Chapter 115
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
Despite his words, Kartho seemed unconcerned about her safety. Understandably, his loyalty was solely to the Duke, but it still felt somewhat hurtful.
“With the wedding tomorrow, this could have been disastrous. If the dog had bitten your face… it’s horrifying to think about.”
Dell shivered at the thought. She mentioned fetching a doctor just in case and quickly left the room.
But is the Duke safe going there alone with just the guards?
Even with the guards, the dogfighting ring… especially if it’s illegal, would be filled with people who don’t abide by the law.
Now that she was calm, she revisited the incident, several oddities stood out.
Emilia hesitated but then pulled the rope to summon a maid.
“Please call the butler. I need to speak with him.”
“Yes, Madam. Is it urgent?”
“Very.”
The maid bowed and swiftly disappeared. The butler arrived even before Dell returned.
“Madam, I was told you have something urgent to discuss.”
“Please, come in.”
Kartho stepped into the room.
“The dogfighting ring the Duke went to seems to be illegally operated. It’s called Epoheim, and I have a bad feeling about it…”
“Didn’t you say he went with the guards?”
“Yes, but thinking back, it’s strange. Even if the dog escaped, wouldn’t an illegal dog fighting ring be quite far from Epfora Park?”
“…I’ll send some knights immediately. You said the place is called Epoheim?”
“The dog’s collar had Epoheim written on it. I didn’t hear the exact location, but I suspect it might be in the Delphora district.”
“Why do you think that?”
“There’s an old saying that the three elements leading people to ruin are alcohol, gambling, and women. And Delphora’s backstreets are known for having all those, right?”
“…A very reasonable suspicion.”
“And if it’s illegally operated, they’d need to stay hidden. Why would a dog from such a place be running loose during the day? And the man who got caught quickly spilled the details about the illegal ring. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”
“I’ll send the knights immediately.”
Emilia nodded.
Moreover, the dog seemed to have come from somewhere not too far. It wasn’t drenched in sweat, and its breathing wasn’t particularly labored.
‘Perhaps this might be related to the royal family.’
If not, then there might be some clandestine dealings going on. Either way, the stench of corruption was unmistakable.
* * *
The nauseating smell made Mikhail’s brow furrow deeply.
“This is quite a sight.”
Dogs confined in cages barked ferociously at the unfamiliar visitors, as if issuing a warning.
“They’ve set up such a large operation here and no one knows? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
“Well, yes, sir. Given that these places operate illegally, there are limits to how much we can find out.”
“So you’re going to blame it on manpower?”
“As you know, sir, with the sudden increase in crimes, our men have been run ragged, responding to incidents without a moment’s rest. We haven’t been able to fully bolster our ranks yet.”
The guards offered their excuses. Mikhail surveyed the rows of cages, then slammed his cane into the ground.
“You’re telling me no one noticed the stench of this place?”
“……”
“They didn’t just set up shop openly; they drugged the dogs, too. One of those crazed dogs attacked people.”
“I apologize. There is no excuse.”
“Am I supposed to believe you didn’t know about an operation of this scale? Explain yourself.”
“….We swear by the heavens, we truly didn’t know. We’ll handle this immediately.”
“Bring me the owner. Oh, right, he can’t talk.”
Mikhail glanced at the man sprawled on the floor. The man was still drooling, his throat having been struck earlier.
His thrashing looked eerily similar to the drugged dogs.
Mikhail looked at the muzzled dog. Its eyes had regained focus.
“Sit.”
The dog immediately sat, wagging its tail gently.
“I almost had to put down such a pretty dog.”
Despite his words, if the dog had bitten Emilia, Mikhail might have torn the dog apart on the spot.
The guards swiftly began searching the dogfighting ring. Mikhail scrutinized the caged dogs with a frown.
“No wonder they’re losing their minds, cooped up in a place like this. It’s not just the d***s. I can’t believe there are still people doing such vile things.”
Human cruelty knows no bounds, indeed.
Mikhail walked over to the man being dragged by the guards. The sharp sound of his polished shoes squelching through the muddy ground echoed through the area.
The sloshing sound mingled with the drip of water from the ceiling and the whimpering of the dogs, which sounded like cries for mercy.
Standing in front of the owner of the dogfighting ring, Mikhail pressed his cane into the man’s thigh.
“It’s astounding that barbarians like you still exist. It’s a disgrace. How can you even show your face in public?”
He wondered just how far Bartsch had fallen. When his grandfather ruled, it was never this bad.
At least back then, people worse than animals didn’t openly flaunt their depravity.
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