Chapter 188: The Auction Resolution, Part 2

I was bracing myself for a long stay in a cold, damp cell, but to my absolute shock, the person who actually showed up to collect me was my father, Agate.

“Wh-what are you doing here...?”

“I am your father, after all.”

My father, a man who was supposed to be drowning in work, had dropped everything to come and get me. Not only that, he’d already wrapped the entire situation up in a neat little bow.

“You’d better make sure to thank Princess Sophia,” he added.

“Huh? What for...?”

“I heard she went to some pretty reckless lengths to save your hide. Honestly, it was a massive headache for me as well.”

Hearing that made me feel like a complete heel. I had no idea Sophia cared that much about me. Is she really that worried? ...Maybe I should send her a thank-you letter or something?

“I’m sorry...”

“Heh, don’t worry about it. You’re my son, through and through.”

He said it with a smirk as he reached out and patted my head. I found out later that my old man had climbed much higher in the political world than I'd realized—high enough to carry some serious weight. I guess the fact that we both don't mind making enemies means the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

The moment he heard I’d been pinched, he apparently went on the warpath. He hit them from every conceivable angle: tax evasion, the illegal capture of Demi-humans, and operating businesses without permits—you name it. They say he produced a mountain of evidence that was so vast, it was hard to believe he’d gathered it all in just a few days.

Then there was Princess Sophia’s influence. I even heard that Teacher Milk had a hand in it; apparently, she’d utilized her old Adventurer connections for all they were worth. After that, the parents of Belk, Meryl, and Carta only had to jump on the bandwagon. Once it was proven that legitimacy was on our side, the authorities started dealing with the power players in the proper, legal manner.

Mind you, this was only enough to get us set free. There was no way these high-and-mighty figures were actually going to end up behind bars over something like this.

However...

“Phew... I’m dead on my feet,” Belk groaned.

“Quit whining,” Meryl snapped. “Though, I guess you have gotten a little stronger.”

The two of them, looking utterly spent, slumped down in the chairs in front of me.

“So,” I asked, “are you two actually for real about this?”

“Yeah,” Belk replied. “I know I can’t change everything, but I’ve gotta do what I can.”

“I always knew deep down that this wasn't right,” Meryl added. “But I was just drifting along with the status quo. I think this was the wake-up call I needed.”

It seems that once they graduate from Noblesse, the two of them plan to push for the total abolition of the slave trade in the Royal Capital. Every country has different laws, and changing even one of them is going to be a nightmare of an ordeal, but their resolve seemed rock-solid.

I happen to know that in the Original Story, the public’s consciousness eventually shifts thanks to Allen’s actions. Still, that doesn't happen until way later in the narrative. The game only ever hinted that slavery might be phased out; the actual outcome was always left vague.

But if it’s Belk and Meryl we’re talking about, maybe they really can make it happen one day.

Well, it’s not like I have anything against a happy ending.