Chapter 13: Carl Armford [2]
"Sixteen cells," Carl muttered under his breath, his mind racing with thoughts.
"Milord?" the knight accompanying him raised an eyebrow, sensing Carl's preoccupation.
"Nothing," Carl replied dismissively as they made their way back toward the main hall.
However, upon their return, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to have grown even heavier.
Two young girls were being brought out from one of the rooms, their faces contorted in pain and fear, their bodies bearing the marks of abuse inflicted upon them by the men responsible.
"Are they still alive?" Carl asked, his gaze fixed on Seina as she tenderly comforted one of the girls, her own expression reflecting a mixture of sorrow and anger.
"Yes, Milord, but... they're traumatized and unresponsive to our questions," one of the knights reported solemnly.
Though they appeared conscious, the girls seemed unable or unwilling to communicate, lost in the depths of their trauma.
"They need immediate attention from the healers," Carl instructed, gesturing to the robed figures present in the hall, who had been brought along specifically for this purpose.
Seina frowned slightly at Carl's directive, understanding his intentions all too well. "Carl... Lord Carl... they're not in any condition to answer questions."
Carl let out a heavy sigh, his expression betraying his inner conflict. "Seina, I'm here to uncover the truth of what happened in this place. Who killed those people. As much as I empathize with these children, we must remain focused on our task. There may still be killers at large, and we need to apprehend them before they can harm anyone else."
Seina struggled to contain a scoff at Carl's words. "I would have thanked whoever this killer was..."
Her words dripped with disdain for the perpetrators of such heinous acts. If given the choice between the criminals who exploited children and the one who had put an end to their atrocities, Seina's decision was clear.
"Seina," Carl's voice broke through her simmering anger.
"I'm sorry, Lord Carl..." Seina replied, her fists clenched in frustration.
Carl shook his head, inwardly lamenting his decision to bring her along. Yet, despite her outburst, he couldn't deny that Seina's presence brought a much-needed touch of humanity to the grim scene before them.
"What... what will become of us?" a timid voice interrupted the tense atmosphere.
Carl turned his attention to Olivia, noticing for the first time the absence of her left eye, which bore a visible scar. He couldn't begin to understand the horrors she had endured, but he admired her resilience in maintaining her sanity amidst such adversity.
"Seina runs an orphanage in the capital. You can all come live there if you want. You'll be provided with food, shelter, and education. What do you think?" Carl offered, his smile genuine.
Seina's surprise was evident, but it quickly melted into a radiant smile. She had longed to extend such a lifeline to these children, but as a commoner serving as Carl's maidguard, she had doubted her ability to do so. Despite owning an orphanage, a lot of people didn't like that nor her.
"R-Really?" Olivia's voice trembled with emotion, her eyes shining with newfound hope.
The other children echoed her sentiment, their faces lit up with excitement and anticipation.
"Can I become a Holy Knight like you?!"
"I-I want to eat big roast meats!"
"I want to wear beautiful dresses!"
Carl waved his hand awkwardly at the barrage of enthusiastic requests. "Yeah, yeah, you can have all that," he replied, overwhelmed by the earnestness in their voices. "Just ask Seina."
"B-Big sister!"
"Princess Seina!"
The children clamored around Seina, who smiled warmly as she embraced her newfound role, promising them a brighter future.
Turning his attention back to Olivia, Carl noticed her lingering hesitation. "What about you?" he inquired.
"U-Um... can I become like... Lady Seina... your guard? Or e-even a maid?" Olivia asked shyly.
"Well, that might be quite hard, considering Seina's strength, but if you can match her dedication, why not?" Carl replied with a shrug.
"I-I will!" Olivia exclaimed eagerly, determination shining in her eyes.
"Good then. By the way, you're only fifteen, right? There's a child missing, do you have any idea who it might be?" Carl pressed gently.
"Uhm..." Olivia scanned the room, but it was clear she struggled to recall the missing child. Whoever it was, they hadn't been someone she had interacted with closely.
"I'm sure it was a boy, but I'm sorry... maybe if I see him, I will remember," Olivia apologized earnestly.
"It's fine, go join your friends now," Carl said with a reassuring smile, gently nudging Olivia forward.
With a renewed sense of hope, Olivia eagerly joined her peers, her heart lighter now that she was surrounded by companionship and support.
Carl watched the children and Seina for a moment, a wry smile tugging at his lips, before turning to continue his investigation. "Let's see how these scum met their end."
"Yes, Milord," his knights replied in unison.
Accompanied by his retinue, Carl ventured deeper into the blood-stained corridors of the building.
His attention was drawn to small bloodied footprints on the floor, likely left by a child or, in rare cases, a dwarf. However, Carl found it unlikely that a dwarf would be present in a slum populated predominantly by humans.
'Could it really have been a child who killed them all after all?' Carl pondered silently as he meticulously searched each room.
The sight that greeted him was grisly. The bodies of the slain men lay strewn across the rooms, their deaths marked by brutal wounds inflicted with deadly precision. Some had been killed instantly, with fatal injuries to their heads or throats, while others had met their end in their sleep, their throats slit open.
One particularly gruesome scene caught Carl's attention: a man whose genital area had been pierced and burned. The knights surrounding Carl winced in discomfort at the sight.
"Is this their supposed leader?" Carl questioned, his gaze settling on a headless body in a distant room.
"Yes, Milord. There seems to have been a brief struggle, but the death appears to have been swift and decisive," one of the knights observed.
