After a brief and slightly awkward reunion, I followed the nun into the building. She had kindly invited to have so tea since I was already there.
Before I entered the building, a sudden worry crossed my mind, so I asked the nun.
"By the way, is it okay to invite in so casually? I feel like it might be a bit suspicious to the people around here…"
Being soone who had been kicked out, I couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
As I was thinking this, she gave a kind smile and replied.
"Co to think of it, I heard you've beco an adventurer lately? I’m glad to see you're doing well."
"Has it really spread that far?"
"Of course, when the knights sent a hunting party to capture a manifestor, it was quite the commotion."
Indeed, that event had caused quite a stir. In a world like this, where even interdinsional beings are openly known, there was no such thing as a secret anymore. It wasn’t surprising that the news had reached even this modest orphanage.
"I knew it was too easy for her to accept..." I continued thinking.
Perhaps the knights' retreat and the citizenship they granted had also spread by now. So, when I ca to visit the orphanage, she might have quietly expected it. After all, there was no risk in welcoming now.
"...Hmm."
As I thought this, I realized the warmth I had initially felt began to fade slightly. Of course, that didn’t an the nun's sincerity had disappeared entirely.
Still, she was a good person, after all.
To always keep a smile while dealing with rebellious kids, it would take more than just patience. Taking care of children in this worn-down orphanage required continuous effort. And with no financial reward in it, her actions deserved respect.
‘Though I don’t quite rember her na…’
I didn’t ask, since I felt it would be awkward, so I remained silent.
"Anyway, you’ve really grown well. Despite everything that happened, you turned out just fine. Surely, God must have blessed you."
She murmured a short prayer as she [N O V E L I G H T] walked, clearly a devout nun. I couldn’t help but feel a little strange watching her.
As for God… well, miracles exist, so it was hard not to believe. But that didn’t an I had strong faith. On the contrary, I had more resentnt. Though I used holy water when necessary, it was essentially just a trick. The "divine power" that ca from it was like poison to .
But it wasn’t my place to stop her prayer, so I stayed silent again.
Once we entered the building, the children began to greet enthusiastically.
"Hey?" "A guest is here!" "He's such a handso older brother!" "What’s going on here? Is he volunteering?"
True to their untainted nature, the children welcod with wide smiles when I arrived. The older kids were a bit shy and quietly backed away, but most of the younger ones approached as if I were so kind of attraction, like they were at a zoo.
It felt like a swarm of goblins closing in. I could already feel my energy draining.
‘This is tiring...’
Honestly, I didn’t expect to get this far into the building. I should have just bought so bread for the kids to eat.
"Alright, kids, we don’t want to bother our guest. He’s here to talk, so step aside for a mont."
Fortunately, the energy-draining situation didn’t last long. The nun stepped in and handled the children, which allowed to follow her into a small room attached to the building.
She handed so green tea and said.
"You still don’t like children much, do you? You were the sa when you were little."
"You rember that?"
"Of course. That little kid was always grumbling while looking after the others. It was hard not to rember. But now, at least you’re not frowning openly."
"Heh..."
I awkwardly smiled and then asked how the other kids were doing. After all, I was most curious about their nas, and I hadn’t heard any of the other kids’ nas yet.
In this world, children had to leave the orphanage by the ti they turned sixteen. Unlike modern tis, there were no schools, and social support was scarce, so they couldn’t be cared for as adults.
As a result, the kids had to face the harsh realities of the world before they were fully grown. I couldn’t help but feel concerned about their well-being.
"They’re all doing well."
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
Thankfully, the nun said the children were doing alright. Mireya, for instance, had caught the eye of a local blacksmith and had beco his apprentice. Karen and Adeline had beco adventurers, making a na for themselves. The others had joined the temple or found jobs to survive...
Honestly, I didn’t recognize most of their nas. But it was still good to hear that they were doing well.
I then asked another question. I had put everything else aside because the na I was most curious about hadn’t co up yet.
"By the way, do you rember Livia?"
I was curious about how she ended up leaving the orphanage and joining Legaton. At least I wanted to know what the trigger was.
