2.10

What was in front of him was the sight he'd seen a few days ago, the worn and old iron gate that was the entrance to the orphanage's property derelict behind him. Just like before, it was orange in some parts. It didn't matter how he looked at it or if it was his second time seeing it, only that gate gave a sign that the environment was abandoned. Brandon got out of the carriage and was facing him, facing him. The gate that is the gateway to hell for children.

Ferion was instructing the soldiers what to do before he entered. They should stay outside, waiting for the moment in case the suspect tries, in some almost impossible way, to escape. The riders who had accompanied them that day, Nott and Oliver, whose name Brandon asked Nott later, were riding as well. Both would join them again, especially Nott, who wanted to help the children and had a grudge against the director who ran that place. The two were at Ferion's side, watching as orders were issued and everyone took their positions.

Anyone passing by on the street at that location was curious about what was going on, so a handful of people were standing on the street watching what was happening. A group of soldiers standing in front of a building, although it wasn't that unusual, it was strange that it was happening in that location. The neighborhood where the orphanage was located was not a slum or such an impoverished area, it just wasn't one of the main points of the city.

"Everything is ready?" Brandon asks, seeing Ferion approach him and stand beside him. The noble looks at him and nods.

"You remember what you have to do, right?"

"Yes I remember."

Obviously, Brandon remembered. They discussed plans and how they should operate during these days. It wasn't something that took a long time, but an accident at one of the county's mines had taken some of the earl and his son's time, so they couldn't discuss it in detail. However, with Nott's help on the blueprint of the building, it was decided on an effective way, but that will depend on whether your part goes well. Of course, there was a backup plan in case this one didn't work out.

This time, Nott pushed the gate and opened it, leaving the passage for the other three to pass. He returned to his original position, hearing the noise of metal creaking loudly, and followed his young master to the door of the building. The earth was even drier than it had been days ago, but everything remained the same as the first time. Empty and silent. Not a single childish soul playing on that lifeless lawn.

However, they knew the reason for it now.

Just before Ferion knocked on the front door, Brandon walked away from them and went to hide under one of the windows, so that he wouldn't be visible to the headmaster when he went to greet them. The redhead had his own task and that was to look for evidence that corroborates the reports told by Nott. If he is right and the child abuse still happens, a supposition that even the heir to the Miller house believes is highly possible, he should reveal it while the nobleman was in the reception room with the headmaster and the children.

Such a strategy was an effective way to arrest him if proven. It would last less time than a formal government investigation. And as it was discovered by the earl's people, the lord of the territory would have the domain to deal with the situation. The laws of the empire prevent almost absolute rule by the nobles over the lands they are responsible for. It was a guarantee to protect the commoners against the tyranny of the lords who consider themselves kings due to their responsibilities and a way of conserving the authority of the imperial family.

Even if it wasn't the best, the important thing was the result.

Brandon hid so that it wouldn't be noticeable to anyone who opened the front door, but he also barely saw his companions, depending on his great hearing. The sound of approaching footsteps with Ferion's knock on the wooden door was continued by the sequence that was the turning of the doorknob and the screeching of the hinges. He couldn't see him, but he thought that in the old and wrinkled face, there was a gentle smile, with the purpose of hiding the true face of that man.

"It's you again. I didn't expect you to come so soon." The man's cheerful voice was heard. "Usually, visitors take a week to come with the break between visits, but you were pretty quick."

"I wanted to come soon." Just like the first time, Ferion was short and blunt. So it can't be any clearer.

"... Clear." The man paused. Brandon wanted to see what the man's face looked like when he was being given words that might be considered rude by others, but he couldn't. "Please follow me. I got the kids ready in case you came early anyway."

Finishing those words, he heard the first steps heading into the entrance. Three pairs of feet and their sounds were moving in the same direction and he could hear everything clearly. There was not a single conversation between the group and the man leading them. Every moment they were getting farther and farther away, until they became so far away that they could not easily be heard.

Brandon, realizing that this was the right moment for him to enter, came out of his hiding place and walked with light steps and without making a single noise to the entrance, opening it completely silently as well. He walked carefully, like a thief about to steal something from a house. He developed this ability a few years ago when James ran away somewhere and had to be caught or when a pet had escaped, despite being a little slovenly and making a few noises.

The door click was heard as he lowered the handle and pushed inside. The hallway they'd walked through was ahead, and the stairs leading to the first floor were practically to the side. Like the first time, he couldn't hear a single sound of children laughing or anything moving. It was amazing that he couldn't hear, as his hearing was so much better than other people's.

Carefully, he closed the door and the outside light stopped illuminating the entrance. The environment was bright, as it was daylight. The paintings were still in awkward positions and the furniture was still old. There didn't seem to be any changes to the location after they left and expressed that they would be back. Brandon thought the man would at least try to improve the decor for when they came back with the money he'd embezzled. But that, apparently, was just his thinking.

He looked down the hall and it didn't look like anyone was coming, he was pretty sure they were all in the orphanage's reception room. Turning, his feet headed toward the stairs. The stairs were made of wood and were worn, but their construction matched the interior of the building. If it were new, I could say that it is even beautiful. Brandon saw some aesthetic sense of whoever designed the place.

'Please don't squeak.'

Well, he went up. Bracing his hand on the banister, he stepped down each step in fear that it would make a creak of loose wood and draw unwanted attention from a particular room. However, against his fears, he managed to reach the end without anything bad having happened. A sigh of relief was made by her red lips.

'Now… I have to find the office.'

