Patients thinned out once noon passed and the afternoon began.
With the rush over, the resident physicians rotated through the outpatient clinic in shifts. They spent their free time dedicated to study and research, actively exchanging ideas with one another.
For example...
Tinto-san, who was the athletic type, had developed an interest in protein and physical training.
Hector-san, a specialist in medicine and poisons, was searching for safer anesthetics and painkillers.
Clarissa-san, who possessed a keen interest in nutritional supplements, was conducting research into various nutrients.
Everyone was cooperating with me in their respective fields of expertise.
"I’m always truly grateful for your help," I said.
"Think nothing of it. We’re interested in these topics ourselves," replied Dr. Isabel, a beautiful physician, as she began our exchange. "More importantly, I wanted to discuss those makeup remover samples from the other day."
The area she assisted me with was "beauty," which was my weakest subject.
When I had gone to pay my respects to the Ducal House previously, I had made bath bombs and sugar scrubs. Unfortunately, that had caused the Madam’s expectations to soar; she now believed I was capable of developing all sorts of beauty-related products.
While she wasn't exactly pressuring me, I wanted to put effort into studying and product development in that direction. As a woman with extensive medical knowledge, Isabel-san was an invaluable collaborator.
Though emergency patients were occasionally brought in, the hours generally passed peacefully. Since we weren't struggling with management, a quiet hospital was a positive sign.
When evening arrived, I was preparing to head home when the maid, Lilian-san, approached me.
"Ryoma-sama, might I have a moment of your time?"
Since I was only planning on heading home, I told her it was no problem. She then guided me to a meeting room.
Inside were Hughes-san and Jill-san, who oversaw the security company. There were Zeff-san and Camille-san, who primarily handled the waste processing plant. Finally, there were Lilian-san, Lulunese-san, and Libiola-san, who acted as my support staff.
Up to this point, they were the usual members dispatched from the Ducal House, but there was one more person...
"Li Ling-san?"
"Good evening, Shopkeeper," she greeted.
Li Ling-san, who worked at the laundry shop, was present. It wasn't that her being there was a problem, but it was rare—unprecedented, actually—for her to be included in a gathering of the Ducal House’s inner circle.
For the time being, I took a seat and listened.
The first to speak was the leader-in-training, Hughes-san.
"Now that Ryoma’s here, let's get started. I’ll skip the small talk and get straight to the point. Regarding 'that investigation,' it’s about eighty percent complete."
Ah, so it was about that matter. But eighty percent?
"The investigation itself only needs one last push. It’s fine to just keep at it... but during the process, we found a guy acting suspicious. I want to discuss how we’re going to deal with him."
"Who is the target?" I asked.
"A man named Yudam. He’s a clerk at the laundry shop and a new hire for security."
Him, huh...
"The fact that Li Ling-san is here means the investigation has already been moving forward, doesn't it?"
"That is right, ne," she replied.
"This is a bit after-the-fact, but we only intended to do a quick check at first. Right?" Hughes-san added.
"Yes. At first, it was only my intuition and Father's. No evidence. That person just went out walking a lot during times when there was no work at the shop."
"He does his work properly, and sometimes people just want to get some fresh air during their breaks, right? I’m the same way, and I figured he might be too. So, it didn't seem particularly strange at first," Hughes-san explained.
"However, I have heard that she and her father formerly made their living in the underworld. Thus, they must have felt something," Jill-san added.
Li Ling-san nodded at Jill-san’s words.
"I was a bit curious. So, when that person went out, I decided to follow. When I said I would show him the city and wanted to go together, he was very happy."
"Ah... I can imagine that."
Yudam-san was a bit of a flirt when it came to women... On the plus side, he was very sociable while on guard duty. I had heard that he was highly rated by the ladies, from the children who came to the shop to the local housewives.
"And the result was that he’s 'guilty'?"
Li Ling-san nodded once and then turned her gaze toward Lulunese-san. There were several sheets of paper in Lulunese-san's hands; they likely contained a record of his actions.
