Capture

The outermost layer of the Imperial Capital.

I had come to Gai's dojo there with Fiene.

"Yo, Gai."

"Oh, Al. And Fiene-sama, too! Welcome! Come on in!"

Since the treatment was so different, I forced down a twitch in my cheek and entered the dojo.

There were no children inside.

"Are they off today?"

"No, the children were here until a little while ago, but I sent them home early."

"Why?"

"Recently, someone claiming to be a gentleman thief has been handing out all sorts of things. I don't really have a problem with that, but ill-mannered people have started hanging around to get their hands on the things he distributes. It's dangerous, so I've started sending the children home early."

"I see. Perfect timing. We've come to look for that gentleman thief. Do you have any clues?"

"No idea."

Gai said that and looked away.

He definitely knows something.

I let out a small sigh and told Gai some classified information.

"Last night, Sebas returned with evidence of the corrupt merchants' wrongdoing and handed it over to the patrol. They'll probably be arrested soon, but next up is the gentleman thief. Theft is theft, no matter who the culprit is. Unless he's protected, he'll be arrested."

"...So you didn't come to arrest him?"

"Do I look like some kind of righteous person?"

"Not really."

Gai said that, scratched his head, and knelt in the formal seiza position.

After thinking for a while, he looked at me.

"While you and Leo were away from the Imperial Capital, the corrupt merchants squeezed all sorts of things out of the people in the outermost layer. They wanted to make even a little profit while the wealthy merchants were fighting over the succession. In the midst of all that, the gentleman thief recovered the goods and money taken through illegal means. To the people of the outermost layer, he's a hero."

"I know. I have no intention of treating him harshly."

"Al-sama merely needs his help with something. Please, tell us. Where is he?"

"...I don't know his exact location, but there is one suspicious place."

"Where?"

"A place that recently became vacant. The children keep taking food there."

"I see. Can you show us the house?"

"I don't mind, but the people of the outermost layer are expecting the gentleman thief's handouts. If we don't distract them, they'll turn into a mob."

"That won't be a problem."

I said that and looked at Fiene. She gave a firm nod.

Gai stared blankly, clearly not understanding, but we went outside without a second thought.

■■■

"Everyone! There's plenty of food, so please don't push!"

The person standing before the mass of outer-layer residents in an apron was Fiene.

Around Fiene were employees and guards from the Demi-Human Merchants' Guild, along with several knights.

"Ration distribution to draw the outer-layer residents' attention. And by the Azure Gull Princess herself, no less."

"I didn't bring her here for that purpose, though."

"Hm? Is that so?"

"It's simply compensation. The corrupt merchants had deceived the poor people living in the Imperial Capital, and sometimes threatened them, to extort their money and goods. Now that we've found out, we need to make amends."

"So instead of the state compensating them, you are?"

"Don't worry. The Demi-Human Merchants' Guild is paying for it, and it's also good publicity for Leo as a prince who cares about his people. It's a necessary expense. We could ask the castle to handle it, but it would take time for them to act."

"I see. So it benefits both sides."

"Exactly. And it doesn't cost me anything, either."

With that, Gai and I headed toward the vacant house we had marked as suspicious.

Before long, we saw a shabby house made of wood.

"I'll go in first."

"Be careful. He's someone who can trade blows with Elna. Not that we're here to fight him, though."

To avoid putting him on guard, only Gai and I had come here.

Elna would probably call it careless, but there was no point if we made him wary.

Besides, I was confident I could handle myself.

"Looks like no one's home."

"No one's home?"

Hearing Gai's words, I entered the house.

There were certainly signs that someone lived there, so saying it was empty wasn't wrong. After all, there wasn't a human being inside.

But there was one problem.

"..."

"..."

A stuffed bear cub sat alone on top of a shelf.

Its brown fur and round, innocent eyes certainly made it look like a stuffed animal.

But after yesterday's events, that wasn't going to fly.

I spoke to the gentleman thief.

"That obviously won't work. Give it up."

"..."

