After having dinner at Meline-san's restaurant, I decided to send Motomiya-san back to the garrison's quarters.
While we were having dinner, we were talking about the shared house Motomiya-san and the others were planning to live in and about Seraphima, and Meline
"I'm worried about Meline-san, so I'll be helping out all week."
"Is your activity as an adventurer okay?"
"Honestly, I feel jealous when I hear stories about Kondo-kun or the old and new duo, but I'll go at my own pace."
"I see, then, when there's a chance, I'll let you practice Goblin subjugation."
"Really? Come to think of it, there's a training ground just for Kokubu-kun."
"Yup, I've been busy lately so I haven't used it."
"Can we use that training ground for independent practice?"
"Sorry, it's deep in the Devil's Forest, so it would take about a day to walk normally, so it's a bit impossible."
It seemed that she heard from Kondo-tachi about the training ground, but hadn't asked them where it was.
"Have you received any combat training from the Guild?"
"Of course, I'm taking it. I also want to dive into the dungeon."
"I've only been to the dungeon once due to a nomination request ..."
"Ehh, Kokubu-kun, you've dived into the dungeon?"
"I have, but I haven't gone that deep."
"Volzard's dungeon is an ore-based dungeon, right?"
"That's right. If you're going to dive, it's better to have someone with you who has the earth attribute and can search for ores."
When I talked about what I heard from Manon about her late father as an adventurer, Motomiya-san seemed interested.
"I see, is it inefficient if there are no earth attribute people ... Is there anyone with the earth attribute?"
"Furuta is an earth attribute, but can he do detection? He doesn't seem to be very skillful ..."
"Kokubu-kun, can you use detection magic?"
"I don't know, when there was a cave-in accident at the mine in Marburg, I did a topographical survey to find the buried tunnel, but I won't know until I try to detect a specific mineral."
"If Kokubu-kun was with me, I feel like exploring dungeons would be easier ..."
"That's right. Since I can move through the shadows, I can always come back to the surface, and if I use the repatriation technique I can send everyone back ... But I feel like that would take away the fun of exploring ..."
"Right, that would make it feel more like work than an adventure."
"Work, huh ... certainly."
Lately, I've been defeating large monsters like Desert Scorpio and Kraken, but my attack methods have become cheats, and the real thrill of the adventure has diminished.
Things like using a spear golem with a 'Do~n', or the repatriation technique for a quick response, it feels like subjugation work.
If I were to deal with something like a Dragon, I wonder if it would be a heart-throbbing battle.(TN:Is he trying to make a flag here? Lol.)
When Motomiya-san and I arrived at the gate of the garrison, we encountered Bart-san running in a panic.
"Good evening, Bart-san."
"Ou, Kent. Are you putting your hands on another girl again?"
"That's not true. Ahh, right, I want to meet with Kartz-san, but when and where should I go?"
"Ohh, you have business with the captain, that's perfect. I'm going to be on guard duty at night, so let's go together."
I parted ways with Motomiya-san and headed for the castle gate with Bart-san.
"By the way, Kent. Could you pretend that I was stopped by Kent and took up my time."
"Bart-san, I thought you were in a hurry, but you're late, aren't you?"
"No way, just a bit, just a bit, it's not a big deal ..."
Unlike Kartz-san, who had an image of being strait-laced, Bart-san had a somewhat frivolous image, so I was sure he got a lot of attention.
"It's fine. I don't think Kartz-san will care about Bart-san being late anyway ..."
"Did something happen? Fumu, so it's something to do with Meline-san, right?"
"You're really sharp. It seems like her younger brother Nikola-san borrowed money from some bad guys and is out of luck."
"I see, the girl from earlier is the one who helps Meline-san at her shop."
"That's right, that's right ... Rather, Kartz-san is glaring."
"Ugh, I beg of you, Kent ..."
"Yes, yes ..."
In front of the station next to the castle gate leading towards the Devil's Forest, Kartz-san was standing with an imposing stance with his arms crossed.
The glaring gaze seemed to be directed at Bart-san.
"Good evening, Kartz-san."
"Yaa, Kent. Is there something you need to do at the castle gate?"
"Nope, I heard from Bart-san that Kartz-san was here ... Ah, right, I'm sorry for stopping Bart-san."
"Captain, I will be at my post, so please listen to Kent for a bit."
