The children quickly opened their hearts to Karina, thankfully.
Watching Karina play with the kids at the training ground, the team members exchanged comments.
“Indeed, her looks are the best.”
“Are all elves that pretty…?”
“Even elves can be ugly. Karina is an elf but she’s short.”
“That’s too much!”
It’s not like I can grow any taller than 163 cm, what am I supposed to do?
It’s true that I’m quite small for a Forest Keeper…
I feel a bit unfair about it.
“Karina, stop playing with the kids and let’s have a meal.”
“Yes, understood!”
Karina serves elven food and gives the children appropriate human meals.
I wondered if the meal might not suit the kids’ tastes, but they ate well anyway.
Were they just really hungry?
As I watched them contentedly, the captain spoke up.
“We’re going to the facility tomorrow, and if you get too close, won’t it be hard when we have to part?”
“Ah, I gave them my contact info, so we’ll keep in touch sometimes.”
“Really?”
If that’s the case, I have nothing to say.
———
Clink, clink.
It’s time to check the instruments as usual.
This time, the sounds didn’t distort at all.
Satisfactory.
With a smile on her face, Karina quickly inspects her cane.
Come to think of it, this operation is connected to the one where we rescued those kids before.
We traced the funding and found the mastermind, and hitting that place is what this operation is about.
Thinking back, their faces come to mind.
They were quite cute kids once they were cleaned up, despite being rather dirty at first.
I didn’t notice, but after washing them up, their folded ears were revealed.
They must have been Hyuns.
I’m sure they’re doing well now, right?
Just then, one of the team members raised his hand and said.
“Captain, after this, can I take some time off without worrying?”
“Sure, take it as you wish. I allow it.”
“Ooh!”
He raised his fist in triumph, and several others patted him on the shoulder in response.
“Why are you so obsessed with taking time off? What are you planning to do?”
“I’m thinking of going to an amusement park with my daughter.”
“That’s quite an ambitious dream.”
Going to the amusement park with his daughter is indeed a significant matter.
“By the way, have you been in touch with those kids we rescued?”
Karina nodded at the question and replied.
“Are you talking about Karen and Iren? I received a message that they are being adopted in a few weeks.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Indeed.”
——-
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a vacation.
I can’t even remember how many weeks it’s been…!
With the vacation I received, the first place Karina decided to go was not her hometown of Beriton, but an orphanage facility.
She wanted to at least see their faces before Karen and Iren were adopted.
“Hmm, I think this is the place.”
Karina felt slightly overwhelmed by the building she arrived at.
The facility is located in a forest where mana flows well.
It was wider and larger than she expected.
Well, it wasn’t clean, but there was a garden and it seemed to be quite decent.
There was also a playground in one corner.
Yet, something felt off.
“Is this how all facilities are?”
I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it looked old.
The walls felt unusually high… The guards looked quite impressive as well.
I’m not sure what class the cane I’m carrying is allowed for, but I imagine it would show quite a bit of power.
‘Because it’s in the forest… are they trying to guard against monsters?’
The forest has the advantage of free mana, but it also has the disadvantage of monster appearances.
Well, the choice was made by the person who established the orphanage.
Karina walked on, reconciling with herself.
Suddenly, she was stopped at the entrance by a guard.
“Wait a moment, are you a visitor?”
“Hello, I’m Karina.”
“Karina… that’s a name I haven’t heard before. Do you have a reservation?”
“A reservation? I wasn’t aware it was necessary.”
“Hmm. I see…”
The man looked a bit uncertain as he picked up a phone to contact inside.
“Yes, one person… Yes, understood.”
After a brief conversation, he said, “Please wait a moment. Someone from the facility will come out.”
“All right.”
Following the guard’s words, she sat down to wait, and soon a robust man with brown hair came out, smiling.
“Welcome to our Dylan Orphanage. I am the facility manager… Dylan.”
“Nice to meet you, Dylan. I’m Karina.”
She extended her hand for a handshake.
Dylan readily accepted her request, clasping her hand and shaking it a couple of times.
Karina was secretly surprised by the sensation she felt in his hand.
‘His hand is very firm…’
The calluses felt very rough. Rougher than my own as a Forest Keeper…
Perhaps it’s because dealing with children is that much harder.
Guided into the office inside, Karina was urged to sit on a suitable sofa.
“Please wait a moment; I’ll bring you something to drink. What kind of tea do you like?”
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a disturbance from his pocket.
– Beep, beep.
“Oh dear, a phone call…”
Dylan smiled slightly and said, “Please wait here a moment,” before disappearing.
Karina nodded and sank deeper into the sofa.
The smell of synthetic leather was quite unpleasant.
“Hmm…”
Looking around, she noticed that the office was quite chaotic.
Among them, what caught her eye was a display case filled with all sorts of trophies and certificates.
‘They have trophies in this old facility…?’
Some of the dates on them were only about two years old.
Best Facility Award, huh…
‘It’s spacious, that’s true.’
It seems the judges must have been rather lenient.
Or perhaps the deception was quite good.
Could it be something one could earn with a thorough cleaning?
‘Hmm…’
As she shifted her gaze, she noticed photos with what seemed like important people.
Looking at those with the children, it seemed they were taken before the kids were adopted.
‘Were they nobles?’
If the children are going to good homes, that would definitely be a good thing. As she thought of that, while smelling the unpleasant odor coming from the sofa.
‘Dylan is taking a while.’
