“Heather had a follower named Harrison, who wanted to steal this hidden treasure. He captured the safekeeper and tried to get him to cough up the location, but that was just when the stampede was starting, and the keeper went missing. Then Heather herself died.”
In other words, that fortune was now lost.
“Elton was the safekeeper, and he was Heather’s favorite. He was a git who loved nothing more than taking baths and getting clean. But he used to be an adventurer, and they said he knew the guildmaster personally. Maybe the old man would know where to find him…”
“But that was just a rumor, right?”
Even if the old man was familiar with Elton the safekeeper, that didn’t mean he’d know where the money was. It was much, much less likely.
“And that ‘million gold’ isn’t all going to be in coins. They say the guildmaster was helping Heather convert the money into jewels, fine art, perfumes, and other exotic goods.”
So he was involved in money laundering for the mob. What wouldn’t the old man stoop to doing?
“Plus, you know he wouldn’t let the topic rest if he ever heard about a great hidden fortune. He could’ve gotten the location out of Elton somehow. Or if not the exact spot, at least a hint or a general area.”
Rob had to be right about that. But crossing the old man was synonymous with crossing the Adventurers Guild. Nobody wanted to come to blows with that bristling group of ruffians. They’d given up on the lead when the old man was arrested.
“And so you thought going after April would be your big chance.”
Her protection was weakened, so she’d be a good target. And the old man really cared about his granddaughter. She would be a very valuable piece in negotiating with him.
Money.
Enough money would make it possible to create Arwin’s antidote. She would be able to choose her own way of life without being locked into this mad idea of conquering the dungeon.
“Handing her over to the big boss means getting your own lieutenant’s slot, they think, so everyone’s crazy to get her. Some idiot goes and talks about it, and then the other gangs find out about it.”
“And that’s why you Spotted Wolves and other groups are getting involved,” I said. The situation was more dire than I realized. Basically, the old man might be in possession of the location of a vast hidden treasure, so people were trying to kidnap April to force him to reveal the location.
“That’s right. You and that brat are screwed,” Rob said, grinning. “If you think you’re safe indoors, you’re wrong. The guards ain’t shit. Another group will be attacking your house tomorrow. How long can you hold us all off? At least make sure you watch from hell when that stupid kid finally gets drawn and quartered.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I said, then snapped Rob’s neck.
Three days passed.
I was in the kitchen, cooking again.
April was still living with us.
The mobsters continued to lurk around the area. The Paladins and guards had strengthened their patrols and checkpoints, so the goons weren’t testing us again. But they were waiting, biding their time until they could take another shot at April.
Because of that, April couldn’t go outside much. She hadn’t been to the guild or the orphanage. It was good she was safe, but being locked inside like that was affecting her mood. That was natural for a girl her age, especially one as lively and active as April.
She was upstairs, reading a book of poetry she’d borrowed from Arwin, but she seemed bored with it.
And April wasn’t the only one having trouble with the situation: Arwin was upset, too.
Ordinarily, she would be back in the dungeon, but she was too concerned for April, and so she remained at home. She laughed it off, calling it a bit of a rest, but the Maretto sisters kept bugging her for an answer as to when their next dungeon crawl would be. The sisters were in it for fame, not to rescue a little girl in dire straits.
If this situation lasted much longer, it could break up their party.
Arwin pretended to be fine with it, but her eyes and feet were restless. She was obviously irritated by the situation, but that wasn’t the entire story. The stock of ingredients for her candy was running low. The guards were patrolling all around. In other words, my outdoor trips were under strict watch as well. If I did anything suspicious, I’d be the first one in trouble. Attacking dealers and stealing their Release was going to be much, much harder than before.
Most importantly, Vincent still suspected me of killing his sister. If he had any reason to tie me to Release, he would naturally tie Arwin to it as well.
If this stalemate lasted, the first ones to break wouldn’t be the Devil’s Alliance—it would be us.
We needed to risk danger to break through. I had to reassess.
A senior member of the Devil’s Alliance gang had died, leaving a hidden fortune uncollected. The location was unknown. The safekeeper who’d managed it went missing during the stampede. Now all the various gangs were after this ownerless treasure.
There was no more information about where the one person who knew the location might be or what he was doing. If I throttled some third-rung flunkies of the Devil’s Alliance, they might tell me something, but whatever it might be, all the competitors would know already. They’d have found the treasure by that point. I wished they would.
I heard someone coming down the stairs. I put the secret ingredients for the candy in a mixing bowl and draped a cloth over it, then stuck it in the cabinet by my feet and closed the door.
Sure enough, April popped her head around the side just a moment later.
“What are you doing, Matthew?”
“Oh, it’s you.” I laughed. “Couldn’t wait until snack time?”
“What are you making?”
“I’ve already made it.”
I’d chilled some prebaked cookies and set them out on a tray, then covered them in cream. There were honey-soaked apple bits mixed into the cream. Then another cookie was placed on top.
“Here you go.”
It was Matthew’s homemade cream cookie sandwich. April’s eyes sparkled. She took a bite and promptly swooned.
“This is so yummy,” she raved. I decided to try it out, too. The crispness of the cookies gave way to smooth, sweet cream, with a little accent of tartness from the apple for good measure.