「It’s getting dangerous to collect copper coins in this city.」
「Yeah, it’s getting pretty scarce, and any more than that and we’ll be found out and in danger.」
「Let’s take out what we have. Make the arrangements.」
「Got it.」
It’s a man’s voice, and it sounds like two people having a conversation.
「Customer-san?」
「Whoa!」
I saw a fluttering, waving hand in front of me. That came out of nowhere, and surprised me.
「What’s the matter, sir, why are you staring at the door?」
「Aaah, nothing.」
I muddled up my words.
The voice I heard came from behind the door, outside the store.
「I’m sorry, I just remembered something pressing.」
「What? But the food is still──」
「I’ll be back.」
I said, and ran out of the store.
Then, listened closely.
I pick up the voice from earlier in the hustle and bustle.
It’s like when you’re listening to music, and you’re trying to pick up the sound of a drum, for example, from all the other sounds.
「It’s nice to make money, but it’s a pain in the ass to transport.」
I caught the voice I heard earlier.
I chased after it.
The two people from earlier are together again, chatting.
So I went after the voices. I chased after him, relying on his voice.
We turned down a few alleys and entered an unpopulated area.
His voice suddenly became quiet.
「How did you get in?」
I looked around.
Behind the alley, there are various buildings.
I stood in front of a building with a door that looked like it would let me in, and listened carefully each time.
Then, at the fifth door, I heard the voices of the men from earlier again.
Well, that’s all of them, all right, we’ll get them out tonight. We’ll meet up with the guys in the other city and send them to the smelting furnace.」
「Hey, how much money can I make off this?」
「At the current price of copper, if I melt …… and sell it, it’ll roughly double.」
「Wow, it’s higher than before. Which means this is going to be twice as much.」
「That’s what I mean.」
「Wow」
Words of ruffians pretending to be chivalrous. It was as bad as I suspected, when I first heard about it.
「Sell off the copper coins to …… melt down the metal and sell the raw metal?」
Melting down the money that the government is making without permission is a serious crime that is prohibited in any country.
I was going to step in at this point, but I’ve been listening to them, and they have business partners, and they have collaborators.
Stepping in here would surely result in the lizard’s tail being cut off.
「……」
I remembered where I was and left the place.
「So this is the government office?」
I asked the people in town and came to the city hall.
I asked about something like a police force, a place to crack down on criminals, and they told me about this place.
「Stop! Who are you?」
Just as I had done when I first came to this city, an armed gatekeeper stopped me.
Well, it’s a natural reaction, but I’ m ready for it too.
I took out the fan that Princess Helene had given me and showed it to the gatekeeper.
「The princess sent me. I want to see the person in charge here.」
「Princess ……? Mmm, that’s a royal coat of arms …… and it’s real.」
The gatekeeper confirmed the authenticity of the fan with magic (or something like that?).
Instantly, his demeanor changed to that of a different person.
「Please wait a moment, I’ll let you know shortly.」
「OK」
The gatekeeper rushed inside.
I waited there for a while.
About ten minutes later, the gatekeeper came out.
「I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Almosso-sama is waiting for you inside. Please come in.」
The gatekeeper let me through and I went inside.
I followed his lead and came to a place that looked like an office.
There was a middle-aged, well-dressed man in the room.
When the man saw me, he stood up and introduced himself with a serious face.
「My name is Kefka Almosso.」
「I’m Yuki Kakeru 」
「I’m unfamiliar with your name. How should I address you?」
「Yuuki or Kakeru, I don’t care which.」
「Then, Kakeru-sama. I understand you are on an errand for Her Highness.」
「Ahhh, here is the proof.」
Deception, for the second time. I felt a little guilty because it was a lie, but I held back and showed him my fan.
「This is …… indeed the property of Her Highness Helene Teresia Mercouri. I apologize for the inconvenience. I don’t mean to doubt you, but the gatekeeper told me you were 『a man in unfamiliar clothing』, so I wanted to be sure.
「That’s all good.」
I’m prepared to be suspected to some extent. That’s why I brought up Princess Helene’s stuff.
「We have more important things to talk about.」
「What will we be talking about?」
「There are people collecting copper coins in this city, melting them down and selling them.」
「…… That’s not something you can joke about.」
Armosso’s complexion changed dramatically.
It was a natural reaction, considering the magnitude of the situation.
「I’m not kidding.」
I told him what I had heard and seen.
I told him about the lack of change in the diner and what the men were talking about.
I told Armosso exactly what I had done.
「We have received reports of a decline in copper coins. As a city where peddlers come and go, I just assumed it was taken out in the course of business. ……」
「That’s what’s happening. We’ve got to do something about this, don’t we?」
「That’s right. By the way, does Her Highness know about this?」
「…… No, I don’t know.」
I said to myself. Princess Helene …… because I don’t know how royalty reacts in these situations.
「I was just inquiring about the copper coins at the princess’s request.」
and lie in a bland, undetectable manner.
「Oh, really? No, let’s do something about it first. Damaging money is a felony anyway, so let’s capture them and then ask for a decision.」
「Yeah.」
「I’ll call the soldiers.」
Armosso clapped his hands.
Immediately there was a thud and the sound of footsteps, and three armed soldiers entered.
Three, not many, but it’s better than none.
There are several people who need to be dealt with, and I can’t physically …… literally get around them on my own.
That’s what I was thinking.
「Seize that man.」
「Ha!」
Huh?」
As I was startled by the suddenness of the situation, one of the soldiers held me down and handcuffed me from behind.
「You. ……」
「I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is.」
「You were in on it too!」
「That’s right.」
「Why would you do that?」
I ask Armosso as he holds me down.
「Because it’s lucrative. Originally, the government officials who governed cities like ours were given a certain amount of casting and forging rights. Damaged coins will be collected, exchanged, and re-minted into proper coins. This commission is quite delectably lucrative because it can be determined freely──」
Armosso chuckled.
It was a horrible smile.
「──It’s much better to sell it as copper. I was trying to make a fortune by teaming up with someone behind the scenes, but I never expected to be spotted by Her Highness.」
「……」
「But it seems that the wind is still blowing in my direction. If you ask me, Her Highness does not know about this matter yet. In other words, if we get rid of you here and re-mint the recovered copper coins into new ones, we can still fool them.」
「……」
「I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave …… here. If you resent me, you should resent your own recklessness.」
「No hard feelings.」
I said.
The voice was cold, a little surprising even to me.
Armosso is surprised. He gave me a look that said, “What are you talking about?”
「What do you mean by that?」
「That’s what I mean.」
I rose to my feet.
I was held down from behind, but I stood up normally.
「Hmm!?」
With a lot of force, I tore off the handcuffs.
It was made of steel, but I tore it off without difficulty.
Armosso rolls his eyes. He looks at me incredulously.
The look on his face was also infuriating.
「Apparently, it’s better to catch you first.」
I said as if I were declaring.
Let the punishment commence.