Bart-san's serious tone, unlike his previous light feeling, made Kartz-san's eyebrows furrow, wondering what was going on.
"Do you have business with me?"
"Yes, if possible, can we talk somewhere where no one else can hear ..."
"Alright. Bart, I'll leave it to you for a bit."
"Roger that."
Kartz-san guided me into the station.
The room I was taken to was the one I was interrogated in when I first came to Volzard.
At that time, I didn't even realize that Volzard was a different country from Resenburg, and to Kartz-san, I was a survivor of a merchant caravan that was attacked by monsters ... I told him such.
It felt like a very nostalgic memory, but it hadn't even been half a year yet.
"So, what do you need to talk about?"
"Yes, it's a story about Meline-san ..."
"Meline, what's wrong with her?"
"It's not a problem with Meline-san herself, but with her younger brother Nikola-san ..."
From the collection by Volent-tachi I encountered during the day, to the discussion with the Flamehounds after returning to the hideout, I talked step by step about the measures I had taken with Klaus-san based on this.
"Something like that happened, huh, seriously, that Nikola ..."
"I don't know anything about what happened after Nikola-san left the store, but do you know anything about it, Kartz-san?"
"Maa, since he has such a personality, every time I saw him on the street, I would ask him if he was doing something, but he started avoiding me more and more ..."
For Nikola, Kartz-san was dependable, but he also seemed to be someone who was awkward to be around who lectured him about this and that.
"I was told that he was fine because he joined a veteran's party, but he didn't seem like an adventurer at all, so I was concerned."
"Meline-san, too, she thought he would be safe as long as he was taking money out of the house."
"So, will Kent cover the settlement money?"
"Yes, to prevent them from accumulating any more debt, we will use the store as collateral, and Meline-san and Nikola-san will each pay half of the debt."
"That, about Meline's part, but would you mind letting me cover it?"
"Kartz-san, is it? But, it's planned to be around 500,000 Helts."
"Muu, 500,000 huh ... It's okay, I'll do something."
When you say 500,000 Helts, it seems to be about 5 million Yen when converted to Japanese Yen.
Unlike me, whose financial sense had become paralyzed after receiving the reward for defeating the Krakens, it didn't seem like it was going to be an easy amount for Kartz-san to prepare.
"Hmm ... I'll prepare it after all. In return, there's something I'd like to ask of Kartz-san."
"If there's anything I can do, please tell me."
"Is that so ... Then, please Propose to Meline-san."
"Wha, what are you saying, what Proposal, I'm still ..."
"Haa ... Kartz-san, just how long are you going to hesitate? As for Meline-san, you know that she needs someone nearby to support her, right?"
"That, I suppose so ..."
"In this case, if Kartz-san and Meline-san were married, wouldn't it have been difficult for Volent to intervene?"
"Right, I wonder ... it's not a decision to be made so easily ..."
He was a reliable captain until just a moment ago, but as soon as the topic of marriage to Meline-san came up, he became so incoherent that I thought he was an adolescent boy.
"What are you talking about, Kartz-san. I'm going to marry the Princess of Barshania just because I caught a glimpse of her sleeping. Don't dawdle, show me your manly side."
"No, in Kent's case, I think you were recognized for your talent ..."
"Haa ... I get it. If Kartz-san is not willing, I will Propose to Meline-san."
"Wha, what are you saying, Kent!"
"Because, even if the matter with Volent is resolved, Nikola-san might borrow money from other parties and end up in a similar situation. If that's the case, if I marry her, they won't be able to touch her. If Kartz-san is not prepared to protect Meline-san, then I have no choice but to protect her."
"That's not true, even I ..."
"In that case, please Propose to her and get a response by light day. Otherwise, I will use this incident as material to woo Meline-san."
Even though I spoke sharply, I didn't have any confidence that I would woo Meline-san.
Or should I say, if I thought about it, the four people who would become my wives were not confessed to by me.
Huh, isn't this a really bad pattern?
The marriage was decided suddenly, and I didn't really Propose to them.
I felt a great deal of turmoil in my heart, but I put on a poker face so that Kartz-san wouldn't notice. I should have been able to
After being silent for a while, Kartz-san nodded as if he had made up his mind.
"Alright. I will Propose to Meline by light day. However, I don't know if she will accept, so if it doesn't work ..."
