Chapter 115: The Lord is With Us (36)
Chapter 115: The Lord is With Us (36)
The orphanage’s multipurpose room had long since become a temporary operations headquarters.
A few scattered documents were those Reto had painstakingly written by hand. They contained summaries of the search progress and various pending issues regarding the orphanage.
Among them, the document that stood out most was the orphanage’s financial statement.
As a facility receiving support from the Holy Kingdom, Guildford Orphanage did keep its own ledgers. However, the records kept by Mr. Guildford—a non-expert who lacked proper training—were riddled with inaccuracies.
Thus, it had been agreed that Reto would temporarily take charge of the orphanage’s financial statements, at least for as long as we remained there.
In the process, Reto had realized one thing.
“This orphanage is doomed anyway.”
It was a cold assessment, but Reto’s evaluations were never wrong. He clicked his tongue and tossed the documents onto the table.
“There are too few sources of income. It’s actually a mystery how they’ve survived this long. If it were going to go under, it should have happened a long time ago…”
“It’s not our problem to worry about anyway, is it?”
It was Senior Delphine who cut off Reto’s words. Sitting with her usual noble posture, she spoke with her legs crossed.
Her expression was utterly indifferent. Her attitude suggested that the ruin of a single orphanage was of no consequence.
“Keep this in mind, Einstein. The request we accepted is strictly for the subjugation of demonic beasts attacking the orphanage. At most, we’re now in a situation where the target might be a Fiend.”
Delphine’s words, striking the ear point by point, possessed a strange persuasiveness. This was the innate charisma of the individual known as Delphine Yurdina.
Simple, yet always hitting the core.
It was the language of Delphine Yurdina, the language of the strong. In her crimson eyes, as she continued her leisurely speech, one could even sense a hint of boredom.
Reto, who had been listening in silence, eventually nodded in agreement.
“…You’re not wrong. Fine, since you’ve brought it up, let’s start by hearing from Senior Delphine, who led the search party.”
As if she had expected this, Delphine immediately began to speak. Unlike her relaxed demeanor just moments ago, her voice was now slightly more focused.
“We continued the search, focusing on the areas where monkey demonic beasts appeared most frequently. We discovered that the closer we got to a specific direction, the more aggressively the monkey demonic beasts attacked. And at the end of that path, there was a cave.”
It was a brief testimony, but it contained all the necessary information. Groans escaped the lips of the group listening to her.
Listening with a serious expression, I naturally raised a question that came to mind.
“Did you enter the cave?”
At the sound of my voice, Delphine’s body flinched. Her eyes flickered toward me for a moment before dropping to the floor.
The once-haughty woman murmured in a cowed voice.
“…No.”
I hadn’t intended to blame her, but Delphine began to steal glances at me, gauging my reaction. I asked again in the most casual voice possible.
“Were there too many dangerous elements nearby?”
“No.”
The answer came from elsewhere, not Delphine. While Delphine was hesitating, Seria spoke up first on her behalf.
She continued in her usual cold and haughty voice. Come to think of it, despite being half-sisters, they really were sisters.
They were alike in their haughtiness, their beautiful features, and even their pride in the Yurdina family. And they secretly cared for one another.
“However, my sister judged the potential risk to be too high. We believed that if a Fiend truly resided there, it would be impossible to respond with only the strength of the search party at the time.”
As if agreeing with that point, Yuren, who had also been part of the search party, raised his hand to speak.
“Exactly. Fiends are no joke. And if the guy who kidnapped the children by controlling demonic beasts has set up a hideout? That’s somewhere you absolutely shouldn't enter.”
The last to offer an opinion was the Saintess. Since the search party consisted of four people, her words effectively concluded their collective input.
“Relieving a poor lamb is a duty fitting for a servant of the Lord. However, do not overlook the fact that the burdens placed upon each of our shoulders are by no means light. Saving the children is important, but fulfilling our respective responsibilities is equally precious.”
In other words, while they would cooperate to fulfill the request, they shouldn't risk their lives.
It was a somewhat cruel sentiment, but it was also a common-sense judgment. If anyone in this world were asked to weigh hundreds of orphans against a single student of the Academy, nine out of ten would choose the latter.
The talents of the Academy were that precious as resources. Furthermore, everyone gathered here was either a noble or a high-ranking official of the Holy Kingdom.
They were people who had to be protected even if it meant sacrificing dozens of orphanages, let alone one. It was a cruel and unfortunate reality, but the Saintess’s words were accepted as a matter of course.
There was a feeling that if even the benevolent Saintess said so, it couldn't be helped. Orphans were many, but Academy students were few.
Delphine was still watching my reaction. She spoke cautiously.
“…T-That is how it is, Hand Axe Young Master.”
I had no intention of blaming her in the first place. I nodded readily.
“It was an excellent judgment. If you had died there, it would have been a meaningless death and a loss of combat power—a serious blunder.”
Only after I said that did Delphine regain her spirit. Seeing her instantly return to her arrogant and haughty attitude, Senior Elsie clicked her tongue once, clearly displeased.
