Rowan ordered Bearded Doren and Large Shield Espin to rest moderately. But he instructed them not to gamble or drink excessively. Simple gas, losing a few coins wasn't bad, but he didn't kindly say to withdraw at the appropriate line.
"Do you drink?"
"Yes. A little."
War rchant Panfanel sat while bringing alcohol and snacks to the table. Since he brought it, it was Rowan's turn to pour. Alcohol rose in the cups, and they each took a sip.
If dinner was harmonious and a ti to know backgrounds about each other, now was ti to handle fairly important topics.
'What does he want that he called .'
If it was just for friendship, it should have ended with dinner ti, but War rchant Panfanel wanted alcohol. It ant he had intentions.
"There's been sothing like this for a while. Robbers, I an. They keep getting killed, and the plunder flows here and becos stolen goods to be sold. It goes to soldiers or flows to rcenaries or back alleys."
"..."
"But strange points kept catching my eye."
"What points?"
Panfanel put his hand on the table and pulled his upper body close. He seed to be saying sothing very secret or important.
"Among the spoils, there's sothing where the quantity is particularly different. There are 30 sets of clothing, but longswords and daggers combined are only 13. It ans there's more than double the difference."
Rowan understood imdiately.
"You're saying robbers' plunder is being sold elsewhere? But isn't that too much of a leap? Aren't they guys in terrible situations?"
Just because they plundered didn't an uniformly even plunder would co out.
"Yes. I thought so too. But I et many people, and I've seen a lot while going around as a war rchant."
Drifters, suspicious groups, peddlers and rchant groups, and various patrol units and rcenary groups with purpose... knights.
"Longswords are expensive. But those heading outside at least pack daggers. Because the feel of daggers and daggers is different."
Only then did Rowan make a hardened face. The number of daggers obtained from plundering a 6-person robber gang was only 3. The absolute majority were people with little money, but fewer daggers ca out than longswords. That was hard to see as normal.
"Will you believe my words now?"
"It sounds plausible."
Normally 20 daggers and 5-10 longswords should co out, but there was a serious difference. They'd brought 10 longswords and 3 daggers.
"Though managent is difficult, it's also funny there's not even one bow. Especially there were no arrows either, right?"
When War rchant Panfanel pinpointed another part, Rowan gained more trust.
"It ans soone, though I don't know who, is paying high for arrows from robbers' stolen goods..."
When those words ca from Rowan's mouth, Panfanel lightly struck the table with his fist. It wasn't that loud.
"That's what's important. Bows and arrows! Especially arrows are not ordinary goods."
Arrows needing a minimum of 5 types to a maximum of 10 types of parts were different by province, region, and country. There were chanical arrows, and there were places that continued using inefficient arrows obsolete since ancient tis.
Anyway, arrows were absolutely not disposable consumables. When shot you picked them up and used them, when split you changed them. If there were cracks in the arrow body, you just pulled out the parts and repaired it new, or resold it.
aning they paid arrows well inevitably had to sound dangerous.
"What do you want to say?"
"Danger. Didn't you realize it's no ordinary matter?"
At those words, Rowan's energy drained.
"Even if I listen, isn't it sothing I can't help?"
Spoils with more longswords than 3 daggers. Numbers not greatly different unlike 15 daggers. And a robber gang without bows and arrows that should be there.
It was artificial. More than anything, Rowan could also make another inference.
'Those bastards hid currency.'
If they traded, they would have gotten money. They told about rock salt but didn't tell the location of hidden money. Anyway they were cunning things. Worrying about living from now on if released, they all shut their mouths.
Even in that, there was a robber who spewed information about rock salt to increase survival rate more than other bastards.
Even without receiving any education, their cunning was extraordinary. Also... insidious.
If he got cocky about tasting superior education and developed culture, he'd get stabbed in the back just like that. With lawlessness rampant, illegality laid as foundation, and even money power firmly grasped in the establishnt's hands, he had to live more warily.
"That's true. Even if rcenary Captain Rowan hears, it's sothing he can't help. But what if Commander Gesilian Faerun hears?"
"It doesn't seem like he'd listen to the words of a war rchant and greenhorn rcenary group..."
"Do you know Senior Soldier Bulsheben?"
Rowan breathed out greatly and said.
"Yes... isn't he Commander Gesilian's only senior soldier?"
"I told Bulsheben this suspicion a while ago. He said it's hard to believe. But there's never been one this blatant."
Rowan pulled away. He leaned against the chair back. At the passive and withdrawing appearance, Panfanel's expression wrinkled.
"If the senior soldier knows but passed over it, doesn't it an there's no feasibility?"
It was already a finished story. And Rowan threw one more question.
"Why is a war rchant like you so passionate about such a thing? Isn't it strange?"
Panfanel rubbed his eye sockets. Rowan stared at him. A rchant was trying to dig into suspicions beyond his capabilities. That was greatly giving wariness to Rowan, who'd built up quite a bit of experience in this world.