"Haa ... Before you even Propose, don't think about what will happen if it doesn't work out. Just think about how you're going to flirt after it goes well."
"Muu, alright ..."
Kartz-san, who now looked like a philosopher pursuing the truth of life, returned to being night security, but it seemed like he couldn't concentrate on his job.
When I was thinking about going back to the boarding house, Murt called out to me.
"Wafuu, Goshujin-sama, Reinhardt said to come."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
I hid in the shadows in a back alley, and after moving with Reinhardt as a landmark, Volent was having a meeting with a nervous-looking thin middle-aged man.
This man was probably the Schiller that Klaus-san was talking about.
"I kept you waiting, Reinhardt."
[ Kent-sama, that looks like a secret ledger. ]
Where Reinhardt pointed was a thick ledger spread out on the desk.
There were many bookmarks with people's names written on them, and it seemed to contain details of loans and repayments at excessive interest rates for each borrower.
"If the ledger is that thick, wouldn't it be easy to find it?"
[ Kent-sama, where the ledger was hidden, is over there. ]
"Eeeehhhh ..."
What Reinhardt pointed at was the base of the pillar.
I thought the pillar, about 40 centimeters square, was made of wood that had its surface hardened with earth magic, but it turned out to be complete dummy.
There was a hollowed-out hole at the base of the pillar, and several other ledgers were kept there, but I didn't see anything like a door.
Instead, there was a board and a small pile of dirt.
"Reinhardt, that, could it be ..."
[ Yes. Both Volent and this man named Schiller seem to be of the earth attribute. ]
Volent and Schiller appeared to be manipulating the numbers so that even if an investigation was conducted, nothing would be revealed, by comparing the secret ledger that charged high interest rates with the ledger that showed interest rates that were within the legal limit.
[ It appears that Schiller will adjust the numbers, and Volent will only confirm them. In addition to keeping the moneylender's secret ledgers, Schiller also seems to be involved in inflating expenses at bars and brothels, and keeping income low. ]
"In that case, they're still evading taxes while making it look like they're paying their taxes properly?"
[ Indeed. If you inform Klaus-dono of the contents of this secret ledger, he will be very happy. ]
"I guess ..."
If I let Klaus-san know, I'm sure he would laugh out loud and think about how much additional tax they would have to pay.
If I let him know about this matter, he would probably tell me to find the secret ledgers of the other two factions.
Maa, if we reduced the power of just one faction, the balance would collapse, and as someone who would marry Beatriche, I would have no choice but to cooperate.
After finishing his meeting with Volent, Schiller put the secret ledgers back into the pillar, propped up the board, and chanted earth attribute magic to close the hole.
"Heeh, I guess they're used to it, but I can't even see the seams."
[ That's right. If the workmanship is that good, it can't be helped that whomever took part in the investigation could have overlooked it. ]
After confirming that Volent and Schiller left the room and there was no sign of them coming back, I took out a secret ledger via the shadow space.
As I looked at the ledger while learning from Reinhardt, I began to understand Volent's tricks.
The interest rate for the first loan to a customer of a gambling hall or brothel was 10% per year.
However, the interest rate seemed to increase with each additional loan.
[ At first, they will let you borrow money at an interest rate that is easy to repay, and then gradually increase the interest rate on those who accumulate more debt. ]
"But, with this approach, I don't think there will be much profit from people who realize it early and pay it back."
[ Indeed. That's probably why they keep people like the Flamehounds who drag people to the point of no return. ]
"Considering the number of people in the dungeon, I wonder if they employ adventurers who do similar work in addition to the Flamehounds."
[ That is highly likely. ]
On the outside, it seemed like they were creating a healthy-looking entertainment district, but behind the scenes they were using all sorts of tricks to pull them into a quagmire.
"Maybe it would be a good idea to look into adventurers other than the Flamehounds?"
[ Of course, it would be better to investigate, but I don't think Klaus-dono will punish everyone. ]
"If we punish everyone, the balance of power will collapse ..."
[ That may be true, but I feel like they will probably use the Flamehounds as an example and only give a warning to the other adventurers. ]
"If you're going to continue in this way, be prepared ... something like that."
[ I'm sure the other two powers will be given some form of warning. ]
Maa, since Klaus-san was a shrewd person, he should try to make the most of this incident.
