By Zephyria 
“This is not the only place where a large number of mana storage cylinders have been discovered.”
Seated in the small conference room, Hugo was receiving a report from the investigation team, led by Loren, the 2nd Battalion Commander. The team had been organized immediately after Loren obtained Hugo’s approval to form a unit to investigate the mana trafficking case, shortly after Hugo had returned from his press conference following Leonardo’s release.
“Fragments of these storage cylinders were also found in dust yards in sparsely populated mountainous regions and the outskirts of the south-central area, as well as in filling materials used to prevent subsidence in abandoned mines. According to the investigators who collected the evidence, the fact that the cylinders were discarded mixed with other trash rather than being recycled suggests a strong intent to conceal the evidence.”
This team, personally selected by Loren, consisted of the most skilled and reliable members within the 2nd Battalion. However, despite steady activity reports over the past five months, there had been no significant breakthroughs. Any other team would have been disbanded long ago, but they had barely managed to survive thanks to Hugo’s trust and a certain level of favoritism toward Loren. Finally, today, they had requested an audience, bringing along a briefing officer.
“Above all, the workshop seal stamped on the cylinders differed slightly from the seals issued by official institutions. In other words, these were not official mana storage cylinders distributed by the state, but counterfeits mimicking them. Since counterfeits were used, there would naturally be no discrepancy in the official distribution numbers, making it difficult to notice even if clandestine trades were taking place.”
Hugo closed his eyes, lifted his crossed arms, and rubbed his temples. Incidents and accidents were constant, but if everything he was hearing was true, this was becoming a very large-scale affair.
‘Forgery of official marks and the use of forged official marks… tax evasion, violation of strategic material controls, fraud, embezzlement… embezzlement?’
As Hugo listed the charges one by one, he slowly opened his eyelids. He then stared straight ahead with a cold gaze and asked the briefing officer.
“Then what about the authenticity of the mana inside? Did they sell fake mana disguised as genuine? Or did they embezzle a portion from the Empire’s Mana Management Agency to fill them?”
“Both are possibilities, but based on what we have confirmed so far, neither is the case.”
“Neither?”
“Yes. Analysis of the tiny amount of mana remaining in the cylinders revealed that while impurities were present, it was indeed high-purity mana that had not been combined with other energies. Furthermore, we requested investigative cooperation from the Management Agency to review the amount of mana distributed to each institution and the serial numbers assigned to the cylinders. While there were minor differences, there were no significant discrepancies proportional to the scale of the counterfeit cylinders found. Therefore, it appears they did not embezzle mana from the Agency, but used a third method.”
Hugo raised an eyebrow in question. Loren, who had been watching the reaction from beside him, added in his stead.
“They probably scraped it together themselves.”
Hugo’s blue eyes shifted toward Loren. Immediately, his mind raced, sketching out the most plausible scenario.
Just then, the briefing officer spoke.
“Do you remember the demon beast trafficking incident in the frost territory a while back?”
Hugo, staring forward again, gave a slight nod.
“Of course. How could I forget?”
“Wasn’t it revealed that the young master of the Delberg Merchant Guild conspired with the Lord of the frost territory to store demon beast carcasses by burying them in the ground? If we assume the guild had other distribution channels for transporting demon beasts besides the one that was caught, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to sell mana extracted from demon beasts and magic stones.”
Hugo’s eyes narrowed as he recalled those events. Before leaving for the Eldermilli Peninsula, during a brief moment alone with Loren after the meeting to organize the expedition force, she had mentioned something similar. She had wondered if they were trafficking demon beasts, why wouldn’t they traffic mana?
But whether it was sheer audacity or an extraordinary scale… the distribution of mana in the Empire was a domain specifically managed by a state-run agency. For those whose business was the distribution and sale of goods—even a renowned large merchant guild—to dare covet that? Setting aside their ambition, he highly doubted whether they even had the infrastructure to make it possible.
Hugo picked up a fragment of a counterfeit cylinder from the evidence items laid before him, held it up to the light, and asked.
