The carriage came to a stop, the bright artificial lights from outside peeking under the curtains. Edgarth waited as one of his guards opened the doors and jumped out from the carriage. The man then turned around and held a hand out for Edgarth.

With a groan, Edgarth stood up and took the guard’s hand to help him get down from the carriage. His old bones ached with every movement. Even his missing leg ached, the only memory that remained from his lost limb.

With every passing year, his body turned weaker and the pain became worse. A Paladin’s body still aged, albeit slower. Back during his prime, he’d have already crushed the cane with the amount of effort he used to stand up.

This was just one of the reasons why he regretted not putting more effort into cultivating his mind while still young. A Warlock maintained their power until the day they died. A Paladin on the other hand, no matter how strong, was fated to become weaker with age.

In front of him, bright lightstones illuminated a large metal plaque with the words “Melina’s Pearl” above a double-sized door. Sounds of music, loud talking, and general revelry leaked out from inside.

“Wait here while I look for that useless grandson of mine,” he told the guard who nodded in response.

A few hours ago, one of the castle’s guards notified his servants that Jacke had been seen entering this brothel. Too focused on swaying the other nobles to his cause, he’d forgotten about his grandson’s proclivities.

A burly man stood on each side of the door. None of them dared to stop Edgarth as he strode inside, his clothes alone already speaking of his rank. The building had a high ceiling dotted with lightstones like stars in the night. Women in revealing outfits sat at tables with customers while others went ahead and led the men up the stairs on the back.

A harlot in a see-through dress approached him. The heavy makeup couldn’t completely hide the wrinkles on her face, while her exposed breasts already showed signs of sagging. Just like Paladins, whores also lost their value with age. “Milord, it’s an honor to have you here. Would you like—”

“I’m looking for one of your clients. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and well dressed. He likely arrived a few hours ago. Lead me to him.”

“I’m sorry milord, but we can’t divulge our clients' whereabouts like that.”

“That wasn’t a request, harlot. Either lead me to him or I’ll return with the city guard to shut this whorehouse down.”

The whore looked taken aback, unsure of how to answer when another woman intervened. “That’s good enough, Lien. I’ll take care of it.”

“Yes, madam,” the whore said before leaving.

The madam’s black dress hugged her body from breasts to hips, where it then split on one side to reveal a long leg covered in a dark stocking. Her blue eyes were a nice compliment and they looked back at Edgarth as if she had nothing to fear from him. Admittedly, he’d have felt somewhat tempted many years ago.

“My lord, you must be Jacke’s grandfather, correct? He is on one of our private suits upstairs, please follow me.”

In other circumstances he might have corrected the woman, reminding her to address his grandson as lord. Even such a failure as Jacke still had noble blood flowing through his veins and, as such, demanded respect. Now, though, all he wanted was to get the idiot out of here before he caused some scandal that might detract from what was truly important.

He followed her up the stairs, through a long hallway to the other side of the building where they then went up another flight of stairs. In the end, he still had to follow her to the end of another hallway, which only worsened the pain on his legs.

Different from the rooms on the floor below, these ones were likely larger given how little doors there were in comparison. Also different from the ones below, Edgarth could hear practically nothing coming out from inside.

As if she could read his mind, she spoke again. “These suits are reserved for our most respectable clients. They are almost completely soundproof, perfect for those who require the most privacy. Your grandson always chooses those when he comes to visit us.”

There was something in the woman’s tone that he didn’t like, as if she knew something that he didn’t. She came to a stop in front of the last door, a single piece of solid wood. She then raised a hand towards her cleavage, fishing for something until she revealed a simple iron key. “Here you go, my lord,” she said, extending the key to Edgarth.

He grabbed it and the piece of iron felt warm in his hands.

“Young Jacke is inside with two of our best girls. And please, don’t be too hard on him. All of the girls here enjoy his company,” she said the last part, and Edgarth could swear he saw a hint of a smirk. The woman then turned around on her heels and walked away, her hips swaying as her high heels tapped against the wooden floor.

Again, there it was. She definitely knew something, and her demeanor made it clear that she wasn’t afraid of him. Something told him that whatever she knew about Jacke, he was about to find out too. As for why she seemed to completely disregard him, he decided to investigate it on a later date. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was simply another commoner not knowing their place, but there was no harm about looking further into it before taking any action.

Edgarth lined the key with the hole when he thought he heard something from inside. He placed an ear against the door and, after a few seconds, it happened again. It came out too muffled by the heavy door, but it sounded like a sharp thwack.

Finally, he slid the key inside, turned it, and pushed open the door. What he saw inside made his blood boil.

The first whore sat on the edge of the bed, her body completely naked and facing the entrance. She didn’t notice the open door, too enthralled by the blonde head in between her legs.

Also naked, Jacke had his hands tied behind his back as well as various red marks throughout his body. Whenever he tried to move his head away, a hand would pull it back in.

“What do you say, Kari, has the dog learned its lesson?” the second whore asked. She stood beside the two, a riding crop on her hand and wearing nothing but a red corset.

“I’m not sure, Mayra, he may be just faking it. Punish him again just to make sure.”

The second whore nodded and pulled her arm back. With a sharp movement of her arm, she cracked the riding crop against Jacke’s back, leaving behind a bright red mark. “You heard it, dog, she isn’t pleased. Do it better.”

With a whimper, Jacke nodded as well as he could, his mouth never leaving the whore’s dirty cunt.

Incensed by what he saw, Edgarth swang the door back, slamming it closed. “You unholy deviant!”

The loud noise took the trio out of their perversion. Startled, the whores remained rooted in place. Jacke was the first one to move. Still on his knees, he turned around and his eyes widened upon seeing Edgarth. “G-Grandfather, this isn’t what it—”

Edgarth brought his cane down on Jacke’s back with as much force as he could still muster on his old age. The deviant still had the gall to try and deny it when his mouth was slick with the whore’s juices.

Jacke wailed in pain. One of the whores tried to move and Edgarth brought the cane down on her too. “And you whores! How dare you make such a depraved display!? Untie him this instant!”

Given the situation, the two refused to dawdle, working to untie Jacke as quickly as they could but still too slow for the old noble, who delivered two more blows from his cane before they were done.

“Now get the hell out of here!” he yelled at them, lashing out one last time with his cane. It hit one of them on the side of the head, hard enough to draw blood.

The other whore opened the door and helped her companion up, carrying her out from the room.

“As for you.” Edgarth pointed a finger at Jacke. “You’ve made a mockery of the Tascer name for the last time.” He yanked the sheets from the bed and threw it at his grandson. “Cover yourself up and go outside, my carriage is outside. Don’t think for a second that this is over, though. This was the last straw, and if your father refuses to do something about your behavior, then I will. When we get back you’ll start correcting yourself, starting by those four other whores that you call bodyguards.”

Jacke did not linger. He quickly wrapped himself up with the sheets, making sure to also cover his face, and rushed out through the door.