“Cough cough”

In a cozy room Quibai Balin dusted off his ash filled clothes while coughing.

Just earlier he was pranked by the orphanage children. While opening a door, ash and dust fell from above onto his head. While his butler got away scat free, unfortunately his reaction time was too slow.

Qiubai Balin combed through his hair to remove excess dust while shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

A hazy red gold sun could be seen setting through the window behind him.

Across from the red oak table in front of him was standing a burly man in an apron.

He watched uncomfortably as Balin scattered dust everywhere.

In the distance, the faint hearty laughter of children could be heard.

Qiubai Balin brushed off the last traces of dust from his clothes and face helplessly, creating a cloud of ash that hung in the air momentarily.

Opposite to him, a quivering voice sounded,

“Young master Qiubai, the kids didn’t mean that. And..Uhh..I was doing laundry so I didn’t have to watch them….blah bla yada ya ya”

Qiubai Balin glanced over

A big macho man wearing an apron with a silly smile on his face.

The sense of contrast was quite full and spicy.

“I know of course Sir Gareth. Here, have a seat don't be nervous”

This was the orphanage keeper after Qiubai Balin didn't stay at the orphanage anymore

A titled knight who sought refuge under the Qiubai family.

Knights were practitioners who lacked the talent for magic casting therefore turning to strengthening the physical body.

A profession requiring tolerance and determination suffering from chronic muscle aches.

Most knights were always guaranteed to be first order beings equivalent to magic apprentices with a few experts barely touching the second order.

Without being able to use the supernatural factor, ether, the mortal boy had its limits.

Sir gareth, an unfortunate third born noble who just wanted a stable career and save money for his hobbies.

Most people who chose to embark on the path of a knight were usually nobles with inheritances that didnt have elemental affinity or talent. But because of this, many were outcasted from their family after a certain age unless they were firstborn.

Because he couldn't embark on the road of the more respected magic caster in the kongwu kingdom,

Gareth had no choice but to walk the road of a knight. Without inheritance rights or family favor, eventually according to noble tradition he had to leave once he reached his coming of age.

Through twist and turns Gareth somehow ended up as the orphanage director

Because of his emphatic nature, he was not suitable for the battlefield.

And he had to admit he was pretty much useless. In the battle of magic casters above the first order, he was pretty much useless.

His sword could never get through the magic barrier of a second order senior magic caster.

How can the mortal body rival the gods?

“It's not that Young Master Qiubai, it's about the missing children, I apologize. I didn't mean to fail you…I uhh..”

Sir gareth rubbing his hands together while giving a nervous chuckle.

Qiubai Balin waved his hands and dismissed him .

“I understand tell me the situation that day”

“You really wont punish me?” Gareth cautiously asked.

Qiubai Balin shrugged and leaned forward onto the desk while resting his hands on his cheek.

“Not like anger can solve anything. We’ll wait until the situation settles before anything”

┐(￣ ヘ￣)┌

The beefy knight gave a dainty blink and heaved a sigh of relief.

He cautiously observed Balin’s reaction while wiping nonexistent tears.

It was rare to find a good employer; not like any second generation he met before.

Very calm and composed as if…as if an old granny.

Usually children of aristocrats wouldn’t be able to tolerate a single amount of “disrespect”. And possessed inflated egos believing they were in control of the world.

Being born spoon fed above ten thousand people and possessing power beyond your peers. Anyone would feel like god.

‘He’s completely not like the rumors….’

Seeing he that Balin was calm he continued,

“.... It was one long winter morning . Under the white veil of snow …trees stand tall and bare, their branches adorned with delicate icicles that dangle like nature's ornaments. The ground was a soft carpet of freshly fallen snow, untouched by footprints, save for the occasional animal tracks, telling a story of nocturnal wanderings... ”

Qiubai Balin’s eyelids twitched…

This person.. Was quite…wordy.

He wanted to stop the silly knight but he was also afraid of missing out on any details…

Forget it…(¯―¯ ٥)

With a forced smile, Qiubai Balin continued to pay close attention.

“...Thus, I heard a scream and immediately rushed to the backyard. I was on my way to rescue those poor souls.. only to find that hapless boy, Orion left. Oh…dear me… how distressing. if only ive noticed it in time. According to the poor boy, he was playing a game in the snow with Natalie and Arima when suddenly someone came to grab him. That’s when I heard screams alerting me but the attackers were already gone. The poor boy… his sister Natalie pushed him, sending him tumbling into the snow which saved him. Now he’s all sullen and depressed.

Qiubia Balin eyelids twitch widely.

(　`_ゝ´)

Orion… he was the mastermind behind the dust falling prank earlier…

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Well, it wasn’t right for him to get angry at a little boy who had just lost his only family member.. He wouldn’t stoop down to the level of children. Besides, emotions were typically harder for the younger generation to control. They needed time, patience, and conditioning. Often resorting to pranks in order to feel powerful or attention.

‘Frustrated yes…but sullen and depressed? Now that’s funny…Ugh, kids are a pain in the ass. Forget it, let him be. It's important to let him distract himself from pain and feel comfortable around me. ’

Wait a minute…something was wrong.

If that brat didn’t go missing then who was the third child the butler reported earlier?(fyi chap 9)

Earlier after he was terrorized by the little devil, Qiubai Balin sent the butler away to investigate the surrounding areas forming a two pronged approach.

Fortunately, the attackers did not return.

After watching countless episodes of detective conan and holmes in his previous life, he knew that a few criminals would return to the scene of the crime to admire their “artwork” or deal even more damage .