"Oh? You intend to keep insisting you're a stuffed animal?"

"H-hey... Al. Are you okay? You suddenly started talking to a stuffed animal."

I glared at Gai, who was inexplicably worried about me.

Anyone with eyes could have figured it out. What a clueless guy.

"Just shut up for a bit."

"Huh? Oh, okay... You want to have a conversation..."

He had drawn a slightly different conclusion than I intended, but whatever. He'd be surprised soon enough anyway.

I looked around the room. If this guy intended to keep pretending to be a stuffed animal, I had an idea of my own.

"Looks like you were about to eat. What a waste. Maybe I'll eat it myself."

I picked up the bread sitting on the table and took a bite, making sure to show it off.

It wasn't particularly fine bread, but there was something oddly satisfying about eating it in full view of someone else.

The bear cub's expression seemed to change slightly. It was angry. Good, good. This was working.

"Let's start with introductions. I'm Al. Arnolt Lakes Adler, the seventh prince of this country. Yesterday, I acted as bait to catch you."

"A-Al... are you okay?"

"Shut up."

"...Okay. Introductions are important, after all."

Gai looked at me as if I were some pitiful person.

This guy...

I almost snapped at Gai, but my current target wasn't him.

I turned my gaze back to the bear cub.

"The corrupt merchants you were targeting have already been arrested. Once the investigation reaches a certain point, you'll be next. Theft is a crime, no matter who the other party is. That's why I've come to recruit you. Cooperate with me, and I'll protect you."

"Ah, I get it. You're rehearsing for when you face the gentleman thief. Sorry, I mistook you for a bit of a weirdo."

"Shut up. I'm talking to him."

"Sorry... Yeah, really, I'm sorry..."

I ignored Gai's look of pity and kept my eyes fixed on the bear cub.

There was no doubt that this was the attacker from yesterday. I hoped it would take an interest in what I'd said and listen, but it didn't move.

I had never heard of a bear demi-human who could talk, so there had to be some reason for this form. That was probably why it was so wary.

I had to somehow get it to trust me.

How could I do that? How could I get this guy to open his heart?

As I desperately pondered the problem, the door opened.

Fiene poked her head inside.

"Al-sama, Gai-san. Was the gentleman thief here?"

"Well, apparently no one's home."

During the brief exchange between Fiene and Gai,

the bear cub that had been sitting on the shelf was gone when I looked back.

Damn! It escaped through the door Fiene opened!

Just as I turned to look at Fiene,

something completely unexpected happened.

"Beautiful young lady... Meeting you here must be fate. Might I ask your name?"

"My, what an adorable little bear. My name is Fiene von Kleinert."

Fiene replied with a bright smile.

However, that reaction couldn't be considered normal.

The correct response would have been—

"A-a bear talked!?"

"I told you. He's the gentleman thief."

"It was true...? Sorry, I was thinking of asking Leo about it."

"You... Well, never mind. For now, I'm dealing with him."

"And what is your name?"

"My name is Siegmund Eisler. Those close to me call me Sieg, and I would be delighted if you did the same, Miss Fiene."

Both Gai and I reacted to the name.

We looked at each other. Since we'd both reached the same conclusion at the same time, we probably weren't mistaken.

"There was an S-rank adventurer with the same name, wasn't there?"

"Yeah. Among the countless adventurers across the continent, Siegmund was said to be the strongest spearman of them all."

"Oh? If you know me, then you must be an adventurer too. If you know who I am, stand back. I'm enjoying a pleasant conversation with Miss Fiene right now."

Sieg struck a cool pose and turned back to Fiene with a smile.

I had certainly heard of him. His thrust was said to be both lightning-fast and impossible to evade, and despite being an adventurer, he was exceptionally skilled in fighting human opponents.

In terms of pure technique, he was unquestionably one of the top five strongest adventurers.

At the same time, I had heard another rumor about him.

"If I remember correctly, Siegmund was a notorious womanizer, famous for making advances on all sorts of women. But he should have gone missing about six months ago, and he was human in the first place..."