"At first, he apparently did nothing but walk around town, but recently, his investigative behavior has become quite prominent," Lulunese-san began. "Furthermore, it is centered around locations related to Ryoma-sama. We have staff testimony that he visited the hospital claiming he had fallen and injured himself, and he also asked if he could observe the security company's training because he was interested in it."
"I have confirmed that he has been coming to the waste processing plant as well," Camille-san added. "According to the children, he has also been showing his face around the rebuilt Children's Home."
"There’s also info that he’s been loitering around the former slum district that the Young Master cleared out," Zeff-san chimed in. "He was seen talking to the construction workers during their breaks."
"No matter how much the land readjustment is progressing now, loitering around a place that was a slum until recently without a reason is not normal behavior," Libiola-san pointed out.
"Finally, this happened just the other day, but Fei-sama spotted him going out while being even more cautious of his surroundings than usual," Lulunese-san continued. "When Fei-sama tailed him, he witnessed the man meeting with another male in a back alley and handing over something that looked like a letter."
Following Lulunese-san, Camille-san and Zeff-san also provided information. Libiola-san’s opinion that it wasn't normal behavior was certainly true as well. And that final scene of the letter exchange...
"Lulunese-san. If this much information has been gathered, then there’s no mistake that he is an agent or an investigator for someone, is there?"
"We are almost certain of it. However, according to Li Ling-san, he is quite easy to read for someone in that line of work. She believes he is essentially an amateur who hasn't received proper training."
Is that so? I turned my eyes toward her.
"Shopkeeper, I discussed this with Father too. No mistake, ne. I think he is just leaking information in exchange for money or something."
"I see."
To be honest, it hadn't been long since I met Yudam-san. There were likely things I didn't know about him, and things he hadn't mentioned. Whether he was a professional or not, the fact remained that it would be a problem if he performed actions that harmed us.
However...
Recalling his actions so far as far as I knew them, he didn't seem like the type of person who would commit an act of betrayal... even if his personality was a bit light. Then again, it wasn't as if I had much confidence in my ability to judge people.
And above all, Fei-san and Li Ling-san, who were professionals in that field, had judged him to be a spy. If that was the case, there was virtually no chance they were wrong. Even if they were, the probability would be incredibly low. The evidence was sufficient; I trusted those two, and I had no intention of doubting their skills.
"The problem is how we deal with it," I said.
"That’s the thing," Jill-san replied. "There’s no doubt that this Yudam fellow is leaking info somewhere. But there’s not much point in catching an amateur who was blinded by a bit of pocket change. Fei-san says that the person Yudam met with is likely 'the real deal,' so if we’re going to catch anyone, it should be that one. However, if we’re up against a real intelligence operative, there’s a chance they’ll sense even our slightest movements and vanish, so we have to act cautiously."
"Do we know the extent of the damage—or rather, the information that's being leaked?"
"Based on the locations and actions witnessed so far, it’s likely nothing more than rumors that anyone could find out if they looked. He hasn't managed to get into any places where he could extract internal confidential information... which is what makes this so troublesome."
According to Jill-san, they had easily caught Yudam-san’s tail as someone leaking information. However, the information he was capable of leaking was the kind that wouldn't cause much trouble even if it were known. In fact, it likely included details that we were making public ourselves because they weren't problematic.
In other words, while he was a nuisance, there was no problem even if we let him run for a while. Because his tail was so easily caught, there was even a possibility that he was being used as a decoy.
"Whether we seize him or let him run, half-hearted measures are no good. We need to decide on a policy," Hughes-san said.
At his word, the participants began to voice their opinions.
By the time the eight people—excluding me—had stated their views, there were some slight differences, but the opinions were split exactly: four in favor of seizing him, and four in favor of letting him run. Naturally, all eyes gathered on me, as I was the last one.
Faced with that, I thought for a short while before conveying my intent.
