Chapter 66
The other prisoners who wouldn’t be released on the black market would probably be managed by the empire, and there was no clever way to extract them. No one knew whether the empire would kill those prisoners or do something else with them, such as performing experiments or research on them.
However, there was no way we could save them as well, and even attempting to rescue them was unthinkable. It was unfortunate, but the plan we had already devised was hugely dangerous as it was.
“You said that it starts on Thursday, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sarkegar had already acquired the tickets. It was Monday, and the black-market auction would operate from Thursday to Sunday, opening for a total of four days.
The issue was whether or not all the prisoners would be held at the venue from the start. If the prisoners were going to be replenished daily, we would only be able to save one-fourth of the demons that would be put up for auction.
“I do think that all of them will be there...”
All the prisoners were likely going to be taken into the imperial palace and detained. Therefore, rather than removing each group daily to be auctioned off, it would be more efficient to divert all of them to the auction venue from the start.
Therefore, while the auction would take place over four days, all the prisoners that were to be auctioned would be present at the venue.
The best-case scenario was to figure out which gate they were being transported through before they were siphoned off into the black-market auction venue, and to divert them right at that moment.
There were dozens of warp gates in the imperial city. It was impossible to monitor all of them.
We were not using the Rotary Club for information gathering on this operation, and it was only I, Loyar, Sarkegar, and Eleris who were in action. We were going to provoke a demonic uproar akin to that of a terrorist incident, and if we used the Rotary Club to gather preliminary information, it could arouse unnecessary suspicion even before the main operation.
“They’re likely to come through the gate in Badelz, right?”
“Yes, that’s what I would expect.”
The venue of the black-market auction was in the Badelz district, which was stored in my head as Mapo district. It would be held underground, inside the headquarters of the Merchants' Guild.
The fact that the Merchants' Guild was involved in the black market was a bonus that came along with the discovery of the auction venue.
When I heard where the auction was going to take place, it seemed like such an obvious place that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before.
Given that the Merchants' Guild had experience storing numerous high-value goods, it made perfect sense that they would have storage facilities with the size, security, and necessary countermeasures suitable for temporarily holding prisoners. Naturally, it would also be easier to conduct the auction there.
The extent of the Merchants' Guild’s involvement was unknown. However, they must have judged that it would be impossible for this business venture, which clearly involved very powerful figures, to fail. Hence, they had consented to the audacious act of holding an illegal auction within the guild’s headquarters. It could have been a decision made under duress, of course, but that was beyond my knowledge.
The location was the headquarters of the Merchants' Guild, which, when I thought about it, was a perfect place to conduct the black-market auction. Also, considering the number of wealthy merchants involved with the guild, it was quite possible that they would be directly participating in the auction as well.
Therefore, even if rumors about the black-market auction were to spread, the likelihood that the location would change was extremely low. Even I couldn’t come up with a more optimal auction site than the Merchants' Guild headquarters.
Sarkegar, being a noble, had to attend victory celebrations and parties, so for the time being, he would not be able to leave the imperial palace. He informed us that he had to attend an event that Monday, but would make up an excuse from Tuesday onward to join up with the rest of us.
It was highly likely that the prisoners would arrive through the gate in the Badelz district, and Loyar was currently monitoring it.
Nonetheless, Eleris and I were watching the endless procession of the triumphant army just in case, alert to any possibilities.
***
It was Monday evening.
Near the imperial city, the streets would be bustling with people, and bursts of firework-like magic could be heard from afar—perhaps a display put up by the mages.
Free alcohol and food were being distributed, so the streets were overflowing with people intoxicated by the victory as well as with drink. Strangers were sitting at tables on the street, striking up conversations, and many were hugging and dancing.
The miraculous survival of Princess Charlotte De Gradias was, of course, one of the key topics of conversation. The valor of Artorius, the greatness of the allied forces, and the near-miraculous survival of the princess were all reasons for the public jubilation.
There were also rumors about Charlotte having become a superhuman.
