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As soon as Gilbert heard the news that he had obtained information from the wild rose, he immediately flew to Obitus. Since he had already received an outing permit from Briana, there was no problem.

Upon arriving at Obitus, Gilbert headed straight for the wild rose. Curious about how much information had been gathered about the Slaves, his steps naturally quickened.

Familiar with the back alleys, Gilbert arrived at the wild rose and was able to meet the manager who greeted him.

“Welcome, Lord Gilbert.”

“Enough with the greetings. Did you get their information?”

“To get straight to the point… Yes, we did.”

It was indeed the information-gathering prowess of the wild rose. Even the Princess’s direct intelligence unit took considerable time to gather information, but the fact that the wild rose got it first proved their high level of capability.

Although the Princess’s direct intelligence unit does not represent the entire Empire, the intelligence unit of the First Princess, considered the highest power, was superior to that of most minor kingdoms.

Yet, a mere information guild obtained information faster than the Princess’s intelligence unit, showing just how capable they were.

“I sense some uncertainty in your words.”

“It’s not complete information. To our pride, obtaining information about the Slaves was quite tricky. It felt as if someone already knew and had erased the information beforehand.”

“Are you saying they’ve already noticed our movements?”

“We can’t confirm that. Our work is always based on accurate information. Speculative remarks don’t suit an information merchant.”

Gilbert nodded at the manager’s calm words and sank into thought.

Most information guilds try to avoid speculative remarks. Their job is to handle information, and speculative remarks are like theories derived from listing information without factual basis.

Naturally, unverified theories cannot be trusted, and in an information guild where reliability and accuracy are paramount, a wrong speculative remark can leave a fatal flaw.

Yet, the manager’s remark to Gilbert implied there was some evidence, albeit weak, and that the information fee would be adjusted accordingly.

Gilbert understood the manager’s words precisely and took out his purse.

“I will judge and take responsibility for everything. Tell me everything you know.”

“I expected you to say that. The information fee is 70 gold.”

Gilbert’s eyebrows twitched.

The fee was twice what he had anticipated. Including the initial 30 gold deposit, it amounted to over 100 gold, a significant sum.

Gilbert took out an additional purse containing 30 gold from his pocket.

“Confirmation complete.”

After verifying the 70 gold, the manager bowed and handed him a bundle of documents.

The papers were treated with a special magic that would burn immediately if touched by an unauthorized person.

“The details are in here. The Slaves operate in a cell structure but are divided into systems. There’s a central headquarters, seven branches receiving orders from the central branch, and numerous slave traders organized in a cell structure under them.”

The information about the Slaves from the manager matched what Gilbert already knew.

The existence of a central headquarters, seven subordinate branches, and numerous slave traders organized in a cell structure beneath them.

While capturing all the slave traders in the cell structure was physically impossible, simultaneously annihilating the central headquarters and the seven branches was not impossible if their locations could be pinpointed.

Gilbert’s plan was to surround and annihilate these eight locations simultaneously. While it would be ideal to eliminate all human traffickers, it was unrealistic due to information leaks and manpower limitations.

However, taking out the leadership would make it difficult for them to continue human trafficking openly. Strengthening city security afterward would gradually reduce their numbers.

Gilbert focused on a realistic and effective approach, which Princess Seraphina also supported. If the locations could be confirmed, the main scenario could be cleared without issues.

However, one thing the manager said bothered Gilbert.

“Is information leaking to them?”

“It’s not certain. That’s why the information fee was set lower than usual. It’s up to you to believe, but the accuracy is honestly below 70%.”

It was a subtle number. If it was around 70%, it meant the possibility was quite real.

And since they had connections with the Empire’s power structure, the likelihood of the manager’s words being true was practically 90%.

Even if not, Gilbert, who always prepared for the worst, couldn’t easily dismiss the manager’s words.

“Numerically, it’s 70%, but it could be higher.”

“That’s why we stopped the investigation. Digging deeper might have raised unnecessary suspicions. We don’t know the Slaves’ purpose, but it doesn’t seem like they’re just making money from human trafficking. The scale is too large for that.”

It was an unusual opinion from the manager.

Information merchants only sell accurate information and don’t analyze it, especially at the wild rose, where this tendency is more pronounced.

Gilbert, knowing this well, looked at the manager with a puzzled expression.

