Tran Zipek.

　He is a merchant based in the city of Horizon.
　He deals in a wide range of products from household goods to foodstuffs, and his business is spread out all over the place.
　He has a business acumen and a lot of luck.
　It is said that he is famous among merchants as a man who built up a fortune in a single generation and developed the trade association.

''...This is all the information on the man with whom he is said to be dealing.

　Back in the city, we handed Aug, Kreuz, and the poachers over to the guild and....
　Then, as we ate our meals at the inn, we sorted out the information.

''That Trang, that person, Amuhahm, is the mastermind behind this request, poof, isn't he?
Do you have to talk or eat?
"Snapping!

　You choose to eat....
　Well, that's just like Kanade.

"If we know who he's doing business with, don't we have any business with him?　You'll leave the rest to the Order, won't you?
It doesn't work that way, does it?
Why?　Don't tell me they're throwing money around again like they did with the Lords or something?
That's not true.

　It's Stella who's in command of the current Order.
　It's unlikely that Stella would be involved in any kind of wrongdoing.

''Normally, an audit of the Order would be conducted based on the testimonies of the poachers, but.......
Oh, I see.

　Sola says, looking like she's had a flash of inspiration.

'You're short-handed, aren't you?'
Sola, you're right.
Mmm, what does that mean?
'Due to the recent events, the Order has been greatly depleted. And we haven't been able to replenish them yet.
Oh, I see. I've been working on a case here and there, Tran?　And that means you won't be able to get around until you check out the bad merchants.
Luna was right.

　Most of the knights of the Horizon Branch were dismissed and imprisoned due to the recent incident.
　I heard that they are requesting the King's Capital to replenish their ranks, but....
　The hole that's been left out is so big that it's not that easy to fill, apparently.
　It's going to take at least another month to replenish it, apparently.

　Because of that, the Knights are apparently not functioning properly due to a shortage of hands.
　The cases have been prioritized and........
　The investigation into the alleged poaching allegations regarding Trang is a low priority, as it is not something that will harm the people of the city right now.

　I'm pretty sure that's what Stella told me earlier.

'Stella, you had a look on your face that said, "I'm sorry.
'I understand the situation the Knights are in, so I don't blame them for it...'

　Still, it would feel like it was your responsibility.
　That's the knight named Stella Emplace.

So.........is it our turn to be in charge?
That's what I mean.

　The current Adventurer's Guild is taking on half of the work that would normally be handled by the Knights' Guild.
　Otherwise, the city would cease to function.

''The request ahead will end when we catch the poachers and get the word out about Trang. There's nothing wrong with pulling up here. But as far as I'm concerned, I want to get Trang.
I'll increase my commission fee.
Nah Tania is so obnoxious.
What? If you're going to have it, you should have it. The more money you get, the better your meal will be.
Dinner!　I agree with you.

　Really, Kanade is easy to understand.
　He chuckled along with Tania.

'It might be a bit risky, but... what does everyone else think?'
'Sola agrees. Let's give the rogue merchants the justice they deserve.
"Humph, I have no disagreement with you, my Lord.　Leave it all to me.
I agree with you. The bad part is that we have to do something about it... from the root.
Okay, I'll do it.

　Thus, we decided to carry out our request, including the capture of Trang.



----------



　As the night fell, the city was enveloped in darkness.

　Blending in with the dark night, we moved near Tran's home.
　A large two-story mansion.
　The yard is large and the house is surrounded by high walls.
　I wouldn't say it's the lord's mansion, but it's a pretty luxurious house.

''That's the bad merchant's house, isn't it?''
What do you think?　Do you want to blow it up with my bracelets?
I won't blow it up.

　Why are Tania's thoughts connected to blowing up everything?
　Don't you think you're being too forward-thinking?

We're here to get Trang into custody. We don't want to kill you, do we?
I know, I'm just kidding.
I'm serious, I think...
Mug.

　Tania made a bitter face as Nina tsked at her.

'What are we going to do, Rain?'
'Well...'

　According to the information I gathered beforehand, Tran has been busy flying around from place to place.
　However, tonight, he is staying at the house here in Horizon.
　Tomorrow, he will be leaving the city again, so tonight is the only night to catch him.

　Already, we have obtained testimonies from the poachers.
　They've also been given the authority to audit on behalf of the Knights, so there's no problem if we continue to charge in.

　However, it seems that there are also guards, so we shouldn't let our guard down.
　Maybe they might have hired mercenaries like they did at the lord's mansion.
　We have to be very careful since it might lead to danger for everyone.

First of all, I want to know what's going on inside. Sola, Luna. Can't you just check it out?
Mmm.

　I was going to have to rely on Sola and Luna, but they gave me a difficult look.

'What's wrong?'
I can use my magic and check out what's going on inside, but...
It's hard to do that completely unnoticed.
What's the meaning of this?
I feel a disturbance in the flow of magic. Perhaps there are magical tools in place to block the magic.
Of course, our magical powers can be used without the use of cheap magic tools.　But I'm going to force things in a certain way, so there's a chance they'll find out.
...I see.

　So there's a reasonable amount of security in place.

　Well, what do we do now?
　I want to check out what's going on inside, but if I use magic, they might be wary of me.

　Should I ask Sora and Luna to use their magic to prepare for being warned?
　It's probably better than charging in with no information and...
　That's the problem.

... "Hey hey hey.

　Nina tugged at my clothes.

'Yeah?'
So I was wondering, you know, do you think it would be a good idea if, um, you know, I could get Tina to help me with this?
For Tina?
Yule, that's why I think it's the best way to find out.
Oh, yeah.
Isn't that a good idea?　Hey, Rain.
Yeah. Thank you for your help, Nina.
Heh....

　Nina smiled happily as everyone praised her.
　Her three tails were twitching and wagging.

'Canade, can you go get Tina for a minute?'
Yikes, I...?
Yeah?　What's the problem?
It's all good, but...
...Are you scared, by any chance?
Actually, I'm not.

　Now that they're living together, Kanade's fear of Tina seems to be diminishing...
　Still, it seems that the bitterness doesn't go away so easily.
　Well, Kanade is afraid of ghosts, and it can be said that it can't be helped.

''Well, let's go to Tania instead........''
No, no, I'll go!
You okay?　You don't have to....
'You can't keep being scared, Tina!　I'll do my best to get used to it.
Yeah, that's the spirit.

　I'm glad that Kanade is willing to accept Tina for who she is.
　After all, I want all my friends to get along with each other.

Well, I'm off then!

　Kanade jumped in a big way on the spot.
　He jumped down to the roof of a nearby house and ran straight to it.