Chester reflexively shielded Ruite with his own body, protecting him.
“Why don’t you take off those hats?”
The two men complied submissively with the man’s demand.
It seemed he was likely a gatekeeper guarding the entrance to the black market.
The man, who appeared to be the leader of the group, crossed his arms and scanned Ruite and Chester from head to toe.
Even though neither of them looked like their true selves thanks to magic tools, they were still strangers to these men.
The man signaled to someone behind him.
At the gesture, another man brought over a stack of documents and flipped through the pages, checking Chester and Ruite’s faces.
Standing behind Chester, Ruite narrowed his eyes and watched his movements.
It seemed to be some kind of list.
He reasonably suspected it contained the names and faces of regular customers or people who were strictly forbidden from entering, such as famous members of the Knights.
The man checking the documents shook his head.
“Hmm, I don’t recognize these faces.”
The leader, catching the meaning, squinted and rubbed his chin.
“I haven’t heard that you’re picky about who uses this place,” Chester shot back cleanly without panic, swallowing the urge to poke out the eyes of the men staring at Ruite.
“That’s true, but you can’t be too careful. My job is to catch the rats trying to sneak in.”
“My friend and I are mercenary mages. We came here looking for decent weapons or magic tools. We used to use Market 31, but I heard the Knights raided that place recently.”
Chester continued smoothly.
Black Market 31 was the place Chester and his combat unit had recently dismantled.
They had captured all the dealers and confiscated every single item, succeeding in a complete sweep.
Ruite glanced at Chester anew.
Seeing him act so skillfully felt quite fresh.
Of course, considering he was still being prickly toward the opponent, it might not have been entirely acting.
“Ah, you guys had bad luck there.”
The man nodded.
The wariness in his eyes began to soften.
Chester’s natural attitude and the fact that he easily shared information known only to those familiar with these dark channels seemed to help.
Dealers usually distinguished black markets by assigning numbers based on their location. It was a simple system, but it worked like a code.
Naturally, since the Knights captured criminals almost every day, they were just as familiar with this world as the dealers themselves.
Chester was taking advantage of that.
“Fine, go on in. This place is much bigger than number 31, so you’ll be satisfied.”
The man grinned and gestured to those behind him.
Two men pulled aside the long hanging cloth from both sides.
The man who had been blocking their way personally cleared the path for them.
Chester and Ruite stepped inside naturally.
Looking back, the wide-open curtain was already closed.
“Chester, if you ever get tired of being a knight, you should try being a stage actor.”
“As long as you stay in the Knights, I’ll never get tired of being a knight.”
The two spoke in low voices as they walked down the straight path.
“…Learn to take a joke as a joke.”
“Ruite, once we’re fully inside the market, I’m going to go around asking dealers for information. Unless it’s something important, don’t step forward and just watch our surroundings as much as possible.”
Ruite had a wide field of vision.
Since Ruite was currently part of the research department within the Knights and was doing quite well, it was an appropriate division of labor because he had great insight into things others often missed.
“Got it.”
“It won’t be dangerous, but you must never leave my side.”
“Okay.”
Ruite was about to say he wasn’t weak enough to need protection, but he just nodded.
He didn’t dislike the fact that Chester was worried and caring for him.
Soon, a noisy clamor began to drift toward them, growing louder.
Ruite, stepping into a black market for the first time, couldn’t help but be a bit surprised.
At first glance, it didn’t look much different from a regular market used by ordinary people.
However, looking closer, it was definitely not normal.
For starters, goods were laid out messily on the ground, and the dealers looked quite unpleasant. Above all, the items for sale were unusual.
There were potions that looked like something you’d never want to drink, parts of monsters’ bodies displayed openly, and crude magic tools.
There were many dealers selling common weapons used by mages, but they were clearly weapons made by unlicensed manufacturers or brought in through illegal routes.
Furthermore, there were rare animals that the country forbade hunting, skins of nearly extinct beasts, and expensive artworks or paintings that were obviously brought in illegally.
Since it was managed by a fairly large merchant group, the scale was indeed impressive.
Walking side by side, the two searched for a suitable place to ask for information.
Dealers in the black market were largely divided into two types.
There were those who liked to chatter and actively scouted for customers, and those who were extremely wary, treating visitors strictly as customers and never showing their true thoughts.
“Then take your time looking around!”
Just then, a loud voice was heard nearby.
A man who looked quite young compared to the average age of the dealers was waving at a customer who had just left.
Ruite signaled Chester.
Since he didn’t look very experienced, he likely wouldn’t have much information, but he seemed like someone who wouldn’t be overly suspicious if approached.
Chester, understanding Ruite’s intention, had the same thought and naturally headed toward the young dealer.
“Welcome!”
He greeted the two with a bright smile.
“I’m looking for some magic weapons.”
“You’ve come to the right place. If you look at these weapons I handle, the craftsmanship is incredibly exquisite! I can guarantee they were made by a very talented manufacturer.”
They were likely weapons made by an illegal dealer who hadn’t even obtained a manufacturing license, though.
Ruite swallowed the words he wanted to say and diligently checked the surroundings while Chester continued the conversation, trying his best not to stand out.
“Can I take a closer look?”
“Of course! But you are…”
“A mercenary mage.”
“Ah, I thought so. These days, more mercenaries like you are using the black market, so good weapons and magic tools are circulating very well. The atmosphere in the capital is quite restless lately, isn’t it? Since the monsters are acting so fierce and wild.”
Chester pretended to scan the weapons closely without reacting.
This was why talkative people were so easy to use.
He didn’t even have to bring up the topic himself because the dealer was leading the conversation exactly where he wanted.
“That’s exactly why I’m trying to find a good weapon. Mercenaries have more work these days.”
“You’ve got the right idea. Honestly, isn’t the power and influence of the Knights within Tehira incredibly strong? But look. Now, they seem to be struggling to suppress the monsters, and people are crying out in distress everywhere. Now that it’s proven the Knights have their limits, the role of mercenaries like you will become important. You should have at least one reliable weapon, shouldn’t you?”
Ruite reflexively checked Chester’s reaction.
That dealer had just insulted the Ferwin Knights right in front of a member.
And Ruite saw it.
The veins bulging slightly on the back of Chester’s hand as he touched a weapon.
Ruite looked at the excitedly chatting young dealer with pity.
If they hadn’t come here undercover today, that man might have met a harsh end.
“I agree with that. I’ve been getting a lot of jobs lately. But on the other hand, I’m a bit curious because the monsters have suddenly become so fierce.”
Chester put down the weapon and watched the dealer’s reaction.
The man scratched his head and tilted it in confusion.
“I’m… curious about that too. Monsters have always been a race that harms humans, but there’s never been a time when so many of them suddenly became this aggressive.”
Ruite and Chester came to a conclusion.
As expected, this young dealer knew nothing about the incident.
He didn’t seem to be hiding anything, and there wasn’t a hint of a lie on his face as he said he didn’t know.
It seemed they would have to look elsewhere.
However, since it would look unnatural to leave immediately after not getting what they wanted, Chester played along with the dealer’s conversation so it wouldn’t be noticeable.
While he wrapped up the talk, Ruite didn’t forget to keep his senses sharp.
In this place, which was a crime scene in itself, there might be even a small clue related to this case.
At that moment, something a short distance away caught Ruite’s eye.
