When the Lady Virgin Saint arrived at the director’s office, Guildford was standing there with his sword drawn.
The blade placed on the white cloth gleamed with a cold light. He was looking down at the sword in silence.
His gaze was incredibly deep. It was eyes filled with sadness and regret, as if recalling memories from long ago.
It must have been the sword he used during his time as a mercenary, the Lady Virgin Saint thought as she spoke.
“…Director Guildford.”
“Ah, Lady Virgin Saint.”
At the soft call of the Lady Virgin Saint, Guildford turned around from staring at the sword. He showed a kind smile as usual.
The Lady Virgin Saint gazed quietly at Guildford.
The colors seen in her spiritual vision were clear. At the very least, it meant he wasn’t a bad person.
The Lady Virgin Saint fundamentally did not trust people. No matter how kind they appeared, she understood well that they were often selfish and materialistic beings at heart.
Because she was like that herself.
However, she could somewhat trust the colors reflected in her spiritual vision. Her spiritual sense was as developed as her divine power, allowing her to sense the general disposition of others.
To her, Guildford appeared to be a considerably good person.
It was also why she came to meet him alone without hesitation. His character could be trusted.
The Lady Virgin Saint closed her eyes and quietly traced a holy sign over her chest. A benevolent voice flowed from her lips.
“May I ask if you’ve heard the circumstances?”
“…Of course.”
With a sigh-laced voice, Guildford answered. His expression seemed troubled.
The Lady Virgin Saint thought it understandable. It was an orphanage he had managed for a long time. He probably never expected to have to close it under such circumstances.
But leaving things as they were was too dangerous. For Guildford, for the children of the orphanage, and for the world.
A monster from mythology couldn’t be unleashed upon the continent. The Lady Virgin Saint comforted Guildford with empathy.
“Please do not be too sad, my brother. The Heavenly Deity does not bestow trials without reason.”
“…Trials without reason, you say.”
Upon hearing those words, the old man offered a bitter smile. It seemed the mention of the “Heavenly Deity” stirred many thoughts within him.
He wiped the sword with a cloth.
“Lady Virgin Saint, would you listen to this old man’s life story for a moment?”
The Lady Virgin Saint looked at Guildford with a puzzled expression. Time was of the essence. There was no room for such conversations.
Guildford certainly was not unaware of this. Despite her inner doubts, she sighed and shook her head.
“Sadly, Director, it is time for you to make a choice…”
“I grew up in an orphanage as well.”
Her pale pink eyes gazed at Guildford intently. Regardless, he continued to speak.
As if the Lady Virgin Saint had no choice in the matter.
“I was quite fortunate, actually. I met an excellent director who, upon discovering I had some talent, sought me out to teach me swordsmanship. So from a young age, my dream was to become an orphanage director. I wanted to be a wonderful person like you, to take care of the children.”
“…You have succeeded.”
While desperately wanting to retort that she was busy, the Lady Virgin Saint forced herself to respond positively. The image was precious.
Oblivious, Guildford continued his life story. His gaze upon his revitalized sword was nostalgic.
“But life is not that simple. I became a sword expert, returned to my hometown as a successful mercenary, but the orphanage I had lived in was already gone.”
“…Why?”
“Due to mismanagement. In the end, the director who borrowed money from loan sharks was killed by them, and the children were scattered. This orphanage was built on that land.”
The Lady Virgin Saint remained silent about the grim past. The collapse of orphanages was a common occurrence across the continent.
There were many orphans in the world and not enough orphanages. The more conscientious places required larger budgets, but their sources of income were limited.
Thus, most orphanages that went bankrupt had excellent directors.
Just like the Gilford Orphanage.
“It started out ambitious, but soon I learned how difficult it was to protect the orphans. Children began to starve one after another. Humans are cunning creatures, and as they grew hungrier, incidents of them stealing food from others arose.”
Immediately, a thought struck the Lady Virgin Saint’s mind.
I-an had once said something similar. It was astonishing to him that running an orphanage had been possible, given the severe imbalance of income and expenses.
With a bitter smile, Guildford sheathed his finished sword at his waist.
“That made me wonder. Why does the Heavenly Deity allow this? There are so many weak and suffering people in this world, why must the good suffer and hurt more?”
“Director Guildford, what on earth…”
It was then that a scream filled the orphanage.
The Lady Virgin Saint glanced outside the director’s office with a look of panic. Just by hearing the faint sounds, she understood.
They were in a crisis. There was no time left to listen to old stories.
Desperately, the Lady Virgin Saint called out to the director. Her body had already turned towards the door.
“We don’t have time for this! Director, you must escape…!”
“…There’s no need to.”
However, with those words, the Lady Virgin Saint’s body froze in place.
His voice was so unnaturally calm. The questioning gaze from her pale pink eyes turned back to Guildford. He was looking at her with an unaffected expression.
His gaze was deep and unfathomable. She couldn’t see into it.
