Chapter 107: Orphanage (1)

Orphanage (1)

The weekend before the evaluation test, Saturday.

I took an express bus to the countryside.

“There’s a... hospital here.”

Today was the day to receive that ‘Mana Quark Treatment’.

[Spring Water Hospital]

However, Yu Hains’ private hospital was almost in the countryside.

It wasn’t too rural. There was an express bus route, a medium-sized casino nearby, a mine, and the air was good because it was surrounded by mountains. The problem was,

“Why is it so old?”

The exterior. It looked like a hospital from 20-30 years ago that you’d see on TV. It even had a sign saying ‘General Hospital’.

“......”

With a doubtful face, I walked in. Fortunately, the hospital lobby and facilities, including the counter, were not as old as the exterior.

“I’m here to see Professor Yu Hains...”

“Ah, yes. Please go to the director’s office.”

The nurse pointed to the director’s office. I nodded and went in.

Yu Hains was there.

“Sit down. Did you bring the money?”

“......I brought it, but you’re speaking informally again.”

I said, putting down my money bag.

“If you don’t like hearing informal speech, you can leave.”

“That’s not it. Please check.”

I pushed the money bag towards him. Yu Hains checked inside.

“Look. The amount should be correct.”

It was a raw cash bundle that had not undergone any money laundering process.

I withdrew the cash from the department store gift certificates I received as a service fee from [At Your Service], the dark web DP I earned from selling mandrake, and put all the advance payment from Soliette into it, preparing 200,000 Ren in cash.

“Let’s deal in cash like this in the future. How about it?”

“It sounds like you’re trying to pass on the money laundering.”

Unfortunately, Yu Hains was very smart.

“No. You said this isn’t an approved procedure anyway. And, you can launder money easier than me. It’s really hard for me.”

“......”

Yu Hains stared at me without saying a word. My heart dropped for a moment.

“Hey~ hey. I’m a patient with Cancer of the Magic’s Core. I have to earn 200,000 Ren a month, and if I have to do the money laundering myself, it shrinks to 100,000 Ren. You know that. Are you going to send me away? Then-”

“I understand.”

Fortunately, Yu Hains gave his permission. I turned my face slightly and let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew.”

“Follow me.”

The professor, who got up from his seat and disappeared behind the director’s office.

I followed him.

It was an operating room.

“The facilities are quite modern compared to the exterior of the hospital?”

“There’s no more foolish waste of money than caring about the exterior.”

Microscope cameras and monitors, as well as operating tables, lights, scalpels, suction, blood transfusion packs, monitors, etc. There were quite a few state-of-the-art equipment.

“This is the Mana Quark Treatment device.”

Among them, he pushed a thin cylinder connected to the ceiling.

“That’s it?”

“That’s right.”

“......Is this really it?”

I was slightly anxious.

I had only trusted this so far.

If this is a scam, I have to entrust my body to that hellish cancer treatment swamp again.

“The Quark Therapy Machine is the entire ceiling, or rather, the whole second floor. This cylinder is merely a tool that sprays the quarks from the second floor.”

“Ah, I see. But can this machine operate in this hospital? Does it need any fuel?”

“The fuel is my ‘Spectrum’, magic power, and the mana core inside the machine. That’s why only I can use it.”

“Who is that person?”

At the entrance of the Orphanage. There was a woman and an attendant getting out of a luxury sedan.

Her platinum hair fluttered in the north wind, and the coat and sunglasses she wore seemed to be more expensive than the Orphanage’s monthly budget.

“She doesn’t seem to be of the age to come for adoption...”

Arbil Orphanage does accept adoption applications. However, due to their very strict conditions, there have only been four so far.

There are many stories these days about adopting children to make them slaves or sell their organs.

“I’ll go see.”

Dent stood up. Just in case, he went with a sword at his waist.

“Ahem.”

Crossing the playground, he approached the guest with a fake cough. There was a knight by her side.

Not a low-ranking knight like himself, but a real knight.

“...Are you the person in charge here?”

The woman asked first.

“Yes. I am Dent, the principal of Arbil Orphanage... What brings you here?”

Then the other party took off her sunglasses. Her impression changed dramatically at that moment. She looked much younger. To Dent, she was almost a child.

“So there is an Orphanage... in a place like this.”

She looked around with a stunned face. It was a desolate playground full of sand, but there were many playground equipment such as swings, horizontal bars, and soccer fields.

“Yes. There is... huh?”

Dent opened his eyes wide. Looking at Elise, he widened his already wide eyes once more.

Elise took a slight step back, feeling uncomfortable.

“Could it be, Petra’s Elise?!”

Dent also often receives news from the College Board. He’s almost keeping a close eye on it because of a certain participant involved. He’s well aware of promising six-star talents like Petra’s Elise, Arkne’s Soliette, and Gerkhen Kal Doon.

“Ah... yes.”

“A celebrity like you here... what brings you?”

“....”

Elise couldn’t bring herself to speak. She had thought of this Orphanage as a ‘fake company’ related to Shion Ascal, and had come to poke around a bit.

Instead, Dent spoke first.

“I heard you’re the biggest prospect of Endex... by any chance, do you know Shion?”

Shion.

Coincidentally, he was the reason Elise had deliberately come all this way.

At first, she thought it was a ‘well-made fake Orphanage’.

Not too blatantly corrupt, slightly suspicious but still made to look reasonably real Orphanage.

A money laundering company contracted by Shion Ascal.

It’s not that it’s not, there are a lot of these companies and institutions when you take an economics class.

Of course, it doesn’t mean he established the company himself. He doesn’t seem to have the ability to do that.

However, there are companies everywhere that help money laundering through donations, and Elise thought Shion was trying to swallow money in collaboration with them....

She ‘misunderstood’.

“So, was the predecessor of this place Libra Orphanage?”

“Yes.”

Dent, the head of the Orphanage, said something completely different.

“....I see.”

Elise blinked blankly. She was embarrassed, surprised, and sorry.

She didn’t know at all.

“But it’s a secret now. In fact, we’re almost cut off from Libra’s main house. Please don’t spread it even by rumor.”

“Ah... yes.”

Elise nodded. Looking at her, Dent smiled.

“But the land is spacious. It’s also our Orphanage’s land, with no need to pay rent or ground rent. We received a donation from Libra’s main house.”

He laughed heartily.

“....Yes.”

There’s nothing else to say but ‘yes’, but it’s understandable that Libra’s main house closed the Orphanage.

The old site has now completely turned into Libra’s financial business district. Jade’s foresight was somewhat accurate.

“So. What brings Miss Petra here?”

Dent got to the point. Elise also sat up straight.