Chapter 137: Goodbye, Aili
In the Order Royal City, northern district, on Holy Street.
I hopped down from the chariot, patted my slightly wrinkled skirt, raised my head, and looked at the slightly rusty iron gate in front of me.
“Esteemed Miss, beyond this gate lies Cataloma Orphanage.”
The coachman behind me spoke up. I turned around and nodded, pulling out a silver coin and handing it over.
“Thank you for your generosity!”
Once the war chariot rolled away, I strolled over to the iron gate.
I could faintly hear sounds of children playing inside.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I raised my hand and knocked on the latch of the iron door. After a while, a series of faint clicks echoed from within. A hunchbacked old man opened the door just a crack, his deep-set eyes peering out at me. Clearly startled, he said,
“Esteemed Miss… uh, may I ask what brings you here?”
He spoke tremulously, his hands fidgeting in front of him, looking a bit uneasy.
Seeing this, I flashed him a sweet smile.
“Old man, I’m here to find someone.”
“Find… someone?” The old man looked perplexed. “Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for the Dean, Sister Teresa.”
“Sister Teresa… she’s out for a bit, not in the orphanage right now.”
I blinked in surprise. “Out?”
“Yes… I’m terribly sorry, but may I ask your esteemed name?”
The old man inched closer, as if afraid I would swallow him whole if I didn’t like his answer.
So I tried my best to show a friendly demeanor: “I’m Peilo.”
The old man’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Ah, you are Miss Peilo! Please, do come in!”
Struggling a bit, he opened the gate wider, bowing a little to show me in, his already short and hunched figure seeming to shrink even more.
I looked at him curiously. “Old man, you know me?”
“No, no, Miss, please don’t call me old man. I’m just a little doorkeeper, you’re the esteemed one…” The old man waved his hands frantically, “Sister Teresa specifically instructed me that if you came, I should take you to the dean’s room… she said she would be back shortly, just wait a moment.”
“Oh, alright.”
Following the old man, I entered the Cataloma compound.
The courtyard was quite spacious, filled with green trees and some makeshift playground equipment, all looking a bit decrepit. Children of various sizes were running around, jumping and playing, occasionally stealing glances at me with curious eyes.
I couldn’t find Aili inside and couldn’t help but ask, “Old man, do you know a girl named Aili?”
“Aili…” The old man thought for a moment. “Oh, I remember! The sweet and lively little girl… she’s so sensible and hardworking. Right now, she should be helping in the practice yard.”
I tilted my head, pondering.
“Then… can you take me over there?”
“…Do you know her?” the old man asked.
I nodded, “Yes.”
“Uh…” The old man hesitated for a moment. “Sure, since you’ll be waiting in the dean’s room anyway… I’ll take you over.”
The practice yard was to the left of the main building of Cataloma, and it wasn’t very big. After a short walk, we could see kids wielding wooden swords, solemnly swinging at a ragged scarecrow with somewhat clumsy motions.
They might all become Church Knights in the near future.
“Look, Aili is over there.”
I gazed in the direction the old man pointed.
A small girl, holding a broom, had her hair wrapped in cloth. She was sweeping away dust in the corners while bickering with a nearby boy.
“Lucas, look at you! Straw is everywhere thanks to you!”
“That just means I’m strong!” the boy named Lucas proudly lifted his head, “I’m definitely going to be a mighty knight in the future.”
“Knights aren’t just about being strong! Knights don’t make trouble for others, go over there!”
“Why don’t you go over there?”
“I’m cleaning here!”
The two of them argued back and forth, but it was clear they had a great relationship.
I walked over to them with a smile, causing the boys practicing their swordplay to stop and gaze at me blankly. Aili sensed the unusual atmosphere and turned around, her eyes roaming around before settling on me.
“Aili, I’m here!”
“You… Miss Peilo! You really came!” Her little face flushed with excitement as she hurriedly ran up to me, flailing her arms in a fit of joy but unsure how to proceed, “I really thought you were just saying that… how did you actually come…”
She dropped the broom, raised her short arms, clearly wanting to give me a big hug, but suddenly hesitated, her gaze falling upon my clean, delicate dress, freezing mid-motion.
I promptly scooped her up in a gentle hug.
“Big sister, I’m dirty…” Aili murmured.
I shook my head gently. “Are you doing well here?”
“Very well!” She raised her voice slightly, her little hands resting on my waist, hesitating a long time yet not daring to hug tighter, “Sister Teresa is really good to us! Grandpa Pier is also great! The Father teaches me a lot of knowledge… I’m really working hard! We even have meat to eat every day! I… oh, I’m just so happy! You came to see me, I’m so excited!”
Aili was so emotional she began to babble.
I released her and reached out to ruffle her fluffy little head.
“As long as you’re happy, that’s good.”
Hmph, I’m happy too.
Ah, the feeling of patting someone else’s head is wonderful.
I lowered my head and opened up my small handbag at my waist, pulling out two bulging bags of candy and handing them to Aili.
“Aili, share these with everyone.”
It was my first time at the orphanage, and I had no idea what the kids liked, so I just borrowed an old cliché I’d seen on TV and bought candies on the way… but looking at it now, there are quite a few kids around the ages of fourteen or fifteen, and some even older than me… would they even be interested in such childish treats?
To my surprise, the reaction was fantastic.
“Wow—”
“So much candy…”
“It’s from that expensive shop on Kuo’er Street…”
The children gathered around from afar, their eyes fixated on the candies in Aili’s hands.
Aili clutched them tightly, declaring, “No stealing! Once the prayer is over, I’ll share them fairly. No one gets more, and no one gets less!”
The adorable way she asserted herself made me want to laugh, and then she turned her gaze back to me.
“Big sister, thank you… you’re so good to us…”
I ruffled her head once more.
“As long as you’re happy, that’s good.”
Just then, Lucas walked up.
His cheeks flushed, his eyes timid, and the moment I looked at him, he nervously glanced away, not daring to make eye contact.
“Uh… I know you don’t remember me, but during the Empire—”
“Lucas.” I interrupted him, smirking a little as I made a silly face at him. “You called me an ugly monster. But you’re the real scaredy cat!”
“…I’m not a scaredy cat!” Lucas shouted defiantly, then his voice dropped again, “Well, I’ve already apologized… let’s just forget about it! I’m not a hero otherwise!”
“Giggling.”
I winked at him and laughed.
This guy is still so adorable…
I looked around at the other children standing nearby.
Most looked somewhat unfortunate, and their clothes weren’t particularly clean.
They were likely kids who had lost their families, without support, but perhaps… in this bustling metropolis, they were the purest souls around… wait, what?
I seemed to catch a glimpse of a familiar face.
“…Abe?”
