Exiled Young Girl’s Territory Development Record: The Result of the Villainous Young Lady Who Was Exiled Before the Scenario Began and Did Whatever She Wanted for the People.

We transported the craftsman to the inn and laid him down on a bed. After a while, he began to regain consciousness.

“Ugh… Where am I?”

“This is an inn.”

“You are… Ow!”

As the craftsman tried to turn his face toward me, he winced in pain.

“I’m Olivia Ainsley. Despite appearances, I’m a baron of the Scarletford family.”

“Eh!? Baroness!? My apologies… Ow…”

“Ah! Don’t strain yourself. Just stay as you are. By the way, what’s your name?”

“I’m Walter Smith.”

“Alright, Walter, can you tell me what happened? I heard something about human trafficking, so I intervened.”

“Yes. I… I am a blacksmith in this town, but my father was deceived by that scoundrel Bolta…”

“Deceived?”

“Yes. He received a large order and even took out a loan to fulfill it, but he was accused of false claims, and the payment wasn’t made…”

“…Isn’t that fraud?”

“That’s right, but…”

Walter hesitated.

“What’s the issue? If it’s fraud, shouldn’t the guards handle it? Or maybe the militia?”

Walter weakly shook his head.

“The problem is… Bolta is affiliated with the Tarclay Trading Company, which is under the Southberry Marquis…”

“So, the mayor, guards, and militia can’t intervene with the Tarclay Trading Company?”

“Yes…”

“I see…”

It seems like it’s a bigger problem than I thought. I underestimated the Scarletford family’s importance by thinking they were just a minor family in the outskirts…

“Wait, but since your father incurred the debt, can’t you be absolved of it? And where is your father now?”

“That’s… My father collapsed from overwork and has passed away…”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright.”

“But, can’t the debt be annulled?”

“No, the workshop was put up as collateral…”

“I see. But why are your wife and daughter being abducted? And who are those people?”

“They’re thugs working for a loan shark named Black Morris, but it seems they’re connected with the Tarclay Trading Company behind the scenes…”

“Ah, so you were set up?”

“…Possibly.”

“But surely, the mayor should take action if there’s abduction and human trafficking involved?”

“No, it’s not that simple…”

“Are they possibly in cahoots?”

“It’s possible. I’ve heard stories of people committing suicide under debt and their families going missing…”

“Wow…”

There’s no concrete evidence linking them to the crimes, but it’s pretty clear there must be other charges against them.

This issue definitely cannot be overlooked.

Besides, if this person is a blacksmith, maybe we could recruit him and avoid having to make purchases ourselves?

Yes! Great idea!

“Walter,”

“Yes?”

“Are you a commoner?”

“Uh, yes, I am…”

“Then, if we rescue your wife and daughter, would you consider moving to our territory? If you come to us, we can issue a ruling to claim the debt from the Tarclay Trading Company due to our jurisdiction.”

“Really!? …Oh! But, where are my wife and daughter…”

“That’s fine. The thugs you mentioned know where they are, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t know the location of their hideout…”

“Don’t worry. I made a skeleton out of a rat I found on the roadside earlier and had it track them.”

“A skeleton? Huh?”

Walter looked stunned. Well, it’s not surprising since skeletons are not common knowledge.

“Miss, what do you plan to do after tracking them?”

“Huh? Oh. Actually, I have a sense of where the skeletons are, thanks to our connection…”

I’m guessing it’s because the skeletons I create are linked to me.

So, where is the rat skeleton now… Huh? It’s not moving? Why!?

“…Oh!”

“Huh?”

“Miss?”

“Ahaha, Marie. I forgot to release them.”

Walter still looked baffled, but Marie seemed to understand and gave a satisfied nod.

“Alright, I’ll release them now. They’ll return to their hideout after that.”

I released the bound souls.

Come to think of it, I did feel a continuous drain of magic.

Hmm. I feel a bit better now.

That night, we arrived at the location where we sensed the rat skeleton. The houses around were dark, and there was no sign of people.

However, this alone does not indicate the safety of the area. In this world, nighttime lighting is limited to lamps, candles, or torches, which are very expensive. Using them as street lights is unthinkable.

Anyway, setting aside the lighting issue, our companions for this mission are just Patrick and Walter. Marie and the others are staying at the inn since they can’t fight. Walter should ideally rest, but he’s the only one who knows his wife and daughter’s faces, so it’s necessary.

“Hmm, that building looks like the one.”

We arrived at a three-story brick building, which looked like an apartment complex.

“Do you think the door is unlocked?”

“It should be. This is an apartment building.”

“I’ll check.”

Patrick pushed the door, and it opened easily.

“It’s unlocked. The skeleton is… over there.”

I headed in the direction where I sensed the skeleton. We soon found stairs leading down to the basement.

“Hmm, the basement. Everyone, be quiet.”

“Yes.”

We carefully descended the dark staircase.