"Volent, huh ... Maa, I guess you would run into him eventually."
After sitting on the sofa in the Guild's office and completing the explanation regarding the commotion with Nikola, Klaus-san had a sour expression on his face.
"I don't know much about Volent, but is he famous in Volzard?"
"Yeah, he's one of the bosses who control the entertainment district."
There were three large brothels in Volzard, and there were three factions that each had their strongholds.
Volent was the person who led one of them, and was said to be an important figure in the so-called underworld.
"A person like that is wandering around with just two thugs like that?"
"It may not look like it because of his body type, but he is still a former A-rank adventurer."
"Eeehhh ... it didn't look like that at all."
"Maa, he's probably weakened considerably, and from the current Kent's point of view, he's probably not a threat, but he still has a track record in the past, so he can't be underestimated."
"I see ..."
It seemed that when Volent was an adventurer, he was liked by the boss of the organization and began working as his right-hand man.
After his previous boss died of illness, he took over the organization and was currently running it.
"So, Kent. What do you want to do?"
"If things continue like this, I think Nikola will be taken to Resenburg and sold as a slave, so I want to prevent him from being taken away somehow."
"Maa, I'm not satisfied with what Volent-tachi are doing this time, but the problem is Nikola."
"Klaus-san, do you know about Nikola?"
"When Nikola and Meline's father was alive, we would sometimes go out to eat. After Nikola took over the restaurant I went out to eat a few times and gave him a bit of a lecture, but it looks like it had no effect."
Nikola, who took over the diner without much training, was fed up with things not going as planned and declared that he wanted to become an adventurer, and Meline-san took over the restaurant in his stead.
"The reason why his father didn't let Nikola work in the kitchen was because he couldn't get over his careless personality. If you don't take customer service seriously, I can't let you cook food for people to eat, he said such."
"Indeed, I went there to eat a couple of times, but I wasn't very impressed."
"Are you willing to fight Volent-tachi for that Nikola?"
"To be honest, I don't care about Nikola, but considering Meline-san's feelings, I want to do something about it."
"Maa, that's right ..."
Klaus-san took a sip of his tea and then sat back down and leaned against the backrest.
"I understand that Volent is taking the debt-ridden bastards to Resenburg and selling them as slaves."
"Ehh ... That, doesn't it violate Volzard's laws?"
"It's a gray color that's pretty close to black."
"Aren't you going to crack down on it?"
"I'm giving them warnings from time to time, but I have no intention of destroying the organization at this time."
"May I ask why that is?"
"There are three reasons not to destroy the organization."
One of the reasons Klaus-san didn't destroy Volent's organization was that there was a lack of clear evidence of legal violations.
This time I was investigating from the shadows, so the evidence remained, but in most cases it was impossible to prove that interest rates were higher than the upper limit or that exorbitant charges were made.
"Those guys, at the phase of selling them to Resenburg, all other evidence is erased, leaving behind only the contracts that have no imperfections. Even if we go ahead and seize the documents, the only thing we can prove is that the interest rate cap has been violated. Even so, since they frequently refinance loans and dispose of old contracts, we are unable to calculate how much their debt has increased due to the exorbitant interest rates, and the reduction in the debt becomes negligible."
"Isn't there something like a ledger that records the original debt amount?"
"We have conducted tax audits several times, and although there were books in which the interest rate did not exceed the upper limit, we have not discovered any fraudulent books."
The second reason why the organizations didn't go out of business was because they properly paid taxes.
It was said that all the establishments where Volent was involved, such as moneylenders, gambling parlors, brothels, and bars, payed a fixed amount of tax, and the amount was said to be considerable.
"I don't mean to take money from villains, but there's no way I can complain about paying their taxes properly. If they're paying their taxes properly, there's no reason not to treat them as a resident of the city."
It seemed that the third reason for not destroying the organization was to prevent the balance of power struggles from suddenly changing.
Currently, there were three factions in Volzard's underworld, one of which was the organization led by Volent.
