Ch.83The Second Incident

April 2nd, around 5 PM.

A theft occurred at a general store in the commercial district of the 4th Western City.

The suspect’s description is a short Catfolk woman with black hair and brown skin.

According to the victim’s testimony, the suspect took advantage of the moment when the victim was ringing up another customer’s purchase to steal a crystal craft item (priced at 110 gold) displayed outside the store and fled.

Chief Sheriff Jeffrey Jefferson, who is in charge of the investigation, tracked down the Catfolk woman who entered the city this morning and raided the Grace Hotel where she was staying, however—

“The Catfolk woman suspect has a clear alibi, and the stolen item was not found anywhere in her lodging. Chief Sheriff Jeffrey stated that he plans to conduct a broader investigation, considering the possibility that the victim’s eyewitness testimony identifying the perpetrator as a Catfolk might have been mistaken.”

“Wow~ What an elusive thief~”

“I know. If such a thief is hiding somewhere in this city, the residents must be feeling quite anxious.”

“…Is this method really okay?”

The morning after the incident, the local morning newspaper “Daily Riverside” carried an article about the theft that occurred the previous night and about the Catfolk.

After breakfast, the four of us—myself, Jessica, Mina, and Phyllis—gathered in Mina’s room to enjoy tea time while examining the newspaper article.

“Phyllis, you’re still against this method?”

“Of course. Even if it’s for the swift resolution of the case, publishing an article in the daily newspaper that damages Seti’s reputation, and on top of that, Seti herself…ugh.”

I understand Phyllis’s concerns.

Seti, the suspect in the theft case featured on the front page of Daily Riverside, is spending a lonely time imprisoned in the jail beneath the Riverside Sheriff’s Office.

Of course, only Sheriff Jeffrey, Seti herself, and the four of us know this fact.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s a quote from a famous detective novel from my homeland. It means you shouldn’t be deceived by the gap between proven facts and what people believe to be impossible.”

Suspicious matters, common-sense occurrences, things everyone takes for granted.

Few people would consider an “absurd” possibility to be the truth when easier explanations are available.

Conversely, to prove that such an “absurd” possibility is the truth, one needs to convince others that all the “easy possibilities” are physically impossible.

“For example, let’s say something important was stolen from the Willow Sanctuary one night. And coincidentally, there was an unfamiliar outsider who visited the sanctuary earlier that day. Who would be suspected first?”

“The unfamiliar outsider, I suppose.”

“If he claimed he was picking mushrooms near the sanctuary when the incident occurred and showed a bag full of mushrooms, would the elves readily drop their suspicions and accept that the culprit was among the sanctuary’s residents?”

“…I can’t say for certain. They would probably think first that their sanctuary neighbors couldn’t possibly be thieves, and that the outsider must be lying.”

“Exactly. In this peaceful Riverside, a theft crime by a Catfolk occurred, and coincidentally, a Catfolk entered Riverside that morning. In this situation, even if Seti claims to have an alibi, it won’t fundamentally resolve the issue.”

If Seti had a more definitive alibi at the time of the theft—for example, if she had been getting a weapon repaired at the blacksmith’s—the sheriff’s suspicions might have been easily dispelled.

But even so, as long as she bears the label of “the only Catfolk who entered this city,” suspicions about Seti won’t easily disappear.

– The blacksmith might have been confused about the time,

– Seti might have threatened the blacksmith to lie,

– The Seti seen at the blacksmith’s might have been a fake to establish an alibi.

As long as these numerous possibilities exist, the people of Riverside won’t be inclined to reach the conclusion that someone who dislikes Catfolk committed a disguised crime to frame Seti.

“So we’re doing the opposite. By demonstrating that it was physically impossible for the Catfolk girl who entered this city to commit the crime, we eliminate all possibilities related to Seti and force them to accept the improbable truth that she was framed.”

To achieve this, I persuaded the sheriff and Seti to carry out this plan.

The sheriff announced that he confirmed Seti couldn’t have committed the crime at the time and didn’t find the stolen item, then returned to his office.

And Seti, with the help of Phyllis who has night vision ability, went to the sheriff’s office in the dark dawn without being discovered by anyone and was locked in the underground jail.

Everyone in the city except for the five of us and Chief Sheriff Jeffrey learned about last night’s investigation results through the morning newspaper article about the “failure to capture the Catfolk thief,” which Jessica and I deliberately leaked.

This includes the guards who accompanied the sheriff, the innkeeper, and even the culprits who tried to frame Seti.

“Indeed, if another crime by a Catfolk occurs while Seti is imprisoned, her innocence would be proven. And if it’s established that Seti is the only Catfolk in the city, it would also reveal that the real culprit is disguising themselves as a Catfolk.”

“Will seems to have a talent for these sinister plans. Maybe you have the makings of an outlaw?”

“Hahaha, flattery will get you nowhere.”

“I think Will is the only one who would take that as flattery.”

Jessica put a cookie in her mouth with a smirk, but Phyllis’s expression still seemed unconvinced.

“But doesn’t this plan succeed only if the real culprit commits another crime while Seti is in jail? If the real culprit doesn’t make a move, wouldn’t it rather reinforce the guilty charges against Seti?”

“That would be the case. But the real culprit will definitely make a move in the near future.”

“Why do you think so?”

“I’m curious about that too, Will. There’s no guarantee the real culprit will commit another crime and escape safely next time, right? How many times would they want to repeat such a risky gamble?”

“Because that’s the only way they can really stick it to Seti.”

I’m defining the real culprit of this case not as the actual thief, but as the person who wants to frame Seti.

