Kallos, looking at the direction of Solas, cautioned Irene.

“The Gwimulso in Solas might have a different atmosphere from here, so don’t be too surprised.”

As Kallos kindly warned, Irene prepared herself mentally.
As much as Kallos kindly warned, Irene steeled herself mentally.

On one hand, she couldn’t help but subconsciously think that it was the same Gwimulso, no matter how different the atmosphere was.

But she shouldn’t think that way.

“Ah…”

The atmosphere was truly completely different.

While the Gwimulso in the West Plaza was somewhat bustling like a market, with a relatively organized system, the Gwimulso in Solas was like a riot.

“Give it to me! I know everything that’s in there, so give it to me now!”

“Over there! I need to take that!”

People shouted loudly, trying to snatch more relief supplies by any means necessary.

“Don’t do this!”

“What are the security guards doing? Stop them right away!”

Gwimulso staff, to prevent being robbed of relief supplies, were doing their best, even mobilizing security guards.

In the process, rough language and violence were exchanged, which was only natural.

Thinking that she was somewhat accustomed to this side as she had experienced severe verbal abuse and violence from her father, Irene, seeing a horrific scene that shook her beliefs, closed her eyes tightly and bowed deeply.

“Why is it like this here?”

As the question came out like a complaint, Kallos, covering her head with the hood, answered.

“Solas is the place that needs the most order, but ironically, it’s the most disorderly. All sorts of criminals, rogues, and outlaws reside here.”

Regrettably, most of them were not underground residents.

They were free humans who were not under the control of the underground ruler.

One of the representative reasons why the management consisting of underground residents found it difficult to handle them.

“Originally, they are hard-to-handle individuals, but due to the turmoil caused by the Demon Uprising, they have become more violent. It’s even more challenging to manage them, making it difficult even to distribute relief supplies.”

Having witnessed the scene with her own eyes, Irene immediately understood.

“So, the managers… requested help from Sir Ron, right?”

As Irene, not yet used to calling him Ron, hesitated for a moment, whether she found it scary or not, Kallos patted her shoulder as if to reassure her.

“No. The managers didn’t request help from me. In the first place, I didn’t report that Solas was in such a state.”

“Why? Why didn’t you report it?”

“They judged that reporting it to me wouldn’t solve the problem. Besides, they already found it challenging to manage these people in Solas, and with the situation worsening due to the Demon Uprising, it became even more difficult. They are struggling even to distribute relief supplies.”

As Irene still found it unfamiliar to call him Sir Ron, she paused for a moment.

Whether he thought she was scared or not, Kallos, with a reassuring gesture, said, “No. The managers didn’t request help from me. In the first place, I didn’t report that Solas was in such a state.”

“Huh? Why?”

“They judged that reporting it to me wouldn’t solve the problem.”

Furthermore, since Kallos entrusted the autonomous operation of the territory to the managers, they didn’t bother reporting the issues.

After glancing at the chaotic Gwimulso, Irene asked him.

“So, did you come to check it out yourself? Are you curious whether the managers are neglecting these people, whether Gwimulso is functioning properly?”
“That’s one part of it, but I came to personally see with my own eyes what the problem is, whether there is truly no way to resolve it. I sneaked out for that reason too. If I were to inform the managers and they heard, they would have somehow cleaned up this place. Then, I wouldn’t be able to properly assess the situation, so I came out without notifying the managers. For now, I need to go in and get a more detailed look at the situation. There are things I need to ask the staff.”

Going into that chaos?

As Irene’s face slightly paled, Kallos added, “If you want to go back to Esper Castle first, feel free to do so.”

“No. I’ll go in with you.”

Although it was a bit scary, since she had come this far, she wanted to stay with him until the end.

Being with Kallos would be safe.

It was a decision she could make because of the firm trust she had in him.

Outside Gwimulso was chaotic, but inside it was relatively peaceful.

No rough shouts or curses could be heard.

Irene, who had worried inwardly, was relieved.

While Irene was exploring Gwimulso, Kallos grabbed a staff member and asked various questions.

Having finished the short tour of Gwimulso, Irene looked at him with fascination.

Apparently, the staff didn’t recognize Kallos as Duke Esper at all.

‘How can they not know?’

He didn’t wear a wig or any special makeup, just ordinary clothes.

Even though he was clearly Duke Esper, it was amazing that they didn’t recognize him.

Come to think of it, when they went out for the incense market, people didn’t recognize him either.

Perhaps the residents of Esper Territory didn’t know the face of their lord?

Looking at them with confusion, Irene suddenly felt a gaze and turned around.

A man outside the window was staring at her piercingly.

“…!”

Irene’s eyes widened as she confirmed the man’s face.

Her golden eyes were filled with fear and trembled futilely.

“Ah… Father?”

That couldn’t be. Her father was dead.

He must have fallen into hell, burned by fire… Why is he standing there?

Amidst Irene’s perplexity at the reality that was hard to believe, the man suddenly stepped out of the window.

“Hey, wait a moment!”

Despite the fear, Irene felt that she needed to confirm whether the man was her father. She hastily opened the window and checked outside.

She turned her head intensely, trying to confirm it, but there was no sign of her father anywhere.

There was no trace that anyone had been there.

Did I see it wrong?

I was sure I saw it…

“Irene?”

“!”

At the familiar call, used only for family, Irene turned her head with a start.

Kallos, who had come right up to her, looked at her strangely with his unusual eyes.

“Why are you like this?”
“Oh, that… It seems there was a strange person outside, but I think I might have seen it wrong.”

Irene hesitated for a moment about whether to mention seeing someone resembling her father, but ultimately chose to keep that fact to herself.

She couldn’t confirm whether that man was really her father.

Moreover, the idea that her deceased father had come back to life was just nonsensical.

Yes, it was an utterly unbelievable occurrence.