"It would be better to tell my classmates who are staying in Volzard about the tricks like the Flamehounds used, right?"
[ That's right. It would be a good idea to provide this information to avoid getting caught up in a situation like this. Apart from that, if we spread the word that black-haired dark-eyed people are connected to the Monster User, wouldn't there be no one who would think of interfering with them. ]
"I see ... I don't like to attract attention, but I guess it's easier than having to deal with a classmate getting into trouble. I'm especially worried about Yagi."
I took the secret ledger with me to the SDF Nerima garrison, had it copied, and saved it as scanned data.
There are a lot of pages, so let's just work on one for now and work on the rest tomorrow.
I'll ask Murt to keep watch to see if the secret ledgers are moved to another location.
"Murt, if they want to move the books here, please check the next storage location and let me know."
"Wafuu, leave it to me, Goshujin-sama!"
When I returned to my room at the boarding house after mofu-ing Murt, Fred, who had been monitoring the remnants of Havre, came back with a report.
[ The remnants are being gradually dissolved ... Morale has plummeted ... ]
It seemed that the remnants of Havre, who were hiding in another territory, had contacted Gildale and the others who left the Drevis Duchy, but when they heard that we started moving, there seemed to be widespread confusion as to whether they should continue their activities.
[ Those who have decent jobs ... have left the organization ... ]
"How about the rest?"
[ Even if they can't compete with you, they want to fight ... They want to become a bandit and make money ... ]
"Either way, they're troublesome people."
[ Weapons and such ... I collect them as soon as I find them ... ]
"Yup, isn't that helpful and effective?"
[ The weapon is lost ... the motivation is lost ... ]
Weapons were essential in order to attack Seraphima's group, and if they had a weapon, they were more likely to think of doing something bad.
If they had extra physical strength, I would like them to use it to combat desertification.
"Fred, just keep collecting the weapons, you don't have to take the money."
[ Roger ... I feel like things will settle down in a few days ... ]
If people gathered, as weapons and money were collected, morale would probably increase, but if people and weapons disappeared, morale would naturally decrease.
There didn't seem to be anyone with charisma like Havre, and it looked like the remnants would be disbanded without any major disruptions.
After having dinner at Meline-san's restaurant, I decided to send Motomiya-san back to the garrison's quarters.
While we were having dinner, we were talking about the shared house Motomiya-san and the others were planning to live in and about Seraphima, and Meline
"I'm worried about Meline-san, so I'll be helping out all week."
"Is your activity as an adventurer okay?"
"Honestly, I feel jealous when I hear stories about Kondo-kun or the old and new duo, but I'll go at my own pace."
"I see, then, when there's a chance, I'll let you practice Goblin subjugation."
"Really? Come to think of it, there's a training ground just for Kokubu-kun."
"Yup, I've been busy lately so I haven't used it."
"Can we use that training ground for independent practice?"
"Sorry, it's deep in the Devil's Forest, so it would take about a day to walk normally, so it's a bit impossible."
It seemed that she heard from Kondo-tachi about the training ground, but hadn't asked them where it was.
"Have you received any combat training from the Guild?"
"Of course, I'm taking it. I also want to dive into the dungeon."
"I've only been to the dungeon once due to a nomination request ..."
"Ehh, Kokubu-kun, you've dived into the dungeon?"
"I have, but I haven't gone that deep."
"Volzard's dungeon is an ore-based dungeon, right?"
"That's right. If you're going to dive, it's better to have someone with you who has the earth attribute and can search for ores."
When I talked about what I heard from Manon about her late father as an adventurer, Motomiya-san seemed interested.
"I see, is it inefficient if there are no earth attribute people ... Is there anyone with the earth attribute?"
"Furuta is an earth attribute, but can he do detection? He doesn't seem to be very skillful ..."
"Kokubu-kun, can you use detection magic?"
"I don't know, when there was a cave-in accident at the mine in Marburg, I did a topographical survey to find the buried tunnel, but I won't know until I try to detect a specific mineral."
"If Kokubu-kun was with me, I feel like exploring dungeons would be easier ..."
"That's right. Since I can move through the shadows, I can always come back to the surface, and if I use the repatriation technique I can send everyone back ... But I feel like that would take away the fun of exploring ..."
"Right, that would make it feel more like work than an adventure."
"Work, huh ... certainly."
