/ Welco to Grania Orphanage. /
─ read the sign in the lobby where a young man sat.
He wasn’t even twenty yet, but as the saying goes, “the position makes the person.” The young man, fitting his role as the dormitory supervisor of the orphanage, diligently read through the rules of conduct with a serious deanor.
/ Chapter 1: General Provisions
Article 1. The purpose of these rules is to establish the guidelines that residents must follow to maintain an orderly communal life.
Article 2. Room and class assignnts are conducted randomly, and residents may not arbitrarily change their assigned rooms or classes.
Article 3. Depending on the resident's behavior in daily life or in class, the supervisor in charge of the resident may order changes in room or class assignnts. /
He had read this countless tis before, but he continued reading carefully and repetitively.
This was because the Grania Orphanage, despite being younger and less structured than its reputation suggested, had undergone significant changes. Until last year, "official" priests would visit regularly to manage things, but starting this year, the orphanage had begun to stand on its own.
The reason? A lack of money. More accurately, the funding would be cut off entirely within a few years.
To prepare for this, Lord Verke had initiated asures at the beginning of the year to make the orphanage self-sufficient.
Hiring priests from the Church of the Cross required a formal donation, which they wanted to save on. Thus, many of the administrative positions were handed over to the residents, especially those who had grown up in the orphanage, now adults, and had taken up responsibilities after spending their formative years there.
It had been a year filled with challenges.
I had graduated from the orphanage two years ago and had been granted divine power from Lord Verke. Like most of the other residents here, I didn’t want to leave, so I stayed on as a supervisor guiding the younger kids. Recently, I was given the position of dormitory supervisor.
It was a weighty responsibility.
Moreover, Lord Verke had high expectations for , so I was determined to do my best to live up to them. The young man quietly read the rules of conduct, which Lord Verke had personally written.
/ Chapter 2: Rules to Follow
Article 4. Daily Schedule. Residents must spend each day faithfully under the guidance of their class teacher. The schedule is based on the solar calendar of Reisia, from the first light (prima lux) to twilight (crepusculum).
Article 5. Leisure Ti. Residents must spend their free ti safely and regularly under the supervision of their dormitory supervisor. Leisure ti is from sunrise (diluculum) to the first light and from twilight to sunset (vespera), following Reisia’s solar calendar.
Article 6. Sunset. Residents are encouraged to sleep at sunset, but in exceptional circumstances, if more than two residents are together, they may be exempt from curfew.
Article 7. Curfew Inspection. Residents must organize their bedding and personal belongings under the supervisor's instructions... /
While reading, an odd rule stood out. Article 6, which allowed activities in the evening, and so other rules in Chapter 3 on leave requests and overnight stays, as well as Chapter 4, which covered relationships, marriage, and childbirth, seed particularly strange.
These rules didn’t seem to help maintain order in a communal setting, nor did they aid in training future priests. However, they reflected Cardinal Verke’s unique philosophy.
Romantic relationships and marriage were left to personal discretion. Because of this, Grania Orphanage was not only calm but also had an overall warm and lively atmosphere.
Of course, this did make managent more difficult, but... Just as the young man was finishing his reading without a hint of complaint, sothing interrupted him.
"Excuse ."
A group of outsiders—seven of them—suddenly entered. The young man, caught off guard, asked,
"Who are you? How did you find your way here?"
Grania Orphanage was well-known in Lutetia, the capital of the Conrad Kingdom, for taking in many of the city’s orphans.
However, few people actually knew its exact location. Most didn’t expect the orphanage to be situated on a massive estate outside the city limits.
There were no signs pointing the way either, so even those who knew where it was could get lost or caught by a suspicious resident.
The uninvited guest smiled and answered,
"We’ve co to see Cardinal Verke. We know he’s on a pilgrimage, but we were hoping to stay here until he returns."
She gestured towards her chest, and the young man imdiately realized that the woman in front of him was not a stranger.
"Oh, so you’re a guest of the headmaster. He won’t be back for a few months, though... Would you like to sit down for now?"
"Yes. Rev, co over here."
"Do you know how to write? If so, please fill this out. You don’t need to write much—just your na, the purpose of your stay, and the expected duration. At the top right, if you’re a graduate, please write your graduate number, or if not, write your resident number. Thank you. Now, let see..."
There wasn’t much to fill out, so the paper was quickly handed back. But the young man tilted his head, confused.
"Lady Lena, is it? But did you forget your graduate number?"
"No, I never lived or enrolled here."
"Then... are you an outsider? I’m sorry, but we don’t usually allow non-residents..."
"I used to work here, though. It was a long ti ago."
"Were you a priest?"
But that couldn’t be the case. The girl in front of him looked far too young. Lena shook her head as well.
"No. It’s a bit hard to explain, but I had so ties with Cardinal Verke and stopped by briefly. I worked in the E... no, the B Wing."
"B Wing?"
"...What was it called again? Oh, the building with all the Malus asiatica trees."
"Ah! You an the apple tree garden. I didn’t know it used to be called B Wing."
Actually, it will be— in the future.
The orphanage I had seen (in my dream) wasn’t this estate with its farmland like it is now. It was a fully developed university. Inspired by King Lean de Yeriel’s educational reforms, Verke would eventually transform this place into a specialized higher learning institution.
While wandering in search of Rev, I stayed here.
After finding my friend’s grave at the kingdom’s national cetery, I thought perhaps it was God’s will and ended my wandering in the war-ravaged Conrad Kingdom, devastated by the war with the Ascendant Kingdom.
I felt a bit guilty for lying... but it wasn’t entirely untrue, was it? Rea responded nonchalantly.
