Mrs. Fera was at a complete loss, and her mind was filled with concern as she realized that someone had broken in.
Who could it have been?
She struck a deal with the Senator of Porta just recently, and so there was no chance that it would have been a government entity.
Or could it have been?
Was it possible that a report was made to the higher ups in the government, and a raid was done on this facility?
No, that was impossible.
If that were the case then the building would have been stormed with troops, and she likely would have already been arrested- and the children would have been taken into government custody.
There was no such sign.
The children were still working as expected, so there was almost no chance that the person who invaded was an official entity.
Then, who?
A burglar?
It was possible.
She had many valuable items in her room, and so it could have been the case that a burglar invaded the orphanage in the hopes of finding something.
But was that really all that likely?
From the outside, the orphanage looked to be dirt poor, and it was even on the outer edge of the town. It was an easy target, but would anyone actually expect anything valuable to be hidden here?
She couldn't completely rule it out, but there was another possibility.
One which she feared the most.
Veronica, who she had fired and kicked out after discovering that she had reported Mrs. Fera's activities to the Senator, could have done this.
Even if it was not Veronica herself, she could have hired mercenaries or some sort of black market contacts to perform the job.
Then, was she after something?
Proof of her activities?
Mrs. Fera ensured not to keep any incriminating documents around, and there should not have been anything which could be used as substantial evidence of her actions- however she was still worried.
'What if there was something that I missed?'
Mrs. Fera rushed in the front door of the orphanage, not caring that it was broken, forcing her way in.
She looked around and the first place her eye met with was the door leading to her own room- which had also been mangled with.
'It must have been that woman... she went straight to this room to find some dirt on me....'
Mrs. Fera rushed behind the counter and pryed open the door, looking around.
Nothing seemed out of order.
There didn't seem to be any sort of mess like anyone was searching for something. This contradicted both the burglar theory and the theory that Veronica sent someone.
'What? Why does it seem like nothing has been touched? Could it be that Veronica knew exactly where everything was, and ensured that everything was put back in the exact way it was before? But even so... it doesn't even look shifted at all. Nothing seems to be even slightly rearranged from before, as if someone merely came in and looked around, before giving up and leaving.'
It then hit her.
'Could it be that breaking into my own room was merely a distraction?'
Mrs. Fera rushed over to what was previously Veronica's room, however there was not much left in here.
There was some paperwork- things that Veronica had been working on before she was forced to leave, however none of them were incriminating, and they all seemed to be still here and untouched.
Aside from that, the only other thing in the room was the bed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and so Mrs. Fera concluded that nothing had happened in this room after checking and making sure that all the documents were still present.
'Yes, there is nothing here that would be incriminating, and nothing is missing either... then, is there something I am missing? Let me check my own room again...'
Mrs. Fera searched her room high and low. She checked the closets, the bathroom, and every nook and cranny to see if something seemed to be rearranged or missing, yet she didn't find a single trace of an intruder fiddling with anything at all.
'This is extremely strange... then could it be that breaking into my room was a decoy after all? But for what reason would anyone do so? To appear as if it was a burglar who invaded the orphanage? Would that mean that it indeed is not a burglar? That is likely.... there are plenty of things in here that a burglar would want to take, yet they didn't. But, if someone was trying to play it off as a burglar, why didn't they take anything at all then? For fear of being caught? But even so, if nothing was stolen then it would be obvious that it was not a burglar... hmm... this is only becoming more and more uncertain the more I think about it.'
Mrs. Fera exited the room, and decided to take a look at the other rooms, to see if anything had been changed from its initial position.
The first thing she immediately saw when she walked into the hallway with the 5 doors leading to the children's quarters, was that the first door- the door to the playroom- had been broken into.
'They even went into the playroom? Well, if it were a burglar then I suppose they would have checked everywhere, however... I don't think that this wasn't the work of a burglar....'
Mrs. Fera went from room to room, starting at the far end of the hallway.
She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary in the first four rooms, but there were some signs of dust being wiped off from some windowsills and such.
The real problem came when she reached the playroom.
'Someone has certainly been in here. It is likely that they went into all the rooms, however I have no way to tell if they have been in the other 4.'
Mrs. Fera forced open the door to the playroom, and yet another cloud of dust engulfed her as she walked in.
That was when she saw it.
Footprints.
Small, human footprints, leading to the toy chest.
They were the size of a child's foot. They could not have been the footsteps of an adult.
They didn't seem to be forged. An adult with large feet could have not made these, as they would have left behind another pair of larger footprints when they left- something which would have been impossible.
This eliminated the possibility that an adult was trying to pin the break-in on a child.
Then, there was only one answer here.
One conclusion to come to.
It was one of the children who did this.
Or multiple? Perhaps they were working together for some goal.
Mrs. Fera approached the chest of toys, and opened it.
The toys seemed to have been shuffled around and touched.
'This is further proof....'
Mrs. Fera came to the conclusion that either one or multiple of the children had broken into the orphanage while she was away, in order to relax and play.
