NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26 - The Border Town of Azal
Azal was a town, as its name suggested, ruled by the Count of Azal. Now serving as a border town, it functioned as a checkpoint. Due to this role, the town was heavily guarded, with a disproportionately large number of soldiers. Despite its bustling atmosphere, a sense of unease hung in the air. Compared to Wols, the entry into the town was strictly controlled, and the guards at the gate wore stern expressions.
“What is your purpose in coming to town?”
“I’m delivering a package to the Adventurer’s Guild. Here’s the package and my guild card.”
“And here’s mine.”
Anticipating this, they had prepared a dummy package beforehand. Presenting their guild cards must have helped, as the guards quickly inspected their belongings and allowed them to enter.
“I’m glad I still have my adventurer’s guild card,” Letty said.
“Me too. Thanks to Bob,” Ellie replied.
Walking along the bustling main street, they exchanged such remarks as they made sure to stay to the side of the busy main street, crowded with soldiers and merchant’s carts.
“There are a lot of people here with grim or tired expressions,” Ellie observed.
“Now that you mention it… I heard things were supposed to have calmed down a bit since the war ended two years ago.”
Despite the end of the war, the people passing by exuded a harsher mood, causing the two of them to ponder about the situation
After walking for a while, they turned the corner and entered a back alley. They found a small tavern and slowly pushed open the well-worn door. Inside, several adventurers were lounging around. Ignoring their curious gazes, they went to the counter and called out.
“Is Thomas here? I have a ‘letter’ for him.”
“…! Y-Yes, he’s here. Please wait a moment.” the young woman at the counter replied, hurrying to the back.
The Adventurer’s gazes intensified, but Egret and Ellie remained calm. Within a minute, the girl returned.
“The guild’s master is asking for you. Please follow me to the reception room.”
“Thank you.”
They were led to the reception room as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The veteran adventurers, sensing something was off, quickly averted their gazes and gestured to the younger ones to do the same. A strange silence filled the room after the two women left.
“Ghost, it’s been a while!”
“It has, Thomas.”
A burly man in his thirties, who looked like a typical retired adventurer, greeted them. Although he was usually a boisterous man, his expression was now shadowed, and his eyes lacked their usual vigour.
Noticing Ellie behind Egret, he asked, “You brought her with you? Does that mean she’s involved too?”
“Yes, you could say that.”
“What do you mean? There’s been no regular communication from the guild lately. Is this related?”
“Well… that’s what I’m here to explain.”
Thomas gestured to a sofa, inviting them to sit. As Egret began to explain, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. For the sake of simplicity, she described Ellie as a cooperating mage.
“So, Hans was that bastard… and Greg was too lenient,” Thomas grumbled, leaning back on the sofa and staring at the ceiling. After a moment of thought, he leaned forward towards Letty.
“Ghost, you’re not currently on a mission, are you?”
“Uh..well, no, but…”
“Then please, take my request!”
With a sorrowful cry, Thomas bowed his head. Egret blinked in surprise and exchanged glances with Ellie before turning back to Thomas.
“What’s wrong, Thomas?”
“Ah, sorry… I shouldn’t have acted like that. But I have no one else to turn to. How did the town look to you?”
“Well…. It seems a bit unsettling.”
“That’s just the surface. In the farming villages and lower districts, it’s far worse….”
Thomas explained the current state of the town. The Count of Azal had begun to impose stricter taxes suddenly a few months ago, especially on food like wheat and potatoes. It was said that some rural areas would face starvation next winter. While such behaviour from a tyrannical noble was not unheard of,
“I could understand if he was stockpiling for a war. But all the food he’s collected has disappeared. I thought he might be selling it somewhere, but the flow to the north, east, and south hasn’t changed. So where is all that food going and to whom?”
“…Could it be… the west?”
The thought that food was being sent west to the neighbouring Kingdom of Balandia made Egret frown.
“That’s probably the case. But I can’t find any evidence beyond that, and honestly, it’s not really my job. An inspector from the kingdom came last month, but it seems he was bribed and fooled…. So, I don’t expect the people who should be stopping this to do anything.”
Thomas looked around the room, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke.
“If this were to end here, it would just be another case of the common people being exploited by the nobility. But I don’t think it will end there.”
“…In the worst-case scenario, he might even invite Balandia’s army. He might offer them food, or even money, as a ransom for himself and the town.” Egret said
“That bastard, Count Azal, isn’t like that. He’s just trying to save himself! If that happens, what will become of this town is…”
It was a common occurrence in history. The invading side would try to subvert the other side. Or, a noble from a weaker country would sell out their country for their own benefit. They didn’t know which type of person Count Azal was, but the outcome would be the same for outsiders.
“I could just run away, but… My wife just gave birth. She’s still recovering, and I can’t imagine fleeing with a baby.”
“…So you want to do something about it now?”
“Yes, exactly. But I want to investigate first, gather evidence, and if he’s guilty, then…”
Hearing those words, Egret sensed a trace of Greg’s lingering influence in Thomas’s words. Even though Greg was long dead, his presence seemed to remain.
Yet, that didn’t change anything…
“…Thomas. Assassinating a count usually goes for at least 10 mithril coins. If we’re including an investigation, the price would rise to 20 coins. Do you have that?”
In a calm, cold voice, Egret asked the question, and Thomas faltered. As he tried to push through with a raised voice “Damn… I don’t have that much… but we’re partners, right? I’ll give you whatever I can!”
Egret shook her head quietly “We take on jobs for money, and we separate our emotions from our work. If we start killing out of emotion… we’ll lose control.”
“I know… I know that… but…”
In this bloody, dirty line of work, it’s crucial to set your own limits, or you’ll fall in a bottomless pit. This is especially true for someone like Egret, and recently she had been more aware of this than ever.
Shocked by Erget’s words, Thomas pondered for a moment before slumping down. It was clear this issue had been weighing heavily on him. It was like a noose tightening around his neck, and the thought of possibly stopping it made him cling to any hope.
But even he knew it was too good to be true. In this situation, with no support from the guild, it was unreasonable to expect him to go up against the count for a small sum of money.
“…I’m sorry, I know… forget I said anything…”
“…Alright. But, Thomas, there’s something else I want to tell you…”
Letty turned to Ellie.
Ellie smiled brightly and began rummaging through her backpack.
“…What? Is there something else?”
“Yes, something very important.”
As Letty nodded, Ellie placed a leather pouch on the table with a thud.
Thomas’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…This is the guild’s remaining funds. It’s from Greg. There should be about 50 mithril coins in there, please confirm.”
“…What?”
Thomas stared at her, dumbfounded. With trembling hands, he opened the pouch and found the mithril coins. At least twenty of them.
“It’s up to you what you do with it. What do you say?”
Thomas looked at Egret blankly, then at Ellie’s smiling face. And then at the contents of the pouch. Finally, the meaning of her actions sank in. Thomas began to cry out, openly weeping. His cries were not just loud—they were filled with the deepest, most profound anguish, as though his very soul were.
**”Next: You Can’t Shut People’s Mouths”**