Chapter 491: What Lies Hidden Underground

You couldn’t see the stars in a big city’s night sky.

On the street, aside from the footsteps of the two of them, it was unusually quiet. Only the occasional sound of horses’ hooves from distant patrols and the long, drifting whistle of the guards could be heard.

“This place...”

But as their steps carried them farther in, Muen frowned slightly at the increasingly shadowed outlines of the surrounding buildings. A sharp light flashed through his eyes as he keenly picked out what was unusual.

“This isn’t the way to a restaurant or an inn, is it?”

“Why would you think I’d take you to a restaurant or an inn?”

Celicia walked ahead. The small parasol spun as she went. Even though they were on a muddy, difficult path, her steps were as steady as a lady out for a spring excursion.

“No... the way you invited me before, anyone would think you were trying to, you know.”

Muen stroked his chin and said this with perfect seriousness.

“‘You know’ what? You can say it directly.”

Celicia’s cold gaze stabbed over:

“I don’t mind, and I won’t get mad.”

“I deeply apologize. I was talking nonsense.”

As always, Muen backed down extremely quickly.

In his opinion, though, this wasn’t backing down—merely a kind of indirect tactical maneuver.

“So where exactly is this place?”

“Can’t you tell yet, Mr. Dark Emperor?”

“No... Your true Highness, maybe don’t call me that, it sounds weird.”

“As you can see.”

Celicia suddenly stopped.

“The sewers.”

Muen froze.

When Celicia stepped aside, the roiling roar of water rushed at him.

A massive, churning flow of water plunged down from countless thick, heavy pipes, pouring into a huge basin over a hundred meters below, then running along the man-made channel, flowing into the distant Gulain River.

Muen had already noticed the sound of water just now, but standing in front of this man-made waterfall, he still felt a measure of shock.

Ordinary people were so small before this colossal construction that it was hard to imagine such a grand creation existing at this world’s level of industrial development.

But remembering this was a fantasy world, he could only, as always, sigh that magic really could do anything.

“This is where the sewer system beneath Belrand converges.”

Celicia stood at the railing, looking down at the enormous waterfall below:

“Countless sewage, rainwater, domestic water, industrial water, all sorts of residue and waste, and even corpses from who knows when, all follow the vast, intricate channels beneath Belrand and gather here. After passing through the massive magic circle below for purification, they flow into the Gulain River and vanish from this world completely, leaving no trace behind.”

“It even has a purification function?”

Muen was shocked.

“Don’t underestimate the Empire, and don’t underestimate Belrand. This is the most flourishing city on the continent.”

Celicia said:

“If it weren’t for these hidden systems supporting it from below, Belrand would long ago have turned into a filthy, plague-ridden chaotic city.”

“That’s true.”

Muen nodded.

With the population density of the Lower District, without specialized treatment, domestic water and sanitation alone would be an enormous problem.

He thought of his previous world—before fully entering modernity, malaria and pollution were problems every major city could hardly resolve.

“It’s not just that. As you can see, Belrand is a city rich in water systems. Three full rivers run through it, and every summer it gets several major rains. These sewers also bear the city’s drainage burden.”

“That part I understand pretty well.”

Muen’s gaze swept over the waterfall-like torrent, and he nodded lightly.

Drainage could be called the main function of most sewer systems in this world; that much wasn’t surprising.

“But I still don’t understand why you brought me here.”

Muen rubbed his chin, puzzled:

“Is touring key public city facilities some new trending date activity? Did I somehow fall behind the times without realizing it?”

“If you want a tour, I can embed you in concrete on top of one of the pipes. That way you can watch to your heart’s content.”

“......”

Muen’s expression froze, and he silently drew his gaze back.

Being embedded in concrete above the pipes was better left alone. If possible, he’d much rather be embedded against a beautiful girl’s black-stockinged long legs.

“The reason I brought you here is actually very simple.”

Celicia walked along the platform and into one of the pipes. Her cool voice began to echo inside, layered strangely by the tunnel.

“The Inner Council.”

She let those three words fall lightly.

“The Inner Council?”

Muen’s eyes narrowed:

“You mean the Inner Council’s base is in the sewers?”

“......”

Celicia lifted a hand and rubbed her forehead lightly.

Her face didn’t change, but Muen could read her thought clearly enough: if this guy’s brain were as big as an apple seed, she wouldn’t have to work this hard.

“The Inner Council consists of a portion of the Empire’s nobles, including not a few top-level great nobles. Do you think that kind of ‘lords’—who lose their temper if so much as a speck of mud gets on them—would put their base in a place like the sewers?”

“...Fair point.”

“The Inner Council’s lair still isn’t easy to pin down. But we can follow things related to them and trace out a clue or two.”

