Sword, Magic and Academic Society-Chapter 295Vol. 1 - - Rosario (1)

"The words are that the Exploration Association and police are collectively tracking the whereabouts of "a wagon loaded with apple crates."”

A recognisable shady character at a glance, the tavern's owner informed Red and Tomora—as they climbed up from the dungeon prison—in a whispering tone.

Red glanced at Tomoroa with a bitter expression.

"...We can't go on like this. They're catching up to us earlier than I had expected."

"What's there to worry about? It's just proof they're being led around by their emotions. It's nothing beyond our plan. Once we switch wagons from here on, they won’t be able to track us so easily. In fact, it’d be a problem if they lost us, so we’re deliberately leaving traces little by little.”

Tomora remarked, more in an admonishing tone, and Red, after showing a glimpse of mental struggle, eventually nodded.

"......Well, you're not wrong per se. ...To be completely assured, let’s send the carriers we used up to this point toward the Empire. It should serve as some diversion.”

Seeing Red walking toward the smuggler, who had already begun drinking now that their contract for this city was over, Tomora shook his head.

"...You're still as worrywart, aren't you? You know we're already tight on funds as it is, we can make do without more."

Though he kept shaking his head, there was a kind of odd smile on Tomora's face. A gloomy feeling got hold of Red when he saw that.

...He had seen more people with gloomy eyes like him than he could count due to his line of work.

They reminded him of people who had once lived stable lives, only to stumble and tumble headlong down a slope toward ruin—clutching money they should never have touched as they wandered into some seedy gambling den. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

With their vision narrowed to a pinpoint, such people stubbornly believed only in a future that followed the script they themselves had written. As far as Red knew, every last one of them had met a miserable end.

But......Red shook his head, forcibly dispelling the oppressive thoughts.

…Even so, there was no choice but to proceed.

He understood well enough that they had been cut loose by those above them.

At first, it caught them off-guard like headless chicken, but buzz soon about the "Mad Hound's true identity" spread even to Yuglia's underworld following the Rising Dragon Cup. What other reason could be?

The Saintess following their command so meekly was a proof in itself. It wasn't hard to imagine why they'd been cut loose then, and there was still, barely, a chance to turn things around.

No matter how narrow and fragile that path was, they had no choice but to cross it.

Having been raised in the shadows since he was old enough to remember, Red knew no other way to survive.

“Better safe than sorry…Once the diversion is set up, we leave immediately. You take the wagon we arranged to the back entrance.”

With that, Red briskly headed toward the smuggler. Tomora gave a theatrical shrug as he watched him.

◆◆◆

“Where do you think you’re going, Allen? The commander’s orders were to gather information and remain on standby in the capital.”

Coco and I were standing in line to buy train tickets at Runerelya Central Station. the destination being a regional city in the Serenade region, when a voice called out from behind us.

“…I’ve had the feeling someone’s been watching me for a while now. So it was you after all, Kiana-san.”

After all, I could count the number of people who were actually capable of slipping past my detection range, and keep a tab on me without leaving a trace.

“…The commander ordered me to keep an eye on you.”

Kiana admitted it without hesitation.

She’s a female knight I apprenticed under as my archery instructor, and a former A-rank explorer.

Beyond teaching me the bow itself, she also trained me in stealth hunting techniques to make better use of it. I owe a great deal to her for such a reason, and couldn’t exactly go against her.

In that essence, there was no one better than her to keep an eye on me, knowing how quickly I was to throw my master's warning into the wind.

And to be frank, when knight's human resources were already stretched thin, I was actually impressed by my frugal master. He dispatched her as a bodyguard of a mere provisional member. Talk about luxury. ...Unfortunately, analysing it from another perspective, the situation appeared grave enough to warrant this action.

Indeed, she was the correct person... but not today.

I unhesitatingly shook my head.

"I do not have patience to wait hand-in-hand here anymore. I am chasing the trail, and I am not going to stop here...... even if it's you, Kiana-san."

We'd been still converging all the information we could find, hence I had stayed quiet.

The wagon carrying apple crates that supposedly headed north of the kingdom was my prime target, but there was always the possibility it was a decoy, or that they’d gone in a completely different direction, or even used the waterways along the Rune River.

However, in a certain village in the Serenade region, the authorities finally intercepted that very wagon.

It was empty, but after squeezing the two men believed to be the smugglers, they spilled everything. They claimed they’d unloaded the suspicious cargo at a tavern in a city called Rosario, the very place I was about to head to.

Given the circumstances, there was no doubt the “cargo” was Jeu and Rina. At that point, there was no reason left to stay in the capital. The longer it took to find them, the higher the risk that something irreversible would happen to the two of them.

“…Do you really understand what you’re walking into?”

Kiana-san asked, meeting my gaze head-on. I nodded firmly.

“…I can feel the trap. They’re luring me in.”

When I answered that way, Kiana-san nodded as well.

“Then don’t let your guard down. Ever.”

“…You’re not going to stop me?”

I looked up in surprise, and Kiana-san gave a small shrug.

“I won’t. My assignment is to *monitor* you, not restrain you. And besides… she's an irreplaceable friend, isn't she?"

This time, her tone was laced with a vague hint of her rage.

Kiana-san wouldn't let her emotion show up on her face, but it appeared the criminal's measure this time thoroughly disgusted her.

I picked up some chatter that she has a daughter. Perhaps she must have felt for them too.

"......Yes. They're truly... an irreplaceable friend."

She gave a nod at my response, and gave a gentle push on mine and Coco's back, then she disappeared into the crowd.

◆◆◆

Rosario, a regional city in the southwestern part of the Serenade region, had long prospered as a major transportation hub.

The city also had two railway points, one connecting it to the north from here all the way to Mince, the border city near the Rosamieur Empire that Allen had utilised during Rising Dragon Cup.

