Sylvie Marti 58 Elysée Avenue, wanting to say something to her superior but, after deliberating, decided to keep this secret.

  Charlot Meburg did not want ao know about their previous e, aher did she.

  In society, a young woman who had once been engaged would iably face prejudice—this was an undeniable reality.

  Silently surprised, she mused to herself, "How did Charlot suddenly ge? And what’s going oween him and Miss Annie? Could it be… love is truly inspiring? To think that sdrel, rotten as he was, actually mao meet such a good girl like Annie."

  "If I hadn’t broken off the e back then…"

  Sylvie shivered at the thought. Her memories of Charlot were too vivid, and frankly, too awful. Though Charlot had ged signifitly, she still could not accept him.

  After all, Sylvie had onessed, with her own eyes, her former fiancé being chased naked dowreet by a furious husband wielding a sword.

  That revolting se still made Sylvie Martin feel as though her eyes needed sing.

  Venie Arsenault suddenly remarked, "What a pity. If I had known about this a few days earlier and intervened, I might have recruited an excelleive. But I heard that his superior, that formidable young dy, stepped in and resolved the matter. He’s probably on a meteoric rise now and will never return to detective work."

  Only then did Sylvie Martin realize that her superior had once sidered bringing Charlot Meburg into the fold.

  Meanwhile, Charlot had sent off the three dies and hired a carriage to head to Machubi. He had a responsibility to those adventurers. Their supplies were limited, and if they could not find a way out soon, they would be starving within days.

  On the way, Charlot attempted the Knightly Breathing Teiques again, only to taste failure once more. Sighing, he gave up for the moment.

  Sheffield Uy rotected by the Lady of the Bck Moon. Its knightly trainihods, the Dark Breathing Teique and the advanced Beditation, were some of the most esteemed teiques of the Old ti. Menielman Soumet had achieved her Transdence using this method.

  Failing once again did not upset Charlot too much—this was not his first failure, after all.

  Before leaving the city, Charlot had the carriage detour briefly to the Marne District, where he returo Kilmainham Prison.

  Although he would not officially return to work for three more days, Charlot wao take a walk through his former workpce.

  As the saying goes: “To return home without glory is like wearing embrarments at night.”

  He was curious about the current state of Warden Magru Trell.

  "I’ll just take a quick look. It won’t take much time," he reasoned.

  When Charlot identified himself at the prison gate, the guards looked at him differently, their expressions unusually respectful. Onside, he first visited Mrs. Pascal, the receptioary. The scars on her face had not fully healed, and her movements were still a bit stiff, but she looked radiant and in good spirits. She greeted Charlot with heartfelt enthusiasm.

  After exging pleasantries, Charlot excused himself. He found the Warden’s office empty. Magru Trell had been dismissed, and a new warden had yet to take office. Charlot khe former warden, who had fallen from grace, was now in one of the cells. He had no i in seeing him.

  Let Magru Trell stew for a bit longer, Charlot thought. If I visit now, I might just get cursed out. Give it a few days, and his temper will likely improve.

  As he was about to revisit his old office—likely for the st time—Charlot uedly ran into someone.

  A middle-aged prison guard with a thick beard, who mahe armory, approached him. Without a word, the man handed Charlot a heavy poud said, "Mr. Meburg, these are belongings you left in the office. I’ve been holding onto them for you, and it’s a relief to return them personally."

  Charlot was slightly surprised—he had no recolle of leaving anything behind.

  The bearded guard leaned closer and whispered, "Magru Trell’s dealings with fiscated Transdent ons angered some powerful people. They’ve pushed for a ‘up operation.’"

  "Miss Menielman assigned you to this case, but… I personally advise you not to get involved."

  Having said that, the middle-aged man saluted Charlot a quietly.

  Charlot’s mind quickly pieced it all together, and he almost ughed out loud.

  Magru Trell’s attempts to iigate his own role in the bck market traffig of Transdent ons had iirred the hor’s . This was a secret pipeline, with tless people up and down the ranks plicit in it.

  As a first-css civil servant, though at the bottom of the aristocratic hierarchy, Charlot now held enough status to "participate" in such matters. By taking possession of three Transdent ons, he had effectively assumed responsibility for their disappearance.

  One of these ons had already ehe bck market, its value verted into flors aimes—profits that would be divided among many within the prison system. The bearded guard, after all, was just a pawn. He would never dare keep a Transdent on for himself; eve lifetimes of work could not earn him its worth.

  This was the unspoken rule: disrupt the status quo, and the backsh was iable.

  With Menielman now firmly established, Charlot’s fortunes rose as well. All previously "borrowed" Transdent ons were now officially attributed to Magru Trell. Whether or not Trell had actually taken them no longer mattered—what mattered was ensuring that everyone could "agree" on this story.

  Magru Trell had undoubtedly amassed signifit wealth during his tenure, enough to "surrender most of it" iution. After all, every he owned was dirty money.

  For maintaining these unspoken rules, Charlot deserved a share. It was expected. If Charlot received nothing, everyone else would feel uneasy.

  After all, this case required Charlot to testify against Magru Trell’s embezzlement of Transdent ons to plete the official process.

  What if Charlot took nothing? Would they return the fiscated goods? That would be far too much trouble.

  Charlot did not open the pouch but tucked it casually into his coat pocket.

  His i in revisiting his office vanished. He now wao return to 58 Elysée Avenue and t his gold écus.

  As Charlot prepared to leave, the prison suddenly stirred with excitement. The guards formed ranks to wele a distinguished guest.

  Charlot did not expect his "luck" to be so good—he had arrived just in time to withe new warden’s arrival. The st time this happened, Charlot had skipped work to go on a date with Annie Bretagne.

  Now reinstated as a first-css civil servant and still teically part of Kilmainham Prison, Charlot could not simply slip away. Relutly, he joihe prison’s mid- and high-ranking staff to wele the new warden.