However, the situation wasn't relaxed enough to worry about Elsie’s minor grievances. Delphine continued her report.
“And there were at least dozens of monkey demonic beasts caught by my Qi Sense. I don’t even know how many I cut down on the way to the cave, but the fact that so many remain means there could be more demonic beasts than we thought.”
“…Is that possible? Even if the forest is vast, there shouldn't be enough food to sustain hundreds of demonic beasts.”
At my reasonable doubt, the sound of a palm strike echoed.
The group’s gaze shifted instantly to the source. It was Reto, who had summarized the points.
“That’s why we have to investigate the cave. If there’s a secret, that’s the only place it could be.”
With that, Reto cast a glance at me. Since all the necessary information had been given, he was telling me to make the decision.
I was the leader of the group that included Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie, and Seria and Celine were also practically following me. Even if the Saintess wanted to be uncooperative, she couldn't.
She likely knew better than anyone that acting out alone in a situation like this would bring no benefit.
However, the Saintess added one last thing. It was serious advice.
“Brother Ian, you understand, don't you? Do not overexert yourself…”
“…I know.”
I knew what the Saintess was worried about. Considering my reckless nature, she was pressuring me to set an appropriate level of operational guidelines.
In truth, I had no intention of taking risks beyond that. I had absolutely no desire to face a Fiend who was plotting in the shadows while leading an unknown number of demonic beasts.
Securing physical evidence was enough. Then we could move the army. Senior Delphine, Senior Elsie, and the Saintess were all here, after all.
“We will prioritize reconnaissance. If it were just a Fiend, that would be one thing, but if they are joined by an unknown number of demonic beasts, it’s too much for our strength alone. Unless there is no Fiend, the moment we confirm their existence, we secure evidence and retreat immediately.”
It was the most rational choice. Everyone in the group nodded deeply in agreement.
Nevertheless, I made sure to add a few more words.
“As you all know, no one knows what will happen there. Not a single person here has ever faced a Fiend. For today, everyone focus on personal maintenance as much as possible, and we will depart at dawn tomorrow.”
Like demonic beasts, Fiends grow stronger at night. Therefore, departing at dawn to engage in battle starting from the morning was the optimal choice.
Departing in the afternoon like right now could lead to disaster. Since it was a very common-sense judgment, the group naturally expressed their agreement.
With that, the meeting was over. The goal was set, and there was no more information to be unearthed for now.
All that remained was the decisive battle.
After the meeting ended, Celine came to find me. She asked me with a tearful face.
“Ian Oppa, we’ll be okay, right?”
She had been secretly soft-hearted since she was young. Being told to suddenly risk her life to hunt a Fiend, she couldn't help but be scared as the one with the least combat experience in the group.
I patted her shoulder and offered comfort.
“Don’t worry. If it gets too dangerous, we can just run away.”
I wasn't sure if that would work out, but it was better than her being unnecessarily terrified.
After Celine came Reto’s turn. He let out a sigh and asked me.
“…Will you be alright?”
“No, honestly, I want to hop on a horse and run away right now.”
It was a completely different answer from the one I gave Celine. Nevertheless, Reto chuckled as if he had expected it and patted my shoulder. The dynamic was the exact opposite of Celine’s.
“You protect Celine. Otherwise, you’re dead by my hand.”
It was something I knew without being told. When I nodded with a bitter smile, Reto pulled a piece of parchment from his robe.
It was a scroll. An item with magic recorded on it; if torn, the magic could be used regardless of the user’s ability.
Naturally, they were difficult to make and very expensive. Reto could probably make one since this was his specialty, but it was an item that required a long period of effort.
When I looked at him with surprised eyes, Reto spoke as if it were nothing.
“It’s a scroll with 2nd Circle Fire Magic recorded on it. Most demonic beasts are afraid of fire, so use it to escape if things go south.”
I was silent for a moment. Reto was a noble, but he wasn't in affluent circumstances. I hesitated over whether I should accept a scroll that could cost anywhere from dozens to hundreds of gold, but there was only one conclusion.
He must have judged that giving away this single scroll was better than me getting hurt or dying. It was impossible to refuse that kindness.
“…I’ll pay you back someday.”
“Selling just the demonic beasts we catch tomorrow will be more than enough to pay me back, you bastard.”
Reto left after saying that. I watched his retreating back for a moment before tucking the scroll into my robe. Come to think of it, there were still many items to prepare.
The potions Emma gave me, the scroll from Reto, and it would be nice to have at least one bottle of healing potion.
I began to walk with those thoughts, thinking that I should focus on personal maintenance as much as possible tonight.
* * *
However, the guest who came to see me that night was quite unexpected.
The moonlight served as a spotlight that made her brilliant golden hair stand out. Her ruby-like crimson eyes were looking at me with a desperate light.
She pleaded with me.
“…Punishment.”
“Pardon?”
At the sudden word, I reflexively asked back, but as always, reality remained unchanged.
“Give me… a punishment. Please.”
The expression on Senior Delphine’s face as she said that looked so sincere that I lost my words for a while.
It was the moment a stone was thrown into a day that had been passing by peacefully.