The meeting became a bit heated after that, but in the end, we reached a single conclusion.
"The operation will take place tomorrow night. That is all. Dismissed," Hughes-san declared.
"Everyone, make sure your preparations are perfect."
The next day.
"Put that stand over here. Please put the other one on the opposite side!"
Since this morning, I had been making modifications to the interior of the security company and the hospital.
There were two reasons for this. First, employing workers and running the company had been the top priorities until now. I had only set things up enough so that there were no problems with business, and I had postponed the finer details of the interior design. Now that we had some leeway in our work, I wanted to at least spruce up the reception areas that served as the face of the company and the hospital's waiting rooms.
To that end...
"Thank you very much!"
In what was once a bleak, vast space containing only a reception desk and chairs for visitors, I installed custom-made wooden stands. Furthermore, on top of those, I placed massive aquariums made of Hardening Fluid Plates, constructed to fit the dimensions.
I also prepared relatively small aquariums and stands, arranging them to serve as partitions between the reception area and the visitor waiting area. After thanking the people from the Construction Department who had helped me and seeing them off, the rest was my job.
"First, with Water Magic."
After filling about half of the massive aquarium with water, I laid down mud that a Mad Slime had assimilated into. Next, I created a landscape using Aquatic Weed Slimes and Stone Slimes. As the living creatures for the tank, I released Shell Slimes.
And finally, the most important part was removing waste from the tank and maintaining the water quality. For that purpose, I put in a Filter Slime and a recently evolved Aqua Slime.
The Aqua Slime was an individual that had evolved from a slime I caught in the Fatma Territory that preferred water-attribute mana; it possessed a body made of water. This was the important part. It wasn't a slime that used Water Magic; it was a slime with a liquid body, following in the footsteps of the Bloody Slime. Its food was water, and it had evolved after continuing to drink massive amounts compared to other individuals.
Like the Mad Slime, the Aqua Slime possessed the Assimilation Skill. It felt natural that its target would be water. By having it active in an assimilated state, it created a current within the tank and performed filtration by passing the water through the Filter Slime.
With this, it functioned as an incredibly easy filtration device that could be left entirely to the slimes!
Incidentally, I had also properly secured a Water Slime that used Water Magic, which had been born from the same type of slime that preferred water-attribute mana from the Fatma Territory.
That was one thing, and this was another.
"Now then, the rest is just filling it with water—"
Once one was complete, I moved to the next aquarium. Since it would be boring if they were all the same, I added variety by changing the types of water plants, the shapes of the stones, or what I laid on the bottom.
Before I knew it, I was on the final task.
"This goes like this..."
"Ryoma-sama, it will be lunchtime soon."
"Ah, is it that time already?"
I only realized it when Lilian-san, the maid, pointed it out. Time had been flying by lately. Though I called it work, I was doing nothing but things I enjoyed, so it was only natural.
"This is the last one, so I’ll finish it up quickly. After that, I’ll have lunch in the dining hall."
"Understood. The potted plants you ordered have also arrived; where should those go?"
"Please gather them somewhere out of the way. From this afternoon, I’ll be planting Weed Slimes in those pots to serve as ornamental plants. Also, I’ll leave the placement within the building to you. Having one in each room should be enough."
Once I did that, it would be complete.
At a glance, the slimes would look like nothing more than ornamental plants and aquariums. Through them, a Slime Sensor Network would be established to grasp the presence and movement of people within the building. I was also making preparations to set traps to ensure any prey that entered the building wouldn't escape.
After making those preparations... it was evening.
Shortly after the sun had set, I stood in the courtyard. Since a cold-protection barrier had been erected, it wasn't cold despite being outdoors. Lights were installed at regular intervals along the walls, providing ample brightness. The ground was covered in soft, neatly trimmed turf. Even if one were to fall, the impact would be lessened somewhat.
In that courtyard—
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shopkeeper."
—I stood face-to-face with Yudam-san.