Volume 22 Chapter 2 Levy Merchant Guild
Al, the cat, slipped into a narrow alley between buildings, where there were no people around, and transformed back into his human form.
However, since Al was wanted, he decided to borrow Kane's appearance after a moment's thought.
After learning that the 'Animal Transformation' spell allowed him to become another human, he had asked several people to help him experiment and practice.
One of them was Kane.
Kane's physique was closest to Al's, and with a belt or something, he could easily wear Al's clothes.
Just in case, he decided to add a 'Stealth' spell to the transformation.
Putting on the Ring of Pact and hanging Glee's pendant around his neck, Al felt a little more at ease.
Approaching the Levy merchant guild, Al noticed that the guild's doors, which were usually open from early morning to late at night, were closed, and 2 guards stood in front.
Al found this suspicious and went around back.
There were 2 doors in the back, one for the mercenaries and one for the servants, but 2 guards were standing there as well.
Al, feeling uneasy, tried to return the way he came without the guards noticing. As he crouched in the alley, he noticed someone else hiding there, observing the shop.
They had their hood pulled low, so he couldn't make out their features.
From their clothes, he could tell they were male.
Al hid behind the building for a moment.
He knew Guildmaster Levy well, having spoken to him many times.
If he was inside, 'Telepathy' should work.
Thinking so, Al sent out a 'Telepathy'.
However, there was no response.
Al tried sending "Telepathy" to acquaintances in the Levy merchant guild, in order: Ruella, Desmond, Reginald, and Barbara, but there was no response from anyone.
The effective range of "Telepathy" is about 1 kilometer, and if they're inside the building, it should naturally be within the range.
Of course, even if the other party was asleep or refused to accept 'Telepathy', the reaction would be the same.
But it wasn't that late yet, and he couldn't imagine them refusing in this situation.
He had a strong feeling that Guildmaster Levy and the others weren't inside.
"Is anyone in there?"
Al muttered softly and launched a 'Floating Eye'.
The Levy Merchant Guild building had a magic tool for security, but Al, who had entered and exited many times, knew its location well.
He couldn't sense any magic from the guards, so as long as he avoided that area, he should be fine.
While being mindful of his detection range, he first scanned the interior of the building within his visible range.
He saw a figure inside.
The people inside were men Al had never seen before.
They were wearing shabby clothes that didn't look like they belonged to the merchant guild, and they were relaxed, drinking and chatting without any tension.
It was an extremely strange sight for Al, who had stayed there for a while.
However, there were limits to how far he could investigate while avoiding the security magic tool, and he couldn't check every corner of the building.
He couldn't find any familiar faces.
Al, feeling a bit lost, decided to temporarily abandon his eye-based search of the building.
There was only one other person, a hooded man whose face was obscured.
Al, focusing his eye on that man, got a closer look.
He saw the face.
It was Michael.
The young man who had belonged to the self-defense force in the village that was attacked by the Orcs, destroyed the Barbarians' settlement, and then joined the Levy Merchant Guild.
Al turned his gaze back and decided to send Michael a 'Telepathy'.
He received it with a surprised expression.
'It's Al. I'm watching Mr. Michael from the shadows now.'
'Huh? Where?'
Michael looked around.
'Don't move too much. You'll get noticed by the guards. Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?'
'Got it. Mr. Desmond and the others are also outside the city. Let's talk there. Will you come?'
Is Desmond here?
It sounds like there's a lot to talk about.
'Got it. Uh, just so you know, I'm in disguise, so don"t be too shocked when you see me.'
With that, Al announced his presence and started trailing after Michael, who was already moving away from the spot.
* * *
"Lord Kane? Al? Is that really you?"
Under the canopy of trees just outside the capital, guided by Michael, a tent had been set up, inside of which were Desmond and Reginald along with about ten mercenaries hired by the Levy merchant guild, most of whom Al knew well.
At first, Desmond gave Al, who was still in his Kane persona, a suspicious look.
However, when Al dropped his animal transformation spell to reveal his true form and shared stories that only the two of them from the past would know, Desmond finally came to trust that it really was him.
"Ah, sorry about that. A lot's been going on. But it's so reassuring to run into you here."
"What in the world is happening?"
"Well, the trouble is, I don't really know for certain either..."
According to Desmond, about ten days ago, a guard squad suddenly arrived at the Levy merchant guild's store in the capital.
Out of the blue, they closed the store, and everyone inside, including Guildmaster Levy and his son Edmund, was prohibited from leaving.
Desmond learned of this incident from a familiar customer who happened to be there.
They were forcibly evicted by the guards and later relayed the news to someone else from the store who had gone out on an errand.
Supposedly, that staff member managed to slip past the guards and hurriedly made their way to the Levy merchant guild's estate in border city Parker.
"What about the store in border city Parker?"
In response to Al's question, both Desmond and Reginald nodded in agreement.
"I also spoke with the Internal Affairs Minister, who is close to the Viscount Parker family, but he said he hadn't received any such notification. As for the main branch in Border City, Lester, we're still checking the situation. According to someone from the shop who communicated with me, 3 people had left the store at that point, and the other 2 besides him headed towards Border City, Lester."
With that, Desmond let out a sigh.
"I had a peek inside the Levy merchant guild's building, but all I saw were men who clearly didn't belong to the guild. I tried sending a 'Telepathy' message to Guildmaster Levy, but there was no response. It's possible he was just sleeping, but I doubt he's even there."
"Wait, what? Is that true?"
When Al explained the situation as he knew it, Desmond's eyes widened in shock.
He slammed his fist on his knee in frustration.
"Damn it, the guard at the front of the store was a decoy, and Sir Levy has already been moved somewhere else! No wonder I haven't been able to get any response no matter how many times I tried to reach out."
It seemed Desmond had been trying to figure out a way to drop a letter inside the building with Michael, the newcomer──who was perhaps the least recognizable──and was also looking for clues about how they were transporting food.
"It's not just the Levy merchant guild; I'm also wanted for something important. Don't you know anything about that?"
When Al said this, Desmond and Reginald exchanged glances.
"You see, I heard something seriously messed up when I talked to the Internal Affairs Minister of Viscount Parker's household. He didn't know anything about the Levy merchant guild, but he did tell me that about ten days ago, Margrave Rain, his heir, and Lady Serena all fell ill with an epidemic. Now, Sir Stroud, the second son, is handling the political affairs. The timing of that lines up almost perfectly with when the guard closed down our merchant guild's branch office in the capital. Sir Stroud, as you know, Al, is quite the character, even planning to propose to Princess Patricia. I thought maybe Sir Stroud, or rather, someone pulling his strings, was behind what happened to us... But now, with your story, Al, it might be connected."
"Huh? Me? I'm not that important, am I?"
Al shook his head, laughing as if it were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.
"I'm not joking. You're plenty important."
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