Harrison grabbed me by the collar and pulled me upright. He glanced at his subordinates, who promptly pushed the mob away from us. Soon there was a large empty space around us.
“Where is it?”
“It’s right over there. You can see it from here,” I said, jutting my chin out. “The hidden fortune’s in the dungeon.”
He swung his knife upward. April screamed.
The blade was held just before my eyes, quivering.
“Quit talkin’ shit, boy toy.” He tapped me on the cheek with the blade. “You want us to look inside the dungeon? Act like the guild and go on a little adventure all the way down to the bottom?”
“I wasn’t finished.”
The dungeon was full of monsters, yes. And even on the relatively safe first floor, pickers crawled the area looking for loot to sell. It would be nearly impossible to hide a large fortune there. If the safekeeper was going into the dungeon constantly, he would draw plenty of attention.
“The hidden treasure is under the ground the dungeon sits upon.”
Many people were under the mistaken assumption that the dungeon was a contiguous space with the surface, but it was both of this world and beyond it, a kind of alternate realm. The hole you passed through was just the entrance to another world. So there was solid earth right beneath the hole. And under the surface, there were hollows and natural caves all over the place.
“It’s a big hole monsters come out of. Everyone focuses on that part—which is what makes it the perfect hiding place.”
“Even if that’s true,” he said, waving the knife under my nose, “how do you get under there?”
The way to the dungeon entrance was surrounded by walls. Guards and adventurers would see you in front of the gate and within those walls. But outside the walls was different. Normal people didn’t dare approach out of fear of monsters.
“They say the safekeeper went missing right near the dungeon in the middle of the stampede. The way to the underground space must be nearby.”
“You got any leads?”
“You already know where the safekeeper was coming and going from, right? Should be right around there.”
“We looked ages ago. Didn’t find nothin’.”
“Then it’s in a place you can’t get to.”
“Where would that be…?”
“How about the trash dump? That’s near the walls, isn’t it?”
It had always been a desolate place, even before the stampede. The entrance would be covered by stinking, foul refuse, and the perfume that Elton the safekeeper wore would have been meant to cover up the stench.
“…Come with me.”
Harrison ordered his followers over to grab my arms and march me with him. April was given the same treatment behind me.
“If you’re talking bullshit, then we’ll see to it that the girl isn’t fit to marry anymore,” he said.
“Then I’ll marry her instead.”
The costume party of goons escorted us to the trash midden next to the walls around the dungeon. The last time I’d come, it was a huge mountain of garbage, but that was nearly gone now. The trash collectors must have resumed their jobs. The rancid stench still clung to the area, however. I could feel my nostrils burning.
“Go on.”
“Yes, sir.”
On Harrison’s orders, I began pawing through the refuse with my bare hands. It was getting my fingers all dirty. As I brushed the filth aside, a recessed hole in the ground became apparent. After I dug farther into the mud, the sensation changed, becoming harder. There was a smooth floor. I rubbed at it until I felt a tiny seam. I worked at it, finding the perimeter, until it revealed a round hatch large enough for a person to fit through; the hinge was a dead giveaway.
“This is it.”
Though it was hidden by the muck, there was a hint of a handle. I tugged on it, but it didn’t budge.
“Looks like it’s locked.”
I asked him what to do. Harrison gestured to one of his men. A large, uncouth gentleman stuck a crowbar into the seam and forcefully pried it open. The round hatch popped up, revealing a dark hole.
“That must be the entrance.”
There was a sturdy rope ladder hanging from the top.
“Go in first.”
“I doubt it’s trapped or anything.”
“Go in anyway.”
They gave me a torch and sent me through the hole.
“Oooh.”
At the bottom of the ladder was a small room with stone walls. Shelves covered three of the walls, and in the center of the room were two more shelves. There were many wooden boxes on the shelves, containing books, documents, registers, and piles and piles of gold coins, jewels, and perfumes.
Jackpot.
I also saw works of art like paintings and magic items like staffs and grimoires. I’d been through hell with scrolls before; these had spells and monsters sealed inside, judging by the names on the paper strips that tied them shut.
“Well, well…”
“So this is where it was hidden,” said a voice behind me. Harrison had brought one of his men down with him. He ignored the riches and headed right for the documents and books. Perhaps they were records of illicit transactions; in any case, they were probably highly embarrassing to someone if made public.
“Good work,” said Harrison, who turned his knife on me again. As I’d guessed he would.
“You’re going to kill me here? I’d think it would leave a nasty stink of death on all this treasure.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be easy to carry out once you’re dismembered into little bits.”
“Won’t that leave the stink of blood instead?”
“B-Boss! We got trouble!” said one of Harrison’s men, who came rushing down after them. “The officials are arresting the guys up there…”
“What?”
He climbed back up the rope ladder, dragging me along with him.
Right around the hole, Harrison’s men formed a bunched-up semicircle, surrounded by heavily armed Paladins.