Chapter 40 : The Orphanage Outside the City

“I’m sorry, Sunghoon. Because I caused a fuss, we got kicked out of the hotel and now we’re about to end up sleeping on the streets.”

“Ah, no, please don’t worry about it. I actually came to Earth expecting to rough it. I even brought a sleeping bag.”

Though Iris acted all natural and innocent, it’s not like she was completely clueless when it came to sexual matters.

That’s why I was a little worried—when I activate the Constellation’s senses, I sometimes unintentionally catch glimpses of Iris in her underwear.

If she ever finds out that the Nameless King is actually Kim Sunghoon, I’m afraid she’ll gouge my eyes out.

Anyway, even if we were going to sleep outside, we couldn’t exactly pitch a tent on the side of a main road.

So we decided to move to the outskirts of the city.

But the further we got from central Neo Seoul—which was even more packed with skyscrapers than the original Seoul—the more things started turning into a slum.

Something felt off—even the passersby looked out of it, like they were high on drugs or something.

Just as my nerves were on edge, a loud commotion erupted from a nearby alley.

Crash!

“You little rat bastards! How many times do I have to tell you not to mess with the food waste? I could sell that to the biomass plant and make money, and here you are stealing it!”

“I-I’m sorry! P-please, just this once! I was just so hungry…”

“Quit pretending to be pitiful. Do you know how much trouble I’ve had to go through cleaning up after you brats knocking over the trash cans? My back’s been killing me lately—I can’t even sleep right. I’m not letting this go today.”

Just as the restaurant owner raised his club to strike a scruffy-looking boy in the back of the head, Iris stepped in.

She didn’t react as forcefully as she did when facing off against SG Group heir Lee Taekyung.

She merely pressed her index finger gently against the club and pushed it down.

“I don’t know how much damage this boy has caused, but I’ll compensate you for it. Please don’t resort to violence.”

“Hmm? And who the hell are you two? You don’t look Korean, that’s for sure.”

“We’re students from Pantheon Academy, here on a field trip. No matter how valuable food waste might be, it can’t possibly be worth more than real food.

This is a meat pack made from the hind leg of a wild buffalo, freeze-dried using a special technique.

Just boil it in clean water and it’s ready to eat.”

“Well damn, what is this… But it’s not really about the money, you know?

When those bins get knocked over, it stinks and attracts flies.

Even if this place is a slum in Seoul, customers won’t come if it reeks.

And with how much I’m spending on physical therapy for my back lately—if this restaurant fails, I’ll starve too.”

“Oh, right—you mentioned your back hurts. I’ll heal you using the authority of Lady Ashakariel. O Pure Dawn, bless this poor lamb with your healing grace!”

Marianne, whose vision had only just come back into focus—likely because the alcohol she drank at the banquet had finally worn off—used her healing authority on the restaurant owner.

The healing authority had strict limits on how many times it could be used per day, so it was quite a generous act.

But the effect was nothing short of amazing.

“Oh wow, what is this?

That stabbing pain, like being poked with needles—it’s completely gone!

Oh dear, I had no idea you were such noble people.

Please forgive my rudeness.

From now on, I won’t look down on beggars just because they don’t have money.

I’ll try to live with more compassion.”

The restaurant owner bowed deeply in gratitude.

It seemed he’d really been suffering badly from lower back pain due to a herniated disc.

Then he went back into the restaurant and packed some boxed meals for them.

One of the starving boys began scarfing down the food, but when he was about halfway through, he suddenly froze and exclaimed in shock:

“Oh no! I totally forgot—I was supposed to bring some for Hyunji too—cough, cough!”

“There’s some water here, so take it slow. But… who’s Hyunji?”

“She’s my little sister. She’s probably still guarding the back road to the orphanage all by herself. I need to go see her right away!”

“The orphanage? Hey, do you mind if I come along? I actually brought some supplies to share with kids in tough situations like yours.”

“Supplies? You mean, like food?”

“Some are like the meat pack you saw earlier, but there’s also clothes and medical supplies.”

“Oh, right! Now that I think about it, the orphanage director has really bad knee pain. Do you think you could use that mysterious power to heal her too?”

“Marianne, would that be possible?”

