Chapter 303 - The Unseen, Unglamorous Work
After finishing our business at the Newspaper Guild, we returned to the base warehouse instead of acting on impulse.
First, we needed to have the Intelligence Bureau re-investigate the stakeholders and the motives behind the frame-up.
Although the target had already been designated for elimination, given the current situation, we needed to re-evaluate all the information about him.
The confrontation at the Newspaper Guild would quickly reach the target. How he responds to this attack will be telling. Using the newspaper to provoke a fight is a clever form of harassment, but it’s annoying and troublesome for the recipient.
However, there is a sense of urgency in the target’s actions.
The Kikyo Society and the Vigilantes have united, and many factions have been brought together. This is a significant move. Even without us, the Vigilante Captain’s influence is already one of the strongest in Rigaheim. The target understands that the Kikyo Society is the key behind the scenes.
Under normal circumstances, the target would try to form an alliance rather than confront us. But he must be aware of his own numerous misdeeds and understands that we won’t ally with him.
With this new understanding, we instructed our members, who had been gathering information broadly, to focus on the target. The Vigilante Captain’s network allowed us to gather information more quickly, which is valuable. Local connections are essential.
"Regarding the target, the Deputy Mayor, we have new information. Re-investigation was necessary."
"Yes. To summarize, the Deputy Mayor is deeply involved in various illicit activities. On the surface, he supports the Mayor while staying in the shadows. However, he seems to be planning to topple the Mayor, who now feels threatened and has gone into hiding."
We have been trying to bring the Mayor, who handles church-related work, into our fold. He has been in hiding for a long time, which seemed suspicious. If he fears assassination, he won’t show himself easily.
"The Deputy Mayor is involved in numerous corrupt activities, but what the Kikyo Society finds unacceptable is his role as a disposal specialist, or rather, his involvement in more heinous crimes."
In this region, as in Exembra, cremation is the primary method of honoring the dead. Towns of a certain size have crematoriums.
The Deputy Mayor manages the crematorium attached to the cemetery in Rigaheim, though this is not widely known.
This is where the problem lies. He uses the crematorium for his side business, disposing of bodies resulting from various murders. Such activities cannot be hidden from our Intelligence Bureau.
While I don’t have a problem with the disposal business itself, the Deputy Mayor uses it for his personal convenience more often than for work.
He indulges in sadistic pleasures, primarily using women from outside the town. His excessive actions often lead to their deaths, and he uses the crematorium to dispose of the bodies. Someone we would never want to work with.
"—However, he has another significant source of income. This is new information. The Deputy Mayor is connected to the fishing cooperative. They are working together."
Surprising. What kind of connection do they have?
The fishing cooperative is a significant player in the fishing industry, though it seems to have some shady dealings.
"Investigating the fishing industry and the transportation of seafood is challenging, but it appears the fishing cooperative is sourcing drugs from the south."
"The Deputy Mayor receives these drugs and has been distributing them outside the town. However, with the Vigilante Captain bringing a major transport company under his control, the Deputy Mayor has been forced to distribute the drugs within Rigaheim."
"This explains the recent surge in drug circulation. And they’ve tried to pin the blame on us."
"...Yes, well done."
I hadn’t expected the fishing cooperative to be involved in such activities.
Taking advantage of the pirates’ non-interference with fishing boats, they have been smuggling drugs. It’s a smooth operation, transporting the goods from the sea.
"Yukari-dono, the fishing cooperative was a potential ally, but given this, we must rule them out."
"Yes. Even if the Deputy Mayor orchestrated this, they are now our enemies. We must remove the fishing cooperative, at the very least."
The Deputy Mayor and the fishing cooperative have collaborated to create a significant source of income.
Given their influence and wealth from the drug trade, the fishing cooperative’s chamber of commerce president, who is struggling with legitimate shipping business, cannot compete. This imbalance will prevent us from achieving our goals.
The fishing cooperative’s influence and the wealth accumulated from the drug trade make them a hindrance to us.
If they were to focus solely on legitimate fishing, it would be a different story. But since they are involved in illicit activities, they should be prepared for their downfall. Especially since they have made an enemy of the Kikyo Society.
