Volume 5 Chapter 38 The Pig Is Not Just Fat, But...
Aina, with her hand on her chin, pondered before turning to Reed.
"I have something I want to clarify."
"What is it?"
"Reed-san, you told us before. Your purpose in coming to this city was to investigate and eliminate the cause of the deteriorating public safety in the city. But, is there another true purpose?"
At this point, Reed whistled with interest.
"Just out of curiosity, why do you think that?"
"If the restoration of public safety and elimination are truly the main goals, then the cause is already clear. As mentioned earlier, it's the rise of Narinki and the existence of guards who accept bribes from him."
"But even if I were to speak up, wouldn't I be targeted by Narinki?"
"Yes, that's true," Aina affirmed while looking straight at Reed.
"If that's the case, you (Reed) should have personally gone to the royal capital and presented the situation in Eubarest. Even if your base of operations is not in this country, when it comes to urgent news from the 2nd rank mercenaries, the guild will surely take action."
"I see. That makes sense."
I couldn't help but clap my hands. Despite his usual attitude, Reed is undoubtedly a top-notch mercenary with solid achievements. He is far more trustworthy compared to ordinary citizens or mafia lackeys.
"Furthermore, you have a mercenary group as your allies, and you have secured cooperation from the Jingin Family. In that case, wouldn't there be a way for you to slip past surveillance and head straight to the royal capital?"
Jingin Family is a long-standing mafia in Eubarest, knowing every corner of this town. It was the people from Jingin who guided us to a safe zone when we were being chased by the Kahlua Family. So, it wouldn't be surprising if they knew one or two secret paths to safely exit the city.
If Aina's deductions are all correct, the next question is,
"If that's the case, let me counter, why did I skip that step?"
"To ensure Narinki's existence is secured without the Arcus government knowing."
"──Hmm"
Nikyou is left breathless by Aina's deduced answer.
And Reed, placing a hand on his forehead, laughed heartily with genuine amusement.
"Hahaha! It's surprising to be so accurately pinpointed. Well, I could tell from last night's command, but you're sharp, young lady. Is this also part of royal education?"
"I'm now a 'former' royal, but let's take it as a compliment."
As if resigned, Reed let out a big sigh.
"I give up. Miss Aina pointed out everything correctly. Impressive, really."
After scratching his head with a hint of regret, Reed opened his mouth again.
"The real job I took on is to restrain Narinki and hand him over to the government of the neighboring country."
"Hey, are you sure about this, Reed?"
"At this point, there's no one I can hide from, and it's frustrating that with my resources, I can't secure Narinki. To gain your cooperation, I have to be completely honest with you all."
At Nikyou's words, Reed shrugged with a mix of resignation. It seems that Jingin (Nikyou) was cooperating with Reed knowing his intentions.
"You probably already have an idea, but Narinki isn't just a pig with money. That guy is quite the villain. He was a somewhat notorious corrupt merchant who crossed the border near Eubarest."
He may have had business acumen, but he was extremely greedy for money and dabbled in shady deals. He made a fortune through illegal trading and smuggling, establishing a significant position in the underworld.
However, Narinki's corrupt dealings couldn't last forever. The neighboring country's government finally took action to arrest Narinki due to his excessive greed.
A joint operation involving the country's military and the Mercenary Guild was launched. Simultaneous raids were conducted on Narinki's affiliated organizations and merchant guilds, revealing evidence of his illegal activities one after another. With no room left for denial, they finally reached the stage of capturing Narinki.
Yet, Narinki was well-prepared.
Before the military or mercenaries could reach him, he used a secret escape route he had prepared in advance to flee. He managed to escape smoothly to a foreign country.
Reed sighed and shook his head from side to side.
"By the way, I was busy with something else, so I wasn't involved in this joint operation. If I had been, I wouldn't have let Narinki escape."
"I see. It was a mission that put the other country's honor at stake, but you made a mistake in the final push. Moreover, the place he escaped to was the Arcus Kingdom. I can understand the request for a discreet capture."
Aina nodded in agreement. I was starting to have trouble keeping up.
But just as I felt like my head was about to explode, Gram came to my rescue.
'So basically, he was trying to catch that troublemaking brat Narinki who was causing a ruckus in his territory, but he managed to slip away, causing trouble for someone else, Arcus, in the process. The situation is such that Narinki should be arrested in Arcus. Ultimately, if he does, the neighboring country that couldn't settle things will be in for some embarrassment.'
I see, it's what you'd call a 'diplomatic issue.' It becomes quite troublesome when the fact that a domestic criminal has escaped leaks out to others. That's why they're using Reed to discreetly secure Narinki before things become public and bring him back to the neighboring country.
"So well, I know a bit about Narinki. He's an unmistakable pig, but not just any pig. He always has one or two insurance policies in place regarding his surroundings."
The reason they didn't use a mercenary group from the start in the mafia conflict is because Narinki Kahlua, realizing he's at a disadvantage, might do something reckless.
He may not be suited for rough work as his fat appearance suggests, but he does possess a certain level of intelligence as a trump card in times of need. In fact, when he felt threatened by the military or mercenaries in his home country, he managed to escape using that very intelligence.
"However, never did I imagine that even in the heart of the mafia's territory, he would unleash monsters. At the time of leaving the country, there was no such information available, including about those escorts. The two were probably hired just before arriving in Eubarest. What kind of connections did he has?"
"As a Jingin, if the national army of Arcus country were to come on a business trip, it would inevitably affect future earnings. Reed, foreseeing this, approached me for that reason."
Both parties, with a common goal of keeping things under wraps, have formed a cooperative relationship that has brought them to this point.
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