Chapter 38
A few days later, after continuing their investigation with persistence, the most resourceful knight—Erion—finally found something suspicious.
“The nobles who got tricked by Overhan… They all have children around the same age.”
“And why does that matter?”
Bram had been standing with his muscular arms resting on the table in a casual pose—until he made eye contact with Agnès.
He straightened up instantly.
“Ahem. My apologies.”
Seeing him behave so differently from when he was with the knights alone made Agnès hold back a laugh. She waved her hands, saying it was fine.
Meanwhile, Erion chuckled fearlessly at Bram’s reaction—until Pavel stepped on his foot.
Erion groaned dramatically, bent over, and continued.
“All those families hired playmates for their children in the past few years. But when I compared the dates, they matched the timing of when they purchased the ‘counterfeit artwork.’”
Agnès covered her mouth in shock.
“You think they weren’t hired, but bought?”
“Yes, that’s what I think. And apparently, they all treat the children terribly.”
“Well, that’s normal for nobles. They don’t see commoners as people.”
Daren said this matter-of-factly—
until Pavel jabbed him in the ribs, making him hiss and rub his side.
Then he nervously glanced at Dylan and Agnès.
Dylan sighed and tapped the table lightly with his finger, irritation clear in the gesture.
“Could you all be a bit more serious? Lady Everchen is watching.”
“It’s fine. They’re all doing this investigation for my sake, after all.”
Agnès waved off the concern, then looked back at Erion.
“I actually think Sir Erion might be right. After His Majesty abolished slavery, noble children’s playmates became more like decorative companions—something fancy that shows off wealth and wins imperial favor.”
Of course, not every noble treated their children’s playmates like pretty dolls.
Some still treated them like slaves, as in the old days.
But for every noble they investigated to behave the same way?
That was strange.
Nobles in the capital were extremely sensitive to trends—
especially trends created by the Emperor himself.
A noble ignoring the Emperor’s fashion trend?
Suspicious, to say the least.
Agnès reviewed all the information the knights had gathered.
Then, one hypothesis came to her mind.
“Count Overhan wasn’t selling counterfeit art.
He was selling slaves.”
“An illegal slave trader.”
Dylan’s brows knitted tightly.
“That is one of the systems His Majesty most wishes to destroy. If we expose him, Count Overhan will be severely punished. The temple has opposed slavery for a long time as well. Any trial will definitely go against him.”
“If he truly is a slave trader, shouldn’t we storm the hideout immediately?”
Daren, who usually looked scholarly, suddenly sounded furious.
He clearly despised slavery.
Agnès, imagining children being sold into slavery, felt equally impatient.
Fortunately, Dylan didn’t dismiss their urgency.
“If we have justification, we can do so. Erion, which noble seemed easiest to persuade?”
“Baron Levien. He was extremely anxious just because I visited his home.”
“Then persuade him. Use whatever method you need.”
Erion straightened proudly and saluted.
“Yes, sir!”
Agnès looked worried, but Pavel reassured her cheerfully:
“Don’t worry. Erion is amazing at persuasion.”
“He’s not just good at persuasion—he’s good at threats and torture too…”
Daren truly meant it innocently, but Pavel stepped on his foot again before he could finish.
Daren yelped, apologized to Agnès, and wilted into silence.
From that small exchange, Agnès realized they saw her as a sheltered, naive young lady.
And honestly… they weren’t wrong.
She knew far less about the world than these knights.
***
Erion returned triumphantly in less than 24 hours.
“My lord, Baron Levien confessed! He was terrified that the gods might punish him. He’s very devout. Here—he even signed a written confession.”
Agnès was shocked at the speed, but Dylan looked completely unsurprised.
This was the true capability of the knights who appeared so carefree.
Dylan skimmed the confession and handed it to Bram.
“Deliver this to His Majesty and request permission to investigate.”
“I’ll leave immediately.”
“Summon the knights. We depart as soon as permission is granted.”
After giving orders, Dylan approached Agnès.
He gently lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.
His warm breath brushed her skin before slowly pulling away.
“We’ll soon be able to give you what you want.”
Even though it was just a polite gesture from her fiancé, Agnès’s heart thumped loudly.
Still, she insisted it wasn’t her fault.
The real problem was his ridiculously perfect, almost artistic face.
She laughed at herself inwardly and nodded.
“I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
Once the Basteron elite knights obtained approval from the Emperor, they headed straight for the old Overhan townhouse.
The old front gate was bound with layers of heavy chains—clearly meant to show the place was “closed.”
There was probably a back door, but Dylan didn’t hesitate.
“Break the chains and open the door.”
His firm voice carried unmistakable determination—
he intended to uncover everything Rickman had hidden.
The loud clatter of breaking chains echoed through the eerie, deserted mansion.
Soon, the door swung wide open.
There was a guard inside—
but he seemed to have spent years bored out of his mind, drinking in the afternoon and falling asleep.
The knights easily stepped past him with no interference.
His guard dog jolted awake and barked fiercely, but it made no difference to the trained knights.
Pavel, worried the knights might accidentally kick the dog while rushing around, quickly tied its leash to a post in the corner before joining the search.
“This way—there’s a basement! I hear children crying inside!”
A cruel scene awaited them.
Dylan’s expression hardened as he strode forward.
The basement smelled damp and unpleasant, but he entered without hesitation.
The knights didn’t stop him—they knew Dylan wasn’t a prince raised in silk and luxury.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they found around ten children locked behind iron bars.
They were not dirty—likely washed for display to buyers—but they were thin and trembling.
At Dylan’s gesture, the knights smashed the bars and began rescuing the children one by one.
But the hallway continued deeper.
And something still bothered Dylan.
Agnès had said Rickman frequently used the secret passage.
But if he simply needed to manage slaves, he had no reason to come here himself.
He could’ve assigned a trusted lackey and only shown his face when needed.
So why did he visit often?
When Dylan reached the end of the hallway, he found the clue that answered his question.
