episode_0020

The flustered Young Lady Chris, not knowing what to do, grabbed my shoulder and pulled me along.

Huh, aren’t you going to let go?

“Uhm, first, both of you calm down! Nacha? I’ll come back later… uhm, goodbye!”

The Young Lady Chris ran so fast her feet were a blur.

If there was one thing she forgot, it was the fact that I was still held fast in her hand.

Running through the city without having to walk myself felt quite exhilarating.

“Yuseong?”

“Yes.”

The Young Lady Chris’s face, as she called out to me, looked a little crestfallen.

Indeed, if I were her, and I introduced a friend to another friend, only for them to turn their head away in dislike right from the start, that would be a bit…

“Nacha isn’t usually like that, it’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”

“Hmph.”

“What’s with that ‘hmph’ from a man…”

“Huh? Men are supposed to…”

“Tsk!”

The Young Lady Chris, having cut off my nonsense, stomped her feet, muttering “What to do, what to do?” repeatedly.

“Can’t the two of you try to get along?”

“No, she said she didn’t like me first.”

“Oh, come on, can’t you just try to be a bit more understanding?”

“What if I can’t understand?”

“Then… poof, goes the certificate?”

What!

I glared at the bad young lady who was going back on her word.

No, she said she didn’t like me? She disliked me first.

Her acting like that, for no good reason, just ignited a stubborn streak in me.

That measly certificate, I can just get it myself, can’t I?

No, wait, I’ll just become an explorer.

Anyway, everyone dies~

Using the excuse of having something to take care of, I slipped away from Young Lady Chris and headed to the Explorer’s Guild to get my explorer’s license.

Apart from me, the place was teeming with aspiring explorers.

Every single one of them was scruffy and gloomy, but their eyes shone with a brilliance almost equal to my own.

Hmm, they have good eyes! My future comrades.

As I indulged in my solitary fantasies, my turn arrived. I approached with excited steps, but…

“Uhm, I apologize, but please apply again next time.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, the Guild Master’s official seal is required, and the Guild Master is currently away, so there’s a proxy, but…”

“But?”

“That person personally rejected you.”

What, who is it that rejected me? I’d like to see their face.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me—”

Ugh, Chris, it’s you again?

I was ultimately apprehended by Young Lady Chris, who had even come all the way to the Explorer’s Guild, and was dragged back to the orphanage.

She let me go obediently when I made an excuse about having something to do, but it seems she slyly followed me.

…Though I’m not one to talk.

“Please, Yuseong. I need your strength.”

Feeling Young Lady Chris’s fist tap, tap, against my shoulder, I fell into deep contemplation.

It wasn’t because it hurt at all; I felt bad refusing Young Lady Chris outright, as I had received so much from her.

To be honest, after sleeping in a warm bed and eating delicious food, I didn’t want to go back to the streets.

…Alright, I’ve decided.

“Understood, but I have my own methods.”

“…That sounds a little frightening to hear?”

“Don’t worry. For resolute people like her, you have to conquer their surroundings.”

From that day on, whenever Nacha was away from the orphanage grounds, I made sure to show my face to the orphanage children.

The eight chosen children initially found me unfamiliar and frightening, but there’s a special remedy for children like these.

“Alright, this is a spider, isn’t it cute?”

“Isn’t it dust?”

I also drew doodles with them on the ground using a stick.

“Okay, this is a free-fall tower.”

“Wow! Next, next!”

“This is an airplane.”

“Wooooow! Hehe, next, next please!”

“This time, a Tombstone…”

“Wait!”

I was watching carefully when Young Lady Chris suddenly stopped me. I gave her a dirty look, but she didn’t budge an inch.

It was supposed to be a finishing move, you know.

“Isn’t that too dangerous?!”

“Men are all supposed to grow up like this.”

“No, they’re not! And all of them are girls!”

I grew up like this, you know.

But if I answered like that, I’d be toast, so I replied with a suddenly enlightened expression, pretending I hadn’t known.

“Aha!”

Most of them had short hair, so I thought they were boys…

Perhaps it wasn’t Young Lady Chris who was gender-discriminating, but me.

Anyway, my strategy, implemented over several days, worked successfully.

“Go away…”

“Big sister, don’t bully Uncle!”

“That’s right, we agreed to draw spiders with Uncle!”

