Chapter 54: The Traitor in the Tavern

Borg watched Fran with an expectant gaze. It was as though he anticipated Fran would brainstorm, deduce the correct answer, and then present it, earning a nod of approval.

Fran grimaced, expressing his helplessness.

“Come on, Teacher Borg, you’re a seasoned agent,” Fran said with a helpless grin. “Can’t you do some thinking for me? Don’t make me do all the talking!”

Borg smiled helplessly. This kid, he really…

He had originally intended to provide more context, allowing Fran to elaborate further, but the young man proved to be too sharp.

Left with no alternative, Borg decided to reveal his own insights. He began to methodically deduce the identity of the traitor.

“Hmm, I believe this traitor is likely someone from the tavern,” Borg stated. Fran tilted his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes, and inquired, “Why?”

“It’s quite simple. Firstly, Quidar spread the rumors in the tavern. Therefore, the traitor must have been present in the tavern at that time.”

“Secondly, the tavern itself has always been a hotbed of clandestine activities. It’s highly probable that this individual joined the Patriot Alliance through their connections there.”

Fran nodded, largely agreeing with Borg’s assessment. Yet, he sensed some lingering gaps.

“The traitor’s source of information might not necessarily have been Quidar speaking in the tavern. It could have been Lyon who informed them. However, it’s certainly very probable that this person is indeed from the tavern, and…”

Fran stroked his chin, continuing his deduction. “I have an even bolder conjecture: perhaps this person’s true identity is that of a tavern server.”

“Oh?” Borg blinked, surprised by Fran’s decisive judgment. Fran slapped the table, deep in thought.

“The primary reason for this judgment is something Lyon did yesterday when Quidar and his men took me to raid the tavern. Lyon directly found the secret door and headed straight for your office.”

“It truly terrified me at the time. Thankfully, you had already relocated. But this incident was highly illogical. Lyon didn’t search for the secret door; he practically burst through it, as if he already knew it was there.”

“Therefore, I suspect a traitor among the tavern’s employees. Only these few individuals could have possibly known about the secret door.”

“Moreover, as tavern employees, they interact with many people. It would be easy for them to be recruited by a loose organization like the Patriot Alliance, wouldn’t it? After all, the vetting process wouldn’t be strict, and they could easily be brought in as acquaintances of patrons.”

“In that case…” Borg nodded in agreement, stating, “Indeed, the tavern servers are highly suspicious. By the way, Fran, do you know those servers? Didn’t you used to work at that tavern yourself?”

However, Fran shook his head. He had specifically paid attention yesterday when he visited the tavern, noting who the current servers were, but the result was unexpected.

“I did work there, but many of my old, familiar colleagues have since left. I’m not very acquainted with the new hires from this period.”

“But after the Teutonic occupation, the tavern’s business declined significantly. So, it seems there are only two servers now, both women. They shouldn’t know anything about my affairs with you.”

Borg pondered for a moment, then nodded. “That’s good. It reduces the risk of exposure from too many people knowing your secrets. It appears the traitor very likely comes from these two servers…” Suddenly, he grew alert and clapped Fran on the shoulder, saying,

“It’s not necessarily them, is it? Could it be one of your former colleagues who has already resigned?”

“No, that’s impossible,” Fran explained. “They left far too early; it’s highly unlikely they would be involved in recent events.”

“Hmm, if that’s the case, then there are only two primary suspects. But… how do we ascertain their specific identities?”

Borg continued to question him.

Seriously…

‘Is Teacher Borg a walking encyclopedia of ‘why’s?’

Fran felt somewhat speechless, rubbing his forehead as he slowly spoke. “Alas, I do have a lead, but I’m unsure if we should even get involved. After all, the traitor isn’t someone from our organization.”

“Get involved! Why wouldn’t we? As long as it’s a force resisting the Teutonics, we ought to lend a hand!” Borg declared, clenching his fists with resolute conviction. After a moment, he spoke directly to Fran,

“I’ll try to contact the Patriot Alliance’s management immediately and report the information on those two suspicious individuals. How about we let them clean up their own mess?”

“No!” Fran firmly shook his head, refusing. “Don’t forget, that organization called the Patriot Alliance is basically exposed now. Contacting them at this point would easily leave traces, and it would be disastrous if something went wrong.”

“What’s more…” Fran gritted his teeth, continuing, “We have no evidence. If we simply inform them, they might not believe us. Logically, they could simply explain it away by saying the person was just kindly informing members.”

“Even if they did believe us, considering it’s a small organization, if their methods are clumsy, they might alert the traitor, allowing them to escape. I… I would be extremely displeased. That traitor still owes me for a dozen lives.”

Borg observed the faint anger flickering across Fran’s face and understood the situation. Indeed, that individual had directly caused the annihilation of the entire Patriot Alliance rescue team.

Fran must have felt immense self-reproach. He wanted to punish this traitor with his own hands, which meant they might need to bypass the amateurish Patriot Alliance and directly attempt to uncover the traitor themselves.

But such a task was far from easy. Borg could only tentatively inquire, “Perhaps we should secretly arrest both of them? Interrogate them separately; one of them is bound to confess.”

“We can’t be sure if the traitor has Teutonic protection, and… I also don’t want to implicate innocent people.” Fran mused to himself. He had a good idea, but it required some internal support from the mansion. He continued,

“When I was at the Security Department, accompanying Quidar and his men during the interrogation of the rescue team members, I overheard that the Patriot Alliance organization likely communicates with its members through letters. Perhaps… fishing? Yes, we can go fishing!”

“We can pose as the Patriot Alliance headquarters and send false messages to both of them separately. Then, I can verify the messages sent to Lyon within the mansion to determine the traitor’s identity. If neither is the one, we can continue to send similar messages.”

“Oh?” Borg raised an eyebrow, indicating his surprise. “But… can you actually get the specific content of the information Lyon received, Fran?”

Fran smiled mysteriously, then stated, “I have my ways!”

****

After another round of discussion, Fran and Borg ironed out the details of the letters. The rest would be handled by personnel dispatched by the organization.

Subsequently, Borg handed him a Teutonic language learning dictionary, then gestured for Fran to leave the bookstore, and they began their walk home.