It looked both sad and pained. The Lady Virgin Saint instinctively clenched her teeth.
“Director Guildford!”
“I mean it. There’s no need for that, Lady Virgin Saint. Escape is already impossible.”
In the certainty of his voice, the Lady Virgin Saint’s mind became tangled.
Threads of thought began to deduce various possibilities.
Why was Guildford so relaxed? And why could he treat her as if he already knew what was happening?
Fumbling, her mouth searched for words.
The answer had already been revealed. Yet, no matter how much she rubbed her eyes and looked, the color of Guildford’s soul in her spiritual vision remained the same.
However, unable to deny the possibilities any longer, the Lady Virgin Saint frowned.
“…No way.”
“It’s my fault.”
With an apologetic look, Guildford lowered his gaze. There was only one meaning behind it.
A mage, Guildford was indeed a mage.
As soon as the Lady Virgin Saint recognized this, she instinctively shouted in anger, unlike herself.
“You, you monster! I can’t believe you… you kidnapped the children and led them to this fate?!”
“I had no choice.”
His voice was pitiful. Yet the Lady Virgin Saint did not feel a shred of pity for him. Only the image of the child trapped in that lump of flesh, crying blood, remained in her mind.
Still, her eyes scanned the surroundings.
She was searching for a means of escape. Her opponent was a sword expert, even a mage.
As someone specialized in support, facing him one-on-one would be challenging. No matter how powerful the Holy Kingdom’s vision arts might be, it would be the same.
Knowing her state of mind or not, Guildford continued with his explanation, sighing.
“If this orphanage disappears, hundreds of children will have nowhere to go. I prayed hundreds, thousands of times! Yet that arrogant Heavenly Deity provided no answer. Then they came to offer help. It was a connection from long ago.”
“…The Dark Cult!”
The Lady Virgin Saint ground her teeth, spitting those words out. The old man’s shoulders sagged.
“It was a condition of one child per month. In exchange, they promised to provide hundreds of gold each month.”
“So you sold them? Knowing what kind of suffering those children would endure!”
“Where was the Heavenly Deity at that time?”
As the Lady Virgin Saint raised her voice, she immediately fell silent at the retort that followed.
Guildford was unusually agitated. His eyes were ablaze with rage.
“Should I let the children starve to death? In this harsh world, the chances of orphans growing up properly are less than one in a hundred! No one cares: not the nation, not the temple, not even the Heavenly Deity! After all the prayers, is the Heavenly Deity truly deaf?”
Faced with such heartfelt anger, the Lady Virgin Saint’s pale pink eyes shook. She knew well enough the theological rebuttals against his words.
But how empty that theological debate was in the face of reality.
After a moment of hesitation, the Lady Virgin Saint was left with no choice but to tightly close her eyes and recite the words she always said.
“The Heavenly Deity only chooses to be silent. Human free will, by its very nature…”
“Then they’re not only deaf but mute as well.”
Her eyes narrowed at his blatant blasphemy. Yet Guildford did not care whether she was angry or not.
He simply bowed his head with a desperate voice.
“…Lady Virgin Saint, please. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.”
“Haven’t you already hurt countless people?”
“Yet that way I saved hundreds. Do you think you’re any different?”
The Lady Virgin Saint took a step forward, feeling a surge of emotion. However, upon seeing Guildford’s cold gaze raised again, she inexplicably found her words stuck in her throat.
Guildford spoke.
“Don’t you intend to abandon the children of this orphanage? Isn’t that your small sacrifice? To me, that small sacrifice was merely one child abducted each month… chosen carefully, after all, from those who probably had little time left to live!”
“Do you think that by doing so you can absolve yourself of that sin?!”
“Is there anything more empty than preaching without alternatives?”
His voice was dark and hoarse. Had those words possessed life, perhaps they could have been choked to death already. Guildford’s face was even drawn and hollow.
“If we go by that reasoning, then we’re all sinners. Hasn’t the world abandoned us? You know, because you’re an orphan too!”
“So, are you telling us to abandon the children as well?”
“By abandoning one child, hundreds can be saved.”
As he said this, Guildford silently drew his sword. Then he extended it to his wrist and swiftly cut it.
Drops of blood fell, pooling onto the table. The droplets began to draw chaotic trajectories and form shapes.
A magic circle. The Lady Virgin Saint’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.
“…This is reality. A reality not described in the scriptures, but the reality faced by me and my children. So, I implore you, please pretend you didn’t see this just once.”
“What on earth is this?”
In instinctive dread, the Lady Virgin Saint asked, and Guildford continued in a weary voice.
“It’s a contract magic used by the Dark Cult. A contract established at the cost of our lives. Lies or tricks won’t work.”
Before the ominous, blood-colored magic circle, Guildford stated.
The Lady Virgin Saint swallowed dryly.
Guildford was right before her, and his eyes were devoid of wavering. It was a clear indication of his intent to bind her to this contract.
They were at a life-and-death crisis.
