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Immortal-Emperor is a freelancer, you can support them on:

We let the culprit who tried to murder Grubert escape, and we returned to Amy’s place following the same path we had taken before, informing them of what had happened in the back alley.

Then Amy said, “That’s unfortunate.” The Duke Baldeck said, “I was worried you wouldn’t come back safely. Is everything okay?” Later, Lizlina said, “I’m so glad everyone is safe~!! If you hadn’t come back, I would have… Waaahhh!!” as she burst into tears.

Oh, by the way, the mastermind of this incident, Grubert, regained consciousness thanks to my revival medicine. I thought he might run away as soon as he regained consciousness, but he seemed resigned and hung his head. Right there, he confessed everything about this incident and the ‘meeting with Reivais.

The encounter with Grubert and Reivais dates back six months. He was suddenly summoned by his father and handed the following message.

“Grubert! Pack your bags and leave this house tomorrow! You are disowned!?”

Upon hearing these words, Grubert naturally protested, “Why should I, the heir apparent, leave the house?” However, the response from his father was cold.

“Do you even realize what you’ve been doing all this time? Disregarding my orders, playing around as you please, assaulting citizens, getting captured by soldiers. Moreover, entrusting this house and town to someone who got expelled from the Reedgarm Magic Academy? And as for the heir, it wouldn’t be a problem to adopt a talented relative. At least, I think the child I’m considering as an adoptive heir is better than you right now. Don’t you agree?”

Having been told that, I couldn’t say a word. I had no choice but to obey my parents, but that night, someone wearing a deep hood appeared on Grubert’s room balcony and approached him.

“You want to become the lord of this town, right? Then, shall I make your dream come true?” Grubert didn’t trust him at first, but as he listened to the other party’s one-sided story, he began to feel the credibility. That’s when the guy brought up the contract with Grubert.

“How about it? Won’t you join me in my plan? If you do, you can become the lord of this town. Moreover, if you enter into a contract for cooperation with my business, you’ll earn more than your father. Whether you cooperate or not is up to you!”

The moment Grubert heard those words, he signed the contract.

After confirming Grubert’s signature and seal on the contract, the guy turned to Grubert and said, “Since we’re going to be business partners from now on, I’ll tell you my name. My name is Reivais. Nice to meet you. Oh, by the way, it will take about a week for you to become the lord, so look forward to it and wait in this town. There’s a lot of preparation to be done.”

Reivais said this and disappeared into the night.

At first, I thought I had done something foolish. However, three days later, both of my parents passed away. With no other heir in sight, the conversation smoothly progressed towards me becoming the lord. Ten days later, Gurbert found himself as the new lord. Gurbert himself was surprised by this outcome, wondering if it was a dream. Just as he was pondering this, Reivais appeared once again and said,

“How about that? You became the lord just as I said, didn’t you? According to our contract, you’re supposed to cooperate with my business. So, what’s the deal? Will you cooperate with the contract, Gurbert?” Gurbert was asked, and he promised to cooperate with anything.

This marked the beginning of the misdeeds in Gozes, the encounter between Gurbert and Reivais.

As the tale of the past concluded, Gurbert, before being taken to the cell by the soldiers, said,

“I guess I wasn’t cut out to be a lord, just as my father used to say.”

After bidding farewell to Gurbert, I and the Duke Valdeck’s party returned to the comprehensive guild for information gathering. I’m here as an important witness, at least.

Based on Grubert’s testimony, an investigation of the residence revealed contract documents and tools related to illegal drugs and forbidden magical items. Additionally, contracts for illegal slavery were also found. It seems that serious crimes cannot be avoided.

Furthermore, upon investigating the basement that Grubert mentioned, we discovered the missing individuals from Aid’s family and the town of Gozes. Unfortunately, three of them were found deceased, and the remaining four had been enslaved and sold somewhere. An investigation into the individuals who were enslaved and sold will be conducted by the Comprehensive Guild.

Mr. Aid, who was able to reunite with his family, remembered embracing his wife and son while shedding tears and expressing gratitude to the point of seeming persistent.

Regarding Reivais, his name is not recorded in the city’s submission records, so it is likely that the name Reivais is a pseudonym. We are currently investigating how Reivais infiltrated the town, and the results will be reported as soon as they are available. Do you have any questions so far?

In work mode, Lizlina had her notepad open, facing this way, looking over everyone in the reception room of the Comprehensive Guild.

“Um, Lizlina, may I ask you two questions?”

Lizlina turned her face towards me, raising her hand.

“Please, go ahead with your questions, Elrina.”

“The first one is, has anyone seen aid’s family being taken away?”

“At the moment, no one has. We will continue to investigate the modus operandi and details of the incident.”

No witnesses so far.

“What’s the other question?”

“Has anyone heard the name Reivais other than Grubert?”

Lizlina placed her notepad down, took out some documents, flipped through several pages, and then began speaking.

“As for knowing the name Reivais, it was known by the servant who worked at Grubert’s mansion, the slave trading company, Bruma’s Rasbes Bruma, as well as several employees of the company and the Adventurers Guild. Debtor also knew.”

