48
In a city where a huge number of foreigners come and go every day, it is difficult to find even one person.
If it was a previous life, I could have borrowed the power of the Adventurer’s Guild, and even if not, I could have requested the lord to mobilize troops directly.
The fame he had accumulated by defeating countless monsters and completing quests, as well as his position as a first-class adventurer, would have given weight to Dojin’s words.
But the current Dojin was only a 10th level adventurer.
This means that whether it’s the Adventurer’s Guild or the Lord’s Castle, no one will believe Dojin’s words.
If you shout out that there is a priest of the Cult of Doom wandering around this city trying to destroy the world, you may be turned away if you are lucky, and if you are not, you may be imprisoned in the basement of the castle for saying bad things.
Then what should we do?
The answer was simple.
You don’t need to explain the situation in detail; just ask and find the people who will do it for you.
Even in Dojin’s experience, they were much better at finding people.
In search of such a wonderful helper, Dojin headed to the darkest part of the city.
A slum and crime-ridden area where people living at the bottom gather, so-called back alleys.
An alley that is dark as if the sun has set even though it is morning.
As soon as I entered, the silent gazes of homeless people scattered here and there gathered.
Eyes that resemble dead fish, devoid of any life.
Dojin ignored their gazes and walked deeper into the alley.
‘How should we open the entrance to this neighborhood?’
While doing so, I looked around to make sure not to get caught.
It goes without saying that those who have formed power in this shadow are people with dirty backgrounds.
That’s why I always become wary when someone I’ve never seen before comes into my area.
If it looks easy, they take out your wallet and your internal organs, and if it looks difficult to touch, they hide even deeper.
When you are not sure whether a person is a guest or not, or when you want to find out the purpose of the person’s visit, usually…
“You don’t fit in a place like this, oppa? This is a very dangerous area. What’s going on? If you’re looking for a woman, I can introduce you to a good place.”
This is how someone approaches you.
It was usually children begging or thugs picking a fight, but sometimes women came selling their bodies in this way.
Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that she really did approach me for sales, but it doesn’t seem very likely.
Even though she is wearing revealing clothes, it looks like she is cleverly hiding her weapons.
The calluses on her hands were also proof that she was a swordsman.
“Oh my, I guess my guess was right, judging by the fact that you’re looking around so blatantly? But if you’re looking to buy a woman, the uptown area would be much safer. Why did my brother come all the way to this remote place? Huh? Did he come here to buy something that wasn’t for sale?”
A woman approaches me with a gentle smile.
Dojin stepped back slightly and asked.
“Not for sale?”
Well, I guess you can guess what it will be like, but this is how conversations usually go.
I remember hearing somewhere that especially when talking to the opposite sex, the mood becomes much better if you use the words the other person spit out.
“Unsellable items are unsellable items. In the upper neighborhood over there, you can’t buy them even if you have money. Like, a lot of young girls. Like, women who treat you rudely and play around with you a little too much, but if you pay extra, it’s okay. Why? Are you one of those who likes extreme things too?”
Then don’t be shy and tell me. There are things that can be completely broken. Even if you kill them while playing, we’ll clean up the mess. Of course, if the price is right-
Dojin listened to the woman’s unpleasant words with one ear and let them go out the other.
On the outside, he seemed to show some interest.
Then, at some point, he interrupted the woman and got to the main point.
“It’s an interesting topic, but unfortunately, I have more pressing matters to attend to right now. My goal is to find one person.”
“…person?”
The woman’s eyes changed.
It seemed that he had misunderstood the word ‘person’ as someone who was trying to stir up trouble here in search of a criminal.
Dojin tried to stop the woman from slipping her hand under the piece of cloth that was precariously covering her chest.
Because it would be a pain in the ass to take out a weapon and swing it. Fighting at such close range with a swordsman whose level and power I don’t know.
As a wizard, I had to avoid such situations as much as possible.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for a local. I’m looking for an outsider, and I’m here to find someone to help me with that. Of course, I’ll pay you handsomely for your labor.”
The woman’s eyes soften slightly at the hastily spoken words.
However, this does not mean that vigilance was completely lowered.
“Hmm, but what should I do? The store I work at just sells one-night romances to lonely men. It doesn’t really have much to do with finding people.”
Not looking for people in a den of criminals? That’s something even a passing dog would laugh at.
Dojin snickered and said as if telling me to stop talking nonsense.
