Don't Pick That Flower (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 24

The next day, at dawn. As they had stated during dinner the previous evening, Trope and his group hastily departed from the Esper Territory as soon as the first light broke.

Carlos stood with Jerdin atop the outer wall’s watchtower, silently watching Trope’s group vanish swiftly in the opposite direction of the rising sun, kicking up a hazy cloud of dust.

Though Trope’s group disappeared from view shortly after, that was only by ordinary human standards.

To Carlos, the Sovereign of the Underworld, they remained clearly visible.

He had intended to eliminate them under the guise of bandits if they showed any sign of acting suspiciously or veering off onto another path—but disappointingly, they were proceeding faithfully along the correct route.

Since Irene claimed she saw that priest named Liam’s eyes briefly turn violet, Carlos had assumed the boy might have also ensnared the other priests—but perhaps that had been a mistaken assumption.

After all, Dewey himself had said he couldn’t find any connection linking that boy to this incident…

“You’re letting them go more willingly than I expected.”

At Jerdin’s words from a step behind him, Carlos merely turned his head to look back at him.

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? I’m just surprised they’re walking out of here alive and unharmed under their own power.”

Jerdin stroked his chin thoughtfully, as if recalling the past, and continued.

“In the old days, those pigeons wouldn’t have even made it past the gates of the Esper Territory—they’d have had their heads cut off before they got close. Even if they somehow managed to pass through by sheer luck, they’d never have left the territory on their own feet. Yet here they are, not only walking out freely but even borrowing a carriage from you.”

When Trope’s group arrived at the Esper Territory, one carriage had been sufficient—but for their return journey, they needed an additional carriage to carry Liam’s corpse and the restrained Polo.

Though Liam was already dead, Polo posed a flight risk, so they required a special prison-style carriage with bars, not an ordinary one.

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