Chapter 82

"Killing Helena is out of the question."

"Why is that? In my plan, her murder is essential."

"Before that, there are a few things I want to ask."

Leighton exhaled, a mix of admiration and exasperation, and gestured for him to continue.

"…What are you going to do in Clarissen, Leighton?"

He slowly turned to ask Leighton.

Leighton grinned and answered cheerfully.

"Of course, I’m going to interfere with the small-time crooks who are evading taxes."

Naturally, that was his answer. Leighton had been saying this from the beginning.

So, that was Leighton’s goal.

"Then, what do you want to happen to the town after this case is solved?"

Interfering and then saying it’s over wouldn’t be enough. At least not for Stonehouse.

"Of course, I want it to be run properly. We cannot tolerate the negligence of justice. So, what’s next?"

…He seems to have already guessed my next question. Though I don’t want to say it, I have no choice.

"Isn’t a powerful fighting force necessary for proper operation?"

"Hehe, I see."

Leighton nodded in understanding.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Tetra was confused. Probably, Leighton already understood what I was trying to say, but I still had to put it into words.

"Helena is a mage. A rare and valuable fighting force, one of fewer than fifty in this country. In this Nerg Forest, the more fighting power the town has, the better."

Even for Clarissen, which has just been upgraded from a pioneer village, this should be effective.

While powerful creatures don’t often appear in the shallows, the deep layers of the forest are roamed by giant dragons. You never know what kind of monsters might appear.

And because she is an effective asset, Helena is to be killed, not because Leighton is targeting her personally. If there’s a reason to keep her alive, Leighton would consider it.

"I propose using Helena as a fighting force after this case is solved. As a capable soldier for Clarissen, she is valuable and can be hired cheaply."

"Clarissen already has soldiers, doesn’t it?"

"Yes, it does now. But she can be used to replenish the fighting force that will likely decrease in the future. Most of the reduction will be due to Leighton’s strategy, if my proposal is accepted."

The flaw in Leighton’s plan, which I had known from the beginning.

If tax evasion starts again through another method, a new approach will be needed.

If the plan is to wait for the town to falter by changing the method, that’s not a significant flaw.

But I’m going to point it out.

Using Helena’s existence as part of the post-case care.

Leighton wishes for the town’s development after the case. Therefore, it should be more convenient for him to keep her.

"…I understand the reason to keep Miss Helena alive. But how should we change the plan specifically? You’ve said multiple times that killing her is an effective means to solve the tax evasion."

That’s the problem.

I’m opposing the plan without presenting a specific solution. That’s the situation.

So, I’ll use Mr. Nixky’s hint.

"But if we keep Helena as a fighting force, you can come up with a plan for that, can’t you?"

I rely on Leighton. This is probably Mr. Nixky’s correct answer.

I only point out the flaws and improvements in Leighton’s plan, and leave the rest to him.

Leighton, who is praised by Mr. Nixky, won’t say he can’t do it.

"Hehehe. Are you trying to provoke me?"

Leighton covered his mouth and stared at the ground for a moment.

"…Alright. Indeed, it would be more convenient to keep Miss Helena alive in the long run. Killing her is out of the question."

Hearing those words, a look of joy appeared on Tetra’s face.

Leighton, without looking at her, began to speak.

"The revised plan is…"

"Is that your plan, the solution you came up with?"

But I interrupted Leighton and continued.

"…What do you mean?"

"I believe all three of the people who gave me advice, including you, were guiding me to this conclusion. Not to come up with a revised plan, but to persuade you."

And Leighton’s true intention is probably.

"Probably, your aim was to provoke me into participating, and suggesting an alternative was just a side effect. Whether Helena lives or dies, you could play an effective hand."

Saying it all in one breath, I sighed and looked at my hands.

"I feel a bit sick. To think that everything was on the palm of your hand."

Leighton laughed happily.

"…Hehehe, it can’t be helped. You are still inexperienced and lack knowledge."

Then, he looked up and stared at me straight.

"But I didn’t expect you to realize this much. To be honest, I’m surprised."

Despite his words, he didn’t seem to think so, but his praise felt genuine.

"…In that case, I’d like a reward."

"Go ahead and ask."

"Can you follow my plan for this case? The plan I came up with to prevent Helena’s death."

