Just knowing the name and face of one suspect was already major progress.
Upon returning to Banne, Fried Randol immediately launched a search for the suspect, Hanga Kamoi.
Sending each of his four subordinates out to canvas the area, he headed into town to make inquiries of his own.
To begin with, he checked the taverns—the classic starting point for gathering intel.
While he turned up empty at the first establishment, by sheer luck, he encountered a woman at the second who recognized Hanga Kamoi's face.
The woman, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, went by the name Gena. She was the tavern's hired okami.
"Yeah, I know his face. He's that guy named Hanga or whatever, right?"
"That's him. Where is he?"
"Well, you see, he acts like some kind of high-and-mighty intellectual. Whenever he comes in for a drink, he spouts all these tedious, convoluted arguments. He's annoying as hell."
"..."
"He pays well enough, though. Honestly, dealing with him is just exhausting. And besides, whenever he gets a few drinks in him, his tongue gets loose, and he constantly spills all sorts of nonsensical bragging."
Fried Randol listened in silence until Gena had spoken her fill.
"Ah, sorry about that. Right, you wanted to know where he is... I don't know the exact details, but he did mention he remodeled an old storehouse on the outskirts of town and was living there."
"Where is this storehouse?"
"In the northeastern part of town."
"Over that way, huh... Understood. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Don't mention it."
He now had a solid lead on the hideout.
Fried briefly considered going alone, but decided taking his four subordinates would be the better choice.
Returning to the guardhouse, he gave his report to his superior while waiting for the four to return, explaining that he planned to conduct a raid shortly.
"Understood. I have orders from higher-ups to settle this matter thoroughly. If you're short on manpower, I'll lend you some."
His understanding superior assigned four additional men to assist with apprehending the suspect.
The storehouse was a medium-class building measuring roughly ten meters on each side. It had only a single entrance at the front.
There were windows for ventilation, but none large enough for a person to pass through.
First, Fried Randol had his four subordinates surround all four sides of the building.
Then, accompanied by the four borrowed guards, he went in to assess the situation.
"Now then, all that's left is to pray the bastard is actually inside."
"I believe there is no need to worry on that front."
The voice belonged to one of the four men lent to him by his superior.
"I can sense a mana reaction deep within."
"Oh, really? You have a knack for sensing that sort of thing, do you?...Your name?"
"Sir, it is Alter Grelus, Unit Leader Randol."
"Alright, Grelus, you're with me. The other three, keep watch on the entrance."
With that decided, Fried and Alter Grelus began their infiltration of the storehouse.
"There is a mana trap here....Disarmed."
"Please watch your step. There is a mana-detection magic circle here."
"Activating soundproofing magic barrier....With this, minor noises will go unnoticed."
Alter Grelus proved to be exceptionally competent, allowing Fried to slip into the storehouse's interior with virtually no trouble at all.
"The mana reaction is underground. There must be a hidden door somewhere," Alter Grelus said.
"Mm, but we can't exactly go around tapping on the floor to find it."
Fried wore a contemplative look, wondering how best to proceed. Alter Grelus, however, had a different take.
"Well, if there are no other exits, do we really have any choice?"
"Fair point....Alright, let's search quietly first, and if we come up empty, we'll try tapping the floor."
"Understood."
Having agreed on the plan, Fried and Alter Grelus searched the floor in separate areas.
For a storehouse, the floor space was not particularly vast.
"Unit leader, over here!"
"Well done!"
When Alter Grelus moved a container sitting on the floor, he revealed a staircase leading underground.
Fried Randol summoned the remaining three men borrowed from his superior, leaving his own four subordinates to maintain their perimeter watch outside.
"Alright, we're breaching."
"Sir!"
The five men rushed down the stairs. Alter had erected a soundproofing magic barrier, which offered some peace of mind, but they still took care to move as quietly as possible just in case.
At the bottom of the stairs, a door blocked their path.
"Opening this will definitely give us away. Stay on your toes, understood?"
Saying so, Fried reached for the doorknob... only for Alter to cut in front of him.
"Unit leader, as commander, you shouldn't take point. Allow me."
Before Fried could stop him, Alter threw the door wide open.
"!!"
"!"
A flash of electricity came flying straight toward them. It was Thunderbolt.
However, Alter, standing right at the front, deflected it cleanly with a Barrier.
While Fried marveled at the man's sheer competence, securing the suspect was the top priority.
"Come along quietly!"
He roared, glaring down the man at the back of the room.
The man looked identical to the sketch drawn by Altas; there was no mistaking it, he was Hanga Kamoi.
"Damn it! How did you find this place?!"
Shouting in desperation, Hanga Kamoi deployed a golem. From its appearance, it belonged to the same lineage as the agricultural golem.
"Leave this to me."
No sooner had Alter Grelus spoken than he closed the distance, darted right into the golem's chest, and cast Forming.
"What... the?!"
Whose voice was that?
With its legs warped and deformed, the golem crashed heavily to the floor.
Seizing the opening, Fried drove a steel fist straight into Hanga Kamoi's face.
"Guh-eck!"
Letting out a pathetic yelp, Hanga Kamoi collapsed.
With its commander incapacitated, the fallen golem ceased moving altogether.
From there, everything went smoothly.
Under interrogation, Hanga Kamoi confessed to aiding the fraud syndicate. Furthermore, using documents seized from the underground hideout, the authorities successfully arrested every last member of the ring, all of whom turned out to be former remnants of the Magic Federation.
Yet, one strange detail lingered.
When Fried asked about Alter Grelus, one of the men borrowed from his superior, he was told that no such person was on the roster.
Who in the world was he, then? Fried Randol puzzled over the question, but could find no answer.
Furthermore, the soldier who was originally supposed to be the fourth borrowed man was later found hidden away in the shadows. He had sustained no injuries; he had simply been put to sleep.
By whom, remained a complete mystery to the end.
On Hourai Island, Laojun was commending two Quinta units.
"Regulus 50, Deneb 30, excellent work."
Regulus 50 and Deneb 30 had shed their disguises as Alter Grelus and Gena, respectively, returning to their true forms as Quinta.
As a side note, Altas had also been a persona assumed by Regulus 50.
"Not at all. We could not simply stand by and let scoundrels drag the name of House Techles through the mud after all they did for us in the past."
"Indeed. Especially now, with My Lord actively promoting the AGS, those criminals posed a distinct threat to the initiative."
Laojun had also wished for the matter to be resolved as swiftly as possible.
"Even so, while our approach was somewhat heavy-handed, the issue has been resolved, so we may consider it a success."
Because speed was of the essence, they had resorted to a few forceful measures—namely, slipping Alter Grelus into the ranks and displaying far more competence than any ordinary soldier possessed.
Long ago, Regulus 50 and Deneb 30 had gone by the names Altaf and Gena, working respectively as a magi craftsman and a shipwright when Eckart Techles built his new vessel.
It was because of those old ties that Laojun had dispatched them to assist Fried Randol on this occasion.
"My Lord was also concerned about the agricultural golem incident, so this should put his mind at ease."
Going forward, Hourai Island would surely continue to watch over and support those connected to them from the shadows.