Chapter 127: Let’s Do Some Digging, Shall We?

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Let’s Do Some Digging, Shall We?

Chapter 127: Let’s Do Some Digging, Shall We?

Osborne stared at her for a moment, trying to determine whether her words were merely a polite refusal or a warning that he had already asked something he shouldn’t have, but the woman gave him no indication that she intended to explain further.

He had no desire to test the limits of the Black Ledger’s patience, especially when he was standing in the middle of its branch with no clear idea of how many people were watching him or what they might do if they decided he had become a problem.

Osborne sighed. "I see... My lord was really hoping to know, you see. He’s been dealing with the McClains for some time now, and I’m afraid their sudden disappearance has affected his business."

He deliberately kept his explanation vague, presenting himself as someone acting on behalf of a nobleman whose commercial dealings had been interrupted by the McClain family’s disappearance, rather than someone who had taken an unusual interest in their activities for reasons he couldn’t easily explain.

Although the excuse wasn’t particularly complicated, it provided a reasonable explanation for why he would want information about the family without making it seem as though he was personally investigating them, and he hoped that the organisation would find it sufficient to end the conversation.

"I see...."

Osborne secretly let out a sigh of relief when the stares he felt all over suddenly vanished, and the suffocating pressure that had filled the cavern disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving the hall in its previous state of quietness.

’That was close.’

He had no intention of discovering what would have happened if the organisation had decided to treat his question as something more serious, and he was beginning to understand that the Black Ledger had rules and boundaries that even its clients were expected to respect.

The incident also confirmed that the organisation possessed a level of control over its branch that he hadn’t anticipated, since the sudden appearance and disappearance of that pressure suggested that the people watching him could act without needing to reveal themselves.

It was a useful lesson, even if it was one he would have preferred to learn without feeling as though his life might be in danger.

"Will that be all, sir?" The receptionist asked, her voice as professional as ever, as though nothing unusual had happened during their conversation.

"Yes," Osborne said, deciding that he had already gathered enough information about the organisation for one visit and that pushing his luck any further would be foolish.

"Then please, have a safe trip." The receptionist said, offering him a polite farewell before returning her attention to the counter.

The next moment, a magic circle appeared beneath him, its lines glowing faintly as they spread across the floor.

Osborne stiffened. Before he could react, he vanished.

The next moment, he reappeared in an alley back in town. His surroundings changed so suddenly that he needed a brief moment to understand what had happened, and when he finally recognised the buildings and streets nearby, he realised that the Black Ledger had sent him away using some kind of teleportation magic.

Seeing the familiar surroundings, Osborne let out a sigh of relief. For a moment there, he thought he was a goner.

---

The next day, Osborne sat inside a carriage as it moved through the busy streets of the town, occasionally glancing through the window at the people going about their daily lives while thinking about the information he had received earlier that morning.

Black Ledger had been surprisingly quick with their investigation, as they had sent someone to deliver a document containing the results of his request before he had even finished his breakfast at Nicholas’s house.

Unfortunately, the results were not particularly impressive, although Osborne couldn’t exactly blame them for that since the request itself involved a missing person whose disappearance had left very few clues behind.

According to the document, Black Ledger had been unable to identify the missing woman’s true identity, but they had managed to trace her movements to a particular location within the town, which was where Osborne was heading at the moment.

The woman didn’t actually live at the location they had provided, but according to the information gathered by Black Ledger, she had been visiting the place regularly for some time before her sudden disappearance.

However, on one particular day, she had failed to return, and nobody had seen her again since then.

Black Ledger had already made several attempts to investigate the location, but their efforts had produced no useful results, leaving them with little choice but to report the dead end to their client.

Osborne didn’t particularly care about the woman’s identity or the reason behind her disappearance, but since he had already accepted the quest from the Adventurer’s Guild, he figured that he might as well take a look at the place himself.

Besides, he was curious about the entire situation.

Someone had gone missing in a town where people came and went every day, yet there were apparently no witnesses, no clear signs of a struggle, and no information that could explain what had happened to her.

Even if the woman had deliberately left town, there should have been some indication of her departure, especially considering that she had apparently been visiting the same location regularly before she vanished.

Of course, there was always the possibility that she had been kidnapped, but that only raised another question about how her kidnappers had managed to carry out their plan without attracting anyone’s attention.

’Well, I suppose I’ll find out whether there’s anything worth investigating once I get there.’

Osborne leaned back against the carriage seat, deciding not to waste any more time thinking about possibilities that he couldn’t confirm, while the carriage continued moving through the streets until it finally approached its destination.

---

The carriage came to a stop, and Osborne stepped out after the driver opened the door for him.

After paying the man for the journey, he watched the carriage move away before turning around and crossing the street toward the house mentioned in Black Ledger’s report.