After Mercia's betrayal, I'm now a decoy, and I'm on my way to the tavern that is the base of Gengar's underground organization.
　The purpose of today's trip was to alert them to my presence.
　If you run away or make contact with another base, Lake and the others can track you down and find out where you are.
　So I immediately opened the door to the base.
　The tavern that is the base of Gengar's organization looks like a normal tavern.
　The only difference is that the entrance is extremely narrow, making it difficult to enter and exit, and there is a large space within the walls.
　This is probably to make it a little more difficult for the attackers to move in case they are attacked by a large number of people, and also to provide a space for the underworld to use.

"What?　...... order?

　I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it.
　He made eye contact with some of the other customers in the restaurant.
　He also seems to be gesturing with his hands to keep out of my sight. Well, I can see him perfectly on the touch screen.
　Apparently, several people, including the owner, knew my face.

　...... Well... They asked me what I wanted to order, but come to think of it, I don't know much about the kinds of alcohol in this world.
　The only one I know the name of is decibatore, but I believe it was distilled so much to make it more portable that it was almost nothing but alcohol.
　So, I guess I have to do it this way.

"Give me a recommendation.

　I say this and take a seat at a random table.
　This way, I could see how the other person would react.
　Even if I am poisoned, I can use recovery magic and pretend to have drunk it all without a care in the world, which will make them even more cautious.

Forty-tell.

Is that enough?

　As I said this, I took a coin from the item box and placed it on the table.
　Forty tell. That's pretty cheap.
　Well, I don't really care what kind of liquor it is, as long as the owner notices it, I've accomplished my goal for today.
　If I wanted to, I'd prefer it to have a lower alcohol content.

　While I was thinking about this, the sake came out.
　The liquor that came out was just plain liquor, with no particular signs of poisoning.
According to [Information Manipulation Analysis], it is called "Undine's Tears".
　It seems to be high in alcohol content, but the amount is small, so to avoid unnecessary caution, I'll just drink it normally.

　...... Huh?　It tastes good.
　The alcohol should be quite strong, but it's strangely easy to drink.
　It doesn't seem to be a mixture of ingredients to mask the taste.
　Forty ter is a pretty good price, I think.
　Tears of Undine. I'll check it out next time. ...... Well, with the amount of money I have on hand, I don't need to worry about the cost.

　With this in mind, I left the store.
　I was on the alert the whole time, but I was not attacked.
　Apparently, they thought it would be a bad idea to attack now.



"So, have you found out what they're up to?

　The next morning.
　The next morning, we gathered in our room at the inn and had a strategy meeting.
　Lake and the others had been working on espionage after I came back, but they seemed to have returned during the night, and we were finally able to get together.
　Both of them must have been up almost all night, but they didn't look too tired.
　Well, it's quite doubtful that any desi battlers would be upset after one or two all-nighters.

I've got it pretty good. But I could only find one other hideout, so I need more impact.

"...... impact?

Yeah. They're planning to take down Kaede with only the members of their two bases, but we're going to show them that's not enough. They're planning on setting up a trap in the tavern to ambush the maple, but if we can get through that trap head on, they'll give up.

Did you find out what the trap is?

We're sure. But if Kaede knows about the trap, there's a chance she'll find out that we're aware of it by our movements.

Are you okay?

I'm fine. I've confirmed that it's a trap that you can easily get out of, Kaede. So I'd say you're safe.

　It was Mercia who answered for Lake.
　If Mercia, who has a different common sense than the Decibatoreans, says so, then it must be safe.
　I can go to the base without worry.

By the way, how did that drink taste?

"It was pretty good. Maybe it's because I haven't had it in a while.

It can't be my imagination. It's said that the tears of Undine were used to lure and kill the maple. It's a very expensive liquor, and you can't get it for a lot of money.

　Can they even identify the kind of liquor I drank?
　Apparently, Lake's intelligence is real.

...... It's kind of a shame to destroy it. Should we fight to keep the alcohol out of it?

"No, that won't be necessary. No, there's no need for that. They said they'd move the expensive liquor to the other base beforehand. We'll go and get it in a hurry. It's not a crime to take something from a bandit.

"Oh, I thought you said the snacks were pretty good, too.　I'll take care of the snacks too, Lake.



Yeah, I got it.

What are you guys up to?

　We were about to have a strategy meeting on how to destroy the black market, but before we knew it, we were talking about how to secure alcohol and snacks.
　How did this happen?

"Don't worry. Don't worry, we'll focus on finding the unknown locations first. We can always destroy the known locations later.

　I see. He's thinking about his job.
　That's right. A Desibatorean intelligence officer can't be that careless.

"By the way, didn't their organization deal in some rare foods?　If we go to another base, we can find that too, right?

"Ah. Oh, that's right, there was talk about that.

But if they're doing well in foodstuffs, they won't go out of business just because zunana grass is cheaper. I guess we can't expect too much .......

　Apparently, I've been underestimating the intelligence officers.
　We're only talking about drinks and snacks.
　I don't know why Mercia is even in the mix.
　I feel that Mercia is being poisoned by the Decibatoreans lately.

I'm not sure what to do. You got it.

...... I'll get my share, right?

Of course!

　I have no choice. I'll do my part as a decoy.



Hmm?

　When I heard that the store had opened around noon, I immediately tried to enter the store that was the base of the underground organization, but I felt a little strange around the entrance.
　Compared to yesterday, the reaction seemed to be a little different. ...... Oh.
　It seems that the space that was empty yesterday is now quite full.
　It's not a person or an ordinary object, but rather a spherical, ball-like object that is packed tightly.
　Judging from the shape, it's a magic stone or a magic tool.

　I walked into the store, preparing to use defensive magic to protect myself and escape if the need arose.
　Unlike yesterday, there didn't seem to be any other customers today.
　In addition to that, the inside of the store has been made a little smaller by the impromptu construction, and the space between the original wall and the new wall is filled with the same ball as the entrance.
　The liquor bottles have also been replaced with spheres except for the visible ones, and the ceiling and floor are also filled with the same spheres.
　It was all very suspicious, but the intelligence team and Mercia told me that the trap was safe for me.
　Believing this, I pretended not to notice the manipulation and took the same seat as yesterday.

"Same as yesterday, please.

"Okay. I'll go to the warehouse and get the stock.

　The owner, unlike yesterday, took my order and walked out.
　A few seconds later, the walls, ground, and ceiling around me all exploded at once.
　It was carefully placed so that the blast would be concentrated right where I was.
　In addition, the explosives were packed with metal fragments, all of which were turned into scattered bullets by the blast, which seemed to be designed to kill.

　...... Hey. Who said it was safe? Come out.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.