43: Rotten Pig

Rotten Pig

The next morning, Arlan was listening to Rafal's report while having his morning meal. This included not only about the smuggling circle within Selve, but also secret intelligence gathered by the dark forces controlled by Arlan regarding the movements of other kingdoms.  1

Afterwards, he had a meeting with the Duke of Selve in his study.

Maxil Selve went straight to business after greeting the Prince.

"Your Highness, these are the important documents regarding the situation of the merchant vessels. I have been keeping an eye on Finn and his men for a while now as I suspected him of smuggling, but he has always been careful that was why there has been few leads on his illegal actions."

Arlan went through them as he heard the Duke continue, "I had been in communication with Duke Wimark as well because I tracked that a large amount of the smuggled goods pass through the Wimark Territory. Duke Wimark found out later that the destination of these goods were Thevailes. 

"However, he was helpless. It was hard to stop these people despite us tightening the security of the borders. If one smuggling group is purged, it is replaced by a second, a third, and so on. They also take routes unknown to us. I was soon going to report this to the royal palace but as you are here, I believe Your Highness will take care of it."

"In a way that he would not have ever imagined," Arlan commented which showed his dangerous intentions. 

Maxil was well-aware of how Arlan handled problematic matters and it was enough to make a shiver pass through his spine. He was glad that he was loyal to the royal family. Hardly anyone sane dared to go on Arlan's bad side, but of course, there were still those fearless souls who believed they were smart or lucky. 

An urgent knock sounded on the door. Imbert arrived at the study with important news. "Your Highness, the city guards reported seeing Merchant Finn at the northern gate. I believe he plans to escape. Seems like someone had informed him about your arrival here and connected you to Oisin's death in Wimark territory."

Arlan chuckled. "Hunting humans is more interesting than hunting mere deer."

Duke Selve could clearly see that devilish smirk appeared on the Crown Prince's face.

The knight continued, "According to our sources, he disbanded his merchant group about an hour before he was seen at the gate. They must be planning to scatter in smaller groups to take advantage of our lack of manpower."

Maxil commented, "There was heavy rainfall yesterday. If he is not taking the official road, then he cannot go far in such a short span of time due to the mud." He then marked the villages and towns nearest the northern gate of Selve City.

"This Finn has some health issues, doesn't it?" Arlan asked as he was still going through those papers. 

"Yes, Your Highness, his private affairs are on the third to the last page of the document in your hand."

Arlan nodded while the Duke started narrating, "He is a man in his sixties. He cannot travel for long due to fracturing his tail bone on one of his… adventures." The Duke trailed off, his face showing a hint of disgust. 

"Rotten pig," Arlan frowned when he read what those 'adventures' meant. 

"Finn has an infamous reputation within merchants," the Duke explained. "As a tycoon that owns sea vessels, he has businesses in almost every port city in the South, and everytime he visits those branches, he expects young girls who are yet to reach adulthood to serve him every night. However, since he targets poor families or those in heavy debts, no one complains about him since the families receive a hefty price in exchange for their daughters and his actions are not technically against the law.

"It's been rumored he not only spends the night with young girls, he also loves to drink the blood of young virgin girls, believing that it is a panacea that could allow him to live a long, prosperous life. 

"There were worse rumors about his character. No one knew the real reason, but many of the maid servants in his residence chose to end their lives only after a month or two of serving him…"

Thud!

Arlan threw the papers on the table and raised his hand to stop the Duke from speaking further. 

He picked up a quill pen and dipped the feather in the ink, only to write on a blank paper. He passed the note to the Duke of Selve. "Get it ready before I catch that filthy vermin."

Only after Arlan and Imbert left did the Duke read the note in his hand. A line of sweat appeared at the back of his neck. He didn't want to imagine why the Crown Prince gave this order.

-----

In a span of a few minutes, Arlan and his elite knights stormed out of the port city to catch one rotten pig who was not only a traitor to the kingdom, but also someone who does not deserve to die as a human. 

By sundown of the same day, the royal troop led by the Crown Prince could be seen returning towards Selve City, dragging a man on the muddy road. However, they did not return to the Selve Estate nor entered the city, but instead, halted in the forest at the outskirts. 

The captive was a fat man with tangled peppery hair, his entire person in a dirty luxurious robe torn into rags. His hands were bound together in a coarse rope, while his body was tied to a horse.

That pathetic man was precisely Merchant Finn. 

"Has Maxil sent what I requested?" Arlan asked as he dismounted his horse. 

"Yes, Your Highness. The Duke's men would be here any moment. We sent a knight to guide  them here."

Arlan nodded and looked at the fat man lying on the mudd ground unconscious. 

"Wake him up."

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