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044 The Duke's
Request
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Translator : PolterGlast
The unique
characteristic of Double Job is the ability to use all skills from two jobs.
Furthermore, since 50% of the sub-job's abilities are added, it's not a simple
1.5x increase in abilities.
For example, what
happens if you set Sword Master Lv25 as a sub-job while your main job is
Swordsman Lv1? The answer is that your abilities become roughly equivalent to a
Swordsman Lv16. Moreover, there are separate ability bonuses from skills, so
the actual abilities become even higher. I honestly think this is incredible.
Alright, I decided to
consider the optimal job combinations.
For high ATK and DEF
values, it's either Sword Master or Hero of the Two-Handed Sword. Sword Master
is slightly superior, but Hero of the Two-Handed Sword is well-balanced.
For Mage-type jobs, I
only have Enchanter, but it's too fragile to be a main job. For now, it's a
sub-job only.
The most versatile is
Assassin. An Assassin's abilities are highest in AGI, and most importantly,
combining Stealth (Medium) and Vital Point Strike (Medium) guarantees a 100%
Ultra Critical (4x damage). I can sense presences, change my appearance and
stats, and become invisible. My escape speed is also fast, and I feel like it's
the most reliable in a pinch. If the opponent is Barukan, there's a possibility
of being detected even with Stealth active, but escaping with Godspeed after
being detected should be easy. I'm totally ready to run!
So, when walking
outside, I'll use Sword Master as my main job and Assassin as my sub-job. In
the dungeon, I'll change jobs according to the situation.
*
Today marks the 59th
day since my reincarnation. While I was leveling up, Barukan and the Knight
Order were patrolling the town day and night. Since the Knight Order began
patrolling, the Head-Chopping Nest apparently hasn't appeared.
It seems other crimes
have also decreased due to the Knight Order's patrols, and there are even
requests from the citizens to continue the Knight Order's patrols.
The reason I know all
this is because I was summoned by the Duke and went to the castle to hear about
it.
"By the way, is
there no gift this time?" the Duke asked.
"I don't
understand what you mean by 'this time,' Your Excellency," I replied. Even
now, I would absolutely not admit it. Besides, I don't conveniently have
information on criminals. Please think a little, Your Excellency.
"Good
grief..." the Duke sighed. I had no idea why he was exasperated. It made
me feel uncomfortable, so I wished he'd stop that.
"You are aware
that there is a criminal known as the Head-Chopping Nest, correct?" the
Duke asked abruptly.
"Yes, I am,"
I confirmed.
"I wish to
capture this Head-Chopping Nest."
"...What do you
want me to do?" I asked.
"I want you to
lend a hand in the search," the Duke stated. I had been expecting it
partway through, but seriously?
"Is such a thing
possible for me?" I asked.
"If it is not
possible for you, then for whom is it possible?" he countered. Don't
answer a question with a question.
"Hasn't the
Head-Chopping Nest gone to another town since the Knight Order began
patrolling?" I asked. I'd heard that he had gone into hiding recently
because the Knight Order was patrolling.
"If he never
appears again, then that is well. However, there is no guarantee of that. How
would it be if I placed a company of knights under your command? Would you
undertake this task?" the Duke asked. What's wrong with the Duke, that
he's acting so humbly?
During my ennoblement,
it was stated as a definite matter, but thinking about it carefully afterwards,
I realized I had been tricked. The Duke seemed to issue a command when he
offered the reward, but it wasn't a command. He was stating his circumstances,
not giving an order. By agreeing, I merely allowed the Duke to bestow the title.
It was probably a negotiation tactic, but it was difficult for me, who was just
a high school student, to immediately discern that.
And this time, it
wasn't a command; he was speaking as if he was in great trouble and wanted my
help. I could refuse, but doing so would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Had he
investigated my personality even further to ask me this way? That thought
didn't make me feel good either, but there was no evidence to conclude that.
I couldn't live
peacefully with a serial killer in town, so I also wanted the Head-Chopping
Nest to be caught quickly. I heard he only killed prostitutes, but there was no
absolute guarantee of that. Such an unstable situation where I didn't know when
I might become a victim should be improved.