My name being associated with the guild… well, let’s leave that aside.

“Do any civilians know the name?”

“We are currently investigating, but as of now, no one among the civilians seems to know.”

“I see.”

Hmm, something doesn’t sit right.

Next is Rasbes Bruma, the slave trade association I mentioned earlier. It seems that Reivais was involved in illegal transactions through Grubert. They were engaged in buying and selling magical tools, slaves, drugs, and various items. Moreover, Rasbes Bruma is the main culprit who sold four citizens found in Grubert’s basement,”

By the way, the president of the slave trade association was caught trying to board a carriage loaded with luggage in front of the store, as the soldiers mentioned.

“Lizlina, may I ask you a question?”

Lizlina shifts her gaze from the documents to Duke Valdeck.

“Yes, what is it, Duke Valdeck?”

“Have you identified the illegal transportation methods and the source of the goods?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s currently under investigation. I asked Grubert and Bruma, but Bruma claimed to have bought from Grubert without asking about the source. When I asked Grubert, he said it was part of the contract not to ask anything when buying from Reivais, so I don’t know anything either. He mentioned using a crystal of truth, so it seems like he’s not lying.”

Speaking of the crystal of truth, that’s the one I used to check my status. Does it function as a lie detector? I should ask the gods later.

Guel begins to speak with his arms crossed.

“Hmm, it feels like the two are as elusive as a lizard’s tail. Whether they tried to eliminate Grubert because he was the most involved or just as a precaution is unclear. This is all the testimony we could gather. We must thank Elrina for that.”

I also think it was the right decision to keep Grubert alive. Memory reading alone would probably provide less information than now.

“But this guy’s way of talking is quite distinctive. Is Levis a man or a woman?”

“When I asked Grubert, he couldn’t determine the gender, but the voice seemed feminine. Also, Reivais knew that Duke Valdeck was coming here; it seems Reivais informed Grubert about our visit.”

Reivais knew Duke Valdeck was coming? Could he be an assassin from another country? No, but if that were the case, he wouldn’t engage in business. Hmm… Reivais is becoming more and more mysterious. Well, let’s leave this matter to the country.

“And, as a result of interrogating the guild Master of Adventurer’s Guild Debtor, we found out a few things. First, one of them was hired by Grubert and attempted to assassinate Duke Valdeck, making it look like the work of thieves, but failed thanks to Elraina.”

Don’t blame me for that.

“The second is that Debtor’s members who were guarding Grubert were recruited for the assassination of Duke Valdeck. When they left, they told Grubert to stay at home all day, but… Grubert didn’t follow the instructions and went out alone.”

Grubert, you’re an idiot.

“The third is that the former lord of Gozes, Baron Midbert Langut, and his wife, Lady Lashina Langut, were killed by Debtor, as revealed in the interrogation.”

“W-wait a minute!”

Barbos suddenly spoke with a surprised expression.

“Half a year ago… that incident, or rather, was Debtor involved in that event?”

“Yes… To be more precise, they confessed to being hired by Levis for the murder six months ago. They also said that Levis taught them the method of killing, and although this time it was at Grubert’s request, they were planning to eliminate us using the same method.”

Barbos, clenching his fists, slammed the table. His face looks scary. Why is he so angry?

“Guildmaster, please calm down! I understand that you have strong feelings as a friend of Mr. Midbert, but we are in the middle of a meeting, so please calm down!”

Huh, were the former lord and Barbos friends?

“Phew… My apologies. The punishment of Debtor’s members should be left to the country.”

Good, calm down. If you go berserk, I’ll run away!

“I’m sorry. Please continue.”

“Yes, the head of Adventurer’s Guild Debtor will not escape severe punishment. The other members are currently under interrogation.”

“…I see, understood.”

After hearing those words, Lizlina looks down at her notebook, flipping through several pages before continuing.

“And finally, regarding the house that Elrina asked me to investigate, which was completely burned down, surprising facts have emerged.”

“What exactly did you find out?”

Guel addresses Lizlina.

“It was the house that Grubert gave to Reivais.”

People look at me when they hear that.

“Did you know anything about it?”

“No, I didn’t, Guel. When I joined up with Amy and heard ‘The house is burning! There’s a fire!’ I felt something was off, so I asked her to investigate in detail.”

Keith speaks up this time.

“So, when we were chasing Reivais, it was Reivais himself, and the burned house had a magic circle. Elrina assumes that Reivais burned it along with evidence to avoid being traced.”

“I see. Can I assume that you knew nothing about it?”

“Yes, I had no idea.”

Duke Valdeck turns to me.

“If anything happens, I will contact you.”

“I’ll be happy to help. And, if it’s okay, I have a personal issue to discuss… May I?”

“An issue? Do you have a problem?”

Yes, I do! Duke Valdeck!

“I haven’t booked an inn yet… Is it okay if I go make a reservation now?”

Duke Valdeck takes out a pocket watch from his pocket and begins to check the time. Or rather, there are watches in this world?

“…It’s already night, so ordinary inns might have closed their reception.”

I start thinking about what to do in my head.