“Hahahaha…”

“Whine…”

Nacha, who had been staying on the orphanage grounds claiming she had no schedule, became utterly dejected, like someone whose affections had been stolen, and ended up completely cornered herself.

Supported by the sturdy eight children standing behind me, I was thereafter able to enter the orphanage with confidence.

And of course, I didn’t forget to make friends with yesterday’s enemy.

“Nacha.”

“…What.”

“Don’t be like that, let’s get along.”

“…Ugh.”

Nacha took my hand, her face clearly enduring something.

Ah, this is just a temporary alliance—

After forming an alliance with Nacha, a new routine was added to my day.

Waking up in the morning, I’d have morning tea with the Young Lady, then retrieve canvases from the gentleman, have lunch with him, and afterwards, as a hobby, draw Inky, give him bread crumbs, and then rush to the orphanage. Phew, I’m out of breath.

It had been about a week since I started managing such a demanding schedule.

Shabryang was utterly peaceful, and I felt happy.

Today, as I was leisurely enjoying tea time with Young Lady Chris, a notebook plopped out from my pocket.

It had been rare for me to open the notebook lately.

But this notebook, something was strange about it.

I remembered taking out the notebook from my pocket as if possessed in Dreamland, and copying down writing from a certain stone before meeting Inky… but why was it also written in this notebook?

As I stared intently at the notebook, puzzled by the sudden mystery, Young Lady Chris approached me, accompanied by a fragrant floral scent.

“What are you staring at so intently?”

“Ah, I wrote this down in my sleep… but I don’t know what it is.”

“This is… the names of the Twelve Prime Deities?”

“Prime Deities?”

“They are gods who once presided over this place, though they are now gone. My family also served one of them. Of course, we are still told to offer prayers.”

“Do they answer?”

“Uhm, not at all.”

“That’s a shame… But how do you read this?”

I pointed to one of the twelve names that caught my eye the most and asked.

Young Lady Chris’s eyes widened in surprise, and she whispered in a soft voice.

“Ablaxia.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Was there such a setting? Well, it’s enjoyable to learn knowledge I didn’t know.

With our leisurely tea time over, the Young Lady and I moved according to our respective schedules.

Today, I had to stop by the orphanage early to help Nacha.

It was only after giving Inky bread and having a dance session that I arrived at the orphanage.

Despite only a week having passed, the orphanage was nearing completion.

No, wait, the children’s living quarters had already been completed long ago, so only the finishing touches remained.

Today’s task was to arrange the donated furniture in the children’s rooms.

I sighed, looking at the mountain of books, bookshelves, wardrobes, and beds.

For this, I should at least get one gold coin per item, shouldn’t I?

“Ugh, this is ridiculously heavy.”

I carried a bundle of books with trembling arms and slowly moved them to the children’s quarters.

“Hah, give me money, this isn’t right…”

“Pfft, you’re like a baby.”

As Nacha and I were moving items, having stopped the children who offered to help, someone overheard my grumbling and openly scoffed.

“What?”

“I’m carrying two; one is enough for you.”

Nacha snorted, picked up two bundles of books with her slender arms, and scurried away.

I couldn’t lose.

I even carried four chairs tucked under my arm, and Nacha, seeing me, started to follow, as if she had caught fire.

“I have five.”

“Oh really? Then I have six.”

“I’m… going to move the bed. You can’t do it.”

“Then die.”

We fought childishly, clear for anyone to see, but smiles hung on our faces as we looked at each other.

On the first day, she had squawked and turned her head away in such dislike.

A bright smile was on Nacha’s lips as she burst into laughter, competing with me.

She’s cute when she laughs, yeah.

“…Hmph.”

But if I stared at her, Nacha would turn her head away every time, as if she had never opened her heart.

She’s not Steven Seagal, constantly craning her neck like that.

“Phew, we’ve moved everything.”

“Uncle!”

“Big sister!”

Why am I ‘Uncle’ and she’s ‘Big sister’?

The moment the luggage was all arranged, the children who had been playing in the garden came running and hugged us.

My heart swelled with contentment as I stroked the heads of the eight chosen children.

Although I longed for an explorer’s life, a peaceful life is good too.

I felt a sense of peace, watching the children playing under the warm sunlight and whining for me to play with them.

May this happiness last forever.

The moment I made that wish, a sudden premonition struck me.

Even though I knew things always took a strange turn when I thought like this, I prayed ceaselessly to someone who might be in the deep sea.

Please help me out if things get tricky!