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131. The Right Person for the Job

131 The Right Person for the Job

「…………O-of course not. I would never do that.」

Even as he said that, Guran averted his eyes. Shizuku’s gaze sharpened.

「Marge, maybe we should just go ahead and say this guy’s the culprit.」

「Calm down, Shizuku. That’s one thing. This is another.」

「What do you mean, culprit!?」

He seemed to have plenty of skeletons in his closet, but whether this particular issue was one of them was another matter. Shizuku, judging the timing to be right, went in for the question.

「We’re here to talk about the drug. Did you distribute an addictive painkiller?」

「Painkiller…? No, never heard of it. At the very least, I haven’t handled any sort of medicine these past five years.」

「Lying’s pointless. The moment we bought up the entire stock, you reacted immediately. We know that much.」

「Of course I did! Anyone would react if a big purchase was made in Kinui! You might make a killing if you play it right!」

「So you’re saying you aren’t involved and just picked it up through your information network? That’s still suspicious. Your reaction was way too fast. You’d have to be sleeping with one ear open and your nose buried in coin to pull that off…」

Shizuku’s point was valid. Everyone present—even Guran himself—seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.

「Guran would totally do that.」

「It’s completely in-character for Guran-san.」

「I wouldn’t put it past him, honestly…」

「It’d be weirder if he didn’t do it!」

Outraged by the sheer injustice, Guran’s chubby cheeks wobbled furiously as he launched into what might have been a protest or a lecture aimed at Shizuku.

「I don’t just sell any powder, you know! And anyway, drug-peddling only turns a profit in settled areas with lots of permanent residents! Kinui’s a waystation town! Not many locals—sell drugs to a passing traveler and they’ll be gone before they even get addicted, no money to be made! And the bribes you have to pay to get the guards and officials to look the other way aren’t cheap either! The risk-to-reward ratio is completely off! Not to mention procurement issues…」

「Sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this.」

「Ah—no, no, that was just theoretical! Ages ago! I’ve never actually done it! I swear! Please believe me!」

「Doesn’t seem like he’s lying.」

If push came to shove, I could always use the skill I took from Kirmiji to force the truth out of him, but it looked like that wouldn’t be necessary. It was safe to say Guran wasn’t the one behind the spread of the drug.

Feeling vindicated, Guran beamed smugly.

「So, can we drop the false accusation already? Now, how are you going to make this right? For emotional distress, let’s say five million—no, ten million compensation…」

「Before that, you seemed to have a few other shady things on your mind, didn’t you?」

「I know nothing! And if you have proof, then let’s see it!」

He probably covers his tracks religiously. That sort of meticulousness is his odd little quirk.

Still, that’s not really my concern.

「Did I not tell you, Guran? I acquired an interesting skill in Vita Tama. One that can plant suggestions and make the target confess everything truthfully.」

「Eh?」

「[Placebo Master’s Golden Spoon], activa—」

「I-Is there anything I can help with!? I owe you a great deal, after all, Marge-san! Just say the word! Anything at all!」

「I haven’t even activated the skill yet.」

「No need for skills! I’d never hide anything from you, Marge-san! I’m your most loyal and obedient servant, always!」

「You really say whatever you want when nothing’s being recorded, huh.」

Still, snakes know the snake’s path, and bread is best left to the baker.

Someone had clearly established a distribution network and started selling the drug. Guran was the perfect man to dig into that. Noticing my line of thought, Shizuku gave me a tired look.

「Maybe we should’ve just had Guran do this from the start.」

「And be charged tens of thousands of yin in fees?」

「…Good point. Maybe taking the long way around was the right call.」

「S-So, what do you want me to do?」

「Someone brought a suspicious drug into this village and is selling it. I want you to investigate that person, their connections, and their goals—if they have any.」

「I shall devote myself fully to the task!」

He said that, but I’ve known Guran long enough to not take his word at face value.

「[Placebo Master’s Golden Spoon], activate.」

「Huh!?」

「Suggestion complete. Guran, speak your thoughts plainly.」

「…Hmph, what a miserly job—hunting down some second-rate fake doctor. Then again, maybe I can make something of it…

‘That Skill Lender Marge is hunting you down. You won’t get away unscathed if you’re caught.’

‘Hand over your profits and I’ll help you escape. I might even plead your case for leniency. What do you say? Don’t you value your life?’

Something like that. As long as the guy vanishes from the town, the problem’s solved. And they’ve probably made a killing, so this could turn a tidy profit…」

「Deactivate.」

「…Whuh? What was I just…」

「You really never change.」

From Shizuku’s exasperated expression, Guran seemed to realize what had just happened. His face flushed red, then turned pale, then practically blanched altogether. Not that I was going to scold him or anything. All I cared about was getting results.

「Listen, Guran. I want some kind of progress within five days.」

「F-Five days!? That’s so sudden!」

「If it helps, I could ask Azula from the Jet-Black Fuzzy Town to send a skilled Dwarf to assist. Someone capable of using [Messenger of the Mine]. They’ve got a high population, so there might be some Endemic Skill users there too.」

「…A Dwarf appraiser, you say?」

「Yes. Their skill with metal far surpasses that of humans. Normally, getting their help would cost a fortune—if you could get it at all. But they’re under my umbrella now, so it’s doable.」

「They can identify counterfeits, and even measure gold content to the decimal! That means I won’t have to keep paying Rinono for those borderline evaluations…!」

「So you were outsourcing counterfeit checks to Rinono. You really think of everything, huh.」

「Wait, if I let them crack open the good counterfeits and extract the gold and silver… that’d actually turn a profit…! Yes! I shall mobilize the full strength of the Guran Company!!」

It was obvious to everyone he was now genuinely motivated—even without any skill-induced suggestion. I could trust him to handle this.

And so, we disbanded for the moment. The werewolves returned to the village with vaguely dissatisfied expressions. On the way back, I think they muttered things like ‘That bastard still lives’ or ‘Thought we’d finally get to rip him to shreds’ just loud enough for Guran to hear. Whether that had any effect on him is unclear.

Three days later—two days ahead of the deadline—Guran submitted his report.

Unfortunately, the contents weren’t what I’d call good news.

「So it’s not just Kinui, huh?」

Guran and Rinono, who had joined the investigation after getting bored of helping with counterfeit detection, both wore grave expressions. The situation didn’t look promising.

「Indeed. It seems the drug has spread throughout the country, all the way to the royal capital.」

「Apparently even some nobles and wealthy elites are hooked. A few of my best customers at the jewelry shop have gone completely off the grid… This isn’t looking good.」

We had gathered in Guran’s office.

It was a beautiful spring day outside, but the conversation indoors was anything but pleasant. Present were myself, Koe-san, Asagi, Shizuku, and Bellman—who had recovered in under two days with nothing but rice porridge and rest. Guran wiped sweat from his brow as he continued.

「Kinui might have been one of the entry points, but the drug’s being brought in from all over. It’s a large, organized operation. Seriously, give me a break…」

「Then the source isn’t even in this country?」

That question came from Rinono. Her eyes peeked out from beneath long black hair, and there was fatigue in them.

「It’s the western neighbor—Narshe. Word is that a town called Fathie, past the mountain range, is where the drug is being smuggled from.」