Chapter 22: I want to talk to you in private
The black smoke that covered much of the orphanage dispersed completely, revealing the corpses and pools of blood that stained the snow red, which continued to fall but now with greater intensity.
The city guards had already arrived at the scene. They were shocked to see the scene of death: many dead children’s bodies.
The air was filled with the metallic smell of blood and burnt wood. The surviving nuns bustled about, finishing up the care of those who had a chance of survival.
As for the others, who were clinging tightly to life, they were missing half their bodies or were only conscious. So the nuns, with their hearts in their hands, ended their suffering with tears in their eyes.
One of the guards approached the nuns, his voice tense but controlled: "Could you tell us exactly what happened here?"
"I don’t know exactly what happened. We were taking care of our children... Suddenly, there was a huge explosion, and men dressed in black began killing everything that moved, whether it was children or our sisters. If it weren’t for young Kael Medici, many of us would be dead," explained one of the nuns, wiping the blood from her face.
"The seventh young master? Is he still here?" Manson, who was the leader of this group of guards, asked worriedly.
The nun nodded solemnly, pointing toward the smoking rubble behind her. "Yes... He’s inside. Or at least, what’s left of the building."
Manson thanked the nun, ordered his subordinates to help with the cleanup and bury the bodies, and entered the half-destroyed building, where the screams and cries of both nuns and orphans could still be heard.