Don't move, it's a robbery!

As it stands, the guards are preparing to close the case.

If it weren't for the little one's objection, the guards would have already pinned the blame for the murder on the boy, even though they already knew he was innocent.

To be honest, murder is a very serious matter, but in most cases, the culprit cannot be caught. If you rely on the guards to find out the truth, it will basically be fruitless.

The onlookers were naturally very dissatisfied. They wanted to see the murderer executed, and they didn't really care whether the executed person was the real murderer or not.

Anyway, the matter was left unresolved.

After leaving the orphanage, I told Little One about the pigeons and the letter, and also explained Mrs. Mary's identity as a spy. Leaving aside how shocked Little One was, she finally understood why someone would want to kill an old woman who cared for children at an orphanage.

"In other words, at least two groups of people are involved here: one side consists of Mrs. Mary's accomplices, and the other side consists of those who are Mrs. Mary's enemies. And the point of intersection for them is this letter."

"According to the letter, a man named 'Gromdislavich' will appear on the mountain road near Linde City in three days. That's a strange name, is it some kind of code?"

The little one looked at Eve, only to find that Eve wasn't quite sure either.

"I'm not very fluent in the orc language."

That's true. Eve is an elf, and while she has some interactions with orcs, they mostly happen on the battlefield.

"Let's go check this place out in three days. Maybe we'll find some clues."

"Little one, wait a minute. Why should we continue investigating this? Whether it's espionage or murder, what does it have to do with us?"

The little one looked at Eve in disbelief, and when he realized that she really didn't want to get involved, he immediately started shouting.

"Who says it doesn't matter! I don't care what happened to Mrs. Mary, but she died in the orphanage. Do you know how much of an impact this will have on the orphanage? The city hall was already reluctant to take care of the orphans in the city, and the money allocated to the orphanage before was very little. If it weren't for my contribution, and the fact that Mrs. Mary was basically doing volunteer work, this orphanage would never have been able to be rebuilt."

"Now that Lady Mary is dead, within two days all sorts of rumors will be circulating in town, and most of them will be slander against those kids! If I don't find the real culprit, the orphanage will definitely be shut down!"

The little one was very excited, and what he said made no mistake.

To survive, homeless children inevitably resort to petty theft and other despicable acts, and many people dislike them. Although there are people in the city who sympathize with them, if a scandal breaks out about an orphanage volunteer being murdered by a homeless child, and if some malicious individuals spread the word, given the average intelligence of the general public, public opinion will definitely turn against them.

"You'll help me, right, Eve?"

Seeing the little one's pitiful eyes, Eve's heart softened.

"Okay, if you insist, I'll help you, and I think the others in the team will too."

At this point, Eve suddenly turned her head and looked at me.

"Just say what you want to say, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Could you help with the investigation?"

"Tsk, look at the way you talk, is that how you beg for help? What about the benefits? You don't mention any benefits, you just want to get something for nothing. Even I, a robber, know that getting something for nothing is wrong, don't you know that?"

Seeing that Eve was about to get angry, the little one immediately started to play the peacemaker. First, she calmed Eve down, and then she looked at me pitifully, saying that she could give up her share of the armor sales and consider it my salary.

Speaking of armor, I suddenly remembered that the armor I asked March and the others to sell hasn't been sold yet.

"There's nothing we can do. These are all regular army armors, and not many people dare to buy them directly. The price has been driven down too low. But don't worry, we've already found a buyer."

"Who?"

"The caravan from the city-state of Balbo is the same spice trader we're escorting today. They're looking to organize an armed guard and need weapons and armor. They're offering a very good price, and March is currently negotiating the details of the price with them."

"Oh, that southerner."

I nodded, then it suddenly occurred to me that most orcs seemed to live in the south.

Could it be that this incident is also related to this caravan?

Hmm, it's probably just a coincidence.

After parting ways with Little Dot and Eve, I headed to the no-man's-land and told Tina that I had found the spy.

"Really? That's great! Where is she? Why didn't you bring her to see me?"

"Oh, she just happened to die today."

Tina's smile froze. She was initially excited and wanted to say something, but it quickly turned into a helpless sigh.

Seeing her like this, I felt a little sorry for her, so I reached out my hand to her.

"It's time to pay."

"what?"

"I've found the person for you. Here's the promised 1 gold coins, give it to me now."

"Huh? But isn't she already dead?"

"We didn't say the person had to be alive!"

"Huh? No, wait a minute. We agreed that I would pay you back when I got back to Lars. Besides, where would I get the money to pay you now?"

"It's okay, I've already thought of a solution. Here's what I'll do: I'll tie you to the bed, then dump you and the bed on the street, and put up a sign next to it that says 20 gold coins per time. You're so pretty, there will definitely be a lot of people lining up to pay you."

Upon hearing my suggestion, Tina rolled her eyes in exasperation. Then, she suddenly tore off a strip of cloth and wrote "Tina owes Agua 10000 gold coins" on it before throwing it at me.

"Here, take this. Is that okay now?"

"I feel like this IOU isn't as trustworthy as your arrest warrant. Oh well, something's better than nothing. Alright, you don't need to pout anymore. Although that spy is dead, I've found a lead on another spy."