“Take my opinion as a bonus, from one Swat player to another.”

Gilbert understood then.

Duelists who share a duel often become friends.

***

Returning with the information from the manager, Gilbert holed up in his lodging. The volume of information was substantial, so just reading it would take considerable time.

Sitting quietly at his desk, Gilbert spent hours reading the bundle of papers.

Finally finishing, he exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair.

His neck was stiff from sitting still for so long. He massaged his neck and reorganized the information.

At least nothing seemed drastically off.

The third branch was confirmed to be in the location he knew. Even the wild rose couldn’t infiltrate deeply, only confirming the periphery, but it mostly matched what Gilbert knew.

This increased the credibility of the information from the wild rose.

The Slaves’ central headquarters was in a surprisingly unexpected location for Gilbert.

In a way, it was bold, or perhaps a clever move.

The Slaves’ central headquarters was in the heart of the Infractus Empire.

It was in Byzantium, the Empire’s capital.

Reading this, Gilbert couldn’t help but slap his forehead.

An old saying came to mind: there’s no such thing as a wrong saying, and this was exactly that situation.

Who would have thought they’d hide a human trafficking organization in the Empire’s heart?

Thinking about it, to maintain close relations with the Empire’s power structure, being near the powerholders made sense. Regularly bribing and supplying slaves, they needed to strengthen ties with central nobles, and the capital, filled with political heavyweights, was the perfect place.

Of course, theoretically, Byzantium was ideal, but it defied common sense to hide a human trafficking operation in the Empire’s capital, where it was strictly prohibited.

Yet, they did it so calmly, hiding in plain sight.

Gilbert found himself oddly convinced.

It’s common in novels, isn’t it? A trusted ally turning out to be the mastermind or the final boss sealed in an unexpected place.

Anyway, Gilbert tucked the bundle of papers into his coat and hurried to find Seraphina. Now that their locations were found, further investigation was her responsibility.

Especially since the Empire’s capital was within her reach, the truth of this information could be quickly determined.

Arriving at Seraphina’s, Gilbert exchanged brief greetings and handed over the papers, not forgetting to request magical authorization for her to view them.

As Seraphina quickly skimmed the information over a cup of tea, her expression momentarily twisted. She must have reached the part about the Slaves’ central headquarters being in the Empire’s capital.

“These insolent scoundrels…!”

In an instant, Seraphina’s aura flared, her killing intent palpable. The powerful knight’s energy was so intense that servants passing by her office shivered from an inexplicable chill.

“Priest. Is this true?”

“It’s information obtained from the wild rose, so it’s quite reliable. Cross-referencing with your intelligence unit should quickly confirm it.”

“That’s the bigger problem. If this is true, I’ll have to overhaul the entire intelligence unit.”

For the usually composed Princess Seraphina, this was quite a radical statement.

Indeed, for Seraphina, who prided herself on having the best intelligence unit, this was a significant shock.

While it’s difficult to grasp all criminal organizations in the Empire, the Slaves were a massive organization, rivaling even large guilds.

Such a criminal organization hiding in the Empire’s heart without detection was a blow to Seraphina’s pride.

Gilbert quietly wished the intelligence unit well.

“This is all due to my lack of virtue. Had I been more astute, such parasites wouldn’t have infested the Empire.”

“Your Highness.”

“Enough. I won’t allow your words. This is my time to confess my sins.”

Seraphina raised a hand to stop Gilbert. Strict with everyone, including herself, she made no exceptions.

“I have abandoned what I should have borne. I have tarnished the mission to protect the people and uphold the Empire’s glory. It’s unbearably shameful that such vermin breathe in the Empire’s deepest heart.”

Seraphina’s eyes began to burn with fury. If a member of the Slaves were before her, she would have torn them apart on the spot.

Gilbert could attest he had never seen Seraphina this angry. The Slaves hiding in Byzantium had clearly struck a nerve.

“Gilbert.”

“Your command.”

“I will personally verify if the scoundrels are hiding in Byzantium. You, gather the cadets and form a special forces unit immediately. They must be ready to deploy at any moment. But not a word of this operation must leak. If it does, I will hold you accountable.”

“Your Majesty’s command is received by your humble servant, Gilbert.”

Gilbert knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

In his mind, the faces of those selected for the special forces unit flashed by.

 

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