In the temporary tent of the Council’s Investigation Headquarters set up in the central square of the territory, members of the Delberg Merchant Group were being interrogated and investigated one by one.
As night fell and the search for all traces of the mountain fires was completed, boxes containing the buried corpses of monsters were stacked endlessly.
The Count’s family had already been transferred to the Northern Branch, leaving the mansion empty, and the residents were bewildered upon hearing that the lord of the territory had been involved in illegal activities in what was once a quiet region.
Frost had become, quite literally, a crucible of chaos.
Since stabilizing and protecting the residents was also the Council’s responsibility, many members were busy, each attending to their own tasks of guiding and investigating the locals.
Meanwhile, Flynn noticed something odd while reviewing the list of Delberg Merchant Group members: Tergio’s name—the one who had talked with him and provided several clues—was missing.
However, it wasn’t uncommon for hastily recruited low-ranking members not to be listed, so Flynn assumed Tergio was one of those.
“Inspector, have all the people on the list been located?”
“Ah, we have a bit of a problem.”
“Pardon? What kind of problem?”
When Flynn asked the inspector in charge of the merchant group members, the inspector wore a troubled expression.
“We’ve verified most of the list against actual individuals, but we cannot locate the most important person: the grand master.”
“What? Has she already escaped Frost?”
“In case she had, we requested investigative cooperation to control all nearby gates connected to Frost and arrested the executives, but no one matching the grand master’s description has been found.”
“Then... she must still be inside.”
“We’ve searched almost everywhere. However, for residential areas, we’ll need cooperation to search house by house, so it will take time.”
“I see. Understood. Please hold on a little longer.”
At that moment, shouting came from nearby. Turning, Flynn saw merchant group executives who’d been caught attempting to flee, struggling and resisting.
“Where is the grand master? Bring that woman first!”
“Stop making a fuss and stay still!”
“She barged in here, ruined everything, then ran off alone!?”
It seemed the conversation referred to the grand master.
Flynn had been studying the list for some time and felt the scale was quite small for Delberg as he knew it. Moreover, if the grand master was female, her name should have been on the list he vaguely remembered—but the name on the list was entirely different.
Delberg was a fairly large merchant group, with several grand masters in each region, among them Filione Delberg, the chief grand master overseeing them all.
Filione’s main area was the southern region, the old Raina area. Most female grand masters Flynn knew had sharp business sense, having survived harsh merchant group politics, so they had a firm hold over major cities in central and southern regions.
In other words, there was no need for them to take risks and venture so far north.
However, the Delberg Merchant Group that arrived in Frost this time was small. Judging by their recruitment of unlisted, low-ranking members, it seemed hastily assembled and lacked a proper system.
It was presumed that the current grand master was someone different from the female grand masters Flynn had known.
‘Barged in here... Has the grand master changed recently? Or was this northern Delberg group formed in haste?’
While Flynn pondered this, the inspector added, seeing his confusion.
“It seems the grand master abandoned the executives and fled alone.”
“Ah, is the grand master a woman, by any chance?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“If she’s a female grand master of Delberg, I should know most of them...”
“From interrogations, members said a new grand master was recently selected within Delberg for northern monster distribution. She was originally a member but stood out for efficiency and earned the trust of another grand master, so was appointed this time.”
“Given the situation and internal structure, it feels like they organized hastily and even appointed a new grand master amid that?”
“Yes. Because of that, many members are inexperienced and coordination is lacking, leading to loose ends.”
“They’re involved in illegal monster distribution, and even seasoned members wouldn’t suffice. Yet they recruited inexperienced people with no merchant group background, hurriedly formed a team, and sent them... It feels unsettling.”
“You think so too, Deputy Commander. It’s ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) probably ‘cutting off the tail.’”
Cutting off the tail, literally like a lizard detaching its tail and running away, is a method used by large organizations to split into parts. When something unsavory happens, they blame one small part or silence involved personnel by kidnapping or killing them.
It’s also a way for central management to feign ignorance and clean their image. Such situations often arise when large merchant groups attempt risky ventures that fail.
Feeling a headache coming on, Flynn thought of the low-ranking members recruited without full knowledge. He felt pity for their guilt in illegal deeds and thought of Teo, who had helped him greatly.
“By the way, was there anyone named Tergio among those investigated?”
“Tergio? Hmm... I don’t recall that name.”
“What? Not at all? Even if he’s not on the list as a low-ranking member, he should’ve been investigated.”
The inspector tilted his head and said he would look for him, then entered the investigation tent. It was already night, and most members’ whereabouts were known, so Teo’s absence was odd.
‘Could it be related to the missing grand master?’
Flynn had a fleeting suspicion. However, when he spoke with Teo earlier, the man showed no signs of guilt or anxiety.
Instead, hadn’t Teo implicitly told him many things? Hinting the merchant group was suspicious and that wrongdoings should be corrected?
Thinking on Teo’s conduct, Flynn shook his head.
They had merely exchanged quick greetings before parting because Flynn needed to report to the Commander fast. Teo might still be unaware of the full situation. Flynn wanted to believe that.
‘Yeah, that can’t be. He helped me after all.’
Yet many members had entered the territory, and announcements using amplifiers had spread the news. Was it possible Teo didn’t know?
If, just if, he was truly connected to the missing grand master...
Flynn involuntarily entertained the hypothesis he wished to avoid. Torn between doubt and trust in Tergio, suddenly the location tracker beeped—it was cut off.
Flynn pulled the device from his pocket and checked. The tracker was silent, as if it lost its target and the light had gone out.
The sensor he’d tossed near Delberg’s underground storage, as Teo had said, had either lost power or malfunctioned.
Staring at the disconnected device, Flynn felt a cold wave wash over him, pressing down on his shoulders like heavy water.
He grabbed the radio, pressed the button on the left, and spoke clearly and calmly, using delegated command authority:
“Tracking 4th Platoon, proceed immediately to Frost coordinates 739, 278, 12. Conduct a thorough search of the area. Capture anyone found alive.”
