The orphanage had open spaces here and there.
Playgrounds, gardens, and the like.
Given the large scale of the orphanage, the potential uses of the land were limitless. Some children might secretly harbor ambitions to declare this place as their own territory.
Of course, no child would dare to show such bravado in front of unfamiliar nobles.
Not all the children followed the Lady Virgin Saint, but that didn’t mean the remaining kids weren’t cautious of us. While I and Senior Elsi sat on the stump in the open area, no child interrupted us.
Instead, they merely cast wary glances from afar.
It was reasonable, after all, to be wary when a strange adult showed up. Unless it was an orphanage located in the city center, most orphans tended to perceive adults as potential threats.
For them, the world operated strictly under the logic of the survival of the fittest.
Naturally, they couldn’t help but feel intimidated in front of a predator. The lower classes were often at a disadvantage when it came to legal protection and systems.
With this bitter thought in mind, I asked Senior Elsi, “Senior Elsi, how did you end up in the Holy Kingdom?”
It was a formal question. Regardless of the excuse, the reason was obvious.
She must have followed me.
In the past, I might have thought it was absurd. Why would a woman as capable as Senior Elsi follow me around? I would have brushed it off with a chuckle, but that wasn’t the case anymore.
Senior Elsi was quite jealous. There was a real possibility she could have pursued me.
However, she looked surprisingly aggrieved.
“Do you think I came here willingly?! No, no… of course, I wanted to come.”
“Wanted to?”
I asked back, feeling a mix of skepticism.
Though not as much as I was, Senior Elsi had recently been gaining a lot of fame herself. She was one of those credited with defeating the Heavenly Deity’s retinue, so it was only natural.
These days, even her clan wouldn’t dare provoke Senior Elsi.
Forcibly dragged to the Holy Kingdom, I couldn’t even begin to guess the backstory behind it.
“I didn’t intend to come here so recklessly! I wanted to make it look more like a coincidence, you know? To join naturally!”
“That’s not a bad plan for you, Senior Elsi.”
I said that with genuine admiration.
Wasn’t Senior Elsi oblivious to romantic feelings, just like me? The fact that she had thought of holding up some semblance of dignity was surprising in itself.
When I patted her head out of pride, Senior Elsi’s expression brightened immediately.
“Ehehe, really? I… I actually did get advice from a commoner… but anyway!”
But that grin didn’t last long.
Senior Elsi clenched her small fist, grinding her teeth in frustration. Her blue sapphire-like eyes were blazing.
“Uncle ruined everything…!”
While there were plenty of people Senior Elsi could refer to as “uncle,” only one person could force her actions.
That was Mr. Raymond.
And this became the point where I had been harboring doubts. What on earth was Mr. Raymond’s motivation for coming all the way to the distant Holy Kingdom?
The center of discussion naturally shifted to Mr. Raymond.
“By the way, why did Mr. Raymond come to the Holy Kingdom?”
“Who knows? I heard he has some personal business…”
Senior Elsi snorted at that point. The way she shook her head revealed her feelings.
She, who had been suddenly dragged along, had yet to receive a proper explanation.
With the story delving deeper into confusion, I subtly turned my gaze to the side to concentrate more on my thoughts.
The clues were all too chaotic.
The Lady Virgin Saint, the betrayer, the orphanage, family, and suddenly Mr. Raymond’s appearance.
There was a lack of a decisive issue that could tie all these words together.
While I was lost in thought, Senior Elsi cautiously glanced at me and asked, “E- even so, I heard the reasons why you brought me along.”
Her strangely hesitant demeanor seemed suspicious.
As my eyes turned to Senior Elsi, she scratched her cheek, blushing. The way she fidgeted with the brim of her hooded hat was quite cute.
No, in fact, Senior Elsi was cute no matter what she did.
Lately, it had been increasingly confusing. Was it just that Senior Elsi looked beautiful, or had I grown attached to her over time?
Either way, it was clear that I harbored affection for Senior Elsi.
What jolted me from those thoughts was an unexpected piece of news.
“I heard that my father has been increasingly anxious lately.”
“Count Rainelle?”
What business could one of the few archmages in the Empire and leader of a prestigious magical family have to be anxious?
At my puzzled reaction, Senior Elsi began to hesitate even more.
