My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 36
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Merai told the loan shark that her son had put up the building as collateral without permission and that she couldn’t hand it over, but she was only slapped and driven away.
She needed money. She needed a fortune so large that even selling all the children wouldn’t be enough to repay it.
She visited the nobles who had bought children before, but was rejected every time. Merai even went to the temple seeking help, since one of the priests was her valued customer.
And there, the moment she encountered a most beautiful and enchanting painting, Merai trembled with excitement. It was as if an angel had extended a helping hand to her.
The painting contained the magic circle that the former director had disposed of to avoid crackdowns. Thankfully, the stupid temple people couldn’t even recognize that it was a magic circle.
Merai postponed her appointment with the priest and returned to the orphanage.
She had heard all the magical processes orally from the director, and fortunately remembered everything clearly.
After drawing the picture with blood from cutting her arm, using a child as sacrifice, Merai summoned a demon. That demon was the very fool before her eyes who refused the countless pleasures Merai offered.
“That demon said his name was Melek.”
She had succeeded in summoning the demon from the past again. Merai felt relieved, but the problem was discovered in an unexpected place.
“Sorry, but that wasn’t me.”
The demon denied the past. The demon summoned by the same method had the same appearance, the same name, even the same voice, yet claimed it wasn’t him?
“Pitifully, you’re still bound to the past.”
The demon even pitied Merai. Who do you think made me like this? Merai was swept by a strange sense of betrayal and declared:
“In the end, you’ll devour the children just like before.”
Demons love flawless, pure white souls.
For unknown reasons, the demon she encountered after 20 years was suffering from hunger. He looked starved, so she thought putting them right in front of him would make them even more appetizing.
Merai brought down all the food the demon had so loved to the basement, but damn it, the demon had tremendous patience.
Eventually, before the demon’s patience ran out, didn’t her beloved son come to the orphanage leading some guests? Security force? Or perhaps priests came like 20 years ago? Or maybe the people who lent money to Troy? Either way, it wasn’t welcome.
Merai grew impatient.
If the demon refused to hunt on his own, there was another way. Merai used to personally spoon-feed the picky children to make them eat vegetables.
So couldn’t she just pour well-cooked food directly into his mouth now? Merai grabbed the chains binding the demon’s body and pulled.
Melek began walking following Merai. The direction they headed was the torture chamber where the children were confined.
***
Soon the door opened.
Yulma tried to maintain his composure as much as possible. Just do as discussed with Ranon. It’s not difficult, so I can do well.
However, Yulma’s breathing was immediately disrupted. The director hadn’t come alone but brought a man bound in chains.
‘Why did she bring him?’
The man was blocking the director’s back, making it difficult for Ranon to target from behind. The man, restrained all over his body, moved like a puppet as the director led him.
“Who untied Yulma?”
The director looked around inside and asked affectionately.
“Why is no one answering? The director is back. Everyone turn around and welcome me.”
There was no response. All the children had their ears covered. Yulma had told the younger ones to absolutely not turn around, to cover their ears and crouch against the wall. The children feared Yulma, so they would obey well.
For the impatient children, she said they could only turn around after counting to one hundred, and as far as Yulma knew, none of the children could count to one hundred.
“Yulma. You answer. What’s this situation?”
“That’s what I want to ask. Director, what are you going to do with us? I thought you were going to sell us.”
At those words, the director narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly.
“Sell? Hahaha, yes, that’s an amusing misunderstanding. No, I was originally going to sell you, so it’s not a misunderstanding? You too, Yulma. If my son hadn’t damaged the merchandise, I could have gotten a high price… Making such obvious scars in visible places, isn’t he such a bad child?”
‘I’m merchandise?’
Yulma felt betrayal toward the director along with slight gratitude toward Troy. Getting hurt was better than being sold to an unknown purpose. To Yulma, such wounds weren’t even scratches or flaws.
“But the situation has changed now. Troy borrowed a huge sum using the orphanage as collateral. Even if someone bought all of you, it wouldn’t be enough to repay it. So I found another method.”
Take back what I just said. Damn bastard! This is all happening because of the money that bastard borrowed?
