Chapter 74

When we returned from our routine patrol, Captain Beckle summoned Lady Clara.

“Ansbach, I need you to take your platoon to Headquarters this afternoon.”

“Understood. Is there an emergency?”

“It’s to assist the Royal Guard. It’s regarding those ‘Condemnation Bandits’.”

The Condemnation Bandits are a mysterious group of robbers who have been terrorizing Saxens lately. They primarily target the wealthy living within the city walls, and the damages have reportedly reached a staggering amount.

What sets them apart from ordinary bandits is that they leave behind manifestos exposing the crimes of those they attack. Every single victim has had some dark secret or “skeletons in the closet,” and an indictment is always left at the scene. Because they “judge” the sins of their victims, they’ve earned the nickname Condemnation Bandits.

Thanks to this, they actually have enthusiastic support among some of the commoners living outside the city walls. However, considering they kill people during their break-ins, I don’t think they’re in any position to judge others. Besides, theft is still a crime.

Earlier this month, a certain nobleman was attacked and his entire family was brutally murdered, prompting the military to tighten security. For context, that nobleman had apparently been selling narcotics forbidden by the Temple. While the interior of the city walls falls under the jurisdiction of the Royal Guard, they’re short-handed, so a request for reinforcements came to us.

“One platoon is being dispatched from each district. For the South District, I’ve decided to send you, Ansbach.”

“Understood.”

“In the recent robbery, fifteen armed men were killed. Exercise extreme caution.”

It wasn’t just the guards; including the head of the house and his family, there were over thirty casualties. It’s a grisly business.

It was a day where the cold wind stung my face like needles.

“Nothing but bad luck, pulling night patrol on a freezing day like this. ‘Condemnation Bandits’ my foot. They’re nothing but a nuisance,” Squad Leader Bahre grumbled.

I couldn’t agree with the old man more. Some people call them “noble thieves,” but that’s a total delusion. It was so cold that I’d tucked a down vest discreetly under my military greatcoat.

“Squad Leader Bahre, take the 1st and 2nd Squads. Sergeant Major Emma, lead the 3rd and 4th. The 5th Squad will remain with me on station.”

We split the platoon into three groups to conduct the watch. Even though this was downtown Dresden, there was almost no foot traffic past 11:00 PM. Outside the walls, you’d often see drunks sleeping on the street—only to be found frozen to death the next morning—but within the walls, there was no one of that sort.

Even the usual streetwalkers were nowhere to be seen. In the Kingdom of Saxens, prostitution is only permitted for businesses authorized by the state. Essentially, it’s a system where only those who pay taxes are recognized and allowed to trade publicly. Therefore, any woman selling her favors on a street corner is subject to a crackdown.

Normally, streetwalkers flee the moment they spot us soldiers. Otherwise, it’s common for them to offer their bodies in exchange for us turning a blind eye. There are plenty of courtesans inside the walls, but those living here are all beautiful and well-proportioned. Naturally, their prices are high, and their standard of living is much better. I’ve heard some even employ servants, so they must be earning quite well.

From what I’ve heard, a high-class courtesan can cost over 6,000 Marques for a single night. On the other hand, outside the walls, the price drops significantly; the market rate seems to be between 200 and 1,000 Marques per visit. If the woman is elderly or considered unattractive, it can go as low as 50 Marques—a thought that’s almost too grim to imagine.

Whenever I see streetwalkers, I only pretend to enforce the law. I’ll shout “Wait!” or something, but I’ve never actually chased one seriously. Running is exhausting, and I don’t believe arresting them makes the city any safer. I doubt these women could find another job even if they were forced to quit. Most of them already have other jobs during the day; they work the night streets because they can’t survive on those wages alone.

Emma is quite serious about crackdowns, which makes things difficult. If we’re going to crack down on anything, it should be the underworld figures exploiting them, but it’s a complicated issue—the presence of those underworld types also ensures that customers don’t get out of hand. I’ve heard there are even terrible customers who try to take back their advance payments through violence.

After finishing the patrol of our assigned area, we took a break by a bonfire. We have to go out for another round in the middle of the night.

