Living as an Unemployed in Another World

34 – 2. The Path of the Dagger (15)

15.

It’s been three days since we stayed at the inn. After finishing the meal that was brought to her room as usual, she sat down on the bed today and accepted her transmission through the blessing.

【Yes, it’s me. How are you?]

【Yes. Thanks to your concern, I’m doing well.]

【Worry about freezing to death…… Regarding the thief’s whereabouts, there was no special harvest today, but I was wondering if there would be any news on your side. How about that?]

She hesitated a little, then heresy. She told the interrogator what she had been doing with a young man named Jin. She shouldn’t have anything to hide from her superiors, and she has no intention of telling lies, but she couldn’t deny that she was a bit impulsive at the time.

【I shared information with a young man who works at an inn…… Well, I’ve delegated the activities over there to you, so I have nothing to say, but I think you’re lacking in caution.]

【Sorry.】

【No. She must have been that trustworthy. Seeing that you can communicate like that with a guy like you, it seems like your brain is working pretty well. Although he’s not an adventurer, there’s nothing wrong with being quick with rumors. …… So, did you have a clue?]

[I prayed to the god of order and used a miracle…… There was no one hiding her identity.]

It is true. Just yesterday evening, when Jin knocked on her own door, she hurriedly put on her helmet and left her room. Thinking he had caught on to the suspicious circumstances, she unhesitatingly used a miracle near the stairs, but she found no signs of her vision at least.

If you simply think about it, you must be wrong. She didn’t care, but as soon as she heard that there was nothing wrong with her, her expression hardened even more. That sad look on her face still haunts her.

【Yes. Right.】

There is a moment of silence. Conversation is not actually a conversation through human voice, so I can’t hear the other person’s reaction, but for some reason, considering his usual temperament, it seems that the other side is sighing heavily. As she waited silently for her next words, the Heretic Questioner delivered her message again.

【Well, about that rare thief. Actually, I found out an interesting fact in the city.]

【What is it.】

【The first day we arrived at Louver Manor, that is, the very day we visited the Count’s residence, someone said that the Count’s artifact was stolen from the Count’s mansion.]

【Artifact, you mean.】

A wonderful story. Items called artifacts are not common, and I would have thought that such an incident would have occurred while chasing a thief stealing the treasures of the powerful. Too many things are suspicious to be coincidences.

【Yes, Artifact. I heard that it is in the form of a precious metal that has the power to hallucinate people. Don’t go into detail about how they knew it, they just used some, non-violent ‘methods’ to the guards. I swear to God I never harmed them.]

【Yes. I know.】

【Tsk, yes. Anyway. Artifacts are not common treasures, no matter how noble you are in the territory. Whatever the effect, it will eat at least a thousand pounds of gold. Anyway, remember when we got to the count’s house it was a bit noisy? If you think about it now, you must have been frantic to catch the thief. In the midst of that, he was serving us, so he must have been quite upset.]

Again, I can’t hear anything more than a message in my head. Even so, she could easily guess that the Heretic Questioner was laughing for a long time in the distance.

[Apart from rumors that the thieves have fled, the city is in an uproar, and when no artifacts were found in the mansion, the count sent men to secretly search the city. It wouldn’t do any good to spread rumors to all the citizens of the city. The perpetrator may run away. Thanks to that, even fishing boats now have several horses tied to them. I heard that the number of guards has increased more than before, but where did they attract so many people, really.]

[Heretic Inquisitor.]

【You mean the culprit? Yes, I am of the same opinion. Now, if someone else is the culprit, that’s even weirder. Probably the thief we’re after. The question is, where did he escape from? He must have been near the count’s house on the day of the theft, and considering that it’s only been a few days since then, it’s more accurate to say that he’s still hiding around here. So, here’s my guess…… Perhaps the Count is a cultist, just as I had a hunch. Otherwise, there is no reason to go against the crime pattern so far.]

She agreed. Looking at the items damaged by the thief with bounties in the capital, they were definitely items related to heresy in some form, but he never stole expensive accessories or precious metals that had no effect. It is not a simple thief, and it is a story that money is not the purpose.

After all, even the aged count is a part of heresy. No, considering the influence he has on his territory, it is judged that he is more deeply involved than the court nobles of the royal capital, who only have authority.

【It feels like the thief is doing what I need to do instead, but I can’t just sit there and sit still unless I know how to use the items. I want to immediately drag my children into the count’s house and search it, but I don’t have enough justification to do so. There is no evidence that the artifact is heretical.]

【Yes.】

【Yes, there is a certain order to work. In the end, we must catch the thief and interrogate him, but we will be able to dismantle these long stems one by one. The miracle is only once a day, so use it carefully. You know, but…… Just in case, don’t hesitate to use your power.]

There was a different kind of silence this time. Heresy, her interrogators put unknown pressure on her even as they spoke with her accent or toneless messages.

【If I am the brain, you are the power. The church sent the two of us on this occasion not just to send the hated guys in a set, but to make sure that no one ignores them, so that we can perform well together. Anything I can’t do you have to do …… Is there anything wrong with the weapon?]

【You can take it out anytime.】

【I’m really surprised that such a kind of miracle exists. Ah, is this also part of the axis of doubting the Goddess? Anyway, if anything happens, report it anytime. Enough then.]

Without any sign, the transmission cut off. She sat still and lowered her head to the floor.

As a follower of the Order God, the orders of her church take precedence above all else. There was no way she could do anything against it. But…… The fact that she had no choice but to hurt someone in the process still came to her as part of her pain.

A strength trained for the sake of God and built up for the sake of man. As a result, the culprit has a power that can never be reached, but the half-seat paladin is afraid to wield that power. She is who she is now. How ugly is this she shook her head. She and she wore a helmet.

A narrow, iron-smelling world seen through cracks in the cracked helm. This view, which felt stuffy at first, gave me a sense of stability now. The relief of not having to show one’s face to others, the cowardly act of being able to observe others by hiding behind the helm, and the subsequent shame are added to it, and finally another self called ‘plaster statue’ confines a weak girl inside it.

The ‘Armor Knight’ looks at his hand. If he puts his mind to it, a huge mace will always be in his hand. However, she hoped that would never happen. She begged and begged. Because the power he forged for the gods was too merciless and excessive to wield in human society.

Just as he was about to leave the door holding the doorknob with his empty hand, suddenly the raucous voices from downstairs struck his iron helmet roughly. Whatever happened, the knight hurriedly opened the door and went down the stairs with a rustling sound.

I saw it from where it went down. Blocking the swing door and reflecting the sunlight, stood like him knights armed with iron armor. Among them, a knight with a good physique wearing exceptionally brilliant armament steps forward as a representative and speaks in a loud voice.

“People of the territory! And adventurers from other lands, hear it all! There is an intelligence that there is someone in this village who stole the lord’s treasure and ran away! Therefore, I urge everyone to urgently cooperate with our knights’ investigation! Strange!”

And, with all of them in front, people’s reactions were different. The buzzing adventurers, the frightened inn family, the pale-faced pink-haired woman, and…… Jin’s expression seemed to have foreboding somewhere.

Why is he making that face? My eyes go to Jin’s fisted left hand. The paladin made a sign without even realizing it. Soon all eyes in the inn turned to him.

He, too, firmly clasped his own empty hand.