They had broken into her room, in order to make it seem like a burglar or someone else had broken in, however they were either not intelligent enough to make it seem like a real robbery by stealing something, or didn't steal anything out of fear of being caught.
Of course, if one of the children stole something, they would have nowhere to hide the stolen item, and only risk punishment even further. The fact that nothing was stolen further supported the theory that a child was the one responsible for the break in, as anyone else would likely have stolen something if they did indeed have the intention of blaming the break in on a burglar.
Their real goal was this playroom, which she had locked off from them.
'Those little pieces of shit.... breaking in.... slacking off.... and scaring me like this.....'
Mrs. Fera's eyes were filled with fury and rage.
She had even begun considering rewarding the children today for their diligence, and allowing them to drink clean water from a well instead of retrieving it themselves from the river.
However, such thoughts were no more.
She was now ready to punish every last person- not only the one who had done this, but the ones who had allowed it to happen without getting involved.
She went through the facts one more time to herself to confirm that her conclusion was true.
Was there actually no way that it was really Veronica, or some other enemy of hers? After all, what if the person who broke in was trying to get her to think it was the children?
What a well thought out plan that must have been.
But, no matter how she looked at it, every conclusion she came to pointed to the children. She couldn't imagine anyone else being able to make such tiny footprints- and they seemed to be real. They didn't at all appear to be drawn into the dust. If they were, it must have been a master sculptor or artist who had done so. But this didn't explain how they wouldn't have left their own set of footprints, so no matter which way she thought about it, it had to have been the children.
In that case, what had to be done was a given.
She returned to her room, and patiently awaited the moment when the children were finished with the days work. Of course, she would wait until they finished their work before punishing them. It was only natural that she would prioritize productivity even over punishment.
----
Coran and Alicia sat quietly in the attic of the orphanage.
A while after they had broken in, Coran had made some small peep holes into each of the rooms, with the bathrooms aside, so that he could keep a close eye on everything that went on in this building.
Alicia seemed to be acting somewhat strangely as she sat in the corner. She looked somewhat lonely.
'Does she want me to talk to her or something? Sigh. She is so needy, always acting like a princess who needs to be taken care of. Alright, I get it.'
Coran whispered over to Alicia.
"So, what are your thoughts so far on all this? I know everything must be kinda.... crazy. Surely, you have worries, right?"
"Well.... yeah, you could say that...."
"You can speak if you wish. I will listen. Keep quiet though, as I am also listening for anyone who enters the building."
"Well.... I was just thinking.... will your masters really be alright with things as they are? I.... I really don't want to be anyone's slave except for yours, Coran.... if I can't be your slave, then I would rather just run away. Not that I have anywhere left to return to, but still.... is this alright?"
"Hmm.... I can't tell you an answer to that. It all depends on the mood of my masters. If they are in a good mood, I am certain they would allow it without question, however I've seen them in a bad mood before...."
Coran grinned at the punishments of those who had angered his masters.
"Anyone who angers them will not be let off with a slap on the wrist.... that much is certain. Whether this wish of yours is enough to anger them.... I do not know. They have much more knowledge than I, and as such I sometimes find myself wondering about the things they do. However I always have come to realize that their judgement was correct later on."
"I see.... then, I will just have to trust in you, and in them!"
"But, you know what I think?"
"What?"
"My masters are particularly kind to me and my sister. They have cared for us from the moment we met them and pledged our loyalty to them. I think that if you pledge your loyalty to them as well, and if you are supported by me- who they tend to view in high regard, that they will have no issues with this wish of yours."
"I see! That's great!"
'Is it?', Coran wondered. He didn't really know how he felt about owning a slave, and much less a disobedient one who didn't act like a slave in the least.
'Well, it would be better for a slave like this to be a subordinate of mine, rather than someone who my masters have to deal with. Perhaps this is the only way that she can be accepted.'
Coran decided to support her, and do what he could for her- within limitations.
He would never consider betraying his masters wishes for her sake, but he would at least support her at first before they made any statement against the matter.
"You were a queen before this. Just how was your life as a queen? Did you enjoy it? I too have some experience as a ruler, however I took the most joy in being of use to my masters, rather than ruling in of itself. I cannot imagine a life without someone to serve at this point, to be honest."
"Ah.... well... to be honest, it was lonely."
"Lonely?"
"All the children I had.... they were merely mindless drones.... they did what I wanted them to, but they never thought for themselves. They were nothing more than my spawn.... their intelligence stemmed from my own, and everything about them was an extension of myself. Despite the fact that there were thousands of members in my hive, I felt like I was the only person there. When you are above everyone else.... there is nothing to be happy or sad about. There is nobody to confide in, nobody to even speak to. They wouldn't understand anything, even if I tried to speak with them.... not even the intelligent ones."
Coran felt slightly bad for Alicia.
'Perhaps this is what my masters must have felt before meeting with each other?'
To be an existence so far removed from reality, that there was nobody else to share your pains with.
Coran had never felt anything like that. He always had his sister by his side, and they shared both pain and joy.