If Volent's organization was destroyed, there was a risk that the two remaining factions would start a conflict over their interests.
In fact, even when Volent took over the organization after the previous boss died of illness, there were frequent conflicts in the city until the balance of power was established.
"It's a necessary evil ... I don't want to make such an excuse, but the tax revenue in the eastern region is not a small amount, and there is no way we can suddenly stop such a large flow of money. Even so, if they're going to mess around too much, I'll need to chastise them."
"Even though slavery has been abolished, does that mean they don't actually stop people from being sold as slaves?"
"Kent, if you have a valid reason, you can borrow money from the Guild. Why would you borrow money from people like that at a high interest rate that exceeds the legal limit?"
"Maybe it's because of the debts they made through gambling or something."
"Correct. Most of the people who are sold to Resenburg are idiots who get into debt by gambling, then pile up even more debt in order to recover the debt by gambling. Do you think such people are worth helping?"
"That ... depends on how much they've been tricked ..."
After nodding, Klaus-san moistened his throat with tea before asking another question.
"Kent, how much do you know about slavery in Resenburg?"
"Slavery, is it? The Bracelet of Slavery is used ... I only know that much."
According to Klaus-san, there were three types of slaves in Resenburg, war slaves, criminal slaves, and debt slaves.
There were almost no war slaves, as there had been no major wars in recent years, but they would not be released from slavery unless the owner approved.
My classmates immediately after being summoned by Camilla were in a state of war slavery.
If I didn't have a cheat ability and died in the Devil's Forest, my classmates might have been treated and used as slaves for the rest of their lives.
The prison term for criminal slaves was determined by the severity of the crime, and they were made to do forced labor during that period, and were released once the prison term was over.
Debt slaves were those who were forced to work as slaves when they were unable to repay the money they borrowed, and they were also said to be freed once they had repaid their debts.
"I heard that the treatment of slaves in the former Resenburg was quite harsh, but it seems that the situation is improving."
Apparently, the reason that the treatment of slaves improved was that there were a number of cases in which people were freed after repaying their sentences and debts took revenge on their employers who had treated them poorly.
"Well then, even if you were taken to Resenburg, you wouldn't be treated that badly?"
"Compared to what it used to be ... that's about it, and the treatment is definitely worse than working normally. However, if you borrow from a moneylender outside the Guild, and you can't pay it back, you'll end up becoming a slave in Resenburg, such a thing is common sense for anyone living in Volzard to know. I know this all too well, but is it worth helping a guy like him who borrows money from Volent and spends it on gambling?"
"Still, I told Meline-san that I would help him ..."
"Maa, I though you'd say that, but if you pay off the debt instead, it won't solve anything."
"Yes, I know that, but what should I do ... If there's a better way, please let me know."
"Fine. I'll teach you, but you'll have to work for it."
Klaus-san had a really happy smile on his face, but it seemed like I had no choice but to obey.
"If there's anything I can do, I'll do it."
"Then, let me tell you. Kent, there are three things you need to do. The first is to chastise Volent-tachi and make them change their vicious ways. The second thing is to make sure that Meline doesn't end up in a similar situation in the future. Third, make Nikola realize that this is his last chance. To that end, find Volent's secret ledger."
"Seizing the secret ledger, are you going to crush Volent-tachi?"
"That's wrong. I wouldn't say they're a necessary evil, but I said they can't be destroyed all of a sudden. It's just a warning. I'll let them know that this is what will happen if Kent and I team up, and I'll use it as a bargaining chip."
The countermeasure that Klaus-san came up with was that when Volent appeared on star day, instead of the full 3 million Helts, we would strike a deal for 1 million Helts.
"Volent won't be satisfied with just one million Helts, but the secret book is the key to suppressing that. If there is evidence of excessive debt, we can order the repurchase of those who have been sold to Resenburg so far. If that happens, Volent will incur losses tens or even hundreds of times that 2 million Helts."
"So, if he doesn't agree with one million Helts, you're going to impose a bigger penalty?"
