tears welled up in Gantz’s bearded face.
“They’re trying to make me take some kind of drug. And they even threatened to harm my sister… She’s supposed to get married next year, and yet… ugh…”
“What’s Pulppua’s objective? If you tell me, I can help.”
Even though Gantz hesitated for a while, after some persuasion, he finally seemed to gather his resolve. He began to speak hesitantly and slowly.
“He’s going to be transferred to a settlement in the north in two months, right? Before that happens, it seems like he wants to somehow deal with his magic seal cuffs.”
If he could use magic, he could assert himself even in the settlement. He might be thinking he could take advantage of an opportunity, defeat the security guards, and make an escape.
“Pulppua intends to remove the real magic seal cuffs and replace them with a replica.”
He planned to take off the authentic magic seal restraints so that he could use magic at any time, and then attach a fake one.
“But there’s no way I can agree to such a request, right? If it gets exposed, I’ll be sentenced to death. My original sentence was just three months. And now they want to execute me? Can’t deal with that! Mister Wolf, please help me out.”
Despite claiming he got into a bar fight, it seemed like a set-up altercation.
By chance, his opponent suffered such severe injuries that they ended up blind, and due to excessive self-defense, Gantz received a three-month prison sentence.
However, this guy was a law-abiding craftsman.
If someone like Pulppua, a figure from the criminal underworld, cornered him, there was no doubt he would be in serious trouble.
“I understand. Don’t cry anymore. I’ll help you out. What are they trying to make you do?”
“They want me to convince my dad through a letter and tell this guy named Clave, who’s outside of the prison, to hand over the crafted file.”
“Who is this Clave?”
“I don’t really know, but apparently if you give it to him, it will somehow make its way into the prison.”
Though I didn’t know the details, it seemed that this Clave guy was smuggling external items into Alban prison.
Perhaps Clave was even involved in delivering the White Magic drug that Pulppua and his underlings were peddling.
After hearing all of this, I decided to put my thoughts into action.
It didn’t sit right with me to exploit someone like Gantz who had no connection to this, but both Ms. Fuyu and I were not in a position to be choosy.
“Alright, listen carefully. You’re going to pretend to follow Pulppua’s instructions.”
“But then…”
“Don’t worry. The moment he brings the file into the prison, we’ll arrest him again. I won’t say a word about Gantz, and I’ll make sure the Tangle-tan file is safely returned to your family.”
“Is that true?”
Before returning it, I would like to borrow it in order to cut Ms. Fuyu’s magic seal cuffs…
“Let’s make it seem like it was accidentally discovered, so no one will suspect that Gantz betrayed them. This way, your family won’t be harmed, right?”
Gantz nodded in agreement.
“But, in reality, how does it work? If you have the Tangle-tan file, can you truly break the magic-seal restraints?”
“Yeah, the magic-seal restraints are made of a metal called Ragnum that nullifies magic. This material is quite tough, so it can’t be easily scratched with just any file. However, the hardness of Tangle-tan exceeds that.”
With this in mind, there might be a way to deal with Ms. Fuyu’s magic-seal restraints.
“Alright, I’ll deliver it for you. Your task is to write a letter to your father.”
“A letter?”
“Yes, a letter explaining that you need the Tangle-tan file. If I take it with me, it’ll bypass the censorship. Plus, I can also explain the situation to your family on your behalf.”
“But, you see… giving that to a non-Dwarf race is forbidden by our laws. If I break the law, it won’t just be me, but my family and clan will also be cast out. If that happens, my family’s legacy as blacksmiths will come to an end.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll intervene before it reaches Pulppua. Act like you’re cooperating with Pulppua. That way, there shouldn’t be any violence against you.”
With an anxious expression, Gantz reluctantly accepted my proposal and started writing a letter to his family.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
As I hid in the shadow of the building across the street, I watched as Gantz’s father, following instructions, entered the Clave Trading Company on his own. Despite being a stubborn and hot-tempered man, he reluctantly agreed to take the Tangle-tan file to Clave’s place once he learned that his heir was in danger of being drugged.
I had arranged with Kimberley that if something went wrong, she would signal me while keeping herself hidden. I didn’t think there would be a sudden attack, but as I prepared myself with enhanced physical capabilities and scrolls of fire magic, I kept a close watch on the unfolding events.
The Clave Trading Company was a relatively large establishment. Workers were busy unloading goods in front of the store. It seemed more like a wholesale warehouse than a retail shop. The items being loaded onto the carts were large sacks, but I couldn’t discern their contents. The name of the establishment sounded familiar from somewhere, but I couldn’t quite recall.
After waiting for a while, Gantz’s father emerged from the building unscathed. His face was pale, but he didn’t seem to have sustained any injuries. Seeing him walk straight towards the main street, it appeared he intended to head home as planned. Since I was unaware of whether he was being observed, I decided not to make contact and simply saw him off. However, my attention was drawn to Kimberley, who had entered the building after Gantz’s father. She must have been investigating various things while inside.
It was thirty minutes later when Kimberley returned.
“Hey, Barton. I’m back. I’ve gathered quite a bit of information.”
“As expected of a skilled spy.”
“Let’s find a warmer place to rest and talk. It’s freezing out here, and I’m chilled to the bone. I could really go for some good food.”
Thanks to selling the magic scrolls, my wallet was at least warm. We decided to move to a slightly upscale coffee shop to have a thorough conversation.
I fed Kimberley, hidden within my hat, a roast beef sandwich and let her drink milk tea with a spoon. Finally, she seemed to relax a bit.
“Phew, I’m stuffed, totally stuffed.”
Kimberley patted her belly and let out a satisfied burp.
“Ready to talk now? Tell me about this guy named Clave.”
Kimberley emerged from the hat, adjusting her collar as she settled into a comfortable position, and immediately began to speak.
“Clave is an elf. He pretends to be an upright merchant, but he’s involved in the underworld. After all, he’s the one supplying drugs to Pulppua.”
“What did you say? But how?”
“The contents of the bags they were loading onto the cart. It’s laundry soap.”
“Oh!”
Finally, it clicked in my memory as she explained. I had a vague recollection of the name Clave Trading Company, but it was the supplier of laundry soap to Alban Prison.
“That’s what it is. They’re hiding various things within the laundry soap and smuggling them into Alban Prison.”
Of course, the bags would be inspected, but the management is sloppy. Perhaps the guards in charge of inspections are being bribed or coerced. And overseeing the laundry operations is Pulppua’s group. It seems like a perfect location for them to acquire drugs.
Perhaps Ketch had also realized the connection and was killed in the laundry area. It’s possible there was a struggle over the drug operation.
“Hey, Barton, if we can find out when Clave and the others are planning to deliver their next shipment to Alban, we might be able to snatch the Tangle-tan file.”
“There’s no need to investigate since it’s recorded in their logs. We must get our hands on it, no matter what…”
The roast beef sandwich before me looked absolutely delicious, but as I pondered the upcoming plan, it didn’t sit well in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t even quite taste its flavor.
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