Searching for the Teleportation Door Key with the Item-finding Rod presented a slight complication. No matter what I did, it kept reacting to the key already in my possession. However, keeping my key in my Storage Ring should solve that. Word was that the inside of a Storage Ring existed in a separate dimension. Of course, that also meant I wouldn't be able to track anyone down if the other key holders kept theirs in similar storage items.
Well, it wasn't as if I’d be in trouble if it failed. I tossed the Item-finding Rod with a casual flick, and—
"Ah!"
"It's reacting..."
"What were you trying to find?"
"That key from before, but..."
My response to Halfa was inevitably evasive. The Item-finding Rod was pointing clearly in one direction. Straight ahead, an old lady sat leisurely sunbathing.
What's this? Does that old lady have a key?
"Hmm... No, surely not?"
Since the rod only indicated a general direction, there was a high probability the woman was simply standing between me and the actual target.
Pulling myself together, I moved to a different spot a short distance away and tried searching for the key again. This time, the rod didn't point toward the old lady. I felt a wave of relief at the result. But on second thought, the discovery wasn't exactly comforting either.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, Spira-chan?"
"If you compare the direction from last time to this time, the lines don't intersect, do they?"
"...You're right!"
As Spira noticed, I couldn't triangulate the key's location from just those two attempts. Two possibilities immediately sprang to mind. One was that the key holder was on the move. Since the directions indicated were so different, the holder would have to be traveling at a considerable speed. It wasn't impossible, I suppose. The other possibility was... well, I decided to keep that one to myself for the time being.
"Let's try a few other spots."
"Agreed."
Lowell nodded with a grim expression. I was probably making the same face.
We changed locations several more times to test the Item-finding Rod. No matter where we went, the rod reacted, but the directions it pointed were completely inconsistent. It was too wide a range and too irregular to be explained by a single person moving around.
"This is a bad situation."
"Onii-chan, could this possibly mean..."
"It’s likely exactly what you're thinking. There are multiple key holders hiding right here in Aingurna."
"I knew it!"
What Lowell and Spira were discussing was the other possibility I had considered. Most likely, there were key holders hidden among the residents of Aingurna. Moreover, judging by these results, it wasn't just one or two people. I had no way of knowing if every single one of them had been brainwashed by the voice of Gurnalava, but the situation certainly didn't warrant optimism.
"As I thought, this is more than we can handle on our own. For now, let's report this to the Guild."
I had no objections to Lowell's suggestion. I had a small idea of my own, but that could wait until after the report.
Back at the Adventurer's Guild, Rache-san sat at the reception desk, her eyes looking like those of a dead fish as she worked. Next to her, Buffy-san was efficiently managing a large crowd of adventurers. It had become a familiar sight.
"Oh, it’s Tort and the others, nya! You all look so serious, nya... Is it an emergency, nya?"
The moment she spotted us, Rache-san’s face brightened instantly. Her voice was noticeably bouncy. She made no effort to hide the fact that she wanted to use an "emergency" as an excuse to dodge her paperwork. Since it was obvious even to me, there was no way Buffy-san would miss it.
"Rache-san, you have work to do here at the Guild!"
"No way, nya..."
Rache-san’s shoulders slumped as her escape was immediately cut off. Laughter rippled through the nearby adventurers at the familiar exchange. It was a peaceful atmosphere, but it wasn't enough to ease the tension in our expressions. Seeing our faces, Rache-san’s expression tightened as well.
"It looks even more serious than I thought, nya. For now, let’s move elsewhere, nya."
"Ah, I'm coming too!"
"Understood, nya. We’ll talk in the office, nya."
Rache-san guided us to the Guild Master’s Office. Once Buffy-san joined us a moment later, Rache-san got straight to the point.
"So, what happened, nya?"
"Actually—"
When I explained the results of our search for the Teleportation Door Keys, Rache-san’s brow furrowed into a deep grimace, while Buffy-san’s face went bone-white.
"Um... is that really true?"
"I can only say it's highly likely. We haven't actually seen anyone holding a key, and I thought it would be a bad idea to provoke them by questioning them directly..."
"That was the right call, nya. If it were only one or two people, that would be one thing, but we can't handle it if a whole crowd starts a riot, nya..."
She was right. I didn't know the exact number of people lurking in Aingurna, but there was no doubt it was substantial. If they staged a simultaneous uprising while we were still in the dark about who was brainwashed, it would be a disaster.
"Haven't there been any reports of people acting strangely lately?"
"Hmm, I haven't heard anything, nya. Buffy, what about you, nya?"
"No, there have been no such reports."
"That's strange, nya. I don't think anyone could stay calm after hearing that voice, nya."
Rache-san tilted her head at Lowell's observation. It was God's Brainwashing, after all. I didn't think it was the kind of thing someone could resist subconsciously. Even Rache-san had been shouting in resistance at the time. Or perhaps they had succumbed to the brainwashing before they even had a chance to fight back.
"Regardless, we have to do something, nya! But what can we even do, nya...?"
"Actually, there’s something I want to try."
"As expected of Tort, nya! I’ll leave it to you, nya!"
It seemed Rache-san couldn't think of a breakthrough either. That was why I’d brought it up, intending to suggest the method I had in mind... but she’d dumped the responsibility on me before I’d even had a chance to explain.
Um... So, is it all right if I start talking now?