Chapter 121: Objection!
The last time Peiya saw the “little lame boy” was not long ago, so she still remembered that after he stopped being a mercenary, he started selling some shady newspapers made by small workshops around here.
The little lame boy scratched his head.
“My newspapers always come from the sponsor behind me. But now that I think about it, something strange has been happening these past few days. There’s a mysterious sponsor who keeps hiring people to help them hand out newspapers. She says she wants to take over the market. Anyone who helps her distribute newspapers will get extra promotion money on top of the normal pay. It’s not much, but for people like us who already earn very little, it’s actually quite a good amount.”
“Alright, here’s money for two copies. For the extra one, help me contact her. Tell her I’m also interested in distributing newspapers and ask if she wants to cooperate.”
“Y-You also want to hand out newspapers?” The little lame boy looked surprised as he handed over the papers. “There’s very little profit in this job. I’ve been handing them out here all morning and barely earned anything. It’s also very tiring. You really shouldn’t do it.”
“It’s fine. Thanks for your help.”
Peiya didn’t give him a choice. She quickly set a meeting place for later, then left with Nara toward the warehouse.
Along the way, Nara kept thinking about what just happened. Finally, when they were almost there, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She stepped forward and blocked Peiya’s path.
“You’re going to meet her in person? That’s too dangerous. I feel like this is a planned attempt to suppress our guild’s business.”
Peiya shook her head. “There’s no need to create an imaginary enemy right away. I’ll be careful, so you don’t need to worry. Besides, this is only the beginning. If the other side tries to do anything to Elise, I can step in quickly.”
Nara sighed. “I’m not worried about Elise. Not many people would openly challenge a duke unless they’re tired of living. Their real target is probably you. And yet you still plan to go yourself. No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t feel safe. How about I go with you? Having one more person means more help.”
Peiya rubbed her temples. “If you go, won’t it make things even more complicated? They might recognize you.”
“Yeah… that’s true…” Nara scratched her cheek. “Then how about this, I’ll find a few trustworthy adventurers to stay outside and watch. If anything happens, they can come in and help you.”
“…Alright. We’re almost there. Let’s go inside first. We can talk about the rest later.”
Peiya walked past Nara, guided the carriage behind them into the warehouse, and once they arrived, she pulled away the cloth covering it.
Nara followed her gaze.
Inside the carriage stood a very lifelike tiger in the center, so real that… wait…
It actually was real.
“R-Red Tiger… you brought a magical beast back?!”
“Yes. Alright, I need to do some necessary research. If possible, please give me a quiet environment.”
“Okay…” Nara obediently stepped aside and began organizing the wooden decorations in her hands.
At the same time, Peiya walked up to the Red Tiger and spoke in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.
“This will be your place to live from now on. I’ve set up a barrier to hide your presence. The Beast Tamer Association won’t be able to find you for a while.”
“Really, my lord?” The Red Tiger stood up and walked around the room several times.
“Absolutely true. Now, I need you to tell me everything you know about the Beast Tamer Association. The more detailed, the better.”
Peiya pulled over a chair and sat down, resting her hand on the wooden table beside it. Her pale fingers tapped lightly on the table in a steady rhythm.
“No problem.”
The Red Tiger found a comfortable spot to lie down, its claws lightly scraping the floor.
“I remember they were always capturing magical beasts all over the world. I was caught by them by accident back then. And it seems they really like researching ways to control the minds of magical beasts and turn them into slaves.”
“Turn magical beasts into slaves?” Peiya held her chin, thinking of what President Maya had told her before, that the Beast Tamer Association was a rather mysterious organization. It now seemed that was indeed true.
Doing this kind of shady work wouldn’t be good if they were too well-known.
“That’s right. I saw many magical beasts being sent there. Some were lucky and survived. Others died during the process of being controlled. The worst ones were eaten by other beasts on the way there. Those people don’t care whether the beasts are comfortable inside the cages. They just stuff them in large numbers. We were packed tightly together, like food in a can.”
Peiya lowered her hand from her chin and moved a little closer.
“And you? The injuries on your body don’t look like they were caused by mental control.”
“When I realized they were using my kind for experiments, I pretended that I was already under their control. That’s how I managed to fool them. That’s also why I remember so many things. But I didn’t expect that after I returned home, there would be large-scale magic traps in the Calamity Forest. At that time, my mind was affected, and that’s why I attacked you, Lady Witch.”
The Red Tiger explained carefully, afraid of making the witch unhappy again.
“I won’t look into the past too much. From what you said, your injuries were caused in the Calamity Forest. Were there church members there using mind-related magic?”
“Yes. And I thought about it carefully yesterday. The spells they used are very similar to what I saw in the Beast Tamer Association. My lady, what do you think?”
“Go on.”
While listening, Peiya thought about the clues the Ice Bear King had remembered and began to form a basic conclusion.
First, the Beast Tamer Association likely had connections with the Church. They might even be using the guild as a cover to carry out research that is forbidden in public.
Second, the danger in the Calamity Forest was far from over. She had brought back the Witch Seed and removed the darkness covering the forest, so the obvious threat was gone.
However, the hidden problems were still unclear. For example, she still didn’t understand why those church members they found earlier had died.
“My lady, do you remember the church member I mentioned before? I’ve actually seen one. She was a woman… and her chest was very large.”
“…Why are you focusing on that?”
“Because it was really big! I heard others call her ‘Doctor.’ Do you think she could be the one behind all of this?”
“Not necessarily. She’s more likely just a worker. Scholars like that usually aren’t interested in politics. They care more about being able to study what they like.”
Peiya herself was a scholar, so she understood them well. No matter how grand the promises were, it was still better to simply fund the research topics they were interested in.
At this point, most of the obvious mysteries had been mostly solved. Next, they just needed to figure out the identity of that scholar.
Peiya stood up and went outside. She pulled Nara into a separate room. Nara was a little nervous at first, but when she heard what Peiya was about to ask, she immediately became unsettled.
“Nara, do you know if the Church has a scholar with a very large chest and a strange personality?”