Novel Name:

 

chapter: 183

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Intelligence Gathering

 

Even though they need to gather information, they of course have an approximate idea of where Helen was taken.

 

「'Apparently, She was taken to a place where commerce flourishes.」

 

「Not in a military city?」

 

「Ah.」

 

It seems to me that to lock up mercenaries, it would be better to do so in a place like a garrison but I guess not.

 

「I'm sure it's because there are so many people coming and going. You can hide one or two mercenaries or at least put them in. We have a warehouse full of them, so there's no shortage of places to hide them and lock them up. 」

 

「So you're saying that there are circumstances on the Imperial side that they want to keep Helen's capture under wraps.」

 

「Probably. If so, the rescue itself may be easy. After all, they are not supposed to be caught and the jail is not supposed to be proper. Until there's a decision to go underground, they can't even treat them badly.」

 

「That would mean that deadline is imminent.」

 

「I don't see why not.」

 

I don't know when Camillo got the offer but the fact that he left the next day after informing me, certainly indicates that he was in more than a bit of a hurry.

 

More and more details filled in during the move. It's a horse-drawn carriage, so there's basically no worry that anyone other than the people riding in it will hear you.

 

「So, what am I going to do when we find her?」

 

「I'm sorry but you're a fighter. After that, I might ask you to disguise her escape.」

 

You wouldn't think that a regular looking guy is a sword wielder, so it's good to blend in. That's okay.

 

「in disguise?」

 

「Oh. If you're with us when you run away, there's a chance they'll get suspicious. You have a way to get out of this by pretending to be a married couple or something with her, who is a normal old man by all accounts. 」

 

「 couple is unreasonable. 」

 

「Not really, because being a blacksmith, it's not easy to meet a wife in the line of work. Helen has a scar on her face, which isn't crazy considering who got it and all.」

 

「hmmm」

 

「Well, I've also prepared a wig for her, since her short red hair and scars on her face would give her away. If they captured her in secret, the guards wouldn't have been notified of the details, including her appearance and they should be able to work it out.」

 

「I see.」

 

The more people you meet, the more likely that information will leak out. For example, the fact that the store wives are generally considered to be light-spoken is not due to any malicious intent. This is due to the less concept of confidentiality of information and the large number of people with whom they come in contact.

 

Although the Guards have a concept of confidentiality of information, they are often lax in their judgment as to which information falls under that category. They can tell you what they're about, too. I don't take it too badly, though, because it was done out of the kindness of my heart.

 

While talking about such things, we continue on the road toward the empire. Perhaps because this was still kingdom territory, we never ran into any thieves.

 

On the first day, we will stay in a town near the border. Being so close to the border means that there is a lot of people coming and going and a regular military presence.

 

The inn where they stay is a place reasonable peddler would have no problem staying and each person has his own room, but those who are coachman rent bedding from the inn and sleep in a carriage. He also doubles as a baggage handler. This seems to be the standard in these cases.

 

The room was not so different from our bedroom. These things are hard to feature unless they are very upscale or vice versa and very shabby. ......

 

「Okay, well, let's get out of here for a minute!」

 

「Where?」

 

After dinner, Camillo started to stick around. The sun has already completely set outside. It's too late to do anything about it.

 

「It's information gathering.」

 

「So where?」

 

Whatever the information, the farmer has long since gone home. The usual stores are long closed and there is no subject to collect: ...... Oh.

 

「Whorehouse.」

 

「You're coming, too, right?」

 

The only places open at this hour are bars or brothels.

 

If it were normal day, we'd spend a few days hopping from one bar to another but we're here today and leave tomorrow. If you wander in and visit all the bars in town in one day and every bar has always had one certain topic of conversation, it's obvious what you want to ask.

 

If this is the case, it is better to ask people who have contact with various people and are in a tight-lipped profession than to ask people from various walks of life. If you hear it once from one person, it doesn't feel different.

 

There is a risk of course that we will get a false lead and there is no guarantee that it will not lead somewhere, but today we are not yet at the stage of obtaining certain information, but rather at the stage of exploring a kind of trace that precedes it.

 

「I'm not going.」

 

「Why? Because it's bad for your wives? 」

 

「No, that was family. ......」

 

This world is not necessarily a monogamous one. So it is culturally acceptable to marry them all but that is not the reason for not marrying them.

 

「'Well, it's always better to go with a few people to reduce the chances of getting a hazing.」

 

「Wouldn't it be suspicious if two people went and both heard the same thing?」

 

「That's ......."」

 

The number one reason I don't want to go is that I don't want to create the possibility of leaving my blood behind, which is a "guest" in the eyes of this world. Moreover, in a world where contraceptive technology is probably almost non-existent, it's just a matter of time.

 

It's also why I have no intention of marrying anyone in my family or having children. I'm glad I don't have to worry about it at the moment, though, since the girls don't seem to be in the mood for it.

 

Nevertheless, since we cannot talk about this reason, I have to cover it up with other reasons. Seems to have worked this time but I have to think about many things.

 

「And I'm not a good talker. I'll leave it to you to gather the information you're so good at.」

 

「All right. .......」

 

I watched Camillo leave the inn's cafeteria, half-toddling and half-excited.

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