Chapter 49

At Diana’s words, Bihor’s face turned pale. But before he could collect himself, the knights dispersed and began searching the office.

“Wait, wait! What is the meaning of this? A search, all of a sudden!”

“Just as I said, Baron. There was a report that you’ve been conducting illegal business, and evidence has surfaced. By Imperial order, this place will be searched by Imperial Knights.”

“A report? By whom…! Wait! Not there!”

The knights moved through Bihor’s office, gathering documents from every corner. Bihor, flustered, tried to block them with his arms, but he was powerless. His servants could do nothing but stand by, watching nervously.

“Should we bring the documents here?”

“Yes. We’ll take everything to the Imperial Palace for review. Gather them all and move them.”

“Understood.”

At Diana’s command, the knights worked with even greater precision. As she walked, Diana approached the bookshelf. She began pulling out books one by one, and Neil, peeking from behind, came closer.

“What are you doing?”

“He wouldn’t leave truly important documents out in the open. He must have stored them in a safe or something. So there must be a hidden spot somewhere….”

Soon, a wall safe hidden behind the bookshelf was revealed. Facing the firmly locked safe, Diana turned her gaze to Bihor.

“How does this open?”

“…….”

But Bihor only clamped his mouth shut. So Diana instructed the knights instead.

“Take it out whole. We’ll have a technician open it later.”

“Understood.”

At Diana’s order, the knights approached with axes. Alarmed, Bihor spread his arms wide in front of the safe.

“Please, please, let’s not do this. Please?”

“…….”

“What do you want, Aide? I’ll do anything. Just please, spare this…!”

“Take him away.”

Despite Bihor’s pleas, the knights didn’t blink. They seized him by the arms and dragged him outside.

“Let go! Let go of me, you bastards!”

Bihor struggled, but his resistance was futile. Meanwhile, the knights swung their axes and removed the safe, and Neil watched in fascination.

“How did you know there’d be a safe here?”

“Sophia told me. She even described all the hiding places.”

“Aha.”

Neil was convinced as soon as Diana mentioned Sophia. The knights continued piling mountains of documents before her. It was clear Diana would be working overtime tonight. She gave a hollow laugh at the sheer volume; just reviewing all those papers would easily take a full day.

“When you said ‘business trip,’ I wondered what you meant—so this was it? Do aides usually do things like this?”

“Of course. If you look at it broadly, it’s all the same work.”

“I see. It’s kind of amazing. By the way, who reported the illegal business?”

“An anonymous citizen.”

The knights searched not only the office but other areas as well. The commotion was loud everywhere, but no one could do anything in the face of the knights. Soon, one knight approached Diana.

“Aide, excuse me, but there’s somewhere you need to see.”

“Hm? Where?”

“Well… It’s better if you see it for yourself.”

“All right. Lead the way.”

The knight’s hesitant demeanor seemed unusual, so Diana and Neil followed. Before long, Diana discovered a staircase leading down beneath the floor.

“What is this place?”

“At first, I thought it was just a storage area. But it’s not.”

“Not a storage area? Then what… Oh.”

As she spoke with the knight and descended, Diana saw the basement and fell silent. It was not a simple storage space. From the stairs, the stench of blood and rot hung in the air. Finally, at the bottom, Diana silently looked around.

“…….”

It was a prison. A prison made of solid iron bars. People were locked inside. When they saw Diana and the knights, they shrank back in terror and trembled in the corners.

“…What is this place for?”

“After questioning the servants, we learned these people were to be sold at the slave market.”

In the Alleon Empire, slavery was illegal. Diana bit her lip. There was another reason Bihor had been bribing harbor officials.

“They were keeping people here to sell them abroad.”

“That seems to be the case. There are still countries with slavery.”

Neil, seeing a prison for the first time, shivered in fear but agreed with Diana’s assessment. Diana instructed the knights.

“First, secure the safety of the people in the prison. Do you have the keys?”

“We do. I’ll give you one.”

With a key in hand, Diana helped the knights open the prison doors. As the doors swung open and the knights entered, the people inside cried out in fear.

“We’ve done nothing wrong! Please save us!”

“Don’t worry. We’re Imperial Knights.”

“K-Knights?”

At the knights’ words, people slowly began to move. As Diana walked deeper inside, she found another door.

Another prison?

Just as Diana suspected, opening the door revealed another hidden cell. Unlike the crowded area, this one was quiet. Sensing something was off, Diana looked around.

“…….”

Passing several open cells, Diana found one with the door still closed—the only locked cell in the area. As she ventured further, the darkness grew, so Diana took a lamp from the wall and shone its light toward the cell. In the glow, a figure appeared.

“……!”

Inside the cell lay a man, badly wounded. Diana, shocked, grabbed the iron bars.

“Hey, hey, are you all right?”

Her voice seemed to reach him; the man’s body stirred slightly. Diana quickly unlocked the door and went inside.

“Are you okay?”

He was alive, just barely. His body was wrapped in bandages, as if someone had patched him up just enough to keep him breathing. The man’s eyes slowly opened, and Diana leaned over him.

“Stay with me!”

“…….”

Diana tried to lift him up, but it was too much. The man gazed at her with half-open, exhausted eyes. Realizing she needed help, Diana jumped to her feet.

“Hold on! I’ll bring help soon!”

He needed a doctor with wounds like that.

Diana rushed out of the cell and back to the knights, where Neil and the others were helping people outside.

“Knights, some of you come quickly! There’s someone inside!”

“Inside?”

“Yes, and he’s badly injured. He needs treatment. Get a doctor, hurry!”

At Diana’s urging, the knights followed her inside. She led them back to the cell where the man had been.

“Here, this way! Someone was…!”

But the place Diana pointed to was empty. Her eyes widened in shock.

“Huh? What? Where did he go?”

“There was someone here?”

“Yes. I’m sure. I tried to lift him up just a moment ago. I even touched him with my own hands. I’m certain…”

Blood on Diana’s arms, hands, and the floor proved a man had been there. But with the man nowhere to be found, Diana grew even more confused.