“I don’t think the place you work at is simply a store that deals in women. You said things like it’s not for sale and it’s a cleanup, but in the end, it’s an illegal slave trade where they’ll even dispose of corpses if you give them money… I don’t think there’s any way you wouldn’t be looking for people in a place like that for money.”
“Tsk,” the woman said, clicking her tongue.
The woman, her fake smile gone, looked Dojin up and down.
Then he nervously tousled his hair.
“Ha. I said that because I was scared and told you to go home. Tsk. Did you drink too much last night? I said something I didn’t have to.”
The woman who blamed her own slip of the tongue on alcohol opened her eyes sharply.
“So are you sure you have no direct interest in this neighborhood?”
Dojin nodded.
“If you lie, it’s no fun, Oppa. Judging from your dull robes and the tattoo on your right wrist, you seem to be a wizard. If you think the world is easy just because you use magic… You could end up with holes in your body that don’t need to be there in an instant?”
As she spoke, the woman thrust out a thin knife that she had taken out without knowing when.
Movements so natural and fast that it’s hard to react.
Just from this alone, I could tell that this NPC was quite high level.
As the regional level range increases, the level of NPCs whose job is combat also increases accordingly.
‘At this level… he’s not a lowly person. He’s probably a top-level person in this neighborhood.’
Guessing his opponent’s ability, Dojin pushed the dagger that had touched his abdomen aside.
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“I am a wizard, just as you say. I know full well that a swordsman like you is my natural enemy, even without warning, and I am not stupid enough to do something foolish in a town full of mortal danger.”
“Huh. It was stupid of me to even set foot here. Anyway, if you want to leave the work to me, follow me.”
Dojin followed the woman who suddenly turned around and walked away without saying a word.
The deeper I went into the alley, the more I felt the harsh stares from those around me.
An unconcealed murderous intent would be a silent means of intimidation.
Then, in front of a building that was so shabby and dirty that it was almost disgusting, a woman came down the stairs.
“it’s me.”
As the woman spoke in front of the black painted wooden door, the door swung open.
“Who’s that guy behind you?”
A man who appears to be a gatekeeper nods at Dojin and asks.
“customer.”
“Hmm… … .”
The man, who had been stroking his chin as if he was unsure, exchanged a few glances with the woman and then stepped aside.
As I entered the door, a hallway without any light appeared.
“Ugh… … .”
As I was walking down the hallway, I heard someone groaning from somewhere.
As Dojin reflexively stopped walking, the woman turned around.
“Why? Are you starting to get scared when you hear that sound?”
Hehe. The girl laughs mockingly.
“What are you talking about?”
“What are you talking about? It’s the sound of the products we sell. You didn’t seem all that interested when I saw you earlier. Do you want to take a look later? I told you that even if they’re a bit pricey, they’re perfect for having fun without any worries.”
Dojin looked in the direction of the sound for a moment to gather his thoughts, then nodded with a grin.
“Then, after I leave the job of finding people to you, should I go and take a look around for a bit?”
“As expected. Men with annoying eyes like to play rough.”
“Is that so? I live my life thinking that I look innocent.”
“… Are you kidding?”
Dojin shrugged his shoulders, but inside he was thinking something else.
‘If we can’t solve the problem with the Cult of Destruction, they’ll all die anyway, but if we succeed in stopping them, we should at least save the people who were caught here.’
One of the reasons for thinking this way is that if you do something that is clearly righteous, the world will likely recognize it as a quest and reward you, but even if that’s not the case, it’s better to just resolve and move on from these incidents.
Even if you pass it by without knowing, if you ignore the discomfort that is so obvious, it will accumulate in your heart without you knowing and later come back as stress.
‘It’s okay to stir things up by yourself, but it would be impossible to save people, so I’ll have to think about a rescue method little by little… ‘
No matter what method you use, it would be best to understand as much as possible the location where the target of your rescue is being held and the internal structure of the hideout.
That was when I was taking a close look at everything that was happening along the path of “hints”.
“It’s here.”
The woman walking ahead pushed aside a stone wall in an unexpected place, and inside it appeared a very neat and spacious bar that didn’t seem to fit in with the dirty back alley.
The place was full of men who looked menacing at first glance, with signs saying ‘I am a criminal’ written on their faces.
“Vicky, what’s that parasite wrapped in a black scroll behind you? I don’t think you brought it here to play with tonight.”
