"Wake up missy!" - Old guard

"Zzzzz" - Garami

"I SAID, WAKE UP!" - Old guard

"Mmhm, just five more years..." - Garami

*Dang!*

---

"Ou-u-u-uch..." - Garami

"That's what you get from oversleeping when in jail! Get your feet moving!" - Old guard

This geezer, -100.000 popularity points. Using a sheathed sword on someone that's sleeping so well, what is he? A demon? It's not even dawn, so why the stress?

Despite my grumbling, we walked towards what the damn geezer called, "the interrogation room". Not a place I wanna go to at the moment, not that I have any choice. 

"How can you even sleep so soundly in a cell? And that bedding you had there, what was that?" - Old guard

"Just something I made in my free time." - Garami

I barely got the chance to stuff the futon I had laid over the bench that was the bed in the cell. Doesn't this geezer know that haste makes waste? Why does he expect that someone like me can work at full at the break of dawn? Did he even sleep after throwing me in here?

Oh well, except the fact that I have some nasty-sounding skills and my karma value, there's no reason for these guys, except the geezer, to think that I'm some dangerous character. ...Okay. There's Hydra as well. I can talk myself out of that, as poison is due to my species. No one can blame me then... right? 

Ah, stop worrying, me. It's not like I have any terrorist skills up my sleeve, so no need for panic. Just take this cool, and-

=====================================================================

SYSTEM MESSAGE:

Congratulations!

[Achievement of Fire] is acquired!

By acquiring [Achievement of Fire], the skill, [Gunpowder Element LV1], is acquired.

By acquiring [Achievement of Fire], the skill, [Gunpowder Magic LV1], is acquired.

=====================================================================

-collected?

...... AGNIR! You waited for this moment, didn't you?! Waiting for someone to get in trouble with the authorities, then slap some explosive skills on them! What's up with "Gunpowder Element"? There's no way there's any monsters out there that has this attribute!

R-r-rel-l-lax. I've got some funky, terrorist-sounding skills, that doesn't automatically make me guilty. Y-yeah, that's right. No need to stress...

Ugh, I'm getting paranoid here. These newbies are just at LV1, so even if these guys can appraise my skills, they will understand that I can't do anything too dangerous with them. At the moment anyway...

"All right, get in. We will hear those excuses of yours again, then decide which cell you're getting. Think carefully about what to say, and by no means, show no disrespect to the prosecutor." - Old guard

After hearing the threatening words of the old goat, I went into the room. At the center was a table and two chairs, with one of them already occupied.

The man in the room was some sort of elf. Unlike Carion, he had straight black hair and made me think of a lawyer back on Earth. His clothing looked kinda regal, like what a noble would wear, but they were made to be easy to move in. The way he keeps his eyes narrowed to slits makes him kinda shady, if not outright creepy.

"Good morning." - Elf

"Good morning," I answered back while sitting down on the other chair. The guards then stood guard by the exit. There was no other furniture in the small room, except for a small table and chair by the exit. One of the guards sat in that chair by the entrance silently and took out a piece of paper on the table. 

This feels like straight out of a police interrogation from the movies. Just that it's for real. One thing different is a strange bell on the table. It's not one of those bulky fire alarm bells, but one of those antique-looking ones. It had some fancy inscriptions on it which I couldn't make heads or tails of. Even so, it felt strangely familiar...

"This is a special magi-tech that will ring when it detects a lie in this room. It would be easier to understand if I called it a lie detector." - Elf

Oh, come on! That's the worst news for me! Calm down, just don't mention anything related to Alvatria, then this bell won't get a turn.

"I guess a self-introduction is in order. My name is Leonardo Velantas, son of marquise Reinford Velantas." - Leonardo

"Reinford", isn't that the guy who founded the city of Velantas?! Why's the son of the landlord interrogating some no-name like me?

"Now then, let us start the questioning. Remember that silence will be taken as a yes. For the first question, are you the Champion of Darkness? " - Leonardo

"Nope!" - Garami

*ring!*

Right at the beginning?! 

---

"A-ha-ha-ha, talk about easy come, easy gone." - Leonardo

Just three freaking seconds... I only survived three freaking seconds during the interrogation... That damn bell, it's like a protagonist-cheat of an isekai story! No one can keep anything secret from that!

"Alright then, this is EVERYTHING that the cultist stole? This time for sure?" - Leonardo

"Y-yes..." - Garami

AND, it can be used to make people return all the stolen goods they stole from thieves, like now. All my goooold...

"Why so unhappy? You are being rewarded with 10% of the value of the stolen goods. And with this amount, you will become one of the richest new adventurers in town." - Leonardo

Urgh, damn this sneaky elf and his throughout interrogation methods. I had to even tell him about my plans. I managed to keep my Dungeon-plans a secret, but almost anything else was brought to the light.

