123 Leon, My Dear Brother
Caroline let out a soft sigh, lowering her gaze as her tone shifted from relief to disappointment.
“Well, I haven’t heard from him in a long time. Rumor has it he lost a battle five years ago and was labeled a traitor by the Empire. At one point, his wanted posters were plastered all over the streets. Sigh…”
That long sigh was laced with complicated emotions.
Was Teacher Caroline silently placing her faith in Leon, or was she simply disappointed in her most outstanding student whom she once taught?
Leon was equally at a loss.
Perhaps realizing she’d been rambling, Caroline quickly changed the subject, donning a warm smile once more.
“Looking at both of you, it seems like you just got married not long ago, right?”
Umm… does five years count as “not long”?
The couple exchanged knowing glances, silently agreeing to go along with Teacher Caroline’s train of thought.
“Yeah, it hasn’t been that long.”
Leon said, “We were just wandering around and heard the sound of children playing, so we came to take a look.”
“Do you both like kids?”
“Yes, both my wife and I are quite fond of them.”
Fond enough that in just five short years, they already had three little ones running around.
Caroline smiled and slowly turned to watch the few children in the courtyard.
“If all parents were like you, there wouldn’t be so many poor little souls around, would there?”
Leon understood Caroline’s sentimental side; she had spent decades working as a teacher at the orphanage.
She loved children but never married.
Apart from her status as a nun, there was another important reason: she knew that if she had her own children, she could no longer distribute her love and attention equally to every child at the orphanage.
They were all abandoned little ones, and the orphanage gave them a chance and the courage to face life again.
But that process needed the love of the nun teachers to fill the gaps.
So Caroline had never had children of her own.
Or rather, every orphan in the orphanage was her child.
“Teacher! Teacher!”
In the midst of their chat, a young nun came running over.
Leon turned to see the commotion and was surprised to open his mouth.
“Sharen…”
Roswiser glanced over at him.
Did he just say the young nun’s name?
From Leon’s expression, it seemed like they were acquainted.
Roswiser felt no jealousy, as Leon’s eyes and tone reflected merely the surprise of old friends reuniting, lacking any melodramatic “white moonlight returns” vibes.
“What’s the matter, Sharen?”
The young nun named Sharen stood in front of Caroline. “Teacher, we still have a lot of paper lanterns to prepare for the Lantern Festival in a few days. The director said we need to hurry up!”
“Alright, I’ll head back to help right away.”
“Okay, then I’ll–”
As she spoke, Sharen’s peripheral vision caught sight of Leon and Roswiser.
She hadn’t met the beautiful lady with black hair before.
But this gentleman…
Sharen squinted slightly. “Wait a second, sir, haven’t we seen each other somewhere before?”
Before Leon could respond, he felt a sudden pressure in his palm.
Turning to look, it was Roswiser.
The Queen activated the team’s communication.
[Yeah, dear, haven’t you seen him before?]
No jealousy, but still needing to figure out who this acquaintance was.
[Didn’t I mention my glorious feat of taking down a vicious dog with my bare hands when I was five?]
[Yeah, to save a little girl.]
[She’s that little girl.]
[…]
Roswiser rolled her eyes in disbelief.
What a small world, how charming fate can be.
After explaining to the Queen, Leon quickly denied once more, just like before.
“I don’t think we’ve met. I must just have one of those common faces; Teacher Caroline mistook me for someone else, too.”
Sharen nodded in realization. “Oh, so that’s it… I thought it was brother Leon returning.”
The phrase “Brother Leon” made Leon feel an even stronger grip on his palm.
But Leon pretended nothing had happened.
Sigh, if only he’d done good deeds incognito back in the day.
“Did you think he was Leon too?”
Caroline smiled wryly, “I don’t know how that kid is doing now… I hope he hasn’t been caught by the Empire.”
“Of course not!”
Sharen, being the youthful, straightforward type, exclaimed, “Brother Leon would never get caught. Plus, I’ve never believed he’s a traitor from the start!”
Caroline shot a glance at Leon and Roswiser, hastily pressing down on Sharen’s wrist while giving the couple an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, Sharen was just rambling.”
Since she couldn’t be sure about Leon and Roswiser’s background, when it came to matters like treason… it’s best to steer clear of those.
Even though Caroline missed that kid deeply, she could only follow this kingdom’s rules.
“It’s alright.”
Leon said, “I just heard Sharen mention you’re making paper lanterns for the Lantern Festival?”
“Yes.”
“Does the orphanage typically take on such tasks?”
While the Lantern Festival was a big event for the Empire, in Leon’s memory, the orphanage had never made paper lanterns; they always bought them from shops.
“Yeah, we’re just trying to find ways to earn some money.”
Hearing this, Leon’s brows furrowed slightly.
Since when did the orphanage in the Central District have to resort to making paper lanterns to “make ends meet”?
Looking at the state of the church and its entrance, a foreboding feeling crept into Leon’s heart.
“But isn’t the orphanage funded by the state? How come…?”
“Ah, it’s nothing—”
“Of course, a few years ago, the royal family provided funding, but in recent years, they’ve added so many ridiculous layers of bureaucracy. By the time the funds trickle down to our orphanage, it’s lucky if we get a third of it!”
