I, Who Came From the Abyss, Will Save Humanity Again Today Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Caught Off Guard

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I scrambled to hide behind a small flower bed, lifting Captain Grey off my shoulder and cradling it sideways in my arms, crouching down and making myself as small as possible, buried in the shadows.

"...You saw it earlier today, right?"

"Saw what?"

" practicing! I was going all out, I nearly chopped that scarecrow to pieces! Hehe, impressive, right? My arms and legs are completely sore now..."

"Keep it down. If a dorm manager catches us, we're done."

"There's no one here."

The voices were coming from the direction of the staircase. A boy and a girl, from the sound of it, they were pretty young, definitely children from the orphanage. The 3rd floor is the administrative area, right? What were these 2 kids doing up here at this hour?

They must just be passing through... but the footsteps kept getting closer, and by so terrible luck, they were heading straight toward the terrace.

"Let's go check on the flowers. It rained so hard today, hope they're not all beat up."

"Who cares about flowers. A steel sword, now that's sothing worth looking at."

"Savage."

"Tch, that's why I say girls just... don't get it."

The voices were almost right on top of now. The 2 kids had co over and stopped about 5 ters from where I was crouched.

I stayed perfectly still in my little corner, nervously pressing my fingers together, silently counting my own heartbeats, not daring to lift my head, terrified of being spotted.

The 2 kids chatted away about trivial things, their voices so close it felt like they were whispering right next to my ear. I could even hear them breathing clearly.

"I really just don't get it. What's so great about swords? I like pretty clothes... Look at my new dress, cute, right?"

"It's okay, I guess."

"Would it kill you to just say it looks nice..."

"That's so cringe... Was it handed out yesterday?"

"Mhm, there were several more too, all really pretty. And look how new it is... right! And there was honey candy too... Hehe, Director Theresa is so good to us."

"I still want a sword though..."

"Then wait until you actually beco a real knight."

Hmm? Clothes...

Does that an the shipnt had already been brought back to Cataloma, and the kids had already received them?

Sister Theresa... that was fast.

You're not actually a bad person, are you? At the very least... you'd never harm these children.

Would you?

...I'll get to the bottom of this as soon as I can.

Lost in thought, the green leaves just above my head suddenly rustled, startling back to reality. I snapped my attention back, wrapped both arms tightly around my knees, held my breath, and went completely still.

A mont later, a girl's innocent voice drifted down from above.

"Look, look, the daphne is about to bloom!"

"You're the one who told to keep it down... Can we go? Grandpa Pierre might be able to see us from here."

"He's already asleep."

"How do you know?"

"Grandpa Pierre always goes to bed early, and there's nobody for him to let in at night. Plus, this afternoon I saw him carrying a bottle of wine... He can't handle his drink at all, he's definitely passed out by now!"

"Oh... so then we..."

"What are you doing..."

"Don't, not here... Mmph!"

Rustle, rustle... rustle, rustle...

A mont later.

Mhm... mmh...

?????

What... what are you... what are you two doing...

My face started getting warm.

Out of curiosity, I peeked my head out from behind the flower bed, half-squinting my eyes, and snuck a glance in the direction of the sounds.

Just one glance. Nothing more.

One glance was all it took, there they were, leaning against the terrace railing, that young-looking pair. They had their arms wrapped around each other, eyes closed and trembling ever so slightly, lips pressed firmly together, their little faces flushed red in the dark of the night.

They were kissing!

I imdiately covered my eyes and yanked my head back behind cover.

See no evil, see no evil... wait, hold on! How old are you two?! Are you even 15? No way!!

A teenage romance?!

You're still children!

I'm calling the authorities... why is my face so hot right now—!

"Mmm~"

"Mhm~"

Those soft, muffled little sounds sent a weird, indescribable tickle through .

Hey, hey~ There's soone else over here, you know...

"You're pressing too hard..."

"I like you."

What on earth am I even doing here... Can I leave... or can you two just hurry up and go...

But this little couple just stood there and went on and on and on. Long enough that I started seriously considering just knocking them both out and being done with it, the urge kept growing harder to suppress with every passing second.

Slowly, I felt my legs going numb. But I didn't dare shift my position, afraid of disturbing them. I really wasn't sure how much longer I could hold out.

Please don't take this any further...

Thankfully, they didn't.

After the kiss ca the obligatory round of sweet talk.

"When you beco a knight soday, you still have to marry ."

"Obviously!"

"You better not lie to ."

"I won't."

"...Okay, let's head back."

"Alright."

Phew—

I finally let out a long, quiet breath of relief.

Their footsteps faded as they walked away, their voices growing more and more distant.

"...So when are you actually going to beco a Church Knight?"

"I'll work really hard."

"Lucas and Elle and the others all went to do their training in the church district... must be nice."

Hmm?

Are they friends of Elle's... wait, they went to train in the church district?

I froze.

Elle and the others, they're not in Cataloma anymore?!

What's going on? I just saw her a couple of days ago. Where did she go... when did this happen... there was absolutely no warning, and she'd even made plans to have co visit her again!

"Funny how so many people just up and left all at once."

"They're probably not in the royal city anymore."

"I guess so..."

"Ahh— everyone's been feeling so down lately too... it feels a bit lonely."

"I'm still here, you know..."

"I heard a lot of the clergy went to Sylgaria, so they sent those guys to help out... kind of like an early training placent? Ahh— I wish there was a spot for too."

"You want to leave too?"

"I'd go with you..."

By the ti the two of them had walked far enough that I couldn't hear them anymore, I still hadn't managed to shake off the shock.

Abel's disappearance, the connection between the heretics and Cataloma, the strange behavior of so of the children, the guguo grass, Elle's sudden departure...

A wave of deep unease washed over , and I felt my heart slowly sinking.

...No. I have to find out where Elle went tonight. I need to make sure she's safe.

Tomorrow... I don't think I'll be in any mood to go to the Academy.

I quickly got to my feet, shook out my numbed legs, secured Captain Grey back on my front, left the terrace, and pressed my back flat against the outer wall of the building, stepping onto the narrow stone ledge outside, barely wide enough for 1 foot, and slowly inched my way toward the window of Theresa's office.

It went more smoothly than I'd expected. In no ti at all I had shuffled my way over to the window of the office and tilted my head to peer inside.

Pitch black inside. Not a soul in sight.

I reached out and gave the window a gentle push — it didn't budge. Locked from the inside.

Not that that was going to stop .

On the way here, Lecter had given a flat iron hook about the size of a palm. It could be slipped through the gap in the window fra and used to slowly lift the latch from the inside.

...Click.

See, easy.

I slipped inside without making a sound. The mont my feet touched the ground, I imdiately pivoted and used Moon Step to glide a short distance forward. That way, even with the weight of Captain Grey, it wouldn't make too much noise on landing.

Once I was steady on my feet, I swept my gaze around the room.

Old wooden tables and chairs. No sofa... The place was still as plain and simple as ever, sa as the last ti I'd been here. Except...

I looked up.

Except the jet-black double-bladed axe that had been hanging on the wall, it was gone.