Arimari lifts the bundle from the floor cavity. The black wax seal shines wetly in the lantern glow, and the hidden compartment lies open like a wound in the boards.
Scarred Man
It was not Genbei who ordered it. The commission comes from... from an official in Lord Matsudaira's own service.
The Scarred Man swallows hard, eyes fixed on the documents in Arimari's hands. His knees tremble, but fear forces the truth out faster now.
Scarred Man
He sent the paper through a clerk, and the seal matched the house. If you take those sheets, you can prove the forgery was bought, not made in secret.
Outside, a heavier shadow presses across the paper screen. The Steward stops at the threshold, listening, impatient for a name, a confession, anything he can carry to Lord Matsudaira.
The Steward
Arimari. Open that door and speak plainly. Who put this fraud into motion?
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the hidden documents
+ New Item Acquired
Bundle of documents
“I interrogate the scarred man”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +0)
Arimari closes the gap by a single step, and the scarred man’s bravado collapses into breathless silence.
The man’s eyes flick to the steward, then back to Arimari, as if weighing which silence will cost him less.
Scarred Man
You know my face now? Good. Then you know I was not meant to be seen by you at all.
He peels his sleeve back just enough to show old knife scars and the edge of a folded packet hidden against his wrist.
Scarred Man
These papers pass through the market house before dawn. Names, ledgers, and a seal I dare not keep.
The Steward
Speak plainly. Whose seal?
Scarred Man
If I say it, I lose the little safety I have left. If I do not, I die for someone else’s pride.
Quest Complete
Identify the scarred man
Skill Upgrade: Stealth Great→Superb