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Captain's POV
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My walk to the Baron's estate was uneventful. I was called over a few times by some merchants and a few pickpockets tried their luck but failed.

It wasn't surprising to see the shopkeepers trying to lure potential customers by simply harassing them in towns like these. It comes to a point where they are so desperate to make a living that they forget that other people may also be in the same situation.

And, of course, the large building that stood far away from the main street watched all of this.

It seemed to stand as a reminder of who owned this fief, and also to satiate the Baron's ego so that whenever he entered this place, the most prominent thing would be his own house.

Well, hopefully that won't last for long now, since all I need to do is find the people who have been disappearing and link them to the slave business the Baron is dealing in.

I've already had confirmation from the King that he is involved, all I need now is evidence.

And that evidence will likely be found in that estate.

Well, hopefully. If not then I have to atleast hope that there's something there.

Even if the fief is smaller than Alzibria, it is much more intricate, and finding areas in town where something as secretive as a human trafficking ring will be is going to be hard.

But I end my thought process as I reach the gates of the estate. The two guards that were standing lazily at the sides of the entrance suddenly snap to attention, crossing their halberds in front of me.

"State your name and reason." (Guard)

"Captain Doujima Vabenheim, member of one of the King's Squads. I'm here on orders of the King." (Captain)

They seem a little startled at my response, and both of them look me up and down.

"... Proof of identification?" (Guard)

I pull out the letter I received from the King and show it to them.

"...! My apologies, Sire, but I am unable to let you enter." (Guard)

"Why?" (Captain)

"The owner is currently in the Capital doing business." (Guard)

"That's why I'm here now. And I'm not sure if you read what I showed you, but I have permission to do as I please, so remove your halberd." (Captain)

"M-My apologies, Sire, but I truly cannot let you pass." (Guard)

The guard who was speaking seemed to be trembling slightly under his armour, yet he still maintained a strong face while in front of me.

"I'm sure you understand as a knight what I'll do if you refuse my orders." (Captain)

"...! E-Even so!" (Guard)

"Haah... Very well." (Captain)

Of course, I'm not going to just turn away.

Instead, I take a step towards the gate, the halberd now barely an inch away from my face.

"Sire!" (Guard)

I don't respond to him, instead lifting my hand and grasping the two halberds where they crossed each other.

While doing so, I cover my hand in mana, strengthening it greatly.

A loud snap could be heard as I crush the two halberd in my grip, letting them fall to the floor.

The two guards that stand beside me could only watch as their only means of defense crumbled in front of them.

"So? Will you let me enter now?" (Captain)

"... I-I'm sorry, but I have not been given permission to allow entry..." (Guard)

"Ah, I see. Then I suppose I'll have to trespass." (Captain)

Saying this, I kick open the gate in front of me, dinting it in the center and sending it swinging open, clattering as it hits the wall it was chained to.

The guards now are standing in disbelief as they watch me saunter into the estate, free of any worries.

I continue to walk until I reach the doors, which swing open, revealing an aged man wearing a tailor-made, black suit.

"W-what is the meaning of this?!" (Butler)

"Ah, you're the butler, I assume. I'm here to investigate Baron Vionne." (Captain)

"...! O-On what grounds?!" (Butler)

"On the grounds that I'm free to do what I want." (Captain)

"What...?!" (Butler)

He seems to be shaking in genuine fury at my sudden arrival.

"How can you say you are free to do as you please?! This is not your territory! Leave here at once!" (Captain)

"No. I'm here to investigate the Baron, and I'm going to do so. Move." (Captain)

I grab him by the shoulder and move him aside as I walk into the lobby.

As I walked around the estate, he stayed behind me, constantly bickering and telling me he'd call the guards.

He never did, of course. From how he acted it seemed like he was afraid of following up on his threats.

I even called him on his bluff by telling him to call them, which he never did.

This only spurred on my belief that something is being hidden here, so I search more.

It couldn't have been more than 20 minutes after I arrived that I found the entrance to the cellar.

It was surprisingly well hidden, being behind a painting for some reason.

The atmosphere of the cellar was much different to that of the town, but reminded me of Lopin Street.

As I continued further down the stairs, I noticed that the Butler hadn't followed me down, giving me some nice peace.

This peace, however, didn't last long as when I approached the bottom of the stairs, the echoes of groans could be heard.

These only grew louder as I reached the bottom, and as I lit a torch that was hung on the wall, I could finally see what was happening in the cellar.

Instead of a storage space, small cells were made along the walls, each housing up to 10 people. They couldn't have been more than 2 metres wide.

As I continued down, the pungent smell of iron hits me, and I recognise it as blood.

As I reached the far end of the cellar, a door stood in front of me. An iron door, with a small, closed hatch at the top.

Opening it, I was greeted by the overwhelming smell of blood and rotting flesh in a wide, open room.

A single table stood in the centre, caked in dried blood.

By its side, another, smaller table held a tray, which housed an array of torture instruments, ranging from a saw to a whip.

In the far corner of the room was a pile of bodies, flies swarming around them. They had been dead for days already, some even weeks.

In another corner of the room, the was a small furnace with a branding stick in it, which likely would have been used as the catalyst for the enslavement magic.

One side of the room had chains hanging from the walls, which were probably used to hang slaves so that they could easily reach the torso during torture.

It was a place deviod of humanity, and anyone who stepped in here who had intended to do harm to another likely were people who had a black heart.

But other than that, the room was surprisingly bare for its size.

Instead, I focus my attention on the people in the cells in the other room.

As I looked at the people who were being kept, all of them were severely malnourished.

Their stomachs were sunken in, and you could see the pits between the ribs.

Their cheeks outlined their gums, and their eyes were devoid of life.

Many of them had scars that were lashed across their bodies.

Some were missing fingers, and a few were missing limbs.

And yet, none of them wore the branding symbol.

Not a single one of the slaves here had any indication of the slave mark in them.

Of course, while odd, I figured that it was something of a saving grace that they hadn't been branded.

But I couldn't do anything for all of these people by myself, so I left the cellar and called for one of the guards at the front gate to call for a squad of guards to come to the estate.

He ran off quite quickly, which was likely out of fear of what I might do to him.

He didn't come back as quickly as he ran off however, but he did come back with a large amount of soldiers and guards.

And so, within a few days of me entering the Baron's fief, I managed to take down his slave business.

The people who were being kept had undergone severe mental and physical torture.

Many couldn't stand due to the lack of food they were given, and a few had their tendons cut, so they were unable to use some limbs.

I'm not sure what the King wants to do with the people who were made into slaves, since I'm sure he'd want to compensate them, but it's not something I have to worry about.

It's not like everything is over, but it will be soon. There is still the area where people were being sold, but I likely won't be able to find that, since news that the Baron is being arrested will send many into hiding, and we'll still have to search for the people who have already been sold.

But for now, my job is done. All I need to do now is watch over the recovery of the slaves, and to aid in the arrest of those involved.

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Author Notes
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Yikes, this chapter might seem a little rushed.

I'm literally writing this maybe a few minutes before it gets published. I could not write this chapter at the start. I managed to get myself stuck within the first few lines.

Then, of course, I forced myself to write and came out with this. And, as always, it got much easier to write as I continued, which is how I got 1500 words.

But anyways, I need to hurry up and edit, so thank you for reading, please continue to do so!