"Yes. We gave it a temporary na back then. Hmm... things have changed a lot. Oh, and the people behind are my companions."
"Understood. I’ll prepare guest rooms for you. Since you’ve worked here before, you’re familiar with the rules, right?"
"Yes."
Lena didn’t know much about the rules from the old days at the orphanage, but... for now, they just needed a place to stay.
As Lena got up, she patted Rev on the back. His expression was grim as he walked.
"Rev. Stop looking like you’re attending a funeral. Things have changed, so we just have to adapt."
But Rev couldn’t shake the look on his face. The king was dead. Everything they had planned was suddenly in chaos.
First, they had intended to obtain ambergris (the secretion from a balena). It was necessary for catching Oriax—applying it would protect them from being dissolved by its blood.
Next, they had planned to win over the knights.
Though Rev wasn’t the prince himself, and his persuasion efforts would be much riskier and less effective than Lean’s, he still knew a fair number of knights like Jenia Zachary, who were displeased with the current situation.
Their plan had been to use the rumors that Lean was alive to their advantage. However, there was no longer ti for that, and a more urgent problem had arisen...
“Cardinal Verke isn’t here!”
Cardinal Verke was currently on a pilgrimage to Baron Monarch’s estate. He went on pilgrimage every late autumn and wouldn’t return until the following spring.
In the Beggars’ Siblings tiline, he had conveniently been on pilgrimage in the north, making it easy to et him. Now, Rev had no idea what to do. Without Cardinal Verke, capturing Oriax was nearly impossible.
Charging ahead blindly, relying on a single gem...
Leaving Lena’s encouragent behind, Rev and the five royal guards entered the room assigned to the n and began unpacking.
After so thought, Rev spoke.
"Galen."
"Yes?"
"I hear you’re a skilled rider. Rest today, but tomorrow head to Baron Monarch’s territory and kidnap Cardinal Verke. If he resists, use the na of Prince Lean de Yeriel."
"...Is that really acceptable?"
"No, it’s not. But we don’t have any other options. Take all the horses with you. He used to be a crusader, so it’ll be difficult alone. Take two others with you."
They needed to move up their schedule. And they needed to understand what was happening.
The next day, Galen took seven horses and set off to the north. anwhile, Rev, after listening to gossip outside, had managed to piece together the situation.
The citizens didn’t yet know that the king had died. He also heard so unexpected news: Princess Elika de Isadora of the Aisel Kingdom was going to marry Prince Eric de Yeriel.
“Aha... so the rumors about Lean being alive have made Prince Eric desperate.”
This wasn’t sothing that had changed because of any mistake on his part. It was the ongoing ripple effect of the Beggars’ Siblings scenario.
For a mont, Rev had feared that stealing the gem had provoked Eric, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
That ant there was still an opportunity.
Rev had been terrified because he thought Oriax had already noticed him, sealing his fate with a hellish future.
But now he realized that wasn’t the case, and after asking around further, he learned that the princess wouldn’t arrive for so ti.
Roughly two months.
That was enough ti to wait for Cardinal Verke to return, and it gave Rev ti to win over the knights.
It seed that Prince Eric planned to announce the king’s death only after marrying the princess, then claim the throne. The coronation ceremony would be the perfect mont for their coup.
Rev returned, his face much brighter. He couldn’t wait to share this good news with Lena, but despite his excitent, he didn’t lower his guard.
His tracking skill, {Pursuit}, was active, keeping him alert.
Rev ntally ran through a list of all the dangerous individuals in the Conrad Kingdom—those who might work for Prince Eric, like knights or soldiers.
While {Pursuit} didn’t indicate distance from the target, if the direction suddenly changed as he walked, that would an they were close and following him. He also kept a sharp eye on his surroundings.
However, there was one person Rev hadn’t anticipated. From atop a distant spire in the royal castle, a man muttered to himself.
"Tch, so this is the kind of task I get assigned the mont I arrive... What a waste of ti."
It was Count Soarel Detri Ogleton. He waved his ancient oak staff, dispelling the Clouded Eyes magic, and headed off to et the prince.
He planned to report that three of the seven people they had been tracking had headed north, while the remaining four had stayed behind at the orphanage. Prince Eric de Yeriel greeted this news with a sly grin.
"Thanks for finding them. You’re much better than the previous mage. Keep up the good work."
"You flatter ."
"By the way... the gem, or rather, the necklace, it’s still in that one’s possession, right?"
"Yes. I found the seven individuals with red gems, just as you asked. But why are we only observing them? If they’re criminals, shouldn’t we apprehend them?"
Prince Eric frowned slightly.
"That’s the thing. If only it weren’t for that orphanage... Ah, but this is confidential. It’s run by a cardinal of our kingdom, so making any move there would be tricky."
"Shall I inform you when they leave the orphanage?"
"No need. They’ll co to on their own soon enough... Hahaha! I’ll consult you again. In the anti, just notify if they break into the palace."
Without waiting for a reply, Prince Eric turned away. anwhile, Count Ogleton, holding his oak staff, experienced a strange vision.
It looked as though the prince had a dozen horns sprouting from his head.
Shaking his head to clear the vision, Count Ogleton dismissed it as a side effect of the advanced magic he had recently used—Shrink the Earth, a spell developed by the Bollineu Tower. The spell stacked mana to shorten distances, but perhaps he had overburdened it by transporting too many people.
Feeling a wave of dizziness, the count decided to call it a day and return ho to his wife and son.
The previous mage, Ristad Jekon Doroff, had long since broken his contract with the Yeriel royal family and vanished.
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