I’m Not Good at Offensive Magic, but I’ll Do My Best With Support Magic!

Chapter 2: The City of Tanza

「We’re here!」

Luri-chan led us to a small room with a bed on the floor. It’s not a large room, but I can tell that it’s kept clean.

「Nothing to see here, but sit, sit!」
「Where are we?」
「This is my base! I’m connected to many places from here!」

Luri-chan answered as she prepared chairs for everyone. It seems that when you work as an informant, you need a place to hide from possible threats to your life.

「Yuan oneechan may get restless, but you have to be patient!」

This room is also full of traps. I don’t think I could manage to stay calm in this room.

「Information?」
「Right, what do you want to know first?」
「Shia-san, before you do that, you have to ask for the information fee」

We are dealing with information as a business. It’s only natural to pay for it. Besides, you don’t want to be charged a huge fee if you can’t pay it later.

「Money~ I’ll take whatever amount you decide! It can be free or 50 gold coins!」
「You’ve got to get that part right」
「Hmm~? As far as I’m concerned, it’s fine as long as you guys make a move and cut down the other informants」
「Other informants?」
「Yeah. All the informants except me are on the side of the lord. An informant should not be a part of someone else’s side, but should be equal」
「Luri’s on our side」
「No, I’m just offering it to you because oneechan asked for information, okay? If the lord asks for information, of course I’ll sell it, so it’s fair game. If they can find me, that is!」

A wicked smile! Luri-chan herself doesn’t like the way the lord is doing things… or rather, she doesn’t like the way the other informants are doing things.

「So, what do you want to hear?」
「What do you know about the other side?」
「That’s right~ The information that oneechans might want to know is the whereabouts of those who have gone missing, or maybe about what’s become of Rose’s grandson?」
「Eh?」

We are looking for her grandson at the request of Rose-san. But we haven’t told anyone about it. Because, it was just yesterday. I was surprised at the mention of Rose-san’s name with pinpoint accuracy.

「How did you know?」
「Because there aren’t many people oneechans have come into contact with in this city, right? It’s easy to narrow it down!」

I’m afraid of informants. It seems that half of it was expected, but I can’t help but be surprised.

「By the way, oneechans are already being targeted, so you’d better watch out!」
「Who is it?」
「Of course the lord?」

That’s fast. Apparently, other informants are already looking into us. I haven’t made any significant movements though…

「There’s a lot of reasons, you know? You’ve been to the guild, you’ve been in contact with Il-nee, Rose-san, Snow-san… it’s no wonder you’ve been spotted!」
「Is that so?」
「Right? It’s no surprise since the guild is under the control of the lord, Il-nee is a shadow wolf and is suspected of having a relationship with me, Rose-san is looking for her grandson, and Snow-san is in the resistance. You’re definitely a target, you know!」

I thought I was acting normal, but when I heard that, there were only reasons to be targeted.

「Well, does that mean they know I’m in the Resistance?」
「Of course they do! On the other hand, you didn’t think they’d find out?」
「I’ve been hiding it…」
「Too naive~ It’s obvious from the moment you joined the Resistance! Of course, they know about Kabai-san, who was blending in as a bandit」
「Is that so? Anyway, I’m glad Kabai-san stayed safe」

It’s safe to say that Kabai-san was alone in enemy territory. No wonder Snow-san was surprised.

「They were just swimming in it, okay? Besides, the lord wasn’t trying to hide his connection to the bandits」
「Eh, isn’t it bad if people find out?」
「There’s no proof of that. I’m rather confident that if an organization like the Resistance is created, we can round them up」

Rather than dealing with each and every person who doesn’t think well of the lord, it’s quicker to crush them all together.

「So you’d better assume that your are being watched at all times!」
「Okay. Will Luri be okay?」
「That’s true. If we’re being watched, then this place…」

Someone might have seen us in contact with her.

「No problem, okay? Those are what the traps for!」
「They were all non-lethal」
「That one route. If it’s the other routes, they’re dangerous」

There are a number of doors in the room. They probably lead to the other routes Luri-chan mentioned.

「If you’re in danger, just run. I’ll be fine. More importantly, continue our conversation」
「So it was. Then, where is Rose-san’s grandson?」
「I don’t know where he is for sure, but I’m sure he’s still here in the city. Along with the other kidnapped children. Maybe Kabai-san’s daughter is there, too」
「You said a definite place. Do you have a general idea of where it is?」
「I know~」

Just knowing that is a big step forward.

「Location」
「Right here」

In response to Shia-san’s question, Luri-chan pointed at her feet. But it’s just a stone floor. Well, there is a trap, but nothing else.

「No, no! I mean underground!」
「Underground?」
「Yes, this city is full of underground passages like this one」
「Why underground?」
「It’s simple. Because they need it to live!」
「Live?」
「Yeah, what is the most important thing for oneechans to live for?」
「Yuan」
「Shia-san!」
「That idea… wonderful」

Shia-san said that with a straight face, which made me firmly angry. It’s not a time to joke around. Snow-san…for some reason looks happy, but I don’t know why, so I’ll ignore it.

「Muu… For money, then」
「Not money!」
「Food?」
「Close!」
「Water?」
「Bingo~!」

Water is a necessity for everyday life, not just for adventures. Water is always needed for drinking and cooking.

「I understand the need for water, but what does that have to do with underground?」
「Because it’s a passageway, you know? It’s impossible to supply enough water to the entire city with just magic stones. So we need to draw water from outside!」

There is a limit to how much water can be created with magic stones. Moreover, water magic stones are in high demand and expensive, so it is very impossible.

「Water is drawn from the river flowing outside the city into an underground channel, purified and discharged into the city. Then, the used wastewater goes underground again to be purified and returned to the river!」
「It’s an amazing system…」
「Yeah, I’m sure there was a lot of sacrifice!」

It is dangerous to build something underground. If the tunnel is excavated, it will collapse, and if it is connected to a river, there is no telling when water will come pouring in.

「How are the kidnapped people getting in?」
「From underground, too! Looks like they’re using a water outlet」

Then they can come and go without going through the gate, allowing them to come and go in secret. So, I guess we’ll have to look for an underground passage.

「By the way, there are monsters in the underground passages, so be careful!」
「There are monsters too?」
「Yeah, it’s connected to the river. They can’t get in through the entrance, but there are monsters that are coming from the exit」

It seems that the entrance is strictly controlled in order to supply clean water to the city. It would be a disaster if bodily fluids of monsters got mixed in. In comparison, the outlet only flushes the purified water, so they don’t seem to pay that much attention to it.

「Also, there are a lot of traps for intruders, so you’ll have to watch out for those too」
「Eh, there’s traps too?」
「Yeah, I’ve seen it with my own eyes and body, I’m sure of it!」
「Maybe even the traps we had to walk through to get here?」
「No. Those are the ones I set up. I copied them, so I think they look the same. It was good practice, right?」

So the traps that Luri-chan set were meant for that purpose. Thanks to that, we know what to watch out for.

「But the real traps are lethal, so I suppose you’d better be careful!」
「Helpful」
「No, it would be better for me if you and oneechans did your best!」

Now that we’ve decided what we’re going to do, we can’t rush into action.