Looking at the Duke's
face, his expression was unreadable. It seemed expressionless, but also as if
he was appealing to me. Was it because my personality was twisted that it also
seemed like he was telling me to hurry up and solve it?
This probably falls
under an emergency for the Ducal House. It wouldn't do for the territory to
become unstable due to increasing deaths. Catching criminals isn't a bad thing,
and this time, I'll heed the Duke's request. Though, there's no guarantee that
I can catch the Head-Chopping Nest.
"I don't know
what I can do, but I'll accept the assignment," I stated.
*
We moved to a room in
the Knight Order's barracks, where I was introduced to the company assigned to
me. Every knight seemed more formidable than I was. Would my body grow? I at
least wanted to be about 170 centimeters tall.
Among these knights,
the company commander was a giant over 2 meters tall, with a face that was
truly a weapon. I felt like I had met him somewhere before, but if I
encountered the company commander in the dark, I might have mistaken him for
the Head-Chopping Nest.
"I am Rook
Barukan, Captain of the 13th Company," he introduced himself.
"Hm,
Barukan?" I asked.
"My father is
much obliged to you, Honorary Baron Footscythel," he replied.
Th-this man... is
Barukan's son!? No wonder he's so huge and has such a fierce face. Good genes
at work.
"I'm always
indebted to the Commander of the Knight Order," I said. Thinking of him as
Barukan's son made me feel intimidated. No, no, this won't do. I can't be
intimidated here. I'm going to punch Barukan.
"My father always
feels sorry. He has no discretion when he finds someone he likes," Rook
said. He likes me? I've been almost killed by him multiple times!
"Ah, excuse me.
May I address the troops?" I asked, trying to keep my composure. This was
Barukan, but a different Barukan.
"I am Toi
Footscythel. I have been commanded by His Excellency the Duke to search for the
Head-Chopping Nest. It may be against your will to work under a junior like me,
but I ask for your cooperation," I stated. There was no applause, nothing.
Was I being ignored?
"Very well,
Honorary Baron Footscythel. I will now explain the current situation."
Rook smoothly dismissed the awkwardness. He had a good personality.
"Please call me
Toi. You don't need to add 'Honorary Baron' either."
"...Is that so?
Then, I shall call you Toi-dono," Rook replied.
Rook and his troops
explained the current situation to me.
"Can you show me
a map?" I asked.
"A map...? We
don't have one," Rook replied.
"Huh?" What
is this guy talking about?
"A map, you
know?"
"Yes. A map,
right?" It seemed he understood "map."
"There are
several reasons why we don't have maps," Rook explained. Alright, I'll
listen.
"Firstly, maps
are carefully stored in the treasury, and those of us of lower rank never get
to see them. Secondly, the cityscape changes after a decade or so, so there's
no point in specifically creating them. Thirdly, maps cannot be drawn
accurately even if attempted. Fourthly, it's to prevent maps from falling into
enemy hands." I only understand the fourth point.
The first point:
whether it's the Duke or Zaigen, they just need to take it out of the treasury.
The second point is
obvious. If they don't want the cityscape to change, they should zone and
regulate new construction. The Duke can surely do that. I couldn't even bother
to debate it.
The third point made
me want to say, Are you idiots? It's just a matter of training cartographers.
Even if not artisans, they could have someone with a good sense of distance and
drawing skills create them.
I never imagined the
map situation in another world would be so dismal.
"Does that mean
there's no map of Kerniff or its surroundings?" I asked.
"We have a
simplified map of the surroundings," Rook replied.
"May I see
it?"
"Yes."
Rook sent a
subordinate to fetch the map of the surroundings. The subordinate returned
quickly and unrolled a parchment about A2 size (twice the size of A3).
"..." I was
speechless. This was just a child's drawing. If this counted as a map, then
anything could be a map. I remembered a travel show I'd seen on TV. It was
about searching for Japanese people in remote foreign places, and the maps
drawn by the locals were terrible. The map before me was even worse.
"This shows the
directions and the relative positions of towns and villages," Rook
explained.
