Chapter : 39
But then, where did that useful spirit go while I’m actually doing the stabbing? Like… a Wind Cutter or something. Of course, it wasn’t like it was meant for us.
“Am I… abandoned?”
Is she talking about being abandoned by the spirit? Honestly, if I were in her place and my contractor was a human trafficker, I’d ditch and run too.
“Yes. You didn’t meet the requirements.”
Reading novels, spirits are usually so pure and so picky…
“So just stop now.”
The director finally realized she had been abandoned by the spirit and trapped without an escape, and she started sobbing uncontrollably. The children Daisy had been protecting quietly came out and retrieved Troy from the director.
“Kanna, you take care of the kids and that boy.”
Was it Mary? Kanna grabbed the child’s hand and headed toward a corner. If I went, I might have a seizure or something, so it’s best Kanna goes.
Jelly also looked after her friend. So… does that mean I take the director? Am I about to get stabbed?
Then Daisy approached. Right, I have Daisy on my side. If we lift the director together, the chance of getting stabbed would be halved. But Daisy said something completely different.
“Why didn’t you save Troy?”
What’s she asking? Mary came out and drew all the attention! And now she’s upset that she got dragged into it herself?
I felt a bit guilty, but I decided to understand, considering how upset Daisy must feel. But that doesn’t erase my frustration.
“That wasn’t part of our agreement.”
Of course, business and personal matters must be separate. I shamelessly made it clear that saving Troy wasn’t specified in the contract, just in case Daisy tried to make me pay a price for not saving him.
“Do you want to save him?”
“Yes. I want to save him.”
“Luckily, I have a bottle of holy water. Only one, though.”
Since Kanna was coming with me, I had brought one bottle as an emergency in case we got caught up in an accident. Just one bottle. The problem is, there are two patients here.
I wanted to split it, but apparently, the holy water can only be used on one person. One bottle, one person.
So only Troy or Jelly’s friend could use the holy water. A life-or-death choice! This is way too heavy!
I can’t decide.
“Daisy, you choose. Who should get the holy water—Troy or that boy?”
I tossed it to Daisy, and she shot me a glare as if asking such a question was ridiculous.
“Just kidding.”
I swallowed my words through tears. Fine. I’m the villain here, so whatever happens, I’ll make the choice.
Daisy would obviously choose Troy, right? Right. Between a resilient beastman and a dying human, the latter is more critical.
She gave the holy water she was holding to Troy. His bleeding immediately stopped. Within a few hours, new flesh would grow, and the wound would fully heal. The holy water’s effectiveness is amazing. No wonder it’s so expensive.
And poor Melec, who wasn’t chosen, will be healed later.
“You won’t be healed right away, is that okay?”
Just in case, I informed her. Honestly, being saved at all should be enough to be grateful, right?
“…Yes. That’s fine.”
Jelly’s friend answered obediently. My conscience pricked me.
“In that case, may I come with you?”
“Do you have nowhere to go?”
Jelly’s friend nodded. No place to return to? My mind immediately pictured a sad backstory—captured by indiscriminate slave traders, lost homeland, families scattered. Let’s not ask too much out of respect.
“That’s fine.”
Jelly’s friend seemed satisfied. But if I bring a blindfolded, burly adult man, won’t strange rumors start? But telling him to take it off seems dangerous. If I can’t even treat his injuries, and now he can’t see either… I might die from guilt.
“Melec, are you hurt…?”
The attention-seeking kid came over and said that, and my conscience felt shredded. No, I can’t dawdle here—better to get him treated quickly.
I tied the director with some cut rope on the floor.
“Be careful, it’s dark!”
Supporting the two injured people and keeping the children safe, I exited the basement. The director volunteered to lead the way, but I didn’t trust her and refused. Instead, Jelly sniffed the path and quickly found the stairs up without getting lost.
“How did this get broken…?”
The director murmured in despair as she saw the secret passage destroyed and no longer secret. I only nudged it! Maybe it rotted because the wood was old?
“We’re out…”
“Waaah, that was scary.”
The children, having been trapped underground for so long, cried tears of relief once they reached the surface. Even Daisy, who had been comforting them, teared up.
