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.
He asked for directions and headed toward the basement. Before reaching it, he saw Kael Medici dressed in black, covered in dried blood, accompanied by his maid and a boy who appeared to be of a similar age.
"Young master, are you all right?" Manson asked with slight concern.
Kael nodded. He continued on his way, completely ignoring the guard; he had already obtained what he needed. Although he did not expect the person behind this attack to be his first brother, rather than his fourth.
After twelve teeth were pulled from the hooded man, he confessed that the attack had been ordered by Knight Miles, a subordinate of Soren Medici. Furthermore, Miles was a seven-star Knight.
I didn't expect my brother Soren to be bold enough to launch an attack on an orphanage. Kael expected to be attacked when he went to clear the dungeon, since, as one of the Flagbearers, he would be a target for his other brothers.
However, he did not expect to be attacked so soon, which is why he came out with his coin sword and mask. What he did not anticipate was that the person responsible would not be the fourth brother, but the first. In his first life, he had had virtually no contact with him.
Kael put aside the attack and focused his thoughts on what he had gained from this sudden incident.
Emotions are a luxury that only the weak can afford. Human losses are worthless if they leave nothing useful behind.
My main goal was to obtain a useful tool that would help me with the raid, so that part was complete. However, I also gained some unexpected benefits. Thanks to me, many nuns were saved, which improved my image in their eyes and could be useful to me when I go to the Holy Empire for that Inheritance.
He was thinking about how to make use of what he had done in deliberately saving some nuns who had been near him when the attack occurred.
Although part of the reason he was able to save some of them was because the attackers were nine-star Aura Masters, just like Kael. What made the difference between them was experience.
Kael is someone with 400 years of experience. So the attackers were like children in his eyes.
Not long after, he left what remained of the Together We Are Family orphanage after exchanging a few words.
The sky was a leaden slab, a blanket of thick clouds that drowned out any glimmer of light. The sun couldn't filter its golden rays through, and the city sank into the cold.
Under that oppressive sky, the streets lay buried under layers of snow, which crunched under the footsteps of passersby.
Amidst the pristine white, the hunched silhouettes of the street sweepers stood out, men and women wrapped in thick coats, guiding pack dogs whose muscular bodies strained against their harnesses as they pulled small carts laden with tools.
With each step, the metal shovels tore through the snow, clearing the road with a harsh sound.
But neither the bitter cold nor the snow sticking to their boots could silence the buzz. Despite winter's icy embrace, the city was abuzz with rumors.
"Who was the heartless person who attacked the orphanage? So many innocent children died..."
"When I passed by the orphanage, all we saw were corpses... children and nuns lying on the ground. They were preparing a quick funeral for those innocent souls."
"It was an explosion! They destroyed the entire orphanage!"
"They're completely mad... How dare they do this on Medici Clan territory?"
"I hope the culprits pay for taking so many innocent lives."
Kael listened to the murmurs as he walked toward the mansion. From time to time, he felt the stares of the commoners and peasants, which was normal. His body gave off a strong smell of blood.
Lydia and Eren followed closely behind, but neither said a word, especially Lydia, who didn't want to say anything. Once he arrived at the mansion, he had to report this to the clan chief.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the mansion, where the guards and servants were surprised to see Kael covered in blood again.
"Who was the unfortunate person who provoked the seventh young master?" a gardener said with a long sigh. Because this is the second time Kael has left the mansion and returned covered in blood.
"It seems you haven't heard yet that the orphanage was attacked, and the seventh young master was there, which is why he's covered in blood," said a servant.
Kael, ignoring what he had heard, ordered a servant, "Give him some clothes, young man, and then send him to my room."
"Yes, young master!" The servant nodded vigorously and fearfully. He was too afraid of Kael, and then he looked at Eren. "Please follow me."
Kael watched Eren walk away for a moment. He followed the stone path to the entrance; he had to clean this blood off. Although it didn't bother him, he wanted to take a bath.
Upon entering, he ran into his second-oldest sister, Lyra Medici, who looked at him with some concern.
"I want to talk to you in private."