Sharen replied with some indignation.
This time, even Caroline didn’t stop her.
Listening to Sharen’s grievances, Leon felt his heart grow dimmer.
How did it come to this?
Why did the once-thriving Empire turn into this in just a few short years?
From the way Master had wandered through the Empire’s gray areas of vice and crime to pressure the Empire;
To the deliberate smear against Leon, branding him a traitor;
To discovering the true purpose of their cooperation with the Dragon Race was merely to exploit the people more efficiently;
And now… that rotten claw had even reached the orphanage.
The stench of corrupt power spread like a plague throughout the Empire.
“So we have no choice but to make these paper lanterns and sell them in the Upper District.”
Teacher Caroline said, “We can’t let the children at the orphanage eat nothing but dry bread during the festival.”
Leon suppressed his disappointment and anger. “When did this situation begin?”
“Since… five years—”
“Since Brother Leon left, everyone’s lives have gone downhill.”
Caroline shook her head with a faint smile. “Although this girl can be a bit blunt, it seems to be true… After Leon went missing five years ago, for some reason, the quality of life for everyone seems to have drastically declined.”
“I know why, teacher!”
Sharen exclaimed, “Brother Leon used to be the leader of the Dragon Slayer Army, he had military power, and he was upright, hating evil like poison. He definitely wouldn’t stand for the royal family doing these shady dealings, so—”
“You’re saying too much, Sharen,” Caroline reminded her.
“…Tch!”
The little nun pouted, still stubbornly muttering,
“Anyway… I just believe that as long as Brother Leon is around, we’ll definitely live better than now.”
“But he’s gone, Sharen.”
That sentence seemed to strike a chord in Caroline’s heart. She lowered her eyes and repeated softly,
“He… is gone.”
The atmosphere grew heavy.
But thankfully, Caroline adjusted swiftly.
“Sorry, we were just casually chatting about things.”
“Ah… oh, it’s okay.”
If it weren’t for Caroline and Sharen mistaking Leon for the real deal, they wouldn’t have ended up discussing such matters.
So Leon wasn’t too concerned about them being picked up by some nosy folks later.
Dong—dong—
The bell of the orphanage rang out, signaling dinner time.
“Would you two like to stay for a meal?” Caroline inquired.
“Oh no, we can’t.”
“Then we wish you both enjoy your time in the Empire. We have things to attend to, so we’ll head back now.”
“Alright.”
Caroline and Sharen nodded in acknowledgment, ready to turn and leave.
But suddenly, Leon called out to them.
“Hey, wait, Teacher Caroline.”
“Is there something else, sir?”
Leon pulled out his wallet, retrieving some gold coins.
“I’m ordering all the paper lanterns from your orphanage; I’ll pick them up in two days.”
Caroline looked at the gold coins and didn’t rush to accept them. Instead, she said,
“This money is too much, sir. We can’t make that many lanterns.”
Leon quickly replied, “Then consider any leftover money as a donation to the orphanage.”
“This… okay, thank you, sir. May I ask how to address you?”
“Constantine.”
“Sounds like a name with a bright future, Mr. Constantine.”
Caroline took the coins, “We’ll do our best to make you more lanterns.”
“Great.”
Caroline nodded and turned to leave.
Once the two nuns had departed, Roswiser crossed her arms and chuckled,
“Well, you really did do a good deed without leaving your name, didn’t you, Leon~?”
Leon smiled widely, linking his arm with Roswiser’s, “But I just gave a name, didn’t I?”
Roswiser smirked, now amused by his antics.
“Using Constantine is no big deal, you dolt!”
“I’m just laying the groundwork for support from the Red Flame Dragon King three days from now,” Leon earnestly fabricated a reason.
Roswiser shot him a glance.
“Let’s go, let’s go, time to head back.”
Pausing, she turned back to Leon with a sly grin. “Need me to fly you back, Leon~?”
“You’re really no fun, Mother Dragon!”
…
Meanwhile, back in the cafeteria of the orphanage, Caroline and Sharen were distributing dinner to the children.
After all the plates were served, the two began to chat quietly at the side.
“Mr. Constantine is truly a good person,” young nun Sharen said dreamily.
But Caroline frowned slightly.
“Yet I still think he resembles Leon… a lot.”
Sharen scratched her head and sighed, “I think so too, but it’s been so many years since we’ve heard from brother Leon. Who knows where he is now? I really wish he’d come back to help us…”
Help us…
Caroline looked down at the few gold coins in her hand, the ones that ‘Mr. Constantine’ had just given her.
After a moment of contemplation, Caroline’s eyes widened slightly.
“Sharen…”
“What is it, Teacher Caroline?”
“I never told that person my name, yet he kept calling me ‘Teacher Caroline’?”
It was as if a thunderclap exploded in Sharen’s mind.
After a brief pause, she gasped, unable to believe it as she stammered,
“B-Brother Leon is back—nngh!”
This time, Caroline quickly covered her mouth.
As Sharen attempted to pry Caroline’s hand away, she realized that this senior nun, who had been working at the orphanage for decades, was now softly leaning on her shoulder, quietly weeping.
“He’s back… Sharen, he really is back.”
