Chapter 97: The Lord is With Us (18)
Chapter 97: The Lord is With Us (18)
The situation at the orphanage, as described by Mr. Guildford, was disastrous.
There were well over two hundred children staying there. Given the scale, there should have been several resident volunteers, but after the demonic beast attacks, not a single volunteer remained at the Guildford Orphanage.
Normally, they would have had to hire temporary staff. However, the Guildford Orphanage had suffered from a chronic funding shortage for a long time, so there were no emergency funds to speak of.
One glaring result of this was the buildings, which were cracked in various places. When it was impossible to even look after the children individually, there was no way they had the resources left to maintain or repair the structures.
It was a small mercy that the children had set up a rotation to handle the cooking and cleaning. Otherwise, the Guildford Orphanage wouldn't have been able to operate at all.
Mr. Guildford said this weighed heavily on his heart. These were children who should have been focusing all their energy on learning and growing. Yet, they were already volunteering for shifts and learning how to divide labor.
Because they had to survive. If they were kicked out of here, these children had nowhere else to go.
It was a cruel reality. There was no other place where children without guardians could find food, clothing, and shelter. The Guildford Orphanage, which at least provided a meal every day—even if it was a meager one—was considered one of the better ones.
Children without parents were utterly powerless. This was true even within the orphanages. Since they had to be grateful just for being fed and housed, they couldn't dare to voice a complaint.
As a result, some orphanages maliciously exploited the children under their care. It wasn't uncommon for places to feed them only one meal a day while using them as laborers on the director's farm.
The Continent was overflowing with orphans, and orphanages were numerous. The state's oversight couldn't reach every corner, and there was even a trend of turning a blind eye despite knowing of criminal activity.
Because no matter how bad an orphanage was, it was still an orphanage. The Continent needed more of them.
Orphanages were the only places capable of handling the countless orphans. To control children who were desperate for survival without guardians, additional investment in public safety and administration was required.
No nation in the world would welcome such a thing. If they had the resources, it was more rational to invest in other areas.
City security, subjugating demonic beasts near villages, expanding roads—the state had plenty to do. They simply didn't have the funds or manpower to do it all.
Circumstances were that tight. No nation wanted to add the "headache" of orphans to their list.
At most, the Holy Kingdom, with its many devout followers, provided some budget support for orphanages. Though, as seen in the case of the Guildford Orphanage, that support was woefully inadequate.
Still, even that was better than nothing. Mr. Guildford finished his story and let out a long sigh.
"It is shameful. I cannot even properly host those who have come to help..."
It happened to be dinner time. My eyes flickered toward the tray placed in front of me.
Mr. Guildford had tried to be generous, but the portion was still woefully small.
There was soup with almost no solids, dry rations, and meat was nowhere to be seen.
Even so, the children were devouring it as if they had been waiting for this moment. This meager diet was the reason the children didn't leave the Guildford Orphanage despite the threat of demonic beasts.
If they left, they would either starve to death on the streets or be sent to a worse orphanage. It was better to stay at the Guildford Orphanage, even if it meant risking abduction by demonic beasts.
It was heart-wrenching. I couldn't bring myself to pick up my spoon. I knew I should eat, but I didn't feel like I could swallow a thing.
The Saintess and Yuren remained composed even after hearing Mr. Guildford's words. Since they were from orphanages themselves, they likely already had a good idea of what the situation would be like.
They had spent the whole day managing the children with me and working hard to prepare the meal. Despite that, they showed no sign of complaining or dissatisfaction.
I couldn't tell if their behavior was genuine or a facade. However, it was certain that their presence was a source of strength for Mr. Guildford.
The Saintess made the sign of the cross and comforted Mr. Guildford with a benevolent voice.
"Please do not worry too much, Brother Guildford. The Heavenly God's grace is like sunlight; how could it distinguish between the cold and the warm? I, too, was born and raised in an orphanage. I understand the circumstances of the Guildford Orphanage well, so you need not feel sorry."
"...Thank you."
Mr. Guildford barely managed to squeeze out the words through a choked throat and quickly bowed his head.
It was a beautiful sight. I was watching the Saintess and Mr. Guildford with a warm gaze when a sound that shattered the moment echoed from somewhere.
"Ugh."