“I’d love to say it’s totally possible… but with how little divine talent I have, I probably won’t be able to use it again until tomorrow.”

Marianne, the priestess, twisted her body awkwardly as if embarrassed by the fact that she could only use the Healing Authority once a day.

As had been mentioned before, joining the Order of Pure Dawn with a stigma was practically a form of downgrading oneself.

Of course, even considering that, being limited to using it only once a day did feel a bit too few—but Iris didn’t seem to mind and calmly explained their next plan.

“It’s fine. In that case, let’s take this opportunity to let the Healing Authority recharge and spend the night near the orphanage while distributing supplies to the children. The name was…”

“It’s Hyunsoo.”

“Right. Hyunsoo, could you and your sister lead us to the area near the orphanage?”

“Hmm… The director told me not to tell anyone about the location, but… for some reason, I feel like I can trust you, noona. Follow me.”

Following Hyunsoo deep into the alleyways, they eventually reached a small girl who looked a bit slow-witted, with a runny nose.

She was dozing off under a waterproof tarp.

“Hyunji, what are you doing? I told you not to fall asleep and to keep a lookout to see if anyone was coming!”

“Uuugh… Sorry, Hyunsoo oppa. The tarp was so warm I dozed off without meaning to. Sniff sniff! But what’s that smell? Did someone throw away a whole meal or something?”

“Oh right. Here’s a lunchbox, you can eat this.”

As soon as the girl named Hyunji caught a whiff of the food, she rushed over and started shoveling it into her mouth with her hands, not even bothering with chopsticks.

Seeing that, Hyunsoo simply handed her the whole lunchbox, then pulled away the waterproof tarp and used a nearby metal crowbar to pry open a manhole cover.

“If you go through this sewer, you’ll find the orphanage outside the barrier.”

“The orphanage is outside the barrier? Isn’t that way too dangerous? I heard the battle with the Devil Dolls is really intense right now.”

“It’s okay. It’s safe. Everyone who couldn’t get into Neo Seoul City lives together out there.”

Thinking the Devil Dolls wouldn’t attack just because a bunch of civilians were gathered—it was clear he was still just a child.

Anyway, once Hyunji finished eating, we climbed down the ladder inside the manhole and entered the underground sewer system.

Though the sewers were laid out like a maze, Hyunsoo navigated them without the slightest hesitation, almost like magic.

Eventually, we emerged through another manhole into a completely different space—so run-down it felt like we’d traveled back in time to the 1970s or ’80s.

The “orphanage” was basically a half-collapsed church patched up with tarps.

It looked dangerously unstable.

Still, Hyunsoo and Hyunji seemed simply happy to be back home safe, running ahead cheerfully and calling out.

“Director! We’re home!”

“Oh my, you little rascals. I told you not to go into the city, didn’t I? And yet you still… Wait, who are these people?”

“They’re students from another world! They said they brought a ton of supplies just for us!”

“Another world, you say? What in the world…”

Most citizens of Neo Seoul City might not know about the Pantheon Academy, but they were at least aware that the Pantheon Peacekeeping Corps played a major role in defending their city.

But for the elderly nun, who looked well past her sixtieth birthday, the very concept of another dimension must have been hard to accept.

Iris understood that well, so she smiled gently as she spoke.

“Think of it as us coming from another continent—there’s not much difference in the end. We’ve brought a wide variety of supplies with us. Would it be alright to leave them near the orphanage and distribute them to those in need?”

“Oh my, such a kind heart to match that pretty face.

In times like these, when the world is in such turmoil, sharing what you have isn’t easy.

It’s not polite to keep guests standing outside for too long either, so please, come in.

It’s humble, but it’ll at least shield you from the sandstorms.”

As Hyunsoo had mentioned, the elderly nun walked with a limp, one knee clearly troubling her, and we followed her into the orphanage.

Inside, it wasn’t just Hyunsoo and Hyunji—people of all different ages had gathered.

It seemed this place wasn’t just serving as an orphanage, but also still functioned as a church.

When life gets tough, it’s in human nature to want to rely on faith.

Even if prayers don’t grant divine powers like a Constellation might, they still provide peace of mind—so it wouldn’t be fair to say they’re entirely useless.