Amidst Kousuke and Renee watching, the luggage inspection by the two knight orders took place.
Unlike the commotion that had unfolded at the gate, the inspection itself proceeded smoothly.
Kousuke was not privy to the specific roles of the two knight orders, but the work appeared to be something they were accustomed to. Renee had mentioned that knight orders sometimes conducted inspections, so it was likely they were skilled.
The two knight orders were in a state of mutual observation, showing no unusual movements.
More accurately, perhaps they were unable to, but the truth remained unknown. “No particular anomalies were found in the luggage. We appreciate your cooperation with the investigation,” declared a member of the First Knight Order, marking the end of the inspection. Their dispassionate delivery suggested they had no intention of nitpicking.
The warehouse where the inspection had concluded regained its quiet atmosphere. “Still, what do you think the knight order was trying to achieve?” Renee tilted her head, and Kousuke mirrored her gesture.
Before them sat a box, presented as a tribute to the Royal Family. The genuine item was in Kouhi’s Item Box, making the box before them counterfeit. However, the knight orders, while examining the exterior of the tribute, had not attempted to open it. Even with a warrant, they likely couldn’t arbitrarily open a tribute meant for the Royal Family. This, in turn, made the fact that they were inspected at all puzzling. “Perhaps they simply intended to conduct an inspection?” Kousuke offered, though he himself doubted this explanation.
As Kousuke and Renee both pondered, Mitsuki, who had been listening, chimed in with advice. “Could it be that the First Knight Order didn’t want to inspect everything, but only the tribute?” “No, that’s…” Kousuke started to reflexively deny, then stopped, realizing her point. “Are you saying the First Knight Order simply wanted to authenticate the tribute?” “That’s right,” Kousuke’s words seemed to bring Renee to understanding.
Kousuke and his group had initially assumed the First Knight Order, which had caused the initial disturbance, was the mastermind. However, they now considered the possibility that the real culprit was the one who had ordered the Third Knight Order, whom they thought had come to help. If the First Knight Order had possessed a warrant from the beginning, the inspection would have proceeded without the involvement of the Third Knight Order. A smooth inspection would have provided an official endorsement from the knight order. If the First Knight Order’s actions were a move to ensure the tribute was transported safely to the Royal Capital, it would have been more than sufficient assurance for Kousuke and his group. Furthermore, it implied that the Third Knight Order, arriving late, had interfered with the intention of preventing the “First Knight Order inspected” stamp of approval. Their intrusion into the First Knight Order’s inspection was an act to disrupt the examination. This was merely speculation, but it wasn’t an entirely implausible scenario.
“Hmm. It’s certainly not impossible to consider…” “Well, there’s no point agonizing over it here. In any case, we’ve safely navigated the peak of this issue.” “That’s right.” From the outset, Renee and Kousuke’s focus had been on safely delivering the luggage to the Royal Capital, not on any of the commotion surrounding the royal tribute. Their only concern was completing the delivery. Frankly, the underlying machinations of the two knight orders were of no consequence to them. With this conclusion, Kousuke and Renee’s faces relaxed as they moved on.
***
The night of the day Beatrice’s knight order inspection took place.
In the warehouse where the royal tribute was kept, a conspicuously suspicious figure was present. The warehouse, due to the presence of the tribute, was under heightened guard, yet this figure, who had bypassed the security, could only be described as highly skilled. Indeed, two guards lay defeated near the figure. The two guards, who had been stationed directly beside the tribute, were incapacitated in an instant. This demonstrated the considerable prowess of the intruder. The trading company managing the warehouse had not skimped on security costs; they had hired capable adventurers, only to see them defeated in a flash.
The figure busied themself with something in front of the tribute for a while before quickly departing. Some time later, the two guards, having recovered from the attack, rushed to check the tribute. Seeing it still in place, they appeared relieved. However, their physical state clearly indicated they had been subjected to some form of attack. While they initially considered concealing the incident, they ultimately decided to report it honestly.
The following morning. Kousuke, who was casually washing his face and having breakfast, received a report from a similarly nonchalant Renee about the intrusion into the warehouse the previous night. Their lack of panic stemmed from knowing that the tribute in the warehouse was not the real one. By the way, the only individuals aware that Kouhi was in possession of the genuine item were Kousuke, Renee, Kouhi herself, and Mitsuki. Consequently, the warehouse security supervisor approached the relaxed Renee with an angry expression. “You’re being informed that we were attacked, so why are you so relaxed?” “Well, yes, but we also heard that the tribute itself was unharmed?” “That’s not the point!” The supervisor, perhaps having not slept since the report of the incident, continued to lecture Renee for some time.
Meanwhile, Kousuke was conversing with Kouhi and Mitsuki a short distance away. “…How is it?” “They’ve switched it out perfectly.” “The entire case?” “Yes.” “Wow. That’s amazing. You can’t tell at all from the outside.” The royal tribute was in the same location as it had been during the knight order inspection yesterday, but it was entirely different from the one from yesterday. The intruder from last night had replaced it with an identical case. As Kousuke said, it looked exactly the same from the outside. Kousuke had made prior arrangements with Kouhi to allow for identification, anticipating such an event. Incidentally, what the intruder took was a fake, rendering their efforts entirely meaningless.
“We could pursue them, but what do you suggest?” “Hmm? Well, I think it’s fine to just leave it as is, isn’t it? Things should be quiet until we reach the Royal Capital.” Kousuke replied in a leisurely tone to Mitsuki’s question. If the mastermind, who had been attacking the merchant caravan, mistakenly believed they had obtained the genuine article through this intrusion and ceased their attacks, their journey ahead would become considerably easier. “Understood. So, leave it be.” “Yeah.”
With their future course of action decided, Renee finally joined them. She looked dejected, as if she had been thoroughly reprimanded. Unable to reveal the truth, she had simply endured the complaints. “I’m finally free.” “Thank you for your hard work.” Kousuke offered words of comfort to the exhausted-looking Renee. The mastermind, attempting to trap them, had instead fallen into Kousuke’s own trap. Is this also a trope?
I will provide further details in the next chapter, but once a tribute is sealed, it is not opened again until it reaches the King. The commotion was created taking advantage of this fact.
