Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: 5. Orphan Awakening System Open
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The war was over. The Snow King's forces had been utterly crushed and fled, and the count's family was basking in victory.
And with that, the most important matter had come to an end.
Namely, the sale of the merchandise was complete.
“...These terms should be sufficient, don't you think?”
“I can only express my gratitude for Your Excellency's overly generous grace. As embarrassing as it is to admit, we need the money to feed the children.”
“If it's for Laila, twice this amount wouldn't be too much.”
I didn't say, Oh? Then give me double? This was already a fair price, and taking twice as much would make rebuilding the Beril Count Family not just difficult, but impossible.
Even with victory secured, the damages the Beril Count Family had to bear were immense. Many knights had died or been injured, supplies had been cut off by the blizzard, pushing countless people to their limits, and the routed Snow King's forces had scattered everywhere, meaning monsters and beasts would be prowling the area in droves for a while.
On top of that, they had to report to the imperial court, clear the paths buried by the blizzard to some extent, and reward those who had earned merits.
The count's finances would be strained for the foreseeable future. I didn't want this valuable trading partner—and the northern server for the orphanage network—to collapse. So I took only the maximum I could reasonably claim.
One might say it was still too much, but this amount had actually been proposed first by Margrave Richard himself. It stemmed from his desperation: having tried to buy Laila on the cheap by hiding information before, and now realizing that without her, the mountain beasts would vanish too, so he had to adopt her at any cost.
'That's why they tried to hide the info and snap her up cheap.' Honestly, it was a bit infuriating, but since he'd admitted it first and backed down, I couldn't complain. More importantly, he'd offered top dollar. Put bluntly, it was a bargain for a spiritist with 530,000 orphan power. Knowing that, Margrave Richard had sweetened the deal by offering triple the usual monthly donations on top of the adoption fee. And so, I successfully sold Laila for several times more than Karen had fetched. Now, without further ado, it was time to head straight back to the orphanage— “Director.” “...Laila.” Ah, damn. This was exactly why I'd tried to wrap up the sale and leave as quickly as possible. The problem with in-person cash deals was that you couldn't just drop off the merchandise and go—you had to collect payment from the customer first. And there was the merchandise herself, Laila, gazing at me with trembling eyes despite her evident exhaustion. 'She must be really worn out.' Of course she was. Even as a 4-Star Orphan, talent was still just talent in the end. That ice beam had probably drained every last drop of mana from her body, leaving her barely able to move. Should I praise her for coming all this way, or stop her from saying what she was about to? “You're... leaving, right?” “...Yeah.” “Leaving me behind?” “Your home isn't the orphanage anymore—it's here now.” Laila's gaze shifted to Margrave Richard, seated across from me. For some reason, he met her eyes squarely before nodding. What mattered now wasn't a return request from the Beril Count Family. Margrave Richard had requested cash on delivery, and he'd already paid up. So the focus had to be on Laila herself. 'If she requests a self-return like last time...' Could I talk her out of it? Without souring the mood of the next count and 4-Star spiritist? Might as well just take her back— “Got it.” “...Laila?” “I'll... be adopted into the Beril Count Family.” Wait, hold on. For real? “You mean it?” “You've been telling me all along, Director. That it's for my own good, a real opportunity.” “True, but...” “So now, better late than never, I'm going to follow your advice. And... I have my reasons now too.” As she spoke, Laila shot a glare at the mountain beasts secretly watching from outside the window. Their hierarchy must have sorted itself out in the meantime, because they immediately fled. “Director, do you remember what I said before?” There were countless things she'd told me over the nearly two years we'd spent together. But I had a feeling I knew exactly what she meant now. “About your dream.” “Yes, Director. I told you before—my dream can only come true by your side. That's why I said I had no intention of being adopted into the count's family.” I couldn't forget if I tried. It was the first time I'd been hit with the irreversible shock of merchandise requesting a self-return. And Laila was smiling softly, clearly delighted that I'd guessed right on the first try. “Has your dream changed?” “No, my dream is the same. It's just the method that's changed.” “The method?” “There isn't just one way to achieve a dream, right? I've finally found a faster path to mine. And to take it, I have to steel myself to leave the home I've grown attached to.” “Your home is here now.” “Exactly. And the orphanage is my home too. You said so yourself, Director.” Laila took a step closer to me. Her smile held both regret and joy. “The protagonist of my life is no one else but me.” “...” “By my own choice, I'm going to... stay with the Beril Count Family.” I heard a sound. A clear, refreshing chime. It was a sound I'd heard a few times before. But it was one only I could hear, not others—the bell only I heard. To be precise, it was the sound of a satisfied customer completing checkout and leaving the store after selecting merchandise. As the owner of an orphanage shop, it should have thrilled me—but— '...No, this is for the best, for both of us.' No pointless thoughts. One thing was crystal clear now. Temporary staff at the orphanage, Laila.