Celicia suddenly stopped, turned back, and met Muen’s gaze.

“For example... the black market.”

“The black market?”

Muen’s pupils shrank. Certain less-than-pleasant memories surfaced, making his emotions sway slightly.

Elizabeth gave a soft hum at his side. Muen touched that chill and soon calmed down again.

“Women?”

Celicia said suddenly.

“...No, this is really strange—why do you always jump straight to the word ‘women,’ Celicia? Do I look like the kind of scum whose only entanglements are with women?”

“Yes, or no.”

“...Yes.”

Celicia let out a faint cold snort through her nose.

Fortunately, she seemed to notice that Muen’s expression this time was a little different than usual, so she didn’t press. Instead, she kept walking forward.

The light spell Muen cast illuminated the dark tunnel ahead of her.

And beneath Celicia’s feet, every place her deerskin boots stepped was instantly covered with an uneven layer of ice. All mud and filth were frozen inside it. Following behind her, Muen didn’t even get his soles dirty.

“Back when this sewer system was being built, massive caverns were dug out beneath all of Belrand. Even now, after construction is complete, those caverns still exist and have become the true places of darkness beneath this city.”

“So the black markets exist in those caverns?”

Muen tossed the words out casually—then his thoughts drifted back. The black market he had gone to before had indeed been inside a huge underground cavern.

“Exactly. Not just the black markets. Many things that can’t see the light of day are naturally hidden in places where sunlight never reaches. Belrand’s dark side can be taken as a literal description.”

Celicia went on:

“However, that dark side has already been cleared out quite a bit over the last few upheavals.”

“Upheavals?”

“For instance, your coming-of-age ceremony—the time I was assassinated.”

“......”

Muen shrank his neck, feeling like he had just stepped on something sensitive.

Celicia, however, didn’t seem the least affected.

“After that assassination attempt, Father sent the Royal Knights to carry out a series of purges in the Lower District. Of course, it’s impossible for a city this massive to have all its darkness wiped out in a single sweep.”

“So Father later used the Silent Moon incident as a pretext and launched a second wave.”

Muen: “......”

“In any case, after those two purges, plus you—Mr. Bruce—taking control of most of the Lower District gangs and cutting off part of the smuggling routes, these underground dark trading markets, no matter which big figure is backing them, are, for the most part, already forced to close. At least temporarily.”

“So... what we need to pay attention to now is the black markets that haven’t closed yet?”

Muen rubbed his chin, thinking aloud.

“No.”

Celicia countered:

“On the contrary, what we need to pay attention to are the black markets that already have closed.”

“Hm? Why?”

Muen didn’t understand.

“It’s simple. A black market can never truly close. At most, it changes locations or forms. A city this big will always have needs that can’t stand the light of day. The upper echelons do carry out periodic cleanups, but most of the time they just turn a blind eye.”

“But...”

Celicia’s tone grew slightly heavier:

“If a site that used to function as a black market has supposedly been shut down, yet supplies are still being pumped into it continuously... then what do you think that means?”

“This...”

Muen blanked, then his expression suddenly darkened.

“There’s something even more unspeakable than a black market inside it?”

“Exactly. Something even more unspeakable. In this city, the two largest power blocs are nothing more than the royal family and the great nobles. So if even I, a princess of the royal family, don’t know what these unspeakable things are, then they can only belong to the other side.”

“And it’s not likely just one of them, but several.”

Celicia stopped. This time she didn’t turn back. Instead, she slowly folded the parasol and pointed upward with its tip.

“We’re here.”

“Here?”

“Mm. Above us is a food processing factory. While researching the cakes they produce, I happened to discover something off.”

“Oh... huh? Wait, Your Highness, why would you personally research the cakes of a food processing factory? That doesn’t sound at all—”

“Shut up.”

“Oh.”

“During that research, I noticed that the amount of goods they brought in didn’t match at all with the quantity of things they produced. Even their supply channels were odd. There are some sources I can’t trace, even with my reach.”

“I see. That definitely doesn’t sound like an ordinary food processing factory.”

Unable to speak, Muen could only express this with his eyes.

Celicia, in turn, used her eyes to tell him to keep his mouth shut, then continued:

“Unfortunately, after that I was put under house arrest by Father and never got the chance to investigate further.”

“Until a few days ago, when you came to me. I had Veil dig through the Royal Library for the blueprints of Belrand’s sewer construction and cross-reference them with the internal records of the Royal Knights. Only then did «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» I find that directly beneath this factory...”

Celicia flipped the parasol upside down and drove the tip hard into the ground.

“Is a former black-market site that was purged and completely abandoned.”