142 The next time we meet...

"Hark-dog, Hark-dog, do you hear me?

What? ...... Oh, yes!　No! No!　I'm sorry!　I didn't hear you!

The voice of Jestiff's brother sitting next to me brings me back to my senses.

I can't, I think he was talking about something, but I can't remember anything.

My brother is dumbfounded, as if he's finally noticed.

No, the other two people sitting at the table in front of me are also looking at me with white eyes.

Chenillas Morganides and Lobito Goshenite, like my brother, I've done quite a bit of damage in front of the three leading guild advisors.

It's one thing to be aware of your surroundings as a guard, but what are you doing if you can't see what's in front of you?

Sorry, ......

Jestiff, you're being very careless having such an escort in your entourage, aren't you?

Cheneyas hag, how dare you mock my brother, let alone me!

I was about to glare at her, but I kept my smile on my face.

If you want to be flattering, go practice your smile in front of the mirror for an hour every day.

I'm trying to keep you from picking a fight for your brother.

I'm trying to keep you from fighting for your brother.

"Chenillas has a point. "Chenillas has a point. This meeting is not to be publicized, and those who are too careless do not belong here.

It's not like I'm blaming you, is it?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it. Hark-dog, I'm sure you've been keeping an eye on the perimeter. Is there a problem?

"No, sir. There are five Schneiders on the roof, four Morgana in the hidden room next door, and two of my men in the passage, but they're on f*cking alert. In addition, seven of the house's servants are waiting in the kitchen to do as they're told. There's a stray cat on the roof and three rats in the storage room.

"...... I see. I stand corrected, you've made your choice. Excellent detection skills.

Oh, so the bald guy's admitting fault.

Oh, the bald guy is admitting fault.

However, using detection magic while talking is something I should be sorry for, right?

I'm sorry I didn't get to the point sooner, so I did what I always do.

I'm sure the detection spell won't reveal your affiliation or occupation, but is it a unique method?

"...... That's about it. You know how the Yugra cult can tell if something you say is true or false based on the fluctuation of your magic power? It's similar to how you can tell who a person is from the flow of their magic. I don't know much about it myself.

"Yeah, well, you don't want to tip your hand. I'll let it slide.

That's what I'm going to pretend!　I'm not lying!

My detection spell can give me a general idea of who I'm dealing with.

Gender, country of birth, guild affiliation, profession, whether or not they've slept with the opposite s*x, approximate strength, and much more.

I think I'm using normal detection magic, but normal detection magic doesn't work like that.

But this power is very useful, because it allows me to see if someone is friend or foe, or even neutral, and if there is a traitor, I can tell immediately.

So far, I've confirmed that the bald man and the old woman in front of me have the same interests as my brother, and I'm not trying to trap him.

In addition, my detection magic is not easily detected even by those who are detected.

Maybe it's just that my own magic is too shadowy.

I'm not going to tell you all about it.

But should I congratulate one of my servants on her pregnancy?

No, it's weird to be congratulated by a stranger you don't even know.

There is a weakness to this power, if I may say so.

To put it bluntly, I'm stupid, that's all.

It takes a long time for my brain to memorize the information obtained by the detection spell, and when I concentrate on that, I lose sight of what's in front of me.

So let's get to the point. Raheit is now trapped in Quama Castle. The insider we've sent doesn't know what's going on.

"Useless informant. Why don't you at least make him work for his wages?

The men guarding the perimeter of Raheit are not Quama's soldiers, but those who work for Archbishop Serraes. If there are any Yugoslavs who can act as informants for Morgana and Riod, I would like them to take over.

"Of course not, how much risk do you think you're taking by letting such a dangerous person into your family?

I'm sure you're right, we are definitely enemies of Yugraism.

There is no merit in bringing in Yugra followers to bring down Yugraism.

The only people who can infiltrate the Yugra cult, where the truth can be easily seen, are magicians with excellent mental interference.

This Rahite guy is really something, isn't he?

But not as awesome as his guide, Hassa.

Raheit's done enough for me. I have an obligation to help him, but I think it's too late for that after we take Kuama.

If he's alive by then, that is.

If he's dead, then he's gone too far.

There's one thing I need to check on. One of our members, Hassa, lost his regular contact today. I want to know if you've had any contact with Raheit.

No, we've lost one too.

Morgana, one of the guides who was supposed to stay at the tavern today, is gone.