For the moment, it seemed Charlotte was too obsessed with finding Baalier to focus on the power struggle. In fact, Vertus had said that Charlotte was on the path to self-destruction, and to some extent, I found myself agreeing with that statement.
—It’s only right that the princess becomes the empress!
—Yes! Exactly!
—Anyone who was able to survive such hardships must surely be blessed by the gods!
It was becoming more and more common among the populace to hear statements that the princess should be the empress, and there was hardly anyone that would counter the argument. The popular support was overwhelmingly in favor of the princess.
The princess, having been abducted and taken into the demon world, and was then rescued dramatically, was also the sole survivor.
Charlotte’s story was just too compelling. There was nothing about Vertus that could compete with that narrative. While there were hints that he might become a Swordmaster, that was still yet to come in the future, and becoming a Swordmaster, albeit a great feat, would have little significance, as the Demon King was already dead. With the Demon King dead, there was no place for a Swordmaster to fill.
While a compelling story was not the key factor in deciding the next ruler of the empire, it was clear that if Charlotte, who held the majority of the public support, did not ascend to the throne, immense conflicts would naturally arise.
At the present moment, my personal opinion was that Vertus was more capable. However the public was on the side of the princess, and her power base was not significantly smaller compared to Vertus. The current situation regarding the imperial succession favored Charlotte.
From the victory celebration that was currently underway, it was evident that the citizens of the empire wanted Charlotte as their next ruler.
Of course, we were unconcerned with such matters.
Having confirmed at the end of the victorious army’s procession that there were no prisoners under escort, we had crossed over into Mapo district. At the meeting point, we mingled among the joyous, heavily-intoxicated pedestrians.
“It’s free, all free! Eat and drink to your heart’s content!”
Many inns and restaurants had spread tables outside their storefronts, independent of the festival organizers, generously giving away food and drink in celebration of the victory.
The Demon Realm had been humanity’s ancient foe. The sheer fact that people were now eternally liberated from their fear of demons was enough for people to distribute free food and revel in joy.
If one had lived their entire life in the imperial city, they would never have even seen a single hair on a demon’s head, and would never expect to in the future. Where, then, did their fear and hatred of demons originate from?
Well, it’s true that people fear what they do not know. And the Demon Realm would certainly have been planning to conquer the human world as well.
We took our seats at an empty table. Loyar was hooded, Eleris had applied a bit of disguise magic, and I had not bothered with any subterfuge, since I had transformed into a completely different appearance from Reinhart’s.
Loyar spoke up. “I’ve confirmed the arrival of several carriages covered with black cloth coming through the Badelz gate.”
“Did you manage to see what was inside?” I asked.
Loyar nodded. The surroundings were incredibly noisy, and Eleris applied some soundproofing magic on top of that to ensure that no one would overhear our conversation.
Since this matter was unrelated to the Rotary Club, we had decided to make this place our contact point.
“I didn’t see anything, but the smell and sounds were enough to judge. The targets are confirmed.”
Loyar had always had an exceptionally keen sense of smell and hearing.
“... Are you really a dog?”
“Excuse me?”
“No, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing... but... it’s just... You always deny it, but you really are too similar to a dog, you know?”
Giving a paw, having a good nose, sharp hearing, and sleeping sprawled out anywhere like a stray dog—it was as if she were a dog in human form.
Loyar frowned, while Eleris covered her mouth and laughed.
“Your Highness, she’s not a dog. Just someone who resembles a dog,” Eleris said.
“Hey!”
At Eleris’s teasing, Loyar’s face reddened, then paled. It seemed Eleris found a bit of joy in subtly tormenting Loyar.
“Well, don’t mind it, it was just a joke. Anyway, you’re sure, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Though the contents of the carriages had been visibly concealed, Loyar’s acute sense of smell and hearing allowed her to deduce that the many of the carriages that arrived via the Badelz gate were indeed carrying demon prisoners.