"Right. Also, the Flamehounds survived even when they encountered a large number of scavengers in the dungeon, so they must be capable. However, if they become complicit in such evil, the damage they will cause to the city will be greater. We will demote their Guild rank and expel them from Volzard."
"About Nikola, what should we do?"
"Half of the million Helts will be borne by the Guild as a debt."
I would prepare one million Helts and lend 500,000 Helts each to Nikola and Meline-san via the Guild, using the store as collateral.
By doing this, Meline-san would not be able to use the shop as collateral to accumulate further debts, and Meline-san would be able to continue her business with peace of mind.
Since the debt was through the Guild, Nikola must continue to repay it in order to receive jobs.
If he failed to pay for six months, he would be forced to participate in the ramparts construction.
"If all this has been set up and he still can't be rehabilitated, then that's Nikola's problem. There's no need for you to take care of him any further."
"I understand. But, if we do it this way, Meline-san will also end up incurring a debt of 500,000 Helts."
"If you set up the repayment period to 100 years with no interest, she will only have to repay 5,000 Helts per year, or just over 400 Helts per month."
"I see, that's cheaper than rent, huh."
"Kent. So after that, do another job."
"Another job is it?"
Since we started talking about the strategy, Klaus-san's smile had deepened, but I was worried that he might get out of control.
Maa, for now, let's listen to the story.
"Meline is such a talented person, so it would be best to strengthen her personal protection."
"That's right. Well then, from among the Kobold Corps ..."
"That's not it. Bring in a bodyguard from somewhere else."
"From someone else ... is it?"
"Tell Kartz everything about this incident. And then, if he continues to be unable to make up his mind, tell him that you'll add Meline as your wife as well."
Meline was currently free, but if she married Kartz-san, who was the captain of the garrison, forces other than Volent, people who wanted to pick up girls, would also stop coming near her.
Even from the sidelines, the two of them seemed to be a good match, so I thought it was a good idea to have him protect her at this time.
"I see, I certainly want Kartz-san to make his own decision."
"Right? Besides, once Kartz and Meline's marriage is decided, you can give them a lot of money as a gift. Something like 500,000 Helts."
"I see, if that's the case, then she can finish the repayment ..."
Klaus-san leaned backwards and entrusted himself to the sofa.
To be honest, the smug look on his face was annoying, but I felt like this would settle things down.
"Kent, it's still too early to feel safe. Everything will happen only after you find the secret ledger. Keep an eye on Volent and the man named Schiller who is in charge of accounting. Those two should know where the secret ledger is."
"If I find the secret ledger, should I bring it out?"
"Can you copy the contents without them noticing?"
"I can."
"Copy the contents so that they don't notice, put it back and keep an eye on them. If you take it out, you can do so right before the negotiation on star day."
"Understood."
After consulting with Klaus-san, I went to check on Nikola before heading to Meline-san's shop.
Nikola was taken to the basement of a gambling parlor run by Volent.
There were no stairs that went directly down to the basement from the gambling hall on the first floor, but you had to go through the door at the back of the staff area and then open the lattice door to finally reach the stairs.
At the end of the stone staircase was an iron door, and beyond that was a damp and terrible smell.
"Mart, Mirt, thank you for your hard work. Where is Nikola?"
"Wafuu, the second cell from the back on the right."
"Wau, Goshujin-sama, this place stinks ..."
"I'm sorry. Right, you can keep watch at the top of the stairs. Unlike us, normal people can't come out through the shadows. Only check if someone comes down from above."
"Wafuu, alright."
The prison that Nikola was kept in was a prison about 3 tatami mats in size, with five similar cells lined up across the aisle.
There were iron bars between them and the passage, so you could see everything inside.
The conditions inside the prison were worse than I had imagined, with only a wooden bed and a hole for excretion.
There were only three vacant cells, and in the remaining cells, there were men with resigned looks passing the time in their own way.
Nikola was lying on his back on the floor, his cloudy eyes looking up at the ceiling.
"He was screaming, but now he's quiet."