After waiting for some time alone, it became quite boring.
She also didn’t want to sit around because of the strange smell from the sofa.
Just as Karina was about to stand up to get some fresh air, she heard a small conversation that caught her attention just outside the door.
“You idiot. You got the dosage wrong. How can you not even handle the packaging properly?”
“It’s strange… It seemed just right to me.”
“Damn it. One of them is ruined. Bring another one.”
“Got it.”
Could someone have made a mistake?
It sounded like a banter.
At first, Karina thought, well, everyone makes mistakes and planned to overlook it.
Until she heard that sound.
Kiiiin–! Clang, clang!
That sound could clearly be heard as something was being cut by a power saw.
Are they perhaps doing some construction?
It was then.
“Karina, they’re waiting for you inside… Why are you out here?”
“I just felt a bit stuffy inside.”
“I’m sorry. My phone call took longer than expected… Let’s continue our conversation inside.”
At Dylan’s suggestion, Karina nodded and headed inside.
As she sat down, Dylan poured the tea he’d brought and said.
“So, Karina, what brings you here?”
“I just wanted to see the kids at the orphanage.”
“Are there specific children you’re looking for?”
“Karen and Iren. I heard they are in this facility.”
He handed her the tea.
“Well, those kids are currently preparing for adoption, so you can’t see them. Haha, the procedures are quite complicated. There are several things to finish urgently. Adoption is tomorrow.”
“Is that so?”
Just as Karina accepted the tea with gratitude and brought it to her lips…
“AHHHH–!”
She paused.
“Did you just hear something?”
“Hmm…? I didn’t hear anything.”
Karina examined Dylan’s expression.
It was clearly a lie.
As she took in the fragrance of the tea, her unease only intensified.
‘They must have tampered with the tea.’
At first, she thought it was just poor quality tea, but that wasn’t it.
Having been drinking tea since she was 10, she could immediately tell what had been done to it.
All the unsettling clues were coming together.
After making her judgment, she immediately threw the teacup at Dylan.
Thwack, clang!
“Cough, you little brat!”
With a thud, Karina propelled herself up and slammed her knee into Dylan’s face.
Crack-!
The impact was perfectly delivered.
“Damn…”
With the force strong enough to topple the sofa he had been sitting on, he had no choice but to lose consciousness.
Thud.
———-
There were far too many strange points.
Rusty playground equipment that makes you doubt if it’s really used by the kids, unusually high guard levels and vigilance, the strange noises and screams coming from underground, and… the sleeping drug they tried to feed me.
Every clue pointed to the fact that this facility was not normal.
Karina pulled a keyring from Dylan’s pocket.
Could this open the basement door?
‘It’s a pity I don’t have my cane…’
But it’s not something a Forest Keeper could just take out freely, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
Karina fiddled with the pocket knife in her coat pocket.
Is it fortunate to have something like this?
In truth, this too was something she had snatched from Dylan.
Though the blade is small and seems insufficient for harming someone, it was sharp enough for cutting.
If she had swallowed the sleeping drug and fallen asleep…
Just thinking about it gave her chills.
As she stealthily descended into the basement, she wrinkled her nose at the unpleasant stench that hit her.
‘What is this smell…?’
Sounds were coming from inside.
“Damn it, you really… The dosages got switched.”
“…This is a disaster.”
“I don’t care, damn it, you tell the boss.”
“….”
What were they referring to when they said they switched?
Karina suppressed a feeling of nausea strong enough to make her dizzy and began to move forward slowly.
Clink-.
Something heavy caught her foot.
“Ugh, who…?”
“Who are you…?”
A fat man was startled and a relatively thin man asked.
But Karina didn’t respond. She couldn’t.
Her eyes were fixed on the object in the bucket.
A ring-like object.
Why is that hand stored there?
“Intruder!”
It was a relief.
They looked relieved.
At least if they kill an intruder, the level of punishment might be reduced.
However, whether that was even possible…
———
“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
I should have investigated the facility beforehand.
I shouldn’t have handed it over to the government.
– Shocking collusion, the public human trafficking that has openly occurred at a legally certified facility…
Beep.
– The new facility management law amendment is being proposed in light of the fallout from this incident…
Beep.
– Non-existent children had no human rights…
Beep.
– Evidence of misinformation and cover-ups…
Bang!
Karina finally smashed the TV.
No matter what broadcast was on, it was continuously broadcasting about that incident.
It truly was shocking.
More than ten nobles connected to that incident were already being dragged out.
Of course, no broadcasting company would fail to report such a large incident.
Yet, every time she watched those broadcasts, it made her feel nauseous.
Only the static noise from the broken TV echoed through the room.
Why did that noise bring comfort instead?
Karen and Iren…
Those children are like I’ve killed them myself.
If I had been a bit faster.
If I had noticed sooner.
If I had thought more deeply…
Ding dong-.
The doorbell rang.
She struggled to her feet and opened the door.
Standing at the door was a postman.
He lightly greeted her and said.
“Is Yerna here?”
“…Yes.”
The postman handed over the mail and package.
Letters from Tien Forest…
There wasn’t much to see. It was probably a notice of the approval of her resignation.
The package sent with it was probably her personal belongings.
“Please sign here.”
She was about to write ‘Karina’ as usual when she hesitated.
“I wrote the wrong name… Can I erase this for a moment?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you.”
She corrected her signature.
‘Yerna Risphind’
It was a new identity obtained through the witness protection program.
