After confirming the existence of the traitor,
I started asking around every day.
Of course, I wasn't acting like a detective. I just casually chatted with the members during breaks and at camp.
Otherwise, he might have tried to hide—
"Wait! Explain it so we can understand!"
As the team leaders restrained Pike Neldain, one of the explorers watching the scene interjected.
"Explain...?"
Well, I could do that.
It would help clarify the situation.
"Liadkei...?"
"The summoner on Akuraba's team?"
The summoner flinched, embarrassed by the sudden attention.
"Y-yes? Me?"
"Yes, you mentioned something strange when I asked you a few questions. You said the trolls were getting tired too quickly."
"Ah, yes... I did say that, but..."
He looked at me nervously.
Was he worried about being blamed?
He didn't need to worry.
I wouldn't punish the one who helped me the most with this investigation.
"Anyway! That's where it all started."
It was a turning point.
Before that, I had been focusing on the possibility of a spell or skill causing the ground to collapse.
But his testimony made me think differently.
I started focusing on the trolls themselves.
"I suspected something was wrong with the trolls, so I investigated who had approached them before and after the incidents."
I explained my deduction to the crowd.
"At first, I suspected Akuraba's team members or the mages who were always near the sleds because they had to maintain the 'Preservation' spell."
It was the Barbarian Detective Mode.
"But I found out that there was one other person who had approached the trolls."
I pointed at the bound traitor.
"Pike Neldain."
"...!"
"He approached the trolls under various pretexts, and after the incidents, he mysteriously disappeared—"
"T-that's just circumstantial evidence!"
Pike Neldain protested.
"You're accusing me based on that?"
He wasn't done talking yet.
Jun, the paladin, tried to gag him, but I stopped him with a gesture.
He was digging his own grave, there was no need to stop him.
"Evidence! You don't have any evidence!"
That's right, I didn't have any evidence.
That's why I had to resort to this method.
People only believed what they saw.
Akuraba stepped forward before I could say anything.
"The ability you just used was [Overload]."
"S-so? What about it?"
"Why did you hide that ability?"
"E-everyone has their trump cards!"
"Hmm, and that's your trump card, as a 'warrior'? The 7th-grade [Overload]?"
Her sarcastic tone made him shut his mouth.
[Overload] was a skill that temporarily increased your weight, reducing your movement speed but increasing the damage of ranged attack skills.
It wasn't a suitable skill for a warrior.
So...
"D-don't change the subject! [Overload] only affects the user!"
He was trying to find a loophole.
"Yes, [Overload] only affects the user."
"I've seen someone use it before."
"It was definitely a skill that couldn't be used on others."
"What? Then you've arrested the wrong person!"
The members started to waver, swayed by his logic.
"He's falsely accusing me! Help me! You could be next!"
He shouted, trying to turn the crowd against me.
This was good.
The logic he had used to defend himself was now trapping him.
There was no escape.
It was time to draw my sword.
"Can I borrow your sword?"
I took a sword from a nearby explorer and approached him.
"W-what are you doing...? H-help—"
"Everyone, stay back!"
"Gah—!"
I grabbed his neck and lifted him up for everyone to see.
The explorers flinched and looked at each other.
They seemed to be contemplating whether to intervene.
I spoke before they could reach a consensus.
"What you just saw... is the physical ability of a 5th-grade monster, the Blood Roar! It's called [Blood Spring]!"
Physical ability.
It meant a passive skill in this world.
"...[Blood Spring]?"
"What's that?"
"I read about it in a book. It makes you immune to death by bleeding."
"Wait, Blood Roar... wasn't that one of the monsters that had [Bestow]?"
"Yes, it always travels in packs with other monsters, making that ability even more troublesome."
"Then...!"
They started to understand without me having to explain further.
I threw him to the ground.
Thud.
He didn't even groan, despite the impact.
He was too busy trying to survive.
"W-wait! I-I have the Blood Roar's essence, but that doesn't prove I have [Bestow]!"
He was still clinging to the lack of evidence.
But Akuraba was ready.
"Then use another one of Blood Roar's abilities."
"T-that's..."
"There were four, if I remember correctly. All of them were easily recognizable."
"I-I admit it! I have [Bestow]! But that doesn't mean I'm the traitor!"
"Then why did you deny it at first?"
"I-I was scared...! I was afraid of being accused!"
His last desperate plea.
He looked pathetic, covered in blood and bound by ropes.
But I didn't feel sorry for him.
"Why are you all just watching?! Just because I have that ability doesn't mean I'm the traitor!"
Innocent until proven guilty.
That would have worked in a modern court.
Or even in a city court, where there was at least a semblance of law.