Immediately after coming back from outside, let me out, I've been deceived, I heard him screaming such, but it seemed that the men who brought him with them beat him into silence.
I'm sure there were many aspects of this that were his own fault, but he also seemed a little pathetic.
Looking at the other men in the prison, they didn't look particularly emaciated, so I guessed they were being fed the bare minimum.
For now, it didn't seem like he would be transferred right away or his life was in danger, so let's go report to Meline-san.
I should be able to report it now before business hours in the evening.
"Reinhardt, can you go with Murt to find out where the secret ledger is? Mart and Mirt should continue to keep an eye on Nikola."
[ Roger that. I'll let you know as soon as I find it. ]
"Wafuu, leave it to me, Goshujin-sama."
In addition to the people in this dungeon, there must have been others that Volent loaned money to.
You wouldn't think you were being watched from behind the scenes, and even if it wasn't every day, it would definitely be recorded in the ledger.
As long as we could find the location of the ledger, we've won this battle.
Normally, at this time before business hours in the evening, the restaurant would be busy with preparations, but when I peeked into the store from the shadows, I saw Meline-san and Motomiya-san sitting across the table from each other.
Meline-san rested her elbows on the table and held her head, and Motomiya-san remained silent, perhaps unable to find the words to say.
"Meline-san, are you okay?"
When I called out to her while stepping out of the shadows, Meline-san lifted her head from where she had been hanging it, but her eyes were bright red.
"Kent ... what about Nikola?"
"He's being held in the basement of a gambling house run by Volent. Even if we're going to rescue him, we'll need to make preparations, so please give us some time."
"Thank you. I'm sorry for bothering you ..."
"Nope, Meline-san encouraged me here when the rescue of my classmates didn't go as planned."
"Something like that happened, too. At that time, Kent looked so depressed, it was so painful that I couldn't stand looking at you."
I walked up to Meline-san with a weak smile and gently hugged her head.
"It's okay. I've become must stronger since then, so please rely on me."
"Kent ... Yup, yup, please, help Nikola ... Uuu ..."
I continued to gently rub Meline-san's back, as she continuously shed tears, until she calmed down.
"Nikola-san's case involves Volent and multiple adventurers, so with the advice of Klaus-san, we are investigating the current situation and planning countermeasures. Apparently the opponent is one of the bosses of the entertainment district, so it won't be easy, but I have no intention of losing. Besides, if an emergency arises, I will pay something like 3 million Helts, so don't worry."
"You've been taking care of me from start to finish, and I'll definitely thank you someday."
"Please don't worry about thanking me. Rather than that, about Nikola-san ..."
I explained the steps to use the store as collateral and ask the Guild to step in and set up a mortgage so that it was no longer possible to borrow any more money even if she wanted to pay it forward.
And for Nikola, requiring a repayment of a fixed amount every month, it was also agreed to impose a penalty of forced labor for six months of not paying.
"Until now, he was taking money from the shop, saying he would pay it back properly, on top of that, he owed them a huge sum of 3 million Helts, since this time I have run out of patience with him, I'll make it clear that the chance Kent is giving him is his last. If he can't pay you back this time, he will be forced into forced labor or slavery."
"I can't really say anything, but I think it's no good if he doesn't properly become independent."
She was able to understand the situation that Nikola was in, and we had a plan for how to deal with it.
Meline-san seemed to have calmed down, and I guess I was relieved as well, as my stomach grumbled loudly.
Come to think of it, I was so busy that I skipped lunch.
It seemed that Meline-san was not able to do the preparation work either, so the evening business was canceled.
After the lunch break, she just cleaned up and didn't even eat lunch.
"Kent, Midori-chan too, let's go eat dinner."(TN:Huh, I seem to have mistranslated her name, I thought it was Aoi, but apparently it's Midori. This is the katakana version, so it's impossible to misread it, lol.)
"Thank you very much."
Maybe, if I refused and went home, Meline-san wouldn't eat properly, I was worried, so I decided to take her up on the offer.