“Well, y-you see… I have to get married, right?”
Ah, it was only then that I realized.
And at the same time, I couldn’t help but murmured an “uhh” while diverting my gaze. This was an issue that deeply concerned me.
Senior Elsi had long been bound to me in a shared fate.
Having openly declared her as my pet, once she rejected even Count Rainelle’s last lifeline, Senior Elsi had no choices left. Only a future together with me existed.
However, as time passed with no engagement talk, it was only natural for Count Rainelle to grow anxious.
Moreover, my evaluation was rising day by day. If things kept going like this, I wouldn’t face any objections even if I were to marry one of the imperial princesses.
Or perhaps I would marry the heir of one of the five noble families.
If that happened, the Rainelle family would be left in a dire state.
“And so, I think Mr. Raymond came here…”
At my disconcerted expression, Senior Elsi shrank back even further.
After all, she had experience getting rejected by me before. Naturally, she wouldn’t want to hear another negative response from me.
If possible, I wanted to comfort Senior Elsi.
However, the complexity of my relationships had become a problem. Unlike with Senior Delphine or Emma, my relationship with Senior Elsi had a higher chance of being officially recognized.
In other words, it meant I couldn’t gloss over my relationships with women surrounding me.
I already had Senior Delphine and Emma.
Moreover, hadn’t I told Seria to wait for me? If Seria were to hear the news of an engagement with Senior Elsi?
“Ian, suddenly there are two bitches now?”
I could already envision Seria brandishing a knife with a smiling face.
Following that, she would probably say something like, “Isn’t one pet enough?” while swinging her blade.
It was a terrifying future.
While this was a serious dilemma for me, for Senior Elsi, who was unaware of my inner thoughts, it was nothing but a source of disappointment.
She put on a brave face, trying to act like it was no big deal.
“Don’t worry too much! I know it’s not the time for you to decide… I’ll figure out something about Mr. Raymond.”
Her dignified response was all the more agonizing.
Did Senior Elsi not have feelings?
After all, she had a delicate heart. It was entirely understandable that she would feel sad and pitiful over her situation, especially when she had to lay it out before the clan elders.
Suddenly, I felt selfish.
It was ridiculous and disgusting that I couldn’t let go of Senior Elsi while merely exchanging empty promises.
And so, I impulsively spoke up.
“There’s no need for that.”
After a long hesitation, my answer came out surprisingly calm.
Senior Elsi tilted her head in confusion at my unexpected words, looking like she had no idea what I meant.
I declared once more.
“Just reassure Mr. Raymond.”
“Y-yeah? Well, that’s true…”
The now overly timid Senior Elsi had switched to honorific speech. It seemed she hadn’t fully shaken off her old habits.
But regardless, my promise continued.
“I’ll take care of it. After all, marriage is something… we can deal with later. For now, I just need to give them some assurance.”
This time, it was Senior Elsi who looked flustered.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she froze in place. Her answer took a while to come, and just when I was about to clear my throat from the awkwardness,
“Ugh, huh…”
I heard the sound of her stifling tears, which reached my ears.
Droplets were welling up in the corners of the girl’s eyes. The escaping tears soon streamed down her cheeks.
Before the transparent glass marble could strike the ground, her small body burrowed into my embrace.
I had no choice but to awkwardly hold her.
The soft sensation and tickling comfort filled my heart.
“I-I’ll do well. I… I really will do well… ugh…”
Listening to her broken sobs, I could only manage a wry smile.
Senior Elsi must have been quite anxious. Perhaps that was why she acted so jealously and stubbornly.
If just this was enough to make her happy, I could promise her countless times.
Of course, there might have been some misunderstandings.
I wasn’t suggesting an immediate engagement; that was an issue for another time.
However, I did think of a few things.
Firstly, I had a bad feeling that the Lady Virgin Saint’s mood would worsen.
And secondly, the existence of the new figure, ‘Raymond.’
Why had he come here?
Taking my promise to Senior Elsi into account, I decided to seek out Mr. Raymond right away.
However, my plan ran into trouble right from the start.
“You came to trade monster corpses, Miss.”
“Yes! The monster business has been booming lately! I’ve heard there has been a considerable increase in monster corpses in this area!”
In the neatly maintained building prepared by the orphanage, presumably where guests were staying, discussions were underway.
