Volume 7, Chapter 17 – The Brothel Massacre (2)

“Wh-What! This is…!”

“How horrible…!”

“Fiene-sama!”

I was left stunned for a moment by the horrific sight before me, but Chris-san’s voice snapped me back to my senses, and I hurried over to the fallen people.

However, it was too late for every single one of them. Most had been killed with a single thrust through the heart, while the bodies of those who appeared to be bodyguards, armed with swords, had been beheaded in a single strike.

“This was the work of someone exceptionally skilled, it is. This man was killed before he could even draw his sword, it is.”

“An assassin, perhaps?”

“No, I think not. An assassin would never make such a spectacle of it, it is.”

“Then who on earth could have done this?”

“…Someone holding a grudge, perhaps? In a country where slavery is permitted, there were probably prostitutes who had been brought here against their will, it is.”

“Th-that is…”

At Shizuku-san’s words, Hilar-san looked pale as he attempted to argue.

“Can you really say there were none, it is? Even if you never ordered it yourself, Hilar-dono, weren’t there women whose circumstances of becoming slaves were unknown? Like that Elf woman, for instance.”

“Th-that is…”

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Pressed by Shizuku-san, Hilar-san was rendered speechless.

“Well, regardless, let us search for survivors, it is.”

With that, Shizuku-san stepped further into the building.

As we searched for survivors, the horrific scene gradually began to wear me down.

No matter how far we looked, we found nothing but corpses, all killed by a thrust to the heart or decapitation.

In some rooms, there were even bodies that appeared to have been killed in the middle of their business.

Even more terrifying was the fact that three bodyguards had been stationed on each floor of the three-story brothel, yet every one of them had died without even managing to draw their swords.

“How on earth is such a thing possible, it is?”

“It must have been several highly skilled people working together. However, there’s no sign of the Elf prostitute we were told about.”

That was right. We had searched the entire building, but there was no sign of an Elf, nor any woman with green hair.

“I-it might be in that building over there.”

Hilar-san pointed out the window to another building standing on the same grounds.

“Indeed, it is. Let us go there, it is.”

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Leaving the brothel, now little more than a scene from hell, we entered the other building.

It was unlocked, and this time we simply opened the door and walked in.

“It seems this is where the prostitutes lived, it is.”

“Ugh, here too…?”

As expected, the prostitutes here, too, lay in pools of blood.

“…This!”

Chris-san, who had been examining the bodies, let out a cry of surprise as she lifted the clothing of a woman who had been stabbed through the heart.

“Emir Hilar! Did you not turn a blind eye to the practices of this brothel?”

Chris-san glared at Hilar-san, her voice filled with accusation.

Hmm? What happened?

I walked over to Chris-san’s side and lifted the woman’s clothing to check for myself.

“Ah, I see.”

I couldn’t help but let out a sound of realization.

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Yes. There, branded into her skin, was that loathsome Enslavement Curse Mark.

“Hilar-san… I don’t think there’s any defending this.”

“Wh-what do you mean by that?”

Hilar-san asked back timidly.

“What do I mean? This woman has been branded with the Enslavement Curse Mark. Weren’t all those involved in the trade supposed to be executed?”

“What!!”

Hilar-san shouted.

“Emir Hilar. Even I, Khalid, cannot overlook the Enslavement Curse Mark. Care to explain?”

Khalid-san also spoke in a reprimanding tone, glaring at Hilar-san.

“I-I didn’t know! I had no idea this brothel was dealing in slaves with Enslavement Curse Marks!”

“Emir Hilar. Was this done to silence people?”

Khalid-san directed a stern gaze toward Hilar-san.

“If that were the case, I would not have brought Saint-sama to such a place! I would have made up some excuse to buy time!”

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Hilar-san explained himself frantically.

Hmm, that might actually be true.

If he knew there were illegal slaves here and brought us along anyway, he’s the one who would suffer the consequences; he’d have to be an absolute idiot not to think that far.

Still, I couldn’t help thinking that buying time wouldn’t have changed the outcome anyway.

“I suppose that is true… my apologies.”

Khalid-san said with an awkward look on his face.

“U-um! More importantly, the Elf woman…!”

Lu-chan spoke up timidly.

Ah, that’s right.

The horrific scene had completely driven it from my mind, but the one who was most anxious right now was Lu-chan.

“You’re right. Lu-chan, I’m sorry. Let’s find her.”

“Yes…”

When I took Lu-chan’s hand as I spoke, she answered in a weak voice.