Chapter 4: The Orphanage

"Do I just leave you here, Master?" Beelzebub whispers to me. He was wearing a hood as I told him to and had placed me in a small basket covered with a blanket.

'Yes, just there on the doorstep.'

As strange as this was, this was the only way to get a constant supply of food and a warm place to sleep, or if not any a place, until I was old enough to provide for my own necessities.

I am being placed at the doorstep of the nearest orphanage for that reason.

Mr. Monarch of course had his doubts, but I managed to convince him. 'He did say that this orphanage was a den for criminals, so I can't blame his hesitance... but they seem to feed their orphans well. That's enough.'

'I don't have enough mana to supply Beel with for his summoning for us to reach another orphanage. There was simply not enough time since I can feel my hunger returning. Even without the feeling, I haven't had food in 4 days. That isn't healthy.'

After Beel placed me on the doorstep, he rushes away as per the plan.

As soon as he leaves the premises and disappears into the bushes, I recall the summoning, feeling him return to me. I immediately moved onto the next part of the plan, taking a big breath in and...

"UWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH‼!"

The loud cries woke up the villagers, coming outside with lamps and candles to see what the commotion was about.

"Oh, my, it's a child." "A child. Another one." "Poor baby." "Another nuisance?" I heard many of them whisper different things, my hearing truly impeccable thanks to Hypersensitivity.

But I soon get tired of hearing the villagers talk. 'Damn, I don't need your pity! Just take me in already!'

As I was grumbling, I hear footsteps approach. "...Oh, my God. Another child?" I hear a sad voice. "The third one this month."

The person picks me up but I don't feel pity in their gaze. I felt scrutiny. He was analyzing me with his eyes.

"Well, then, Nia." He calls out the name I told Beel to write on the note attached to the basket. "Welcome to the family. We'll take good care of you here." He smiles brightly at me, his eyes slanting into crescents.

His words conveyed kindness but his eyes told me otherwise. It felt as though he was putting on a show for the onlookers. I mean, unless he's talking to himself that loudly because he's crazy.

'Well, whatever. I chose this for myself. Can't back out now, no other villages were within the area.'

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And so, a few days passed and I was actually taken good care of. Women would come in at feeding time every 5-6 hours to the room I shared with a few other babies to feed and take care of me and the other babies.

During these days, I closely observed what was occurring within this orphanage. I wasn't harmed although the eyes of the people that worked here pooled quite a bit of built up enmity within them.

Other than that, I was treated well, given milk, new clothes, a clean, warm environment... It seemed weird that it didn't align with what Mr. Monarch had told me.

[They treat the very young ones with care. However, as soon as they are able to speak, they are put through harsher environments.]

'Ah... so, that's what it was.'

The orphanage seemed to be divided into two; one for children below 2 years of age and the other for children above that.

However, no matter how evil this place was, I had to stay here for the time being. I'm too weak to be on my own and Beel can't always come to my rescue since my MP isn't adequate.

Just then one of the nannies came up to me for playtime. '...Well, I'll leave this place if they ever start to mistreat me.'

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That... was what I had said, but...

"Caught you, Nia!"

Golden sunlight spills over dewy grass as birds sing in the crisp morning air, the sound of children giggling and running around echoed through the orphanage backyard. "Aw, you got me Hazel."

I giggle as I stop to breathe after getting caught whilst playing hide and seek with the kids.

A few years had passed since I entered this orphanage. I know I should've left and that seemed to be the best option the more I stayed here.

This orphanage was a money extorting, tax evading organization built to traffic children, the adults here all heinous criminals.

I should have escaped, but...

I met all these children, and I... just couldn't leave them behind. We grew closer and they became like actual siblings to me. How could I leave by myself?

So, I made something else my goal.

To bring this entire organization down and burn it to the ground.

However, right now was not the time. I'm still young and powerless, I have little chance of succeeding, and I don't have a proper plan.

But a chance will come. And I will take that chance when it does.

After my breathing calms, I smile at one of my siblings, Hazel. "Haha, you're getting more athletic by the day, Hazel."

"Nia! Nia, are you okay?" Asks a child much younger than me as they come running towards me whilst panting. "Gio, didn't I tell you not to run like that? You know you have difficulty breathing, what if you get hurt?" I say, worried as I get down on my knees and take out a handkerchief to dry his sweat.

"I know... but I was worried about you..." He says and I couldn't help but smile at his pout. I get up and gently take him by the hand. "It's alright, Gio. I'm not scolding you so don't be sad. Just be sure to always be careful, okay?"

Gio's face lights up and the cheered-up boy nods. "Nia‼ Hold my hand, too...!" This time it was Hazel who was pouting.

Her expression made me laugh but I took the hand she held out. With the two children at my sides, I returned back into the building with the rest of the children behind me as the bell for lunch rang.

As soon as we stepped inside, our faces were stripped of our happy grins.

