And even though he’s conflicted, he opens his heavy mouth.
“…It’s all true. So, don’t let that bear come any closer.” (Man)
The man quickly confessed. I would never have been able to do such a thing after handing him over to the Adventurer’s Guild, but the man easily confessed.
At any rate, We have caught the boss of the bandits. I think.
Now I just need to confirm what was stolen.
If what was written on the paper was true, then the large bag on the floor contained cotton.
I left the man alone and checked the large bag on the floor.
The bag was filled with cotton, just as it said on the paper. When I touched it, it was very soft.
This must be the cotton I asked for.
Apparently, they weren’t making stuffed animals here. I am glad that I did not have to remove the contents from those stuffed animals. Now we can make the life-sized Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear plushies.
I then checked the other cloth bags, but they all contained cotton and no other stolen items. Just as I was about to check the other places, I heard a voice calling me from outside the hut.
“Yuna, are you there?” (Jade)
“Yeah, I’m here” (Yuna)
When I replied, Jade-san and the others entered the hut.
“What’s the situation?” (Yuna)
I explained that the bandit group had escaped and also pointed out the paper was on the bound man.
“What are you going to do? Do you want to chase them? I might be able to catch at least one of them.” (Yuna)
I know the direction, so I think I can catch at least one of them.
“No. While it’s a pity that we couldn’t catch the other bandits, we caught the main culprit, so it’s good enough for now.” (Jade)
“I’m sorry. It was entirely my fault.” (Yuna)
For once, I made a mistake in judgment.
I didn’t think anyone would run away when they saw my outfit.
“I heard about it from Senia, but don’t worry about it.” (Jade)
“Yes, that’s right. We took the “strolling girls” idea, too. Yuna also caught a lookout. That guy didn’t know Yuna, only the other one recognized her.” (Blitz)
Jade-san and Blitz defend me.
“I guess so. Next time, why don’t you just dress normally?” (Mel)
“Nobody would think you’re the girl dressed as a bear.” (Senia)
Mel-san and Senia-san said that.
“But Yuna-chan looks best in that bear’s outfit.” (Rosa)
“Yuna, looking like a bear, is the best.” (Ran)
Rosa-san and Ran praised my bear outfit. By the way, to me, looking best dressed up as bear is definitely not a compliment.
“But then again, it sounds like someone was smart enough to know what they were doing. I guess they decided that by abandoning the stolen goods like this, we wouldn’t chase after them. They even broke the item bag to prove they didn’t take anything.” (Jade)
A bag of items that can hold a lot is valuable. It was unlikely that a lot of bandits would have plenty of those.
“Also, they also left behind the main culprit. He’s adding more reasons not to chase them.” (Blitz)
“Normally, when someone steals a package, they’ll kill the transporter because they saw their faces, but they didn’t even kill them. They probably think there was no problem with letting them go.” (Jade)
“Maybe that’s why they didn’t kill the transporter.” (Blitz)
“If they’re that thorough, you can’t catch them even if you caught someone in their group.” (Jade)
Jade-san and Blitz shared their thoughts.
“Besides, the bigger question is, if what’s written in the paper is true, can we arrest the merchant who is the main culprit?” (Jade)
Jade-san made the man stand.
“In that case, it wouldn’t be a good idea to bring this man to Crimonia like this.” (Blitz)
Jade-san’s words were answered by Blitz looking at the bound man.
“If we take him to Crimonia, word will spread that he has been captured. And if that happens, that merchant, Redent, would probably hear about it.” (Blitz)
“Hey, you. That merchant named Redent, which city he was in?” (Mel)
Most likely in Crimonia or Sheleen. But a smart merchant might’ve considered the risk and let the bandits gather in a remote location.
It’s like stealing in country A and selling in country B, which is harder to trace.
“……”
The man did not open his mouth to Mel-san’s question.
“If you keep quiet, I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Senia-san flicked the knife in front of the man.