Chapter 67.1
I headed for the orphanage first thing in the morning.
I didn’t have enough money to use concealment magic like Damian or buy a tool for it, so I took a roundabout route. It was unlikely anyone was tailing me, but I had to prepare for the unexpected.
[Amelia, are you okay?]
Slinky slithered up onto my shoulder and asked.
Glancing at the coachman, I answered in a small voice.
“I’m fine.”
[I wonder what’s really going on.]
“I know…”
[You’re worried about Damian, aren’t you?] Slinky said, giving me a knowing look. I pouted and poked the top of his head with my fingertip.
“Damian can take care of himself, but I don’t know about the children.”
I won’t be able to contact you for a while. There’s a problem. If I had only heard Damian’s voice, I would have waited for him to call again. I might have done some investigating on my own, but I wouldn’t have gone all the way to the orphanage.
But just before the connection was lost, I’d heard the faint sound of children crying. It wasn’t one or two, but the fearful sobs of many.
“I’m just going to make sure the children are all right,” I muttered, as if making an excuse to myself.
Besides, I’d already promised I would visit, so it wouldn’t be strange for me to show up.
The carriage stopped in a nearby village. I got out, asking the coachman to wait for a short while.
[Will you have enough money?]
[Kyuu?]
Following Slinky’s lead, Snowy also poked his head out of my bag, tilting it curiously. They were asking because I would incur an extra fee by making the coachman wait here.
The sight of a small snake and an even smaller one tilting their heads in unison was quite cute, but I pushed their heads back into the bag.
“I know you’re curious, but if anyone sees you here, you might end up as grilled snake.”
Most people weren’t exactly fond of snakes.
[Hmph.]
[Kyuu…]
“And don’t worry, I’m not so poor that I can’t afford to get home.”
Though I would have to gather and trade information for a while after today.
As I started walking toward the orphanage, I noticed the village atmosphere was unsettled. The last time I was here, the place had felt incredibly peaceful, but today it seemed unusually rowdy. I could see anxiety on the faces of the villagers as they spoke to one another.
“Those poor children, what’s to become of them…”
“I know. They’re already carrying so many scars.”
I overheard bits and pieces of their conversations.
The exact details varied, but most of it was about ‘the children.’ Specifically, about a large group of parentless children who had been emotionally wounded.
I furrowed my brow. No matter how I heard it, it sounded like they were talking about the orphanage.
As I quickened my pace, Slinky discreetly crawled up my arm and onto my shoulder.
[Wouldn’t it be better to just ask someone?]
“This village doesn’t get many travelers, so they won’t tell me much. I’ll go to the orphanage first, and if I can’t find out anything there, I’ll ask around.”
It seemed this wasn’t just a personal problem for Damian. Something unexpected had clearly happened at the orphanage.
“Just what has that man been getting himself into,” I muttered in frustration, walking faster.
When I arrived, the orphanage was saturated with a heavy, subdued atmosphere.
The grassy grounds, which had been full of life before, were empty of children.
It was strange. The simple absence of the children was enough to erase the cozy feeling I’d had here last time.
Scanning my surroundings, I slowly entered the orphanage grounds. The grass was roughly trampled, as if a large number of adults had stormed the place last night. Something had definitely happened here.
“Director? Is anyone there?”
I knocked on the door and called out, but no answer came.
Could it be that no one was inside? Just as the continued silence began to make me anxious, the door creaked open.
“Direc—”
But there was no face in the gap. Before I could process my confusion, I heard a choked voice from below.
“…Sister?”
I looked down to see a child with a somber face looking up at me.
“You remember me?”
I asked gently, leaning down. The child slowly nodded, then opened the door wider and gestured for me to come in.
“Where are the other teachers and the director?”
“They’re over there.”
I followed the child down the hall.
Despite the heavy mood, the orphanage’s interior was tidy. There were no dirty footprints or signs of a disturbance. It didn’t look like anyone had forced their way in, ransacked the place, or broken any furniture.
“…Are you here because of Brother, too?”
“Hm?”
“A scary man took Brother away yesterday…”
“A scary man?”
“I thought he was an angel, but he was scary.”
The child mumbled with a pout, fresh tears welling in their eyes.
I gently patted the child’s back to calm them down.
“Miss Amelia?”
The director, who had just come out into the hallway, spotted me with the child. I gave her an awkward smile.
“I’m sorry to show up so suddenly without notice.”
“I’ve been so distracted, I didn’t even realize someone had come.”
Weariness was etched onto the director’s face as she gave me a tired smile.
***
We went into the director’s office and sat down.
She offered me a glass of warm milk. It was such a fitting drink for the place that a smile touched my lips before I knew it.
Cupping the warm glass with both hands, I recalled the child’s tearful words.
The ‘Brother’ who was taken by a scary man had to be Damian.
“You’ve come because of Damian, haven’t you, Miss Amelia?”
The director began before I could.
“Was Damian taken away by someone yesterday?”
The child had said they thought the scary man was an angel. That must have been their first impression of him. The man was likely quite handsome, but seeing him take Damian away must have made the child afraid. From the sounds of it, Damian hadn’t been taken away on good terms.
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