"It’s fortunate that we learned of this in advance. Now that we know the troublemakers, we will eliminate them."
"I’m a bit worried about who will take over the fishing industry, but with the current situation, we have no choice. We’ll have to make the shipping chamber of commerce handle it. Once we make our decision, it’s just a matter of execution."
The elimination of the Deputy Mayor and the fishing cooperative is decided. Now, we need to plan the cleanup.
"Should we inform the Mayor’s secretary of our intentions? Even if the Mayor is absent, the message will reach him, right?"
"Yes, the secretary doesn’t give clear answers, but he regularly communicates with the Mayor. Once the Deputy Mayor is taken care of, the Mayor will likely reappear."
"What about the fishing cooperative? Should we apprehend them immediately?"
Hmm, for us, the results are what matter. If we can achieve our goals, we don’t need a show of force. So...
"It’s easy to eliminate them, but let’s give the credit to the Vigilantes and the Newspaper Guild. Do we have enough evidence to convince them?"
"We’re well-prepared."
"Then let’s go for the official approach. We’ll expose their crimes in the newspaper, and the Vigilantes will act based on the evidence. We’ll reveal the kidnapping and killing of women, the use of the crematorium to hide evidence, and the drug smuggling and distribution. This will have a significant impact."
Even in a non-democratic society, when a powerful figure does something wrong, the people will react.
Moreover, the Vigilantes are now against the Deputy Mayor and his allies. Their own forces are insufficient to resist.
In a collapsed state, without the support of overwhelming authority or violence, no one’s position is guaranteed. If they are doing something beneficial, they might survive, but a powerless criminal cannot maintain power.
The Deputy Mayor will certainly be ousted, and his allies in the fishing cooperative will not get off easily.
Rigaheim, though corrupt, still has a Mayor and a functioning system of law and the Vigilantes. Previously, such issues might have been swept under the rug, but now, with the Kikyo Society’s overwhelming violent influence, we will not allow that.
If the Vigilantes and the Newspaper Guild work together to bring down the major criminals, they can become the town’s heroes. Everyone will benefit except for our enemies.
"As for the groundwork, I’ll handle it. What about the remaining members? The Vigilantes will either imprison or recruit the Deputy Mayor, but what about the fishing cooperative?"
"Only a few people close to the fishing cooperative are involved in the illegal activities. The successor will also be ousted, but we can’t leave the remaining members unattended. If a new leader emerges, they will likely not be suitable for managing the fishing industry."
Indeed. Even if the top is removed, the fishing community’s significant influence will remain. A new leader will emerge, and it will likely not be someone we can trust.
We can’t expect a decent person to rise to power. The remaining members are a troublesome issue. What should we do? As I pondered, Siegrune spoke, deep in thought.
"Perhaps we can absorb the fishing community under the shipping chamber of commerce? If the fishing cooperative owns many fishing boats, could we take them over and have the shipping chamber manage them?"
"...Wait a moment. If we have a good reason, we can impose a hefty fine on the fishing cooperative and seize their assets. The ships, however, are essential for many people. The town could temporarily take custody of them and then hand them over to the shipping chamber to manage. This would be more practical. The chamber president, though fallen, is still an influential figure. The suspicion of drug trafficking extends to the entire fishing community, so it would be more natural for a new leader to emerge from outside rather than within."
With this arrangement, the few involved in the illegal activities will be eliminated, and the shipping chamber will inherit the fishing cooperative’s profits. The fishermen, who would have lost their jobs, will be able to continue working.
The fishermen’s backlash will be significant, but this is where we must use our power and influence. Most problems can be solved with force.
This is a rather forceful plan, but if the Mayor, the Vigilante Captain, and the shipping chamber can come to an agreement, we can make it work. We’ll need the Intelligence Bureau to do some heavy lifting to make it happen.
"With our plans in place, we need to focus on the shipping chamber. The key figures, the chamber president and his successor, are still out of reach, right?"
"They haven’t returned to Rigaheim yet. We might need to step up our search efforts. Once other matters are settled, we’ll prioritize this."