"...And again, the footprints of a child," Carl muttered, his brow furrowing in perplexity.
Carl crouched down, his gaze fixed on the headless body before him, its expression frozen in a grimace of shock. The severed hands lay nearby, a silent testament to the brutality of the attack.
'He didn't harm the children, yet he executed these men with ruthless efficiency. And why didn't he free the other children? Was this an act of revenge for years of suffering? But if he possessed such strength, why wait until now to strike?'
The identity of the child deepened with each passing moment, leaving Carl with more questions than answers.
"In any case, whoever this child is... he is clearly not ordinary," Carl said aloud.
"A child?" one of his knights echoed, clearly taken aback by the notion.
Before Carl could delve further into his thoughts, another knight burst into the room, his expression frantic.
"Milord!" he exclaimed breathlessly.
"Hm? What's up, Koby?" Carl turned towards the newcomer.
"There has been another massacre at a tavern not far from here!" Koby reported urgently.
"What?" Carl was shocked.
"Yes, Milord! We've already secured the area. You should come, Milord…" Koby urged.
"Very well. You, continue searching for evidence here," Carl ordered, gesturing to some of his knights. With a sense of urgency, he hurriedly left the scene.
When he jumped on his horse, someone else joined him in her own horse.
"I'm coming too."
"I thought you preferred to stay with the children," Carl said teasingly.
"I-I know the implications of my job, Lord Carl," Seina replied before hurrying ahead.
"Hah…" Carl exhaled and joined Seina.
…
…
As Carl and Seina approached the Tavern, they were met with a security perimeter established around the area, ensuring that no evidence was tampered with. Curious residents peered from a distance, their faces reflecting a mixture of concern and intrigue.
Before even entering the Tavern, Carl's keen eye caught sight of a thin, dark line running across the building, perfectly dividing it into two parts. Tracing his finger along it, he couldn't shake the strange sensation that coursed through him.
"Milord," Koby, one of the knights, approached Carl with a somber expression.
"Yes, how many casualties?" Carl asked, pushing aside his momentary unease.
"We've counted 23 deaths. All of them died instantly. Some were beheaded, while others suffered cuts to their stomachs or chests. However, one thing is certain: they all perished simultaneously. Furthermore..." Koby hesitated, his voice trailing off.
"What else did you find?" Carl prompted.
"We've uncovered evidence linking them to the kidnappings we've been investigating. Clothes belonging to children, and other items, were discovered among the wreckage. It's likely that they were responsible for abducting the missing children," Koby explained grimly.
"Did you find any children?" Seina asked, concerned.
"Seina, these individuals are involved in the trafficking of children. It's likely they sell them off as soon as they capture them. Keeping children with them would be too risky," Carl replied solemnly.
"What about the other group who exploited the children for their own purposes?" Seina pressed further.
"They're different. The children used here bear marks of disability, likely orphans from the slums. It was easier for them to exploit these children compared to the ones kidnapped by the other group," Carl explained, his eyes scanning the evidence spread before them.
Among the items were pictures depicting innocent faces of children and even illicit affairs involving adults.
"What does that mean, Milord?" Koby asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"It's highly probable that the group exploiting disabled children and the one selling kidnapped children are interconnected," Carl stated matter-of-factly.
"W-What?" Seina was shocked.
"The group exploiting disabled children used them for their own desires and thievery, while these ones," Carl gestured towards a bald head lying near a bartender's body. "...targeted noble children or simply attractive ones to sell for profit. They likely collaborated, with one group keeping the more desirable children and the other disposing of the rest to their partners, or vice versa."
"This is horrendous..." Seina muttered, her disgust evident.
"Unfortunately, it's a grim reality that exists worldwide," Carl said somberly.
"Do you think... the one who killed the other group is responsible for this massacre too, Milord?" Koby asked.
"It's possible. In which case, one might almost believe it to be the act of someone with good intentions," Carl mused, walking ahead.
"Almost?" Seina questioned, confused as she was exactly thinking that.
"Yes, almost," Carl affirmed, his gaze fixed on a specific table.
In a peculiar table, the bodies of an elderly couple lay lifeless on the ground, their heads cruelly severed from their bodies. Nearby, a young man, likely in his teens, appeared to be their grandson, his expression frozen in shock and horror.
It was evident that the elderly couple, along with the young man, were not involved in any illicit activities; they were simply enjoying a meal, much like the other poor clients scattered around the room who were there for a rare meal.
"These perpetrators showed no remorse in brutally ending the lives of innocent people," Carl said as he tenderly closed the eyes of the deceased trio. They weren't the only innocent killed in the tavern.
"But... what could have driven them to commit such a heinous act?" Seina asked, her confusion deepening.
"I'm not sure," admitted Carl, his brow furrowed in thought. "However, I don't believe the individual responsible for this massacre is the same as the one behind the other atrocities we've encountered. There may be a connection between them though. Regardless, their actions were driven solely by self-interest, not compassion."
'But really…can a child truly be capable of such cold-blooded murder?'
He wasn't sure how a child who had been kept for years under in 'prison' was suddenly capable of doing the impossible.
As Carl pondered the unsettling question, he realized that there were still many pieces missing from the puzzle.
"Regardless, the individuals responsible for this are clearly dangerous," he declared seriously. "Koby, we must expedite our investigation of this place."
"Understood, Young Lord!" Koby nodded.
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