So is Hassa. Lobito, is the missing one in charge of the tavern?

Yes, it seems that all three of our tavern keepers have disappeared.

I'm not sure what's so disturbing about this, but Hassa's gone missing?

It's a new one.

It's not as if Morgana and Schneid's guide disappeared too. ...... It's not as if Hassa was involved in an accident.

If one of them just disappears, then it must be an accident, or something happened to them when they came into contact with Raheit. But what do you mean all three at the same time?　Each of them has a different code, so only one of them will react when Raheit appears, right?

"Yes. When Hassa disappeared, I assumed that Raheit had appeared and disappeared with her. And where he was going, I thought it would be to you, but I guess I was wrong.

"I suppose we're both wrong about that. But now that the three of us have confirmed it, we have a hypothesis that someone has noticed our interaction with Rahite.

"Right. In the event that you've got a lot of money, you're going to need to be able to pay for it. It's possible.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

And even if you understand how it works, it's not as if the people who are guiding you are just observing and listening.

If it's just one person, you might be able to lure him by matching his code and capture him .......

But capturing all three ...... is there such an expert?　I don't want to meet him.

And then what?　I'm not sure what to do.

We have pawns that can withstand mind-altering magic and torture, don't we?

I think it's best to assume the worst.

I agree with Lobito. If a man of Hassas's stature is captured, it's likely that the other guides will be captured as well. I think we should hold off on contacting Raheit until we hear and see if he has escaped from the castle.

"I agree, even if the three suspected captives don't talk, the danger will only increase if there are new captives. I agree, even if the three suspected captives don't talk, any new ones will increase the danger.

All right, I'll step down as your guide.

We should avoid meeting behind the scenes like this for a while. In a way, it's probably for the best that the Blue Demon King failed in his invasion of Kuama.

"If only the Blue Demon King had invaded, Kuama would have already fallen into our hands. I'm not happy about that.

"That's good, because it would have been harder for us to move if he had run off, right?

The meeting was over, and each of them left the place at different times.

It's a good thing that my brother was able to take control of the conversation between the three guild advisors without ever being outdone.

"So, brother, what are you going to do now?

"First, I'm going to have Riode ask a third party to appoint Hassa. After that, I'll have someone who doesn't know what's going on look for him.

I see. If we don't move, the people who captured Hassa might be watching us!

I'm almost ready. We're almost ready. We'll need to keep an eye on the lee side as well, and avoid making any obvious moves.

It's Gatten!

My brother's ability to avoid danger is like that of a wild beast.

I don't know if all subhumans are like this, but I think you're special.

I'm the one who can easily get information that's hard to come by, and you're the one who shows amazing insight from that information.

I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I think they make a good boss and subordinate.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk.

......?

I'm sure you've seen this before.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's been a bit of a jerk.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

What the hell is that ...... thing ......?

"What's up, Hark-dog?

What's up, Harkdock? - Oh, no, there's a ...... couple of guys right in front of you, isn't there?

Yeah, that's ...... one of them's Ecdysiac. I've heard that he's had contact with Lahite before.

Oh, so he's on our side?

It's too early to say. But it's hard to imagine that it doesn't make sense. So what was the reason for your stupor?

Well, you see, unless my detection magic is out of whack, ...... ecdysiac is not human.

What?

And the guy next to him ...... can't read anything.

My detection spell allows me to read a person's information as long as I'm in contact with their magic.

The results say that Exoik is not human.

That alone is too much to comprehend, but the other guy with black hair is even stranger.

I can't read any information from him, as if he used detection magic on a corpse.

He may have a small amount of magic power, but it's not nothing, and he shouldn't be as hard to read as a child.

We're going around. I'll have someone else find out what they're up to.

...... Copy that...?

The man and I locked eyes.

My gut is telling me something's wrong with this guy.

It's not a question of whether he's a fighter or not, but if he gets involved, he's going to do a lot of damage,........

What should I do? Should I let my brother go and stay here?

It's a good idea. I'm the only one who can take on Exoik, and if you're there, you might get involved.

"Brother, you run. I'll hold them off...?

The man called out to Exoik and then turned on his heel and walked away.

I'm not sure why, but it looks like I didn't have to deal with those two.

"You okay, Harkdock? You're sweating like crazy.

My brother said, and I wiped my forehead with my hand.

I wiped my forehead with my hand. There was a thick layer of unpleasant sweat on my palm.

Who the hell is that guy? .......