Chapter 39
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39
But why was she swinging a knife herself? Where had that useful spirit of hers gone? She could have just used a Wind Cutter or something. Not that I was suggesting she use it on us, of course.
"Have I... been abandoned?"
Was she talking about the spirit? Honestly, if I were a spirit and my contractor turned out to be a human trafficker, I’d have ditched them and bolted, too.
"That's right. You failed to meet the criteria."
In novels, spirits are always so pure and have such high standards.
"So, give it up already."
Finally realizing she had been forsaken by her spirit and that her escape was blocked, the Director began to wail. The children Daisy had been protecting crept out from their hiding spot and took Troy back from her.
"Canna, look after that boy and the other children," Daisy said.
Canna took one of the children by the hand—Mary, maybe?—and led them to a corner. It was for the best. If I approached them, they might have a complete meltdown.
Jelly was also looking after his friend. Did that mean I was stuck with the Director? Was I going to get stabbed?
Then Daisy approached. Right, I had Daisy. If we both held the Director down, the chances of me getting stabbed would be cut in half. But Daisy said something completely different.
"Why didn't you save Troy?"
What was she even asking? That girl Mary had come out and drawn all the aggro! Even Daisy herself had been distracted by it.
I felt a little slighted, but I decided to be understanding. Daisy had to be a mess inside right now. Not that it made the sting go away.
"It wasn't part of our agreement."
Of course, business was business. Fearing Daisy might try to lowball my reward since I hadn't saved Troy, I decided to be shameless and point out that protecting him wasn't explicitly stated in our contract.
"Do you want to save him?"
"Yes. I want to save him."
"Fortunately, I have some holy water. Just one vial, though."
I’d brought a vial of holy water for emergencies, since I was heading out with Canna and didn't want to get caught in any trouble. Yes, just one vial. The problem was that there were two patients here.
I wanted to split it between them, but apparently, this holy water had a strict "one vial, one person" rule. That meant only one of them—either Troy or Jelly’s friend—could be saved. What kind of life-or-death branching path was this?! The pressure was too much!
I couldn't make the choice.
"Daisy, you choose. Between Troy and that man, who should I give the holy water to?"
When I tossed the decision to her, Daisy glared at me as if to say, Are you seriously asking me that?
"I'm joking."
I retracted the offer with a heavy heart. Fine. I'm the villainess, so I'll be the one to choose, whatever the outcome.
Daisy would obviously choose Troy, right? Between a beastkin with incredible regenerative powers and a man on the verge of death, the latter was clearly in more critical condition.
I carefully fed the holy water I’d been carrying to Troy. The bleeding stopped instantly. In a few hours, the flesh would regrow and the wound would be perfectly healed. The effects of this holy water were truly incredible. No wonder it was so expensive.
As for poor Melek, who wasn't chosen, I’d just have to make sure he got treated later.
"I can't treat you right away. Is that okay?" I asked, just to be clear. Honestly, shouldn't he just be grateful he was rescued?
"...Yes. It's fine," Jelly's friend answered meekly. My conscience pricked.
"Instead, may I follow you?"
"Do you have nowhere to go?"
Jelly's friend nodded. Nowhere to return to? A tragic backstory immediately unfolded in my mind: a past where he lost his home and his family was scattered because of indiscriminate slave traders. I decided not to pry; it would be rude.
"I don't mind."
Jelly's friend looked satisfied. But if I brought a sturdy, blindfolded adult man back with me, wouldn't that just start more weird rumors? Still, I was a bit scared to ask him to take the blindfold off. If I couldn't treat his eyes, I might just die of guilt.
"Melek, are you hurt...?"
When that little attention-seeker, Mary, approached and asked him that, I felt like my conscience was being shredded. This wouldn't do. I needed to stop dawdling and get them out of here for treatment.
I found some cut rope on the floor and used it to tie up the Director.
"It's dark, so be careful!"
Supporting the two injured men and making sure the children didn't get hurt, we left the basement. The Director offered to lead the way, but I refused, not trusting her for a second. Instead, Jelly sniffed around and found the path for us. We found the stairs leading up without getting lost.
"How did this break...?" the Director muttered hollowly, staring at the secret passage, which was now torn open and no longer a secret. I only gave it a little push. Maybe the wood was just rotten from age.
"We're out..."
"Waaaah, I was so scared."
The children, who must have been trapped underground for who knows how long, burst into tears of relief upon reaching the surface. Even Daisy, who was comforting them, had tears welling in her eyes.
Leaving the chorus of crying behind me, I looked around the room. Where did the cat who was loafing on the summoning circle go?
"Pudding?"
