Chapter 15: In Search of the Dragon God’s Followers

In the Luxion Empire, the buying and selling of slaves is strictly forbidden by law.

And yet, among the nobility, there are those who secretly keep slaves for various unsavory purposes. In such cases, the source of those slaves is, with alarming frequency, the Dragon God Cult.

If that is so, then the most efficient course of action is obvious: investigate the corrupt nobles who illegally possess slaves, trace their connections to the Dragon God Cult, and identify the cult’s local branches.

Estella had spent the past several years pouring considerable effort into precisely that line of investigation.

“This time, we start by striking at an idiotic noble house that owns illegal slaves!”

“As expected of a court magician. Your investigation hits the mark perfectly.”

“…You do realize you’re a court magician too, don’t you?”

“Ah. Right. I suppose I am.”

After changing carriages several times, the two finally set foot in a certain noble’s territory.

“So this is the infamous Barony of Nacht.”

“At a glance, it just looks like any other noble domain.”

Before them stretched a town bustling with respectable energy. Shops lined both sides of the streets in neat rows, and the signs of the Adventurers’ Guild and the Merchants’ Guild stood out clearly. Here and there, food stalls had been set up, drawing lines of townsfolk who waited eagerly for their turn.

Unable to resist the temptation, the two purchased cups of fruit water from a stall.

They now sat on a bench in the fountain plaza at the center of town, quenching their thirst as water sparkled softly behind them.

“To think the lord of such a bright, lively town is involved in slave trading… You really can’t tell what kind of world this is at a glance.”

“Truly. Well, the Nacht family’s prosperity ends here. Once this is over, His Sacred Flame Majesty fully intends to purge them.”

“Then this place will temporarily become imperial territory, I guess. The people here have it rough—having their lord changed again and again.”

“In that sense, they too are victims.”

For the record, Al and Estella were currently disguised as ordinary citizens. The jet-black robes symbolic of court magicians had been left behind in the imperial capital. Estella had also concealed her distinctly elven long ears, so to passersby they likely looked like siblings… or, given their difference in build, perhaps even a parent and child.

“For now, we wait until nightfall.”

“Mm. Perhaps we should make another round of the food stalls.”

“There are lots of kids here. If we look hard enough, there’s bound to be a sweets stall.”

“Mmm… you’re right‼ Very well—hurry! We must hurry at once‼”

Until the sun sank below the horizon, Al found himself accompanying the loli—no, Estella—on an enthusiastic tour of desserts.

◇◇◇

“Fwaaah… I’m starting to get sleepy.”

“Fool. This is where the real work begins.”

The town was now fully enveloped in darkness, and Al’s drowsiness was being pleasantly stirred. Children had vanished from the main street, replaced instead by scattered adventuring parties returning from their jobs. The moment they left the guild, the adventurers were drawn into taverns like moths to a flame.

Each night, taverns gathered adventurers, merchants, and soldiers alike, and with the help of alcohol, all manner of information flowed freely. In other words, they were perfect places for gathering intelligence—

—but the two passed them by without a glance.

Al and Estella were court magicians representing the nation itself. They had no need to rely on such crude methods; they possessed far more reliable means.

Proceeding along the main road, they arrived in a quiet residential district of noble estates. Straight ahead stood a mansion that commanded attention even among its peers. The distance was still sufficient that the gate guards had not yet noticed them.

“In terms of size and scenery, the Dragals house wins by a landslide.”

“Is now really the time to be asserting dominance?”

After a brief and petty noble comparison, they slipped into the shadows nearby.

It was the height of the evening return rush. Their plan was to capture a servant on the way home and extract information through hypnosis.

To avoid revealing their identities, Al cast an illusion over both himself and Estella, temporarily erasing their presence from sight.

They waited for several minutes.

At last, a servant emerged from the mansion. A maid in her mid-thirties.

“Good work today, sir knight~”

“Yeah. Get home safe.”

The maid bowed lightly to the guard and walked toward the road leading back to the main street, her bag swinging gently at her side.

The instant she turned a corner and left the guards’ line of sight—

Thick vines wrapped around her torso and mouth, dragging her violently into the shadows.

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

She struggled and screamed desperately, but sadly, no one heard her cries for help.

The moment she was swallowed by the darkness, her eyes met those of a suspicious-looking young man.

“Mmm—”

The maid’s pupils dulled, her resistance fading away as her body went limp.

The culprits were, of course—

“What we’re doing looks exactly like something villains would do.”

“I might actually be better suited to this line of work than being a court magician.”

Estella and Al.

“Dream-attribute magic really is convenient, isn’t it?”

“That’s my line. Plant-attribute magic is incredible. Compared to other attributes, its versatility is on a whole different level.”

Since this was their first time witnessing each other’s magic firsthand, both found themselves oddly excited, their breath coming a bit faster than usual.

Still, time was limited. They quickly moved on to extracting information.

Al addressed the maid, who was deep under hypnosis.

“First question. Does the House of Baron Nacht own slaves?”

“…Yes. They do.”

“………………”

Al and Estella exchanged glances, then nodded once in unison.

“How many slaves are there, and where were they obtained?”

“…There are twenty slaves. I do not know the source.”

“Who knows—or is likely to know—the source?”

“…The head of the house, Baron Grimm Nacht, should know.”

“Where does the head usually stay? Answer with the rooms and their locations.”

“…His bedroom and study. The bedroom is the far-right room on the third floor, and the study is next to it.”

“What work are the slaves usually made to do?”

“…Mainly household labor that the servants dislike, such as cleaning toilets and washing underwear.”

“Anything else?”

“…Young and attractive female slaves are periodically summoned to the lord’s bedroom.”

“Does everyone in the mansion know about the existence of the slaves?”

“…Yes. Everyone knows.”

“Why hasn’t anyone reported this to the Imperial Castle?”

“…Because everyone fears retaliation from the lord.”

“Understood. The moment the vines are removed, you will forget this entire exchange and resume your journey home.”

“…Understood.”

Estella guided the maid out from the shadows and released the vines.

At the same moment, light returned to the maid’s eyes.

“Huh? I feel like my stomach was being squeezed somehow… Ah! Could it be—have I gained weight? I’ll have to start dieting tomorrow.”

Muttering to herself, she rubbed her belly and walked back toward the main street.

What they had learned was as follows:

The House of Baron Nacht possesses twenty slaves.

The slaves are not subjected to life-threatening abuse.

The head of the house knows the source of the slaves.

The head usually stays either in his bedroom or study on the third floor.

The servants are being pressured to keep information about the slaves secret.

…Five points in total.

“Well, I suppose the servants deserve some leniency.”

“Learning that the slaves aren’t being brutally abused is a relief in itself.”

“I feel bad for the slaves being forced into sexual service, but they’ll have to endure just a little longer.”

“Our top priority is the Dragon God Cult, after all.”

Until the Dragon God Cult was eradicated, the Nacht family’s slaves would be left as they were. If they caused a stir now, it would only alert the enemy and make the investigation far more difficult.

…Even so, the air between the two was heavy. Guilt toward the slaves clearly weighed on them.

“Alright then. Shall we go teach Baron Nacht a lesson?”

“That’s not ‘teaching a lesson’—don’t say it like that…”

With that, Al and Estella once more melted into the darkness of the night, slipping toward the mansion to begin their infiltration.