The work was quickly finished with the two of them.
Using the underground like a freezer...
The only thought running through Flynn's mind now was that he needed to report this to the Commander immediately.
There has to be a reason the Delberg Merchant Group came all the way up north. I assumed it was because of the Monsters. But if they're using underground storage like a freezer... are they hiding Monster corpses down there?
His gaze shifted slightly toward the man beside him.
But this guy says he's part of Delberg... Why would he bring up something like the Monsters in the first place? It could damage the merchant group. Besides, if he had something to hide from me, would he have gone out of his way to bring me here and show me all this?
Conflicting thoughts tangled in his head as Flynn followed the man back up to the surface. The man closed the wooden door and scattered fallen leaves over it to hide the entrance, though faint traces of the disturbed ground still remained.
As Flynn stared at it, the man thanked him.
"Thanks for the help. We finished way faster thanks to you. You said you had questions, right? Since you helped, let me buy you a drink."
"Ah, no, but thank you for the offer. I need to return quickly, so I’ll just accept the thought."
"Ah... I see. Sorry, I must’ve taken up your time when you're busy."
"No, not at all! Really, it’s fine."
Flynn waved his hands in reassurance. The man rubbed the back of his neck with an apologetic look. The more Flynn observed his words and behavior—completely devoid of deception—the harder it was to understand his intentions.
In truth, Flynn had been quietly suspecting him. He believed this man, who had chatted with them and seen Leonardo Blaine's photo, might've recognized Blaine and secretly informed the merchant group’s grand master.
The Count had mentioned that the grand master of the Delberg Merchant Group had tipped him off about outsiders searching for Blaine. So, under the circumstances, Flynn had every reason to suspect this man had seen the photo and lied.
Moreover, if he feigned ignorance to cover for collusion between the Count, the merchant group, and Blaine...
If the Commander's heat detection spell sensed fire at the mansion, Blaine could've been hiding inside the Count's residence. The pieces fit together.
Yes, that’s how it should've been... but...
Staring at this man, who seemed to have no ulterior motives, Flynn’s carefully constructed theory began to falter. For now, he decided to talk and reassess.
"You mentioned outsiders shouldn't be brought here, right? Maybe we should move somewhere else, in case other merchant group members show up."
"Ah, good point. This way—I'll take you somewhere the others rarely go."
The merchant group member led the way again.
As Flynn followed, he discreetly pulled a location tracking sensor from his inner pocket and tossed it among the fallen leaves. His plan was to return secretly later that evening, when fewer people were around, and check the contents inside.
Before long, they arrived at an open area with few people around. Flynn seized the chance to question him.
"Oh, by the way, I never got your name. What should I call you?"
"Ah, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) my name is..."
The man paused briefly, then smiled.
"Tergio. But you can call me Teo for short."
"Ah, is that alright? Mr. Teo. Do you remember mentioning the Monster corpses at the tavern yesterday?"
"Yeah, of course."
"At the time, a man appeared and called it a Monster corpse. You said you didn’t know who he was, right?"
"Right."
"And you said the charred corpses were taken by the Lord of Frost?"
"That’s right."
"I just came from the Lord of Frost’s castle to confirm that."
At Flynn's words, Teo’s face drained of color. His eyes widened with visible alarm, a reaction Flynn didn’t miss.
Teo spoke hastily.
"Th-then... you didn’t tell them I was the one who mentioned it, did you? If the Lord summons me..."
"What? Ah, no. I didn’t say you told me. Don’t worry."
"Ah... that’s a relief."
At Flynn's reassurance, Teo visibly relaxed. Flynn probed carefully.
"Is there a reason the Lord shouldn't know you talked about it?"
"When we were cleaning up the charred remains, the guards arrived and firmly warned us not to mention it elsewhere."
"Firmly warned...? If it was just the burned carcass of an animal, why the strong warning?"
Flynn’s eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into his tone. As déjà vu settled over him, Teo glanced around cautiously, then nodded and spoke solemnly.
"I thought the same thing, Mr. Investigator."
Flynn was caught off guard by his straightforward agreement. He decided to press further.
"The Lord of Frost claims it was just butchered animal meat from the Delberg Merchant Group that accidentally caught fire. But... if it was really a Monster corpse, the Lord is covering up a serious crime."
After a slight hesitation, Flynn laid out his doubts plainly.
