Chapter 3

When I heard those words, I couldn’t say anything.

There’s no point in treatment if I’m just going to get beaten again.

Even from those few words, I could feel the kind of life Demian had lived.

Resistance only begets more violence.

The easiest way to quell violence was to resign oneself to it.

For a child so young to already know this...

I felt a tightness in my throat.

"...Still, it’s better to apply it than not."

I forced the ointment into Demian’s hand.

"Apply it later. It will at least reduce the pain."

I should have said something better, but I could only offer this weak consolation.

Without waiting for Demian’s response, I left the room.

Was Demian looking at me? I didn’t have the courage to see a face that mirrored my own.

* * *

It was time for the meal.

The children carried soup that tasted like water, bread that was dry and crumbly from being made too long ago, and salads that had lost all their freshness to the dining hall.

I looked around as I moved the cart, but Demian was nowhere to be seen.

Is he still in his room? It’s almost time for the meal.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and bring the dishes."

The caretaker couldn’t stand it any longer and scolded me. I quickly averted my gaze.

"Sit down and eat quietly. No talking during meals."

Following the teacher’s words, we obediently picked up our utensils.

It’s a funny thing, but the orphans here were taught noble etiquette and social graces.

To save the nobles the trouble of teaching us.

Thanks to this, the orphanage received high praise from the nobles, and the director was very proud of it.

Amid the clinking of utensils.

I put down my spoon, unable to eat much.

Looking around, I still couldn’t see Demian.

'Is he planning to skip the meal?'

It’s evening now. If he skips this meal, he’ll go hungry until tomorrow.

'Or...'

"Ellie, you’re not eating your bread?"

Then Tommy, who was sitting next to me, pointed to the bread I hadn’t touched and whispered.

"Can I have it if you’re not going to eat it?"

I glanced at the bread and whispered back.

"No, you can’t."

"But you’re not eating it."

"I will. So don’t touch it."

Tommy pouted at my firm answer.

Under normal circumstances, I would have given in, but today there was a different owner.

Of course, I didn’t know if that child would eat it or not.

* * *

After the meal, it was time to clean up. The children busily cleared away the dishes they had eaten from, as well as those of the director and the caretakers.

Today, my assigned area was the kitchen. But I didn’t go there.

I carefully opened the door to the orphanage.

The bedroom, shrouded in darkness, was empty.

'If he’s not here, where could he have gone?'

"What are you doing here?"

A familiar voice made me turn around.

Karsen was looking down at me.

"What are you doing in an empty room? Looking for ghosts?"

Karsen made a lame joke.

"No. I’m not afraid of ghosts."

People are more frightening than ghosts.

"True. You’re not afraid of anything."

Karsen nodded as if he understood.

"Are you more afraid of that kid?"

"Which kid?"

"The one who just arrived."

One of Karsen’s subordinates, who had been standing behind him, answered my question.

"I overheard the director talking. He said the kid used to be a slave before coming here."

"He caught a monster in the dark."

"That’s impossible. How could a small kid catch a monster?"

They chuckled as if they were telling a funny joke.

I had a bad feeling.

"Why? Are you interested in the kid?"

Karsen frowned, thinking I was showing interest.

He always did this.

He bullied the kids who showed affection towards me.

Some were fine, but on bad days, even they couldn’t escape the violence.

"No."

So I shook my head.

"I just came to see if Betty was here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I think the kid is in the storage room. I saw him on my way here."

I added with a smile, and Karsen looked suspicious.

"But the teachers said we’re not allowed to go into the storage room. And it’s locked. How could he get in?"

"Maybe with the assistant teachers?"

"What?"

"There’s a lot of good food in there. Maybe he’s trying to sneak some."

Karsen’s face twisted. I continued, pretending not to know.

"He wasn’t in the dining hall earlier. He’s probably trying to get some for himself. Look, he hasn’t done any work since he got here."

"..."

"Maybe the director is favoring him?"

Demian not doing work was because of Demian’s owner. The director was only temporarily taking care of Demian, so he couldn’t use someone else’s slave freely.

'But Karsen doesn’t know that.'

And he doesn’t know that the teachers in the storage room are secretly meeting there.

I made Karsen’s eyes shine to encourage his actions.

