Chapter 40: The Fortress in the Desert

I tailed them discreetly.

Even without professional spy skills, it wasn’t hard.

Their destination is obvious.

Where else would they go the moment they clocked out?

They’d blow money in the pleasure district like always.

They’d done it every day for the past few days, so today would be no different.

Sure enough, they headed straight for the bustling district.

Despite it being the way home from work, their steps were suspiciously excited.

And the conversation I overheard while sticking close was spectacular.

“Man, I wish every day was like this. When else will we live the dream?”

“Kekeke! All thanks to that idiot administrator and the governor. Do they even know who we are and still hired us as security?”

“Never thought laundering our identities would be this easy. Kekekeke!”

Hozein’s face instantly crumpled.

All administrators had gone through my interviews, but not the security force—there were simply too many.

So the responsibility for hiring them fell entirely on the administrator.

“Shh. Calm down.”

I placed a hand on Hozein’s fuming shoulder and whispered.

We couldn’t be discovered yet.

I need to find the source of the money.

They had been spending like water for days.

There had to be someone paying them in the middle.

Two silons a month couldn’t get you into any pleasure house.

As expected, the three security men met someone in a dark alley corner.

And at that exact moment—

Hozein’s eyes nearly popped out.

“T-that man!”

“You know him?”

“Yes. John Brooks. A notorious war merchant. Made a fortune trading with the Empire.”

“A Delriat native?”

“He’s treated as a traitor just like me.”

“But he can still walk around freely.”

“Of course. I do too, don’t I?”

“Ah.”

I nodded deeply.

Nationalism barely existed in this world.

For commoners and below, it didn’t matter who ruled.

Lately, favor toward the Empire had actually increased—thanks to my excellent governance.

Another self-praise, but it’s true, so what can I do?

Because of that, traitors had more room to maneuver.

Public opinion even saw them as having “chosen wisely.”

Of course, only among the lower classes.

Anyway, the important thing right now was the relationship between John Brooks and the security men.

“But why would he fund security members?”

“He must be paying them for some job. That’s the most logical guess.”

“Let’s keep following for now. We’ll find evidence eventually.”

“Phew… yes.”

Hozein let out a long sigh.

His worried face was full of complex emotions.

He was already swamped—now this mess too. How stressful must it be?

I understood, but we couldn’t stop.

I have to uncover what these bastards are doing. They reek of crime.

Letting a stench like this slide?

Impossible for the Empire’s highest judge.

Soon the security men, now loaded with cash, headed somewhere.

Right into the heart of the pleasure district, to the flashiest building.

Of course, even that was barely better than the old governor’s residence.

“Shall we raid the place?”

Hozein’s eyes sparkled like he was a spy.

But I shook my head.

“Let’s watch for now. Who they meet is more important than them spending dirty money.”

“Yes, sir.”

I bought a few drinks from a nearby shop.

Served in big wooden cups—highly suspicious.

The thick fruity smell made it impossible to tell what it was made of.

I grimaced, and Hozein burst out laughing.

“It’s traditional Delriat fruit wine. The trick is to throw in anything decent. That’s why the taste changes every season.”

“I’d believe you if you said it was vinegar.”

“It basically turns into that if you leave it too long.”

We stood in the alley pretending to drink.

Only pretending, of course.

We were spying; we couldn’t actually get drunk.

I looked every bit the local drunk, even wearing the wide-brimmed hat Delriat people favored.

No one would suspect a thing.

After standing there for quite a while, the three finally stumbled out, flushed red.

Where to now?

They tossed gold coins at the escorts trailing them.

Then began tottering off somewhere.

But their direction was suspicious.

“Why are they leaving the city? There are no houses that way.”

Delriat’s districts were fairly well-divided.

Inside the city was a mess from the war, but outside was a different story.

Jumping scorpions, sudden death worms, unpredictable desert weather.

The moment you left the city, countless dangers awaited.

Sleep outside and you’d likely be found as a corpse.

“Keep following.”

“Yes.”

We returned the cups and hurried after them.

We were practically tailing openly, yet they never noticed.

They must have drunk a lot.

Soon they reached a secluded spot outside the city.

The dark desert at night was extremely hard to navigate.

But they walked with practiced, if drunken, steps.

I held back Hozein, who kept trying to rush ahead, and widened the gap.