But...
"Pike Neldain, how long are you going to act so naive?"
This was the labyrinth.
And most importantly...
"What are you all waiting for? He's clearly lying."
Explorers weren't stupid.
"It was strange that the ground collapsed twice. It never happened when I came here before."
They finally realized the truth.
"It was all his fault, wasn't it?"
Pike Neldain was the traitor.
And all the hunger and discomfort they had endured were because of him.
Thud, thud.
He crawled towards the other members, trying to escape me.
"W-wait! S-spare me! I'll tell you everything!"
It was time for interrogation.
__________________
Pike Neldain, a 4th-grade explorer.
He had been a member of various teams, from small groups to large clans.
Then why did he betray the expedition force?
Or rather...
"Who's behind you? Noark? The Alminus Trading Company? Or the Explorer's Guild?"
Tell me now, and I'll spare you.
I'll let you keep your head.
"...T-there's no one! I just hate you..."
This idiot still didn't understand the situation.
"Jun."
I called his name, and Jun, the paladin, immediately drove a long awl under his fingernail.
"Aaaaaargh!!"
"It's fascinating to see a body that can't die from blood loss."
"G-guh, g-guh, ugh!"
"Be careful, he might not die from bleeding, but he can still die from organ damage."
"Don't worry, sir. He's not dead yet."
That's not something a paladin would say...
And he was surprisingly skilled at torture.
'Wait, was he an inquisitor in the past?'
It was a valid suspicion.
He had abandoned his secular name, and no one knew his real name...
He was a bit suspicious, wasn't he?
Well, at least his skills were useful right now.
"S-stop...! I'll tell you everything...!"
He finally broke after over an hour of torture.
"Who's behind you?"
"Iriya Adnus..."
"The Guild Master of the Explorer's Guild?"
Damn it...
Why is he suddenly bringing up a big shot like that?
"Are you sure? Tell me the truth."
"I-I'm sure! I didn't meet him personally, but his assistant contacted me and gave me the orders!"
He didn't seem to be lying.
I continued the interrogation, putting the Guild Master issue aside for now.
"What were your orders?"
"..."
"Jun?"
"He told me to sabotage the expedition...!"
"Be specific. What did he tell you to do?"
I asked a series of questions, trying to get a clearer picture of the situation.
To summarize:
The Guild Master knew we were going to Ice Rock and had planned to sabotage the expedition by targeting our supplies.
"I-I swear I didn't intend to hurt anyone! I wouldn't have done it if I knew..."
"What are you talking about? Two members almost fell to their deaths! If our mage hadn't intervened, they would have died!"
"T-that's...! I didn't think they would try so hard to protect the supplies!"
He sounded genuinely regretful.
Damn, I don't think he's lying...
Thwack!
I knocked him out after getting all the information I needed.
I then called the team leaders and shared the information.
"He really was the traitor..."
"The Guild Master is behind this? This is going to be a big problem when we get back..."
"I wish it was Noark."
They had agreed to help me find the traitor, but they must have been hoping I was wrong.
Their expressions were grim.
But they were different from ordinary people.
They accepted reality quickly.
"Let's discuss this. Why would the Guild Master want the expedition to fail?"
"It's probably a political move. If the expedition fails, he can blame the Marquis."
"Maybe the Explorer's Guild wanted to remain neutral in the war between the royal family and Noark."
"I doubt that, but... it's not impossible. Explorers are benefiting the most from this war."
"Jun, what do you think?"
"..."
The discussion didn't lead to any conclusions.
There were many speculations, but we didn't have enough information to confirm anything.
"Um... what are we going to do with Pike Neldain?"
James Kala cautiously asked, and the other team leaders shared their opinions.
"We have to execute him. It will damage morale if we let him live."
Melend Kaislan.
"I disagree. If we take him back to the city, we can use him to pressure the Guild Master."
Titana Akuraba.
"It's Schuitz's decision."
Jun, the paladin.
"..."
They all looked at me.
My decision was already made.
"We execute him."
I wasn't going to drag a rat along on this long journey.
__________________
The execution took place that night, with all the expedition members present.
I chose the most efficient method, beheading.
Hanging would take too much time and effort, and I could feel their bloodlust.
Swish!
It was over in an instant.
Some members, still unsatisfied, spat on the cooling corpse.
Explorers hated traitors more than looters.
"Where are you going...?"
"Patrol."
I left the execution site and walked towards the edge of the camp.
And...
「Character has equipped No. 6111 Fate Tracker.」
I put on the ring.
But...
「The ring has detected the character's fate.」
The ring glowed again.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
I sighed as I checked the color.
Well, at least it had changed to yellow.