"Maybe, but from my point of view, it's like losing 90% of what I could have." - Garami

All the values that I had taken from the cultists had been confiscated by Leonardo, as they were stolen goods from the beginning, and needed to be returned to their rightful owners. Thing is, the cultist did a double-operation of both kidnapping and robbery at the same, according to the investigation the city guards had done.

The reason for Carion being locked in a different location than the other hostages was because the robbery-group had encountered him when they were aiming for a certain noble's house, so they snagged him alongside the loot. 

"Don't be too sad about it. A good reputation can be more worth than a thousand Golds you know." - Leonardo

Easy for the noble to say. 

"We had troubles locating even a single clue, or even a suspect, towards the robberies, not to mention the kidnappings, so your intervention was worth it's worth in gold!" - Leonardo

"Don't mention gold in front of me! Not now, anyway..." - Garami

"If losing all the gold you stole from the criminals-" - Leonardo

Oi, don't emphasize that part so much. It makes me look like the bad guy here.

"-how about I owe you one favor then? I am sure that even Father would want to help you in the time of need, seeing how you are this town's, no, this region's savior." - Leonardo

Yes, that's right. Even the fact that I was the one who snuffed Glavras was revealed due to that nasty bell. Most of it was because junior here was so well used with using the bell to probe info out of both people and demons. Still, having the landlord of the place in your debt is somewhat tempting...

"Okay, I'll accept that. In fact, I got something I could use your help with right now." - Garami

As I said that, I took out an Item Bag filled with documents, and showed the contents to the junior marquis...

---

A little while later

The city of Velantas had started to wake up, with people getting their shops ready and adventurers ready to laze through another day. Just then, a large carriage, decorated by a coat of arms the citizens of the city knew very well. It was the coat of baron Raft Gregor, a former adventurer who earned himself the position of a noble through many heroic deeds.

He also provided funding for the orphanage in the city, helped with maintaining the wall that not only protected the city from the undeads of the wasteland, it also blocked the drought-curse that had plagued the land. Due to all this, and more, Baron Gregor had earned the support of the citizens of Velantas.

And now, that same baron is currently on his way to the city walls. Before being able to exit the gate, some guards stood up and asked for meeting the baron.

"Baron Gregor, for what do we have the honor of your visit?" - Guard A

"Nothing, nothing. I just wanted to travel outside of town." - Baron Gregor

"I see. Please excuse me for asking, for what reasons are you going out of town?" - Guard A

"Well, as embarrassing it is to say out loud, I cannot sleep well when thinking of the poor souls that disappeared two days ago. It may be a fool's errand, but I felt the need to at least try to search for them." - Baron Gregor

"What graciousness... but what about your wealth? Was not you also a victim of the recent robberies that went parallel with the disappearances?" - Guard A

"Some simple trinkets are not more important than the lives of the citizens. It is a noble's duty to protect the public from any harm. It is what we call back in my home country, noblesse oblige." - Baron Gregor

"Then, allow me to wish you good luck on your search. And in case you find the suspect of the robberies, please bring him to us guards." - Guard A

"The suspect? Did you figure out who it was?" - Baron Gregor

"Why, do not joke around lord Gregor. It was that demi-human that tended to wander the noble district at night, remember?" - Guard A

"Ah, yes. That forest elf that was infatuated with my garden's sculptures. So he was the culprit." - Baron Gregor

"That's the one, my lord. His name was... Harlon?" - Guard A

"It was Carion Verde. You need to at least remember the name of the criminals you are supposed to protect the citizens from." - Baron Gregor

"My apologies! And sorry if it is a little off-subject, but that I was wondering what type of animal the mount to your carriage was." - Guard A

"Oh, that. That is a Golem Horse. An animated clay-doll in the form of a horse. The coachman only needs to give mana to the golem through the special reins attached to it, and the golem will follow any of the coachman's commands. It is something that was recently invented, and I am proud of being the only owner of Golem Horses in this region." - Baron Gregor

"Whoa... I mean, it must be quite the privilege to have golems like these. Now then, I should not hold you back anymore. Baron Gregor is coming through now!" - Guard A

With the last part being a shout to the guards watching the gate, the talkative guardsman walked away from the baron, back into the barracks he came from. Just when the baron was about to enter his carriage again, a new voice called him over.

