Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 239

The next morning, Sara and I stretch out, inhaling the fresh air for the first time in days, and bask in the sunlight as we recall our conversation with Jilboa the night before.

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“He melts… huh? That’s a disgusting story,” I say, frowning in agreement with Jilboa’s account.

Jilboa continues, “Well, he probably doesn’t want to leave any evidence. Was it a willing suicide, or was it a spell that automatically activates if he is captured? Was he really the magician in question, or merely a puppet controlled by magic? Those are the professional inquiries of the Magician’s Guild.”

I pose a question to Jilboa. “You said it was over earlier, but it’s not necessarily just one magician, right? Is there a possibility that there are others?”

Jilboa replies, “Are you a bigger deal than me?”

Even Jilboa has only been targeted by assassins once due to the grudge of a high noble, and he has not been targeted again after repelling them. He suggests that fearing being attacked by multiple magicians is a bit of an overestimation of one’s own importance.

As I blush with embarrassment, Jilboa, with a face like a child who has successfully pulled a prank, laughs loudly before continuing. “Magicians who serve nobles are expensive. They’re not someone you can just discard. Besides, magicians tend to be cowardly. Once they’ve been repelled, it’s rare for them to come near you again. If it’s just until the unveiling, you probably won’t face another magician attack. While it’s wise to remain vigilant, I think your life in hiding will soon be over.”

With Jilboa’s reassurance, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders.

“Even so, it’s not very satisfying to deal with a magician,” I say.

“That’s true. We don’t know what kind of magic was used. Just because we cut him with a sword doesn’t mean he’s dead. Even if a body is left behind, we can’t know if it’s the actual person or a puppet. And if there is a body, we can’t tell if the person committed suicide or was erased. With hardly any personal belongings left behind, we have no way of knowing if he was even there.”

Jilboa lists the uncertainties surrounding the incident. There are so many things we don’t know. Perhaps that is the true power of a magician.

I notice something and ask Jilboa, “Speaking of personal belongings, what happens to the clothes that were left behind?”

Even if the body melts, the clothes should remain.

But Jilboa replies, “We burn them on the spot. There’s no telling what kind of curse is placed on them.”

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Thus, the threat of the magician is gone, but the search I have requested from the Adventurer’s Guild yields an unexpected by-product.

In addition to the magician, dozens of individuals targeting the company are captured. From henchmen of various big merchants to thieves who have heard about the value of the Pioneer’s Shoes and planned to steal them, suspicious characters keep appearing like moths drawn to a flame.

It is an unexpected expense, but I pay appropriate rewards to those who are captured according to their rank.

“You should completely rethink your company’s security plan, Kenji,” says Kiriku, who is in charge of security.

“Well, that just shows how much attention your business is getting. It’s the price of fame,” I reply with a shrug.

This is before the Cardinal’s unveiling, and I wonder what will happen afterward. A sense of dread creeps in.

So, while Kiriku and I revise our security plan, work is progressing with Gorgoro at the center, and the shoes for the Cardinal are being completed one after another.