Chapter 440: Proof of Existence (28)

0% A soft light flickered in my bedroom.

The crackling campfire had a calming effect on body and mind. The fragrant tea and warm water made me forget the chilly autumn night temperature. I even brought out snacks I rarely ate.

All because I thought the guest sitting across from me might like them.

It was a small boy. His face showed he was uncomfortable, clearly awkward about being alone with an unfamiliar adult. Still, his attitude of trying to make eye contact with me was brave.

He had asked me to save his little sister, hadn’t he?

It was the first request I’d ever received from a child. I used to admire stories about heroes helping villagers when I was younger..

I never thought that now, of all times, I’d actually get to live that dream.

I silently sipped my tea. He’d flinched at every little move I made at first, but now he was able to read my mood to some extent.

Should I start the conversation first?

Just then, the boy finally broke his silence.

“Mister… can you really help us?”

“Isn’t that why you came to me?”

Also, it’s ‘big brother’, you punk…

I forcefully suppressed the urge to add that last part.

It was time to listen to the little guy’s story for now.. To help calm his anxiously trembling heart a little.

“W-Well, I don’t know much… but everyone said you were an amazing person.”

“I’ve just been lucky.”

As I answered, I quietly met his eyes. Quite a desperate look–I couldn’t help but give a faint smile.

“But I’m good enough to help you.”

“Then, can you save my little sister too?!”

I readily nodded. Though I’d have to hear the details, our goals were likely to align anyway.

I want to catch the Shylock Trading Company’s tail.

I realized through the experiences of the past few days. The fact that I needed to uncover the connection between the company and the Dark Order as soon as possible.

For this, I needed to know where the children were headed. If I could just secure concrete evidence, the rest would be smooth sailing.

I, of course, still needed some certainty.

“How exactly do you want me to help? I mean, just because your sister went with the company doesn’t mean she’s in danger. Maybe she got adopted by a good–”

“No!”

As if feeling wronged, the boy raised his voice. It was a tone filled with strong conviction.

I needed that basis.

“It’s all lies! I know……”

“How?”

At that, the boy closed his mouth. He looked as if he had suddenly lost confidence.

He must have tried telling the adults countless times.

Yet no one believed him, so, as if grasping at straws, he came to me.

I asked again.

“How did you find out? No one else seems to have any suspicions.”

“…..Letters.”

While Hesitating, the boy began to speak.

For a moment, my brow twitched. It was because I found it hard to understand what he meant.

But the boy looked very serious.

“The letters sent by the children who had left are strange.”

He then carefully took out a few envelopes from his bosom.

I opened and looked at those letters.

*”You’re saying the handwriting is different?”

The group had gathered in a dark, secluded room.

Senior Elsie, Celine, even the Saintess and Yuren were present.

It was still dawn, so I didn’t have the courage to call Mr. Reynold. We could later share the information through Senior Elsie.

I nodded and answered Celine’s question.

“Yeah, apparently it’s not just one or two. The adults ignored it though.”

“I can see why.”

It was the Saintess’s opinion, who had taken the children’s letters from me.

With a thud, she tossed the letters onto the center of the table.. By now, she didn’t even bother to put on airs in front of our group.

Even the way she examined the evidence was somewhat cynical.

“The paperwork and procedures were properly completed. And that messy handwriting… Orphanage children don’t receive professional education to begin with. It’s not strange that there would be differences in handwriting.”

“I agree.”

Yuren also expressed agreement and threw the letter he was reading onto the table.

While supporting the back of his head with both hands, the man spoke in an uninterested voice.

“Ian, this orphanage isn’t just under Archbishop Aindel’s management. It’s a place where many people are keeping an eye on, myself included… It can’t be controlled by any single person’s will.”

“But it’s certain that the Dark Order has some kind of relationship with the Shylock Trading Company.”

My gaze briefly turned toward the Saintess. A small sigh escaped her lips.

She didn’t particularly want to reveal anything, but there was no helping it.

Reluctantly, the Saintess acknowledged my statement..

“I don’t know if it’s related to the Shylock Trading Company. However, traces of the Dark Order were found on the body of a young merchant dispatched from the company.”

“Then we should obviously crush them.”

Senior Elsie’s opinion was straightforward.

The Saintess touched her forehead as if she had expected this. Anyone who knew Senior Elsie would have anticipated such a reaction.

“You can’t tell if it’s related to the company? That’s too optimistic a judgment… When coincidences repeat this much, it becomes inevitable.”

“Shylock is a major trading company. We can’t force an investigation without any charges.”

“You justsaid one of their people was tied to the Dark Order.”

The Saintess closed her mouth again, and Senior Elsie showed a relaxed smile. It was clear whose opinion was dominant.

Moreover, she even glanced at me.

“And what else is the problem? We even have the Dragonblood Script.”

It was a tone that felt strangely proud.

I could only muster an awkward smile at those words. In fact, it wasn’t a power obtained through legal means.

Nevertheless, it was true that the Imperial Family recognized me as the owner of the Dragonblood Script for now.

It was something that the Sword Duke had vouched for not long ago.

But at those words, the Saintess rather flared up.

“This is the Holy Nation. It’s not a place where the Imperial Family can act as they please.”

“Then you can just put in a good word for us, right?”

“Are you joking? Do you have any idea how delicate this is? You think you can just–”

“Enough.”