This was the etiquette that was engraved into them ever since they turned two. Since two years old, we were 'taught' how to control our emotions and to behave a certain way that we were 'taught' is the way to behave so we don't embarrass ourselves.

But it was just a staple so we would behave until our deadline. And if we aren't bought, they teach the kids to fight and brings them into their organization, made into numb, disciplined dogs to do their bidding.

Currently, that's the best way for me to bring this organization down. To infiltrate them and then light a fire from within.

Just thinking about it made my blood boil but if I couldn't show it on my face. I bite the inside of my mouth to stop my expression from changing. If I let a sliver of an emotion show, the nannies watching would immediately punish me.

Except it wasn't my punishment I was afraid of. The thing with this orphanage is that when one child makes a mistake, the others will get dragged into it as well. The last thing I wanted was to watch these children get hurt because of a mistake I made.

I sit down at a table, the children sitting at the same table, and began to eat the food the nannies gave in a tray.

If I could even call it food, when it looked like a disgusting blend of mud and wet tissues.

As I was thinking about how disgusting the food was, I hear a "Keok-" and my eyes widened, almost dropping my spoon from shock. 'No...'

In the dead quiet room, that sound echoed. My trembling eyes creaked to my side and lands on Gio who was choking on the disgusting thing they called food.

He himself was frozen in place, shaking with fear. The rest of the children staring straight at their treys with bated breath, afraid of what was to come. Gio's freckled cheeks trembled as he tried to stop himself from coughing even more, but what could he do? It wasn't going away.

'Gio...!'

I immediately sprung out of my seat and got on my knees in front of the approaching nanny, careful not to let any panic or any other emotion escape unto her face, lest I wanted to worsen the situation.

I must be calm.

"Please punish me instead, nanny." I say, keeping my voice monotone without a single misstep. I spoke like the elegantly trained dog they wanted me to be.

"Nia... I can't do that. If I don't punish the boy, he won't learn from his mistakes, now, will he?" The nanny smiles, her frame hovering over me.

The nannies that worked at section two of the orphanage had a bigger build than in most men. So, you could imagine what it looked like having such a person towering over a small child.

I didn't back down; I had no reason to be afraid except for the children getting hurt. One of them is one the verge of being beaten so I really couldn't back down.

"You're right, nanny. However," I keep my eyes pointed to the ground as I speak. "...Rather than him getting punished, seeing his beloved sibling getting punished in his stead... don't you think that would make him learn much quicker to not make the same mistake twice?"

The nanny glares at me, her sweet smile still there on her burly face. However, her expression soon changes.

"...Alright, come along now, Nia." The nanny smiles sweetly as she held out her hand.

I turn to look at Gio as I take the nanny's hand. The look of horror plastered on his face meant that he agreed with my words. '...So, that's why she gave in.'

I swallow a sigh. I didn't want to ruin the situation I worked so hard to achieve.

'Gio still has much to learn as he was new. Although it's cruel, this was the only way we could survive at the moment.' I apologize to Gio with my eyes. 'By obliging to their stupid rules.'

Gio trembled even more but tried his best not to cry. I felt sorry for traumatizing him like this but this was the only way you won't be beaten up. It's not the best way and I knew I was being selfish since he wouldn't like to see me beat up either.

Nevertheless, I am not willing to watch my siblings get hurt even if it isn't what they want.

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[...Master, will you not heal yourself this time as well?]

I could hear the ache in his voice and I couldn't refrain the light chuckle that slipped out. 'If wounds like these disappeared all of a sudden, there's a high chance I'll get labelled a witch, don't you think?'

I sigh as I relax against the detention center's wall, trying to take my thoughts away from the stinging pain of being whipped a hundred times, the moonlight that escaped through the bars in one of the cell walls embraces me as if to provide me some sort of comfort.

It was a filthy cell, a place that looked as though it had not been cleaned for centuries. Certainly not a place you would put an injured person in,

[...]

At Mr. Monarch's silence, I chuckle as I wash the dried blood from my wounds using the water provided to me in a bowl that came with the food. Well, mush.

[How could they lock up children like this?] He asks after a while. I could sense the worry in his voice.

'Mister, you should know by now that they do much worse that this.'

[It was a rhetorical question.]

'Hah, you're getting cheeky now, huh?' I tease as I lean back against the wall.

...

A moment of silence passes between us, my eyes closing for a moment of rest within the silence. I've also come to notice that my eyes are a strange color when I first saw them in the reflection of my plate. While being a redhead was normal, having periwinkle-colored eyes was not.

[Master it has been 4 years since you've come here.] Mr. relays an obvious fact.

'Mm, it's been that long?'

[Master, please. Let us leave this horrid place.]

My teeth grits, thinking about my days here. I smile bitterly as I reply, ' You know I can't do that.'

[...]

I know he has more to say. But he was keeping quiet for my sake.

I sigh at our situation and decide that the thinking can wait tomorrow so I let my eyes flutter close, drowsiness taking over my young body.