'He's not Commander Gesilian. He's doing sothing overstepping.'
At least his neck hadn't flown off because he was connected to the lord.
"Because they're stealing my money."
After drinking two drinks in succession, Panfanel told the truth. He seed to need Rowan quite a bit. Though a greenhorn rcenary, he'd handled 6 robber gang mbers. He could know in detail during dinner that 2 of them died.
If there were results, you could only say greenhorn rcenary group as a joke - it was a proper rcenary group. Especially that not one died raised credibility. Because normally he'd seen quite a few rcenaries die in any rcenary group.
'Whether luck or not, it doesn't matter. There's plenty of ti to prove it.'
"You're getting money stolen?"
Panfanel nodded greatly and licked his lips with saliva.
"Robbers commit plunder. And that plunder naturally cos to when subjugated. Part of the margin goes to the lord."
Only then did Rowan grasp War rchant Panfanel's intention.
'Good grief.'
Another bastard was snatching the stolen goods robbers held. It was imdiately understood that he wanted to catch that tail. Though it was hard to accept, at least there was no difficulty understanding Panfanel's intention.
"... Then are you hiring ?"
"Do you have thoughts of doing it?"
"I decline my neck flying off, but I'm thinking of making an effort."
At those words, Panfanel nodded. Anyway it was Rowan without any influence. He just needed to provide slight belief in his own opinion.
"I'll give advance paynt first. If things end well, I'll give more."
"If it ends badly..."
"You can't expect much money."
"Good. What's the plan?"
Panfanel rubbed his hands.
"Tell Senior Soldier Bulsheben about the bows and arrows. He won't ignore the words of a rcenary group that achieved rit. And soldiers know better about arrows. Wariness inevitably has to co out."
"After that?"
"Catch one more robber gang. If this ti too there are no arrows or few, Bulsheben will report to Commander Gesilian himself."
At those words, Rowan frowned.
"We're almost the ones opening the floodgates..."
"anwhile I'll visit Senior Soldier Bulsheben with good timing with the ledgers I've gathered as information. Then I'll say more political content."
Rowan beca interested.
"Can you tell ?"
It was a question containing the matter of trust. Panfanel inevitably had to worry. Because he considered it quite valuable.
"If you listen, you must absolutely keep quiet. Because it's content hard to hear anywhere."
"We're in the sa boat, even after this work ends I won't flap my mouth anywhere."
"..."
At Rowan's exaggerated words, when he said nothing, after Rowan apologized and then seriously answered, only then could he hear the political content from him.
"This is the kingdom camp of Tri-fork Hill. A strategic point. It's the only place where Torch Fortress, one of the southern kingdom's important strongholds, and the southern Golden Plains and the Empire Road heading to the empire all et in one place."
It was already known.
"Most commanders appointed here have ambition. No, you can see that only commanders with ambition co here. If you look for nobles with strong desire to succeed, it's certain enough to find nobles who've been appointed here."
It was a place where careers grew even staying still. But because it was dangerous, not just anyone tried to co, and living was very poor. If you didn't have intention, it was a place to avoid.
"The mysterious rchant group secretly collecting arrows and my ledger with clear transaction items written."
"Excellent."
Rowan admired purely. And here he could also confirm the basis for Panfanel trying to push work like this. Because if he could just give Gesilian Faerun conviction, he'd mobilize soldiers.
'Things are getting a bit big...'
Rowan could guess it was an incident that could definitely be achieved. Panfanel's plan had excellent feasibility. What the Tracking rcenary Group had to do was catch one more robber gang.
"It's advance paynt."
Panfanel handed over a leather pouch that looked fairly light. Rowan confird the amount right there. He saw 10 silver coins.
'Should incidents keep biting tails like this?'
Money fortune was bursting out more than he thought. It felt like incidents broke out everywhere he went, like a novel's protagonist. As incidents rolled in, money lines were naturally pulled too. But he soon felt insufficient.
"It's work related to nobles, but only 10 silver coins. Isn't that too much?"
"Didn't I say I'd give more after work ends?"
"Give it not badly. Because I won't live and die ordinarily."
"Of course."
With that, the drinking session ended. Two people were waiting late for Rowan who returned.
"What dinner do you eat for so long?"
"Did you slaughter and eat a whole cow?"
Rowan laughed.
"I ate a very big one."
He imdiately sat down and unfolded the story.
That bows and arrows weren't in spoils. That the number of daggers was very insufficient compared to the numbers of clothing and daggers. That the number of daggers was few compared to longswords.
Panfanel's proposal and commission. He only spoke up to exactly there.
He didn't speak about detailed circumstances. It was because of simple-minded Bearded Doren. He could make a slip of the tongue.
"So tomorrow morning I'll et with Senior Soldier Bulsheben."
"Things seem to have gotten big."
Espin grinned. Getting caught up in a big incident was sothing to welco. On the other hand, Doren swallowed hard. Just listening to the story, he was already nervous.
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