I handed Tina the carrier pigeon and the envelope written in Orcish, explaining that they were found at Lady Mary's residence.

"It seems the pigeon breeder your father sent is still alive, and he and Mrs. Mary are still in some kind of contact. However, before I could ask Mrs. Mary where the pigeon breeder was, she died."

"So, this letter is the only clue?"

"Yes, this isn't written in common language, I can't understand it. Can you explain what's written on it to me?"

Without hesitation, Tina read the contents of the envelope aloud. The contents were the same as what Eve had said, so it seemed that she had no intention of deceiving me.

Do you know who "Gromdislavich" is?

"This isn't a person's name, but rather a legend among the orcs, meaning 'a treasure that brings calamity.' Put together, this letter should say that in three days, someone will be transporting a special treasure through the valley near Linde City."

"A special treasure?"

"Yes, my father sent these people here to investigate matters related to the hero. It seems that this 'treasure that brings disaster' is also likely related to the hero."

"Oh, I see. By the way, why do you speak Orcish?"

When faced with my question, Tina hesitated for a moment and did not answer directly. She only said that as a descendant of royalty, she knew common languages ​​such as Orcs, Dwarves, and Elves, in addition to Common Tongue.

She didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't press her for details, since it wasn't anything important anyway.

Just as I was about to leave, Tina suddenly grabbed me again.

"What's wrong now?"

"Could you bring us some food? All we have here are dead rats, and they're all drained of blood."

Tina looked distressed, then pointed to the kitchen. At that moment, the two female demons who were with Tina were having lunch with their female neighbor. The female neighbor was sucking the blood of a rat, and after she finished, the two demons started eating dried rat meat. The three of them were having a great time.

Ugh! This life is so miserable!

"You're not planning to make me eat this like them, are you?"

"That seems a bit inhumane. Okay, I'll go find you something to eat. Take this candy to tide you over for now."

I put a sugar pill in Tina's mouth and then left the no man's land.

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "Ding! New mission: Find food for Tina."

"Huh? What new mission?"

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "It's nothing, I just came out to show my presence, you go about your business."

After leaving the no-man's-land, I went to the council to find some food there.

When I went inside, I found that the parliamentary kitchen was empty, and there was a sign at the door saying that rats were stealing food and that members of parliament should eat at home.

How stingy of you to call me a mouse!

Next time I'll come to your house to get it!

I complained a few times and left the council, but I hadn't gone far when I smelled a peculiar fragrance.

It smells like roasted meat, and is full of the aroma of spices.

The smell was so tempting! Even though I wasn't very hungry, it still made my mouth water, and I was led by the aroma to a hotel a few blocks away.

The open space in front of the hotel was already crowded with people, and in the middle there were several barbecue grills with a fragrant whole roasted lamb on them. A chef from the south was applying seasonings to the lamb, while another chef was preparing the lamb for the grill.

He first cleaned the lamb thoroughly, then made several small incisions inside the abdominal cavity and on the thicker parts of the hind legs. He stuffed more than ten different spices into the cavity and made additional incisions on the inside of the legs. He then rubbed the lamb with salt to infuse the flavor. After the previous whole roasted lamb was removed, the chef tucked the tail into the abdomen with an iron skewer, positioned the lamb chest-up, and hooked the limbs to the skin with iron hooks. He then applied honey, sesame oil, and several other seasonings that I didn't recognize before placing the whole lamb on the fire.

The whole roasted lamb that had just been taken down was now covered with a red silk cloth. The chef peeled off the skin, cut it into strips and arranged them on a plate. He then cut the lamb meat into thick slices, chopped the lamb bones into large pieces and arranged them on separate plates before handing them to the onlookers.

The guests, who had been waiting for a long time, eagerly took the food and chewed it with gusto, filling the open space with the sounds of enjoying the meal.

I naturally bought a few portions as well, and I must say, they tasted much better than what I make.

It's not that I'm bad at grilling, but I lack the spices for seasoning. Even the best skills can't compare to theirs. It's not that I can't afford spices, it's just that the smell is too strong. If I carry even a little bit, I'll be easily detected when I'm sneaking around.

However, it's nice to eat it once in a while, and I can also bring some back for Tina.

Just as I was about to pack up my food to take away, I suddenly realized something and looked down at the ground.

Amidst the chaotic pile of footprints, I spotted a familiar pair—the very same ones left in Mrs. Mary's cupboard. However, there were just too many people around, and I couldn't possibly tell who had left them.

Surprisingly, this culprit is quite bold, daring to come and watch the excitement and enjoy the food.

Or perhaps, he had a reason to come to this place.

I looked at the inn. There weren't many people staying there at the moment, because the spice caravan had booked the entire place, including the two chefs who had just made the whole roasted lamb.

Apart from the caravan members, basically only the mercenaries who escorted them still live here.

They had well-trained subordinates capable of forming their own guards; they came from the south and might have connections with the orcs; on the day they arrived in Lind City, Lady Mary, who had been lying in wait for many years, was murdered.

There seem to be too many coincidences, and...

"My luck seems to be really good."