At the ntion of her na, the nun’s face darkened for a mont, as if recalling a painful mory.
"Livia... She’s a poor soul."
After a brief silence, the nun spoke again.
"After you left, Livia secretly left too. She really liked you. As a child, she thought that if she looked hard enough, she might et you again."
But, of course, she couldn’t find you. There was no mory of such a eting.
I had expected this part, so it wasn’t surprising.
"We only realized later and searched the city for her. But we couldn’t find her. However, a few days later, we got news."
"What kind of news?"
"We heard she was kidnapped by adventurers."
At those words, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
Adventurers were always a popular profession. There were high rewards, but the real appeal was that there were no requirents to join. You didn’t need any qualifications—just a bit of money would suffice.
As long as your arms and legs were intact, the Adventurer’s Guild would take in anyone, be they orphans or criminals.
Because of this, the entrance point for adventurers was incredibly low, and you could see a wide range of characters. People like , once involved in cri, petty thugs, and even kids who hadn’t yet hit their growth spurts.
Of course, the higher-tier adventurers were more selective, but it still wasn’t hard to find thieves or bandits among them. So of them could easily be the type to kidnap people.
"That’s all I know."
Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear any more about Livia after the kidnapping. After all, she had been missing, so there was no way to find out more.
I couldn’t imagine that she’d beco so major criminal leader, though.
But I could make an educated guess. After being kidnapped, Livia must have had a rough ti. Though slavery wasn’t legal in this world, it was easy to avoid the law if you were determined enough. Those who kidnapped her weren’t the types to treat her gently.
After being captured by adventurers and held captive, she eventually found her way into Legaton. I didn’t know how, but it was likely they noticed her magical talent and bought her.
Livia’s magic had been quite powerful.
‘So that’s why you hate adventurers...’
"Thank you for telling ."
I finished the conversation with those words. I didn’t ntion Livia’s current situation.
Hearing that a child who had disappeared would suddenly turn into a major criminal would be a shock to anyone.
Once the conversation ended, I went outside and saw my companions playing with the kids.
Haneul was giving one of the kids a piggyback ride while pretending to ride a horse, and Neriah was pulling on the red-haired girl, marveling at how strange her hair looked.
"Yah, yah! Run!"
"Haha, it’s shaking because your chest is so big!"
"Sis, why are you so quiet?"
"Your hair’s really red! It feels like I’m riding a horse!"
"..."
I was left speechless at the sight of them, which drained my energy.
Looking at it, I couldn’t help but believe in original sin.
Look at that pure malice! The malicious nature of these kids who knew how to tornt others from birth.
Though, thankfully, this behavior didn’t last long.
"Hey! You shouldn’t be bothering the guest!"
The nun stepped in and scolded the kids.
While that happened, I took a mont to check the children’s clothes. They looked like they had been patched up multiple tis and their bodies were a little thin. This place, lacking in support, had limits to how well they could care for the children.
I had a feeling the situation was worse than when I was here. Support had likely dwindled over ti, and the orphanage was probably seen as bad luck due to the manifestors.
"Mm..."
After a mont’s hesitation, I went to the nun and said I would start sending money regularly.
Even though I believed in original sin, I couldn’t just watch these kids suffer from hunger. If they had the chance to learn and eat sothing good, they could develop so social skills and maybe even be a bit kinder.
After I said this, the nun looked surprised.
"Are you sure? It’ll cost quite a bit..."
"Don’t worry, I make enough."
"...Thank you."
The nun didn’t refuse, instead accepting it gratefully. After all, I had plenty of rewards saved up from the hunting missions.
It wasn’t like I spent extravagantly. The money I had piled up could certainly be put to good use here.
"Then take care. Visit us often."
"Goodbye! Older brother!"
With that, I left the orphanage, receiving the nun’s and the children’s farewell. I bought so tasty snacks and a huge sausage bun before sending Neriah back to the altar.
It was a surprisingly satisfying day, despite my concerns.
And then, a month later, I got so news.
"They say the demons have appeared again."
At this point, it was more boring than shocking.
But Chaerin’s words still stuck with .
"And get this, there are two of them."
"Whoa."
That was a bit surprising.
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