Seeker 321

Test

Chapter 321. Secret Meeting

Kazane and I walked up to the sliding door.

We chose a relatively inconspicuous spot nearby and hid ourselves.

Beyond the sliding door was probably a reception room.

It had the appearance of a private room in a high-class restaurant.

The silhouettes on the sliding door appeared as if two people were sitting across a low table.

Outside the sliding door, across the corridor, was a small garden.

A scarecrow spouted water it had collected, making a pleasant sound.

As Kazane and I listened closely, we heard voices from beyond the sliding door.

"Lord Magistrate, we are grateful for your assistance. Please, have some of these."

"Wow~. These golden steamed buns are magnificent. You seem to be doing quite well, Echigoya?"

"Thanks to you, sir. With your support, our business thrives."

"Hehe. Echigoya, you're quite the cunning one."

"Not at all, not as much as you, Lord Magistrate. Please, have a drink."

The silhouettes beyond the sliding door showed one person pouring sake into a cup while the other drank.

Then they began a slightly different conversation.

"By the way, Echigoya, I heard something before. There seems to be a young samurai named Mononofu sniffing around about 'spirited away' incidents."

"Yes, Lord Magistrate. Have you heard anything?"

"Yes. It seems a boy named Tokuda Kushinosuke has been causing a fuss. The constables have been ordered not to act until further notice."

"As expected of you, Lord Magistrate. However, who is this Tokuda Kushinosuke?"

"I don't know. The name Tokuda doesn't ring a bell, probably just some poor minor samurai family. Nothing of consequence. As long as we don't have solid evidence, we can crush them as we please."

"As expected of you, Lord Magistrate, very reliable. By the way, regarding this matter, there's something I'd like to inform you about."

"Oh, what is it? Speak."

"Well, it's about what happened earlier today. Our samurai Mononofu tried to abduct a town girl they were targeting but failed. They tried to bring her here after incapacitating her, but were interrupted by young samurai Mononofu who appeared at the scene."

"What...? They've been caught in the act?"

"Yes, yes, of course. That's why, one of the four young men who appeared at the scene seemed to be the boy they were investigating. Oh, no, actually, it was reported to be a girl disguised as a boy."

"Hmm...? That's interesting. If the nosy mouse is a boy, we'll dispose of him. But if it's a girl, we'll catch her and punish her, let her know who she's dealing with. Hahaha, that adds another layer of excitement. But you said four. Do we have information on the other three?"

"No, unfortunately. The report on that matter is not very clear, but one was described as a beautiful girl disguised as a ninja. And the other two were described as young men and women dressed like adventurers from a foreign land. All three had black hair, and black eyes, and their skin color generally resembled the characteristics of the Yamatai people."

"Hmm... It's troublesome dealing with foreign adventurers. If they become too intrusive, we'll have to do something about it. Indeed, troublesome matters never end."

"As you say."

"Well, let's think about it later. I'm a bit tired of thinking. I could use some excitement soon."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Shall I go to the underground dungeon as usual and choose a girl to your liking?"

"Let's do that. I haven't been feeling energetic lately after having a few young girls. Haha. Alright, here. This way?"

"Yes."

The sliding door opened, and two figures emerged from the back parlor.

Kazane and I, hiding in the nearby shadows, held our breaths to observe.

One was a slightly overweight middle-aged man.

He wore a well-tailored kimono.

The other stood with a lowered waist, but his eyes gleamed sharply without any relaxation.

That must be the head of Echigoya.

The other one wore a splendid kimono that looked very high-class, exuding the authoritative attitude of a middle-aged man.

He had a sword at his waist.

He must be the magistrate—undoubtedly the highest authority figure in this town.

I could sense the power of an Awakened One in the magistrate.

Of course, there was no sign of breaking limits, and I believed he would be an opponent not worth much in a confrontation.

The issue was whether we could survive this situation with the effect of the [Espionage] skill.

Even against an Awakened One, one could expect some effectiveness against lower-level opponents.

At our current level, I didn't think we'd be noticed unless directly confronted or visually observed.

Together with Kazane, I held my breath, nervously watching the situation.

The two men walked down the corridor in the opposite direction from where we were hiding.

They didn't seem to notice our presence.

As I breathed a sigh of relief, the scarecrow made a sound again.

The two men turned the corner of the hallway and disappeared somewhere.

Kazane looked at me with a questioning gaze.

After a moment of thought, I made a decision.

"Let's follow them. Even though the magistrate is an Awakened One, he shouldn't notice us unless something significant happens."

"That sounds good. I'm curious about their destination."

So, Kazane and I quietly ran down the hallway, chasing after Echigoya and the magistrate.