Chapter 38: Charlotte and Her Collaborators

"Ah. Isn’t that it? There’s a huge crowd gathering over there."

"Yeah, looks like it. I can see that blond head. The fact he’s surrounded by that many people shows just how important adventurers—and by extension, dungeons—are in this town."

We moved over to the exchange hall, and sure enough, we spotted Reynard.

Well, to be precise, I could only see a wall of people. But from Riven’s higher vantage point, he could apparently make him out through the crowd.

Grrr…

"So, what do we do?"

"What else? We’ll just have to go talk to him."

"Ugh, but he looks so hard to approach…"

They’re important people having an important conversation, right? What am I supposed to do, barge in with a "Sorry to interrupt~"? No way, that’s terrifying. If I get on the wrong person’s bad side, I could be chased out of this town!

Riven, though, didn’t look hesitant at all. He seemed ready to just stride right into that group.

I was about to stop him—because come on, that’d definitely rub people the wrong way—when…

"I’m going."

"And I’m already here."

"Hyah!"

A voice right by my ear nearly stopped my heart.

I whipped around in shock, only to see a familiar face: Trichel.

She hadn’t made a single sound. Don’t sneak up on me like that when I’m distracted—it’s murder on my heart.

"Surprised?"

"Yes, very! Please never do that again."

"Ahaha, I’ll be careful~"

This girl…!

Well, whatever. If Trichel’s here, then I can just ask her to get in touch with Reynard. Saves me some trouble.

"Trichel. Can you go pull Reynard out for us?"

"Hm? Ah, he looks a little busy right now."

"What’s he talking about with them?"

"Hmm, right now he’s gathering allies for the auction. He wants that sword, remember?"

At that, Riven perked up.

"What?"

"It’s called laying the groundwork. He’s securing allies by offering favors, trading conditions, and building connections for the future."

"Wait. Reynard can actually do something like that?"

"Ahaha. I heard back in his old party, he was clueless about that stuff. He must’ve studied really hard."

Back in his 【Crimson Sword】 days, he was constantly getting tricked with fake jobs and shady contracts. And now he’s doing this…?

Crap. I’m actually kind of touched.

But then again, thinking about it rationally, all those debts from before are gonna fall on me thanks to the delayed payment system.

Crap. Now I’m almost crying.

But fine, whatever! It’s fine!

"Ah, looks like he noticed us. He’s wrapping things up."

"Huh? Wait, you can hear their conversation even from here? In this crowd?"

The hall was packed with people. Not just around Reynard, but little groups were gathered everywhere.

Everyone was talking at once, so to me it was just a jumble of voices. I caught fragments here and there, but nothing useful. Besides, we weren’t exactly close to Reynard’s group, so there’s no way I could make out what they were saying.

"Being able to pick out a specific voice in a crowd is basic. What are you talking about?"

"Exactly. Without that, this kind of work would be impossible. My ears aren’t that sharp though, so I just read lips."

"Wait—you can read lips!?"

What are these people!? Don’t lump a normal person like me in with your freak-show skill sets!

And stop tilting your head like I’m the weird one here!

"Hey. So you made it. You could’ve just called out to me."

"Don’t ask me to break through that wall of people. Impossible."

"Ahaha. I thought Charlotte wouldn’t care about that sort of thing."

"Nope. I always put myself first, thank you very much."

"Hahaha."

Hey, what’s with that laugh?

Is it really that funny that I look out for myself?

"Ho. So this must be the girl I’ve heard about."

A middle-aged man suddenly stepped out from behind Reynard and addressed me. Whoa—he’s tall. Must be about one-eighty.

Judging from earlier, he was probably one of the people Reynard had been talking with. Even though Reynard had broken off, the group hadn’t dispersed completely—some had followed him over.

"Yes. This is Charlotte."

"A pleasure to meet you, Charlotte. What an honor to finally meet the famed Goddess of Fortune."

"Huh? Uh, nice to meet you too?"

He held out his hand for a shake, and I instinctively reached out and clasped it.

He smiled warmly at me.

But there was something behind that smile. I managed to smile back, though a little awkwardly.

"…Hey, Reynard."

"Riven, I know what you’re about to say. But these people are our allies for this matter. We can’t just dismiss them."

"Allies? On whose side?"

"On both."

Both…?

Still holding his hand, I looked back up at the man.