Primarily between Liya and Mr. Raymond.
Liya confidently explained her business plan.
“Interestingly, there are areas where monsters appear in large numbers periodically. This area is one of them. I’ve heard that monsters have been showing up in cycles every few years for decades.”
“I know that. I used to be a mercenary in this area once.”
“Ah, do you happen to know any mercenary groups around here?”
“Well, I suppose I’ll have to look into it…”
Mr. Raymond’s indifferent gaze flickered towards me.
Perhaps sensing my lingering stare, he casually said to Liya.
“They should still be around. Since we’ll soon be related by marriage, I might need to use a bit of my influence. Additionally, we may also be able to procure transportation.”
“W-well, I’m grateful for that, but…”
The term “related by marriage” caused cracks to appear in Liya’s composure. Though she was holding back due to Mr. Raymond being an elder, if this continued, an explosion of anger wouldn’t be far off.
Liya’s glances at me were frightening. It seemed I would need to arrange a long explanation with her later.
Since the discussion was centered on business, I couldn’t interrupt as the older brother.
I clicked my tongue and left the residence. Outside, the Lady Virgin Saint was surrounded by orphans, gently preaching to them.
“So, the eyes of the Heavenly Deity, Arus, became the moon, and the liver became the sun, burning eternally. This is also why the wicked who go against the natural order burn before the sun. The liver is an organ that removes toxins.”
She was delivering her teachings, laced with strange medical knowledge.
The benevolent smile of the Lady Virgin Saint made her appear like a saint from a painting. Knowing her true self, I found myself entranced.
The orphans seemed to be listening to her stories with keen interest. Having become much friendlier, joyful laughter occasionally erupted amongst them.
Among them, the Lady Virgin Saint looked, well… happy. At least, her gentle gaze didn’t feel like a façade.
It was a rare sense of peace I hadn’t felt in a while. It seemed unbelievable that a terrifying conspiracy lurked beneath this scenery.
Still, wouldn’t it be alright to enjoy peace for a few more days?
Watching the Lady Virgin Saint with her gentle smile, I thought so. I could tell just from the letters that she had undergone heart-wrenching struggles entangled in the upcoming events.
Shouldn’t I let her be happy, at least for a while? I found myself too afraid to shatter that serene picture.
Such thoughts were jolted by an unexpected voice.
“…Did you come to take us away too, sir?”
My consciousness was immediately pulled back to reality. I followed the source of the voice with a blank stare.
It was a small boy. He looked to be about ten years old, and he was timidly asking questions with a clearly intimidated expression.
“Are you one of those from the company? The ones who always carry strange cargo around…?”
At that moment, I recalled the boy’s face.
He was one of those watching me from a distance when I had first caused a commotion with the head nun.
However, I couldn’t see where the girl had gone. Given her timid nature, it was possible the boy had stepped up as a representative.
I narrowed my eyes and asked back, “Company? Did those people take you away?”
“D-don’t pretend you don’t know. Just a moment ago, that lady and that old man said something similar.”
Before I could urgently ask what he meant,
A chill began to settle in the air.
Detecting an instinctive sense of danger, my eyes returned to a direct line of sight. There stood the Lady Virgin Saint, quietly nodding her head while listening to some children’s eyewitness account.
“And so, that sister was crying, so that older brother hugged her!”
And the frail little finger pointing at me.
Though the Lady Virgin Saint was smiling, there was no warmth left in her expression. I broke out in a cold sweat and stole a glance at the boy beside me.
He had long since sensed the unsettling atmosphere and fled.
It meant that God had abandoned me.
“So you two are dating, then, Lady Virgin Saint?”
“Well, um, I’m not sure… Love is a very complicated emotion. There are many things that can’t be understood just by looking on the surface.”
She replied in a calm voice, slowly rising to her feet.
That kind-hearted smile didn’t seem to crack. Just without a change in her expression, she walked toward me lightly.
Before I could make any excuses, the Lady Virgin Saint’s hand seized the nape of my neck.
And a whisper that dampened my ear.
“What happened with that little brat?”
Those words were rather harsh, Lady Virgin Saint.
I sighed internally as I muttered.
It seemed that the limit of the Lady Virgin Saint’s patience had been reached.
