Chapter 70 Aisha was targeted
{TL: By Creed}
Sure, here's the revised text:
The first job given to us as full-fledged members was to find Aisha and hand her over to Doctor.
Doctor said he wanted to protect her because she's a friend's child... but that's definitely a lie.
Doctor was planning to treat Aisha as a "product".
Apparently, beastmen slaves fetch high prices in trades...
So, he's using us to try to retrieve the "product".
"To be honest, I want to knock him out right away."
Using even such a young child...
Absolutely unforgivable.
I became a full-fledged member to gather evidence, but right now, I feel like storming in and hitting him.
It would be easy to knock Doctor out.
But doing so would only ease my anger; I wouldn't be able to exile him.
Unless something significant happens, I'll endure...
And I will definitely gather evidence of his wrongdoing.
Well...
Unless something significant happens, like Aisha being caught again, then it's a different story.
"So, what do we do now? We can't just hand over that cat-eared girl, right?"
"Of course not."
"But, if we don't, the mission fails. We won't gain Doctor's trust."
"That's the problem..."
"Handing over Aisha is out of the question, but failing the mission isn't an option either. It's quite a dilemma."
"What should we do then?"
The three of us pondered.
We want to complete Doctor's request.
But we can't hand over Aisha.
To break this conflicting situation...
"Hmm... if it's revealed that Association executives are involved in slave trading, that's game over, right?"
"Definitely."
"Then let's expose conclusive evidence in public."
"But, they still don't trust us, right? They might keep the evidence away from us. It's not easy, is it?"
"We won't search for evidence; we'll catch them in the act."
"What do you mean?"
"First, we report that Aisha has been found. Something like, 'We can definitely bring her within a few days,' but it's a lie. We won't actually bring her."
"I see... something like that?"
As expected of childhood friends.
Sofia seemed to have an inkling of what I was planning and nodded in agreement.
On the other hand, Licorice had a question mark floating over her head.
"Sorry to put it this way... but once they know the 'product' is available, Doctor will move towards the sale. He'll advertise, gather customers, and open a slave auction."
Since Sigurd and the others wanted to use me, they wouldn't put me up for auction...
Usually, slaves are auctioned off and traded there.
I know that because I used to be one.
"If they try to open an auction, there should be significant movements. If we observe carefully, they'll surely reveal themselves."
"I see. So, we'll catch them firmly? But will they really move? Even if they do, won't it be after they get Aisha?"
"There are probably other people being held as slaves. They're likely still preparing to move. When they hear that Aisha, their star product, is secured, I think they'll move."
"I see."
"I heard from Cliff that they have spies. If we contact Cliff, we can find out when and where the auction will be held."
That's good news.
"We'll find out the auction date and bring Aisha in on that morning. We'll tell them we'll bring her, but there's no need to rush. Until then, we can deceive them by saying we're far away or in transit."
"And on the day... we'll pretend to take Aisha but attack the auction venue instead. That way, we secure evidence, right?"
"Yeah, that's correct."
This way, we don't need to hand Aisha over to Doctor.
And we can gather evidence of their wrongdoing.
However, we can't obtain all the evidence of wrongdoing...
If it's revealed that they were involved in a slave auction, arrests are certain.
We'll follow up on other crimes from there.
It may deviate from Cliff's envisioned route...
Well, that's that.
This is our plan.
We'll have to rely on our judgment on the spot.
"But, there are still some uncertainties, aren't there?"
Will they really hold the auction?
What about the safety of others who might be captured?
If they persistently demand Aisha's surrender?
"You should always expect uncertainties to arise. Unexpected situations may occur, causing panic."
"Yeah, we should anticipate as many scenarios as possible and think about how to deal with them..."
"However, it's impossible to predict the future perfectly. For unexpected situations, we must be flexible and adapt."
That's a bit frustrating.
It's no exaggeration to say that Aisha's fate hangs in the balance.
I'm also concerned about the well-being of those who are likely imprisoned.
It would be great if we could devise a perfect plan...
But that's impossible.
Unexpected things always happen.
There's never a hundred percent chance of success.
"If, by any chance, we fail terribly..."
"If we do?"
"We'll prioritize the safety of Aisha and those who are captured. We'll physically take down Doctor."
"Huh, what about evidence?"
"Don't worry about it. After taking him down, we'll conduct a thorough search and find evidence. I don't think we'll find evidence for all their wrongdoings, but I believe we'll find something. If we're not obstructed, it's not impossible to find it."
"Is that supposed to be a valid reason? Isn't there such a thing as the law for humans?"
"It will definitely break the law."
But.
"It's better than letting villains roam freely."
"..."
"It will surely cause trouble later... But if we can somehow deal with the villains, I want to do it. There's also the option of leaving them alone, pretending we didn't see anything, and fleeing the city, but I don't want to do that."
Saving the city or rectifying the Adventurers Guild.
I can't say such grand things.
But the people who make delicious meals at the inn.
Or the people in the city who greet you with warm smiles.
If they're in trouble and I have the power to help somehow, I want to do something.
"You really are unbelievably kind-hearted."
"Am I that surprising?"
"No."
Licorice smiles mischievously.
"I don't dislike it."
"Thank you."
"Hehe, Licorice has fallen for Fate's charm too, hasn't she? But, Fate belongs to me, you know?"
Please, don't provoke while smiling with murderous intent.
"I'm interested in Fate, but I don't have a single ounce of romantic feeling. We fairies love interesting things. Being with Fate seems like it'll lead to many interesting things. That's why I'm interested. I'll be counting on you this time too. I'll lend you my strength as much as you need."
"Yeah, count on me. Sofia, let's do our best together."
"Yes. For Fate's sake, I can do anything."
Thus, we decided to start moving in earnest to corner Doctor.
TL Note: I missed the schedule as I had to attend to some personal things but Fate is back with a bang.
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