"Helga...!"
Thinking the situation had been resolved, Reisir called out his childhood friend's name and tried to run toward her.
But as the nuance of the previous sentence implies, he couldn't actually do so.
"Wait! Don't come any closer."
The mercenary who had subdued Tryggdrik threw the dagger he had taken from him at Reisir's feet as he spoke.
Reisir stopped reflexively, and naturally spoke with a wary expression.
"Didn't you agree to cooperate with us to reduce your sentence?"
"I did, but that alone isn't profitable enough."
No wonder he stood still until Tryggdrik actually tried to stab Helga.
As expected, it seems he wants something.
I parted my lips to ask the mercenary what his demands were, but I couldn't get the words out.
It was because Tryggdrik suddenly shrieked, and I thought my voice would be drowned out.
"Y-you...! A mere mercenary dares to... to me, a noble...!!"
"Will you shut up, you fraudulent criminal bastard? Just stay quiet for a bit."
"......!!"
If Tryggdrik were the type of character to quietly shut up after a single command, he wouldn't have dared to speak about mercenaries and nobles while being subdued.
And yet, Tryggdrik really did shut up.
No, he had no choice but to shut up.
'It's only natural that no one can speak with a blade in their mouth.'
That's right. The mercenary didn't just tell him to shut up; he took out a dagger hidden in his sleeve and shoved it into Tryggdrik's mouth.
I won't bother describing the look on Tryggdrik's face.
Everyone can imagine it without me explaining.
"You'd do well to show some restraint. No matter what kind of lawbreaker he is, Tryggdrik is 'still' a noble. If he ends up seriously injured or dead, no one will consider you mercenaries victims."
"But if he dies from excessive bleeding because his tongue gets cut or severed on the blade while he's wagging it around of his own accord, shouldn't that count as self-harm or suicide?"
"You're speaking informally."
"Ah shi-I mean, Sir~."
The mercenary not only made an absurd claim in a flippant tone, but when I pointed out his informal speech, he simply added a polite suffix with a playful expression.
He's pointlessly distinctive for a disposable extra.
So, without realizing it, I wondered whether he was one of the main characters from the original work and examined the mercenary's appearance in detail, but no one matched.
'Still, there is one possibility...'
In the original work, there was the Information Guild Successor character who died while acting as the protagonist's information shuttle, and his Ether Ability was disguise.
That character used the ability to freely alter his facial features, physique, and voice.
He could even arbitrarily change his Ether color to disguise his eye color.
'But that's probably not it. In the first place, it's strange for a major character from the original novel to show up in an incident planned by someone like Tryggdrik, and it's unlikely that someone who's the Information Guild Successor would take on such a pathetic request.'
I erased the doubt that had surfaced in my mind.
That's right. No matter how much this is a world inside a novel created by an author, doesn't it exist as reality like this?
It would be stranger if every character except the main ones lacked individuality.
Come to think of it, even the research student seniors were quite distinctive.
"It seems you want me to help you receive a not-guilty verdict or pay your bail... but I cannot provide any help whatsoever. If I did, I might come under suspicion of having hired you to orchestrate this incident in order to bring about Tryggdrik's downfall."
"It's nice that you've pinpointed exactly what I want without me saying a word. Makes the conversation go faster, but the conclusion is very disappointing."
"Whether you're disappointed or not is none of my concern."
"Come on, now. Our employer's a fraud, so it looks like we won't be getting paid, we've wasted all this time, and now we're about to go to jail. Don't you feel sorry for us?"
It wasn't even worth answering.
After all, those mercenaries didn't really accept Tryggdrik's request because they were threatened and had no choice.
There was absolutely no reason for me to feel sorry for people who accepted a kidnapping request.
"Just secretly give us a little something, with the charitable heart of someone helping fraud victims. Do you have anything expensive on you right now? Maybe an accessory with a gemstone on it... or you could hand over the toy your familiar is holding."
"Kyaoong!!!!"
When the mercenary nodded toward the obviously valuable Yeouiju and demanded it, Yor bristled her mane and let out an aggressive cry.
Naturally, I can't give him the Yeouiju.
And I won't be handing over any jewelry either.
"You may not receive the remaining payment, but you must have been given an advance, no? Besides, I too am a victim whose name was used without permission, so why should I compensate you for damages caused by the perpetrator?"
"You're the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} youngest son of a Ducal Family. You must be rolling in money. Don't be so stingy, okay?"
"Just because I have a lot of money doesn't mean I should waste it on worthless things."
"Oh...!"
Even though I was essentially saying I wouldn't give him a single penny, the mercenary expressed admiration.
Does he really want monetary compensation for this?
Or is he just trying his luck, thinking it'd be nice if he got something and fine if he didn't?
"Krrrreung..."
Whether the other party was serious or not, Yor clearly disliked him casually bringing up the Yeouiju.
