Chapter 73: Labyrinth dragnet part one

Oh? Back so soon?

As the sun set, Survivors returned to Manhunt, and were met by a man with a crew cut and two swords hanging on his waist. Both his voice and expression seemed very pleased.

Ah, hm

[Who is this guy again?]

Nick peeked at his partners, as he tried not to let his eyes shift around too much.

Everyone shook their heads slightly. They had all also forgotten his name.

I guess even you Survivors couldnt handle that abandoned area uh? I can give you some pointers if you want.

Ah, no thanks.

Dont try to act tough. Its not like the bet is over, but that Hale guy is slippery. If you wait around too long, hes gonna run away and even veterans like us arent going to be able to catch him.

Nick and his partners looked at the man with unamused expressions. They wanted to reply, but they couldnt quite remember his name.

Hale couldnt stand to watch any more, and cut in.

This guy is Scott, Twin Sword Dancer Scott. He goes to the abandoned area a lot, and his voice and footsteps are too damn loud. And stop swinging your swords around too, the girls dont like you.

W-who the hell are you!?

Im Hale. Cant you at least remember the faces of people with bounties? Im not going anywhere, so can you take this off already?

Hale raised his bound hands, and Sem released him.

Hale rotated his elbows and wrists as he let out an exhausted sigh, and casually approached a receptionist.

Lady, do I really have a three hundred thousand dinar bounty?

Y-yes

Then pay them. So what do I do now? Go to jail? Am I going to be interrogated?

First you need to wait in a cell for the interrogation

Hales meek attitude took the employees and bounty hunters completely by surprise.

The receptionist nervously took Hale to the back.

So

Tianna broke the silence that filled the room.

With a smile on her face, she looked at each bounty hunter in order.

Hmm, who was the bookmaker again Ah, there he is.

Eek.

The bounty hunter was so scared by the evil pair of eyes glaring at him, he spilled wine on his shirt. He could not even stand, so he grabbed the bag where he kept the money from the bets and held it closely while shaking. Tiannas pressure was making him cower.

Youre the bookmaker arent you? So how much is it?

I-I didnt think this would be over so soon Hold on, let me calculate

How much did you gather?

Well, a bunch of people threw in their bets afterwards. Close to eight hundred thousand dinar.

Then its enough.

Eh?

Tianna grabbed the bag with the money and the uncorked bottle of wine, no questions asked.

She put the bag down on the receptionists counter, and waved the wine bottle.

W-wait, hold on, youre not the only ones who won the bet

Bring us as many drinks as you can with this money! Free drinks for everyone!

The guild was silent, but once everyone caught up with what just happened, the silence turned into joyful voices.

Now youre talking, lady!

Hyaha! Free drinks!

Hey hey, I bet on you!

You were just going to drink that money away anyway. Or are you saying you dont want to drink if Im buying!?

Tianna grabbed all of their hearts in just a second.

Both the people that lost, and the people that won, neither would be getting their money back, but they all had an oh well look on their faces.

One misstep forward could have led to contempt, and one misstep back could have led to jealousy, but this delicate balance suddenly turned into a solid foundation. It was a different kind of charisma than Sems.

Nick did admire what she did, but also had an iffy expression.

Catching Hale is mostly Sems accomplishment.

Mumbled Nick, to which Sem snickered.

Its fine. This will make our job easier.

If youre fine with it then I guess its fine.

Nick sighed, and Bond and Karan tapped his shoulder.

Good job leader.

Taking care of these darn kids does not look easy.

Look whos talking.

Still, not bad. You left in the morning and caught him on the same day.

The next day, Nick and the others went to Manhunt again, and were complimented by an amazed receptionist.

Well, well accept the praise.

We had a lot of trouble throwing out the drunks in the aftermath though

Oh? Sorry.

Tianna apologized with no sincerity in her voice.

Having that said, the receptionist knew very well the nature of adventurers, and did not press the issue further.

Survivors were starting to be seen as true members of the guild, and the looks of the people around them seemed different. There was an air of familiarity and respect that could not be felt the first time they went there.

Ooh, its Survivors. They work hard uh?

But if you really think about it, theyre pretty good How did they catch Hale?

Big sister Tianna! Tell me if youre having trouble with work!

Who are you calling big sister!?

Tianna talked back, although she did not know if she was being jeered or cheered.

There were laughs, and someone quickly responded you.

Tianna, lets finish our job first So, the reward we didnt get yesterday

Said Nick, and the receptionist handed him a bag with gold coins, while shrugging.

Here, take it. Dont use it on something stupid this time.

We wont, this is a reward for our work We wont, right?

For a moment, Nick looked at Tianna with an unsure expression, but Tianna angrily responded with of course not.

There you go. So, we want to look something up.

Ah, Stepping Man right? Wait a second.

The receptionist took out a binder from the back shelf, and dropped it in front of Nick.

A musty smell filled the air, and Karan frowned.

The current bounty is Oh, its gone up to a million dinar. One of those people with weird interests put up a reward.

Who?

A pawnshop in the blacksmith street. Apparently Stepping Man stole something from there, but who knows if its true.

The receptionist snickered.

Is he really that active?

Who knows

Nick kept turning the pages even as he heard the receptionists indifferent response.

In the targets data were the bounty, rewards and punishments, distinguishing characteristics, etc.

Still, there wasnt any concrete information about Stepping Man, only things like he makes holes in roofs but fixes broken rain pipes and if you burn green wood and let it smoke, Stepping Man wont come near your house. The sort of folklore you would hear about fairies.

The people putting bounties on his head were all people interested in urban legends or people with a taste for fantasy. No one truly expected someone to catch him.

But Nick and Sem found some information that seemed real. He uses some sort of item to hide himself, he is not some monster or ghost, but a very nimble human, he has a precedent of kidnapping children, but no one knows why.

All of this fell in line with what they saw.

Are you sure you dont want to go after a proper bounty? You shouldnt waste your time, or mine.

Were not asking about him just because we feel like it. Still, well catch regular bounties when were free.

Yes, you do that.

Said the receptionist with a sigh, when suddenly, a suspicious woman appeared from behind and cut into their conversation.

Thats right! Ghost hunting isnt just some sort of game!

W-what?

It was a woman wearing glasses, and a pen behind her ear.

She had short and tidy green hair, and looked very honest and serious at a glance, but her dirty coat and worn-out staff gave off a strangely threatening aura. She seemed accustomed to Manhunt.

Olivia! Didnt I tell you not to butt in when Im talking about work?

Are you after Stepping Man too?

The girl named Olivia ignored the receptionist and flared up at Nick.

Dont get too close.

Said Karan as she tried to pull Olivia away, but her eyes started shifting.

You Youre pretty heavy!

Wha!? How rude! Yes, I have been neglecting my diet, but still.

Said Olivia angrily, before her shoulders dropped.

Nick looked on, exasperated.

S-sorry.

Anyway, Im not trying to attack you or anything, I just love this sort of thing Ah, heres my card.

Olivia took out a piece of paper from her chest.

It was a card, which Nick read aloud.

Monthly Lemuria editorial department, journalist / adventurer, Olivia Taylor?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep