Chapter 105: The Disappeared Children
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: The Disappeared Children
“There’s no one here… not a soul.”
A look of hollow disappointment crossed Philip’s face. The children he had grown up with would have been old enough to leave the orphanage by now, but he must have hoped to at least encounter the people who ran the place.
I thought it over for a moment before speaking.
“Actually, I came here to find a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yeah. A friend of mine and the Saintess.”
“If you mean the Saintess…”
I gave him a brief explanation of Luciano’s situation. Philip nodded when he heard it was a child who had been in an orphanage just like him. Since there was a significant age gap, it seemed Luciano had arrived at this place after Philip had already left.
“Do you remember everything from your time at the orphanage now?”
“Yes. Some parts are a bit blurry, but for the most part.”
“Did they ever abuse the children here?”
“Abuse?”
Philip tilted his head at my question. He answered in a calm, steady tone.
“I don’t believe anything like that happened here.”
“Hmm.”
Philip’s words added weight to my hypothesis. I spoke up, my voice clipped.
“Let’s head back to the Capital.”
“Pardon?”
“The children will be at the Capital Temple.”
“Uh, how can you be so sure?” Philip asked, blinking in surprise.
I stared intently at the orphanage building, where all traces of human life had vanished.
“This was just a temporary holding facility for children gathered from all over. It was essentially a human trafficking hub. Once they were at risk of being discovered, they would have shut it down immediately like this.”
“That’s…”
“You were handed over to Apocrypha before you became an adult, weren’t you?”
“That… yes, that’s true.”
The orphanage where Luciano and Philip had stayed was in the East, but there were likely countless places like this scattered across the Empire. The children were probably raised for various different purposes.
Since the orphanage was just a transit point, it seemed they didn't experience anything too horrific there. Just as Philip had been brainwashed after being handed over to Apocrypha, Luciano must have been subjected to the Demon’s Poison only after being transferred to the Capital Temple.
‘So, it makes sense that they’d hide them inside the Capital Temple.’
Of course, they could have sent them elsewhere, but it would be difficult for them to let Luciano—an experimental subject—out of their sight. He would be easier to handle if he was kept within their grasp.
There was a high probability that some of the children who had been here were also at the Capital Temple. I furrowed my brow.
‘Sigh, how am I supposed to sneak into the Temple?’
To someone like me, who had contracted with a demon, the Temple was no different from an enemy fortress. Even when I rescued Nathaniel before, I only managed to get him out because Dollens, who had a proxy contract with Dantalion, was able to move freely.
Now that I didn't even have Dollens, I couldn't find a way. I let out a long, heavy sigh.
[Hm? I smell something.]
“A smell?”
Suddenly, Desmond put his nose to the ground and started sniffing. Then, he began heading somewhere.
Philip and I followed behind him. Desmond led us to a spot quite a distance away from the orphanage building.
[It’s the trace of a Warp.]
“…!”
Desmond spoke as he nudged the ground, which was covered with leaves, with the tip of his nose.
Focusing my mind, I could also feel a faint trace of mana coming from that spot. I tilted my head in confusion.
“The Temple uses magic? Don't they reject it as heresy?”
[Hmph, as if! Those bastards do all sorts of dirty deeds behind the scenes. Even the Imperial Family has some mediocre mages. Why would the Temple lot be any different?]
“Wow.”
They had the nerve to harass the mages of the Magic Tower, claiming magic was a heresy that rebelled against God.
And yet, they used magic themselves just to live comfortably? They really were the ultimate hypocrites.
Then again, the Empress Dowager, who was a former Saintess, had even contracted with an Ancient Demon. I wondered if this was even something to be surprised about anymore.
“Where was the last Warp destination?”
[Mmm, it seems to be the Capital, just as you said, Master.]
“I knew it.”
I nodded, my suspicions confirmed. Then, Philip, who had been hesitating for a while, asked tentatively while watching my reaction.
“Um, My Lady. By any chance… are you really communicating with the Direwolf?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Gasp.”
When I looked at him nonchalantly and asked back, Philip’s jaw dropped in shock.
Having no idea that I had contracted with a demon, he simply stared at me in pure admiration.