Yulma recalled his role and continued questioning.
“So what’s that method?”
“Would you believe me if I told you? I couldn’t believe it myself until I saw it directly… Yes, you’ll understand when you see it too.”
The director walked to the wall and ran her hand over the weapons. Yulma tensed up for a moment. She wouldn’t notice that one weapon was missing, would she? Fortunately, the director didn’t seem to notice and passed by the empty spot.
The next moment, Yulma bit his tongue to avoid cursing.
The director picked up a blade.
Damn, this crazy woman. Ranon was right. The director really intended to use that weapon on us.
“Yulma, you’ll understand me later too.”
Understand my ass! I’d rather starve to death than fill my belly by selling innocent children.
“You’re a good child, right?”
Even in this situation, does being good or not matter? Those precious words were something the director often said. The children would act cute to hear that praise of being good.
“I like good children. That’s the only way the demon can be satisfied.”
The director pointed the blade at Yulma. She was completely facing away from the door. And beyond the director’s back, Ranon’s shocked expression was visible.
Except for the director holding a blade, it wasn’t much different from their expectations. The plan was for Yulma to be bait and Ranon to strike the director from behind.
The director raised her hand.
“Ranon!”
Yulma squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for success.
***
The drawer that Lady Evangeline broke was where the director kept important things. Daisy knew well that the director always carried the key to that drawer.
‘8 silver 30 copper, 12 silver 150 copper, 10 silver 200 copper, 7 silver, 13 silver 32 copper…’
Daisy read and reread the documents Troy had found. No matter how many dozens of times she repeated it, the content didn’t change. The documents recorded the director’s trafficking of children.
“I only learned about these papers recently too.”
Troy continued his explanation in a completely dejected state. Daisy had never seen Troy so dispirited before.
“You’re not trying to pin what you did on the director, are you?”
“Don’t you see what year it starts from? A five-year-old sure did well.”
Daisy knew well too. She just didn’t want to accept the fact that the director, who had been so kind and devoted, had sold the children.
“Director, don’t the children miss you? Why don’t they ever come back to visit…”
“That means they’re living happily, doesn’t it.”
She recalled the response that came when young Daisy once expressed disappointment that the adopted children never came back to visit.
Happy? No, they simply couldn’t return.
“Troy, did you know all along? Is that why you hurt Yulma?”
Troy nodded. Daisy remembered how Troy had been particularly cruel to children just before their adoption. Yulma’s adoption was even canceled because of the ugly scar on his arm. That wasn’t just bullying?
“When did you first find out?”
“I first learned when I was ten.”
Since Troy was seventeen now, that was just seven years ago.
“Why are you telling me this now? If I had known earlier…”
“I told you! I said it. I told you that mother was selling the children. That you were all living off that money! What did you say then? You told me not to be jealous of children getting adopted into rich families!”
Troy shouted, filled with resentment. Daisy shut her mouth, remembering how she had treated Troy harshly because she disliked him.
Troy had done his best in his own way. He prevented the trafficking disguised as adoption and confronted mother several times.
When words didn’t work, he even reported his own mother, but there was no evidence, and the security force said what difference would one or two missing orphans a year make, not conducting a proper investigation. They indirectly expressed their intention not to get involved since the people buying children were obviously wealthy nobles.
“I know too! Our mother is crazy! That’s why I tried to destroy this damn orphanage!”
So Troy chose the next best option.
“There are thirteen children left in the orphanage. I borrowed 15 gold using the building as collateral, more than what selling all thirteen children could cover. I thought that would stop her from selling children. But…”
The director disappeared with the children.
Troy said he realized only after causing trouble that the director might sell all the children. That’s why he felt it was his fault for making the situation worse, and unable to bear the guilt, he drank to try to erase his memories.
“It’s because of me…”
Daisy hugged the tearful Troy.
The children probably weren’t sold. As Troy said, even selling them all wouldn’t cover such a huge sum. Instead, like Troy, the director must have found another method.
She summoned a demon with that drawing on the floor to make a wish. Daisy understood why the drawing was in the director’s office and felt it keenly.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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