After Director Yujin left.
Margrave Richard gazed at Laila, now his adopted daughter.
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Your Excellency, you're not regretting it, are you?”
“No, but... even if this is for the Beril Count Family, it doesn't feel like it's for you.”
Laila quietly met Margrave Richard's eyes. He'd bowed his head and apologized to her when she was just an ordinary orphan last time, and he truly was a good man. Maybe the second-best after the Director.
That's why Laila readily opened up about her true feelings.
“Honestly, I want to stay by the Director's side forever too. I don't want to be apart like this—I've never been. For the past two years, I haven't spent a single moment away from him.”
“Then...”
“But I realized that wouldn't mean anything.”
“Mean anything?”
“If I really want to stand by his side—not as some common orphan receiving his grace, but as his special ally—then I can't stay by his side.”
“...”
“This is for me too, Your Excellency. I guess I should call you Father now?”
“Call me whatever feels right. It's embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing how?”
“The Beril Count Family needs you, Laila, unconditionally right now. So when you say you'll stay here of your own will... the foolish count rejoices. And the foolish adoptive father feels ashamed of that joy.”
Margrave Richard let out a brief sigh before steeling himself with a solemn expression. Laila, facing him, bowed her head quietly as well.
“From this day forward, you are Laila Beril. You are a member of the Beril Count Family, the eldest daughter, and the heir. Duty comes with that honor. You must protect the North, protect the Empire, and protect the count's family.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“And with those duties come rights. The Beril Count Family will always stand behind you, and as long as you fulfill your obligations, we will follow you like limbs.”
Thud. Margrave Richard took a step forward, opened the window, and stepped out onto the balcony. There, the Beril Count Family's knights, mages, and servants stood in formation, awaiting inspection. As a margrave, they were permitted the strongest knight order outside the imperial family and ducal houses. Before that pure display of power and authority, Margrave Richard declared solemnly. “From this moment on! I proclaim that Laila Beril has become the Beril Count Family's young lady and heir!!” “Waaaaah!!!” “Laila Beril! Laila Beril! Laila Beril!” “Great spiritist!” “Protect us! We will be your swords and shields forever!!” No one present was unaware of Laila's feats against the Snow King's forces. As the cheers erupted, Laila gestured into the air, and the lingering chill in the atmosphere vanished in an instant. Right after, the mountain beasts atop the count's mansion roof let out a mighty roar.
“““Waaaaah!!!”””
It was the moment Laila was truly recognized as a member—and heir—of the Beril Count Family.
Amid the cheering knights, Laila spotted Galen and gave a slight nod. When her eyes met those of the massive warrior beside him, he smirked and melted into the crowd.
It was stealth so perfect even Laila, contracted with the mountain beasts, couldn't track it.
Once the heir proclamation ceremony ended, Ulfric was lounging in the center of the room where Laila and Margrave Richard had returned, flipping a coin.
“Can't mess around carelessly now, huh? You're nobility, so should I use honorifics?”
“It's fine. If you're the Director's acquaintance, I should be the one using them.”
“Miss, even so, a noble orphan acting like that will get laughed at. Oh, that wasn't on purpose? For real?”
Ulfric scratched his head. As Laila was about to say more, Margrave Richard spoke first.
But he didn't scold the man who'd barged in unannounced.
“Ulfric, as lord of the Beril Count Family, I thank you.”