According to the information that Nott gave during the assembly of the plan and the instructions that Ferion had ordered him, he should go first to the director's office and get the keys that would remain on the key ring on the table. It is used to lock "offenders" in an empty, lightless room. The man did not walk with them, as they were said to be a nuisance, in addition to thinking that none of those little creatures he was obliged to take care of would rebel against him. Pure arrogance made him reckless, and that was a good factor to exploit.

The hall was just as Brandon's friend had described it. The walls were white and there were some decorations neatly hung on them. There was almost no furniture in it and what was there was even older than the one downstairs. There was also a staircase near where he went up, leading to the second floor, which, according to Nott, was used as a warehouse and rubble.

But unlike the floor below, Brandon could see differences between them. The walls were peeling and there were scratches and a yellowish color to them. So unkempt and dirty that it made him a little sick. There were also some details that disagreed with what Nott had told him. A silent rage rose a little in her chest at the thought of children living here under the command of a horrible man in such conditions. His sympathy for them had risen and his determination to find the office soon had increased.

'Damn bastard. Where is the office to get this over with and arrest him?'

He stopped in front of the third door as he turned right on the way up the stairs. It was the place that Nott had said was the place where the former and current headmaster worked. The door was the only one he'd seen in excellent condition since he'd stepped foot in that spot. He thought that if he tried to break into one, it would fall before he even touched it. There was also a sign with the name "Director" written in capital letters. Clear representation that it was the right place and has not changed over the years.

Well, it opened and the inside was revealed. So well cared for you could see the floor gleaming how clean it was. The room did not contain a single speck of dust or any particle of dirt. It was also well organized, as if the owner of the room cared so much about the place. The table near the center contained papers and books well placed and a folded paper in front of the chair was also there. The key ring he was looking for wasn't there, but he saw some keys under a jar on one of the bookshelves, so he assumed they were the right ones.

'Found it.'

With a nod, he took the keys. He took one last look around the room, to see if there was anything that might serve as evidence during the investigation they opened against him, but there was nothing. Not even the paper on the table was important. It was entirely blank, possibly so it could be written down at some point.

Leaving the room, he made his way to one of the last doors in the corridor he passed. It was the entrance to where the "delinquents" were punished when they did not obey the orders or the rules that the director had stipulated. The "Room of Reflection". This room was supposed to be the isolation area, one of the ones that Nott had told, and another one was used for punishment, so the children wouldn't see what he did, although they didn't see it directly, they always saw the bruises appearing on the skin of the girl. victim of the attacks.

It too was worn out, but it looked sturdy somehow. Brandon quickly grabs the keys he got and looks for which one will work in the lock. Fortunately, there weren't many and it was the right locksmith, just like Nott had said. It was a miracle he didn't have to go back and find another set of keys.

The door opened and the light from the hallway illuminated the darkened room. It was so dark that if Brandon had been inside, he wouldn't have seen his hand in front of him, even if he'd put it on his face. A strange, unpleasant smell reached his nose, crinkling him. His hands automatically pulled her shirt up and supported the fabric part, covering and filtering some of that bad smell.

'In addition to being very dark, it smells very bad too…'

Putting that smell aside, now that his sense of smell is properly capped, Brandon scans the room with a glance, looking for someone who looks like a child. He was looking for an eleven year old boy. The boy should be grounded, according to Ferion's information.

The noble man had been suspicious on the day of the visit to the orphanage. When the children were all lined up in front of him, it was easy to deduce how many there were, however, the ledger proved that there was one more that he couldn't find. He couldn't have known who it was, but the numbers of children stopped there for adoption and the number of children who were registered did not match.

Therefore, when he was about to leave and go into the other room to check with his brow slightly furrowed in displeasure at not being able to find him, he caught a glimpse of a figure immersed in that darkness. The presence of the figure was so tenuous that it seemed as if it were not there at all and that it magically materialized. It was amazing, and at the same time sad, that such a person managed to become almost one with the state of his surroundings.

The figure grew a little clearer as time passed as Brandon's green eyes adjusted to the dark within. He saw the boy huddled against the wall, arms outstretched and knees to his face. He couldn't see if the child was awake or asleep like that, as he didn't see any bed or even a mattress in that big space. He still couldn't contain his astonishment when he realized that the windows were all covered, that they weren't curtains, and that no light could get through them.

'No, let's not think about it. Focus on the child, Brandon.'

The sounds of his footsteps echoed in that dark, silent room. Aware of the approaching presence and the noises that became closer and closer, the small body began to shake and Brandon could feel the anxiety of the boy in front of him.

Driven by curiosity, the boy slowly turned his head to see the man who would come to either spank him or give him his meal for the day. If it was an ordinary day, the principal would have started yelling or speaking in such a rude manner before threatening or belittling him. However, the man had not said anything, just approaching him; he was even scarier. The silence and strain of being suddenly beaten was enough for restlessness to start throughout the body and water to start pooling in the eyes. He still had tears to shed.

The child looked at the shadow of the man who was approaching, until he saw the reddish color in his hair and the green eyes that gave him a look of sympathy. He was confused how he got there, opening and going in there, beyond what he intends to do. His body tensed, afraid he was going to strike you too, and quickly backed away from him, making Brandon's footsteps.

The green eyes that stood out in the shadows of the lights at her back were directed towards the child. Brandon crouched down, bringing himself to the same level as the child who was looking at him with distrust, suspicion and fear. The small body trembled with the next acts of the stranger who entered the room that should be a place with no chance of entry other than the director. If he was there, he meant that it could be at the behest of that man who threw him there.

'How do I approach it?'

Neither of them said anything other than staring at each other for a few moments. Brandon was the first to break the silence between them.