“Slow down from here. There’s no one else; we’ll get caught.”

“Sorry. I was impatient.”

He had hired weirdos by mistake—naturally he wanted to fix it.

I patted his back understandingly.

Then focused ahead.

Finally, something changed.

The security men no longer looked drunk.

They were even scanning their surroundings.

Hup!

If we hadn’t ducked behind a large rock, we’d have been spotted.

Once they thought it was safe, they lit torches.

Soon a group approached in the light.

Clop, clop!

A man on horseback and two wagons.

Anyone would find them suspicious.

“Goods ready?”

“Of course. We’ll get them now.”

“Load them quick.”

“Yes, sir.”

The security men began digging in the sand.

A wide trapdoor appeared.

Whoa! They hid it there?

A perfect camouflage.

The desert terrain changed constantly—sand dunes moved with the wind.

Building a hidden underground chamber here? These guys were impressive.

I was genuinely amazed.

Then something even more shocking.

“Aren’t those… people?”

I asked in the lowest voice possible.

Hozein nodded heavily.

He had seen the people boarding the wagons too.

And at that moment—

Flicker!

The face of the mounted man briefly lit by the torch.

Huh? I’ve seen that guy before.

Even a glimpse sent deep disgust surging inside me.

I tilted my head, then instantly realized.

Skyler’s personal attendant! That bastard!

I had only seen him once at the corrections headquarters entrance, but I remembered clearly.

The rage from that day was still vivid.

I had barely restrained myself from beating him to death.

I turned back with a smile.

“Administrator.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Go back quietly. Then, at dawn tomorrow, arrest John Brooks and those security men.”

“I organized the security force, but I don’t have arrest authority.”

“What’s the problem? It’s the governor’s order.”

“Ah!”

Because I had divided authority, Hozein could only handle administration.

The old security force hadn’t even existed, so he had temporarily taken charge.

It was a rough separation of powers.

But in Delriat, there was one person with absolute authority.

Me, the governor-general.

Administrator, security force, judiciary—everyone had to obey if I said so.

Realizing this at last, Hozein nodded with a grim face.

Then slipped away as quietly as possible.

I stared at Skyler’s attendant.

Once a dog, always a dog. I knew you wouldn’t stop.

Did I really think Skyler would quit human trafficking after one trial?

No way.

“Move out!”

Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop!

Chasing the galloping wagons was grueling.

But I didn’t complain once.

This time I’ll bring down the hammer of justice.

It was the perfect chance to crush Skyler Sierre.

Any hardship was worth it.

But why just follow instead of attacking now?

They can still talk their way out.

The people who came out of the trapdoor boarded the wagons willingly.

Meaning they didn’t even know they were being sold.

They’d only realize when they arrived and were treated harshly.

The reasoning was simple.

If people suddenly vanished, someone would report it to security.

Three collaborating officers couldn’t completely hide the truth.

But if they left saying they found good jobs?

Even their families might not report it.

To be thorough, they probably sent money home in the victims’ names.

Then everyone would really think they were living well.

“Damn, how far are we going? I’m dying here.”

We had followed the wagon tracks for nearly half a day.

The speed was insane—I had to keep Beast’s Heart activated.

Still, exhaustion was inevitable.

Feels like running two or three marathons back-to-back.

Just when I felt my limit approaching,

the wagons finally slowed.

A fortress built in a secluded mountain hollow.

It looked abandoned from the outside, but surprisingly many people were there.

The clearing was packed with wagons from all over.

“Alright! New arrivals, line up and move inside!”

“Write your name and address so we can send money home!”

Just listening to the guides, it really sounded like legitimate employment.

But the suspicious points were endless.

What kind of work happens in a remote fortress like this?

And every person getting off the wagons was strikingly beautiful.

Mostly lower-class.

You could tell from their shabby clothes.

But something felt off.

Skyler used to target noble ladies.

He must have scaled back after the last incident.

Then, after the clearing emptied,

someone was dragged off last.

Bound tightly with rope, looking utterly worn.

Clearly a noble—the dress shape was completely different from commoners, even if dirty.

There it is. A leopard can’t change its spots.

I smiled triumphantly and drew my iron gavel.

Shall I start by cracking that annoying attendant’s skull?

It’s a citizen’s arrest—surely that much is allowed.