Chapter 46
Jamil couldn’t even cry out in pain.
The agony surging from his forehead spread throughout his body, unbearable, yet he didn’t dare make a sound. If he so much as whimpered, he wasn’t sure he would survive. The crushing grip on the back of his head felt like his hair was being torn out. It was pure, unrestrained fury.
“From this moment, all temple activities are suspended.”
Silbert spoke, breaking the silence with a single command to sum up the situation.
Now that he knew the full truth, he needed to decide what to do next. But words didn’t come easily. Even a High Priest needed time to gather himself after such a shock.
From Silbert’s perspective, the fact that the system he created—to give the disadvantaged equal access to education and fair testing—had ended up aiding slave traders was utterly unbelievable.
Above all, the realization that, as High Priest, he had failed to notice such horrific crimes occurring within his temple was intolerable. Had he known sooner, he could have stopped it. He could have protected innocent children from those criminal hands.
Silbert glared murderously at Jamil.
That despicable man, kneeling before him, had not yet been officially stripped of his priesthood.
That meant Silbert still had the authority to impose the harshest punishment right there.
But Marquis Blanche stepped in, stopping him as Silbert considered delivering the final sentence. Silbert’s expression softened slightly at the intervention.
“You’re the same as when you were young—quick to lose your temper. Didn’t I tell you to fix that habit?”
With practiced ease, Marquis Blanche steadied Silbert’s emotions. There was still more they needed to extract from Jamil. Since they already knew the Kenis couple was connected to the slavers, he might also know where they had fled.
To force that information out, threats alone weren’t enough—it required physical intimidation. Those willing to sell even their own dead father to survive were the type who feared the sight of blood most of all.
Looking down coldly, Marquis Blanche issued his order:
“He may try to contact his accomplices. Cut the tendons in his ankles so he can’t run.”
At once, Marc and Siveron pinned Jamil’s shoulders. The sheer strength left Jamil powerless and filled with terror. In panic, his judgment clouded, and he began to beg for his life.
“To uncover the fates of those sold to the slavers, the Kenis couple must be captured alive. They can be half-dead, as long as they’re breathing. Drag them before the High Priest.”
On the battlefield, there were hundreds like him. Marquis Blanche had pried open the mouths of men like this countless times.
“W-wait, please!”
Just as the Marquis expected, Jamil, terrified of having his tendons cut, thrashed and shouted.
“The Kenis couple hasn’t left the Empire yet! They’re still here!”
“…”
“They said they were going to adopt a child!”
Adopt…? Those who had been selling children—talking about adoption?
“That’s what they said. If the donors who gave monthly offerings suddenly disappeared, rumors would spread. So they decided to adopt a child to avoid suspicion. They would make it look like they were leaving for a better life as a happy family of three, and leave the Empire without anyone suspecting a thing…!”
Cunning to the end. What better cover than a respected couple adopting a poor child and setting off to build a new life? Everyone would have congratulated them—no one would imagine they were fleeing after lining their pockets with embezzlement and human trafficking.
“Where were they going?”
“T-that, um…”
“Answer properly, or it won’t be your ankles—you’ll lose your tongue.”
Trembling, Jamil forced the words out of his dry lips.
“They said they were going to Nostri.”
“!”
“There’s a woman in Nostri who cares for orphans. They said they’d meet her to bring back a child!”
At that, Marquis Blanche’s heart sank.
Charlotte’s letter flashed through his mind. When she wrote “I have a child now,” did it mean not pregnancy—but that she was looking after a child?
“A-anyway, the Kenis couple should be on their way to Nostri right now…!”
In that instant, Jamil’s body was knocked sideways, collapsing to the floor. The one who kicked him was Theodore.
* * *
Back in his office, Duke Linda slumped into his chair with a heavy sigh.
Jamil hadn’t been beaten, but he was dragged away a broken wreck in spirit. Theodore’s personal kick in front of the High Priest and Clagens was quietly overlooked—they all agreed the man deserved it. Even Marquis Blanche had shown his fury as openly as Theodore.
[We must contact Duke Balian immediately!]
[Marquis Blanche, calm yourself.]
[Calm?! My granddaughter is in Nostri!]
