The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 2 - Chapter 74

Chapter 74:

Special Wares

“EYES LIKE GLUE… Darn it! Why?”

I flinched at Rickbert’s sudden outburst. His voice was heavy with suppressed emotion. The other three looked at him, but he avoided their eyes. I started to tremble a little as the awkward mood permeated the group.

Suddenly, Rickbert yelled in frustration and clawed at his hair.

“Eep!” I squeaked, startled by his outburst.

“Sorry! Sorry for scaring you, Ivy. I just lost my cool for a second.”

“It’s okay… Um, is something wrong?”

Rickbert had been irritable ever since yesterday. I wasn’t sure why, but I guessed it had something to do with Mira and the others.

“Mira’s older brother Marm was with her, too,” he finally explained.

“Marm?”

“We were kids together. I owe him my life… Where did it all go wrong?” No one answered—there was no answer to give. My heart tightened at the sight of Rickbert smiling wanly, eyes filling with tears.

“Rick, you can sit this one out,” Bolorda told him.

“No, I need to see this through myself. And…part of me still wants to trust him.”

“All right.” Bolorda gave Rickbert a few hearty pats on the back.

Rattloore and Seizerk looked pained, too. They must’ve been really close with Mira, Marm, and Tort. This is miserable.

“Ugh, let’s get back on track.” Bolorda heaved a sigh. “Ivy, I think we’d best tell you everything. You must have questions.”

I certainly did. What happened yesterday, what they’d seen… I took a steadying breath and faced Bolorda.

“First off,” he began, “remember how we told you they tried to crack down on the kidnappers but failed?”

“Yes. An information leak?”

“Exactly. Only a few people knew the details, which means one of those people is the leaker.”

Seizerk added, “The guard captain, vice-captain, and GM have been investigating everyone involved but haven’t found anything conclusive. Still, they concluded—the day before the hunt no less—that there’s definitely a rat.”

“We were the only four who knew about it, since we went drinking with the GM that day.”

They laid it all out dispassionately. It must’ve been hard on the guild to investigate their own comrades, and for these four to have been in the know. Is this why they stayed with me?

“We went to see the GM after the hunting party debrief yesterday. That’s when he made a new request. They uncovered evidence that a certain merchant is handling ‘special goods.’ Their case is weak though, so they asked us to investigate.”

“The ‘special goods’ are humans, of course, but…well, how do I say this, Ivy…”

What is it? Bolorda’s not making any sense. Seizerk looks really concerned, too. Is it that hard to say? I already know the merchants are trafficking people. If they’re catching people and selling them, they must be undercover slave traders. Is there something even harder to say than that? To me?

“Uhh, basically… If this makes you uncomfortable, then tell me, okay?” Bolorda urged. His seriousness only amplified my nerves.

“Yes, sir.”

“The goods they’re selling are children. Especially little boys. Basically, uh…some adults have certain…inclinations. Uhh…they love kids, but in a way you’re not supposed to. The merchants cater to people like that… Okay so far?”

That’s it. They’re pedophiles…perverts. They want to buy kids from the merchants…because they’re attracted to children?

“Ivy, are you okay?” Rattloore asked, worried. I was deep in thought. My silence must have made him think I was really rattled.

“I’m okay. Umm… Yeah, I’m okay.” Well, I’m not that okay. My head’s spinning, and I hate this. They want me…for that? I should think about something else to calm down.

“Um,” I ventured, “Sword of Flames and Lightning Royals are veteran groups, right? Why would these people go after a kid under their protection? Isn’t that too risky?”

“It’s about money…and the overconfidence they’ve built up by now,” Bolorda answered.

“Money and confidence?”

“Their customers’ inclinations must be kept secret, so they can set exorbitant prices for the kids they sell. And since the country’s been cracking down on these sales and increasing penalties, asking prices have gone up even more.” Bolorda sighed deeply. Trying to eliminate the slave traders was a good thing, but the rise in demand made it an even more profitable business. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.

“Also,” Seizerk chimed in, “the organization doesn’t think anyone’s on to them, so they won’t expect mere veteran adventurers to get in their way. In their mind, they’re safe to carry on business as usual.” His voice was tinged with disgust.

