Her rain-soaked clothes made it difficult to notice the wound on his body. It was only when they gathered around the fire that they noticed the reddish water pooling beside him.
"It's nothing serious, just a scratch," Bera said.
But when Walter touched the wound to see where he had been hurt, he couldn't stop himslef from groaning in pain.
"Hey, help me get his shirt off so I can check the wound," Gilda said as she moved closer to Bera. After look at his injury under the firelight for a moment, she turned to the others.
"The wound isn't too deep, but I still think it's not good. We have a few medical supplies kept here just in case. I'm going to stitch it up... I'll numb you for a bit so it won't hurt right now, but it's going to sting quite a bit afterward."
"It's fine. I can handle it," Bera said with his usual calm expression.
"Please don't try to act tough," Walter said with a grin. He had relaxed after learning the wound wasn't serious.
"Shut up."
Gilda numbed Bera and began stitching up his wound. Even though Bera showed no reaction to the needle piercing his skin thanks to Gilda's ability, the others couldn't bear to watch the sight for long. They were lucky to have a nurse with them.
"Let's check the documents in the meantime," Jones said.
As Jones took out the documents Bera had found from her bag, Walter and Arsh took out the ones they found. Even though these weren't exactly what they were looking for, they still seemed important enough to be used as leverage against the General.
But when they opened the file given by the General's son, they realized everything they had been searching for was right there. Inside were telegrams, meeting transcripts, signed documents, and photographs. There was information about how many children would be sent from each country and which research centers they would be transferred to. There were even a few documents signed by Minister Hulston himself.
Relieved that their mission was a success, they closed the files and packed them back into the bag. The only thing left to do now was to hand them over.
"Everything has gone smoothly for now. Once Gilda is done, we'll head back to town. You should stay here until tomorrow. No one will be able to find you here. I'll come get you tomorrow depending on how things are in town. If I don't come, just keep waiting here for a while longer," Jonas said.
By the time Gilda finished stitching up Bera's wounds, she moved back over to the fire, wiping the blood off her hands with a wet cloth.
"It's better if Bera doesn't move for now. He lost blood. I didn't tell him because he would've refused, but I put him to sleep. He won't wake up for a few hours. At least this way, the pain will ease a bit. His body heals quickly anyway," she said.
Arsh and Walter nodded in agreement. Even if they were to leave now, bringing Bera into town in his wounded state would draw far too much attention. Besides, since almost everyone in the town was a local, it was inevitable for outsiders to stand out.
After Jones and the others left, the two of them prepared something to eat and had their meal in silence. Afterward, they took turns sleeping. Meanwhile, Bera continued sleeping through the night, occasionally groaning in pain until morning.
...
When Bera finally woke up, he looked a bit paler and dazed than usual, but otherwise seemed fine. Once he cleared his head, they went over the events of the previous night. They believed the General's son possessed a siuni that allowed him to merge with his surroundings and control the entire house.
In the afternoon, Jones arrived just as he had promised.
"You're lucky. An important visitor arrived in town today. I heard it's the chief advisor to Senator Hill. Everyone in the town is busy right now, there are a lot of people around. Though the General's men have tightened security, they're being careful not to cause too much attention. Still, we should be cautious when we approach the town. Walter, you take Bera back to the place you're staying without being seen," Jones said.
They approached the town through a narrow path in the forest. Once Bera and Walter disappeared from sight, Arsh saw soldiers moving through the crowds in the streets. Even the small train station now seemed to be under tight military control, unlike the day they arrived. Arsh lowered his cap over his eyes and continued walking, trying not to draw attention.
The best option was to avoid wandering around until things calmed down. At least until they met with Matthew Tiffany, they would stay in the place Jones had arranged for them. They had originally planned to leave today, but waiting until Bera recovered a little more seemed like the safest choice.
At the same time, Arsh couldn't stop thinking about Ezra. It had already been a week since their meeting, yet there had been no word from him. He wondered if something had happened to him. For now, there was nothing he could do until he returned to Tirsit.
...
"...The investments made for the development of the Negal are being supported by the Province Relief Organization, and the region's growth will be tied to more advanced agricultural standards, minimizing damage caused by changing weather conditions... We thank the people who support us..."
After almost an hour of meaningless speech, Matthew Tiffany finally stepped down from the stage to a round of applause.
Although the speech at Negal's small municipal conference hall had been arranged at the last minute, enough members of the press had still gathered. Instead of taking the documents back to Tirsit, it was less risky to let the information spread directly from here. There was no time to waste. During the evening event, he would pretend the news had only just reached him and share it with the reporters gathered there. Even wasting even half a day after breaking into Debrez's estate had already cost them valuable time. They had to make the first move before the other side could react.
When he returned to the room assigned to him, Matthew flinched at the sudden figure that appeared in front of him. But it didn't take him long to recognize the red-haired young man he had seen beside Edwin time to time.
"You must be Walter."
"Yes, Mr. Tiffany. I brought the documents we took from General Debraz's estate."
"I was expecting Bera to come."
"Bera was injured last night… Besides, I'm better at moving around without being noticed," Walter said.
Seeing the serious, well-spoken boy in front of him, Matthew couldn't help but smile. From what Edwin had told him, this one was supposed to be quite a troublemaker.
"A serious injury?"
"No, not really. He lost blood, but it's not severe. Once he recovers a bit more, we'll leave here."
"Yes, that would be better. From what I've seen, the station is full of soldiers. But once the news spreads today, they'll have no choice but to pull back."
Matthew took the documents from Walter's hands and began to read them. Some of the files detailed cases of corruption, followed by falsified reports that made it seem as if none of it had ever happened. The information was enough to give a serious blow to General Debraz, but at most it would likely end with his protection by allies or a simple reassignment. Corruption cases were quickly forgotten by the public within a couple of days. What people forgot could not be used as leverage.
However, in the last file, he finally found what they had been looking for. The moment Matthew opened it, his expression changed.
It contained records of kidnapped children, numbers of those delivered, and in the following pages, agreements with individuals close to the Senator, along with money transfers and other dealings. The figures were staggering.
These documents would turn suspicion toward the Senator and damage the Progress Party, especially the Ministry of Colonies.
However, it was strange that such important documents had been hidden so carelessly.
"Security wasn't that tight, as I heard from Herman… It's strange that you managed to obtain these so easily," Matthew said.
"We thought the same at first," Walter replied. "But the documents we are looking for were handed us by General Debraz's eldest son himself. Arsh said that he has a siuni that can seal off rooms and shut down doors across the entire house, so no one can come in or go out from house. It's extremely powerful. Even though I can pass through walls, his ability was able to stop me. General likely trusted his son's ability and left the documents with him... But whether the contents are authentic is for you to decide."
Matthew went back to reviewing the documents. Questions lingered in his mind. These documents might even be fake. It didn't make sense that his own son would simply hand them over.
Still, even if the documents were forged, they would still raise questions. After all, even if some of the details were fabricated, the human trafficking itself was real. Perhaps only a few names and figures were incorrect. Once multiple investigations began from different directions, everything would eventually come to light.
At the same time, this would also expose the fact that siuni users on the opposing side were cooperating with their own faction. In revealing their existence, they were taking a significant risk.
In the end, it was all a gamble.