Ignoring their cries, I looked around the room. Where did the kid who was baking bread on the summoning circle disappear to?
“Pudding?”
I couldn’t distinguish the kids crying from the cat meowing. I didn’t know where Pudding was. I couldn’t tell the crying kids to stop either, so their cries just made things awkward for me. I told him to wait here, so where did he go?
Luckily, he’s not a stray, but a talking beastman cat, so that’s a relief.
‘Meow—.’
I heard a cat sound from the other side of the door. It was Pudding! Overjoyed, I opened the door and met his gaze.
He’s grown a lot, hasn’t he? Our eyes are at the same level now… Oh, no, wait. Pudding was in someone’s arms. I glanced up slightly and saw a familiar face.
“Sir Gabriel?”
“Good evening, Miss Rohanson.”
Huh? Why are you holding our cat? And then, from behind Gabriel, another familiar person appeared.
“Hena?”
What is this?
Without suspicion, Gabriel started explaining nervously, like someone caught in a scandal. So…
“You came to see me?”
To summarize, the situation is simple. Gabriel came to see me for some reason.
“I apologize for visiting at such a late hour without prior notice.”
But I wasn’t there. And coincidentally, he met Hena, who was waiting outside, worried because Kanna had said, “I’ll be back shortly,” but it had taken too long. Kanna, how were we supposed to know it’d take so long?
That’s when their goals aligned. A search party formed to find Evangeline (Kanna).
They checked the destination with the butler, took the temple carriage here, but were confused because no one was in the orphanage.
“If it weren’t for Pudding, we would’ve just returned.”
So that’s why Pudding was in Gabriel’s arms. Pudding looked exhausted. My little one, barely able to speak, must have used every ounce of effort to communicate nonverbally. So admirable.
When I took Pudding, Gabriel’s eyes sharpened.
“So, Miss, could you explain what’s going on here?”
Uh… explaining this is long… Where should I start? From when I went to find Daisy? But suddenly seeking someone who quit seems suspicious. I can’t exactly say I was trying to find out what you’d heard.
“That might be better explained by Daisy. After all, she’s the one who asked you to come here in the first place.”
As always, Kanna became my rescue trump card. Her reasoning is flawless—our heroine is so sharp.
Behind Kanna, Daisy bowed her head. Hmm… maybe they’ve gotten closer. Or is it just my imagination?
“Good to see you again.”
“Indeed.”
“Then may we hear the explanation?”
Daisy glanced at me and began telling the story.
The director had been trafficking children since she was young. This time, because Troy mortgaged the orphanage building, she locked the kids in the basement to cover the debt.
As evidence, she submitted papers she had taken from the director’s office documenting the human trafficking.
Daisy never mentioned the spirits. Was she keeping the secret out of loyalty since it involved me? But what’s the point when it’s blatantly drawn on the floor anyway?
“So this drawing is…”
“It seems to have been copied from a picture hung in the temple. You could check the temple access record to confirm.”
If they can’t find it, it’s investigator error. Very smart handling.
“What about Director Merai?”
“She’ll be detained on our side until the trial. Especially since it seems related to the drawing.”
I can be relieved if Gabriel is handling it.
“Uriel, first, transport Merai Miller.”
Ah, I had something to ask the director.
Uriel asked if it was okay to talk briefly before taking her away by carriage. Uriel graciously allowed it.
I expected desperate eyes asking for help, but the director looked composed, as if she’d given up.
“What will happen to me?”
“You’ll be punished.”
My heart raced. I want to ask how the spirit was summoned! It’s definitely a spirit, right?
“You know exactly what you summoned, right?”
The director glanced at Uriel and gave a vague answer.
“…the worst troublemaker who never listens to me at all.”
Yep, a wind spirit. Free-spiritedness is their trait.
“How did you summon it?”
“I remember very clearly.”
The director shut her mouth. Why not tell me? And why are you the only one who remembers?
It’s like seeing a friend answer “yes” when you ask if they have an eraser you can borrow! It’s literally a loan request! Are the world’s rules different here?
I wanted to grab her by the collar and demand an answer, but too many eyes were watching—paladins, kids… Any slip-up could undo all my efforts so far.
There’s nothing I can do.