The woman named Vicky smirked at the bartender who had asked her the question.
“Just kidding. I’m a customer. I came here to ask you to find someone.”
“…That’s why you brought me here? You have to be joking.”
Vicky pointed to Dojin.
“Let’s take a look. Whether they have some ulterior motive, some backing, or they’re just customers looking for someone, why not bring them here and find out? It’s a place where no one will scream.”
Chin. Vicky sat down on a reasonably empty chair and pulled out a dagger.
The other men are also wary of Dojin and take out their sticks.
In an instant, the situation became filled with swordsmen everywhere.
In that oppressive atmosphere, the bartender, who seemed to be the boss, nodded his chin while staring blankly at Dojin.
As if to say, if you have something to say, say it.
So Dojin said what he had to say.
“I’m looking for a person. He most likely entered this city about a week to ten days ago, and he’s wearing a white priest’s cassock with a black mist flower pattern embroidered on it.”
Haha. The bartender laughed dryly.
He said, wiping the glass clean.
“I appreciate your overestimation of us, but it’s impossible to find people in this big city with just your clothes, young friend. To put it bluntly, if you just change into white clothes, you’ll lose all your features.”
“Overestimation. That’s an accurate assessment. Don’t you guys check off all the people who come and go from this city who have a certain personality? Check off those who look dangerous, check off those who look easy, check off those who seem like they’ll make money. A pilgrim priest would be the third. Traveling priests tend to have ample money for their travel expenses.”
“… The priest who certainly looks like he’s on a pilgrimage is noticeable. If pickpockets had been keeping an eye out for him, it wouldn’t have been hard to find him. However… … .”
Before the bartender could continue his story, Dojin placed a heavy pouch on the table.
“1,000 gold. This is the deposit. When you complete the request, I will pay you the same amount again.”
Vicky whistled as she swung her dagger around.
The bartender also raises an eyebrow in surprise.
Well, it was natural to burn that much money just to find one person.
“It’s scary to brag about how much money you have in a place like this… What if we don’t take on any requests and just kill and rob?”
The bartender spoke with concern for the innocent country boy.
This is a crucial point.
If you look easy at this moment, you will be branded as a sucker who can take all your money and internal organs.
To avoid that, bluffing was necessary.
Dojin spoke arrogantly, with an intentional sneer.
To give the impression that the corner you believe in is holding up very firmly.
“There’s no need to think about it. Just like you think, I’m just a worker who came out to do some work. Honestly, if I had offered you some small amount of money, you would have just taken it. Laughing at the foolish act of a wizard who didn’t know anything about the world and just walked in.”
“That’s funny. I thought wizards were all gloomy, studying in their rooms and not knowing anything about the world.”
The bartender took the bag of money that Dojin had put down.
Then he turned it over, and a woman who appeared at some unknown time checked the money and disappeared behind him.
Now that I looked, I saw that there was a door that wasn’t very noticeable.
“It’s true that we do a cursory check on people who come into the city. But it’s not systematic. Pickpockets, fruit shop clerks, bar staff, city gatekeepers… …. There’s a web of informants who just pour in information randomly. What I mean is, it takes some time to filter out the person you’re looking for from the piled up information.”
“How long will it take?”
“Hmm, it should take about an hour or two to sort through the pile of notes, and another hour or two for the request to be spread to informants in the city. Then, another hour or two should be enough to find them. That is, if that priest or whatever is in the city.”
“I would like it resolved as quickly as possible. If you reduce the estimated time by more than two hours, I will pay an additional 500 gold.”
“It seems like you have a boss with a fairly generous wallet.”
“depending on.”
“Okay, where should I send the news after I’m done with it?”
Before Dojin could answer the bartender’s question, Vicky intervened.
“Don’t worry. My brother will be playing here.”
“What are you talking about, Vicky?”
“Hey, brother, while you’re looking for someone, you wanted to look through our stuff.”
At those words, the bartender looked at Dojin as if he was surprised.
“You seem to have quite refined tastes, despite your appearance. Or is it your master’s taste? Either way, I hope you find something you like.”
After speaking, the bartender nodded to Vicky, opened the back door, and disappeared.
“Follow me.”
Dojin followed Vicky.
I walk back down the dark hallway, through the door that opens to the side, and walk down the hallway again.
The more I thought about it, the more the unpleasant sobbing came closer.
