Chapter 1068 – #253_술래잡기(5) – DeepL
#1062
1.
“Hey, kids, I’m out, how’s it going?”
Lydia strode into the ‘House of Angels’ with her arms outstretched wide, a paper bag like a shopping bag hanging from each side.
The children, who were banging on the piano keys, lounging on the couch reading a book, or building with blocks, immediately brightened up when they saw Lydia open the door.
At the same time, seven children rushed in, as if they had spotted Santa.
“Mommy!”
“Sister Lydia!”
“Lydia!”
Their young faces blossomed and they hugged Lydia, calling her by their favorite names.
It was like a pack of puppies greeting their long-lost master.
“I’ve missed you, Lydia!”
“Yeah, yeah, Charlotte. I missed you too.”
“Mommy, mommy, I got first place on my midterm assessment, did you hear?”
“Awww, my dear Isabella, you’re amazing!”
Lydia smiled brightly and patted each of the children on the head as they expressed their delight.
She kissed their foreheads and hugged them tightly, showing them affection and closeness.
“Patricia, how long are you going to stay like that?”
Lydia asked one unusually timid-looking girl, placing a hand on her waist.
The playful scolding made Patricia hesitantly step forward.
“Ms. Lydia…. Can you take this?”
“What? What is this?”
It was a small doll that could be used as a key ring.
Patricia was very handy, and with a simple sewing kit, she could make a convincing doll.
“Oh, it’s got golden hair and sparkly eyes, is it me?!”
“Yes…! I made this for Lydia-sama.”
“Oh my gosh, how sweet!”
“Ehehe….”
“Hmmm, where can I decorate with this pretty doll?”
Lydia started fussing with the kind of adult fussiness that kids love, moving the doll around.
“How about this? How about that? How about this? How about this?” she’d ask, placing the doll in the front of her dress, in her side bag, on top of her head, and Patricia would giggle like she was being tickled.
“Damn party boy…. He’s hogging mommy’s affections all by himself….”
“Calm down, Charlotte. You’re a sweetheart, you’re just looking out for Patricia.”
“Cheep cheep cheep.”
The children who complain incessantly have a common characteristic.
They’re all girls of different ages, but they’re all wearing old-fashioned dresses.
And they’re all stunningly beautiful, as if sculpted by the gods.
“Come on, you grumblers, stop grumbling and get to work!”
“Gather!”
The girls stand side by side in front of Lydia, their faces full of excitement.
“Hey, hey, it wasn’t me you wanted to see, it was the presents, wasn’t it?”
“No!”
“I missed you Lydia, te amo! Te amo!”
One by one, Lydia handed them each a gift from the shopping bag her assistant had prepared.
“A bling-bling party dress for Patricia, who made a wonderful doll!”
“Ooohhhh!”
“And for our dashing young lady, Isabella, a marigold perfume that’s all the rage in social circles these days. She’s been begging for it for ages. Did you have a hard time getting it?”
“No, no…! Really? Wow! Wow! It’s got a seal of authenticity!!!”
“A history book for curious Charlotte!”
The children’s joy was palpable as they accepted their gifts, and Lydia watched with a maternal smile.
Kids are good.
Healing sucks.
When you’re the boss of a bunch of accomplishments, sometimes you just get tired of being the boss.
At such times, the innocence and transparent goodwill of children, like white first snow, can be very comforting.
“Well, you’re not what you’re rumored to be.”
A witch who had been watching the scene from afar spoke up.
“A position of Lydia’s stature and workload is simply too much for an individual to handle.
Therefore, in addition to the ever-present chief secretary, there are several specialized assistants, and the one who spoke now was a newcomer who had recently taken over the administration of the orphanage.
To the newcomer, who had just completed her orientation, Lydia was nothing like the rumors.
A businesswoman with no blood or tears to show for her infamous exploits.
A jar of desire that could be filled to the brim with gold coins.
A perennially hysterical boss who uses performance pressure like a magnetic spell.
An awe-inspiring reputation, even at the top of Solidus, that she’s just a lady with a lot of money, time, and personality.
“To be honest, I was under the impression that there was no blood or tears, but that’s not the case at all – a lot of those apprentice witches follow her like a mother.”
The junior secretary, who had been handed over to the newcomer (i.e., the one Lydia was always berating), said rather grimly.
“Focus, this ‘House of Angels’ is the most important orphanage you’ll ever manage.”
“That’s a dry name, so the Angel’s House is an orphanage for apprentice witches who have lost their progenitors?”
I say, almost drawing a picture.
There are many witches who have thrown themselves on top of Solidus, and some of them have died leaving behind apprentice witches.
A place to protect orphaned apprentice witches, that’s what the newcomer thought.
