Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 411

The artisan, seemingly resigned, confessed honestly.

His name was Sams. He belonged to the Vanderfuss workshop, and his master’s name was Delart.

That differed from the information he gave when he first visited the workshop.

I didn’t think he was lying now, but I still decided to have someone from the Legion  verify his background just in case. 

The real question was his motive. “So, why did you steal the jig?”

“There were so many of them… I thought I wouldn’t get caught…”

I looked up at the sky, unable to stop myself.

I had imagined several possible scenarios.

It would’ve made sense if this had been a calculated incident—maybe a rival noble’s sabotage, a wealthy merchant’s attempt to steal our secrets, or a conspiracy from a hostile church faction.

If the enemy was visible, I wouldn’t have hesitated to fight.

But was this just an impulsive act?

The morals in this world are low. There probably wasn’t any deeper reason behind this man’s actions.

The tools were there. He wanted them. He didn’t think he’d be found out.

“Did you think I was soft just because I treated you politely?” I leaned in close. The man averted his gaze. “Let me explain what’s going to happen to you.”

I began folding my fingers one by one in front of his face, counting each consequence.

“First, your fingers on your right hand will be cut off.”

“Then I’ll go to your home and smash all the furniture in your room.”

“After that, I’ll go to your workshop, confiscate every tool, and destroy the place. I’ll beat your master within an inch of his life.”

“And finally, I’ll erect a sign in front of your workshop explaining why all of this happened—so no one ever tries something like this again.”

With each count, the man’s face went from pale to pitch black.

“P-please… I didn’t mean… I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Your intentions don’t matter. What you did is what matters. And as long as you’re doing business in this town, I can’t let it slide.”

His screaming got annoying, so I had him gagged, tied him up, then tossed him aside.

“Now that we’ve got time to sort out the facts, let’s get those two over there to tell us what happened. I’d appreciate it if you were honest.”

The two craftsmen seated against the wall nodded rapidly.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

This room had no windows to prevent any sound from leaking. The only light came from a dim lamp. Sitting around in that gloomy space only made the mood worse.

After a while, one of the troupe members entered and whispered to Kiriku.

“Sub-leader, the background check’s complete. Everything he said checks out.”

“I see.” I turned to the two craftsmen. “Sorry for the trouble. Here’s something for your time.”

I handed each of them three silver coins. 

They cowered and quickly fled.

They’d probably go announce today’s events loudly at the tavern.

If you think of it as publicity, it’s cheap.

s for the rest… I’d rather not recall it in detail.

I had someone smash the thief’s right hand with a rod.

Then I had members of the legion wreck his home and workshop, beat up his master, and put up the sign.

I didn’t do any of it personally, but I was there for every part of it.

In the end, part of it was because they looked down on me. The fact that I’d been seen as soft was part of the problem. 

And if I was going to order dirty work, I couldn’t just turn a blind eye to it myself.

When everything was done and I returned to the office late at night, Sara was still awake and waiting.

“You look exhausted,” she said.

“I am. It’s been a terrible day.”

“That’s what your face says too.”

“Yeah. A horrible day.”

With that, I changed clothes and lay down in bed.

Before I fell asleep, I found myself praying that tomorrow would be better.