The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 69
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
this book is completely translated on luna kofi (advanced chapters for the website will follow)
With a deep sigh, Igmeyer strode forward and pushed Nicholas aside with force. He swung his sword so swiftly that no one could catch the motion—there was only a flash of light.
“What are you doing…!”
Nicholas, having been shoved to the ground, protested loudly.
But in that instant, the creature that had been cowering like a kitten, feigning innocence, suddenly opened its mouth wide. It had planned to gain strength by devouring Nicholas and escaping from the scene.
The Shadow Cat, now enlarged, opened its jaw wide, its sharp fangs gleaming, ready to snap shut on Nicholas’s vulnerable upper body.
“!”
Without even a chance to scream its last, the Shadow Cat was sliced in half, not even aware of its own demise.
“Uh, Uwack!”
The startled Nicholas comically covered his face with his arms, letting out a scream.
Igmeyer, finding the whole situation simultaneously amusing and pathetic, sheathed his sword and dropped a harsh word.
“You’re free to stay here and provide medical services, but don’t meddle in the affairs of Niflheim unwisely. My patience has its limits.”
“…!”
“Niflheim has its own ecosystem. Compassion is a luxury here. Living like that will get you killed before your time.”
Igmeyer’s quiet warning was met with muffled laughter from the onlookers.
Nicholas, still sprawled on the ground, received no helping hand from Igmeyer, who turned away coldly.
Then, his gaze met Amber’s.
‘Did she hear?’
What if she thought him narrow-minded and cruel? Should he turn back and offer a hand now?
A whirlwind of thoughts crossed Igmeyer’s mind.
His inner turmoil was interrupted by a soldier rushing towards them.
“We’ve found the child!”
Amber’s attention immediately shifted to the soldier, easing Igmeyer’s worry with a sigh of relief.
“Where are they? Bring them here immediately.”
Igmeyer resolved to give this soldier a special bonus for his efforts.
When asked, the soldier reported with formal posture, “Sir Raphael is bringing them!”
“Good.”
The silver-haired knight soon appeared, carrying a scruffy child.
“They were in the sewer.”
“The sewer?”
“Yes. It wasn’t by force; they had entered there by themselves.”
Typically, one would expect a child to be ‘carried’ back. Being ‘brought’ suggested resistance to leaving the sewer… in other words, a challenging personality.
“Is it a girl or a boy?”
“I’m a boy!”
The child, with long, tangled hair, retorted loudly, showing some spirit.
Igmeyer was relieved by the child’s feistiness. If it had been meek and pitiable, it would have likely drawn even more of Amber’s concern. A bit of a temper might be better in this case.
“Nick, can you check on the child?”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
At Amber’s request, Nicholas dusted off his pants and stood up. The child had been struggling the whole time and attempted to flee as soon as Raphael set them down.
But of course, a knight couldn’t let a mere nine-year-old escape that easily.
“Their teeth are strong, eyes seem fine, hearing… seems good, and they have decent muscle.”
“Don’t touch me!”
The boy snarled.
The village chief, arriving late to the scene, lowered his head upon witnessing this.
“Oh dear, so it has come to this…”
Amber coldly demanded an explanation from the chief, “You owe us a full explanation for omitting this child from your report.”
The commotion for searching for the child had concluded, leaving only the need for explanations.
* * *
To summarize the village chief’s lengthy and tedious excuses:
First, the child’s mother had conceived with an unknown father, and upon giving birth, lost her life.
Second, the child was initially taken in by a household, but as soon as he began to speak, he started making odd statements.
The child’s talk about gates became known only after they turned five.
Third, initially, the villagers believed the child and took precautions, even notifying nearby garrisons.
However, most of the child’s predictions turned out to be wrong.
While there were one or two instances of correct guesses, the vast majority were false, leading to complaints from the knights about wasted resources.
Fourth, despite this, the child continued making claims, and eventually, no one wanted to take care of them.
Thus, the child ended up living alone in an empty house.
* * *
“And as they got older, they began to throw stones at other children… repeating bad behavior…”
“And then?”
“They became a nuisance. But we couldn’t possibly show such a child to honored guests. It’s not the village that’s at fault. It’s the child who won’t stop lying…”
As the village chief spoke, Amber’s expression gradually faded.
