The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 2 - Chapter 96

Chapter 96:

Callua

“LET ME GO! What’s your deal?! Makasha, I said let go!” Luiseria screamed, struggling to escape. Her face was warped with terror. She must’ve realized she was in deep trouble.

“Give it up, Luiseria. We know you’re conspiring with the kidnapping organization.”

“…No. No, you’re wrong! I don’t know about any kidnappers!”

“Don’t lie!” Rattloore’s shout rang through the restaurant. The force behind his voice made me shudder. “Sorry, Ivy. You okay?” He looked guilty, but that honestly scared me. I’d never heard him speak like that before.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Wanna explain what’s going on here?” Callua’s eyes darted back and forth between us.

Why are you asking a child? I looked at Rattloore.

“Uhh, well…” he began. “Callua, why’ve you been going around with Mira and Luiseria?”

“Hm? So you didn’t investigate me?”

Ah! Rattloore looks a little concerned. She’s right to ask, though. I got them involved on the fly, after all. Sorry for that.

“We know you’re not with the organization, but nothing else,” he said. “But if you’re tagging along with Mira and Luiseria, agents of the organization, then you must have something going on. At least, that’s what I figure.”

“Right. I mean, I don’t know anything about any organization. Unless…you mean that one that’s causing huge problems in this town?”

“You didn’t know? Mira’s a member. Though I’d say now that she’s an extremity they’re willing to cut her off without remorse.”

An extremity? When he puts it like that it makes sense… Someone deeply involved in the organization wouldn’t be so disposable.

“Really?” Callua went pale. “I had no idea. Actually…I’m looking for my big sister. I thought Mira’s brothers might’ve taken her off somewhere… Are you saying they handed her over to kidnappers?!” She glared madly at Mira and seized her by the collar. “Hey! What the hell did you do with my sister?!”

“Callua, calm down!” Rattloore urged.

“How can you tell me to calm down?!”

“We’re at a critical moment in catching them! So we need you to get a hold of yourself!” Callua froze up at Rattloore’s words.

Mira and Luiseria both looked shocked. The organization had likely never imagined that it would be cornered in this situation.

“No… No way!” Luiseria crumpled, as if all the strength had left her body. She shook her head, muttering something to herself.

“Shut up!” Callua roared. Without warning, she stabbed something into Luiseria’s neck.

Whoa?! What…what did she just do?

“Huh?” Callua noticed my look of horror and got flustered. “Oh, Ivy, don’t worry! I didn’t kill her, I promise! I just used a sleeping potion on her. Right, Makasha?! Back me up here!”

“Ah ha ha ha, right,” Makasha laughed. “Ivy, Callua’s a loose cannon, so don’t get too close, or…geugh, cough, hack! Callua, watch that elbow!” Makasha fell to his knees, clutching his side. Callua had a super scary look on her face. Was Luiseria really unharmed? “Cough…Ivy, it’s okay. Callua’s a pharmacist, so she just put her to sleep, probably.”

You say it’s okay, but I don’t trust that “probably.” I’ll just…play along, though.

“So, is there a next step to this plan?” Callua asked. Rattloore and I both nodded. Callua looked at me, then glared at Rattloore. “Wait a second. You’re not making Ivy help, are you? He’s just a little boy!”

“He’s not!” I protested. “I forced them to let me help.”

“But…!”

“Callua, Ivy’s gonna be just fine. We’re protecting him around the clock.”

“I know, but this isn’t an appropriate place for a six-year-old boy!”

Six?! She thinks I’m even younger than the others do!

“I’m nine!”

“Huh?! Now that you mention it, Mira did say something like that. Sorry, you just look so…”

“Callua, sorry to interrupt,” Rattloore butted in. “Could you hit Mira with that stuff, too? We’ve taken a little too long here.” Mira frantically tried to wiggle out of Rattloore’s grip but was promptly put to sleep. By the time we’d bound their hands and feet, and had time to wonder what to do next, Rattloore said, “I’ll get a little assistance. Wait just a sec.” Then, he left the restaurant.

“You’re not seriously forcing them to bring you along, are you?” Callua asked me.

“I am. Rattloore’s been protecting me ever since we learned the kidnappers were targeting me. Since this is a problem that involves me, I wanted to help as much as I could.”

