NOVEL FROG Chapter 261: The Condition of the Children (1)
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With the ceremony over and Mira having received that unexpected gift, everyone from the church watched as she left and headed to her next destination.
「I’m sure it was somewhere around here…」
She had seen something back when she surveyed the city to find the best spots for her summons, and now was trying to find it again amongst the streets. To be precise, she was trying to get to the guards’ station, as she wanted to ask what had happened after everything went down in the underground pipeways.
So far, she only knew what Christina had told her, about the secret hideout of slave traders underground, and how the people of the mansion had been arrested in connection with it. But she still did not know what had happened with the children held down there, and that was what she wanted to find out.
「Ah, there it is.」
It was a sturdy building of steel and stone, looking rather plain when compared to the other lavish buildings on the streets. Then again, that also made it look like a proper military building.
That building was the headquarters of the guards and soldiers, holding the barracks, command offices, and a consulting area.
The latter consisted of a large lobby with a reception desk, where a few people were gathered. Perking her ears, Mira listened in and understood that they were some shop owners who wanted help with removing some drunkards passed out in front of their stores.
With all of the parties and celebrations after Fuzzy Dice’s heist the night before, it made sense that there were many drunk people still out on the streets, and Mira had seen many of them on her way there too, though she felt some pity for the regular people annoyed by that nuisance.After around five minutes, it was finally Mira’s turn at the desk.
「Is Desmond here?」 Mira wasted no time to ask that directly. She knew that the best way to learn everything that had happened was to ask for Desmond.
「Umm, may I ask why you want to see him?」
But Mira’s straightforward question seemed a bit too sudden, so the receptionist was a bit confused. Mira realized how sudden her question had been, but she was not sure of how to explain either.
And then…
「Ah, if it isn’t the Spirit Queen. Thank you for all the help yesterday!」 A soldier that was behind the reception desk stepped forward.
「Hm? Ohh… You were there yesterday too.」
He was one of the soldiers from Desmond’s unit that had been teasing him, and it was that easy-going attitude that helped Mira recognize him. Glad to see a familiar face, Mira asked him if he knew where Desmond was.
「I’m pretty sure he’s in the third conference room. Just go to the third room from the stairs on the left there, and go straight all the way to the end.」
The soldier quickly gave Mira some directions, but then the receptionist lady turned around in confusion, asking, 「Should you really be telling her that?」
Considering how secure the location was, and Mira’s lack of connection to it, that reaction was understandable. But after the events from the previous night, the soldier believed Mira was trustworthy.
「Don’t worry about it. The Spirit Queen was one of our biggest allies there anyway.」
With that, Mira was given permission to enter.
「The third floor, and then… Ah, it’s here.」
Mira went up the stairs, following the directions the soldier had given her, and moved along the third floor’s hallway. After some walking, she found a room labeled Third Conference Room. From what she heard, Desmond was supposed to be in there, writing a report about everything that happened the previous night.
There was a chance that they would require Mira’s account of the events as well, so it was actually best for her to be there.
Standing in front of the door, she knocked three times, and after a short while, she got a reply to enter.
「Excuse me…」 Mira opened the door and looked inside, where she saw Desmond surrounded by many sheets of paper.
「What do you… Huh? Mira?!」 He was taking the opportunity to stretch a bit, but when he saw Mira at the door, he let out a surprised voice. He had not been expecting her to visit like that.
「Wait… Err, anyway, please take a seat.」
Still trying to comprehend what was happening, he invited her to take a seat. Then, he went to the small kitchenette in a corner of the conference room, where he muttered to himself, 「Where was the tea… No, that’s cocoa…」
「Don’t worry about that, I’m the one who came uninvited. I just have some questions about yesterday.」
Mira tried to get Desmond to calm down as she explained why she was there, and mentioned that she just wanted to know what had happened last night.
「I see, so that’s why you came. Alright, I’m guessing Christina told you some parts already, but let me detail everything that happened!」
After preparing some stuff, Desmond placed some plates and cups on the table where Mira was sitting, then picked up the papers and sat in front of her. Then, he said, 「I don’t mind if it’s later, but I’d also like to hear what happened on your side.」
With that, he told the story of how they followed the footsteps left behind by Fuzzy Dice until they reached a door. There was a fallen man in front of that door, who had been put to sleep by Fuzzy Dice.
Knowing that the sleeping man knew what was happening there, they restrained him and woke him up, and after some questioning, he revealed that the door led to the hideout of slave traders.
Then, he also told them that there were more men inside, as well as multiple children. The men inside were rather skilled in combat, but that also applied to Desmond and his men, who all agreed they needed to break in, restrain the men, and free the children.
They broke apart the door and rushed in, where they found six thugs and around ten children further in. One of the thugs was currently holding a doll up in the air, making a young girl cry.
「And then, I felt like a gust of wind passed next to me, and in the blink of an eye, Christina appeared behind those men.」
Desmond narrated everything as he saw it. Christina rushed between that man and the girl, and a moment later the man fell back unconscious.
「I couldn’t tell what had happened right away, and those men couldn’t either, as they all looked confused. But that gave us a big opening.」
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