The warm light in my bedroom flickered.
The crackling sound of the campfire had a calming effect on my mind and body. The fragrant tea and warm water made me forget the chilly temperature of the autumn night. I had even laid out some snacks that I usually didn’t eat on purpose.
It seemed like the little guest sitting across from me would appreciate it.
He was a small boy. His face showed how awkward he felt being alone with a stranger. Nonetheless, his attempts to meet my gaze were commendable.
Had he asked me to save his little sister?
It was the first request I received from my little guest. As a child, I had yearned for tales where villagers’ favors were granted.
I never imagined I would fulfill such a dream at this age.
I sipped my tea in silence. At first, the boy flinched at my every little move, but he had now become adept at gauging my reactions.
Should I start the conversation first?
It was then that the boy’s tightly shut mouth finally opened.
“Sir, can you help us?”
“Didn’t you come here knowing I could?”
And your brother, Emmanuel.
I suppressed the urge to add one more comment.
For now, I needed to listen to the boy’s story. To calm his racing heart, even if just a little.
“Well, I don’t know well… but everyone said you were an amazing person.”
“I was just lucky.”
With that response, I quietly met the boy’s eyes. His gaze was quite earnest, and I couldn’t help but offer a faint smile.
“I can help you, though.”
“Then can you save my little sister?!”
I nodded my head without hesitation. I would need to hear the detailed circumstances, but our goals aligned nonetheless.
I wanted to catch hold of the Shylock Company.
Through the experiences of the past few days, I realized the importance of uncovering the connection between the company and the Dark Cult as quickly as possible.
To do that, I needed to know where the children were heading. If I secured concrete evidence, everything else would follow smoothly.
Of course, it was also true that I still needed certainty.
“What exactly do you want me to save? Just because your sister followed the company doesn’t mean she’s in danger. She might even meet a good family….”
“No!”
The boy raised his voice as if feeling wronged. His tone was laced with strong conviction.
I needed that underlying reason.
“That’s all a lie! I know….”
“How?”
At that, the boy fell silent. His face seemed suddenly devoid of confidence.
He probably tried to speak to adults countless times.
Yet, those adults didn’t believe him, leading him to reach out to me as a last resort.
I asked again.
“How did you know that? No one else suspects anything.”
“…A letter.”
After hesitating, the boy finally opened up about it.
My brows furrowed for a moment. I found it hard to comprehend his words.
But he looked very serious.
“The letters sent by the kids who left are strange.”
He then carefully pulled out several letter envelopes from his pocket.
I unfolded the papers.
*
“The handwriting is different?”
In a dark room, our group gathered.
Senior Elsi, Celin, the Lady Virgin Saint, and Yulen were all present.
It was still early morning, so I didn’t have the courage to call Mr. Raymond. I could share the information through Senior Elsi later.
I nodded in response to Celin’s remark.
“Yeah, it looks like there’s more than one. Adults ignored it, though.”
“That’s understandable.”
That was the Lady Virgin Saint’s opinion after taking the letters from the children.
She tossed the letters onto the center of the table with a thud. It was clear that she wasn’t even putting on a façade among our group.
As she examined the evidence, the Lady Virgin Saint seemed almost cynical.
“The documents and procedures are all in order. And this messy handwriting… The children in the orphanage haven’t received any formal education. It’s not strange if there is some disparity in their penmanship.”
“I agree.”
Yulen also showed his agreement and tossed the letter he had been reading onto the table.
Propping his head up with both hands, the boy spoke in a disinterested tone.
“Ian, this orphanage isn’t only managed by Archbishop Einadel. Various people, including myself, are paying attention to this place… it can’t be manipulated by the will of one person.”
“But the Dark Cult undoubtedly has some connection with the Shylock Company.”
I glanced at the Lady Virgin Saint. A small sigh escaped her lips.
She didn’t seem particularly eager to reveal this, but she had no other choice.
“I can’t say for certain if it is related to the Shylock Company. However, traces of the Dark Cult were indeed found on a young merchant dispatched by them.”
“Then it must be smashed.”
That was Senior Elsi’s straightforward opinion.
The Lady Virgin Saint rubbed her forehead as if she had expected this. Anyone who knew Senior Elsi would have predicted such a conclusion.
“You can’t know for sure that it’s related? That’s too optimistic… If coincidences keep repeating like this, it becomes inevitable.”
“The Shylock Company is a targeted group. We can’t conduct an investigation without any accusations.”
“You just said that one of their merchants is connected to the Dark Cult.”
The Lady Virgin Saint fell silent again, and Senior Elsi wore a relaxed smile. It was clear whose opinion held the advantage.
Moreover, Senior Elsi even shot a glance in my direction.
“And what’s the problem? We have the Blood Glyph as well.”
Her tone was filled with a strange sense of pride.
I could only muster an awkward smile at that. In truth, the power obtained through legitimate channels wasn’t exactly a truth either.
Nonetheless, it was a fact that the Imperial Court recognized me as the owner of the Blood Glyph.
After all, I had recently received a guarantee from the Elder Mage.
However, the Lady Virgin Saint seemed to feel anger at my words.
“This is the Holy Kingdom. It’s not a place where the Imperial Court can act at will.”
“Then all you have to do is speak well.”
“Are you joking? How reckless to interfere in another country’s issues during such a sensitive matter!”
“Enough.”
As the situation began to escalate into a clash of emotions, I decided to step in to ease the tension.