Lately, I've been defeating large monsters like Desert Scorpio and Kraken, but my attack methods have become cheats, and the real thrill of the adventure has diminished.
Things like using a spear golem with a 'Do~n', or the repatriation technique for a quick response, it feels like subjugation work.
If I were to deal with something like a Dragon, I wonder if it would be a heart-throbbing battle.(TN:Is he trying to make a flag here? Lol.)
When Motomiya-san and I arrived at the gate of the garrison, we encountered Bart-san running in a panic.
"Good evening, Bart-san."
"Ou, Kent. Are you putting your hands on another girl again?"
"That's not true. Ahh, right, I want to meet with Kartz-san, but when and where should I go?"
"Ohh, you have business with the captain, that's perfect. I'm going to be on guard duty at night, so let's go together."
I parted ways with Motomiya-san and headed for the castle gate with Bart-san.
"By the way, Kent. Could you pretend that I was stopped by Kent and took up my time."
"Bart-san, I thought you were in a hurry, but you're late, aren't you?"
"No way, just a bit, just a bit, it's not a big deal ..."
Unlike Kartz-san, who had an image of being strait-laced, Bart-san had a somewhat frivolous image, so I was sure he got a lot of attention.
"It's fine. I don't think Kartz-san will care about Bart-san being late anyway ..."
"Did something happen? Fumu, so it's something to do with Meline-san, right?"
"You're really sharp. It seems like her younger brother Nikola-san borrowed money from some bad guys and is out of luck."
"I see, the girl from earlier is the one who helps Meline-san at her shop."
"That's right, that's right ... Rather, Kartz-san is glaring."
"Ugh, I beg of you, Kent ..."
"Yes, yes ..."
In front of the station next to the castle gate leading towards the Devil's Forest, Kartz-san was standing with an imposing stance with his arms crossed.
The glaring gaze seemed to be directed at Bart-san.
"Good evening, Kartz-san."
"Yaa, Kent. Is there something you need to do at the castle gate?"
"Nope, I heard from Bart-san that Kartz-san was here ... Ah, right, I'm sorry for stopping Bart-san."
"Captain, I will be at my post, so please listen to Kent for a bit."
Bart-san's serious tone, unlike his previous light feeling, made Kartz-san's eyebrows furrow, wondering what was going on.
"Do you have business with me?"
"Yes, if possible, can we talk somewhere where no one else can hear ..."
"Alright. Bart, I'll leave it to you for a bit."
"Roger that."
Kartz-san guided me into the station.
The room I was taken to was the one I was interrogated in when I first came to Volzard.
At that time, I didn't even realize that Volzard was a different country from Resenburg, and to Kartz-san, I was a survivor of a merchant caravan that was attacked by monsters ... I told him such.
It felt like a very nostalgic memory, but it hadn't even been half a year yet.
"So, what do you need to talk about?"
"Yes, it's a story about Meline-san ..."
"Meline, what's wrong with her?"
"It's not a problem with Meline-san herself, but with her younger brother Nikola-san ..."
From the collection by Volent-tachi I encountered during the day, to the discussion with the Flamehounds after returning to the hideout, I talked step by step about the measures I had taken with Klaus-san based on this.
"Something like that happened, huh, seriously, that Nikola ..."
"I don't know anything about what happened after Nikola-san left the store, but do you know anything about it, Kartz-san?"
"Maa, since he has such a personality, every time I saw him on the street, I would ask him if he was doing something, but he started avoiding me more and more ..."
For Nikola, Kartz-san was dependable, but he also seemed to be someone who was awkward to be around who lectured him about this and that.
"I was told that he was fine because he joined a veteran's party, but he didn't seem like an adventurer at all, so I was concerned."
"Meline-san, too, she thought he would be safe as long as he was taking money out of the house."
"So, will Kent cover the settlement money?"
"Yes, to prevent them from accumulating any more debt, we will use the store as collateral, and Meline-san and Nikola-san will each pay half of the debt."
"That, about Meline's part, but would you mind letting me cover it?"
"Kartz-san, is it? But, it's planned to be around 500,000 Helts."
"Muu, 500,000 huh ... It's okay, I'll do something."
When you say 500,000 Helts, it seems to be about 5 million Yen when converted to Japanese Yen.