[Didn’t you say she was sent away to convalesce? Why would the young lady be in such a cold place…]
[That’s not the point! How do we know if those criminals are only after a child—or if slavers are with them as well?!]
Duke Linda hadn’t tried to calm the Marquis out of duty or authority. He’d blurted it out instinctively, worried the Marquis might actually kill Jamil on the spot.
But Jamil had made it worse by admitting, “It wasn’t only children—we sold young women and boys as well.” That was like pouring oil on fire.
In the end, it was Silbert who reined in the furious Marquis. Regaining his composure, the High Priest quickly issued orders to resolve the crisis.
Fon and Retlan were to inform the Emperor. The Clagens were to alert priests in their districts and send people to orphanages and almshouses in the capital to be on guard. As soon as the Emperor’s approval came, Theodore and the holy knights would head to the places previously visited by the Lebelline delegation and search the area.
Though Theodore hesitated briefly at the order, he accepted.
And then there was Nostri—the most critical point. For now, wanted posters would be sent to ports and checkpoints, and the roads would be blocked. But a direct plan was hard to decide.
Duke Linda’s headache only grew.
Of all places to flee, why Nostri? Usually, it took a day or two of travel. At best, half a day if rushed. But Nostri was in the season of blizzards. Sending knights now risked them being snowed in and forced to turn back. Contacting Duke Balian to intercept them there was also impossible.
Still, it wasn’t entirely hopeless. The Kenis couple would likely be snowed in upon arrival, trapped in Nostri. The best chance would be to send knights during a lull in the storms to arrest them.
There was only one road in and out of Nostri. If they blocked it in advance, they might succeed. But the surrounding cliffs were perilous—one mistake could spell disaster.
“Why must Nostri be perched in such deadly mountains!”
Watching silently, Duke Linda’s aide, Gallen, rolled his eyes and carefully spoke up.
“My lord… what do you intend to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“About this matter. Since you ordered the Imperial family to be informed, I assume you plan to capture the Kenis couple even at the cost of damaging the temple’s reputation. But honestly, it won’t just be damage—it’ll be catastrophic.”
He was right. Embezzlement. Human trafficking. The culprits on the run. No one could blame people for hurling stones at them.
“But isn’t it also fortunate?”
“Fortunate?”
“Well… with everything exposed, you’ve often said you disapproved of the Lebelline system. After this is settled, perhaps you could urge the High Priest to abolish it…”
Gallen, thinking he was being clever, spoke to cheer his lord. Surely the Duke would like the idea.
Since Jamil and the Kenis couple had abused the Lebelline system to commit human trafficking, naturally its abolition would be raised.
But instead, Duke Linda’s voice cracked like a whip.
“Idiot!”
“M-my lord?”
“Useless fool! Even that lowborn priest could assess the situation clearly—what about you?”
Scolded harshly, Gallen slunk into a corner, head bowed. The Duke rubbed his temples, grimacing.
Abolish the Lebelline system? One would have to be mad. Now was the time to tread carefully and avoid provoking the High Priest.
Lower yourself—but spare no effort in capturing the Kenis couple.
He had briefly shared Gallen’s thought, but the risk was far too high.
Silbert was dangerous. At a young age, he had singlehandedly opposed the entrenched Clagens, established the Lebelline system despite universal opposition, and made it work.
And truth be told, most priests brought in by the system were smart and capable. That was undeniable.
“There’s a reason people say: stretch your legs only where there’s room to lie down.”
The Lebelline system had contributed greatly to the temple’s operations—it was Silbert’s conviction.
And now, to learn that it had been exploited by slavers for two years? The person most deeply weighing whether the system should continue was none other than the High Priest himself.
If the Duke pressed the issue, it would only provoke him.
Better, then, to focus on doing his utmost as a Clagen.
“…Gallen.”
“Y-yes, my lord?”
“What was the donation amount we originally planned? Add twenty percent and calculate the total. Send it to me. The High Priest said he’d cover this incident from his own purse, but this time, Duke Linda’s house will shoulder the entire cost.”
Still puzzled, Gallen blinked stupidly until the Duke barked an order to get out. Startled, he scurried away. Duke Linda let out a long sigh.