"Volent, huh ... Maa, I guess you would run into him eventually."
After sitting on the sofa in the Guild's office and completing the explanation regarding the commotion with Nikola, Klaus-san had a sour expression on his face.
"I don't know much about Volent, but is he famous in Volzard?"
"Yeah, he's one of the bosses who control the entertainment district."
There were three large brothels in Volzard, and there were three factions that each had their strongholds.
Volent was the person who led one of them, and was said to be an important figure in the so-called underworld.
"A person like that is wandering around with just two thugs like that?"
"It may not look like it because of his body type, but he is still a former A-rank adventurer."
"Eeehhh ... it didn't look like that at all."
"Maa, he's probably weakened considerably, and from the current Kent's point of view, he's probably not a threat, but he still has a track record in the past, so he can't be underestimated."
"I see ..."
It seemed that when Volent was an adventurer, he was liked by the boss of the organization and began working as his right-hand man.
After his previous boss died of illness, he took over the organization and was currently running it.
"So, Kent. What do you want to do?"
"If things continue like this, I think Nikola will be taken to Resenburg and sold as a slave, so I want to prevent him from being taken away somehow."
"Maa, I'm not satisfied with what Volent-tachi are doing this time, but the problem is Nikola."
"Klaus-san, do you know about Nikola?"
"When Nikola and Meline's father was alive, we would sometimes go out to eat. After Nikola took over the restaurant I went out to eat a few times and gave him a bit of a lecture, but it looks like it had no effect."
Nikola, who took over the diner without much training, was fed up with things not going as planned and declared that he wanted to become an adventurer, and Meline-san took over the restaurant in his stead.
"The reason why his father didn't let Nikola work in the kitchen was because he couldn't get over his careless personality. If you don't take customer service seriously, I can't let you cook food for people to eat, he said such."
"Indeed, I went there to eat a couple of times, but I wasn't very impressed."
"Are you willing to fight Volent-tachi for that Nikola?"
"To be honest, I don't care about Nikola, but considering Meline-san's feelings, I want to do something about it."
"Maa, that's right ..."
Klaus-san took a sip of his tea and then sat back down and leaned against the backrest.
"I understand that Volent is taking the debt-ridden bastards to Resenburg and selling them as slaves."
"Ehh ... That, doesn't it violate Volzard's laws?"
"It's a gray color that's pretty close to black."
"Aren't you going to crack down on it?"
"I'm giving them warnings from time to time, but I have no intention of destroying the organization at this time."
"May I ask why that is?"
"There are three reasons not to destroy the organization."
One of the reasons Klaus-san didn't destroy Volent's organization was that there was a lack of clear evidence of legal violations.
This time I was investigating from the shadows, so the evidence remained, but in most cases it was impossible to prove that interest rates were higher than the upper limit or that exorbitant charges were made.
"Those guys, at the phase of selling them to Resenburg, all other evidence is erased, leaving behind only the contracts that have no imperfections. Even if we go ahead and seize the documents, the only thing we can prove is that the interest rate cap has been violated. Even so, since they frequently refinance loans and dispose of old contracts, we are unable to calculate how much their debt has increased due to the exorbitant interest rates, and the reduction in the debt becomes negligible."
"Isn't there something like a ledger that records the original debt amount?"
"We have conducted tax audits several times, and although there were books in which the interest rate did not exceed the upper limit, we have not discovered any fraudulent books."
The second reason why the organizations didn't go out of business was because they properly paid taxes.
It was said that all the establishments where Volent was involved, such as moneylenders, gambling parlors, brothels, and bars, payed a fixed amount of tax, and the amount was said to be considerable.
"I don't mean to take money from villains, but there's no way I can complain about paying their taxes properly. If they're paying their taxes properly, there's no reason not to treat them as a resident of the city."
It seemed that the third reason for not destroying the organization was to prevent the balance of power struggles from suddenly changing.
Currently, there were three factions in Volzard's underworld, one of which was the organization led by Volent.