However, his life would have likely been over far before it began, had his sister not been by his side.
He would not have submitted himself to his masters if she didn't make the first move.
He would not have killed his own siblings, had his sister not made the first move.
Thinking back on this, not only his masters- but he also had to thank his sister for much. They were the people responsible for bringing him to the point he was at.
"But...", Alicia continued, "When I met you.... everything changed. I could tell that you were someone real.... that you were someone who knew what he was doing, someone who I might be able to have a legitimate conversation with.... even something just as simple as talking to you right now..."
A tear fell from the sharp eyes of Alicia. Despite the fact that her face naturally looked sinister, with a wicked beauty, Coran could tell that she was actually very emotional right now.
"Thank you, Coran.... sniff... thank you for taking me as your slave.... thank you for allowing me to experience reality like this.... everything I've known before this was all fake, but even something as simple as this... just traveling around with you, going on these small adventures... I wouldn't mind staying like this forever."
Coran was at a loss, however he felt like he should say something.
"Well, if we successfully complete this mission.... then I suppose I could present you to my masters as a valuable asset.... a person who assisted me greatly in the completion of the mission. That is IF we complete it. If we fail, then instead you may be seen as the cause of failure. With that, you should now understand just how important this mission is- not just for me, or my masters- but also for your future."
"Y-yes! I will do my best."
"Of course. Anything less than the best would be a grave sin. A felony, for that matter, against my masters and their kindness."
At this moment, Coran heard the front door being forced open.
'Hm? it seems that somebody has returned.'
Coran held up his finger to his mouth, telling Alicia to be quiet, and she wiped her tears, as she sat silently. Coran crawled over to the peekhole which was near the entrance, and looked inside.
He saw an older woman in about her 40's. She had puffed up black hair, and was wearing a fancy dress- one that looked far different from the ragged ones his masters and her eminence wore.
'Is this woman the one who lives here and manages all those children?'
Coran watched as the woman frantically ran about from room to room, surprised at the fact that the doors seemed to all be broken into.
'It was certain that whoever lived here would be surprised that the place was broken into. I've already accepted that they would find out about that. The real issue is whether or not she will turn her suspicions to the attic. I don't think she will, but if she does...'
Coran looked over to a trap he had set near the attic entrance.
It the door was opened, a slingshot would trigger that would shoot and wrap a net of webbing around the one who tried to enter. They would be completely covered in the webbing, and wouldn't even be able to scream.
If that happened, he would simply capture and interrogate the person before anything was found out. Worst come to worst, the two would ditch the scene after killing the person who found them, and find a better location to carry out their mission.
This was not carelessness by Coran, as he understood well that there were no monsters within the human realm, and as such, so long as he cleaned after his own tracks it would be an extreme stretch for someone to come to the conclusion that a monster had invaded.
'Though, that is the purpose of this mission... to spread the word that a monster has invaded the human realm.... I wonder what ever happened with the border patrol? Ah.... well, those men who saw me.... all of them are dead, and dead men tell no tales, so there will be nobody who finds out about my appearance... and nobody saw me and Alicia along the way, so we should be fine.... however, it is certainly known that there was an attack on the wall, and that it was likely done by a monster. I think I should assume that it is known that a monster has invaded the Empire, and I should take care not to allow that knowledge to be linked to myself.
Putting his hand to his chin in thought, Coran glanced through the peekhole as he watched the woman scramble back and forth.
'Though there should be no evidence that a monster has actually made it past the legion stationed at the encampment beyond the wall, so perhaps I am worrying too much?'
However, the task which Coran had been assigned by his masters was a difficult one. Extremely so.
How was Coran supposed to hide his identity as a monster, and at the same time promote himself as a monster who can work together with humans?
It was a contradiction.
It meant that hiding his identity was only something that could go on for so long.
He would have to reveal himself at some point.
The only thing he had control over was when and where he would do so.
He had to ensure that when he did so, that the risk was completely minimized.
So he would watch, and he would wait for the perfect moment.
Coran continued to watch as the lady ran from room to room, inspecting them. Aware that she was visibly freaking out, Coran noted that she did not appear suspicious at all of the attic.
'Perfect... it seems she has come to some sort of conclusion at this point, and her suspicions are turned away from us. I don't know what she is thinking, but either way it looks like we're in the clear.'
Coran grinned sinisterly as he watched the lady head to her room to lie down in her bed.
She seemed to be resting for now, and so Coran gave Alicia a thumbs up.
The risk was avoided for now.
'Now then.... the next step is observation. I need to observe the inhabitants of this building carefully, and witness their lifestyle. I should do this not only for the sake of my mission, but also to gain information for the report I will eventually send to my masters, so that they may be more informed on the situation of the Empire, and so that I can learn more about the behavior of humans.'
Alicia smiled lightly at Coran, giving him a thumbs up back, as she too crawled over and took a peek, to keep watch on the woman.
"I'll do my best to learn about the humans and be of use, Coran.", she whispered.
"Indeed.", he replied quietly.
The two were ready to resort to anything in order to succeed in their mission.