We have contingency plans, but we hope it doesn’t come to that. Even if the plan changes, the main objectives will remain the same, but it will be more complicated.
"Then, can I leave the negotiations with the town to Siegrune and Mary? I need the Intelligence Bureau to track them down, even if it means leaving Rigaheim."
"If the plan is clear, I and Mary can handle it."
"Understood. You two should be fine. We have leads on the search and will set out immediately. The results are uncertain, but..."
It’s easy to imagine that the chamber president and his successor are involved in some trouble. Finding and rescuing them will help with future negotiations.
If they are already dead, knowing that will be enough. In reality, we’ve already given up on them to some extent, but we will do our best until we know for sure.
Once the negotiations and search are delegated, I and the other members will have a bit of free time. Or so I thought, but it’s not that simple.
There’s still the important task of monitoring the Deputy Mayor and the fishing cooperative. We haven’t captured them yet, and they might be planning something behind the scenes while maintaining a facade of normalcy.
We need to ensure they don’t do anything suspicious or try to escape. With the Vigilantes and the Newspaper Guild involved in the operation, keeping all information confidential is impossible. Something might happen.
Days passed as we kept watch around the clock. The situation became more complicated as the planned large-scale arrest by the Rigaheim forces approached.
If the enemy didn’t move, we wouldn’t have had a role to play, but the goddess of trouble has no intention of letting us off easy.
"—The Deputy Mayor is on the move."
A communication came from the surveillance team. We were far from the port warehouse, so we heard it relayed by another team member.
"This is Shinogami. Is the Vigilantes unaware?"
"They can’t notice if he uses a secret passage. He appeared in a secluded area."
A secret outing in the middle of the night. Normally, he would indulge in his vices at the crematorium, but using a secret passage to go out is unusual. Clearly, something is amiss.
"Here, Violante, there’s movement at the port. It looks like they’re preparing to flee at night."
Indeed, the fishermen are out at sea during the day and only use their boats at night for secret business. They are either preparing for a drug deal or a getaway.
Considering the Deputy Mayor’s suspicious movements, it’s reasonable to assume he’s planning to flee with the fishing cooperative.
We urged the surveillance teams on both sides to mobilize the Vigilantes. If we don’t act, we’ll have to take care of them ourselves.
"The small boats can’t sail far due to the influence of large magical beasts, but they might try to reach a nearby island. That would be problematic."
"They might have a medium-sized ship hidden somewhere for a quick getaway."
The fishing boats are all small, suitable for coastal fishing. They can’t accommodate multiple people for extended periods. If they’re planning to flee with their followers, they’ll need multiple boats, and they won’t be able to go far.
"Are they planning to meet the Deputy Mayor and flee together?"
"I hope the Vigilantes can intercept them before they leave. If they manage to set sail, it might be too late."
The surveillance teams joined the conversation.
It’s better to assume they’re planning to flee and act accordingly.
"We’ll have to take action ourselves to prevent them from escaping."
"Yes, we have no choice. Violante, are you listening? I’ll head to the Deputy Mayor’s location, and you take care of the fishing cooperative."
Most of our combat team members are resting, and we don’t have many available to mobilize. So, I’ll have to go.
"Violante, understood. If they set sail without waiting for the Deputy Mayor, we might have to sink the ships..."
"A few ships won’t matter. It’s better than letting them escape. But, we’d prefer if the Vigilantes could capture them alive. Fishermen can survive in the water, and Violante’s team can help if needed."
Fishermen can swim back to shore even at night. If they start to drown, Violante’s team can save them.
That said, it’s a bit much to expect that level of consideration. Everyone will make the best decisions on the spot.
"Siegrune, stay here and coordinate the information. Take command as needed. Send some combat team members with me."
Mary and Valeria are resting, so there’s no need to wake them.
After hearing everyone’s responses, I prepared and got into the jeep.
Still, what is the Deputy Mayor planning? If he’s trying to escape to the port, we might be able to catch them all.
The Kikyo Society is working to establish a solid foundation in Rigaheim to ensure the smooth operation of future port handling. The plan may involve some twists and turns, but we might need to make a big move soon. The protagonist’s stress level is gradually increasing, I think.