After The Heroine Vanished

5: THE UNHINGED DUO

DIETHER, plagued by his conscience, ran after the young miss– who was dragged away by his father's personal knights– and asked her about Sonata Florin's urgent situation.

["May I know what happened to Lady Florin, Miss?"]

["Of course, Commander Hexford. Actually, Nata went undercover to catch a group of dangerous slave traders. She's posing as a 'flower' in the Carnation Pavilion."]

He knew 'flower' was a euphemism for 'prostitute.'

But he didn't know what the Carnation Pavilion was.

Fortunately, the young miss explained without him having to ask.

["There are five pavilions in the Red-light District. We call it 'pavilions,' but it's pretty similar to how higher nobles have their own territories. Anyway, our pavilion is called the 'Marigold Pavilion,' and our 'matriarch' is Madam Margo. We are the richest and the safest pavilion, thanks to Nata. But the Carnation Pavilion is the opposite– it's the poorest and the most dangerous place in the district."]

["And Lady Florin is headed there alone to deal with the slave traders?"]

["What else could we do? The royal knights don't care about the Red-light District. Before Nata came to the district, we had to pay mercenaries for our protection."]

He couldn't say anything to defend the royal knights, so he just changed the topic.

["Miss, tell me more about Lady Florin's undercover mission and where to find her."]

And that was how Diether ended up in the Carnation Pavilion.

The streets in that area were practically empty, except for some junkies who looked too high to even recognize the commander of the Avari Holy Knights.

Fortunately, the 'pavilion' was easy to find since it was just a big yet rundown restaurant.

There were some small-fry mercenaries who tried to stop him. But they were knocked out easily by his Aura alone.

He didn't need to pull out his Holy Sword at all.

A Swordmaster like him could use his Aura like a weapon since it could suffocate people weaker than him.

He was fully prepared to do the same thing to the slave traders inside.

But he kind of panicked when he saw a man holding Sonata Florin's hand.

He was also surprised that he recognized her right away even though she dyed her hair black. But he was even more surprised when his body moved on its own. Before he knew it, he was already holding Sonata Florin's wrist while glaring at the slave trader.

"How dare you touch my fiancée?"

First of all, he was just as surprised as Sonata Florin because of what he said.

[Why did I call her my fiancée? Is it because I'm looking for a justification for coming to her rescue? I mean, I do feel guilty that my father abandoned Lady Florin just because I broke off our engagement.]

The slave trader let go of Sonata's hand, then he raised his hands in surrender. "Commander Hexford, I don't know why you're here. But aren't you going to get in trouble if people find out that the commander of the Avari Holy Knights stepped foot in the Red-light District?"

Diether flinched because he remembered the 'Oath of Purity' as a Holy Knight.

That meant Holy Knights weren't supposed to engage in any sexual activities until marriage.