At the same time, the rest of the Corrupted members who couldn't enter the village were given their own missions. There wasn't much to it, but they were tasked to search around the village. Since they couldn't enter Snowville, they had to contact any villagers wandering around outside and ask them about it. There could be an unexpected harvest in the process.
"It originally would've been an impossible mission," Araxad remarked.
"That's true," Ramon said with a calm nod.
It was due to the two newcomers' unique appearance. Corrupted had been in Snowville for quite some time, but the residents still refused to acknowledge them. Lanfero and Lukuluku looked somewhat human so they faced less hostility, but even then, most people feared them since they were non-human.
However, the new arrivals this time looked normal. One was even dressed as a nun. It wasn't a formal nun's outfit, but a modified uniform suitable for an inquisitor, designed for freedom of movement.
Still, since it was the attire of the Seventy-Two Churches, the residents were much less wary. The Churches were treated almost like the state religion of the empire.
It was obvious that Ramon and Araxad going with them would only complicate things, so the two spent the time cleaning up the mansion.
Araxad said, "So the clan really recruited newcomers, and humans at that, not members of lesser races."
His tone was a bit strange, so Ramon asked, "Do you have doubts?"
"Why are they willing to join Corrupted? I can only assume that they must be eccentric or have some kind of hidden purpose."
"The young master isn't that kind of person. Sister and Miss Mir are also good people."
"You're a good judge of character. Even so, I also judge based on what I have seen with my own eyes."
Ramon sighed deeply before continuing, "At the very least, they will be more helpful to Corrupted than the other freeloaders. No, in fact, they are already helping."
"I can't deny that."
"In any case, are you going on the mission with us this time, Brother Araxad? I think it would be reassuring if you went with us."
"Yes. It isn't like I have any other missions, so I suppose I have no choice. However, I can't take everything at face value."
Araxad had spent his short life being discriminated against and persecuted. He didn't think that people's attitudes would suddenly change overnight. The past years had been hard enough to leave him with such negative thoughts.
However, even if Ramon's words were only partly true, it could be a big change for Corrupted.
By the time Ramon had cleaned three rooms to the point where they could sleep well, the door opened and Verita and Mir returned.
"Oh, you've arrived. Ah. Aren't you cold? I heated up a blanket here. There is also honey tea. It is a bit old, but it should be fine."
"Thank you for your consideration, but I'm okay. The report comes first," Verita said with a gentle smile.
Ramon felt as if all his fatigue had melted away. He thought, Isn't this what a saint from a fairy tale would look like?
On the other hand, Araxad's gaze was on the mace held by Verita. It was a weapon that couldn't be wielded without great strength. Moreover, the fact that she'd carried such a cumbersome weapon to search a relatively safe area near the village showed that she was the kind of warrior who knew to always be ready. As expected of an inquisitor.
Araxad kept his thoughts to himself and asked, "Did you find anything useful?"
"I'm not sure if this information has any real value, but wouldn't it be better if everyone heard it together? You said that there were two more members here, right?" Verita asked.
"Not exactly. To be specific, it is one person and one creature."
"Hm?"
Araxad suddenly looked up at the ceiling and said, "Sharamud."
Something fell from the ceiling in response.
"What—"
For a moment, it was like a drop of water had fallen. Being inside the shabby mansion wasn't much different from being outdoors. There were even icicles hanging from the ceiling. However, what fell was too large to be a mere water droplet. It looked like a sticky, mucous blob. Then, it started to settle into a surprisingly familiar shape.
"A slime?"
The slime let out a sound.
"Ohh, I've never seen a slime before. Aren't they pretty rare in the north?" Mir seemed to take a liking to the cute slime and rushed to hug it.
Ramon panicked and stopped her. "Be careful! Sharamud's slime is corrosive to living things! You will get hurt if you touch it bare-handed!"
"Corrosive?"
"Yes, extremely. It can melt organic matter, so you can only touch it with gloves on. However, it would be a disaster if the gloves came off. Please be careful!"
Mir watched the slime warily and asked, "Can it understand speech?"
In response, the slime took the shape of an O.
"Oh, it's smart!"
