Suppression

With Cid's cooperation, we headed for Pavuera.

From there, things moved quickly. Cid's escort, Harvey, smoothly handled the gatekeepers, and within an hour we had already surrounded the shop.

Plain-clothes soldiers had gathered discreetly so as not to alert the merchant. At a single command, the encirclement could be completed instantly.

Hmm, I almost feel sorry for the merchant. But considering they tried to assassinate our main merchant, this is just rightful retaliation.

"Kuro-dono, I'd like the target captured alive. Ah, if they survive, a few broken bones are acceptable."

"Understood. As an aside, would it be all right if I lopped off a neck or two?"

"I said captured alive though? You may go for their arms, but not their necks. They won't die so long as we stop the bleeding."

Harvey shrugged with an exasperated look. Sorry about that—our hunting dog's a bit hot-blooded.

"Should we have brought Michiru along…?"

"Hmm? That Sister girl? What for?"

"Well, I thought Michiru could convince Cid-dono, and then Cid-dono could persuade Harvey-san."

"Ah… that girl is indeed said to be on good terms with Cid-dono. As a commoner, marrying into House Pavuera would be complicated though."

"H-Hey! Michiru and I don't have that kind of relationship!"

"Oh? You're already calling her by name? That says a lot."

So Cid's close with that succubus loli Sister, huh…

Beddhism doesn't prohibit sisters from marrying, so romance isn't forbidden. Go ahead and woo her if you want.

Anyway, time to see if there's an underground passage using magic.

I don't actually know any spells specifically for detecting underground structures. However, by flowing mana as a preliminary step for [Create Golem], I can use a mana-cancellation technique to sense anything unusual. The mana used in this method gets consumed.

"By the way, Cid-dono. Is there a sewer system or anything under this area?"

"Hmm? Sewer? What's that?"

"Ah, I see. It's an artificial waterway under the ground—for dirty water and waste."

"I see… Sounds like a hassle unless it's built that way from the start."

"Pretty much."

Magic exists in this world. Expanding such infrastructure wouldn't be too hard with me using [Create Golem].

But with everyday spells like [Purification], sewers are only useful in places with lots of water—mainly to save mana. Frankly, they're not worth the trouble. I only know the concept thanks to my Hero knowledge.

"Well, we haven't built anything like that here, so there shouldn't be one."

"Then what's this underground cavity? Looks like a passage."

"… There's one?"

"Maybe it's a natural aquifer or a cave."

There really was something—it about the size for a Golem to pass through.

Mana sensing isn't very precise, so I can't tell if it's really a manmade tunnel or just a natural feature.

But if it's big enough for people, they might try to escape through it.

"You can sense stuff like that, Kehma-dono?"

"Yeah, kind of. We could either break into it and set up an ambush or seal it off."

"I'd ask you to do that if you can… How much will it cost?"

"Don't worry about it—our Kuro here just wants to go wild."

"… Got it. I'll authorize dead or alive."

Cid let out a big sigh.

Huh? Wait, that's not what I meant… eh, oh well.

"Okay, I'll make a hole here. Hey, Kuro, don't kill the merchant by mistake—we need to interrogate him to see who's backing him."

"Understood."

Niku gave a small nod along with her response.

"Kehma-dono, how long will it take to dig the hole?"

"I'll do it now. It'll be quick—[Elemental Burst]!"

I cast [Elemental Burst] at the ground. Boom! A half-meter-wide hole appeared, just big enough for someone to descend through. It was like a cleanly carved cylinder.

"… [Elemental Burst][Elemental Burst][Elemental Burst]"

Firing in succession, I dug the hole deeper by half a meter each time. After about seven shots, I broke through to the passage.

I ended up digging a bit into the tunnel floor, but it seems the passage was about three meters underground.

"Alright, I reached it. Got a rope? A rope ladder would be best."

"… Ah, yeah. That was insane—done in an instant. Need a light?"

"Nah, I've got [Light Ball]."

I casually dropped a low-level light spell into the hole. Hmm, inside looks like a mine shaft, with wooden beams reinforcing the tunnel.

"This is a pretty serious passage. What do you think, Cid-dono?"

"Hey, hey hey! How far does this go!?"

"Well… at the very least, probably as far as the slums. You said the merchant had influence there, right?"

"… Beyond the town walls? Haha, we've uncovered something insane."

Cid held his head in both hands.

Yeah, thinking about it, this would make smuggling into the country way too easy. Kinda hard to believe a mere merchant could pull this off. Maybe—no, probably—the Holy Kingdom's involved.

"… Cid-dono. It was the right call to work with Golen-dono."

"Yeah. We can upgrade the charges to high treason. That'll make explaining things after the fact a lot easier… Harvey, we'll handle the capture. You lead a unit to investigate this underground passage—immediately."

"Understood, Cid-dono."

Cid let out another heavy sigh.

"… Um, would it be alright for me to go now?"

"Wait, wait, Kuro. We go when Cid-dono gives the order."

"Ah, ahh. Sorry. Let's begin immediately. Everyone! Commence operation!"

"""Yes, sir!!"""

"Woof!"

Niku led the charge, storming the shop.

And thus the shop was swiftly surrounded, Niku gleefully rampaged, and the targeted merchant tried escaping through the tunnel—only to be swiftly captured. He tripped in one of the holes I made, looked up through the hole in the tunnel ceiling, saw the sky, and froze in shock. That's when they caught him.

As expected, we were given permission to report to the lord afterward. It was high treason, after all.