“The Em—no, My Lady, you truly are an incredible person! To break my brainwashing and even communicate with a demonic beast…”
“Yeah, well, I’m the reincarnation of an Archmage.”
“An Ar—Archmage!”
I said it as a joke, but Philip believed it hook, line, and sinker, his eyes sparkling.
“That is truly magnificent! It is an honor to serve you, My Lady!”
“Sure, sure.”
I gave a half-hearted nod and sat down on a nearby rock. I was worried about how to get back to the Capital.
“What is the matter?”
“Nothing, I’m just wondering how long it’ll take to get back to the Capital.”
“Pardon? You’re an Archmage, can’t you just Warp there?”
“How old do I look to you right now?”
At that, Philip stared at me in shock again, as if realizing something.
“F-five? Six?”
“Exactly. That Warp I did with you was my last. And even that was half-powered by a magic stone.”
If it hadn't been for the magic stone Melissa gave me, there was no telling what kind of disaster a novice's Warp magic would have ended in. I had recited the incantation and the activation words, but it was Melissa’s magic stone that completed that messy, amateur spell. I could barely manage a simple teleportation without coordinates; there was no way I could perform a proper Warp, which required a precise mental image of the destination.
Philip seemed to think that I simply couldn't use my full power because I was too young. In a way, that was true. If I were older, the demons would have been able to use more of their abilities.
“For now, I think it would be best to return to the village and hire a carriage.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
I had no choice but to hire a carriage to the Capital. I had the money, so that wasn't an issue. It would just take a long time.
I swallowed a sigh. A hired carriage used by commoners would have poor horses, making the journey even longer. At this rate, the Empire would be in an uproar for a while over the news that the Imperial Princess had vanished.
“Ugh, let’s hurry.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Still, there was no other way. I naturally let Philip pick me up. Just as he was about to turn back with a brisk pace—
[I hear the sound of fighting nearby.]
“Fighting?”
I tilted my head at Desmond’s words. The demons strongly advised against moving now, saying the surroundings were dangerous.
[Let’s wait a bit before we leave.]
[She’s right. The humans are fighting quite fiercely.]
“What is it? Bandits?”
[Seems like it.]
I felt a spark of curiosity at those words. Of course, I wasn't planning on recklessly heading toward the fight. I asked various questions, borrowing the demons' eyes.
“Who looks like they’re winning? The bandits? Or… wait, is the side being attacked a group of merchants?”
[They look like merchants.]
[Oh, they’re going to win quite easily.]
“What? Which side?”
They were probably fighting for their lives, and here I was asking out of pure interest.
But I couldn't help it. Since I wasn't seeing it for myself, it didn't feel real. I couldn't help but be intrigued that something that usually only happened in novels was unfolding right before me.
[The merchants look like they’ll win. The bandits are starting to run away.]
“Oh, that’s a relief.”
[There’s a fairly skilled fighter on the merchants’ side. Looks like he’s the leader of the group.]
“The leader of the merchants?”
[Yeah. Well, he’s still a long way off from being a Sword Master, but he’s quite good for a human.]
For Desmond to praise him like that, he must be truly impressive. My curiosity grew even stronger. Unable to help myself, I asked Desmond more.
“What kind of person is he? Huh?”
[Hmm, there’s a drawing on the flag they’re carrying.]
“A drawing?”
[Yeah, a strange drawing of a woman with a fish tail.]
“What?”
I whipped my head around to look at Desmond. Desmond, who was scanning the inner forest, tilted his head.
[Is it a drawing you recognize, Master?]
“Is it a drawing of a woman with long hair on a blue background? And her legs look like a fish?”
[That’s the one.]
“…!”
My eyes widened at Desmond’s answer. I hadn't seen it in person, but I knew that drawing.
The figure depicted on that flag was a Siren from legend. And there was a noble family that claimed to be descendants of that Siren. Furthermore, they were the most influential family dominating the East.
‘It’s Henrietta’s maiden family!’
My jaw dropped at this unbelievable, chance encounter. It was the family of Henrietta, who had married the eldest Winston son, Vincent.