As it seemed about to turn into an emotional fight, I decided to intervene first.

Fortunately, the argument between the Saintess and Senior Elsie quickly subsided. Both of them had dissatisfied looks, but now wasn’t the time to fight.

After their opinions were roughly settled, my eyes shifted to Celine, who was still scanning the letters, her blank look seeming somewhat lost.

And she was the only one who hadn’t expressed an opinion yet.

“Celine, what do you think?”

“H-Huh? Oh, aah… me?”

Celine finally snapped back to her senses and gave an awkward smile.

It was obvious she hadn’t been listening.

Lately, she has been spacing out frequently. I was worried about this, but she spoke up before I could say anything.

“Well, while reading the letters, I noticed something interesting……”

At those words, everyone’s attention focused on Celine. Everyone had been concentrating on the handwriting and hadn’t particularly noticed, but was there perhaps a common feature in the letters sent by the adopted orphans?

However, Celine seemed burdened by the sudden attention.

Scratching her cheek, she trailed off as if unsure.

“Um, there are frequent mentions of a ‘red jewel.’ Not in all the letters, but maybe half of them?”

Hmm, I examined the scattered letters on the table.

I hadn’t paid much attention, but I vaguely remembered seeing such words. I had dismissed them as meaningless details.

But before we could delve deeper into this, Yuren once again expressed his opposition.

“Anyway, my sister and I are against it. We don’t even know where the ‘masked assailant’ has gone, right? We can’t leave the orphanage empty.”

“Ian, is there really a need to rush?”

The Saintess’s earnest persuasion continued once again.

Just as before, she didn’t want to publicize this issue. In fact, were I in her shoes, I might have done the same.

“If we carelessly stir up the hornet’s nest, we might actually push the truth further away. It’s still time to wait and see.”

“Then what about that orphan kid?”

The one who countered on my behalf was Senior Elsie.

An argument based on a thoroughly magical perspective followed.

“You think anyone gives a shit if one orphan vanishes? If I were researching forbidden magic, I’d use orphans too. No one notices if one dies. Which means… we’re the only ones who can save him.”

“We can dispatch additional surveillance personnel.”

Of course, the Saintess wasn’t one to quietly back down. As if she had already considered this, she continued her eloquence without hesitation.

“If attention focuses unexpectedly, even the Dark Order won’t move carelessly. The moment we follow them, it becomes impossible to catch their tail. Logically, they wouldn’t do anything suspicious in front of someone they can’t recruit… …”

“We can part ways at an appropriate time.”

At my firm rebuttal, the Saintess’s brow furrowed slightly. Being a quick-witted woman, she must have sensed it as soon as she heard my words.

My resolve was already firm. It won’t waver anymore.

There was a good reason for that.

“It’s tricky to continuously manage one child. No matter how much surveillance personnel follows, they’ll try to dispose of them as soon as the opportunity arises. Especially if the concealment work is already systematized.”

“…..Ian.”

But the Saintess’s determination was equally strong. There was even a faint anger in those pale pink eyes.

“More people could get hurt. Chaos always devours those in the lowest positions first.”

“We can’t just stand by and watch the sacrifices.”

“I’m not saying to just watch. Let’s try to find a way while buying as much time as possible.”

“This is an urgent matter.”

Parallel lines stood side by side without a single point of intersection. It had been a long time since the distance between the Saintess and me felt so far.

“What about the children who have already disappeared? And is this orphanage really the only one the Dark Order is targeting?”

“If we act carelessly, the Dark Order might vanish without a trace. Then more children will die and get hurt.”

“It’s natural to save the lives we can save right now.”

“No, because it’s a matter of life and death, we should be more careful. You know how many lives our choice is risking, don’t you?”

As she said this, the Saintess carefully studied my expression.

She seemed puzzled about why I was being particularly stubborn today. I slightly avoided her gaze and left the decision to my remaining companions.

“What do the rest of you want to do?”

In fact, it was a question that didn’t need to be asked. It was obvious who both Senior Elsie and Celine would support.

“Well… of course I have to follow Ian Oppa.”

“Naturally, I’ll do as my master wishes.”

Three to two.

At my stern gaze, the Saintess slightly bit her lip. Then, with a bang, she slammed her palm on the table and stood up.

Between those bitten lips came a voice tinged with anger.

“Fine then, I wish you luck, everyone… May the Lord’s protection be with you. Immanuel.”

It was her way of saying she’d never follow my lead–even if it killed her.

This left Yuren in an awkward position. He looked back and forth between the Saintess and me, then reluctantly stood up to follow her. His reproachful gaze pierced me.

“Ian, what’s wrong with you? You’re acting really strange today.”

“…….I have my reasons.”

I said this while rubbing my face with both hands and letting out a sigh. Yuren’s expression hardened even more at my words.

“Anyway, leave the Saintess aside, you should come with us. It seems like things might get dangerous.”

“Are you crazy? Why would I go somewhere dangerous?”

Yuren laughed with disbelief and hastened his steps.

Although he was grumbling, I knew.

If he really didn’t intend to follow, he wouldn’t have answered at all.

After the Saintess and Yuren left, the room fell silent again. Seeing my troubled expression, Celine and Senior Elsie exchanged awkward glances and tilted their heads in confusion.

Whatever they thought, an even more troubled sigh escaped my lips.

“…..I’ll have to contact the Imperial Family.”

The decisive battle was approaching.

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