Const Orphanage 19

"Do you enjoy this kind of art every day, my boss?" Elvira nudged Altair's arm, laughing in a somewhat schadenfreude manner. "You really have it tough."

"What matters is the value." Altair, keeping his hands by his side, watched the performance on stage with an indifferent gaze.

"Value? In your eyes, do I have any value?" Elvira blinked at Altair, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Everyone has their value," Altair didn't directly answer, nor did he glance at Elvira.

"Did you come here because you see the value of this Orphanage, Mr investor?" Elvira shifted closer to Altair, his tone affectionate.

"The world you see is only a part," Altair wasn't swayed by Elvira, continuing to watch the choir on stage, murmuring softly.

"You make a good point," Elvira complimented, then fell silent.

He soon spotted Blair in the dim light. The young girl seemed in good spirits, holding her candle and spotting Elvira at first glance.

Elvira winked at her.

After the choir performance ended, amidst applause, Georgewill led the children in a bow. Then, ten Care Workers, each wearing a copper mask, entered carrying a glass of wine.

"To express our gratitude to our investors, our Orphanage has specially prepared fine wine for the investors to taste, delivered by our children," Georgewill announced.

From the choir, ten children stepped forward, each approaching an investor. They handed their candles to the Care Workers and took the wine to the investors.

The one who approached Elvira was Blair, who handed him the wine.

Accompanying it was a slip of paper.

Elvira's expression unchanged, he discreetly tucked the note into a hidden buttonhole in his sleeve. Then, he focused on the wine glass.

The silver cup, adorned with delicate patterns, contained a purple-red liquid. Its aroma was rich, instantly uplifting.

—Do not drink

Intuition told Elvira this was not something good. He held the wine glass with a hint of hesitation, but the Care Worker next to him took a step forward.

He swirled the wine, causing ripples in the liquid. His hand felt for a symbol at the bottom of the glass. As the Care Worker moved closer, Elvira could even sense the malice emanating from him.

He had to drink it.

Elvira caught a glimpse of Altair beside him, who didn't hesitate and drank an entire cup with a nonchalant and graceful demeanor.

Even if he could refuse to drink, and ended up fighting with the Care Worker, he wasn't sure he could protect Blair from getting hurt.

So, he tipped his head back and drained the cup. The drink was exceptionally smooth, instantly making him feel warm, as if he had rejuvenated by ten years. He felt energized enough to run ten thousand meters.

Turning the cup upside down, he faintly saw infinite mathematical symbols engraved at the bottom of the cup.

Blair took the cup, then looked at the Care Worker. The Care Worker closely inspected the cup, ensuring Elvira had left not a drop before leaving.

"Something wrong with this wine," Altair's voice was icy.

At that moment, Elvira's scalp tingled, and his spirit was agitated. Hearing such a cold voice, he suddenly leaned closer to Altair, pulling on his sleeve and smiling softly, as if a feather brushed against his heartstrings. "Speak more; I want to listen."

Altair frowned, observing Elvira's dazed look and upturned lips, clearly under the influence of the drink.

The scent of the crisp birch trees became sweetly suffocating. Altair bit into his own finger, cold blood flowing from the fingertip wound. He acted swiftly, smearing his fingertip across Elvira's lips. The touch of blood made Elvira's lips appear even more crimson and moist.

At that moment, Elvira was still drifting in a warm ocean, feeling too lethargic to muster any energy, when suddenly a drop of ice-cold blood entered his throat, sending a chilling tremor through his spirit.

"Awake now?" Altair caught a glimpse of Elvira's clear gaze, whispering.

Elvira, staring at Altair's finger, asked, "Is that your blood?"

Altair didn't respond.

"It seems, once again, you've saved me." Elvira patted Altair's arm, "Thank you, Mr. Investor."

Seizing a moment when Altair was distracted, he looked down at the note hidden in his sleeve, written in Blair's handwriting.

302

That was the abandoned infirmary he had passed by the previous night while evading the creature.

Heading to the infirmary wasn't to meet Blair; it was—

Elvira felt a surge of satisfaction, casting another glance at Altair, who seemed to be intently observing Georgewill on the podium and the Care Workers.

"Thank you, investors, for gracing us with your presence. Since our Dean took over Const Orphanage, we have focused on the health of every child. The Dean invested heavily in constructing a new infirmary in the basement, where we monitor the children's health with cutting-edge technology."

"Const Orphanage specially invites our investors to visit the infirmary."

Georgewill bowed from the podium, and at that moment, Care Workers came in, guiding the investors towards the basement.

Altair and Elvira stood up, following the crowd forward.

As they approached the door, Elvira caught sight of Georgewill, whose shadow appeared unnaturally small, disproportionately so.

His facial features seemed squeezed together, as if he were a child who hadn't grown up, and over time, the features even seemed to continue shrinking towards the center.

He hadn't looked like this just moments ago.

Sweeping his gaze across the hall, Elvira realized the world seemed to have shifted. He could see malevolent presences lurking in the dark, silhouettes crawling in the shadows, and pairs of ferocious eyes.

Has Altair's blood changed the way Elvira sees the world?

Warily eyeing Altair walking ahead, Elvira quickened his steps, feigning nonchalance as he caught up.

"Wait up for me," he said, walking side by side with Altair, just as they passed Georgewill.

"You're going to die."

The voice was so soft, Elvira turned back in confusion, only to meet Georgewill's eyes, brimming with almost tangible malice, as he mouthed the words again.

"You, are, going, to, die."

With a cold laugh, Elvira flipped Georgewill the middle finger before turning to briskly catch up with Altair, leaving the hall together.

Outside the hall, under the deep night sky, the moonlight was pale and cutting, like a specter's gaze piercing through the fog of darkness.

"A tingle in my head, a peculiar pain,"

"Dong---dong-dong-dong---"

"In the mysterious forest, where shadows reign."

"Dong---dong-dong-dong---"

The familiar singing and knocking sounds appeared again! It was Francesca's warning!

What was she warning about?

Elvira halted, touching his ears and looking around, trying hard to find the source.

"Did you hear something?" Altair, with a slight frown and his right eye closed, followed Elvira's gaze, scanning the surroundings.