“I’m not averse to children, so I should be able to do a good job. I’ll embrace the apprentice witch who became a duck egg in the Nakdong River with love and take care of her with affection. Something like this….”
“Rookie, no.”
The secretary interrupted the rookie.
“All you have to do is manage the children according to the manual you’ve been given. Now, look at this.”
The new hire flipped through the manual and got a serious look on his face.
“This is….”
“Are you familiar with Harry Harlow’s attachment experiments?”
“Vaguely.”
It was an experiment in which baby monkeys were given two types of “fake moms.
One was made of wire and fed,
The other was made of soft material but not food.
The results.
Contrary to expectations, the monkeys did not cling to the feeding mothers except during mealtime.
They stayed close to the “comforting mother” without giving her anything.
The experiment showed that emotional connection, not just material rewards, plays a big role in infant development.
“Newcomer, your role is a fake mom made of wire.”
The manual strictly forbids any emotional interaction, connection, or skin-to-skin contact with the children.
It’s not just the newcomer; the rotating “nursery teachers” are also discouraged from any unnecessary conversation.
The newcomer glanced over at Lydia.
Lydia Magnus with a beaming smile and her apprentice witches who follow her like daughters.
A rough calculation finally dawned on him.
“So your side of the family is the fluffy fake mom.”
“That’s right.”
Nervously flipping through the manual, the rookie’s eyes landed on a page unlike any she’d seen before: a red-tagged page.
That meant it was confidential from here on out.
If he saw any more, he’d probably never be able to step off the top of Solidus again.
“Are you sure I can look at this?”
“Only if you decide to.”
“It’s too late to back out now.”
“Exactly.”
It wasn’t until he opened the classified pages that the newcomer realized the true purpose of the House of Angels and the process by which it was being accomplished.
Those innocently smiling girls over there were captive apprentice witches Lydia had captured.
Witches who are too valuable to be sold, too unworthy to be turned into gold coins, Lydia forces them to write prophecies and pass them on.
They are then disposed of to prevent them from committing suicide and placed in dark alcoves.
Young apprentice witches are raised in these “angelic houses” from the time they are swaddled in swaddling clothes and indoctrinated with lessons.
They receive dry instruction from their nursemaids and tender love from Lydia once a month.
Repeatedly, this creates a faith, not a magical indoctrination that can be undone or removed at any time.
You can tell by the angelic way the children look at Lydia.
“Lydia is my favorite sister!”
“One day I’m going to work for her and become a regal executive at the top of Solidus!”
“I can’t wait to repay Ms. Lydia’s favor.”
It’s a religious indoctrination that forces you to dedicate your unbreakable love for your mother and your respect for your master to Lydia, who bereaved you of your biological mother.
“…Wow.”
She may be a ‘newcomer’ but she’s a witch with a track record at the top of Solidus.
She’s seen it all, and she’s seen enough.
Lydia sells witches or turns them into gold coins.
The coined witches are used as “offerings” for Lydia’s magnetic magic and become her new power.
It’s a shameful way to live in Gehenna, but it’s acceptable in public.
But even a newcomer can’t help but feel a chill at the truth behind this orphanage’s harmonious laughter.
Madness.
A cold, calculated madness that sends shivers down your spine.
“What happens after the succession?”
“In the House of Angels, the children who are ready to take over go to the alcove, where they inherit the mark on the meat sack and join Las Werpanas as a member of the inner circle. Oh, there she is. See that girl with the eye patch?”
A woman with a white patch over her eyes stepped toward Lydia.
“Mother, did you call for me?”
“Oh, yes.”
She patted the children on the head and bowed to Lydia.
The sight of a grown witch addressing another witch as mother was bizarre.
The newcomer couldn’t hide her nervousness.
Las Huerfanas, Lydia’s direct order.
Las Huerfanas.
Las is a definite article referring to a feminine plural noun, and Huerfanas is a feminine noun meaning “orphans.
In a bad way, this means that the organization’s name is “Orphan Bitches.
“On second thought, the House of Angels is a pretty thoughtful name.”
“The ‘Werpanas’ in Las Werpanas receive a mark of honor and are given positions in the upper echelons of Solidus. They are sent on dangerous and secret missions as the Chairman’s elite who will never betray him.”
“The Witch of Gold Coins is a worthy leader of the Order, and frankly, she seems a little off-putting.”
The newcomer smiled bitterly and shuddered.
I had to do something about the creepy feeling in my stomach.
“Do you really think that’s going to work? I mean, if they found out the truth, they’d probably be repulsed. I mean, I’m not sure I’d want to be doing this to someone I thought was my mom.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Werfana’s loyalty to him is absolute.”
“And how do you prove that?”
The secretary pushed up her slipped glasses.
“Because I’m a Werfana myself.”
“…….”
The newcomer’s back grew a little damp.
“…Does what I just said count against me?”
