The South Side of Kassad Might Not Be Safe

All they got from the Adventurer's Guild was fragmentary information.

Small-scale thefts had been on the rise, and a theft ring was suspected to be behind them.

That was the conclusion they pieced together from questioning the reception desk staff and other adventurers.

"Hmm, maybe pickpockets banded together?"

"One person alone can't do much, but get enough of them together and it's a different story. Makes sense."

"It's what happens when the population swells. Crime was going to increase sooner or later."

"The question is whether the orphanage kid got dragged into it or was in on it. We still can't say for sure."

They headed to the orphanage next.

A caretaker commissioned by the Merchant Guild came out to greet them.

The orphanage was modest in size, but the building was well-maintained.

They were shown to a reception room and served small green cookies and drinks.

"The children and I made these treats and the tea together. We even sell them in small batches."

Azu took a small sip.

The tea was darker than what she drank at Yohane's place.

It was bitter, but the aroma was strong to match.

Some people would probably enjoy it.

Elza set her cup down after a single sip.

Alexia seemed to like it.

The cookies were bitter and sweet at the same time.

It looked like medicinal herbs had been kneaded into the flour before baking.

Elza seemed to enjoy those, at least.

"They're all good children. Obedient, eager to learn…"

"So it seems. Now, there's something I'd like to ask about a Kanaha Karolink."

The moment Azu mentioned the name, the caretaker's face soured.

"I heard a theft ring broke into the shop? She must have been kidnapped. I'm so worried."

"That's possible. But did anything happen before she came to the shop?"

"Happen…? That girl was exceptionally studious. That's why I recommended her."

"For example, associating with any suspicious groups."

"Absolutely not. Every child here is well-behaved."

After talking for a while, Azu noticed something.

The caretaker seemed to deflect whenever the conversation touched on her own accountability.

And she always wrapped up by insisting that every child in her care was a good kid who would never do anything wrong.

Continuing this conversation would only go in circles.

Once Azu realized that, she dropped the line of questioning.

"As long as I'm in charge, this place will be just fine."

"So it seems."

She didn't add what she was thinking: that the woman clearly wanted that to be the case.

Azu had learned at least a little about navigating the world under Yohane's roof.

As a final step, they were allowed to see the children. None appeared malnourished or injured.

The caretaker was doing her commissioned job properly, by all accounts.

Azu was sent off with a bag of herbal cookies as a souvenir and told to be sure to put in a good word for her with Yohane.

Once Azu conveyed that the orphanage itself didn't seem problematic, the caretaker finally relaxed enough to promise she'd contact them if Kanaha showed up.

"A textbook case of someone who wants to protect her turf."

"Is that how it works?"

"It's a commission from the Merchant Guild, so the pay's probably good. Plus, that caretaker has trouble with her legs, so I'm sure she wants to keep this job."

Azu's age made it hard to fully grasp, but she could at least understand that some people simply wanted to keep things the way they were.

The orphanage itself didn't seem to have any problems.

That said, she had a feeling it would be easy enough to do things behind that caretaker's back.

"The missing girl's name was Kanaha. If our Master went out of his way to hire her, the conditions couldn't have been bad."

"So you're saying she'd have no reason to help a theft ring?"

"Exactly. If she'd stayed at the orphanage until a decent age, she'd understand what it means to have honest work."

"A few years of that and she'd even qualify for citizenship. Strange, isn't it."

"Maybe she was being threatened."

That caretaker was hardly the right person to turn to for help.

They stepped out onto the main avenue and ducked into a cafe to collect their thoughts.

They ordered whatever was quick and took stock of what they knew.

They hadn't gathered much useful information, but they'd have to work with what they had and push forward.

She didn't want to see Yohane looking so dejected.

"The uptick in theft is what keeps bugging me."

"Pickpocketing and unattended bags, mostly. Honestly, people are being far too careless."

"Hmm. They said the incidents are concentrated in certain areas, right?"

"Only in terms of ratios, though."

They organized the information they'd gathered at the Adventurer's Guild.

The city of Kassad had been losing people steadily while the lord's son ran it into the ground.

During that time, the south side in particular had seen a decline in public safety.

After various events, Jacob, formerly a tax collector, had been appointed as the acting lord and made sweeping improvements starting with taxation.

People had flooded in, more than had ever left, but the population grew before the south side's safety could fully recover.

As a result, parts of it were turning into a slum.

Jacob was aware of the problem, of course, and was chipping away at it, but that was the current state of things.

"So having lots of people is tough in its own way. I'd just assumed it meant more business for the shops."

"That's how it goes. And that's with people who share the same values. If you get people with different values, different religions say, then things get really messy."

"Rulers always have headaches. Especially with slums, where you can't even keep track of who's coming and going."

"You used to be a noble, didn't you, Alexia-san."

"I was."

They finished their drinks and stood to leave.

Azu paid with the pocket money Yohane gave them, and as they stepped outside, a boy approached.

He nearly bumped into Azu, so she sidestepped.

When she did, the boy's hand tried to slip inside her clothes, so she grabbed it.

His movements were practiced. Fast, too. But they couldn't escape Azu's eyes.

"L-let go!"

The boy struggled, but Azu's grip didn't budge an inch.

"Let's have a little chat, shall we?"