Loyar continued to report her observations.
“I’m not sure about the triumphant army, but the carriages were all under heavy guard. People seemed curious about the carriages, and didn’t seem to know what they contained.”
They probably assumed they were spoils from the Great War, and indeed, spoils of war would certainly have been transported that way. Among them, a few of the carriages contained prisoners.
“Most of the carriages seemed to be moving towards the imperial city, but I also confirmed that some were heading towards the Merchants' Guild headquarters.”
Loyar must have ascended a high vantage point to observe the procession of carriages. Of the carriages that should have gone to the imperial city, some had been diverted towards the Merchants' Guild premises.
“There were a total of thirty carriages. Given the size of the carriages, as well as the sounds and smells, my estimation is that, on average, each carriage carried about five individuals.”
“So, we’re talking about approximately one hundred and fifty people...”
Thanks to us having identified the location of the auction in advance, we were able to deduce which gate the prisoners would be escorted through, which had proved to be very effective. Thirty carriages meant that approximately a hundred and fifty prisoners would be traded on the black market.
However, Loyar shook her head at my estimate. “No, my lord, I estimate it to be about a hundred.”
“Why? Were there actually fewer?”
“Not fewer, my lord. About ten carriages were carrying other things aside from the prisoners.”
“Other things?”
“It seems that not only prisoners will be traded on the black market.”
“Ah... I see. That makes sense.”
Carriages carrying other spoils from the Demon Realm were entering the Merchants' Guild in addition to those with prisoners. So there were twenty carriages with prisoners and ten with other spoils.
It wasn’t just prisoners being traded on the black market; spoils of war smuggled out from the Demon King’s palace were also up for grabs.
“Hmm... If they’re diverting prisoners, that’s understandable, but if they’ve also diverted other spoils of war, then it’s possible that all this was done without permission from the imperial palace... Or, are these items that the palace has decided are acceptable to be sold?”
The likelihood that the imperial palace was not involved with this black market affair increased slightly. Alternatively, the items being sold might be items the palace had little interest in. In either case, the chance that the imperial palace was unaware of this black-market auction was still rather slim.
Most of the carriages transporting prisoners were headed for the imperial palace, and that was beyond our ability to intervene.
However, depending on our actions, the approximately hundred-or-so prisoners destined for the Merchants’ Guild’s black market could either be rescued or massacred.
“It’s a relief that we have preliminary information to accurately assess the number of prisoners, at least. What about the security situation?”
“I’ve confirmed that security is tighter than usual. There were more than ten guards at every entrance and exit of the Merchants' Guild’s headquarters building, and although they are all disguised as mercenaries, they definitely do not have the air or demeanor of ordinary, run-of-the-mill soldiers.”
A force of highly-skilled combatants disguised as guild guards was already protecting the headquarters. Whether they were knights or not, it would be difficult to break through their defenses with force.
And, of course, there would be mages inside as well.
“Alright... Now we have to make it so that the Order of the Holy Knights is forced to raid the place...”
If we did not intervene, the demon prisoners would end up leading lives as slaves, but they would at least be alive. As such, I did not know whether it was right to take the risk and possibly endanger their lives in the process of trying to grant them freedom.
Ultimately, though, I had to make a decision as the last leader of the Demon Realm. I had no intention of rebuilding the Demon Realm, but was determined to rescue them.
I was gradually realizing that a leader should not only debate what is right or wrong, but also make decisions and carry them out flawlessly.
Could I endure it if everyone was massacred by the Order of the Holy Knights due to the failure of this operation? Could I mentally cope with the outcome, considering that countless lives could vanish because of this one foolish scheme?
Some might prefer to sacrifice their freedom just to remain alive...
Well, I did not know. Therefore, I kept my thoughts simple.
“We’ll need to find a way to pass this information to the Order of the Holy Knights without getting caught.”
I had to succeed.
My ability would turn this thought into reality. Though I lacked such power, at least for the moment, I could calm my heart with this belief.
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