The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 2 - Chapter 86

Chapter 86:

Two Nobles

AN OFFICER SHOWED us into the mansion. I’d lost sight of the captain, so he must have his own plans. The vice-captain had also gone off somewhere with Margajura, leaving us with just our guide.

“Place is enormous, huh?” Rattloore knocked on walls, peeking into every nook and cranny as he went.

“It is. They even have two storehouses.”

“Do they?”

“I spotted them from the window.”

“If there’s a hidden room, maybe it’d be in one of them?” he mused.

I wonder. Where’s the best place to conceal a secret room? Storehouses do seem like a typical place to hide things, so they’d probably get searched the most. Oh!

“Where did Margajura search, exactly?” I asked.

“Hm? Ooh, I get it.”

“Yeah. I think the organization ordered him to transfer here to throw off the investigation.”

Margajura’s role would’ve been to give certain rooms the all-clear in his report. In other words, the rooms he’d been tasked with would be most likely to contain secrets. Maybe the captain had gone to investigate them alone? I hoped he found something—there must be something in this mansion that we could use against the kidnappers.

As we finished our tour of the first floor and came back toward the foyer, we heard the creak of the building’s front door. Two guardsmen ushered an incongruous pair into the building: One was mild mannered, the other short-tempered. I heard Rattloore gasp. Was he unhappy they were here? Who were they, though?

“Count Faltoria, Lord Foronda. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Bolorda moved swiftly to address them.

I recognized their names. Count Faltoria was the fishy one, while Lord Foronda was the one Bolorda wanted to trust.

“We were just passing by and figured we ought to check up on the investigation,” Count Faltoria answered.

“Of course. We appreciate your vigilance.”

“I was out walking with the count, so I came along, too,” Lord Foronda said.

Count Faltoria seemed friendly and well mannered. It was hard to imagine him as a bad guy. Lord Foronda, on the other hand, was quiet and oddly unapproachable.

“Oh? Who do we have here?” Count Faltoria looked down at me and smiled. It was warm and genuine. Part of me felt guilty for doubting him at all.

“Ivy, come here.” 

Bolorda beckoned me over, so I went to stand next to him. His expression hadn’t changed, but when he rested his hand on my shoulder, I noticed he was tense. My muscles locked up as well when I felt it. “This is Ivy. The organization has targeted him, so we’ve taken guardianship of him for now. We still have work to do, so we’re having him tag along.”

“Well, aren’t you adorable? Hello, young man, I’m Faltoria. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He bent down to my eye level and flashed a gentle smile. Nothing about him set off alarm bells for me, but the bag on my thigh was as still as a stone. In other words, Sora thought Count Faltoria was bad news.

Lord Foronda looked down at me with a grim expression. “That’s tough, son. Bolorda here’s the best of the best. You’re safe in his hands.” His voice was cold, too, though it warmed ever so slightly when he mentioned Bolorda. Honestly, he was intimidating. I’d be terrified of him if it wasn’t for Sora quivering against my thigh. I clenched Bolorda’s shirt as subtly as possible.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Count Faltoria.” When I spoke, I tugged once. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Foronda.”

I let go. As I did, Bolorda relaxed his grip on my shoulder—that must’ve been a relief for him. I was glad the person he trusted was on our side. I managed to relax, too. Bolorda gave my back a gentle pat.

“Where’s the captain gone off to?” Count Faltoria asked, looking around the entryway.

Huh? That sounds like he knows the captain is here. How would he know that? The captain said this was his first time visiting since the raid. Did one of the guards tell him? Or…are there more people from the organization watching the property? Maybe there are lots of them hiding out there…

The captain emerged from the back of the first floor. “I’m right here. Did you need something?”

Oh! The vice-captain and Margajura are with him, too.

“No, just checking in on you!”

“I see. Would you like to come in and look around?”

My heart thudded in my chest. Oh no! The Captain doesn’t know about Count Faltoria yet. I peeked at Bolorda, who noticed and grinned down at me. Hm? I’ve never seen that expression. It’s almost like he’s…plotting something? What is he up to?

“No, no, we couldn’t possibly impose when you’re working,” Count Faltoria demurred. “I only wanted to see your cheerful face.”

“Is that so? Well, thank you for making the time to see me.”

Count Faltoria smiled brightly, made a few remarks to the officers who had escorted him in, and swept toward the door. Lord Foronda moved to follow him.

“Lord Foronda, may I have a moment?” Bolorda asked.

“What?”

Bolorda bowed and said, “I’d like to consult you on a sensitive topic, so perhaps we could arrange to meet elsewhere.”

Lord Foronda thought for a moment, but shortly promised to pop in to the guild later.

A wave of exhaustion overcame me as the door closed behind the two nobles. My heart had been pounding at the prospect of meeting nobles for the first time. Worse, one of them was our enemy. His mild demeanor and gentle smile had alarmed me more every moment. If I’d spoken with him any longer, I might’ve started quaking.

The vice-captain instructed Margajura to gather the guards and investigate the storehouses again. So they hadn’t found a hidden room after all. Or…wait! If he’s giving the one we know is a rat orders, then…is this a diversion? Maybe he did find a hidden room!

Margajura summoned two more guards, and they headed for the storehouse together with the vice-captain. While we saw them off, the captain ordered the two officers who had shown the nobles in and the man who’d been guiding us back to their posts.

The only people near the door now were the captain, Bolorda, Seizerk, Rattloore, and me. The captain considered me thoughtfully. I cocked my head in response.

“Captain, you don’t have to worry about Ivy,” Bolorda said.

“You said that before, but…” The captain hesitated.

Bolorda was sympathetic. “I know. Normally, we’d try to keep kids out of it.”

“Right? Then…”

“But Ivy probably already knows what you’ve been up to in here, and what you found.”

“Huh?”

Ah ha ha! It’s kinda funny when a person with a scary face gets surprised. Still, why is the captain so shocked? If you think about everything that’s happened, the answer should be obvious.

“I have an inkling of what Ivy’s thinking, but they aren’t the thoughts of a normal nine-year-old,” said Rattloore.

I turned my head at his claim. Was that true? Also, hey! I’m a totally normal nine-year-old.

“Although he doesn’t look nine, does he?” Seizerk chuckled.

Seizerk’s slandering me!