"What… What is this situation…?" Princess Maya whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes scanned the room full of frail, barely-breathing children. Her disbelief hung heavy in the air.
I clenched my fists. _Damn it…_ I should've brought food. What good were gold coins now?
"Damn it," the man on the floor spat, restrained and pinned under Master's grip. "This has to happen when Lord Veil isn't here…"
> _Lord Veil?_
Princess Maya stepped forward, fury and concern blending in her voice. "Where are the others? The ones I saw a year ago?"
He smirked bitterly. "I don't know. Same place as always, I guess…"
The conversation was going nowhere. His tone… his words… there was something he wasn't saying.
"Master," I said firmly, "call the knights. Get those patrolling the main street and more from the palace."
Without hesitation, Miss Sera raised her hand and summoned a powerful burst of mana. The energy shot upward, breaking through the rotted ceiling and exploding high above the alley in a flare of brilliant light.
A beacon.
"They'll be here any moment now," she said calmly.
The man grunted, glaring up at me. "Brat... Now I get it. A little troublemaker I heard about... You're that outsider, aren't you?"
I ignored the insult. "There's no point in cursing. Just tell me—who is this _Lord Veil_ you're talking about? And where are the rest of the children?"
I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up from the ground. His eyes were unfocused… but then he grinned.
"Well… whatever. It's already done."
Then, it happened.
His chest glowed—a sigil burning bright under his shirt. I'd seen this before… no, _I'd heard_ about it. From King Leontius himself. The Viscount's family had—
> _No... not again._
"You're already too late, outsider!" he hissed—and then his body went limp.
The light in his chest flickered… and then faded.
He was gone.
A moment later, the door behind us burst open.
"What's going on in here?!" a group of armored knights stepped in, eyes widening at the horrific scene.
Miss Sera stood tall, her voice sharp and commanding. "Get a carriage. Take these children to the Central Church _immediately_!"
She held up her pendant—the crimson gem of the Grand Marshal—catching the torchlight and their attention.
"G-Grand Marshal Seraphina—Yes! Right away!" The knights scrambled into action without question.
I turned to Maya.
She stood frozen.
Her eyes were locked on the children. Her fists clenched at her sides. Her lips trembled, but no words came. The hopeful spark in her gaze had dimmed into quiet despair.
"I know you're hurting, Princess Maya," I said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And I won't lie to you. I won't pretend things will be okay. But for now, we need to make sure these children survive."
"…Lady Saya," she finally whispered. "We'll take them to Lady Saya."
I nodded. "She'll know what to do."
Maya took one last look at the broken room… and stepped outside, following the knights and the first child-loaded carriage into the faint morning light.