Several pairs of eyes that had been exchanging comfort turned. Me, the Saintess, Yuren, and even Mr. Guildford.
The destination was one: toward Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie, who were sitting side by side next to me.
Senior Elsie was grimacing as if she were about to gag, and Senior Delphine was merely stirring the thin porridge with a look of extreme displeasure.
Dismay clouded Mr. Guildford's eyes. I felt my own face heating up, so I pressed a hand to my forehead.
A twisted voice flowed from Senior Delphine's mouth.
"There's nothing more foolish than being picky about food on a battlefield, but isn't this a bit much? It feels like it's impossible to maintain one's strength with this."
"Hmph, are you sure they didn't mistake this for horse fodder?"
With Senior Elsie chiming in, they were perfectly in sync—something that rarely happened given their usual friction.
Both Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie were high-ranking nobles. They had likely spent more days being catered to than worrying about others' feelings, which was why they occasionally threw out such tactless remarks.
It didn't matter to me. I already knew what their personalities were like, and I had my hand axe if things got out of hand.
But it wasn't okay to do this to Mr. Guildford.
He was the person furthest from power here, and he was already feeling apologetic. Complaining to him, when he was doing his best, was nothing more than venting.
Mr. Guildford immediately began to fluster, not knowing what to do. It was not a pleasant sight to see an old man walking on eggshells around women who were barely the age of his granddaughters.
"I-I am so sorry. Now that I think about it, the three of you are nobles, aren't you? You must have never had a meal like this in your lives..."
He looked like he was about to drop to his knees. I quickly waved my hands to stop him and began to scramble for the best excuse I could muster.
"It's alright, Mr. Guildford. Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie are just a bit... blunt. They sometimes make strange jokes like that to lighten the mood. Hahaha..."
Naturally, nothing convincing came out. The Saintess was staring at me with cold eyes. Her gaze seemed to say:
Can't you even make a proper excuse?
Technically, the ones at fault were Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie, not me, so it felt unfair. In the midst of that, Senior Elsie's mouth twitched as if she were about to blurt out something else tactless.
"No, what are you talking about? If you're a noble, you should say what needs to be— Eek?! I-It was a joke! It really was a joke!"
Of course, suppressing her was simple. As I gritted my teeth and placed my hand on the handle of my hand axe, Senior Elsie immediately corrected her slip of the tongue. She seemed genuinely terrified by my murderous glare.
Glancing at me nervously, her small hands moved incessantly, shoveling the soup into her mouth.
"Nom nom, it's good... I-It's delicious... R-Really!"
Her effort to even make "nom nom" sounds was pitifully commendable. Only then did I soften my gaze and take my hand off my waist.
Senior Delphine looked appalled. After glaring at Elsie with disdain, she snorted and spoke.
"The name of the Lainella family has truly fallen to the ground. Regardless, I, Delphine Yurdina..."
"Senior Delphine."
I called her name lowly. It was meant as a request, but when Senior Delphine's ruby-like eyes met mine, they shook violently.
Her gaze dropped slightly. A trembling voice escaped her.
"D-Delphine Yu-Yurdina..."
"Senior."
That was the final straw.
Senior Delphine's eyes twitched. After staying like that for a long time, she finally squeezed her eyes shut and hung her head low.
Biting her lip as if frustrated, she said, "...I-I love jokes. Yes. It was a joke."
Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed I had managed to settle things somehow.
I shot a triumphant look at the Saintess. However, the atmosphere surrounding her, Yuren, and Mr. Guildford was strange.
Mr. Guildford was looking back and forth between me and the two seniors with dazed eyes, and Yuren was scratching his cheek with an awkward smile, looking troubled. And above all, the way the Saintess was looking at me...
It was a look reserved for trash.
The Saintess made the sign of the cross over her luscious breasts. Then, her lips moved, silently whispering to me.
Trash.
It was a deliberate finishing blow. I could only shrug my shoulders and bury my face back into my food, focusing on the meal.
It was unfair. I decided I'd have to pick on Senior Elsie later to make up for it.
This was the daily life at the Guildford Orphanage.
I thought this routine would continue for at least a few days.
Until the next day, before Senior Elsie was mysteriously attacked.
It happened when Senior Elsie and I were left alone.