But since two were kidnapped why did there seem to be another missing?

When Qiubai Balin was ruminating, a figure suddenly flashed in his mind.

“Wait a minute, I haven’t seen Sunie yet. Where's she? ”

Sunie? The cold popsicle who was in a daze all the time?

The orphanage director was startled.

Crap! He was too busy reading the tales of a bard earlier…he wasn’t really paying attention until he heard a cry earlier…

Why was everything going wrong recently? Were the gods punishing him for his unique hobbies?

Usually things were uneventful and it was honestly difficult for him to foster so many…

:O

“Have you seen her this morning?" Qiubai Balin sternly repeated..

Gareth nervously chuckled and rubbed his head.

“No, Lord Qiubai…”

Qiubai Balin rubbed his temples in frustration. (∩ ⌣̀_⌣́)

‘No my ass’

How troublesome…

Qiubai Balin gave a hard stare at Gareth and leaned back in his chair.

Crossing his arms, he gritted out the words one by one.

“So it's safe to assume she went missing?”

The orphanage director's muscles instantly trembled. An unnoticeable blush crept up his face.

“Listen to my sophistry…ah no i meant i can explain…there's alot to do with so many…”

Qiubai Balin raised his hands to signal him to stop

“Alright, go reassure the children, Buy them treats or something, and don’t forget to put the tab on my father.”

Balin sighed.

This orphanage director wasn’t exactly the most reliable though he could guess why his father agreed.

That stupid knight was either clean and trustworthy or his cheap dad was drunk during the selection.

Though it was fairly understandable since the orphanage did indeed shelter nineteen children.

But still..

He made the mental note to have gareth’s salary deducted and if necessary report to his mother where his dad kept his secret stash of money.

Qiubai Balin motioned to Gareth got up from his chair preparing to leave the room.

At that moment, an almost imperceptible breeze shifted through the room.

Balin felt a bit restless. The same feeling from when a #$&% being casted their gaze though minimize million of times over.

‘Hmm, Am I… being watched?’

As if in response, a shadowy silhouette materialized in the next moment..

Qiubai Balin mentally heaved a sigh of relief.

‘Phew, it turned out to be the butler.’

“Are you done with the investigation?”

Butler Hayate glanced at Balin out of the corner of his eyes. Was he imagining things? Just now his instincts told him that the young master had noticed him.

Hayate shook his head.

No. That was impossible. The young master wasn’t talented in magic and the whole family knew. It was also precisely why the lord sent him to guard Balin. And maybe also out of fear of being berated by his wife Felecia.

“Yes sir Balin. According to the traces left on the scene, I can conclude that the perpetrators aren’t magic casters as no traces of active ether was left at the scene.

It seems to be an extremely skilled knight adept in footworks skill. There is an extremely high possibility of it being the work of thieves.”

Thieves.

Knight that specialized in dexterity.

Most of the knights that practice this path gave up the oaths of a knight and turned to crime. Using their extremely agile body to complete assassinations and getting into places most normal humans wouldn't be able to.

Qiubai Balin’s relaxed a bit. It was unlikely they were going to do something to the children so soon. If the perpetrators were indeed slave traders, they would prefer to keep their ‘products’ in pristine condition.

And the means of knights were much easier to deal with than magic casters.

“What about the nearby guards, what were they doing around the time of kidnapping?”

Butler Hayate touched his mustache and gently explained,

“After reviewing the guard shift schedule, the kidnapping occurred at the time when patrol was least active. It was as if…”

“As if they have been watching this specific place for a while.” Balin interjected.

The butler nodded in appreciation and took out a handkerchief from seemingly nowhere. While drying nonexistent tears, he threw a rainbow fart towards his young master.

"Sir Balin's intellect doth shine with such refined brilliance..."

´༎ຶ ͜ʖ ༎ຶ `

Qiubai Balin gave an awkward smile.

This was pretty much common sense to the average educated person.

And maybe a few episodes of sherlock holmes and detective conan.

Plus a little modern thinking and two world knowledge.

He was merely standing on the shoulders of giants.

Qiubai Balin quickly interrupted the butler's wet fart before he could continue.

“To have watched for so long, they most likely have stayed nearby. Call anyone available skilled in tracking and go inspect the surrounding residences.”

The butler gave a slight bow and then disappeared erratic as a ghost.

“Understood, Sir Balin”.

Qiubai Balin watched as Hayate’s figure faded into the background.

Shadow magic. An elemental type magic performed through shadow attributed ether. All elemental spells like these could only be used by second stage senior casters. The strage thing though was that the butler’s use of shadow magic was too skilled.

According to his knowledge, most sernior casters were still familiarizing themselves with elemental magics and instant casting.

‘Probably some bloodline or something,’ Balin thought.

Neither he nor his predecessor was interested in digging out the secrets of others.

After the butler disappeared, Qiubai Balin silently glanced at the door handle.

His eyes narrowed. That familiar feeling of being watched was back again. Though it was so noticeable that he could barely feel it unless he focused.

He glanced behind and saw Gareth still standing quietly by his side. Pink apron, silly chiseled face, and burly body. Hmmm, quite reassuring.

With a lightning strike of a hand that has been single for many years, Qiubai Balin swiftly opened the door.

“Ahh”

There was a surprised exclamation from a soft meek voice.

Huh? There wasn’t anyone there?

Wait…

Qiubai Balin glanced down.

What came into his vision was…

A small girl tightly embracing a tattered doll.