Dain hurriedly followed him as he opened the door and left without a word, raising his voice.

“Wait! You’re not planning to go alone now, are you?”

“That’s correct.”

Carl affirmed while half-turning to look at him. Then Dain frowned.

“I understand your feelings, but it’s too dangerous. Wait and come with us—”

“There’s no time for that.”

Carl, who firmly refused, moved his legs quickly again.

‘It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left Master’s side from the beginning, bag or whatever……’

When he thought that he might lose someone again due to his mistake, he couldn’t just stay still.

A cat jumped in front of him as he left the ducal residence alone.

“Meow.”

Carl, who stopped at that low cry, looked down intently at the brilliant blue-green eyes.

Goldie, who had been treated by Mandy, extended his front paw to him.

“You want to come along?”

“Meow.”

“……Right, you must feel quite guilty too. But don’t get in the way.”

Carl lifted Goldie up and placed him on his shoulder.

Goldie sharpened his claws and gripped the collar tightly.

They quickly left the ducal residence and disappeared.

***

The head priest who suggested abandoning people and leaving. She couldn’t hide her bewilderment at his reaction and looked around.

Various people were trapped in the prison.

From children to elderly people.

They were crouching and crying or staring into space with faces fallen into despair.

Seeing that sight, her mouth moved automatically.

“I’ll take responsibility.”

She declared, breaking the heavy silence flowing between her and the head priest.

“I’ll take responsibility so that the people here don’t hold back the Head Priest, so let’s all escape together.”

That was also the condition of the mission, but she couldn’t turn away from people who might die if left like this.

The head priest looked at her as if he couldn’t understand.

“Why are you trying to go that far?”

“Does there need to be a reason for people to save people? Especially in such a difficult and dangerous situation?”

“Yes, I need a reason.”

“Then just think of it as instinct. Like approaching a fallen crying child to help them up.”

The head priest stared at her intently with unknowing eyes.

If you have something to say, don’t send telepathy but say it with words.

When she glared back at his gaze with wide eyes, the head priest finally surrendered.

“Let’s do as you wish, Miss.”

“Then please wait just a moment!”

She quickly went around opening prison doors with the key.

“Sob, thank you.”

“F-finally out of prison……!”

“I want to see Mom.”

The people who came out of prison limping were moved to tears.

She signaled them to be quiet and said.

“From now on, everyone must move carefully. You absolutely must not make noise. Understand?”

The people nodded. She looked at the head priest.

“But do you know which way leads outside?”

“I do.”

“Then let’s lead the way.”

So they tiptoed up the stairs and escaped from the underground prison.

The entrance door could also be opened with the key the head priest had brought.

It seemed he had really come fully prepared to rescue the apprentice priest.

She thought while following the head priest.

‘This mission might succeed more easily than expected?’

It was a mistake to overlook that this was the way to set up a flag.

“Huh? What?! Who are you guys!”

While everything was going well, peace was instantly shattered when they suddenly encountered a slave trader’s man who popped out in the corridor.

“Aaaah!”

“We have to run!”

The people who had been obediently keeping to her words about absolutely not causing a disturbance fell into panic and screamed.

“Everyone, stay calm!”

No matter how much she tried to calm them, it was useless.

‘We’re screwed.’

She briefly closed her eyes tightly and sighed, then immediately came to her senses.

There’s no choice now that it’s come to this.

“Everyone run!”

The only option was to run for their lives.

While the man called his colleagues, they ran like crazy.

This isn’t even Running Man!

“Head Priest! Are we going the right way?!”

“No, originally we should have gone through the corridor that man came from!”

“Then where are we going?!”

“How would I know?!”

D*mn it.

She felt deep dismay, but since they couldn’t turn back now, she ran forward for the time being.

But this d*mn slave trader escape was really not easy.

‘A fork in the road……!’

A path split into two branches appeared before them in urgent need.

