Chapter 234
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
“We should check other places besides the orphanage.”
“This is the only settlement in the area.”
“Yes, but I’ve seen refugees living about ten miles from here by the river, raising children and enjoying the scenery.”
“The riverbank…”
“It’s quite open, so not really a place to hide, but we need to search every corner thoroughly.”
Cain nodded, understanding what Agatha meant. Lehman quickly brought his horse forward, and Cain mounted without hesitation.
“Agatha, you should stay here.”
“No, I’ll come with you.”
“No. There’s a chance danger remains. You cannot come.”
“If danger remains, staying here is hardly safer.”
Cain looked troubled. If fierce enemies still hid in Arta, the moment they separated would be the most dangerous.
“But you can’t ride a horse now. Traveling by carriage will only draw more attention. I want you to stay and check for any places the knights might have missed.”
“Okay. I understand.”
Not wanting to hinder Cain by following, Agatha reluctantly accepted his suggestion this time.
Leaving most knights and Lehman behind, Cain departed from the orphanage.
A while later, Cain returned with a small boy barely reaching his waist.
He was the child who had guided Agatha alone to the orphanage on her first day in Arta. The boy kept his eyes tightly shut, repeatedly begging for his life.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Even after hearing dozens of times that no one would harm him, the boy couldn’t bring himself to straighten up. It was easy to guess why he was trembling all over without needing to ask.
He was the only one who had survived—alone—in this vast land and amidst so many people…
Gently soothing the boy, who was unable to speak, Agatha managed to give him something to drink. The boy initially rejected it almost like a seizure, refusing to accept anything, but after some time, he began to recognize Agatha.
“Patron?”
It was a relief. Had the sole survivor not been able to communicate, they might never have uncovered what happened in Arta.
Agatha nodded softly and gently stroked the back of the boy’s head.
“You’ve endured all alone. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
The boy’s face darkened as he answered. It seemed he was slowly becoming aware of his situation.
“…Can you tell me what happened here?”
The boy’s pupils flickered nervously. Just thinking about it seemed too terrifying for him to bear.
“If it’s too hard, you don’t have to say anything.”
Forcing a child who isn’t ready to speak could make things worse. Agatha resolved to ask about the past carefully, without putting too much pressure on him.
“T-they came suddenly.”
Just as Agatha was about to leave, the boy grabbed her sleeve. Though struggling, he seemed determined to tell what he had experienced. Agatha quickly smoothed her clothes and sat back down.
“Who… was it?”
“I don’t know. Just… big men dressed in black came out of nowhere. They shouted and swung swords, dragging the orphanage people out and beating them without mercy…”
“Without any reason? Suddenly?”
“Well, they shouted something. I didn’t understand it, but one scary man who looked like the leader said things like ‘traitor,’ ‘defeated,’ and ‘impure.’”
“Traitor.”
Cain’s eyebrows twitched silently as he listened to the boy’s words from a short distance away. Agatha was equally surprised by the unexpected word.
“Traitor?”
“Yes. They said they would root out all impure seeds hiding under the name of Nikephos…”
The boy’s lips trembled as he spoke. He was probably risking his life to say as much as he could.
“Did you see what the man who looked like their leader looked like?”
“No. His face was covered with a black cloth, so I couldn’t really see it. And he said if we looked up, he’d kill us, so I kept my face buried in the ground and didn’t dare look.”
Even as he spoke, the boy struggled to suppress the fear rising in his throat, gasping for breath.
“Then, do you know where Esther went?”
All eyes fixed on the boy’s lips.
Please don’t say she’s dead. Please, please…
During those few seconds while the boy answered, Agatha silently prayed again.
“I don’t know. I just saw the scary man grab Esther by the neck and drag her out. After that, I don’t know.”
“I see… You can stop now.”
Seeing the boy’s face turn pale, Agatha knew she couldn’t ask more. She sent Liana to bring the boy some warm water.
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