Verita hadn't shown much of a reaction even after seeing the slime. Now she nodded and said, "I met a child near the frozen lake by the village."
"A child? At this hour?" Araxad asked.
"Yes, he looked to be around ten years old. I asked what he was doing out there, and he said he was looking for his younger sibling."
"His sibling, you say?"
"Two days ago, they went fishing together near the frozen lake. Then in the blink of an eye, the younger one disappeared."
Araxad was silent for a moment before saying, "This is a possibility I don't want to think about, but did he fall into the lake?"
"I heard that the probability of that was low. They both carried fruits that would burst in cold water in case one of them fell in. They would've noticed right away."
"Um."
"There is also one more decisive reason." Verita lowered her voice. "Before he disappeared, the faint sound of bells filled the air."
The details of the mission had already been shared. Everyone here knew that something similar had happened in Mir's hometown, the home of the Frostwolf Tribe.
Araxad said, "We will talk more about this once the boss returns."
"Yes," Verita replied.
Ramon looked out the window and muttered, "I hope they are doing well."
"What is there to worry about? The boss might be a bit lacking when it comes to handling others, but he also doesn't have the temper to cause a disturbance. If he was, Corrupted would've been purged long ago."
"No. It isn't Brother Lanfero I'm worried about."
"Hm?
Ramon pursed his lips and swallowed the rest of his words. What flashed through his mind was the blond boy. The newcomer didn't seem very patient, and Ramon couldn't predict what he would do.
No matter what, he won't cause an incident in a small village he just arrived at, right?
***
I walked over the shattered glass from the window. The sensation was better than I expected, probably because the ice stuck to the window had mixed with the glass fragments.
I had that useless thought while scanning the number of people inside the building. As I expected, a lot of drinking had been going on inside. The largest table had been completely overturned by a direct hit from the human projectile, but no one seemed to be seriously injured.
Most of the ones inside looked like small-time thugs. There were eight in total, seven men and one woman. The strongest one was the woman, who was a member of the Hero Society.
"What the hell is this?" the man sitting at the head of the table exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat.
He reminded me of the pig I had seen in Teper. It wasn't just that he was fat; even his facial features looked similar.
What was his name again? I wondered for a moment before saying, "Ah. It was Haimer. Are you related?"
"He is my older brother."
"Aha."
So they were brothers. I could see why there was a saying about blood being thicker than water. I laughed and realized I had just gained an insight that was difficult for a Badniker.
There was a table within reach. Miraculously, it was intact. Come to think of it, I had been hungry for a while. I instinctively took a piece of food and took a bite. Of course, glass fragments could have fallen on it, so I didn't forget to shake it lightly first.
"Is this grilled fish? I notice you've already taken out all the bones. It must've taken a lot of work."
The man finally guessed my identity from my appearance and glared at me, exclaiming, "Luan Badniker, what kind of rude behavior is this?"
I munched on the fish while asking, "So, what's your name?"
"Oimer."
"Ah, yes. I'm glad it isn't something like Oiler."
He said nothing.
"Sorry." My jokes had become worse since coming to the north.
I sighed and ate another grilled fish that was next to me. Strangely enough, there were times when food tasted better while eating with one's hands. Maybe it was the strange sense of guilt that came from not using tableware.
Just as I was thinking that, a few mercenaries approached me. A rat-faced guy in front threw a punch without a word.
I grabbed his fist and slammed him straight into the ground. The floor of the building had to be old, though. It gave in and he fell into the open space.
I covered my eyes like I was staring into the distance and remarked, "So this place has a basement."
Actually, I'd noticed the weak flooring when I walked in, but ignored it at first.
"Stand down. The opponent is a B-class hero. You brats can't deal with him," the female hero warned the others in a low voice before looking at me. "Golden Fairy, you seem to be quite angry, although I don't know the reason. Why are you acting so rough?"
"Don't call me Golden Fairy."
The woman looked confused by my unpleasant-sounding reply.
It was standard for heroes who weren't close to each other to use their nicknames, but the world didn't necessarily run according to standards.
"Back off, Sandra," Oimer said as he stepped forward. He looked slightly intimidated, but his eyes that met mine contained a boldness that showed he felt no shame. He asked, "What offense have we committed?"