"Maybe the womanizing has something to do with it."

There was no way a human could naturally transform into a bear cub.

If this really was the man himself, then he had changed his appearance through some kind of magic or potion. I couldn't imagine him choosing to change himself like this, so something had probably happened involving a woman.

With that guess in mind, I stomped hard on Sieg as he tried to throw his arms around Fiene.

"Guh!?"

"Hey, womanizer. Answer my question."

"What the hell, brat!? How can you stomp on such an adorable little bear cub? Don't you have any compassion!?"

"You used to be human, didn't you?"

"Did you hear that, Miss Fiene!? He's bullying me!"

He pretended to cry and tried to hug Fiene again, but I put the collar I had brought around his neck.

It was one of my grandfather's prized possessions. It couldn't be removed unless I used the key I carried.

"What the hell is this!? It ruins my adorable appearance! Take it off!"

"It's a magic item. You can't remove it without the special key. I would have preferred not to use it, but it can't be helped."

"Ha! So what!? Failing to attach a chain was your mistake! Once I get away, there's nothing you can do!"

Sieg said that and ran outside.

It was surreal to see a bear cub running at full speed on two legs.

He was also quite fast, and quickly got farther and farther away.

"So? What's the effect of that magic item?"

"You'll see soon enough."

When I looked, Sieg, who had been walking on two legs moments ago, had somehow switched to all fours. He was moving very slowly, too.

To anyone else, it would have looked as though he were fooling around, but that was the collar's effect. The farther he moved from the person holding the key, the heavier his body became.

After waiting for a while, Sieg gave up, lowered his shoulders, and came back.

"Will you cooperate with us? It's better than being arrested, right?"

"Yes... I will cooperate..."

"But Al-sama, wouldn't it be inconvenient to leave this collar on while he helps us search for someone? And he looks rather pitiful."

"The key's owner can adjust the range in which the weight is felt. Besides, there's no need to pity him. He's unquestionably a rotten scoundrel."

"Why do you assume that!? I was unfortunate enough to end up like this, but I still worked hard to help people in trouble in the outermost layer!"

"Is that so? Then what's that?"

I pointed toward a corner hidden beneath a cloth.

I had known about it since before we came here.

The goods from the shipments he'd attacked were being distributed to the people of the outermost layer, but he had also stolen a considerable amount of money. The amount distributed, however, didn't seem to add up.

I pulled away the cloth.

Behind it, a large quantity of money was hidden.

"If that money was extorted from people in trouble, shouldn't you return all of it?"

"Well, you see... Even a righteous hero can't work for free..."

I sighed when I saw Sieg look away.

Then Gai and I confiscated the money.

Sieg clung to my leg.

"Forgive me! I'm going to use that money to ask the princess of this country to lift my curse! Please! Think of it as saving me!"

"The princess? Zandra?"

"That's right. The green-haired princess. The one with the intimidating expression."

"Then don't bother. She likes researching forbidden magic, but she doesn't help people. She'll either use you for her own purposes or turn you into a test subject."

"Don't say such scary things... But how do you know that? Are you really a prince?"

"Yes, I am. I introduced myself earlier, didn't I?"

"No, you had so little presence that I thought you were making it up."

Why, though?

I was used to hearing that, but for some reason, hearing it from him made me unbelievably angry.

Thinking that, I picked Sieg up.

Oh, he was surprisingly comfortable to hold.

"Stop! I have no interest in being carried by a man!"

"It can't be helped. If I walked around with a collared bear cub, people would wonder what was going on. Pretend to be a stuffed animal for a while. I'll hear you out properly at the castle."

"Stop! Ah! Miss Fiene! If you pet me like that—!"

"So soft and fluffy."

"Oh! It really does feel great."

"Stop! No men! Only cute girls are allowed! Stop!"

After Fiene and Gai had finished petting him, I carried the limp Sieg away.

His fur felt downright heavenly, and as I decided to let Christa and Rita touch him as well, I put Sieg into the carriage.