If Volent's organization was destroyed, there was a risk that the two remaining factions would start a conflict over their interests.
In fact, even when Volent took over the organization after the previous boss died of illness, there were frequent conflicts in the city until the balance of power was established.
"It's a necessary evil ... I don't want to make such an excuse, but the tax revenue in the eastern region is not a small amount, and there is no way we can suddenly stop such a large flow of money. Even so, if they're going to mess around too much, I'll need to chastise them."
"Even though slavery has been abolished, does that mean they don't actually stop people from being sold as slaves?"
"Kent, if you have a valid reason, you can borrow money from the Guild. Why would you borrow money from people like that at a high interest rate that exceeds the legal limit?"
"Maybe it's because of the debts they made through gambling or something."
"Correct. Most of the people who are sold to Resenburg are idiots who get into debt by gambling, then pile up even more debt in order to recover the debt by gambling. Do you think such people are worth helping?"
"That ... depends on how much they've been tricked ..."
After nodding, Klaus-san moistened his throat with tea before asking another question.
"Kent, how much do you know about slavery in Resenburg?"
"Slavery, is it? The Bracelet of Slavery is used ... I only know that much."
According to Klaus-san, there were three types of slaves in Resenburg, war slaves, criminal slaves, and debt slaves.
There were almost no war slaves, as there had been no major wars in recent years, but they would not be released from slavery unless the owner approved.
My classmates immediately after being summoned by Camilla were in a state of war slavery.
If I didn't have a cheat ability and died in the Devil's Forest, my classmates might have been treated and used as slaves for the rest of their lives.
The prison term for criminal slaves was determined by the severity of the crime, and they were made to do forced labor during that period, and were released once the prison term was over.
Debt slaves were those who were forced to work as slaves when they were unable to repay the money they borrowed, and they were also said to be freed once they had repaid their debts.
"I heard that the treatment of slaves in the former Resenburg was quite harsh, but it seems that the situation is improving."
Apparently, the reason that the treatment of slaves improved was that there were a number of cases in which people were freed after repaying their sentences and debts took revenge on their employers who had treated them poorly.
"Well then, even if you were taken to Resenburg, you wouldn't be treated that badly?"
"Compared to what it used to be ... that's about it, and the treatment is definitely worse than working normally. However, if you borrow from a moneylender outside the Guild, and you can't pay it back, you'll end up becoming a slave in Resenburg, such a thing is common sense for anyone living in Volzard to know. I know this all too well, but is it worth helping a guy like him who borrows money from Volent and spends it on gambling?"
"Still, I told Meline-san that I would help him ..."
"Maa, I though you'd say that, but if you pay off the debt instead, it won't solve anything."
"Yes, I know that, but what should I do ... If there's a better way, please let me know."
"Fine. I'll teach you, but you'll have to work for it."
Klaus-san had a really happy smile on his face, but it seemed like I had no choice but to obey.
"If there's anything I can do, I'll do it."
"Then, let me tell you. Kent, there are three things you need to do. The first is to chastise Volent-tachi and make them change their vicious ways. The second thing is to make sure that Meline doesn't end up in a similar situation in the future. Third, make Nikola realize that this is his last chance. To that end, find Volent's secret ledger."
"Seizing the secret ledger, are you going to crush Volent-tachi?"
"That's wrong. I wouldn't say they're a necessary evil, but I said they can't be destroyed all of a sudden. It's just a warning. I'll let them know that this is what will happen if Kent and I team up, and I'll use it as a bargaining chip."
The countermeasure that Klaus-san came up with was that when Volent appeared on star day, instead of the full 3 million Helts, we would strike a deal for 1 million Helts.
"Volent won't be satisfied with just one million Helts, but the secret book is the key to suppressing that. If there is evidence of excessive debt, we can order the repurchase of those who have been sold to Resenburg so far. If that happens, Volent will incur losses tens or even hundreds of times that 2 million Helts."
"So, if he doesn't agree with one million Helts, you're going to impose a bigger penalty?"
