The Mind-Reading Mate: Why Is the Lycan King So Obsessed With Me?!-Chapter 477: A Pawn’s Final Act (II)

That was why Lazarus didn’t want to kill them blindly. Besides, if Edmund did that, he would probably get into trouble in the future, especially with the Emperor of Vellmoria.

"No," Edmund replied coldly. His voice was so calm, it sent chills down Lazarus’s spine. "I just want them to open their eyes," Edmund continued. "I want them to realize the truth."

He looked at the Count’s corpse without a hint of pity. "The man they’re mourning right now is nothing but trash," Edmund said. "The true monster... is the one they should be afraid of."

If his wife were here, it would be easier to determine who was innocent and who had a rotten heart. But since he had to do it alone, he would imprison them instead.

"Your Majesty, we should check the secret passage the Count hid inside that warehouse," Salem said.

Edmund didn’t even notice when the honey badger slipped out of his coat pocket and shifted into his human form. Luckily, Salem managed to find clean clothes from one of the workers, so he didn’t end up standing there naked.

"Lead the way," Edmund said to Salem.

However, before he walked any further, he signaled his soldiers to gather the factory workers in one place and tie them up.

Lazarus, on the other hand, remained frozen in place. His eyes moved around the factory, then lifted to the dark dome above them, full of disbelief.

He truly hadn’t expected his son-in-law to carry this kind of magic within him. Lazarus had always known that Edmund was strong, but he had never been able to guess just how far the limits of his power went.

Fortunately, Edmund had a great moral compass. Otherwise, he could have captured Primrose so easily, and Lazarus wouldn’t have been able to stop him.

Lazarus quickly shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. After all, it was better not to think about something that had never happened.

"Father," Edmund called, pulling Lazarus out of his thoughts. "Are you coming? Or do you want to wait here?"

"I’m coming! I’m coming!" Lazarus said quickly, shaking his head once more before he finally followed Edmund and Salem toward the other warehouse.

Unlike the previous warehouse, this one looked normal. There was nothing suspicious like explosives or anything dangerous, but there was something that shouldn’t have been there.

There were several trolleys filled with food trays, something Salem had noticed earlier.

"I don’t know if this is really the right place," Salem said slowly, "but... I can feel it."

Edmund stepped into the warehouse, then moved the stacked crates that were covering a metal door behind them.

The door looked slightly rusty, and it was locked. Edmund was about to look for a key, but Salem casually held one up.

"I stole it from the guard earlier," Salem said, almost proudly.

Then he put the key into the lock and turned it. "Let’s see what they’ve been hiding in here," Salem said quietly. "Honestly... I hope we’re wrong."

Edmund hoped so too. He would rather find a bunch of illegal explosives than captive children, but he knew the Count of Veloria wouldn’t kill himself over explosives alone.

When Salem opened the door, they were greeted by stairs leading downward. The corridor was very dark, but several torches were lit along the walls.

"Father, you can wait here," Edmund said. "Whatever is waiting down there won’t be anything good."

"What? Wait here? No way! If the Count of Veloria truly captured a bunch of children here, then I have to see it too!" Lazarus said firmly. "After all, it’s also my fault for not discovering this sooner."

Lazarus lived so close to Veloria County, and yet he knew nothing about this. Besides blaming the King of Azmeria for allowing something like this to happen under his watch, Lazarus also blamed himself.

"Alright, but stay close," Edmund warned him. "We don’t know what we’re going to find down there."

Lazarus nodded immediately, then followed Edmund closely. He couldn’t see in the dark—unlike the beasts—so he had to hold onto Edmund’s coat.

Edmund found it a little funny, because Lazarus could have simply held his arm, but since that would be too awkward, he chose to grab onto something else instead. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But he didn’t think about that funny thing for long, because as they went further down, Edmund faintly heard voices that sounded like whispers.

"Do you think they’ll give us more food?"

"I don’t think so. We usually only eat once a day."

"Could it be... the masters?"

The moment they reached the bottom of the stairs, Edmund couldn’t breathe for a moment, because what he witnessed in front of him was worse than what he had imagined.

The underground area was filled with a few cages, and each of those cages held at least five children.

Some of them looked older than ten, while others were under ten. Surprisingly, they looked clean, but not too clean either, probably because there were people who took them to bathe every day.

They were wearing the same clothes—gray outfits—and had the same haircut. The boys’ hair was cut short and neatly, while the girls’ hair was cut to shoulder length, all identical, as if they weren’t allowed to have any individuality at all.

"What the hell... is this?" Lazarus whispered to himself when Edmund was too stunned to speak.

The children noticed them, and the moment they saw Edmund, they immediately stepped back. They moved like frightened mice, shrinking away as if a predator had entered their cage.

"That bastard," Salem muttered under his breath. "I shouldn’t have let him kill himself, so I could have killed him with my own hands."

His eyes were burning red with fury. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking the moment he saw what was happening in front of him.

"Salem. Get out," Edmund ordered. "Tell the soldiers to come here and wait outside."

"What?" Salem snapped his head toward him, staring in disbelief. "Why are you suddenly sending me away?!"

Edmund took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. Then he spoke slowly and patiently. "Because..." His voice softened. "If this is too close to your past, you’ll end up feeling sick, and you won’t be able to help them get out of here."

"So wait outside," he said firmly. "Let the others handle this."