“Margrave, sir?”
“Thanks to you and Director Yujin, the Beril Count Family overcame a great crisis. We will always remember your dedication and swear to aid you whenever needed.”
“Heh, well.”
Ulfric awkwardly received the heartfelt thanks, then bowed his head with utmost seriousness.
“As the great warrior of the western wilds, branch chief of the Laden Adventurer's Guild, and titled adventurer, I accept Margrave Richard's thanks. However, I did not come here for thanks or rewards.”
“You didn't?”
“Strictly speaking, it's a matter similar to yours, Margrave. Young Lady Laila, please accept this.”
Defying his rough appearance, Ulfric—experienced with nobles—followed etiquette perfectly as he handed Laila the coin he'd been flipping. It bore the Adventurer's Guild seal.
“This is...?”
“It's an order token that can act in my stead for the Laden branch. Send it to Laden, and every adventurer there will rush to aid the Beril Count Family. Myself included, of course.”
“Ulfric, why...?”
“Merely paying respects to the dedication of the margrave and the Beril Count Family. Plus, the child of my respected senior is here.”
“...Ulfric, is that how I should call you?”
“Whatever's comfortable, Young Lady Laila.”
“If you've been close to the Director for a while, do you know about his past too?”
Was that what she'd been dying to ask? Reading Laila's earnest expression, Margrave Richard tactfully stepped aside, opening a book at a distance to signal he wouldn't eavesdrop.
With that cue, Ulfric dropped his branch chief persona and reverted to his usual self.
“I could tell you.”
“Then!”
“But I figure my senior wouldn't like that. You'd hate it if your friend blabbed about your past, right?”
“...True.”
“Besides, I don't know everything. Best to hear it from Senior Yujin himself, but he won't talk, so... find someone more fitting than me.”
“Someone more fitting?”
“His old comrades. The former magic tower lord's daughter, the crown princess's chief guardian spiritist, the fisherman hunting the sea king, the beggar philosopher, and... the ducal house's madwoman.”
Counting them off on his fingers with an expression of their sheer impressiveness, Ulfric grinned wickedly.
As if the thought of Laila seeking them out was endlessly amusing.
“The former magic tower lord's daughter—you've met Hella, right?”
“...Yes.”
“Hella's got a tight lip despite appearances, so she won't spill. Go for the fisherman or the madwoman if you can—they'll tell you everything without hesitation.”
With that, as if he'd said his piece, Ulfric stood. His posture screamed he had nothing more to add.
Laila hurriedly stopped him.
“Wait.”
“Didn't I just say? I don't have more to— ”
“No, not that.”
“Hm?”
“I have another favor to ask.”
She showed him the order token he'd given her moments ago, smiling as if this— not Yujin's past—was her real goal.
“Sheesh, if that's the case, why become an adopted daughter at all?”
“Uncle Ulfric, I told you—the Beril Count Family sends regular donations to Yujin Orphanage, so it's natural for me, the young lady, to visit.”
“Then why me? I'm busy as branch chief. Just go with that knight Galen.”
“You're way faster, Uncle Ulfric. You got from Beril to Ryton in a day.”
“Leaving that ice spirit in the North too. Good thing you're a spiritist to keep up, or I'd have refused.”
“Yeah, so let's keep working together.”
“This feels like a bad matchup... Anyway, it's coming into view. That's Senior's orphanage, right?”
“Huh? Sister Laila? Is that you, sis?”
“Tricksy.”
Laila, returning to the orphanage in a single day with Ulfric, approached Tricksy, who was tidying the fence.
She'd been looking forward to the Director's surprised face at her surprise visit.
But soon, she couldn't help being flustered.
“The Director... isn't here? He just stepped out briefly?”
“Oh, no. He said it'd take quite a while. But with Eric's dads and the lord looking after us, operations are fine.”
“Quite a while? Where did he go?”
“T-The capital.”
“The capital? Why would the Director go there?”
Her surprise visit foiled, Laila at least wanted to know why, so she asked.
Tricksy tilted her head as if recalling an unfamiliar word before answering haltingly.
“Something like... franchise...?”