“Master… Master Hinoharu.”

I heard my name called from the shadows. It was Holger. Perhaps because he was inside the city walls, he was wearing finer clothes than usual. However, with his bowtie, he gave off the air of a showman—like a circus ringmaster or the owner of a freak show. No matter how you looked at him, he didn’t look like an honest businessman.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Holger. Any movement?”

I had tasked Holger with keeping an eye on the Saint. I stepped a little away from the rest of the platoon to hear what he had to say.

“No, boss, that lead is bone dry. We’ve been watching for a week now, and there hasn’t been a single twitch. Are you sure you want to keep this up?”

“I see… well, just to be safe, keep at it a while longer.”

I discreetly pressed a 10,000-Marques large silver coin into his hand.

“I’ll take the job since it’s you askin’, boss. But that ain’t actually what I came to report today.”

Holger gave a sharp grin. His gap-toothed mouth made him look a bit foolish, but one must never let their guard down around him. As an informant, this man was top-tier.

“I brought a little tip for ya today. Normally I’d charge, but since you’re so generous, consider this a special service.”

In the blink of an eye, the silver coin had vanished from Holger’s palm, tucked away into some unknown pocket.

“Lately, the sewers have been seein’ a lot of traffic. And I don’t mean the rough stuff outside the walls—I’m talkin’ ’bout the high-class side inside the walls.”

There’s no such thing as “high-class” or “low-class” in a sewer. Even if it’s under the inner city, it doesn’t exactly smell like roses. However, while the outer sewers are a common haunt for criminals, the inner city sewers are protected by sturdy locks and iron grates, making them incredibly difficult to infiltrate.

“Who exactly is using them?”

“Can’t say who for sure, but the point is, nobody’s supposed to be able to get in there.”

The sewer gates inside the walls are managed by the Royal Guard. Furthermore, since the tunnels extend all the way to the Royal Castle, security is supposed to be absolute. Even we in the Royal Capital Guard aren’t permitted to see the blueprints for the inner sewer system. It is, for all intents and purposes, a state secret.

“Mr. Holger, how did you find out about the inner sewers?”

“Well, I’ve got a little connection with the beastmen who handle the cleanin’ down there. They found traces of someone passin’ through.”

Come to think of it, the inner sewers are maintained by specialized beastman slaves. Beastmen would likely notice even the slightest change in the environment.

“There’s no sign of the locks bein’ forced, which means they’re usin’ a duplicate key to open ’em. Plus, one of the beastmen swore he definitely smelled the scent of blood.”

The scent of blood…

“When was this?”

“Right around the day after that noble dealin’ drugs got slaughtered.”

Does this mean the Condemnation Bandits might be utilizing the inner city’s underground sewers? No matter how many grates and locks you install, some older buildings have structures that allow direct access to the sewers, so you can never fully seal them off.

What I don’t get is how they opened the iron grates located every 100 meters. Do they really have duplicate keys? There isn’t just one type of lock, either. This raises the possibility of a mole within the Royal Guard—and likely someone with a fair bit of authority.

“Anyway, that’s the word on the street.”

“That’s a great lead. Thank you.”

“Heh, you’re ‘bout the only one who’d thank a guy like me, boss. Makes me wanna go the extra mile for ya. See ya soon.”

Holger melted back into the darkness as swiftly as he had appeared.

“Kota, what was that about?”

“I just picked up some intel.”

I relayed everything Holger had told me to Lady Clara.

“We don’t have the authority to enter the sewers, but we can at least keep an eye on the entrances,” she mused.

“Should we report this to the Royal Guard?”

I felt like it might be better to let them know.

“If the information is true, the beastmen should have already filed a report. If the Guard hasn’t spoken to us, it’s likely because they don’t feel the need to broadcast their own blunder.”

If there really is a mole in the Royal Guard, the Inspector General might already be moving. Normally, they wouldn’t want outsiders knowing about internal corruption.

The Inspector… If it’s Elke from the Shadow Knights, she might know something. She belonged to one of the operational units under the Inspector’s command, after all. I want to know more about the Saint’s recent movements too, so I think I’ll make some time to go see her.