Chapter 123

“Was the temple orphanage robbed? Can they do that?”

Nina asked while eating the honey pickled peach.

Inside the spacious office, the windows were wide open, and Nina was filling the room with the North Wind, so it was cool.

Jean came inside and said, ‘Ha, that’s really cool,’ making a satisfied face. Louis also said, “It’s a pleasant temperature.” and grinned.

Randell, who had been accustomed to the cool air current of the Sage’s Island in all seasons, and was very picky about the discomfort in the summer, was comfortable now.

The capital was heating up in the sweltering hot weather, and people were falling down from the heat one after another. No matter how special the material of the uniforms, the knights, especially the elite that wore long coats, suffered.

When it rained, the clumsy shower only made the heat feel like a steamer.

The pickled peaches that Nina was eating were special products that used the pickled peaches for the winter, frozen in milk-cream, and then everything was ground into a frosted paste.

Of course, she made plenty, and everyone got peach ice cream.

“I never get tired of this.”

Jean sighed as he finished eating, he put down his bowl.

“If you serve this after dinner, you’ll get high reviews.” and Louis praised Nina.

Nina also handed out a bowl that she had equally prepared to Jack, who sneaked through the open window. He asked surprised.

“How did you know I was coming?”

“I just guessed….So the temple orphanage was robbed?”

“Should I say they were stolen? You’re investigating human trafficking, right? It seems that they are not only sold by relatives but also sold in orphanages.”

Louis smiled coldly.

“At the orphanage?”

“Yes, they say it’s for the remaining orphans… As you know, most orphanages are run by donations, and now there are more Bellacs and more orphans.”

Nina followed suit.

“That’s why they sell orphans to run orphanages? Something doesn’t add up, does it? ”

At this point, shouldn’t they be called a slave trader instead of an orphanage?

“Of course, they would use the excuse that, with the money from selling one orphan, they can take good care of the remaining ones.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

Jean mumbled. Louis smiled coldly.

“Not everyone is selling in tears, there always someone that’s definitely looking for capital gains.”

“Yes, yes. Isn’t it the human heart to want to get a good price for selling anyway? Besides, once you sell it like that······.”

Jack shrugged his shoulders, and Adrian said in his stead.

“It looks like a valuable product, not a person.”

“But the people of the Empire are not allowed to trade slaves.”

Jean frowned as he said.

“It’s convenient because they are orphans. You can wash their family register as much as you want. In fact, there’s no way to stop it. It’s not like there’re going to do anything about the overflowing orphan’s problem.”

Jack said it coldly.

Children can’t be used as a good labor force like adults. They cost more money to feed, dress and teach. The younger they are, the more they cost.

In other words, it’s a group that only eats money the more children are gathered together.

Louis’s face was darkened by Jack’s words, he was about to open his mouth, but Adrian spoke first.

“Why? We have a lot of money.”

“Master······.”

Jack looked skeptical, and Louis jumped out of his seat.

“Your Excellency, I······.”

“I know. There’s a plan and there’s a budget.”

Louis looked at Nina without realizing it. She drew an X with two fingers in front of her mouth.

I never said that.

That’s what it means.

Louis’ eyes went to Jean in turn. He had a blank face, ‘Why are you looking at me?’

When Louis turned to Adrian, he said briefly.

“It’s not like we are providing high-quality education, nor nurturing great talents. It’s just raising a commoner child.”

That’s enough, it’s not so hard. Of course, it was not bad to select and raise children who showed talent.

Adrian continued to ask Jack as if his last remarks were insignificant.

“So, about the temple orphanage?”

Jack glanced at Louis.

Louis bit his trembling lips and bowed his back, crossing the arms without replying to Adrian. Nina smiled while looking at Adrian. Others didn’t know, but she knows he’s a little shy. So she urged Jack.

“Isn’t that a big deal if you sell people in an orphanage run by the temple?”

“Of course, it’s a big deal. That’s why they were stolen.”

“You mean kidnapped?”

At Louis’ question, Jack nodded his head.