I don’t want to be manipulated.

From here on, I won’t go along with Leighton’s schemes.

Leighton frowned slightly, looking a bit troubled.

"That’s still uncertain. I don’t know if your plan is effective."

Of course, I haven’t said anything yet.

But Leighton, who usually understands our statements immediately, is not giving an immediate answer.

This is beyond what Gustav and Leighton had planned.

I’m now certain of that.

"What’s needed this time is to resolve the threat against Helena and destroy the mayor’s private army, the source of the assassins. So, we’ll do both."

"But there’s no evidence that Helena is being threatened. What if it’s her own will?"

Leighton asked with a mischievous look. It felt more like teasing than a genuine question.

"Let’s… trust Tetra. The words of someone who had direct contact and was close to her."

When I looked at Tetra, she nodded firmly.

"Yes. Absolutely, it’s not her own will."

A strong denial. At this point, there’s nothing left to do but believe her.

"Why destroy the private army? Wasn’t it said that reducing the town’s fighting force is not a good strategy?"

"As long as the assassins targeting Tetra are coming from there, we need to cut off the source. Besides, if other residents of the town are also capable fighters, the overall fighting force will actually increase when Helena officially joins the town."

Since Leighton didn’t know, Helena hasn’t been on the public stage. That means she hasn’t been counted as part of the fighting force since the pioneer village days. If she joins the town, it will be a net gain.

The guards, explorers, and mages, as well as the private army, according to Tetra, should have joined the town after it was established.

Of course, their existence as a fighting force is not a problem. From the perspective of division of labor, they are necessary.

However, since they haven’t been around since the beginning, they could be considered unnecessary.

Removing the private army from this group would have a minimal impact on the whole, I think.

"Hmm… I get the general idea. Then, what about the mayor and the main culprits of the tax evasion? If left alone, they’ll gather people and start again, won’t they?"

"I’m still a bit unsure about that…"

This is an alternative to killing Helena.

The initial plan was to kidnap and imprison Helena, and the plan to implement that.

What happens after that hasn’t been considered.

But the same is true for Leighton’s strategy.

"In your original plan, you were going to wait for them to slip up, right?"

"Yes. We were also planning to do various things in Iline."

His smile gave off a slightly ominous vibe.

The atmosphere in the room paused for a moment.

So far, this is the plan Tetra and I had from the beginning.

But I’ve added a basis to it. This is a significant change, but if it’s not enough, I’ll have to reconsider.

However, it seems things are going well.

"Well, since you’ve come up with this plan, let’s support it."

Leighton suddenly said with a friendly smile.

"Hedron, what do you think?"

"Yes, of course!"

Tetra beamed with joy.

Her happiness was so great that she didn’t even notice the sauce on her face from the bread.

But I feel it’s too early to be supported.

"Um, we haven’t discussed the specifics yet…"

We haven’t talked about how to do it.

"That can be discussed after we arrive in the town."

Leighton said, as if advising.

"Handling the private army and resolving the threat can be done separately. I’ll take care of resolving the threat, including the punishment of the mayor and his accomplices."

"Are you leaving the handling of the private army to us?"

"Yes. You can come up with the method. If you fail, I’ll pick up the pieces, so there’s no problem."

"Helena will be safe, right?"

Tetra asked tentatively.

"Of course, I’ll consider that direction. But first, we need to hear from Miss Helena."

Leighton laughed happily, as if things were going as he planned and he found the unexpected situation amusing.

"You can think about the details after you see the town. We’ll arrive today and start acting tomorrow morning."

"…Understood."

Despite my efforts to take the lead, it feels like Leighton still has the reins.

But Helena will be saved. At least one of my ideas has been reflected.

Maybe I should be satisfied with that.

At least, it means I won’t have to make Tetra, who is enjoying her lunch, sad.

"By the way, what has Crow been eating all this time?"

Suddenly, Leighton peered at my hand.

"This? It’s a steamed bird-eating spider. I have another one. Do you want to try it?"

When I offered the palm-sized spider wrapped in bamboo leaves, both of them took a step back.

"…I’ll pass, Hedron, how about you?"

"N-no, I’ll pass too."

Neither of them took it, probably because they had their own portions.

There’s no need to be so polite.