The other one connected to the Torveil. Anyone journeying from the royal capital to Torveil—regardless if they're using a train or carriage—inevitably passes through this city.

During the previous year's outdoor orientation to the Vankyush region of Torveil, Allen and the rest of freshmen had also gone through the same route.

Similarly, there was also second line branching off to the northwest. Anyone who'd beenWhether traveling by train or carriage, anyone heading from the capital to the Torvair region inevitably passes through this city.

Meanwhile, the highway extending southwest crosses the Saint Angor mountain range and continues far into the Leverance region.

Rosario thus serves as a crucial junction linking the Serenade, Torveil, and Leverance regions.

◆◆◆

"I beg you, she's my precious girl. I’ll pay twice the going rate—no, three times. Just… Please, let me buy her back.”

Lynd presses again to the owner of the tavern as he drinks his liquor while whispering to him. The tavern's owner frowned with an undisguised annoyance.

"You're really annoying as a tick, man. We do not have your brat here. The place already becoming unbearable with all those police around for god knows why, and you're nothing but eyesore. Go back. Damn that Vardha, he has to bring you here of all places."

"......Then anything will do. Even a word for information would suffice. I am not asking for free, so please."

"The hell man, I said I don't know a shit?! ...And, you. Do you know trust is what goes by in this line of work? Even if I did know something, if I went blabbing to some first-timer just because he waved money around, I’d either get arrested or killed in some dark alley. You should know that much.”

“Is there really no—”

“Boss?!”

The sudden call to him caught Lynd by surprise. He immediately turned around to see Allen. The latter was with Coco or something, his friend from the academy.

"W-what are you doing here......No, never mind. Just don't interrupt me. I am currently trying to have a deal. You should leave Rina’s matter to an adult, like me!"

Lynd called Allen to back down, but he shook his head.

"No, I am sorry, Boss. Rina was just caught up in the situation due to me. And it appears she and my friend from school are together...... It has happened due to me, so I will—"

"Don't give me that nonsense! And the more you, especially you, try to dig around, the deeper hole we would be digging in!"

However, Allen ignored Lynd's attempt to stop him, and instead faced the tavern's owner, addressing him in a loud voice.

"So you're this tavern's owner who is dipping his hand in that shithole of slave trading business behind the scene, eh? Hmm, you know what, you certainly look the part of garbage who would do that."

A pin-point silence seized the tavern, despite its boisterous air until a moment ago. Lynd was left to facepalm himself.

"...Words can cost you, brat. And besides, what proof do you have to accuse me?"

"You asking hell asking for that? It's just beneath your legs, at the end of stairs continuing from the dungeon prison there."

Just as Allen's voice travelled through the counter, a few customers, who had been busy drinking until then, suddenly stood up.

"Boss, I don't know if they're in cahoots or if they know something. Just bundle them up if they try to escape. ...We can apologise later if we're wrong. Also, you cover the window. Coco, make sure no one goes through that door."

" "You're asking for a beating, brat!" "

The said customers hollered, and seemed to be ready to take action but were stopped by the tavern's owner's gesture.

"......You're right, there's underground space beneath here. But that's just the cellar to store all those barrels of liquor. It's something every tavern in this city would've. So brat, your shot in darkness was way off."

The owner followed with a scoffing chuckle, taunting him. Allen listened quietly, then nodded as he cross-legged over the counter.

"You're not wrong. Both the Serenade and Torveil regions are famous for their wine. Even before this became a hotspot for all that trade, the town would still see a convergence of liquors often. But—"

Allen pressed both hands to his ears and closed his eyes.

“…Then why can I hear women sobbing from the cellar? One… two… three of them, maybe. Not exactly a booming operation, huh?”

“W–what?!”

The tavern master went pale and shot a glance at the anti-detection mana tool hanging on the cupboard. It was glowing red—clearly active.

“You’re using cheap gear, and on top of that you sealed the underground space off with thick boards. That means the buzzing interference from mana down there is practically nonexistent. If I get this close, I can still pick up sounds through the gaps. It’s faint—but for some reason this tavern is dead quiet, so it stands out.”

As Allen spoke, the tavern master licked his lips and forced one eyebrow up.

“…So what if you can hear something? You’re not about to say you’ll force your way into the basement, are you? Take one step down there and I guarantee you won’t find what you’re looking for, and you’ll never get the information you want.”

As soon as the owner made his threat, Allen briskly pulled a mantle from his pack and draped it over his shoulders.

“I am Allen Rovenne of theKnight Order's Third Legion. On suspicion of kidnapping and unlawful abduction, I am hereby conducting a compulsory search of this establishment. Do not attempt to flee.”

“A–Allen Rovenne?!”

““Eek!””

It was annoying to hear screams immediately erupting from among the store as soon as I gave my name, but judging by the crowd, none of them were exactly clean.

I leaned in toward the master, who stood frozen in place, pale and sweating buckets, and quietly whispered in his ear.

"If I take even a step inside the basement, we can kiss goodbye to any information we're seeking... is what you're thinking, no? ...Well, I think the opposite. See, first we're going to turn the dungeon upside down, and then we will force out any information we can from you. You know the drill. Maybe take a fastrack to your memory lane, and see if you can coincidentally remember anything, got it? ...I am usually not one to bother much, you know, but this—"

—I was incensed, more than ever.

I quietly slipped my irritation that I had been trying to hold onto toward the owner. And just in an instant, the owner fell on his butt, as if his legs had turned jelly.

T/N - Hey everyone. This— .gg/n23W87YC2P — is the link to our discord server. In case of any error or problem regarding chapters/patreon, feel free to mention it. (Just in case, I would be adding at the footnote of every chapter)