“There’s a gang going around kidnapping orphanage children, how do they do that?” (Nina)

“They didn’t come in and steal them, instead they took the children as they came out.” (Jack)

“There are a lot of orphans. Why are they even doing that?” (Nina)

Nina frowned and Louis spoke coldly.

“Isn’t there a cost to purchase?”

“Wow.”

Nina covered her mouth at the exclamation that she let out without realizing it. She then sighed.

“I see.”

Jack laughed meaningfully.

“So I dug more. It seems that only one of the kidnapped children was moved to someplace.”

“Wasn’t sold to, but moved to?”

Jean tilted his head when asked, and Jack nodded.

“I think they were deliberately stolen from the temple. I don’t know why.”

He continued, looking straight at Nina.

“Seems that our Commander is right again. It seems to have a connection with the Saint, the child who was in the same orphanage with Saint Lucrezia is gone.”

Nina let out a sigh of relief. I’m glad they’re at least within her scope of action.

‘What would I have done if she had died?’

But why take Fiona out of the temple and make Lucrezia the fake saint?

How could Lucrezia have the saint’s power?

Randell then raised one of his hands and said:

“Can I talk too?”

“Tell us, o magician, who will look down on the world.”

As Nina bowed her head and spoke, Randell answered her tease with a calm face.

“You remember that humanoid Bellac from back then?”

The name was Ice Maiden or something.

Nina nodded her head.

“Of course!”

“The medium was a Tarok.”

“What? They made it with magic?”

Nina squinted, and Randell shook his hand.

“No, it’s the Tarok itself.”

He flicked the seed crystal out of his pocket and Nina quickly caught it.

“Based on our research, Kirill and I found out that seeds are susceptible to assimilation.”

Seeds are the source of life. The starting point of creating the world was called the tree.

“The power of your spirit — let’s say spirit power. It’s going to fade inside it, like the swords made of Sage Steel.”

Nina opened her eyes widely and focused her energy on the sparkling seed crystal in her hand.

“!!”

When I gathered the power of the spirit, I could feel it being sucked into the seeds.

‘Oh, it’s going to break.’

In the nick of time, Nina stopped giving strength. The seed crystal, which had been transparent, was now shining silver, and the surface was engraved with the shape of snow crystals.

She threw it back at Randell who accepted it and looked at the seed while nodding his head.

“That’s how they have increased the number of fallen spirits. It’s like a human body transplant.”

Randell looked at Jack.

“You said there’s been an increase in human trafficking. What happens if I implant this to the person who was bought?”

The temperature in the office seemed to have suddenly dropped below zero. There was a cold silence.

“Can you put that inside a human being?”

Jack said while crossing his arms with a look of utter disbelief. Nina noticed that the nonchalant appearance was rather to hide his boiling anger.

It’s the same as when Randell used to smile when he was angry.

“I’m a wizard, so I know what the Sages thinks. I’m curious, too.”

Randell grinned.

“We’re not going to do it because of ethical issues, but there are a lot of researchers who say that their research comes before ethics.”

Under the pretext of some sacrifice for the development of mankind when in fact, he just wants to fill his curiosity using dirty methods.

“Even if they don’t do that, you can at least get your hands on a fresh corpse.”

It’s much more efficient than digging a grave.

“What if they make the same Bellac like last time? A humanoid Bellac gives people even greater fear.”

“And they are stronger.”

Nina recalled the Bellac back then and said as she went out of her seat.

“I’m going to meet Benzel.”

“The Commander of the Lilies Knight?”

I nodded my head at Adrian’s blunt question.

“Isn’t there an exchange with the head of the Temple Knights?”

If Vialentel and the temple were on the same side, Sir Benzel, the commander of the Lily Knights, must have known something. Maybe he’ll be able to get an introduction letter to the head of the templars.

Adrian tapped the desk. He felt like asking why she was doing that again.

I don’t like it when she keeps going into dangerous places.

But he swallowed a heavy sigh and only answered.

“Don’t worry me too much.”

“How could why?”

Nina greeted him with her arms crossed.

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