“The counterfeit cylinders are significantly lower in quality than the genuine ones, and the finishing is poor. To extract intact mana from a demon beast, efficiency is higher when collected while the creature is alive rather than from a carcass, and extracting mana from magic stones requires immense cost and labor from the purchase of raw materials to processing. I’m not denying the possibility that Delberg is trafficking mana; I’m asking if a group producing counterfeits has the capability and reason to go through such a tedious process to deliver quality nearly identical to the genuine product.”
They had been trafficking mana through an illegal private entity rather than an authorized institution; it was a fake rather than a state-controlled genuine product, yet the contents were no different from pure genuine mana. However, for consumers to feel it was worth purchasing through illegal channels, the price would naturally have to be lower than the genuine product. Cost reduction during production is essential, but that naturally leads to a drop in quality. Hugo was pointing out the contradiction arising from that point.
At this, the investigator on the podium took a small breath and spoke.
“The most high-efficiency, low-cost method of obtaining mana is to extract it from humans. Ah, let me correct that. In this case, it is more likely to be exploitation.”
Hugo, who had been peering into a dented cap among the cylinder fragments, flicked his eyes. Another new charge flashed through his mind.
“Human trafficking.”
It wasn’t a coincidence that the words escaped his lips. The members of the investigation team in the small conference room nodded in unison.
“We are also focusing our investigation on that part.”
Reflexively, he recalled the kidnapping cases occurring in the south-central region that had been discussed in a past monthly report. Although slave status had disappeared and most citizens of the Empire now possessed surnames, with a system being established to identify and protect individuals, it was still merely a transition period. Manpower was always lacking, and the reality was that there were many holes in public security.
The issue of slave traders was still a headache for the Council, war orphans who had lost their parents were overflowing, and childcare facilities were woefully insufficient to accommodate them all.
Street urchins were easy targets for criminal organizations, and in many cases, they weren’t even registered at birth. Even if they suddenly disappeared one day, there was no administrative way to find them. Similarly, those from Bermuda, whose entry lists had been kept strictly confidential for several years under the pretext of preventing discrimination, were in the same boat.
Hugo let out a low groan and spoke with a heavy voice.
“Is there physical evidence? That they are obtaining mana through human trafficking.”
“There is no definitive physical evidence yet. However, it is enough to link—”
“No, possibilities aren’t enough.”
Cutting him off, Hugo leaned forward with a suddenly grave expression. Resting his chin on his hand and rubbing his lips, he spoke in a firm voice.
“If the reports so far are true, the case we are about to uncover will have a massive impact, enough to shake the entire Empire. It means a mere merchant guild is daring to challenge the authority of the Empire. But Delberg is always meticulous. Even if this isn’t Delberg’s doing, any organization capable of pulling this off must have a backing power. Therefore, this time, there must be physical evidence. Unless we want to be the ones attacked in return.”
Letting out a silent sigh, Hugo calmly organized his thoughts. He tapped the tabletop with his fingertips before continuing.
“Have you identified the primary demand sources? For this to be more than just a hypothesis, there must be actual buyers for the mana they are trading. Only then can the investigation team disguise themselves as buyers, raid the transaction site, and clarify the direction of the investigation.”
“Yes, regarding that….”
The briefing officer trailed off, unlike his usual self. As Hugo watched him intently at the meaningful reaction, Loren, who had been observing, suddenly stood up.
“Bring the collected evidence.”
At her voice and gesture, the members of the investigation team moved in perfect order. Before long, fragments of waste attached to paper and two different ledgers were placed on the table in front of Hugo. One of the ledgers was the list of casualties from the ‘Pentagov Party House Explosion Incident.’
Hugo looked up in confusion, wondering why this was here. Then, Loren, leaning on the table, personally turned the first page and spoke.
“For the past five months, we have spent the most time identifying the final demand layer where the trafficked mana flows. The textile and metal fragments on the left are domestic waste filtered from the trash piles where the counterfeit cylinders were discarded.”
The waste fragments were mostly worn-out fabric, low-grade paper presumed to have wrapped greasy food, and used polish containers with only residue left. The smell wasn’t great, causing him to frown instinctively, but Hugo could vaguely tell just by looking where this waste had come from. It was trash primarily from noble estates, specifically from the areas where servants lived and gathered.