Chapter 5: We Have A Problem
Vibho sat at one of the tables, sulking with a hungry look on his face, waiting for Hina and Mira. (He still didn't know that Hina was already home.)
At another table, an elderly woman dressed in orange clothes was writing something in a diary. Vibho was just about to go and peek at what she was writing when a voice called from behind.
"Food is ready. Want to eat?" Hina said with a smile.
Vibho turned toward her. "Yes, thank you, Hina," he replied hungrily, immediately starting to eat.
Hina placed the food in front of him and asked, "What was that man asking you?" Her tone carried concern.
"Oh, he was just telling me Shunya will be here in three days and that all the money from defeating Serbhij has been transferred to my account. Nothing important, I think," he mumbled, half-chewing and half-speaking.
Hina laughed softly at Vibho's muffled voice and stuffed cheeks. "Haha... Oh, is that so? Fine then. Eat up and tell me if you need more."
Then she walked toward the elderly woman. "What would you like to eat today, Grandma? Wait—weren't you going to the main market with Mira today to buy new boats or something?"
"Yes, I was," the woman said in her soft, trembling voice, "but on the way, I saw Karnol coming this way, so I thought it might be an emergency."
"Why was Karnol here? I didn't see him anywhere when I came! Did he say anything? Is there a problem? Wait—he didn't go with Mira, did he?" Hina's words came out in a rush, panic creeping into her tone. Her face paled as she teetered on the verge of tears.
"No, he didn't," the woman said gently. "Before he could enter, he saw that man in black clothes and must have remembered some work, so he ran off in the opposite direction of the Port. And Mira is with Valmo, checking and buying new boats in the market right now. I already told Valmo to look after her, so calm down."
She stroked Hina's head and back, helping her sit in one of the empty chairs.
"Hey, Hina, why are you crying?" Vibho asked with mild concern, still chewing.
"No, I'm not crying. I just got a little emotional, thinking about the old days when there was nothing to fear. That's all—nothing serious." She wiped the tears still glimmering in her eyes. "Anyway, what did he ask you, Grandma?"
"He just asked a few questions about tax and who collects it. He also said he wanted to meet the collector, so I gave him the address. Who was he, anyway? I've never seen him before," Grandma said softly.
"He was a messenger from the Hunter Association," Hina explained. "He said he had a work notice and report to deliver to Vibho, but he got delayed because Vibho wouldn't wake up. Hahaha…" Hina says and laugh.
"A messenger, huh? I haven't seen one in over forty years," Grandma said with a nostalgic smile. "They used to wear white and blue uniforms and spoke like soldiers. But now they're all in black—and polite too. Did you ask him about the Association Exam for Mira?"
"No, I didn't," Hina replied, picking up some bottles from the bartender's corner. "He was in a hurry. Besides, Vibho told me his brother will be here in three days and can help us. Even the Association knows about him, so it might be better to ask then."
"Is that so? Then that's fine." She looked toward Vibho, still eating, and smiled. "Thank you for saving Mira and for helping both of them."
"You're her grandmother, so it's fine," Vibho mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Quite an eater, aren't you? Hahaha… If you ever need anything, come to my house. It's near the post office, on the left side of the food supply shop," she said and stood up to leave.
Vibho finished eating and waved goodbye.
"I need to complete some more orders, so you can play by yourself or go for a walk nearby," Hina said as she mixed some drinks.
"Okay, I'll go for a round. Shunya isn't coming today anyway," Vibho said with a wide smile and stood up to leave.
Just then, a group of thirteen men—mostly elderly, all wearing orange shirts and blue pants in different styles and cowboy hats—entered the restaurant.
"Hina, got something today? Anything strong will do," an elderly man said, stroking his beard.
"Yes, Grandpa," Hina replied politely.
"Hey now, we aren't usually invited to come this early to drink, do we? She must want to tell us something. Ask her," another man said loudly.
"It's fine, Grandpa Val," Hina said, smiling nervously. "It's actually good news—but with a bit of tension." She handed out glasses of beer to each of them.
"So what is it you wanted to tell us?" one man asked, his voice strong and commanding.
Hina told them everything: the incident with Serbhij, the Hunter Association's reaction, and every detail she knew.
"What? The Hunters wanted to rob us?" one man shouted.
"I hope they never come back, or I'll beat them to a pulp next time," another said, slamming the table.
"I wish I'd beaten them when I had the chance!"
"Yeah, me too!"
They all began cursing Serbhij and his group.
"Quiet, all of you!" Grandpa thundered. "It's not the time for that. They weren't even official Hunters, and it's our luck that man saved Mira. If anything had happened to her, no amount of anger would fix it. We should be thanking him."
A silence fell over the group.
"Hey now, don't make it all gloomy," Hina said, breaking the tension. "Mira's fine, and we already thanked him. That's not why I called you all here." She resumed mixing drinks with practiced ease.
"Yeah, you're right," one man said. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I think we should ask the Hunter Association to help protect us from bandits and rogue Hunters," Hina said. "That way, we won't have to live in fear again."
"Yes, that's the best solution!" Grandpa agreed. "If we can get help from the Association, we'll finally be able to breathe easily without any more betrayal."
"Hahahaha!" Everyone started laughing and celebrating, clinking their glasses.
At the Hunters' Office
At the same time, three men were running down a long hallway toward a room.
"Sir, we've got all the reports from the messengers, but something's wrong. The taxGivnu pays is more than what the Samuh Kingdom records show," said ZE1708 as he ran.
"But, sir, we confirmed it three times," ZE2510 added. "No one's lying, and this isn't an error. Something's definitely off. I think we need to contact the Samuh Kingdom."
"Yes, but first we report everything to Sir Riizo. Prepare the documents and evidence—we have a problem. Hopefully, not a big one," said ZE0098.
"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison.
They stopped in front of a closed door, catching their breath—not from exhaustion, but from anticipation. Then 0098 pushed the door open.
Inside, a large round table dominated the room. Everyone sat in silence, listening as a man with dark rose pattern eyes man riizo spoke.
"I want every detail and piece of information on everyone connected to this," said Sir Riizo in a grave tone. "Send another message to Headquarters and request immediate data on these men. Go."
One man stood, grabbed some documents, and hurried out.
"Sir, we have all the reports about tax collection and Givnu's money problems, we are ready for investigation," said 0098.
"Hmm… do we have any suspicious people connected to Vibho's side?" Riizo asked.
"Yes, sir." 0098 opened a folder. "We suspect the tax collector, Karnol. But the villagers say he's a good man who's helped them for years. ZE1526 reports that Karnol hands all the collected money to someone named Gilbo, who then submits it to the main tax office. Karnol is known to be strict about rules, so the villagers fear him catching them trying to dodge payments."
"Alright. Investigate both Karnol and Gilbo further. And why are the villagers dodging taxes?" Riizo asked.
0098 opened another folder. "They're taxed for everything—roads, gates, even buying goods from outside. It's already hard for them to pay the Island Tax, so they look for legal loopholes. For example, Mira uses her pet instead of a boat to avoid travel tax. There are many cases like that. Sometimes, Karnol ignores these tricks but sometimes punishes them." He handed the document to Riizo.
Riizo glanced through it and said, "All looks fine on the surface, but we still need the Kingdom's report. Send someone to retrieve it and continue investigating. Call me once it's done. I have other matters to handle."
"Yes, sir," everyone replied, standing as Riizo left the room.