His cheerful eyes gleamed faintly, like he was weighing and measuring me.

"We’ve known Reynard a long time—since before he even formed his current clan."

That far back? So they’d already approached him shortly after the whole collapse incident.

"He’s done much for us. And when someone like him personally asks a favor, how could we refuse?"

"You just want to get in Charlotte’s good graces. You’ve been interested in her for a while, haven’t you?"

"Hahaha. I’ll admit, I was curious about the young woman said to have brought down that up-and-coming party. Purely idle curiosity, I assure you."

"I’ll say it again—it wasn’t her fault—"

"Yes, yes, I know. Still, the rumors didn’t exaggerate her beauty."

So they even know the details of the 【Crimson Sword】 collapse. Seems like they’re well informed.

It’s a little intimidating, but if information brokers like this are on our side, it’s reassuring.

By the way, how long am I supposed to keep shaking his hand? My hand’s getting tired already.

"What exactly are you offering to do for us?"

"Let’s see… First of all, we’ll support you in the auction groundwork. Specifically, among our associates, we’ll coordinate price-raising and prearrange the final bid."

Huh? What does that mean?

"An auction can be fought like a group battle. The more people who appear to want something, the more half-hearted bidders will give up. In other words, even if it’s just for show, if enough people drive the price up, it can end with you securing the item for cheaper."

"…I see. That makes sense."

"We will need to know your maximum limit in advance, of course. Ah, and if necessary, we are even prepared to provide you with funds as an advance investment."

What!? They’re even willing to lend us money? That’s incredibly generous.

Lending money to drifters like us is a huge risk—we could leave town tomorrow and never be tracked down. For them to offer it anyway shows just how much trust Reynard has earned.

"No, we appreciate the offer, but let’s decline that."

"Hahaha, wise indeed. Very well. In that case, just let him know your maximum limit later. We’ll share it only with those among us who can be trusted, and we’ll aim to secure the bid within that range."

Why refuse such a generous offer?

But then it hit me—of course. Nothing is scarier than debt. Especially when it’s borrowed from someone you just met. Who knows what they might demand later.

Sure, Reynard’s relationship with them gives them a certain level of credibility, but that’s all it is.

"So, if you said both sides, that means you’ll also help with the investigation?"

"Yes. Honestly, they can cover more ground than we can."

"The guild will be more accommodating to us than to adventurers. Investor privilege, you see. Leave the probing to us."

True enough. Outsiders like them wouldn’t raise suspicion as easily.

"Just make sure you don’t get caught."

"Hahaha, if we couldn’t pull off a bit of political maneuvering, we wouldn’t be here in the first place."

"Seems that way. Every single one of you has untrustworthy eyes."

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

Well, well… These people might actually be reliable.

Reynard having connections like this—no, it’s probably just his usual talent for winning people over. He never thinks too deeply about it.

…By the way, um.

"Do you think you could let go of my hand now…?"

"Oh! My apologies. I was just trying to bask in a little of the Goddess of Fortune’s blessing."

"Haha, haha…"

All I could do was laugh. Just how far has this Goddess of Fortune rumor spread, anyway?

"My, time does fly when you’re having a pleasant chat."

"Oh? You’re right. It’s almost time for the auction to start."

Already? That went fast.

In the end, I didn’t get any direct information from Reynard, but since he didn’t bring it up here, that probably means nothing urgent is going on.

We’ll continue after the auction, then.

"Hmm. I think today will be fine."

"Hm? What do you mean, Trichel?"

"Oh, just a little precaution. I set up something so that if anyone tried to use large-scale magic, we’d detect it. No signs so far, so we should be safe."

…Wait, what?

"Ah, it’s just a magic tool. I brought something I found lying around, covered in dust."

"Ohh, I see. What kind of tool is it?"

"It just measures the amount of magical energy in the area. Ritual magic requires a lot of power just in preparation, so if anything happens, it should react."

Ah, so that’s all. For a moment I thought she’d invented some new kind of magic herself.

A magic tool, huh.

I’ve got a few trinkets myself, but I never know if they’re actually useful. Just a necklace and a ring—basically accessories with effects so minor that people don’t even notice them.

…Trichel’s definitely noticed and kept quiet about it, but Riven and Reynard don’t seem aware at all. I get it, though.

Whatever. I’ll complain about it later.

For now—it’s the second day of the auction. Might as well enjoy it.