"He caught a monster earlier, right? He must be really skilled. That’s amazing!"

"What?"

Sure enough, Karsen’s eyes narrowed when I showed interest.

"That’s impossible! How could that weak kid be strong? He couldn’t even move in front of us!"

'They say people saw it happen.'

I swallowed the rest of the sentence and tilted my head.

"Then is Karsen stronger?"

"Of course!"

He immediately puffed up when I praised him.

'So simple.'

I took out the bread I had hidden.

Karsen blinked like a fish at the bread I suddenly offered.

"What? Why...?"

"Just because. I’m full."

You like this, don’t you? I leaned in towards Karsen, and his face started to turn red.

"What is this... I’ll... eat it well."

Karsen mumbled, cleared his throat, and moved away from me.

He was definitely heading to the storage room.

I watched the idiots move away and quickly followed.

Opening the window, a cold wind blew across my face.

My feet sank into the snow, but it was bearable.

I hid behind a tree, muffling my footsteps.

"Here, I’m the only one eating something good."

In the distance, I could see Karsen and his group swaggering inside.

Soon, the angry shouts of the caretakers echoed.

The storage room was a place where children weren’t allowed to go.

Because all the food was stored there.

"You were trying to steal again! You troublemakers!"

"No! We were told that kid was definitely in there...!"

"Quiet, you brats! Then what’s the bread in your hand?"

"T-this is...!"

Karsen’s face turned white.

Eventually, Karsen and his group were dragged away by the teachers.

'Getting distracted by tasteless bread led to this.'

"Idiots."

I let out a suppressed laugh and stood up.

The obstacles were gone.

Now it was time to find the main character.

'But he wasn’t in the room.'

Thinking hard, I remembered Karsen’s words.

"He caught a monster in the dark."

The thing this child was most familiar with was darkness.

So, maybe.

I directed my gaze towards the dark, snowy forest behind.

* * *

The lamp swayed in the cold wind.

The dark forest was a place even a grown adult would hesitate to enter.

Especially with the snow and the biting wind.

'I wish he wasn’t here.'

I wished as I stepped forward.

But my intuition was right.

Not long after entering the forest, I saw Demian sitting against a tree.

He was huddled up, staring blankly into the darkness.

He had no cloak or blanket to cover himself.

"...Demian."

I approached Demian. Even then, he didn’t look at me.

"...If you stay here, you’ll freeze. Get up and let’s go."

"..."

"Those kids were caught by the teachers. You can sleep peacefully tonight."

"..."

"Besides, you haven’t eaten."

He remained silent, as if he hadn’t heard me.

Biting my lip, I knelt down to meet Demian’s eyes.

The soft light of the lamp turned his black hair red.

"You’ll get sick."

"..."

"Getting sick is no fun."

Only then did Demian lift his head to look at me.

I could see his eyes through his slightly disheveled bangs.

His gaze was steady. I hesitated involuntarily.

"...I’ll just come back anyway."

A soft voice came from his chapped lips.

"What?"

"Even if I’m caught... it’s just that. I’ll come back."

"..."

"I’m comfortable here."

Demian said this and looked back into the darkness.

I couldn’t say anything.

This scene had appeared in the original work.

After being adopted by the Duke of Schuetz, Demian was described as having excellent sword skills.

The Duke asked Demian if he had ever learned swordsmanship, and Demian replied, "To survive in the dark, I had to learn."

I thought this hinted at a dark upbringing.

But I was wrong.

This wasn’t a simple tragedy.

This child had locked himself in deep darkness.

Because it was comfortable.

Holding the sword was probably for the same reason.

I tightened my grip on the lamp.

'Who wants to be alone?'

Something inside me was boiling. Even without a target, I wanted to scream.

I shook my head, looking at the darkness beyond the lamp.

"No, it’s not there anymore. Even if you come back, you’ll soon disappear."

"..."

"I promise. I’ll stake my life on it."

At my last words, Demian looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

But it wasn’t a lie.

When the Duke of Schuetz came to find Demian, Karsen and his group were expelled from the orphanage.

If the original story holds, I would be among them, meeting a tragic end.

So, staking my life wasn’t a lie.

However, Demian’s expression as he looked at me was a bit strange.