Chapter 41
Vardian avoided answering and shifted his eyes. Seeing that, Carlhail gave a small laugh.
“You don’t have to talk now. Once you’re in the interrogation room, you’ll spill everything anyway. I doubt someone like you can handle having your flesh torn and blood spilled during torture.”
“Y-Your Highness!!”
Vardian pleaded, but Carlhail’s cold eyes didn’t soften at all. Reina felt the same. He didn’t deserve even an ounce of sympathy.
“Take him away.”
At Carlhail’s signal, Bayan brought several soldiers. They grabbed Vardian tightly on both sides and dragged him up the dark stairs.
Once the anger had passed, Reina started worrying about the children and ran further inside. She saw Landerson and the soldiers subduing Goatee and others, making them kneel. Near them, unconscious children were being carefully laid down one by one.
“Why are the children unconscious?”
Landerson hesitated a little before answering.
“…It looks like they were drugged. Probably to make them easier to manage.”
There were about ten children lying there. Reina counted and frowned.
“Why are there only this many? His Highness said there were dozens…”
“Well… we’ll have to investigate that further.”
The children were all clearly young—none of them had reached adulthood.
“What kind of people would… do this to kids?!”
She was sick of gambling, but what horrified her more was seeing children treated like possessions, handed over to settle their fathers’ debts. Painful memories crossed her mind—her own father, blinded by gambling, had abandoned her at an orphanage.
More soldiers arrived, sent to back them up. They quickly secured the secret basement under the gambling den.
It turned out the underground space was massive. Like a rabbit warren, it had tunnels leading everywhere and many hidden rooms. These paths connected to taverns and brothels all over the area.
“They must’ve committed countless crimes using these secret tunnels and rooms,” Carlhail said grimly.
Reina couldn’t hide her discomfort. The tunnels were sealed, and many involved were arrested—but no more children were found.
As soldiers carried the unconscious children out one by one, Reina murmured,
“Your Highness… please find out the whole truth behind this.”
Seeing Reina’s serious face, Carlhail nodded.
“I never intended to let this go.”
Soon, the once chaotic underground area was quiet. All the soldiers had moved elsewhere, leaving only Carlhail and Reina.
“Young Lady, I want to ask you something.”
Carlhail carefully approached after making sure no one else was around to hear.
“What is it?”
“Is your holy power really only for healing?”
“…Huh?”
‘What is he talking about?’ Reina thought, puzzled.
“When I opened the secret door, there was clearly a magical trap. I could feel it.”
Carlhail had seen enough dark magic during beast-hunting missions to know. The magic had been designed to activate when someone unauthorized touched the lantern that opened the door.
But it had been burned away—disarmed. And the only person who could’ve done that… was Reina.
Reina thought for a moment and then shook her head.
“No, I only have healing powers. If that magic trap was broken or whatever, someone else must’ve done it—not me.”
Even digging through her memories of the novel, Reina was certain: the Saintess’s only power was healing through saliva. Nothing else.
‘Come on, it was a novel. I read it from an all-knowing narrator’s perspective multiple times. If Reina had other powers, the novel would’ve said so.’
If she had other powers, she wouldn’t have died being used by Blair. She would’ve tried to do something with them. Reina shrugged.
“I guess I’m not as powerful as the previous Saintess. It’s a shame.”
Carlhail still looked at her suspiciously but gave up with a sigh.
“…If you say so, then I’ll believe it.”
Just as their conversation ended, a distant voice called out softly,
“Young Lady? Reina?!”
It was faint, but clearly Amy’s voice.
“Oh no—Amy!!”
It had been hours since Reina entered the underground passage. She’d completely forgotten that Amy was still back in the gambling hall. Remembering this, she dashed toward the stairs.
“If we’re done here, I’ll head up! See you later!”
“I’ll visit you in Pilon soon,” Carlhail replied, but Reina barely heard him as she ran up the stairs.
From afar, her voice echoed: “Amy! I’m here!”
Carlhail watched her run off with a suspicious look, then shook his head.
* * *
Under the pale moonlight, a man stood by a window, his hair glowing blue. It was Prince Blair. With a cold expression, he spoke to the man kneeling before him.
“…Vardian was captured by Carlhail?”
The man, cloaked in black from head to toe, bowed his head.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Explain what happened.”
“Well…”
The man—Ikelos—swallowed hard and explained.
“…Our insider at the gambling den was exposed, and they tried to escape through the secret tunnel… but the tunnel itself was discovered.”
“…”
“Landerson happened to be there too, and Duke Carlhail followed the passage and found the hidden room. That’s where he arrested Vardian. Some of the businesses we were operating were also revealed.”
As Ikelos went on, Blair’s expression grew colder and colder.
“…So we won’t be able to operate the gambling den or other businesses for a while,” Ikelos finished.
“What about the sacrifices?”
“…We can’t obtain more of them either… for now.”
When Ikelos hesitated, Blair slammed his fist into the window frame.
BANG!!
The loud crash echoed with Blair’s furious voice.
“Do you even understand what this means?!”
Ikelos lowered his gaze. Blair’s rage was almost tangible in the air.
“You do remember the one and only reason you exist, don’t you?”
“I… I apologize.”
“With the loss of Pilon Island, and now the gambling den—where do you expect me to get sacrifices from?!”
“I’ll… I’ll find another way.”
“Why is everything you handle such a disaster? Weren’t these supposed to be the best technicians? You also said you’d deal with Carlhail’s fiancée before!”
Ikelos was sweating. That was their mistake. Following Blair’s orders, they tried to disfigure Carlhail’s fiancée during the hunting competition—but it backfired.
The plan was to use a bear to injure her. Then Blair would save the day and look like a hero. But no one expected that dainty noble lady to kill the bear herself—and win the entire contest.
“We had no idea she was so skilled at hunting…”
“Shut up. Whether it was then or now, you’ve done nothing but fail.”
Ikelos muttered bitterly, “It’s all because of that woman.”
“That woman…?”
Ikelos hesitated again, but under Blair’s sharp gaze, he finally said it:
“It was Reina Pilon who noticed the Eastern Continent’s technology we brought in.”
“What?”
Blair gave a disbelieving laugh.
“You’re saying that annoying woman stuck to Carlhail figured that out too?”
The one who charmed the emperor and won Pilon Island for herself.
“That woman… what’s her real identity?”
He felt something was very off.
“…Investigate her. Quietly. I want everything—from her background to how she managed to notice our Eastern tech. Every last detail.”
“Yes, Your Highness. But before that…”
Ikelos hesitated again.
“What now?”
“Shouldn’t we deal with Vardian first? Before it’s too late?”
Blair paused, then nodded as if remembering something.
“Oh, right. He was caught by Landerson…”
“Shall we send someone to silence him?”
Blair shook his head.
“No need. That loose mouth has probably already spilled everything. Maybe it’s for the best. We might find new sources of sacrifices.”
“New… sacrifices? From where?”
Blair didn’t answer. He just stared coldly in the direction of the emperor’s central palace. Ikelos followed his gaze nervously.
* * *
SLAP!!
The loud slap echoed, and Blair’s head whipped to the side. The man who slapped him was none other than Emperor Eckarter.
“You… how dare you!!”
The emperor trembled with rage.
“Your Majesty, please calm down!”
The chief attendant, Marcus, rushed to stop him, but the emperor’s fury didn’t ease.
“Vardian said your name. He confessed that the gambling den, the kidnapping of children for unpaid debts—it was all done under your orders!”
Blair ran his finger over his lips. Blood trickled from his mouth. The emperor had struck him that hard.
