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

Chapter 2: The City of Tanza

「But we can’t do it alone, can we?」
「Yeah. It’s useless if they move while we’re looking for them」
「Maybe we need to inform the Resistance to help us」

We don’t know when the kidnapped people will be taken out of this city. The sooner we act, the better, but we are too short on manpower. It’s not the same as searching in the city. In the city, we can find places that look suspicious, but the underground tunnels seem to be a maze, and we have to make a map as we go.

「Then, why don’t we just find a way out and go from there?」
「That might be a good idea. Or, we could continue to monitor the exit」
「Hmm~ Do you think it will be that easy?」

Luri-chan tilted her head at our suggestion.

「Maybe, but I think there’s a designated place where they can escape. You know, using some kind of magical tool that can move through the river」
「Is there such a magical tool?」
「It’s been around forever! They’re really expensive, though」

It seems that there are magical tools that allow you to breathe in water or put up a barrier that repels water. My barrier can also block out rain, wind, etc., so when I think about it, it wouldn’t be surprising if that kind of magical tool exists.

「With that magic tool, they could go anywhere as long as the river is connected」

I don’t know how mobile that magic tool is, but if it can travel long distances, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to find them by waiting in a nearby river.

「Then I guess we’ll have to look for an underground tunnel」
「Un」

That was the answer we ended up with.

「Oneechans, that’s no good!」

When I concluded that, Luri-chan got angry with us. I don’t know why, so I ask her.

「Eh, why not?」
「If I provide you with information, that’s all you’re supposed to hear. Information is information, but you have to find other information outside of it too!」
「Other information?」
「Yeah. If there are people kidnapped in the underground passages, that means there’s people to take them there, right? Then we can capture them, or we can follow them and destroy their hideout!」

It was certainly no good! All we ever focused on were the people who had been kidnapped.

「But will it be that easy?」
「That’s what I meant! Keep your horizons open and your options wide like that!」
「Uh, what do you mean?」

She told us to broaden our horizons, but I don’t think I’m good at that.

「We’re up against some very skilled people」
「You’re correct, Shia oneechan! Even if the lord is able to help with the security of the gates, I don’t think he’ll be able to completely support the whole city」
「We, the Resistance, are keeping a close eye on the city, so the knights can’t move… or can they?」
「Yeah. That’s why you’re on your own from here on out. But so far, they’ve kidnapped people without being detected, and brought them to the underground passages!」
「It’s impossible for an amateur…」

Come to think of it, Minori-san also told me that adventurers who investigated this matter went missing or were found dead. I think it’s safe to assume that they have a fair amount of combat ability.

「That would mean that the people involved in this are an organization with ties to the lord, good at concealment, and with a fair amount of combat skills!」
「An organization?」
「Yeah. There’s a crime syndicate in this city… well, every big city has a crime syndicate!」
「If it’s an organization, it’s going to be tough for an individual to take action」
「Right! Just because you have combat skills doesn’t mean you’re that good!」

Even if we could destroy the base, it would be meaningless if the kidnapped people were taken out of the city in the process. Besides, there’s no guarantee that the people who were kidnapped would be gathered in one place, and they could be taken hostage. We have to suppress many aspects at once, or quickly clean up the mess before the information is conveyed one by one.

「Now we just need to find a way to destroy the lord!」
「It’s tough」
「That’s right. The lord’s status is that of a duke. If you mess with him, you’ll literally lose your head」

If his status is that high, his security and escorts are likely to be quite tight. I think I can do it with Shia-san, but even if we can, after that is the problem. We’ll be hunted for the rest of our lives until we get out of the Rūdo territory, if we’re not careful. No matter how many wrongdoings the lord has done, we are the ones who will be treated as criminals.

「Not physically, of course?」
「What do you mean not physically?」
「Un, we’ll just have to discredit him!」
「We don’t have any evidence」
「Even if there’s no proof, it’s a fact that he’s doing it, you know?」
「If we can’t prove it, I don’t see the point. I guess we’ll just have to settle for a powerful force」

No matter how much noise the commoners made, it wouldn’t hurt the lord in any way. On the contrary, they’ll probably end up being executed for disrespecting a noble.

「So just strike a noble with a noble!」
「Nobles have titles, too」
「Well, the only person who can stand up to a duke is another duke or better………. !」
「That’s what I meant! Snow-san, Vice Commander of the Second Princess Escort Knights!」

Snow-san froze completely.

「S-Since when?」
「I didn’t know at first, you know? When I looked up Snow-san, there was very little information about her activities as an adventurer, and even though she was working as a member of the Resistance, there was no noticeable activity. I was curious about that~」
「Is it a hunch?」
「No, it’s because there were too many blank spaces. In order to get a higher rank as an adventurer, you have to complete requests or kill monsters and report them. But you didn’t complete any requests or kill any monsters, and yet you’re C-Rank… isn’t that strange?」

It’s strange when you say so. However, only the person and the guild should know if the request has been accomplished or not. There may be special cases, but I’ve never heard of anyone suddenly becoming an adventurer as C-Rank. However, there is a possibility that Luri-chan may be mistaken. The information on the guild card is kept secret, you know.

「Hmm, there are many ways to find out. I mean, the guild is in the hands of the lord. It’s easy to find out information about adventurers from there!」
「So that means you know who I am」
「That would be the case!」
「With this, I won’t be able to face the princess…」
「It can’t be helped. It’s difficult to get into enemy territory!」
「Enemy territory?」
「Yeah, that’s…」
「No, I’d better explain it from here」

Luri-chan tried to explain, but Snow-san interrupted her.

「If you’ve been found out, it’s better to be honest about it. Provided, of course, that you’re both willing to listen」

By both, she meant Shia-san and I. Luri-chan seems to understand Snow-san’s purpose.

「Shia-san」
「Yuan decides. I won’t be different」

It was still the same. I would like to get some opinions if possible, but it seems that saying so will not change the answer.

「I understand. Now that we’ve gone this far, it’s not irrelevant」
「I see. Well, there’s no turning back」

Snow-san began to talk about what had happened so far. After hearing the details, I realized that we had gotten into a lot of trouble and regretted asking.

Author-san

Let’s see, things are getting complicated.
There are a lot of options.

They have to think carefully because which option they choose will change the future…
I’m sure there are inconsistencies, etc., but in a sense they are calculated, and in some cases forgotten or unnoticed.
The problem was that there were still inconsistencies when I finished, but please overlook this if the inconsistencies were resolved.

As always, thank you for reading.