“If we didn’t discover they were traitors, Verdant Wind would’ve heard about the merchants, too, even though they’re not veterans. Those merchants would be long gone by now.”

Huh? Did he say they’re not veterans?

“I thought Verdant Wind was a veteran group, too?” I cocked my head.

“Not quite. Why do you think they’re veterans? Did one of them say that?”

Um, is that wrong? I thought I heard their members were veterans. They’re not?

“Umm, based on what Mira told me, I thought they were.”

“What Mira told you?” Seizerk raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’d say they’re not, but a certain noble has endorsed them to the point that they might as well be. Maybe she tried to convince you they’re veterans to make you trust them.”

I had lots of new questions. A noble endorsement? How did they know a noble? Did they have a family connection?

“Is Verdant Wind close to that noble? Or are they family?”

“Not quite. According to the noble, Verdant Wind helped him out and solved a major business problem for him. He recommended they be promoted to veteran adventurers. The GM intervened and put a stop to it, but out of deference to their patron, they’re essentially treated the same as us. People don’t really get positions like that just from having connections. Even members of the peerage can’t get away with favoring their friends or family like that.”

Recommending Verdant Wind because of their accomplishments didn’t sound out of the ordinary, but something still bothered me.

“What kind of person is the noble who recommended them?” I asked. If they had to defer to that person’s opinions, they must be a big deal, right?

“Don’t tell me, Ivy…you suspect the noble, too?” Seizerk was surprised, as were Bolorda and Rickbert.

“It just makes me wonder. By the way, why didn’t Gee-Em officially make Verdant Wind veterans?”

“I think he said he had some cause for concern about them as adventurers.”

Cause for concern? So not really something I could figure out.

“Do nobles recommend adventurers who help them often?”

“Once in a while,” Seizerk answered. “Most nobles look down on adventurers, though. The one who recommended Verdant Wind is popular among our set because he treats us as equals.”

I wonder why… Getting a recommendation on merit should be a good thing, but the more I hear, the shadier it sounds. Is it just me? I looked to Rickbert and the others, but they didn’t seem to think it was suspicious. Was I overthinking it?

“How much work did Verdant Wind take on for this noble?”

“Huh? How much?”

“Right. If he recommended them, then they couldn’t have helped him just once or twice. They’d need to do more to really show their abilities.” Huh? Did I say something weird? Suddenly, everyone has a dark look on their face.

“Only once that I can remember…”

Just once?! I looked at Seizerk in surprise, and he nodded. So it was true.

“Come to think of it, he hired us once before, didn’t he?” Rattloore mused.

“Yeah. How about you, Bolorda?” Seizerk asked.

“Just once here, too,” he confirmed.

“It almost sounds like he’s feeling out adventurers to see who he can win to his side, doesn’t it?” I asked. Everyone stared at me.

“He did ask a lot of questions, but he said it was because he ‘wanted to be friends’ or something. Are you saying…” Seizerk started.

Bolorda clicked his tongue and cut in, “Things get a whole lot stickier if we have to worry about nobles, too. And there might be other traitors.” He chuckled darkly. After Mira’s betrayal, it was hard to tell who was friend or foe.

“Whew…” I heard someone sigh, making the mood feel just a bit heavier.

I looked around for something to lighten the atmosphere a little and saw other adventurers close by. A chill ran up my spine. They heard us talking! Um… They’re close enough to hear us, aren’t they? But it doesn’t seem like they’re paying attention. I looked around; nobody else was paying attention, either. Could they not hear us?

“Erm… Are you dampening our conversation somehow?” I asked.

“Oh, did you notice? We’re using a soundproofer. It’s a magical item dropped by monsters. Cool, right?!” Rattloore pointed a little proudly at the soundproofer atop the table. I hadn’t noticed it at all.

It was dropped by monsters? That sounded like something from a video game… A what? Oh, that must be something from Past Me. Anyway, it seemed like the tension around the table had eased up a bit. Thank goodness—I was getting real uncomfortable.

Actually…how’d they conclude Mira’s a traitor? Was it because she was with that other person? Is that all?