Unlike me, whose financial sense had become paralyzed after receiving the reward for defeating the Krakens, it didn't seem like it was going to be an easy amount for Kartz-san to prepare.
"Hmm ... I'll prepare it after all. In return, there's something I'd like to ask of Kartz-san."
"If there's anything I can do, please tell me."
"Is that so ... Then, please Propose to Meline-san."
"Wha, what are you saying, what Proposal, I'm still ..."
"Haa ... Kartz-san, just how long are you going to hesitate? As for Meline-san, you know that she needs someone nearby to support her, right?"
"That, I suppose so ..."
"In this case, if Kartz-san and Meline-san were married, wouldn't it have been difficult for Volent to intervene?"
"Right, I wonder ... it's not a decision to be made so easily ..."
He was a reliable captain until just a moment ago, but as soon as the topic of marriage to Meline-san came up, he became so incoherent that I thought he was an adolescent boy.
"What are you talking about, Kartz-san. I'm going to marry the Princess of Barshania just because I caught a glimpse of her sleeping. Don't dawdle, show me your manly side."
"No, in Kent's case, I think you were recognized for your talent ..."
"Haa ... I get it. If Kartz-san is not willing, I will Propose to Meline-san."
"Wha, what are you saying, Kent!"
"Because, even if the matter with Volent is resolved, Nikola-san might borrow money from other parties and end up in a similar situation. If that's the case, if I marry her, they won't be able to touch her. If Kartz-san is not prepared to protect Meline-san, then I have no choice but to protect her."
"That's not true, even I ..."
"In that case, please Propose to her and get a response by light day. Otherwise, I will use this incident as material to woo Meline-san."
Even though I spoke sharply, I didn't have any confidence that I would woo Meline-san.
Or should I say, if I thought about it, the four people who would become my wives were not confessed to by me.
Huh, isn't this a really bad pattern?
The marriage was decided suddenly, and I didn't really Propose to them.
I felt a great deal of turmoil in my heart, but I put on a poker face so that Kartz-san wouldn't notice. I should have been able to
After being silent for a while, Kartz-san nodded as if he had made up his mind.
"Alright. I will Propose to Meline by light day. However, I don't know if she will accept, so if it doesn't work ..."
"Haa ... Before you even Propose, don't think about what will happen if it doesn't work out. Just think about how you're going to flirt after it goes well."
"Muu, alright ..."
Kartz-san, who now looked like a philosopher pursuing the truth of life, returned to being night security, but it seemed like he couldn't concentrate on his job.
When I was thinking about going back to the boarding house, Murt called out to me.
"Wafuu, Goshujin-sama, Reinhardt said to come."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
I hid in the shadows in a back alley, and after moving with Reinhardt as a landmark, Volent was having a meeting with a nervous-looking thin middle-aged man.
This man was probably the Schiller that Klaus-san was talking about.
"I kept you waiting, Reinhardt."
[ Kent-sama, that looks like a secret ledger. ]
Where Reinhardt pointed was a thick ledger spread out on the desk.
There were many bookmarks with people's names written on them, and it seemed to contain details of loans and repayments at excessive interest rates for each borrower.
"If the ledger is that thick, wouldn't it be easy to find it?"
[ Kent-sama, where the ledger was hidden, is over there. ]
"Eeeehhhh ..."
What Reinhardt pointed at was the base of the pillar.
I thought the pillar, about 40 centimeters square, was made of wood that had its surface hardened with earth magic, but it turned out to be complete dummy.
There was a hollowed-out hole at the base of the pillar, and several other ledgers were kept there, but I didn't see anything like a door.
Instead, there was a board and a small pile of dirt.
"Reinhardt, that, could it be ..."
[ Yes. Both Volent and this man named Schiller seem to be of the earth attribute. ]
Volent and Schiller appeared to be manipulating the numbers so that even if an investigation was conducted, nothing would be revealed, by comparing the secret ledger that charged high interest rates with the ledger that showed interest rates that were within the legal limit.
[ It appears that Schiller will adjust the numbers, and Volent will only confirm them. In addition to keeping the moneylender's secret ledgers, Schiller also seems to be involved in inflating expenses at bars and brothels, and keeping income low. ]
"In that case, they're still evading taxes while making it look like they're paying their taxes properly?"
[ Indeed. If you inform Klaus-dono of the contents of this secret ledger, he will be very happy. ]
"I guess ..."
