The Weakest Tamer Trash Picking Journey Begins

-Leader Birksby-.

As we approached the town gate, the vigilantes who were guarding the gate showed up.

They looked surprised to see us returned in less than an hour.

They showed the same surprised look earlier, when we passed the gate with our large-scale annihilation team.

I understand their shock, since an annihilation team with 55 members isn’t something you see once even in decades.

“Leader, what’s the matter? And, um, what happened to our people in the back?”

Marche, the most senior and the coordinator of the vigilante group, asked in confusion when he saw the group walking behind us.

The group in question is those traitors from vigilante group, with their hands tied behind their backs and ropes binding their waists.

The other vigilante members besides Marche seem to have noticed as well.

They looked shocked seeing their comrades.

They looked at me, then to that group, then back at me, wondering what is going on.

“They betrayed us and we concluded that they are part of the most problematic organization in the town, so we have them arrested.
We’ll put them in prison and watch over them.”

I raised my voice a little and explained the situation to everyone.

“Eh…Got it.
However, there are so many people, even if we use the prison in the watchtower and guardroom, we can only put maybe 3 person each.
What do you think?”

Marche wore an expression of not comprehending my words for a moment.

However, his experience of working long years in the vigilante showed up.

He quickly changed his mind.

“Nah, not 3 persons, put 5 persons in each of the prison.”

He quickly took a glance towards the captives.

Looks like he’s confirming the number.

Then as if he finished counting the numbers, he tilted his head.

“Besides the ones here, there are more traitors in the base we made before.”

Marche paused for a moment, he looked both sad and angry at the same time.

But it was only for a moment, and he quickly returned to his usual expression.

“I understand.
But the prison, will it be enough if we put 5 persons each?”

Will that be enough?

I have no idea how many people will be coming to the base.

Besides, there is also the criminal gang.

“Nah, those 2 places won’t be enough.
Please talk to Adventurers Guild and Merchant Guild to borrow their prisons.
I hope that’s enough…”

“Do we need that many? I understand.”

When I said to borrow prisons from both guilds, Marche went bug-eyed.
I smiled at him bitterly.

Seeing my expression, he too smiled with a hint of sadness.

This is a difficult task, even for him who has been working for the vigilante group for a long time.

He bowed to me lightly, then walked to the group of vigilantes who are still staring at their captured comrades dumbfoundedly.

“Hey! How long are you going to stare! Get to work! Dump the traitors into the prison in the watchtower.
Don’t listen to anything they say.
They are no longer our comrades.
They are criminals who betrayed us.
Buckle up!”

“Ro, roger!”

“Put 5 people in one cell.
Then put the rest in the guardroom’s cell.
We don’t have enough people to watch over them.
Hold emergency meeting to assemble the ones off-duty!”

“Roger!”

I was so relieved seeing him encouraging the other vigilante members.

Even though they were our comrades, we’re in trouble if everyone keeps hesitating.

Especially if there is weak spot in their hearts, they might feel sorry for the criminals and let them flee.

I thought about placing members from the annihilation team to be the guards because I was worried about that possibility.
But we have Marche here, I think things will go well.

The other members also looked to have their spirits reignited.

They moved the criminals without any hesitation.

“Aglop, I think we can leave Marche to deal with guard duty.
Just leave a few people to hold them down in case they revolt, and you can tell the rest to head for the base.”

“Understood.”

Aglop chose 5 people to be the guards and gave them instructions.

“Leader, can’t we get a few more people to return to the base?”

Maarleek asked, after he handed over the captured criminals to the vigilante group.

I tilted my head.

The people in the base should have been put to sleep with sleeping drug.

I think we do not need that many people.

“Is there some sort of problem? I do think we still have some people, though…”

“If we mobilize all members, we do have spare people.
What happened?”

Aglop returned at the perfect timing.

Aglop’s a real help because he knows about our manpower better than me.

“Huh? We’ll dig out the organization’s people who are hiding around the base, you didn’t know?”

“What?”

Wow, that’s the second time today that I and Aglop spoke precisely the same word at the same time.

Well, I don’t have any problem about that.

“How do you plan to do it? That must be difficult.”

“Hm? We plan to examine all people around the base with magic item…”

I could see his face twitched.

Well, certainly if we want to capture all the people in hiding, that’s the best method.

However, by ‘around the base’, just how many people are they planning to examine?

“You don’t say, that kid is the one who came with this plan?”

“That’s it.
That kid sure cooked up pretty amazing thing.”

“Pfft.
I really want to have a long talk with that kid after all this is over.”

Aglop gave a slight laugh.

How should I say, what is that kid really? That Ivy kid.

“Gilmas and the crimeless adventurers should be on the move already.”

“Huh? They have finished checking the suspected people?”

“Not yet.
I heard that they will start checking after they finished combing the area around the base.
That’s why we need more people.”

“I see.
However, is there any reason why we have to go this far and catch them all at once?”

I think this pace is a little too rushed.

Or we do really have to hurry?

“Hm? I remember Cival said, if we catch the organization members in vigilante group; adventurers’ group; and around the base altogether, the organization will suspect that someone leaked the info.
If that happens, it can help dull their movement.”

“If we catch them all at once, the organization will suspect info leak?”

“Ugh, I just happened to hear Cival talking to Ivy.
Please ask them if you want any more details.”

“Haha, got it.
But will this go well?”

“…I’m sure we can deal a blow to the organization, so no problem!”

…it’s good if only things are that simple.

Well, they did come up with a good plan.

Certainly, if all the hiding members are caught all at once, the organization will think that someone leaks their info.

They’re checking with magic item, but that item came out of nowhere yesterday.

The organization shouldn’t have finished confirming the authenticity of the information.

Nah, only a few people from our side knew about the existence of that magic item.

It is highly possible that the organization has no idea about its existence.

Is that why we’re striking now?

Once they realize we’re checking them with magic item, information leak as a reason will become invalid.

Exactly because they still don’t know about our method of checking, that we have time to corner them?

Certainly, if this plan goes well, we can create a situation where those organization members are the first to be suspected in case of information leak.

Furthermore, they might even suspect that there are traitors among their ranks.

Up until now, they must have been scrutinizing us using the members on hiding.

But this time, they can’t use them anymore because they have been captured.

If they want to investigate our movements under this situation, they would have to be very careful.

Moreover, since they have no idea how far the information leak reached, they movements will be slowed down even more.

While they’re stumped, we’re going to verify the credibility of the documents we’ve found and finalize our evidence.

For that purpose, we need to capture their members, even if this plan is a bit reckless.

…a 9-year-old kid cooked up all these?

I’m no Aglop, but I also want to talk to that kid when all this is over.

“Then we’ll gather all the people we can use.
I mean, I will mobilize them all.
Where shall we start to take control of the base?”

…we’re not taking control over the base, though.

But Aglop and I seem to have the same idea.

Somehow my voice sounds a bit raspy.

We had always been the losing party, but now suddenly we have hopes to make a turnaround.

It would be weirder if we don’t get excited.

“Aglop, don’t be too excited and fail your task!”

“That goes without saying.
That kid has paved the way nicely for us.
I won’t fail.”

Indeed.

If we fail, we won’t be able to face that kid.