"Right. Also, the Flamehounds survived even when they encountered a large number of scavengers in the dungeon, so they must be capable. However, if they become complicit in such evil, the damage they will cause to the city will be greater. We will demote their Guild rank and expel them from Volzard."
"About Nikola, what should we do?"
"Half of the million Helts will be borne by the Guild as a debt."
I would prepare one million Helts and lend 500,000 Helts each to Nikola and Meline-san via the Guild, using the store as collateral.
By doing this, Meline-san would not be able to use the shop as collateral to accumulate further debts, and Meline-san would be able to continue her business with peace of mind.
Since the debt was through the Guild, Nikola must continue to repay it in order to receive jobs.
If he failed to pay for six months, he would be forced to participate in the ramparts construction.
"If all this has been set up and he still can't be rehabilitated, then that's Nikola's problem. There's no need for you to take care of him any further."
"I understand. But, if we do it this way, Meline-san will also end up incurring a debt of 500,000 Helts."
"If you set up the repayment period to 100 years with no interest, she will only have to repay 5,000 Helts per year, or just over 400 Helts per month."
"I see, that's cheaper than rent, huh."
"Kent. So after that, do another job."
"Another job is it?"
Since we started talking about the strategy, Klaus-san's smile had deepened, but I was worried that he might get out of control.
Maa, for now, let's listen to the story.
"Meline is such a talented person, so it would be best to strengthen her personal protection."
"That's right. Well then, from among the Kobold Corps ..."
"That's not it. Bring in a bodyguard from somewhere else."
"From someone else ... is it?"
"Tell Kartz everything about this incident. And then, if he continues to be unable to make up his mind, tell him that you'll add Meline as your wife as well."
Meline was currently free, but if she married Kartz-san, who was the captain of the garrison, forces other than Volent, people who wanted to pick up girls, would also stop coming near her.
Even from the sidelines, the two of them seemed to be a good match, so I thought it was a good idea to have him protect her at this time.
"I see, I certainly want Kartz-san to make his own decision."
"Right? Besides, once Kartz and Meline's marriage is decided, you can give them a lot of money as a gift. Something like 500,000 Helts."
"I see, if that's the case, then she can finish the repayment ..."
Klaus-san leaned backwards and entrusted himself to the sofa.
To be honest, the smug look on his face was annoying, but I felt like this would settle things down.
"Kent, it's still too early to feel safe. Everything will happen only after you find the secret ledger. Keep an eye on Volent and the man named Schiller who is in charge of accounting. Those two should know where the secret ledger is."
"If I find the secret ledger, should I bring it out?"
"Can you copy the contents without them noticing?"
"I can."
"Copy the contents so that they don't notice, put it back and keep an eye on them. If you take it out, you can do so right before the negotiation on star day."
"Understood."
After consulting with Klaus-san, I went to check on Nikola before heading to Meline-san's shop.
Nikola was taken to the basement of a gambling parlor run by Volent.
There were no stairs that went directly down to the basement from the gambling hall on the first floor, but you had to go through the door at the back of the staff area and then open the lattice door to finally reach the stairs.
At the end of the stone staircase was an iron door, and beyond that was a damp and terrible smell.
"Mart, Mirt, thank you for your hard work. Where is Nikola?"
"Wafuu, the second cell from the back on the right."
"Wau, Goshujin-sama, this place stinks ..."
"I'm sorry. Right, you can keep watch at the top of the stairs. Unlike us, normal people can't come out through the shadows. Only check if someone comes down from above."
"Wafuu, alright."
The prison that Nikola was kept in was a prison about 3 tatami mats in size, with five similar cells lined up across the aisle.
There were iron bars between them and the passage, so you could see everything inside.
The conditions inside the prison were worse than I had imagined, with only a wooden bed and a hole for excretion.
There were only three vacant cells, and in the remaining cells, there were men with resigned looks passing the time in their own way.
Nikola was lying on his back on the floor, his cloudy eyes looking up at the ceiling.
"He was screaming, but now he's quiet."
