Not to mention, there were plenty, even amongst the nobility of this world, who went about town by themselves or with just a few attendants. In fact, anyone who didn’t was deemed a coward who sullied their title and rank. I wasn’t quite sure if that was because this was a world of a game or because it was a world of muscle-brains.
With that in mind, I was looking over local government documents that I hadn’t gotten to review the day before when Sir Holzdeppe, Sir Behnke, and Goecke arrived. I had called for them during breakfast.
“How are things?” I directed the question toward Sir Holzdeppe and Goecke, who would know I was interested in the cavalry and infantry, rather than the town. I had to be here in person to check on things like when the lodgings they were housed in had been built, how frequently they were renovated, and whether they were properly furnished. Unfortunately, we weren’t quite free of deputies who’d ignore leaky roofs to keep more money in their pockets. If my men were living in unlivable conditions, I would have to deal with that.
“There don’t seem to be any issues.”
“Thank God. If anyone starts to feel unwell, let me know immediately. How are the mercenaries?”
“They are taking turns at the town’s inn. I suppose you have the funds for that?”
“Yeah. Wait just a bit longer and we can get them their own facilities.”
Until I got here, I had anticipated having to procure those using some other method, but now, it seemed like there was something we could use. I wanted to discuss that with the others. Next, I inquired after the women and children the bandits had with them. And when that was sorted out, I took a deep breath, then spoke. “Let’s get onto our next order of business.”
The words were enough to cast a shadow over their faces. The room was equipped with a large table to accommodate guests, and I examined their faces as we headed there. Then, I had Frenssen spread out a map of the town on its surface.
“Where is it?”
“Here,” Frenssen said, stopping to point at a large structure by the eastern gate. “This building is owned by the Salters’ Guild.”
Salt had been a regional specialty of Anheim, and the industry had been so large that those who sold it had separated from the Merchants’ Guild. In fact, it was amazing they had so many facilities in a town as small as Anheim. But that was all in the past. Now, salt was hard to come by, and the sales routes had weakened. It seemed they had set their eyes on a new moneymaking scheme.
Sir Behnke hadn’t been with us when we had taken out those bandits, so he asked about the details. “Then…there are those here who prey on not only the refugees, but citizens?”
“Seems like it.” Looking over the town governance documents Frenssen had prepared for me, I began to explain. “While they’re no longer appearing in droves, there are still refugees who make it here from the wastelands of Triot. In fact, since a few people were showing up every couple of days, it seems like the government couldn’t keep up.”
“So the Salters’ Guild was put in charge of them?” Sir Behnke asked.
“Close, but not exactly,” I answered, then explained what we’d heard from the women who were with the bandits—or more accurately, had been forced to be with them.
With their country destroyed by the Demon army and monsters running rampant even in broad daylight, of course the refugees had sought to escape. But the new Marquess Kneipp had been too busy rebuilding the army he’d nearly lost at Fort Werisa, so maintaining Anheim’s peace had fallen into the hands of the deputy.
The deputy, in turn, left it all to the commune, so the one who ultimately seized the reins was the head of the Salters’ Guild…or rather, that man’s younger brother. That was the problem. This kind of thing would sometimes happen in my previous life too—someone who took a shortcut to power would totally fumble their newfound authority.
“The guildleader’s younger brother didn’t have a good reputation. Frankly, he was a criminal.”
He’d offer work to refugees or people from neighboring settlements and then, on that pretext, take them deep into the mountains to hunt Salt Snails.
Even if slaying the Salt Snails was typically left to adventurers and mercenaries, it was within reason to hire extra hands to cart the salt back home. Of course, it would be ridiculous to expect refugees to have any money. If anything, with monsters and bandits running wild, they’d desperately need a way to earn it. And if underpaid work had been the extent of the problem, I could have just put out some warnings.
“It seems that while the refugees’ and villagers’ men were away, they kidnapped their women and girls and had their ways with them. Mercifully, some were let free soon afterwards.”
This wasn’t new intel, but Neurath and Schünzel scowled upon hearing it. Goecke’s expression remained the same, so there was no telling what he was thinking on the inside.
“Then I assume there were others who weren’t?” Sir Behnke asked.
“Others have disappeared,” I answered. “Though the younger brother and his men are playing dumb and claiming those who are missing must have just abandoned their families.”
Sir Kesten spoke next. While his expression remained neutral, the look in his eyes had grown sharp. “Then you do not believe them?”
It was Duke Seyfert whose recommendation landed him here after all. I couldn’t imagine that he appreciated such actions.
“Where would they run to?” I said. There were monsters roaming about. Without any weapons, where could they go? Not to mention some of the missing people were children. “No, what happened is that some of the captives were handed over to the bandits. The bandits kept them close not out of altruism, but so that they could leave them behind as bait if any monsters attacked.”
We had heard all about it from the women we rescued from the gangs we’d taken out. As sorry as I was for this, I couldn’t hold back my anger, and I accidentally scared them.
It had always bothered me. When we had surveyed the area for the map, we had heard from the adventurers that some of the villagers or members of the Merchants’ Guild had been victims, but there were no rumors of anyone from the Salters’ Guild being attacked. This explained it. The head of the Salters’ Guild’s younger brother must have reached an agreement with the bandits—they’d give the bandits some abductees to use as decoys, and the bandits would leave the Salters’ Guild alone.
This was probably also the reason why, in the game, bandits always stayed safe even in the fields where monsters spawned. They used stolen livestock or human captives as bait for the monsters to ensure their own safety. It made me sick.
“So, what shall we do?”
“I was only just posted here. I’m sure they’re waiting to get my measure. We need to act before they realize we have living witnesses.”
I kept my answer short. Since this world had no concept of human rights, some might think that the families of refugees were of no concern. However, no one would think highly of a governor who turned a blind eye to crime, and that went for all times and places, even other worlds. Anyone connected to these bandits couldn’t be allowed to go free.
Of course, that was logic speaking. On an emotional level, I had nothing but contempt for the kind of scum who’d throw defenseless captives to the wolves just to save themselves. It was time the axe fell on them.
“I’ll have Neurath, Schünzel, Sir Goecke, and an operative force from the mercenaries accompany me. Sir Holzdeppe will take his men to maintain order and secure traffic in the area.”
“Secure traffic?”
“That way, you can capture any conspirators who try to flee. The ringleader’s related to a commune member and may well have bribed the garrison. Don’t let them interfere until we’re finished.”
Sir Holzdeppe nodded at the explanation. “Understood.”
“Sir Kesten will deal with the head of the garrison. Sir Behnke, I’d like you to stay behind.”
“Yessir.”
“On the day of our operation, we must be as ferocious as His Highness the Crown Prince was in slaying demons in the capital. Until then, review the location of the streets and buildings in town.”
“Right.”
Before we could smoke the wolves and foxes out of the commune, we first needed to exterminate the mice.