It’s so sudden, that I can’t even move.
We could probably resist, but Rurika signals with her eyes for me to stop, so we let them take us.
I guess resisting might give the impression that we’re guilty of something.
According to who I think is an inspector from the guild, we’re under suspicion of spreading misinformation. It’s about the goblin hunting quest we accepted the other day, and we’re asked if we lied about hunting the goblins.
“Why do you think we did?”
“Remember the village that put out the quest? It was attacked by goblins and wiped out.”
He says after I nod.
My mind goes blank. Seriously? By goblins?
But we told the guild that while we did hunt the goblins, there might be other monsters, because we thought there might be other enemies that blocked the cave from the outside.
Suddenly I feel eyes on me, and when I focus outside, I feel a gaze probing me.
“We did hunt the goblins, but we told the guild there might be other monsters.”
“I heard about that. But an investigation failed to confirm this blocked cave you spoke of. Were those really goblins you hunted here?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I heard rumors that you have a really good item bag. Did you deliver goblins you already had there? I looked into you, and found out you went to the Zuirya dungeon before coming here. And I’m pretty sure there are goblins there.”
When was that? That was weeks… No, months ago, because goblins appear on the lower floors of that dungeon.
Does he think my item bag is just that good?
I actually have an Item Box that can preserve them, but we don’t have a habit of picking up goblins in the first place. It’d be different if they were tasty.
I’m curious about this investigation. I’m pretty sure no one was near that place, monsters or people. The fact that the magic item I left there wasn’t broken is proof.
If anyone was there, it would’ve reacted and broke. And I’d know.
But I can’t say that, and if I did, he wouldn’t believe me. It would just complicate things.
“Did those adventurers really investigate it?”
“They are accomplished B ranked adventurers who have performed numerous investigations. They wouldn’t make a false report. You and them have very different levels of trust.”
Aren’t you trusting them too blindly? Shouldn’t you collect evidence?
No, they probably can’t confirm whether they really investigated or not.
Does anyone have a skill to see through lies? I guess it’s not possible without someone who can tell the truth from falsehood like the officer of veracity in the Holy Kingdom of Frieren.
That means outsiders like us are on the back foot, but since we’re not lying, all we can do is state the facts.
He keeps asking me things like where we went to hunt the goblins, and I carefully say the same thing again and again,
If I didn’t have the Memory skill, I might have made a mistake.
The officer is very good with his words, and it feels like he’s baiting me to say something wrong.
After the questioning is over, I’m taken to a cell where I’ll spend the night.
I lay on the hard bed and look at my left wrist.
My equipment and item bag were confiscated, and I was made to wear a magic sealing bracelet.
This seals magic energy, to be more precise. However, this doesn’t stop all my skills. I can still use Presence Detection and Magic Energy Detection.
I can sense reactions of five people. There are five, and then two not far from here. The five are the girls, so are the other two guards?
The five reactions aren’t together, so I think they’re in separate cells.
My questioning wasn’t particularly rough, so I assume the others are okay, but I’m still worried.
I think I’m going to keep Presence Detection on to keep an eye on the guards’ movements. I mean, it’s all I can do right now.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next day, the questioning continues.
I’m tired of answering the same questions, and I won’t make a mistake with the Memory skill.
Maybe getting things too similar will have the opposite effect, so I make sure to change the wording.
This continues for three days and three nights, and they never stop suspecting us.
Well, I guess their job is to be suspicious.
After leaving the cell, I let out a sigh of relief when I see the others are okay.
We don’t say anything when we see each other, and head to the house we’re renting.
“Master…”
Hikari says quietly, and I nod.
We’ve been released, but they haven’t stopped suspecting us. We’re being followed.
We pretend we don’t notice it, but we feel other eyes on us.
Bewilderment, suspicion, malice, all sorts of things mixed together.
Apparently a lot of people have heard rumors about the destruction of the village by goblins, and that we are suspects.
Thanks for the treat.