Published: September 9, 2025
Satou here. When it comes to disguise, I can’t help but recall the famous phantom thief protagonist who was a master at it. The gesture of peeling off a fake face from around the chin—many Japanese people probably remember that. He used those masks casually and disposable, but actually preparing them requires quite a bit of effort.
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Now then, let’s find the culprit.
I opened the map and searched for “demonic enhancement potion.”
There were three locations where it was discovered. The first two each had one vial, both apparently held by explorers. The last location is likely the main one. There, nearly a hundred bottles of demonic enhancement potion were stocked.
That place was Lord Sorkel’s mansion, whom I had just met the other day at the viscount’s banquet. I had expected the baronet Dukeri’s mansion to show up instead, so this was surprising.
I carefully checked Sorkel’s mansion.
Inside, I confirmed a stash in a hidden room. There was a slave with alchemy and Refinement skills in that secret room, so no doubt about it.
I marked Lord Sorkel, his household, and all the slaves — twenty people in total. One of them was in downtown, hanging out with some rather notorious types who had various punishments on their records. Those people apparently belong to the criminal guild called “Goblin’s Claw.” Since the guild has about sixty members, marking all of them would clutter the map, so I only marked the leader and three executives.
If they act, it would likely be to destroy evidence or assassinate witnesses. That means the dangerous ones are the labyrinth bandit executives like Rudaman in the underground prison, as well as the intermediaries like Besso.
Aside from Besso and his group, I want to ensure the safety of the carriers and slaves working inside the labyrinth. But that should be fine for now. When I first entered the labyrinth, I searched the bandits’ bases scattered deep inside. If they had enough forces to launch a sudden attack there, they would have likely directly assaulted the guild to eliminate witnesses already.
The alchemist in Sorkel’s mansion is dangerous too, but I doubt they would be disposed of so easily. They’re a key figure in producing the demonic enhancement potions, and replacements wouldn’t come easily.
Well, having finished the investigation, I’ll leave the cleanup to the guild master.
Like when I sneaked into the Duke’s Castle, I used invisibility and stealth to infiltrate the guild master’s room and left an anonymous note saying, “Is Lord Sorkel the mastermind?” For good measure, I also added the location of the hidden room in Sorkel’s mansion and the hideout of Besso and his group.
Having finished my business, I left the Explorer’s Guild with Lulu.
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“Master, where are we heading?”
“To the mansion.”
There were still two to three hours until dusk. There was something I wanted to do before paying a visit to the marchioness.
“Welcome back, miss.”
“Welcome back, Lulu.”
“I'm home, Hoho and Kitona.”
Seeing the carriage approach the mansion, the children working in the front yard ran out to greet us. After helping me down at the front entrance, Lulu handed the reins to Kitona, who climbed up to the coachman's seat, and headed to the stable to practice driving.
“Welcome back, sir.”
“Yeah, I’m back. How are the kids doing?”
“Five who were bedridden can work fine as long as it’s not heavy labor. Logy and Annie still need work on their manners, but they learn quickly and are motivated, so they should become fully competent servants faster than expected.”
I had initially planned to hire them temporarily, but maybe I could entrust them to Ms. Mitelna for formal employment. After observing for another two weeks or so, if no issues arise, I’ll discuss it with her.
After receiving several reports, I headed to the basement. I instructed Ms. Mitelna to keep everyone away as I needed to focus.
The study in the basement was lined with books bought in Seryu City and the Duke's Capital—mostly beginner spellbooks with overlapping content.