"...And the most likely culprit distributing those Monster corpses is Delberg—the very merchant group you work for, Mr. Teo. It doesn’t seem like revealing this would benefit you, so... why tell me?"
Suddenly, Teo smiled, grabbed Flynn’s hand firmly, and declared.
"Wrong things need to be set right. And I believe you’ll do just that, Mr. Investigator."
As he abruptly leaned in, Flynn, startled, pulled his hand back quickly.
"Ah... yes. Wrong things should be set right."
Worried his reaction had offended Teo, Flynn hesitated. But Teo seemed unfazed, still smiling warmly.
For a fleeting moment, Flynn wondered if this brown-haired, brown-eyed merchant was genuinely trying to help uncover the truth.
Maybe, despite his low position, he had a citizen's honest heart—and maybe he brought Flynn here on purpose to reveal the merchant group’s dark secrets.
Thinking that way, Flynn grew conflicted about how to view him. His earlier suspicion wavered. The freckles across Teo’s face and his wide brown eyes looked genuinely innocent. Flynn felt a little embarrassed for suspecting him at all.
Perhaps it was because Teo’s hand, when it gripped his, had been unexpectedly warm—despite them coming from a freezing underground space. Flynn’s hand still felt like it was burning.
"Ahem, so... Mr. Teo, do you think the Delberg Merchant Group is distributing Monsters?"
"Hmm... I’m not sure. I’m just a low-ranking member, so I don’t know much."
Flynn, who’d nearly been moved by the thought that justice still lived in people’s hearts, was disappointed by Teo’s vague answer. Still, he hid his reaction and asked.
"...But you just said wrong things should be set right, didn’t you?"
"That’s true. What’s certain is, the charred remains I found back then came from crates distributed by Delberg. And someone said they were Monster corpses. There were also scorch marks and signs the ground had been dug up."
Teo added a few new details compared to what he said at the tavern. Flynn quickly jotted the information down in his notebook.
If the remains were inside Delberg's crates, the merchant group was undeniably involved. The mention of disturbed soil reminded Flynn of the underground storage, where faint traces lingered despite covering it with leaves.
Flynn figured Teo, as a merchant group member, was reluctant to testify openly but still wanted to give him discreet hints. Understanding Teo’s cautious attitude, Flynn nodded and continued questioning.
"Since we're on the topic, do you really not know who the man was—the one who called it a Monster corpse?"
"...No, I don’t know."
Flynn scribbled the answer in his notebook, but with that question hitting a dead end, he clicked his tongue in frustration and absentmindedly tapped his head with his pen cap.
If he could identify the person who said it was a Monster corpse, the puzzle would nearly be complete. But besides Teo’s vague testimony, there were no leads.
That unknown person had practically convinced both him and the Commander that Monster corpses were hidden somewhere in Frost territory.
Still, with the investigation narrowing in this direction, Flynn was satisfied for now. He drew a line across his notes and moved to the next item.
"Mr. Teo, do you remember the photo I showed you?"
"Ah, the guy with blond hair and golden eyes? I remember."
"Have you truly never seen him?"
"No, I haven’t."
"Really?"
"Yes."
No matter how persistently Flynn questioned him, Teo’s answer remained firm.
Flynn lacked the ability to tell if the man was lying. He envied the Commander’s ability to pressure people with a glance.
If the Delberg Merchant Group was close to being confirmed as the Monsters' distributor, then Blaine's involvement with the Count should’ve surfaced as well. Flynn sighed and tried again.
"Mr. Teo... do you really not know Leonardo Blaine?"
"Leonardo Blaine? Of course I know him."
Flynn was momentarily speechless at the sudden change, then recalled Blaine’s name was famous enough that almost everyone had heard of him. He clarified.
"...Wait, right. Most people know the name. I’m asking if you’ve seen him in person. Technically, I shouldn’t disclose this during the investigation, but... the person in the photo I showed you is Leonardo Blaine. Have you seen him?"
Flynn retrieved the photo from his inner pocket and held it up again. Teo frowned in confusion.
"Huh...? That’s not him."
"It’s not?"
"No. The Leonardo Blaine I saw looks totally different."
"What? W-wait, Mr. Teo—you’ve seen Leonardo Blaine?"
Flynn's voice rose in shock, and Teo responded as if it were obvious.
"If you went to the Lord of Frost's castle, didn’t you meet him there? He’s usually around."
"What??"
