Volume 2 Chapter 13 Whereabouts Of The Scammers
The scammer's name is Lya. The loan shark is said to be named Eujary.
With that in mind, I headed to the guild. In my hand, I held a portrait drawn by Ice.
Ice's portrait was quite good, enough for Toxy to exclaim, "That's it! This is the one!" With the calculation that this would be sufficient to communicate, I planned to make the request.
However...
"...If we label a 'search request' for someone in hiding in such an obvious place, they will be on guard..."
I've heard that there are many Nightfather thugs among the rookies nowadays. In other words, they are my peers. It would be foolish to be found by them and have the scammer escape.
So, I pondered for a moment.
"The target should be someone rough who understands the ins and outs of the underworld, but at their core, they are not twisted..."
While muttering to myself, I walked back and forth around the quest board and the board recruiting new members. In doing so, I discovered a shadow that seemed familiar.
"Sorry, Frain..."
"...Don't worry about it. Take your time to rest."
In a corner of the dining hall, Frain seemed to be comforting a party member who was injured. Then, he stood up with a sigh and headed towards the quest board.
As I quietly followed behind him, it seemed like Frain was carefully considering a solo quest that he could take on.
"Looking for a profitable quest that won't take too long..."
"Are you looking for a profitable job?"
"What!?"
When I called out to him, Frain jumped back. Then, he clicked his tongue and said,
"Wade, huh... You sound like a scammer trying to recommend a lousy job."
"Haha. How do you know so much about that?"
"My bad. I hate that kind of thing, so I'm aiming to become a knight who can crack down on them."
He had an attitude as if saying he had met an unpleasant person. I don't want to have anything to do with Frain unless necessary, but---
Condition 1: Connected to the underworld
Condition 2: But has a straight character
Frain perfectly meets both conditions.
"Hey. What's with that creepy smile?"
"Hey, Frain-kun. I have a perfect job for you, how about it?"
"Anyone who approaches like that has never brought a good job. Get lost."
"Don't say that. I was just kidding with my words. Really, there's a job that suits you perfectly. In fact, it's troublesome to find someone else, there's no one more suitable than you."
"..."
Frain looked at me with a face like he had bitten a bitter bug for a while, but in the end, he let out a big sigh and pointed outside with his chin.
"I'll listen to your story. Anything more depends on the details."
"Thank you."
I followed Frain's guidance and entered the back alley.
In a quiet and unpopular back alley, the dim sunlight creates a somewhat damp atmosphere.
These kinds of paths eventually lead to the slums. The slums are even more humid and always bustling with people in a negative way. The reason there are no people here is probably because it's a border area. The people from the main street and the people from the slums do not mix.
As Frain walked a bit further into the deserted back alley, he stopped and leaned against the wall.
"So, what's the job?"
"Finding a person."
"The reward?"
"One silver coin."
"Hmm, standard rate. It's a time-consuming quest, but not bad. What about the description of the person? I'll decide after seeing it."
"Here it is."
Handing it over, Frain furrowed his brows.
"...What's the name?"
"Lya, apparently."
"That's the old name. The current name is Frowdus."
"Wha...t?"
"Oh, I know. No need to search. He's just a shady scammer. All talk and no substance. He's spinning lies all over the place, probably doesn't even know what's true anymore."
"Wow, you know a lot."
"So what's the deal? Why is a goody two-shoes like you looking for a scumbag like him? He's the type who wouldn't even come near the slums because there's no money there."
"Well, just curious."
"..."
With a meaningful gaze, Frain stared at me. Then, he lowered his voice and asked,
"What are you up to? People who act clueless like you tend to have big schemes brewing. You don't even have the skills for that. You'll end up regretting it later."
"Do I look like that to you?"
"...No. You don't seem that incompetent. It's annoying, though."
Despite that, with a somewhat puzzled expression, Frain continued to look at me. I couldn't help but think he might actually be a caring and overly cautious person, so I decided to explain.
"One of my current party members seem to have been badly beaten up a while ago. It's a plan to recover the money taken as a token of gratitude."
"I see. That's just like you."
After thinking for a moment, Frain added,
"This might sound like an old woman's advice, but stop it. It's not like he has the money anyway. His spending habit is well-known."
"I understand. Despite that, I have a plan to confront him. I can't go into details, though."
"I'm pretty sure it won't amount to anything good."
"You're absolutely right. So, let me elaborate a bit further."
"Huh?"
I reached out my hand to Frain.
"Frain, you've become much stronger and more reliable since the last time you challenged me. With that in mind, I have a proposal for you. Would you like to join me in this endeavor?"
"..."
With a stern expression, Frain looked at my hand. I added,
"Your party member got injured, right? So, you're trying to work alone to support the members. You need money, after all."
"Huh! How do you know that?"
"I could tell from the way you looked down at the guild earlier. I didn't expect to be completely right, though."
"...Argh!"
Frain ruffled his hair and glared at me.
"You've hit the nail on the head."
"You're the one who did."
"----Ugh, damn it! I can't come up with a comeback..."
After a while, Frain growled, then let out a deep breath. He looked up at me and asked,
"The reward must be good, okay?"
"Insanely good. But in return, you'll have to take on some risks, okay?"
"Taking on some risks is already factored in when you decide to become an adventurer."
Frain firmly grasped my hand, as if sealing a deal. The contract was made. For now, let's consider Frain as a temporary member.
As I happily tried to return to the path I originally came from, Frain reached out to me and said, "Hey, you forgot something."
"...What's with that hand?"
"It's the reward for finding a person. One silver coin"`."
"...Just for that moment?"
"A deal's a deal, right?"
"..."
With a reluctant expression, I handed over a silver coin, and Frain grinned and said,
"Thanks as always."
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