Hidden Motives?

I never expected to run into Rei and the others in the middle of a black market.

"Everyone? What are you doing here?"

"We're... assisting with a raid," Rei answered.

"Well, 'assisting' is one way to put it. It was more like Rei's idea," Mil added.

"He was worried about the illegal slave trade, you see," Sally explained.

"Oh, I see."

In other words, Rei was in a position where the guards actually listened to his suggestions. Regardless of Rei’s humble attitude, Mil and Sally weren't even trying to hide their status anymore. Then again, their refined upbringing had been obvious from the way they spoke before now, so it felt a little late for them to start acting like commoners.

"So, Tort-kun, what were you doing here?"

Ah. Right.

Naturally, she’d ask that.

Sally peered at me with sharp, searching eyes. Did she find out about the Pandora Gifts?

No, no, she was probably just suspicious. I had to come up with a convincing excuse, fast!

Just then, Dolga-san returned and dropped a heavy hand on my head.

"Ah, Young Masters. This lad here was helping me out as my apprentice. He actually did some good work, slinging stones to disrupt the slave deal."

"Stop with the 'Young Master.' But... I see. Is that what happened?"

Oh, thank you, Dolga-san! He’d backed me up perfectly. Sally seemed satisfied with the explanation, too. Phew, saved.

"Wait, the slave deal... do you mean that girl?"

Mil pointed slightly behind me to the right. There stood the Wingfolk girl, her tiny hand tightly clutching the Cloak of Grace I was wearing.

"Whoa! Since when did she get there?"

I hadn't noticed at all.

Moreover, why was she clutching my cloak? What was the deal here?

I ended up explaining my situation to Rei’s group, including my theory that I didn't understand Ludovis’s actual intentions. Naturally, I kept the Pandora Gifts to myself.

"I see. So the adventurers who used you as bait were here. I honestly don't understand the logic behind using you as a lure either, but there’s no doubt they’re scum. At least we kept her from being dragged off by people like that."

Rei directed his final words to the Wingfolk girl. She didn't say a word, merely giving a small, solemn nod. Is she just a quiet person?

"My name is Mil. It's nice to meet you. Could you tell me yours?"

Mil immediately tried to strike up a conversation. All three of them seemed like the caretaking types, but Mil was definitely the most proactive.

The girl looked troubled for a moment before suddenly crouching down. I wondered what she was doing until I realized she was tracing characters into the dirt.

"Halfa. Is that your name?"

The girl—Halfa—smiled brightly and nodded.

"Can you not speak?" I asked.

Halfa shook her head. She began writing in the dirt again. According to her, Ludovis had ordered her not to make a sound. Now that I thought about it, Ludovis had been whispering instructions to her right before I threw the stone. That must have been the command to stay silent.

"Rei, can't we break a spell like that?"

"Usually, it's impossible without an order from the master. However, since the slave trader is in custody, we should be able to force the Incantation of Release out of him. Once she's freed from slavery, the previous orders will be voided."

"I see. That’s a relief."

However... things didn't go quite that smoothly.

"The Incantation of Release is different?"

"Yeah," Rei sighed. "It seems that adventurer, Ludovis, changed the code before he ran. We were able to free the other slaves, but it’s not working for Halfa."

"No way..."

She was so close to freedom. This was just too cruel. Standing beside us, Halfa hung her head in disappointment.

"Is there no other way to get the collar off?"

"The Incantation of Release is recorded inside the collar itself, so supposedly it can be retrieved if it’s analyzed properly. But trying to analyze it while it’s still on the person is dangerous. If you mess up the removal, it tightens around the neck. The Collars of Subjugation used for illegal slaves are particularly unforgiving about that."

That sounded grim.

But if that was the case, maybe there was a way?

I still had the Collar of Subjugation I’d once worn tucked away in my Storage Ring. I hadn't been able to bring myself to leave such a dangerous item behind in my old shack, after all.

"Hey, do you think people ever use the same incantation for multiple slaves?"

It was like passwords in my previous life. Even as security awareness grew, there were always people who found management too much of a hassle and used the same password for everything. I bet this world was no different.

"...True, considering the effort involved, there’s a high chance they’d use the same incantation for management. In fact, the slave trader did exactly that."

"Then if we analyze the collar I used to wear, wouldn't we find the incantation?"

"Wait, you still have it? But Tort, weren't you sold to a different trader after that?"

Ah, right. If so, the Incantation of Release would have been overwritten.

"I wonder if the previous incantation can still be recovered through analysis?"

"Who knows? There might be a chance. For now, why don't you let me take that collar off your hands?"

"Sure. Actually, please just take it. I didn't really know how to dispose of it safely anyway."

"Fair enough. I understand."

As soon as I handed over the Collar of Subjugation, Rei and his party said they would take it in for analysis and departed. Halfa went with them. For some reason, she refused to let go of my cloak until the very end, but she eventually relented once I explained that Rei and the others would look after her until she was free.

Between the collar analysis and re-interrogating the slave trader, hopefully, they’d find something. I prayed they could get that collar off her as soon as possible.

Once Rei’s group was gone, it was just me and Dolga-san.

"Now then, Tort. You owe me one, don't you?"

Owe him one...?

"Are you talking about when you stepped in with Sally?"

I’d thought he was just being helpful, but was this his angle? Wait, did he tell me about the black market specifically so something like this would happen?!

"Heh heh... Don't look at me like that. It’s not like I’m going to make some impossible demand. You just have to keep showing up for your Dagger Lecture. That’s easy enough, right?"

"W-Well, if that's all it is..."

But this was definitely his way of forcing me to learn Assassin Techniques! Besides, didn't he call me his "apprentice" when talking to Rei? He just meant a student of the lecture, right? He didn't mean an apprentice of some... shadow organization, right?

Ignoring my inner turmoil, Dolga-san gave me a smug grin and walked away.

I should head back too. I was exhausted.

...Wait, I'm definitely not going to make it back to the Wildcat Inn before dinner service ends.

Talk about adding insult to injury. Seriously.