Chapter 90 - The Incident
The young men lay naked and in a state that was too awful for words. Yes, too awful. Being naked wasn't good, but it could be overlooked. Thankfully, there were no signs of them being assaulted. They must have drunk too much, as they were covered in vomit. Their lower bodies were loose, and they had scattered all sorts of things around. When they came to their senses, they would probably wish they were dead. In such a state, no one with a normal taste would even think about touching them.
Still, they were completely naked. The Kikyo Society's coats, equipment, and valuable recovery potions and magic potions were all gone. I had no idea how they managed to get out of there, but this was definitely a punishment.
Even if they were idiots, they were still valuable young members of the Kikyo Society. We couldn't just leave them there.
I used my abundant mana to thoroughly cleanse them with purification magic, then gave them recovery potions. I couldn't carry them all back by myself, so I had to wake up the half-asleep members with recovery potions.
"What the hell is this? What happened?"
"Why are they naked?"
"Just hurry and carry them. We borrowed a nearby place to sleep, so get them there."
There were many questions, but they could wait. Even though it was late at night and no one was around, we couldn't leave the naked members like this.
Ophelia and Albert carried the naked, unconscious young men and moved them. I was already quite sleepy, so once we reached the sleeping place, I postponed everything until morning and went to sleep. The other members seemed to be concerned about the naked young men, but they were probably too tired. They thought it would be fine if nothing was seriously wrong, so they went to sleep early like me.
The next morning, it was time for an explanation.
"So, what exactly happened?"
The young men, who had been sitting contritely on the floor, were now dressed in spare clothes borrowed from other Kikyo Society members.
I couldn't just blame them without knowing the details. We needed to understand what happened before we could recover their belongings.
"Um, I was drunk and woke up here..."
"What happened to us?"
Let's start from there.
"Do you remember going to the tavern where the fishermen invited us? We drank for a while, and when we tried to leave, you guys were gone. I went out of the tavern and found you naked and unconscious on the way to our sleeping place. Do you remember leaving the first tavern?"
"Yes, I remember. I felt sick from drinking too much, so I went outside to get some fresh air."
"Same here."
The young men nodded in agreement. Going outside for fresh air didn't seem too strange.
"I remember! While we were cooling off, a handsome guy approached us!"
"Yeah, he said if we felt sick, we should come to his place for a refreshing drink."
"Oh, right. It was a pair of handsome guys. They said their place was nearby."
They remembered being given a drink at the place, but not what happened after that.
The drink was apparently easy to drink and tasted good, but it was probably a strong cocktail. From what I could see, they hadn't been drugged, but they had been knocked out cold and stripped. Their Record Cards were also gone, which meant they might have been charged a hefty sum while they were drunk.
If the story were to get out, it would be a laughable tale. In Exembra, our reputation would ensure no one would dare do something like this. There would be consequences.
The Kikyo Society was well-known in Exembra, and nowadays, only newcomers would dare to mess with us. But outside of Exembra, we were still relatively unknown. This was a good lesson.
The young men might not fully understand that the Kikyo Society is a unique presence in our hometown, but they need to be more careful. This time, I'll let it slide since they seem to have learned their lesson.
Still, we need to recover the stolen items. The Kikyo Society's equipment isn't cheap enough to just give away.
"Do you remember where the place was? Lead us there, and we'll get our stuff back."
"Yes! It's near the first tavern, and I think I can recognize it."
Going with everyone would be too much, and there were too many of us.
I was also worried about the vehicle we left outside town, so I decided to send some people to check on it.
"Albert and Mia, and the rest of the Combat Unit, go check on the vehicle outside town. If everything's fine, grab a bite to eat and kill some time. Meet back at the sleeping place by nightfall. The rest of us will head to the tavern that pulled this stunt."
"Got it!"
The young men, who had been stripped, were eager to lead the way. They had to be.
The tavern wasn't far, and the young men's memories helped us find it quickly. It was closed, but I could sense people inside with my magic.
We didn't come to talk. We knew exactly what to do.
