An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 33 Post-processing is tough, isn’t it?

“Now, the issue at hand is…”

I arrived at the Hunter’s Guild in Saaplast in the morning.

In a room within the guild, Guild master Buffalo Bal is present, along with myself and Saran.

For some reason, the leader of Team Ballistes, Bartil, and Elfang, Beltas, are also here, tagging along without much choice.

“The question is whether Tanuki head’s sister has been targeted in the past and will continue to be targeted.”

“Um, could you please stop calling her Tanuki head and refer to her as Raccoon head instead?”

“Is that really important…? Anyway, what’s your opinion? You were acquainted with that butler, right?”

“I don’t see any issues from my perspective.”

“Why?”

Bal asks me.

“We conducted the pigeon eradication for the Hawksburg Count’s family on the fourth day after arriving in Topurus. We stayed in Topurus for about ten days, and during that time, nothing happened. So, I don’t think they realized that Saran is an elf.”

“Did she hide her ears with that hat?”

“Yes.”

“I see. As long as she hides her ears, well, she doesn’t appear to be an elf.”

Um, there are several issues with those remarks.

Please, really, stop. Saran is…

Oh no… Her eyes narrowed. Let’s stop with the menacing aura.

Bartil expresses concern, asking “were you secretly being watched.”

Are you worried about Saran? Well, that’s understandable, I can see why.

“There was no such thing. Afterward, we were busy dealing with wolf packs and bears in Topurus, so if they were monitoring us, they would have considered us formidable opponents. They wouldn’t think it would be so easy to kidnap someone they simply deemed a pigeon killer.”

“You guys were doing all that…”

“We would love for you to join our party…”

Well, leaders, your true intentions have come out.

That was your goal, huh? With Saran joining a party full of men, she’ll surely add some charm. Of course, I’ll be accompanying her too.

“So those guys happened to find her in a tavern and hastily decided to kidnap her.”

“Yes, a few days ago, they even approached Ginea for recruiting people for an “elf hunt.” They shouldn’t have had any information about the presence of an elf in this town.”

“…You’re quite clever.”

“You’re amazing, Shin…”

Well, I used to work for the municipal office, after all.

“What happened to the kidnappers?”

“Not much. We quickly buried them as unmarked graves in the common cemetery last night. Today, we’ll report to the local lord, ‘There was an attempted kidnapping incident in the city last night, and the hunters who happened to be there managed to capture and kill all the culprits.’ It’s not an uncommon story. It’s the same as saying, ‘We killed bandits on the highway.'”

“Did they have any identification on them?”

“None.”

“Of course… But since they were staying in this town, they must have had a base.”

“I thought about that too,” Bal nods.

“They’re kidnapping a woman. They can’t use an inn. Of course, the Hawksburg family has a branch in this town. They have an office in the warehouse district for coming and going.”

“Meaning we can’t touch it.”

“That’s right.”

“The important figure like the butler didn’t return last night. I think they’ll contact the Hawksburg family today.”

“We’re taking care of that. I have the gate guards informed to let us know when the Hawksburg family carriage departs.”

Is it a bribe? It’s a questionable practice, but it’s a convenient adult method in certain situations.

“In my opinion, we can’t openly engage in such dangerous matters. Not even with family. Since the butler, an important figure of the Hawksburg family, is in command, it’s normal not to pry or ask questions. The office staff shouldn’t know anything or be involved. Probably.”

“I hope that’s the case, but if the butler didn’t return last night…”

They were about to go and kidnap Saran. They might have already told them something like ‘We’re returning tonight, and go straight to the estate.’ If it’s the Hawksburg family carriage, they’ll be allowed through the gate even at night. If everything goes well, the plan was for them to escape to the estate that same night.

“If that’s the case, it’s fine, but the Hawksburg family will naturally notice the disappearance of the butler and their subordinates. They will investigate what happened.”

“That’s true. However, no one would dare to claim that those kidnappers were noble servants. Just hearing that the kidnappers were buried would be enough to make them back down quietly. The butler is missing or has suddenly fallen ill. That’s how it will be.”

“That’s right!”

Yes, the leaders seem to be satisfied with the plan.

“Um, do you have any information on the Hawksburg family?”

“Oh, plenty. Until now, we had no clue about the Elf kidnapping gang, but once we figure out who the mastermind is, the rest will be rather easy. There’s an abundance of information.”

With that, Bal takes out several papers from an envelope.

“The current head is Count Vander La Hawksburg. He’s already a seventy-year-old geezer. His wife is a lady from the Berdburg family, over fifty. The heir, the eldest son, Falus La Hawksburg, is already in his thirties, but he’s a notorious playboy. Still unmarried, he forcibly takes beautiful women within his domain as mistresses. If anyone seems suspicious, it would be him.”

“I see… The butler was not a bad person, and he even reminded us to collect the unpaid fees from our lord here. It’s strange to think that a noble like him would resort to kidnapping.”

“He’s not a noble. It’s not uncommon for parents to be respectable while their sons are troublemakers. The more distinguished the parents, the more spoiled the son becomes. That’s just how it is. Even the butler must have some circumstances that require him to obey the whims of the playboy son.”

Hmm…

“There’s a serious and diligent second son named Faal who assists with managing the estate. There are actually more voices supporting him as the next head. He tries to support his elder brother, but it seems he’s troubled by his brother’s extravagant lifestyle. He has a child with a concubine who is still only twenty years old.”

Oh…

“In this country, the complete abolition of the slave system actually happened five years ago.”

“Surprisingly recent.”

“There has been a movement against slavery as a barbaric practice for a long time. In reality, only a minority of nobles owned slaves.”

I see.

“At that time, the Hawksburg family, in particular, strongly opposed the abolition of slavery. It was that infamous playboy son who was against it. Eventually, the slave system was abolished by the king’s decree, and the slaves within each household were freed. It turns out that among those freed slaves, there were Elves. It seems the playboy son had a keen interest in Elves.”

Oh…

“What happened to the Elfves?”

Saran asks.

“The village chief of the Elf village came to take them back, and they should have returned.”

“Oh… I’ve heard about that. Was it Tatton Village?”

“Well, that’s about all I can say. Don’t go thinking about strange things, okay? It’s a story that will blow over if you just leave it alone. Don’t get involved.”

“Yes, well…”

“Anyway, just to be safe, Tanu… Raccoon Head, stay with Ballistes and continue working for a while. That’s an order.”

What’s with that victorious pose, Bartil-san?

Why are you hanging your head so low, Beltas-san? You’re on temporary suspension, right?

We’re still newlyweds, you know!

Never mind, never mind!

And so, we stayed as guests at Ballistes residence in the Brick District once again, where Saran and I spent the day cooking and such.

What about the other members? Of course, they were absolutely delighted…