If I let Klaus-san know, I'm sure he would laugh out loud and think about how much additional tax they would have to pay.
If I let him know about this matter, he would probably tell me to find the secret ledgers of the other two factions.
Maa, if we reduced the power of just one faction, the balance would collapse, and as someone who would marry Beatriche, I would have no choice but to cooperate.
After finishing his meeting with Volent, Schiller put the secret ledgers back into the pillar, propped up the board, and chanted earth attribute magic to close the hole.
"Heeh, I guess they're used to it, but I can't even see the seams."
[ That's right. If the workmanship is that good, it can't be helped that whomever took part in the investigation could have overlooked it. ]
After confirming that Volent and Schiller left the room and there was no sign of them coming back, I took out a secret ledger via the shadow space.
As I looked at the ledger while learning from Reinhardt, I began to understand Volent's tricks.
The interest rate for the first loan to a customer of a gambling hall or brothel was 10% per year.
However, the interest rate seemed to increase with each additional loan.
[ At first, they will let you borrow money at an interest rate that is easy to repay, and then gradually increase the interest rate on those who accumulate more debt. ]
"But, with this approach, I don't think there will be much profit from people who realize it early and pay it back."
[ Indeed. That's probably why they keep people like the Flamehounds who drag people to the point of no return. ]
"Considering the number of people in the dungeon, I wonder if they employ adventurers who do similar work in addition to the Flamehounds."
[ That is highly likely. ]
On the outside, it seemed like they were creating a healthy-looking entertainment district, but behind the scenes they were using all sorts of tricks to pull them into a quagmire.
"Maybe it would be a good idea to look into adventurers other than the Flamehounds?"
[ Of course, it would be better to investigate, but I don't think Klaus-dono will punish everyone. ]
"If we punish everyone, the balance of power will collapse ..."
[ That may be true, but I feel like they will probably use the Flamehounds as an example and only give a warning to the other adventurers. ]
"If you're going to continue in this way, be prepared ... something like that."
[ I'm sure the other two powers will be given some form of warning. ]
Maa, since Klaus-san was a shrewd person, he should try to make the most of this incident.
"It would be better to tell my classmates who are staying in Volzard about the tricks like the Flamehounds used, right?"
[ That's right. It would be a good idea to provide this information to avoid getting caught up in a situation like this. Apart from that, if we spread the word that black-haired dark-eyed people are connected to the Monster User, wouldn't there be no one who would think of interfering with them. ]
"I see ... I don't like to attract attention, but I guess it's easier than having to deal with a classmate getting into trouble. I'm especially worried about Yagi."
I took the secret ledger with me to the SDF Nerima garrison, had it copied, and saved it as scanned data.
There are a lot of pages, so let's just work on one for now and work on the rest tomorrow.
I'll ask Murt to keep watch to see if the secret ledgers are moved to another location.
"Murt, if they want to move the books here, please check the next storage location and let me know."
"Wafuu, leave it to me, Goshujin-sama!"
When I returned to my room at the boarding house after mofu-ing Murt, Fred, who had been monitoring the remnants of Havre, came back with a report.
[ The remnants are being gradually dissolved ... Morale has plummeted ... ]
It seemed that the remnants of Havre, who were hiding in another territory, had contacted Gildale and the others who left the Drevis Duchy, but when they heard that we started moving, there seemed to be widespread confusion as to whether they should continue their activities.
[ Those who have decent jobs ... have left the organization ... ]
"How about the rest?"
[ Even if they can't compete with you, they want to fight ... They want to become a bandit and make money ... ]
"Either way, they're troublesome people."
[ Weapons and such ... I collect them as soon as I find them ... ]
"Yup, isn't that helpful and effective?"
[ The weapon is lost ... the motivation is lost ... ]
Weapons were essential in order to attack Seraphima's group, and if they had a weapon, they were more likely to think of doing something bad.
If they had extra physical strength, I would like them to use it to combat desertification.
"Fred, just keep collecting the weapons, you don't have to take the money."
[ Roger ... I feel like things will settle down in a few days ... ]
If people gathered, as weapons and money were collected, morale would probably increase, but if people and weapons disappeared, morale would naturally decrease.
There didn't seem to be anyone with charisma like Havre, and it looked like the remnants would be disbanded without any major disruptions.
