Sobering Madness

"Good morning, Mr. Benjamin."

In the park, a woman walking her dog greeted him with a cheerful tone.

"Good morning, Mrs. Olson," Benjamin replied with a smile.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"To the Iris Orphanage. I left some important things there," Benjamin said. "Forgive me, I don't have time to chat today, Mrs. Olson."

"Is that so? Well, I wish you a pleasant day."

Just as Benjamin turned around, walking with a heavy heart, the woman's voice called out from behind him.

"Mr. Benjamin, you dropped your book."

The expression on Benjamin's face froze for a second. He turned back to find the woman holding a copy of the Fairy Tale Collection. On the cover was the Rabbit Princess in a beautiful doll dress.

"I didn't expect you to still read such... child-like books." Olson giggled, covering her mouth.

"It's not what you think, Mrs. Olson."

Benjamin scratched his head awkwardly and took the book from her. He noticed the little dog she was walking was also wearing a meticulously tailored doll dress.

"It's quite nice to keep a bit of a childhood heart, otherwise one just becomes a boring adult."

After bidding farewell to Mrs. Olson, the man's pace quickened as he passed a drainage culvert. Under an old banyan tree in the park sat several elderly nobles discussing recent events, laughing occasionally. Then, someone started a new topic.

"Have you heard? Those fellows in the tail carriages are at each other's throats again. I heard many died. It caused a natural gas pipe to explode, and half a carriage was blown to bits."

"Is that so? How could it be that serious?"

"Sigh, who knows what they're thinking. Can't they just live their lives in peace? They always have to stir up trouble, leaving everyone in a panic."

"Exactly. Even if life is a bit boring after a while, it's still better than all that killing."

Fragments of their conversation drifted into the man's ears. Benjamin frowned slightly but didn't pay much attention; his focus was entirely on the Fairy Tale Collection in his hand.

Clinging to a faint hope, he broke into a light jog while recalling the contents of the fairy tale book, silently reciting and memorizing those imaginative and beautiful stories.

He wanted to tell these stories to the children.

The Princess and the Hunter, Duke Rabbit, Cinderella and the Four Knights, Old Pigeon's Rose Funeral, and so on. He was very selective about fairy tales; only those with a beautiful core would be included in his Fairy Tale Collection: Benjamin Edition.

Yes, he was also the editor-in-chief of a publishing house called Three-Legged Bird. The origin and development of the name were a bit too complex to explain for now.

He rushed past the old banyan tree,

The people's discussions echoing in his ears.

He hurried through the viewing carriage,

The fresh, mellow aroma of tea and coffee swirling around his nose. The scent of wheat, black pepper, and honey butter urged him to run a little faster.

He hurried through the yoga carriage, lowering his head in slight embarrassment at the playful teasing of the noble ladies, responding with a polite but stiff greeting as he continued to look forward to a beautiful future.

Finally, after passing through several carriages, he arrived at the Iris Orphanage. Carefree children ran past him, and the sound of laughter, as pleasant as a lark's song, filled this paradise. The man finally let out a heartfelt smile.

He stood on the steps, tidying his clothes. He straightened his scarf, checked if his buttons were correctly fastened, and finally adjusted his expression into a "steady and reliable" smile before stepping through the front doors.

As soon as he entered, he saw Aerylia, who had been waiting for a long time. Benjamin's voice was excited. "Mrs. Aerylia, have they arrived?"

Aerylia smiled, shaking her head at the man's somewhat reckless appearance.

Realizing his loss of composure, Benjamin quickly adjusted his posture and cleared his throat with a couple of dry coughs.

"Follow me."

Aerylia walked to the door and checked the area outside the orphanage. After confirming there were no extra eyes watching, she closed the door and led the man into the depths of the orphanage.

Benjamin finally saw the several small, thin figures he had been longing for in a dim little room.

But something surprised him.

...They all looked filthy.

At the first moment Benjamin's gaze landed on them, Owl reached out to block Night Owl and Sparrow behind him. His eyes were incredibly wary, like a wild animal that had been wandering for a long time, staring intently at the man before him.

"You... how could you be..."

Benjamin was speechless for a moment. He didn't understand why these children were covered in purple bruises, their bodies riddled with needle marks and scars, along with startlingly small wounds.

Why was every strand of hair and every fingernail gap of these children filled with filth? Their matted hair was full of debris and emitted a foul stench.

Why were their bodies so thin? Why were their dark, bright eyes—which should have held beauty—filled with nothing but hostility and wariness?

He couldn't imagine what these children had gone through.

He was so pained that he couldn't speak.

Sorrow rippled through the lake of the man's heart until the entire surface became turbulent.

Xiao Li, huddled in the furthest corner, took in the man's every expression. Her eyes, which were like dark red glass beads covered in tiny scratches, were dull. The little devil appeared on her shoulder again, holding its fork high.

"Do you see, Xiao Li? This hypocritical fellow. As soon as he saw how filthy you are, he started to feel repulsed. He simply cannot tolerate your dirtiness; he won't take you in!"

"He will abandon you! He will sell you all out!"

At that moment, Benjamin noticed Xiao Li in the corner. This little girl with scorched hair had the most injuries on her body and had clearly suffered the most.

He knelt in front of the little girl. Hidden beneath his calm face was a soul suppressed to the point of near-fury. His voice trembled. "Can you tell me what you went through?"

"It's okay, just talk to me. Don't be afraid. It's over now; you are safe."

Xiao Li's mind had long since shattered.

If every person's mind was a sea cliff, then all the reefs and crags of Xiao Li's mental world had already been submerged by the sea.

She stood on the highest cliff, with the seawater rising below. To protect her and prevent the final cliff from being swallowed by the waves, her body's defense mechanism utilized all available information to construct delusions, preventing the ego from being over-threatened by the id and superego. These false perceptions made her firmly believe in the correctness and rationality of her self, thereby easing her deep-seated anxiety and pain.

So, what she saw was a different scene entirely.

She saw Benjamin's face contorted like a vengeful ghost, screaming at her: "Where exactly did you sneak in from?"

"You must be a subject from the bottom-tier carriage who snuck into the noble carriage!"

"I'm going to notify the law enforcement units to have you arrested!"

"See? I told you from the start, they were lying to you! Those nobles living in luxury talk a good game, but it's impossible for them to empathize with us. Look how disgusted his face is now that he's actually seen our filth!" The little devil's lips were blood-red and gleeful.

Xiao Li reached out, suddenly grabbed the little devil, and crushed it in her palm with all her might.

"Stop talking."

"What's... what's wrong?" Benjamin realized Xiao Li's state wasn't right.

"Are you okay? Do you want some water first, or maybe some apples?"

Boundless fear descended upon Xiao Li's small body, submerging her in an instant. Her pupils trembled violently once more as countless blood-stained memories surfaced, dyeing her vision a bright red.

"Xiao Li?" Owl also realized something was wrong. "Calm down, Xiao Li!"

"Liar... Liar..." The words squeezed out from between her chattering teeth.

"Stop talking!"

Grabbing the scissors off the table, she suddenly attacked!

"You are all liars!!"