"Aren't you taking revenge for the beating in Teper? I didn't expect you to be so stubborn."
"That is a misunderstanding. We are just exercising our rights as a trading company."
"Ah, is that so?" I started folding down my fingers one by one as I said, "It was a coincidence that my senior's carriage rental got delayed at the Teper branch, a coincidence that you acquired the Rotal Trading Company when we arrived in the north, and a coincidence that you blocked Corrupted from entering the village under the pretense of maintaining previous trade agreements? How interesting."
Oimer said nothing.
"I heard this from someone I know: Coincidences can happen up to two times, but you can be certain the third time."
"What exactly are you so sure about?"
"Malice. I'm a bit sensitive to that."
I smiled, and Oimer smiled back like he had gone crazy.
"So what if we did do that?"
Maybe he wasn't crazy. He had just revealed his true nature. I kept picking up food while watching the way Oimer's demeanor and tone completely changed.
"What if we did act with malice? Did the trading company violate the empire's laws? That isn't the case. The Rotal Trading Company had been operating at a deficit for years. We simply used our capital to acquire it. We didn't do anything illegal in the process. Why did we block the entry of Corrupted? We just decided it was dangerous for lesser races to enter the village where we are trading."
"What danger?"
"Are you seriously asking that? Don't you know how many incidents involving lesser races occur in the empire every year?"
"Corrupted has been in Snowville for quite some time, but there haven't been any incidents."
I hadn't done any research, but I was certain that my words were the truth. I'd gathered a hint in the conversation between Lanfero and the village chief. If even a small incident had occurred, they would've been kicked out long ago.
Oimer said, "Just because they haven't done anything so far doesn't guarantee that will be the case in the future."
"That's just sophistry."
"We are merchants. Before doing anything, even minor risks must be excluded. It isn't possible to send valuable manpower to such a dangerous place every time. I know what kinds of disasters can happen. There is also one more thing you don't know."
"What is it?"
"Corrupted has already borrowed a lot of money from us. I think it is time to urge the repayment of that money."
This was the first time I'd heard of such a thing. I asked, "Money? How much did they borrow?"
"Are you going to pay it back instead? It isn't worth it, so you should quit."
I didn't intend to pay it back. I was just curious about the amount.
I glanced at him and Oimer shrugged. "As of this moment, the total is 1,400 gold."
"Wow." It was far more than I'd expected. I asked, "What was the original amount borrowed?"
"300 gold."
"300 gold became 1,400 gold. Now I can see that you aren't merchants, but alchemists. You're no different from highway robbers. Even loan sharks wouldn't charge that much interest."
"Loan sharks don't lend to lesser races in the first place."
These people held great malice. They'd lent money in order to destroy the lesser races they shunned so much. It must have taken considerable hatred and patience to make a decision like that.
Of course, whether they were malicious or well-intentioned wasn't my concern.
"I'll just pay back the principal amount. It's a lump sum of 300 gold. Take it and back off. Stop messing around with Corrupted."
Oimer let out a laugh. "You talk as if you have the authority to order me around. Then what if I refuse? Are you going to bring in the Badnikers? The nobles don't interfere in the affairs of the trading companies. Even if it's the Iron-Blooded Lord..."
It was annoying how people kept bringing up the Badnikers, but I would just have to put up with it as a member of this bloodline, unless I created a very realistic fake identity.
I told him, "The Badnikers might not be able to stop it, but your boss can."
"My boss?"
Before he finished speaking, a knife flew out from my coat. It grazed past Oimer's ear and embedded itself into the wall, still shaking from the force.
The hero called Sandra frowned and stepped forward. "Are you going to resort to threats to the end? That isn't very heroic..."
"No. Wait." Oimer's expression hardened with fear. He returned to his formal tone as he asked, "This... Where did you get this?"
"I got it from your boss."
"Are you talking about the director of the northern area?"
"No."
"Then the general affairs director of the trading company?"
"Still no."
"The financial director?"
Why do the job titles at a merchant company sound so grand? I shook my head and pointed at the sky. "No. It's from higher up."
Oimer's expression turned blank as he paled.