That person is probably, with high probability, the old woman with Catfolk prejudice whom we encountered at the entrance, or someone with similar beliefs.

The real culprit’s goal is to tarnish Seti’s reputation by framing her as a criminal and, if possible, getting her arrested.

The news that Seti’s alibi has been proven and that the investigation target is being expanded beyond Catfolk is very unwelcome to the real culprit.

“This case isn’t a meticulously planned crime. It’s an impulsive hate crime driven by ‘let’s screw over the Catfolk.’ The fabricated evidence must be sloppy, and considering that we’re adventurers, the time left for the real culprit isn’t very long.”

“Ah~ So they need to successfully frame Seti before we leave?”

“Right. The culprit’s goal is to ruin the Catfolk Seti’s life. If such a Seti finishes her business in the city and leaves leisurely, even if she had some unpleasant experiences along the way, it wouldn’t be satisfying enough.”

Catfolk deserve to be screwed over.

That’s the fundamental mindset glimpsed in the culprit’s actions.

Being suspected as a criminal once and having the charges dropped within half a day, ending as a minor incident and then departing for the West where fortunes await—such outcomes are unacceptable.

But being merely a citizen, the culprit has no means to prevent the Catfolk from leaving the city, nor is it possible to follow and punish the Catfolk after she leaves.

“In the end, the real culprit has no choice but to commit another crime before we leave the city. And during the daytime at that.”

If one were to commit a crime, doing so in the middle of the night would lower the chances of being caught or discovered, but if the goal is to show people the sight of a Catfolk committing a crime, it must be carried out during the day.

After all, one can’t break into an empty store in the middle of the night and leave a note saying “A Catfolk was here.”

So all we have to do today is stay at the inn and wait for the mysterious Catfolk to cause an incident.

If it turns into a serious crime like murder or terrorism, things might get a bit complicated…

“…Oh, looks like they’re here.”

“Already?”

As I was looking out the window while drinking tea, I saw a group of people led by the sheriff approaching the inn.

Some were carrying cameras, suggesting they were newspaper reporters who smelled a scoop.

After emptying my teacup, I left Mina’s room to greet the sheriff’s party, and just then I saw people coming up the stairs and entering the corridor.

“Hey, we meet again, Sheriff.”

“Unfortunately so.”

“What brings you here today?”

“A theft case. Two apples stolen from a fruit stand, they say.”

“Pfft.”

Two apples. In terms of monetary value, would it even amount to 10 coins?

I couldn’t help but laugh at the drastically reduced scale of the crime overnight.

Well, from the perpetrator’s perspective, they must avoid being caught at the scene at all costs, so the target would be limited to stores where items can be stolen without entering the premises.

“Hey, you! Are you the adventurer who brought in the Catfolk? Where is that girl?”

“…And who might this be?”

“The fruit stand owner. The victim of this case.”

“The victim…”

The person demanding that I hand over Seti was a plump woman who appeared to be in her early fifties.

“Is it worth leaving your store and coming all the way here for the price of just two apples? It seems you’d profit more by selling a few more items during this time.”

“It’s not about the money! The problem is that thief you brought in is running amok!”

“Do you have evidence that Seti did it?”

“Ha! Black fur, brown skin, cat ears—what other Catfolk is wandering around this city besides that girl?”

“…Is there really no one else, Sheriff?”

“At least no other Catfolk has entered through the city gates. The possibility of an intruder who snuck in secretly…as the sheriff in charge of the city’s security, I’d rather not acknowledge that.”

“Hey, Sheriff! Why are you being so lukewarm about this? Hurry up and find that girl and throw her in jail! Are you dismissing this because it’s just the price of two apples!?”

The self-proclaimed victim, the fruit stand woman, seemed displeased that the sheriff wasn’t actively trying to arrest Seti, and redirected her criticism toward him.

‘Oh? Well, look at this…?’

My plan was to announce Seti’s whereabouts after an additional crime by a Catfolk occurred, thereby exposing that the theft incidents since last night were the work of a Riverside citizen trying to frame the Catfolk adventurer.

That way, the real culprit, having become like the boy who cried wolf, would no longer be able to frame Catfolk through disguised crimes, and as long as we established public opinion that we had the moral and legal high ground, the rest could be left to the city’s sheriff or newspaper reporters.

‘I was planning to leave the aftermath to them, but is this being handed to me on a silver platter?’

The unwavering determination of “let’s screw over the Catfolk” emanating from the fruit stand woman, who doesn’t seem like someone who suffered a mere 10-coin loss.

Moreover, this woman just asked me if I was “the adventurer who brought in the Catfolk.”

If she were simply a Catfolk-hater caught up in the theft case, she shouldn’t know about my relationship with Seti.

If she had heard something through the sheriff, she should recognize me as Seti’s “adventurer companion.”

Someone who knows that Seti and I are together, yet doesn’t know, or refuses to acknowledge, that Seti is also an adventurer.

I’ve only seen one such person since crossing over to Grantis.

In other words, this woman might have been hired by “that person” to pressure the sheriff.

“Hey, young man! Hand over that Catfolk girl while I’m asking nicely. If you interfere, I’ll have the sheriff arrest you for obstructing official duties!”

“Seti isn’t here. If you want, I can guide you to where she is.”

“Now you’re talking sense! Lead the way immediately!”

“Is that alright, Sheriff?”

In response to my question, the sheriff shrugged and nodded with an indifferent expression.

I informed the three remaining in the room that I would be going out briefly, then led the people out into the streets of Riverside.

Heading toward the place where the Catfolk adventurer, Elem Lu Seti, was waiting.