Amid the children's wailing, I couldn't distinguish a cat's meow, so I had no idea where Pudding was. I couldn't very well tell the traumatized children to be quiet, so the noise was just making things difficult. I’d told him to wait right here; where did he disappear to?
At least he wasn't a stray, but a beastkin cat who could understand speech. That was a small relief.
Meow—.
Then, I heard a cat's cry from beyond the door. It's Pudding! Overjoyed, I threw the door open and locked eyes with him.
You've grown a lot in that short time, haven't you? Our eyes are at the same level... Wait, that wasn't it. Pudding was being held in someone's arms. When I glanced up, I saw a very familiar face.
"Sir Gabriel?"
"Good evening, Lady Rohanson."
Huh? What? Why are you holding my cat? Behind the unexpectedly appearing Gabriel, another familiar person emerged.
"Hena?"
What was this?
Even though I hadn't suspected a thing, Gabriel began to explain himself at length, like a husband caught in an affair. So...
"You came looking for me?"
To summarize, the gist of the situation was simple. First, Gabriel had come to see me for some reason.
"I am deeply sorry for visiting at such a late hour without prior notice."
But I was 'away from my desk.' He happened to run into Hena, who had heard Canna say, "I'll be right back," but had gotten worried when she took too long and was waiting outside. Honestly, Canna. How long did you think we'd be when you said you'd be 'right back'?
At that point, their goals aligned. A search party for me and Canna was formed.
They pried my destination out of the butler and took a temple carriage here, only to be shaken when they found the orphanage empty.
"If it weren't for Lord Pudding, we would have just gone back," Gabriel said.
So that's why he was holding him. Pudding looked utterly exhausted in Gabriel's arms. My poor baby. He couldn't even speak human words yet; how much effort must he have put into his non-verbal communication to be this worn out? How precious.
As I took Pudding from him, Gabriel's gaze turned sharp.
"So, could you explain what exactly is going on here, Young Lady?"
Well... it's a long story...
Where would I even begin? With going to find Daisy? But it would sound suspicious to suddenly seek out someone who had quit. I couldn't exactly say I did it to find out what she'd heard about me.
"I think it would be more accurate to hear it from Miss Daisy. After all, we came here in the first place at her request."
Just like before, Canna stepped in as my relief pitcher. Her words were so spot-on that I could only marvel. Look at how sharp our female lead is, everyone.
Behind Canna, Daisy bowed her head. Hmm, it looked like those two had gotten somewhat close. Or was I just imagining it?
"We meet again," Gabriel said to Daisy.
"Indeed."
"Then, may I ask for an explanation?"
Daisy glanced at me before beginning her story.
She explained that the Director had been trafficking children for years. This time, because Troy had taken out a loan using the orphanage as collateral, she had imprisoned the children in the basement to quickly raise funds.
As proof, she submitted the papers she’d taken from the Director’s office, which contained detailed records of the human trafficking.
Daisy didn't mention the spirit until the very end. Was she keeping the secret out of loyalty to me? But what was the point, with the summoning circle drawn so clearly on the floor?
"Then this drawing..." Gabriel began.
"I believe she copied a drawing she saw at the Temple," Canna interjected. "You should be able to confirm it by checking the Temple's visitor logs."
If they couldn't find that record, it would be their own investigative failure. A brilliant save on Canna's part.
"What will happen to Director Merai?" Daisy asked.
"We will keep her in custody until the trial," Gabriel replied. "Especially since this seems related to the drawing."
It was a relief that Gabriel was handling it.
"Uriel, first, transport Merai Miller."
Ah, I had something to ask the Director.
Before Uriel took her to the carriage, I asked if I could have a brief word. Uriel readily gave his permission.
I expected her to look at me with desperate eyes, begging to be saved, but the Director just looked detached, as if she’d already given up.
"What will happen to me?"
"You'll be punished."
My heart pounded. I have to ask her how she summoned the spirit! It was a spirit, right?
"You know exactly what it was you summoned, don't you?"
The Director glanced at Uriel and gave a vague answer. "...The worst kind of nuisance. It wouldn't listen to a single word I said."
It really was a wind spirit. Being free-spirited was a trait of their kind.
"And how did you summon it?"
"I remember it very clearly."
With those words, the Director clamped her mouth shut. Why aren't you talking? No, why are you the only one who gets to remember?
It was like asking a friend if they had an eraser, only for them to reply, "Yes, I do," and then do nothing. The whole point is to borrow it! Isn't that an unspoken social rule? Does that not apply here because the worldview is different?
I wanted to grab her by the collar and demand she start talking right then and there, but there were too many eyes watching. The paladins, the children... If I slipped up, all the effort I’d put into clearing my karma would crumble.
There was nothing I could do.