Lout of Count's Family Vol. 5 by Yu Ryeo-Han

Author:Yu Ryeo-Han [Ryeo-Han, Yu]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: light novel
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Published: 2025-05-15T19:30:00+00:00

Chapter 40:

That’s Our Mr. Cale

RON AND FRIZIA had done an excellent job of assembling all the pieces. Cale had them join him in the carriage before heading into Guiller territory, driven by one of Frizia’s assistants.

“Explain it in detail.”

Frizia spoke up as soon as Cale’s gaze found her. “About fifty years ago, a household of barons became vassals to the Guillers.” House Krish, to be precise. “This was before Duchess Sonata, Antonio’s grandmother, gained control of the territory. Back when she was merely a potential candidate for the title, her opponents brought in vassal households to expand their own influence. The Duchy of Guiller accepted multiple new vassals, and the Barony of Krish was among them.”

“Isn’t the Krish family a famous line of scholars?” Cale asked.

The Krishes had been instructors to the crown two hundred years ago, hence the Duchy of Guiller welcoming a barony without land or wealth as their vassal.

“Past glories do not always carry into the present,” Ron said in a genial tone.

“I guess that’s true.”

Regardless of their former reputation as a household of scholars, the Krishes were a family of reprobates now. If they hired people to kidnap children, they couldn’t be in their right minds.

“You see, young master, it happened just two nights ago.”

Cale shot Ron a withering look. The butler had recovered quite a bit since receiving his powerful artificial arm. Still, Ron’s commitment to his benign old man persona made Cale uncomfortable.

“Perhaps it’s because I’m getting up there in years, but I couldn’t fall asleep that night. I thought I’d take a little stroll through the back alleys of Guiller territory.”

Are the back alleys really a good place for a walk? Cale wanted to ask, but he held his tongue.

“I happened to see some children pulling a carriage toward a corner of the slums.”

Kids pulling a carriage? Confused, Cale asked, “They were actual children?”

“Ah, they were sturdy youngsters who appeared to be in their thirties.”

Since when do burly gangsters count as children?

As Cale stewed in silence, Ron went on, “Anyway, the youths intrigued me, so I followed them. Naturally, I did so with stealth so they wouldn’t notice me.”

Cale pretended not to catch the admiring glimmer in Frizia’s eyes.

“While covertly tailing them, I noticed a few houses near the bridge at the edge of the slums. Many people were being held captive in the basements of those houses.” The joints of Ron’s artificial left arm cracked as he clenched his fingers. He then said mildly, “They were doing unspeakable things even assassins would disdain.”

Cale averted his gaze from the assassin. “And?”

At Cale’s urging, Ron got to the core of the issue. “Last night, I noticed a butler from House Krish entering one of those houses. The buildings function as regular lodgings for families in the slums during the day. Once the sun goes down, however, those so-called families turn into employees.”

“We kept an eye on the butler until early the next morning and verified his meeting with a merchant,” Frizia said.

Chances were high that the merchant was associated with a guild that dealt in the slave trade.

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