"Baron Gregor. How fancy to meet you here." - Leonardo

"Ah, why isn't it young Leonardo. Is your Father doing well?" - Baron Gregor

"Better if the kidnappings never happened." - Leonardo

"That is sad to hear. Well then, if there was nothing important, I will be on-"  - Baron Gregor

"Why, there is. You just said that you were the only owner of those Golem Horses, correct?" - Leonardo

"? Why yes. Is something wrong with that?" - Baron Gregor

"No, nothing at all. My second question is, what did you do with your recent purchases from Avalar Magic Academy?" - Leonardo

"Those were simply items I bought on the spur. Nothing too dangerous to make the marquis take notice off." - Baron Gregor

"If that's what you say. Then, what about Didrick Mellow? How is he at the moment?" - Leonardo

"Oh, he's currently working for me at a different location outside... town?" - Baron Gregor

Didrick Mellow, a famous swindler that ruined many people's lives in the past, and currently has a bounty on his head, as well as the former high priest of the Empty Temple. Something that both the Baron and Leonardo knows, with Leonardo only learning about the swindler's identity just half an hour ago.

Before the baron could notice them, a group of soldiers had encircled him and his carriage. Or, was it that they had done so from the moment he had been stopped by the guard earlier?

"Raft Gregor, you are hereby under the arrest for the crimes of covering for a criminal, kidnapping, robbery, and swindle of the worst degree! Men! Take him away!" - Leonardo

---

The guards charged at the former baron. And with this is the first pillar of the Balos gang defeated...? What's that bottle he's got in his hand? It's shining, no, there's a shining feather in it. !?

"Did he just disappear?!" - Garami

Gregor threw the bottle with the feather to the ground, which broke and formed some kind of magic circle, for then making Gregor, and anything else within the circle, disappear. The old guard - junior called him Hans - tried to answer my question, but he was just as clueless as me.

"Ain't teleportation supposed to be super rare?" - Garami

"It was, I mean, it is. But nobles can afford items that commoners can only dream of, right?" - Hans

Why are you asking me? My job is over now that I charmed the baron to spill out his secrets.

But damn, [Lewd Demon] turned out to be scarier than I first thought. Since the charm the skill produces is barely noticeable, you can stack charms on the target, so that they get groggy enough to do as you say. I'm a virgin with the skill, so to say, so the best I could do is making the baron spill out the truth without thinking too much about what he says.

It won't ever be anything on the level of brainwashing, but that means it's more difficult to notice then. Better not tell Mira about this way of usage. Ever.

As I removed the guard disguise I had used, transformation and all, I asked the old guard that was waiting in the next room two questions I have had on my mind for a while: why the marquise junior believed me so quickly, and how he knew about me being a Champion.

"That's because we had found several leads to the M. O. of the criminal, which included several secret passages that were built into buildings where the victims had disappeared. The only problem was, well..., no one suspected the baron." - Hans

"Pheh, the one who's the least suspective should be the one you suspect first." - Garami

"Then what about children and elderly then, huh?" - Hans

"They aren't even on the list. Got it?" - Garami

The old guard didn't answer my question, but I saw that his face under the mustache turned red. I heard a little about the baron from Carion, back in the control room in the temple, when I asked him about people that could potentially sponsor the whole temple project.

To keep the story short, this Raft Gregor was a Migrant that arrived on Terra Sol in his thirties and had to start working as an adventurer to get by in life. With some lucky breaks, such as stumbling over the royalties of Avalar and saving them from some insurgents, gave him enough prestige to work his way to become a noble of the Avalar kingdom. 

Yeah right. He suddenly arrives at the last second like some hero from the stories, defeats the insurgents that even the royal guard had problems with, even when he's just some low-ranked adventurer. Not suspicious at all. Any talent he may have had has gone towards that Tempter class that I saw when I sneakily appraised him. 

It may be because of that class that the Balos gang recruited him. He could be a damn good informant if he put his mind into it. He didn't care enough to get measures against those with similar abilities though. He also couldn't trick Leonardo and his papa, at least to a certain degree. They never had the opportunity nor proof to bust him, until today that is.

As I went out of the changing room, Hans started to talk again:

"And why the marquis knew about you is because we were told about you." - Hans

" 'Told'? By who?" - Garami

"By the Pope of the Umbral Church, of course. The goddess of darkness gave a revelation to her church about her Champion being chosen, and currently en route to this city. Never thought the second fearsome goddess's Champion was such a little missy." - Hans

I'll take that as a compliment and refrain from asking anymore. I don't wanna hear what he thought I would be. And that blubber ball's the second fearsome goddess? Can't see that.

"? Wait a sec, why do you guys know about what happened at the church?" - Garami

I can't see anyone worshiping that would want to share their knowledge with anyone else.

"Simple. One of their Arch Priests is currently traveling to this city as we speak. They should arrive in the city with the caravan that arrives in two days." - Hans

Say what?!! Nothing related to that goddess can be any good! Just look at me. I'm a prime example of the "do not touch"-category.

Wonder if I could find any of those bottled feathers for a quick escape...