For a Dragon, the Yeouiju is an incredibly important object, so it's understandable.
I calmed the baby dragon by stroking its mane in the direction it grew and firmly declared to the mercenary,
"Let me make this clear once again: I will not give you a single thing that belongs to me."
"Hey now, Young Master. Just because I'm speaking a little casually, if you're thinking I'm joking right now..."
"Instead, I will pressure his family into disowning Tryggdrik, and I will speak to my father so he can be imprisoned in the same jail as you as a commoner."
"I was indeed joking, so I'll happily take that toy off your hands!"
The mercenary, who had lowered his voice and adopted a serious tone, immediately returned to his flippant manner after hearing my next words.
Hold on a moment.
For those who might be wondering, 'Wasn't the transmigrated body not even treated as a son by Hárðr?', let me explain.
Revoking Tryggdrik's noble status doesn't even require me to pressure his family.
'Not only did he try to frame the son of a Ducal Family as a kidnapper, but he even tried to kill him, right? If they continue to embrace someone like that, the family itself will obviously be ruined. The moment Tryggdrik's father hears this news, he'll immediately expel his son from the family.'
Imprisoning Tryggdrik in the same place as the mercenaries isn't that difficult either.
From Hárðr's perspective, Tryggdrik would be just as despicable, so if I write a letter and ask, he'll probably grant the request.
And even if I'm refused, by some chance, it doesn't matter.
I said I would try to speak to him. I never promised I would definitely succeed.
"My~! Well, well, our Young Master turns out to be quite a scary person. Look here, this soon-to-be commoner is so frightened his face has gone pale."
"That would be because of the dagger you shoved into his mouth. If the negotiations are over, stop the pointless chatter and hurry up and drag that lawbreaker to the security forces and report him."
"We can't go by ourselves. We're just mercenaries, and this guy's still a noble, so do you think the security forces will believe what I say?"
Hearing that, he did have a point.
A proper report would only be possible if either the kidnapping victim, Helga, or the target Tryggdrik called out to, Reisir, accompanied them.
For the record, I'm not going.
It's already a waste that I missed today's martial arts class, and I don't want to lose even more time because of what Tryggdrik did.
"Then go stand in the corner with your mercenary colleagues."
"Yes, yes~."
The mercenary answered playfully, then pulled the dagger from Tryggdrik's mouth and, before he could say anything, struck the back of his head and knocked him unconscious.
Then he dragged him to a corner of the warehouse and beckoned his colleagues over.
'He could've knocked him out that easily, so why on earth did he make him bite the dagger?'
The thought did cross my mind, but I couldn't be bothered to ask.
It was obvious he did it to create a tense atmosphere so he could extort something from me.
"Helga, Helga. Wake up. Are you okay?"
"Ugh... ughh..."
Reisir picked up the dagger that had landed at his feet, approached Helga, and cut the rope binding her.
Then, after carelessly tossing the dagger aside, he gently shook Helga awake.
Fortunately, she opened her eyes immediately, but her dazed expression made it difficult to tell whether she was truly okay or not.
"We only used a strong sleeping pill. The fraud bastard said the target would come in the evening or late at night. Once she gets a good night's sleep, all her fatigue will disappear and she'll actually feel refreshed, so don't worry."
Even though I had only silently watched, the mercenary explained Helga's strange condition on his own.
He probably wouldn't lie about something that would soon be revealed anyway.
Reisir seemed to judge it the same way, as he wore a relieved expression even while watching Helga close her eyes again and fall back asleep.
I observed the two of them for a moment, then turned around.
"Uh... um... I-is it, all o-over now...?"
That would've been great, but unfortunately for me, there was still another problem I had to deal with.
This person, who avoided my gaze the moment our eyes met and spoke with a timid attitude, was that very problem.
"Ríolíkin. I would rather not have something like today happen again."
"Y-yes, sir... I, I also d-don't want that..."
"It seems you don't understand what I am saying."
"Y-yes, sir...?"
"You have been following me around with Tryggdrik since last semester, claiming the role of henchman."
"Ah... yes, sir. I, I did."
Even though I mentioned Tryggdrik's name, Ríolíkin merely blinked with a clueless expression.
At his foolish appearance, I let out a deep sigh and swept back my long hair.
"This incident has made me question whether I should continue allowing you to remain by my side."
"I... I didn't do, anything... a-anything! Ah, and I don't plan to in the f-future, either..."
"Your proof?"
"Th-that's, uh..."
"At least Tryggdrik's purpose was clear. But you... I still don't know."
"D-don't know...? What do you mean...?"
Ríolíkin fidgeted and glanced at me nervously, yet still looked completely bewildered.
I couldn't tell whether he was truly too stupid to understand my words or merely pretending ignorance.
"I'll ask you directly. What do you seek to gain by following me? If there is something you want, speak of it here and now."