“Wow. Don’t push yourself, okay? I mean it!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Callua was a good person. I was glad she had come here with us.

“Sorry for the wait,” Rattloore called out.

I turned and saw someone who looked familiar. That’s an employee from Puff-Puff, right? Actually, Rattloore did say that the restaurant was owned by a former adventurer he trusts.

“I think I’ve got the gist of it,” the man said. “I just have to keep these two here, yeah?”

“Yep. We’ll try to take them off your hands as soon as possible, but I can’t give you a timeline.”

“That’s fine. If they’re kidnappers, then I won’t let them go for my life. Hey, aren’t these two gals adventurers?”

He seemed disappointed to find traitors among his guildmates. And they weren’t the only ones—so many adventurers were working with the organization. I couldn’t imagine how many people would be brokenhearted if they knew that. Why would they turn their back on their friends like that?

“Callua, Makasha. We need you to come with us,” Rattloore said.

“Of course… Do you want me to call some friends, too?” Callua offered.

“Uh, well…”

“What? I think they’re safe.”

“Sorry. It’s hard to make a call on people we haven’t investigated.”

“What do you mean? You think they’re not trustworthy?” Callua’s face turned grave.

“Let’s talk while we walk.” Rattloore turned to his friend and added, “Good luck with those two. Thanks again.”

“Yeah, leave ’em to me.” The Puff-Puff employee hoisted them over his shoulders and left. I was shocked to see him carry two people so easily.

“Whoa.”

“Awesome, right?” Makasha said to me. “I bet he’s just as strong as some active adventurers.” He looked moved. Maybe this Puff-Puff employee was famous?

As we hurried to the base, Rattloore quickly explained what we knew about the organization and those who helped Callua and Makasha.

“Are there really that many?” Makasha asked solemnly. Callua looked grave, too.

“Yeah. So, Callua, that’s why we’re hesitant to trust the people you wanted to call.”

“Yeah, I can see that now. How do you investigate them, though?”

“Bolorda uses a magical item. So, our next order of business is to expose all the organization’s people near our base of operations and to clean up all the criminals under Mira’s brothers’ control.”

“What base of operations?”

“We think they’ve stationed several layers of watchdogs around the former merchant’s mansion that was the site of the failed raid. Bolorda’s going over to sniff them out.”

“Huh. Okay, so how do we help?”

“We need to arrest those fugitives. We could use as many people as we can get for that.”

“Fugitives?” Callua gasped. “Are they that dangerous?”

“It’s a whole nest of wanted criminals, and most of them are murderers.”

“Uargh,” Makasha groaned.

“Makasha, stop making weird noises.”

“Well, it looks like they’ve taken care of the traitors among the guard and adventurers. The expedition party’s already back.”

I followed Rattloore’s line of sight. Bewildered townsfolk had been herded into an orderly line. Near them were members of the guard we’d judged as clean, walking around with weapons in hand. People with bound hands and feet were being tossed—I mean, carried out of the mansion. Oh! There’s someone with fancy clothes there.

“That’s a noble,” the GM remarked. “Seems like we were right, not that I’m happy about it.” The GM looked like he had a headache. Were there nobles even he had trouble dealing with? Could Lord Foronda handle them? If they were too much even for him…

“Hey, who are all those people?” Callua asked.

Rattloore answered, “Oh, that’s what you get when you round up every organization member who came to remove damning evidence from the base.”

“I think I see some nobles in that big pile of people…?”

Rattloore chuckled and said, “Callua and Makasha, you come with me. Ivy, er… Oh! Bolorda’s right over there.” He gestured with his eyes to the end of the line of people, where I could see Bolorda. They must have wrapped things up inside. Were we going to probe for traitors over there?

“I’d best meet up with him, then.”

“Huh? Why?” Callua asked, confused.

“He’ll be safer with Bolorda, right?” Rattloore fibbed.

“Oh, I guess. But…there might be kidnappers hiding in that line, right? Let me go with you.”

“Thank you very much.”

Callua escorted me to Bolorda’s side. Bolorda was surprised to see her but seemed to put the pieces together quickly.

“Thanks, Callua. Sorry to trouble you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Um…could I add a friend of mine to this line, too?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

“Thank you.”

I felt a hand come to rest on my head. When I looked up, Bolorda had a huge smile on his face. I guess he was happy that everything was going so smoothly.