Fortunately, the argument between the Lady Virgin Saint and Senior Elsi quickly simmered down. Both were still casting dissatisfied looks at each other, but this wasn’t the time to quarrel.
After their opinions had roughly concluded, my gaze flicked to Celin.
Celin was still skimming through the letters. Her dazed eyes seemed somewhat lost in thought.
She was the only one who hadn’t expressed her thoughts.
“Celin, what do you think?”
“Uh, huh? Ah, me?”
Celin finally snapped back to reality, offering an awkward smile.
She looked as if she hadn’t been paying attention to anything at all.
Recently, Celin had been more absent-minded than usual. I was concerned about that, but Celin spoke up before I could say anything.
“Well, while reading the letters, I noticed something quite prominent….”
At her words, everyone’s attention turned to Celin. They had been so focused on the handwriting that they hadn’t particularly noticed; perhaps there was a common trait shared among the letters sent by the adopted orphans.
But Celin seemed to be feeling the sudden attention as a burden.
As she scratched her cheek, she spoke hesitantly.
“T-There’s a lot about ‘the red gem.’ It’s not in every letter, but in about half?”
Hmm, I examined the letters that had been tossed onto the table.
I hadn’t paid much attention, but I seemed to recall having seen that term at least once. They had been trivial details I had brushed off.
However, before I could ponder further, Yulen voiced his disagreement once again.
“In any case, my sister and I are against this. We don’t even know where the ‘masked intruder’ has gone, right? We can’t leave the orphanage empty.”
“Ian, is there really a need to rush?”
Another earnest plea from the Lady Virgin Saint followed.
As before, she didn’t want to publicize this issue. I might have felt the same if I were in her position.
“Rushing in carelessly could obscure the truth even more. We need to observe for a while.”
“So what about the little orphan?”
It was Senior Elsi who countered on my behalf.
Her argument stemmed from a distinctly mage-like perspective.
“No one cares about a single missing orphan in the grand scheme of things. If I were researching forbidden magic, I’d naturally use orphans as test subjects. If they happen to die, it’s not a big deal… In other words, we are the only ones who can save that brat.”
“We can deploy additional personnel for surveillance.”
Naturally, the Lady Virgin Saint wasn’t going to back down easily. As if she had already considered that much, she continued her articulate arguments without interruption.
“If attention unexpectedly shifts towards us, the Dark Cult won’t act recklessly either. From the moment we follow them, it will be impossible to get a hold of them. Nobody would do suspicious activities in front of someone who is not easily manipulated…”
“We can part ways at an appropriate time.”
At my firm rebuttal, the Lady Virgin Saint’s brows furrowed slightly. Being a perceptive woman, she likely sensed my intent instantly.
My resolve had already firmed. I wouldn’t waver any longer.
There were compelling reasons for that.
“Continuously managing a single child is tricky. No matter how many surveillance personnel follow, they’ll act as soon as an opportunity arises. Especially if the concealment operations are already systematized.”
“…Ian.”
But the Lady Virgin Saint’s determination was equally fierce. There was a hint of blurred anger in her light pink eyes.
“More people could get hurt. Chaos always feeds on those who are the most vulnerable.”
“Even so, I can’t just stand by and watch the sacrifices.”
“That’s not just a wait-and-see attitude. It’s about taking our time and finding a way forward.”
“This is a matter of urgency.”
The two of us stood on a parallel line, with no intersection in sight. It had been a long time since I felt such distance from the Lady Virgin Saint.
“What about the children who have already disappeared? And surely there are more orphanages connected to the Dark Cult than just this one?”
“If we make a careless move, the Dark Cult might disappear entirely. Then even more children will die and get hurt.”
“It’s only logical to save the lives we can save right now.”
“No, we must be even more cautious since lives are at stake. You know how many lives are at stake with our decisions?”
With that, the Lady Virgin Saint carefully scrutinized my expression.
Her eyes seemed to say she couldn’t understand why I was being particularly stubborn today. I subtly avoided her gaze and left the decision to the remaining companions.
“What do you think the rest should do?”
It was a question that hardly needed to be asked. It was obvious who Senior Elsi and Celin would support.
“Well, naturally, I should follow Brother Ian.”
“Of course, we must do as our master wishes.”
A three to zero vote.
The Lady Virgin Saint bit her lip as she looked at me with a sinking feeling. Then, with a bang, she slammed her palm on the table and stood up.
Her voice, mixed with anger, slipped out between her chewed lips.
“Well then, I wish you luck, everyone… may the blessings of the Lord be with you. Emmanuel.”
It was clear she didn’t intend to follow my decision.
Having been put in a difficult position, Yulen glanced between me and the Lady Virgin Saint, and he reluctantly stood up to follow the Lady Virgin Saint. His resentful gaze fell on me.
“Ian, what’s wrong? You seem really off today.”
“…I have my reasons.”
I said this while brushing my face with both hands. Upon hearing my words, Yulen’s expression hardened further.
“In any case, leave the Lady Virgin Saint aside; you should come with me. It seems like it will get dangerous.”
“Are you crazy? Why would I go somewhere dangerous?”
Yulen laughed incredulously and quickened his pace.
Though he was grumbling, I understood.
If he truly didn’t intend to follow, he wouldn’t have responded at all.
The room, now empty of the Lady Virgin Saint and Yulen, fell back into silence. In my complex expression, Celin and Senior Elsi exchanged glances with puzzled looks.
Regardless of their reactions, a deeper, troubled sigh escaped my lips.
“…I’ll have to contact the Imperial Court.”
The decisive moment was approaching.