With a nod from me, the door was kicked in with a powerful kick. The Kikyo Society members stormed in, clad in their black and white coats with the Kikyo crest, an imposing sight despite being a group of women.
"What the hell, you bitches! What are you doing?"
Our opponent was alone. He was visibly intimidated by our determined group, and he didn't look too bad, either. Could he be one of the guys who tricked us?
The young men overturned tables and chairs, creating a scene as they approached the scared guy.
One of them sat down in front of the guy and glared at him.
I let the young men handle it while the rest of us wandered around the shop, helping ourselves to drinks and settling in. I found a good whiskey and started to relax. We were quite the group, even to myself.
"Hey, do you remember our faces?"
"Bro, yesterday was fun. I came to say thanks. Can you give back what you took?"
"Are the others around? I want to thank them too."
The guy must have recognized us from the previous night. His face went pale, and he realized he was in trouble. Too late to regret it now.
"We were just following orders. Conning customers and taking their money is common, right?"
"I don't care about your excuses. How about giving back what you stole?"
"Uh, well..."
"Listen up while I'm being nice. If you don't, we'll find it ourselves."
That was the signal. The guy panicked and tried to explain.
"Sorry! Everything's already gone. We handed over all the money and stuff to the collectors by nightfall. There's nothing left here!"
"Collectors? Who are they?"
"I don't know much."
"Like hell you don't! I'll kill you if you keep lying!"
Whether it was genuine or for show, the threat was convincing. The guy, hit by a broken bottle, clutched his forehead and tried to explain.
"I'm telling the truth! I don't know their names or who they are!"
"Who else could know?"
"Probably no one knows the details. The black snake crest means we can't mess with them, and that's an unspoken rule."
Black snake. The crest of the Snake Head Society, one of the Five Great Families of Exembra. This wasn't the Snake Head Society itself, but likely a related group. They might be causing trouble for us behind the scenes.
The stolen goods and money were already with the collectors, who wore the black snake crest.
We weren't the type to back down or cower. Neither were the young men.
"So, where can we find these collectors?"
"Wait, you're actually going?"
"Of course. We're going to get back what's ours. What's the holdup?"
Well said. Exactly.
"They're big shots around here. You might not make it out of town alive!"
That's not your concern. Since you're so worried, I'll let you hide your face. It might be fun.
"President, what should we do? This could get complicated..."
"Without the stolen goods or money, we have no business here. Josephine, can you investigate?"
"Sure, but it'll take a night. I'll do my best."
"A night is quick enough. The young men from the Intelligence Unit should help Josephine."
We checked the place to be sure before leaving. It didn't seem like he was lying.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Here, take this as thanks!"
The young men gave the guy a beating, which was only fair. They should be grateful they weren't killed.
So, the plan was set. Find the collectors and get back our stuff.
The collectors were probably just big shots in this small town. They weren't our real enemies.
Crushing them outright would be easy, but it could cause problems later if this was related to the Snake Head Society. We needed to be cautious.
While we waited for the Intelligence Unit to finish, we prepared for the operation. We decided to act in disguise, not as the Kikyo Society. If we were caught, it wouldn't be a big deal, but we didn't want to be recognized. We would wear masks and use wooden sticks as weapons.
The Combat Unit returned, and we continued our preparations. The Kikyo Society members were oddly enthusiastic about the strange plan. We just had to wait for the Intelligence Unit to come back.
The investigation would take a night, but there was no point in rushing. We decided to get some rest.
The Intelligence Unit, looking tired, returned as we were having a leisurely breakfast.
"Good work. How did it go?"
"We found out who the collectors are and where they are. We have people keeping an eye on them. What's the plan?"
"If there's no movement, we'll strike tonight. Let the Intelligence Unit rest. Ophelia, can you take over the surveillance?"
"Sure. If anything happens, we'll let you know. Rest up for tonight."
We informed Josephine and the others about the plan and let them rest. I would also rest, preparing for the night.
An assault is always exciting. I was looking forward to the night.