“Which way should we……”

While hesitating for a moment, the slave trader group had already chased up behind them.

“Found them! Catch those things right now!”

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

“Catch them all!”

When there wasn’t even time to think briefly, the head priest pointed left and said.

“Let’s split up here. Everyone go left. I’ll go right.”

“What? Head Priest, alone?”

“They’re likely to follow me anyway. Since Theo, who needs to be disposed of as defective goods, is with me.”

The head priest made an expression that was either cynical or bitter, then shouted loudly.

“Hurry and go!”

At those words, people began hesitantly running toward the left path.

She didn’t follow them but remained beside the head priest.

“What are you doing, Miss Sharofe? Didn’t you understand what I said?”

“I did. You volunteered to become bait.”

“But why……”

“I’m going to become bait too. From what I can see, someone seems to have commissioned selling me here, so wouldn’t the probability of them chasing me first also be high?”

The head priest couldn’t deny her words and only frowned.

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.

“We don’t have time to be doing this! Let’s hurry and run too!”

The head priest, who glanced back, finally followed her words and moved.

***

Meanwhile, the entire knight order had assembled in front of the Diart residence.

When Dain, who had gotten his sword from his room, came downstairs, Bartholomew and Benjamin, who had been waiting, greeted him.

“Deborah doesn’t know the news yet, right?”

“I didn’t tell her since I couldn’t make that already busy child anxious.”

“You did well, Grandfather. I’ll rescue Shailyn, so both of you don’t worry.”

It was the moment he showed a reassuring smile and tried to go outside.

“No, Dain. I’ll command.”

Benjamin, who had been crossing his arms with a troubled expression, suddenly declared.

Bartholomew and Dain looked at him with surprised eyes.

When he was young, he had liked wielding swords like Dain, but Benjamin was exactly the one who had changed like a scholar after inheriting the ducal title.

Dain couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the words that he, who had pursued peace and tranquility and put down his sword, would step forward after a long time.

“You, Father…… personally?”

“Yes. Paul, bring my sword.”

Paul, who had been standing blankly, moved hurriedly half a beat late.

Looking at people’s dumbfounded expressions, Benjamin recalled old memories.

‘You don’t understand my heart! I’ll take care of my own family!’

When he opposed the marriage to Count Sharofe, Diane had turned her back on the family and ran away.

After that, Benjamin had thought countless times. If he had taken knights and brought his sister back even then……

Would Diane not have died?

Now that so much time had passed, it was a useless hypothesis.

Instead…….

‘……You don’t know. I and those people can’t become a real family.’

It was really by chance that Benjamin had overheard the conversation between Shailyn and Carl.

He was going back after handling documents late, when he saw a beam of light leaking through a slightly open door crack.

He hesitated and went to close it, then heard those words from Shailyn.

Strangely, Benjamin felt his heart sink.

The words about not being able to become a real family sounded exactly like saying she would leave like Diane someday.

Benjamin, who had returned to his room in confusion, stopped while washing his face dry when he saw the fountain pen stuck in his chest pocket.

It was a gift from Shailyn.

He had even used it to sign documents just moments before.

That day, Benjamin spent the night with sleepless eyes, fiddling with the fountain pen with an incomprehensible heart.

And now when Shailyn was really in danger of something going wrong…… He finally admitted it.

“Shailyn is my niece.”

He couldn’t lose that child like Diane, and like his wife.

All the more so since he had never properly done anything as an uncle.

“I’ll go rescue her myself.”

He who resolutely declared took the sword from Paul and went outside.

Bartholomew, who felt his son’s changed heart, had tears slightly well up in his eyes.

And Dain smiled faintly while following his father who was as massive and solid as Mount Tai.

The assembled knight order bowed their heads seeing Benjamin.

Benjamin spoke solemnly toward them.

“Our goal is simple. Catch the slave traders and rescue Shailyn.”

Soon after, the knight order’s resounding answer shook the ducal residence.