"Is the map of
Kerniff in the treasury like this too?" I asked.
"As I mentioned
earlier, we, of lower rank, never get to see it, so I wouldn't know," Rook
replied. Right, he said that.
Well, this was
troubling. The Explorer job has the Mapping skill, so I can draw maps by
walking around. But if I'm not allowed to draw maps myself, then the situation
becomes complicated.
I requested a meeting
with Zaigen.
"You want to see
the map?" he asked.
"Yes. I heard
that the only map of Kerniff is stored in the treasury. I'd like to see
it," I explained. Zaigen's eyebrows furrowed in a V shape. Does he really
need to look so troubled? I understand it's strategic material, but is it so
precious that it has to be locked in a treasury?
"Does this
concern the Head-Chopping Nest case?" he inquired.
"It's to confirm
that," I replied.
"...Very well. I
will show you the map," Zaigen conceded. Does he not need the Duke's
permission?
Zaigen opened the safe
in his office. So it's in that safe, huh?
"This is the map
of Kerniff," he said, spreading it out. It was indeed quite rough. I
couldn't believe they kept such a map so carefully locked away.
"Excuse me for a moment,"
I said, gazing intently at the map spread on the desk. Street names and
prominent buildings like the Explorer's Guild were marked, so I could generally
understand it.
"Captain Rook.
Where was the first victim?" I asked.
"Ah, yes. It was
45 Arms Street," Rook replied. I placed a marker on 45 Arms Street. I
freely used something from Zaigen's desk (laughs).
"And the second
case?"
"128 Ear
Street," he said. I placed another marker. I continued to place markers at
all the crime scenes.
"Th-this is..."
Zaigen started to say something, but I ignored him and glared at the markers on
the map. The markers were concentrated within a 1-kilometer radius. This
indicated that the next crime was likely to occur within this range. However,
there was a good chance the crime scene would shift due to the Knight Order's
patrols.
"From what I see
here, the crime scenes are concentrated in this area. From this, the
Head-Chopping Nest either lives in this area, targets prostitutes who are
numerous here, or is someone familiar with the area," I explained.
"This area is not
a particularly high concentration of prostitutes..." Rook mused. The
possibility of the culprit living nearby or being familiar with the area
increased.
"You know a lot
about this area," I noted.
"Before joining
the Knight Order, I belonged to the security force and was responsible for a
nearby area," Rook explained. Huh, so even Barukan's son had a period of
humble beginnings. I had heard before that many knights were originally
security guards. It seems that those who worked diligently and excelled in the
security forces were recruited into the Knight Order.
"I never imagined
a map could be used in such a way..." Zaigen murmured. No, if it's
strategic material, you'd use it for things like planning defense strategies,
wouldn't you? A map isn't something to keep locked away as treasure; it's
something to use effectively. Zaigen seems intelligent, but he has his blind
spots.
"Captain Rook.
What are the patrol routes of the security force and the Knight Order, and what
attire do they wear during patrol?" I asked.
"The routes are
left to the individuals, so there are no set assignments," Rook replied.
So, there's no organized investigation.
"As for attire,
we wear the armor and swords supplied by the Ducal House," Rook stated.
That might be effective for intimidating criminals and lowering the crime rate,
but it's not suitable for searching for criminals. If I saw a soldier dressed
like that, I'd run.
"I believe this
area is suspicious. Tonight, I won't say civilian clothes, but let's patrol in
attire that makes us look like explorers. The shabbier the better," I
suggested.
"Does that mean
he won't appear if he knows it's the Knight Order?" Rook asked. You get it
now. Then why didn't you do it from the start?
"Exactly. It
would be good if the Knight Order kept patrolling, but that would be tough on
the Knight Order, so we need to create a situation where the Head-Chopping Nest
is more likely to appear. So, please arrange for other Knight Order patrols to
avoid this area," I explained.
"Understood!"
Rook replied.
I asked Rook to handle
the other necessary arrangements, and then I returned to the mansion to change
into my explorer gear and planned to gather at the security guard station near
the site in the evening.
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