Immediately after coming back from outside, let me out, I've been deceived, I heard him screaming such, but it seemed that the men who brought him with them beat him into silence.
I'm sure there were many aspects of this that were his own fault, but he also seemed a little pathetic.
Looking at the other men in the prison, they didn't look particularly emaciated, so I guessed they were being fed the bare minimum.
For now, it didn't seem like he would be transferred right away or his life was in danger, so let's go report to Meline-san.
I should be able to report it now before business hours in the evening.
"Reinhardt, can you go with Murt to find out where the secret ledger is? Mart and Mirt should continue to keep an eye on Nikola."
[ Roger that. I'll let you know as soon as I find it. ]
"Wafuu, leave it to me, Goshujin-sama."
In addition to the people in this dungeon, there must have been others that Volent loaned money to.
You wouldn't think you were being watched from behind the scenes, and even if it wasn't every day, it would definitely be recorded in the ledger.
As long as we could find the location of the ledger, we've won this battle.
Normally, at this time before business hours in the evening, the restaurant would be busy with preparations, but when I peeked into the store from the shadows, I saw Meline-san and Motomiya-san sitting across the table from each other.
Meline-san rested her elbows on the table and held her head, and Motomiya-san remained silent, perhaps unable to find the words to say.
"Meline-san, are you okay?"
When I called out to her while stepping out of the shadows, Meline-san lifted her head from where she had been hanging it, but her eyes were bright red.
"Kent ... what about Nikola?"
"He's being held in the basement of a gambling house run by Volent. Even if we're going to rescue him, we'll need to make preparations, so please give us some time."
"Thank you. I'm sorry for bothering you ..."
"Nope, Meline-san encouraged me here when the rescue of my classmates didn't go as planned."
"Something like that happened, too. At that time, Kent looked so depressed, it was so painful that I couldn't stand looking at you."
I walked up to Meline-san with a weak smile and gently hugged her head.
"It's okay. I've become must stronger since then, so please rely on me."
"Kent ... Yup, yup, please, help Nikola ... Uuu ..."
I continued to gently rub Meline-san's back, as she continuously shed tears, until she calmed down.
"Nikola-san's case involves Volent and multiple adventurers, so with the advice of Klaus-san, we are investigating the current situation and planning countermeasures. Apparently the opponent is one of the bosses of the entertainment district, so it won't be easy, but I have no intention of losing. Besides, if an emergency arises, I will pay something like 3 million Helts, so don't worry."
"You've been taking care of me from start to finish, and I'll definitely thank you someday."
"Please don't worry about thanking me. Rather than that, about Nikola-san ..."
I explained the steps to use the store as collateral and ask the Guild to step in and set up a mortgage so that it was no longer possible to borrow any more money even if she wanted to pay it forward.
And for Nikola, requiring a repayment of a fixed amount every month, it was also agreed to impose a penalty of forced labor for six months of not paying.
"Until now, he was taking money from the shop, saying he would pay it back properly, on top of that, he owed them a huge sum of 3 million Helts, since this time I have run out of patience with him, I'll make it clear that the chance Kent is giving him is his last. If he can't pay you back this time, he will be forced into forced labor or slavery."
"I can't really say anything, but I think it's no good if he doesn't properly become independent."
She was able to understand the situation that Nikola was in, and we had a plan for how to deal with it.
Meline-san seemed to have calmed down, and I guess I was relieved as well, as my stomach grumbled loudly.
Come to think of it, I was so busy that I skipped lunch.
It seemed that Meline-san was not able to do the preparation work either, so the evening business was canceled.
After the lunch break, she just cleaned up and didn't even eat lunch.
"Kent, Midori-chan too, let's go eat dinner."(TN:Huh, I seem to have mistranslated her name, I thought it was Aoi, but apparently it's Midori. This is the katakana version, so it's impossible to misread it, lol.)
"Thank you very much."
Maybe, if I refused and went home, Meline-san wouldn't eat properly, I was worried, so I decided to take her up on the offer.
