Chapter 98: The Lord is With Us (19)
Chapter 98: The Lord is With Us (19)
That morning was no different from any other. It was busy, chaotic, and exhausting.
Children starved for affection tend to follow adults quite well, and the children at Guildford Orphanage were no exception.
Sometimes they would play harsh pranks or scream at the top of their lungs just to get attention. They were young, so it couldn't be helped.
I knew that well. Even so, there were times when it was difficult to suppress the irritation rising within me.
More than once, I had to barely restrain myself from shouting back at them.
When I thought about it, the children were innocent. It was the fault of the adults who failed to give them enough love.
Only after soothing my inner turmoil like that did I feel a sense of peace.
In that regard, the Saintess showed a surprising side of herself.
From what I knew, the Saintess had a rather prickly personality. She masked her exterior with a facade, but her true feelings leaked out whenever she faced me.
I expected her to lose her temper or quit before long. However, from yesterday until now, the Saintess hadn't let her smile slip even once.
In fact, unlike me, who flustered whenever the children threw tantrums, she clearly distinguished between when to coax them and when to scold them.
It was an admirable skill. I couldn't help but think she truly was a Saintess. It wasn't just her luscious breasts that were impressive.
Yuren also succeeded in winning the children over with his natural sociability. Already, there were plenty of young girls following him around like ducklings.
Those two weren't a problem. As the Saintess said, it might be because they were from an orphanage themselves and were used to this environment.
But where there are model students, there are bound to be underachievers. At least in the orphanage, the underachievers were Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie.
Take right now, for instance. One young girl seemed to have taken a liking to Senior Delphine and plucked a flower to offer her.
Senior Delphine boasted a haughty yet glamorous appearance. That look alone was enough to earn the children's favor.
Senior Delphine turned her blood-red eyes toward the girl, as if asking what this meant. The girl spoke with eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"It's a gift, Teacher Delphine! A flower!"
"Hmph," Senior Delphine hummed, taking the flower without a word. After examining it from various angles, she asked, "What use does this flower have?"
"…Pardon?"
The girl's eyes went blank. It was a natural reaction, as she certainly hadn't expected such a response.
Regardless, Senior Delphine spoke again in a somewhat bored voice.
"For example, if you brew it, does it soothe a cough? Or if you crush it, is it effective for stopping bleeding? Things like that."
"…I-I don't know."
Discouraged by the difficult questions fired at her in succession, the little girl lowered her head and aimlessly dragged her foot across the dirt floor.
Watching this without a word, Senior Delphine soon infused the flower with her Aura.
It was a high-heat Aura that even metal couldn't properly withstand. Naturally, a fragile flower stood no chance.
A golden radiance climbed up the stem, melting it away into pure white ash.
As the ash drifted down like snow, the girl watched the display with wide eyes.
"It's not even strong… Look closely, kid."
Senior Delphine brushed the ash off her hands and knelt slightly to meet the girl's eyes.
The girl couldn't even open her mouth. It was because of the natural aura of dominance that only Senior Delphine possessed.
"Things that are neither useful nor strong end up like this. They vanish into nothingness… So you should be careful too, understand?"
Tap, tap. Senior Delphine brushed the remaining ash onto the girl's shoulder. When she stood back up, her face was perfectly calm. It seemed she considered this to be sincere advice.
It was just that the recipient was far too young to accept such a cruel truth.
The girl looked at the ash on her shoulder and soon began to tear up. It didn't take long for her to burst into sobs.
Even then, Senior Delphine didn't bat an eye. It got to the point where the Saintess, unable to watch any longer, stepped in to comfort the child.
The opponent was the successor of the Yurdina family; even the Saintess couldn't just rebuke her recklessly. So, she spoke carefully.
"Sister Delphine, the children would like you more if you treated them with a bit more warmth."
"I don't care what orphans think of me, Saintess. Especially if they're so weak they can't even handle that much advice."
It was a shockingly tactless remark. Perhaps because her nerves were frayed from being dragged here by me against her will, Senior Delphine's tone was even more acerbic than usual.
At this point, even the Saintess seemed at a loss. She gave an awkward laugh and then asked me with her eyes:
What is wrong with this woman?
I could only respond with a bitter smile.
Who else could she be? She's a cold-blooded person who doesn't hesitate to gouge the wounds of her own half-sister, and the successor of the Yurdina family who won't hesitate to use cowardly means for victory.
Instead of answering, I took a step forward.
Flinch. Sensing my presence, Senior Delphine's eyes turned toward me. They were brilliant crimson jewels, now filled with fear.
I walked straight up to her side. With every step I took, Senior Delphine's body trembled. When I reached her, she bit her lip and cast her gaze downward.
Her slightly shaking shoulders betrayed her feelings.
It's going to be a problem if she keeps acting like this, I sighed inwardly. It seemed Senior Delphine really wasn't suited for childcare.
As it happened, there were a few tasks left. One was chopping firewood for cooking, and the other was fetching water.
I could handle the firewood myself. I had my hand axe, after all.
That left only one task for Senior Delphine.
"Senior Delphine, if you're that frustrated, would you mind fetching some water from the well?"
"…W-Why should I?"
It was a pathetic bit of resistance. I stared at Senior Delphine without a word. Then, as if making a grand resolution, she squeezed her eyes shut and glared at me.
Or rather, she tried to.
She immediately lost her nerve and looked away.
"…A-Am I your errand girl? I-I won't do such m-menial labor!"
It was a determined stance. She shouted it with a trembling voice, even as she desperately avoided my gaze. I had no choice but to accept it.
I figured I'd have to assign her to something like hunting later. I had recently gone into the forest to look for monkey-like demonic beasts, but with no success. It looked like the search would be prolonged.
In that case, I was thinking it might be better to hunt while searching and at least give the children some meat. I'd have to finalize the details with my comrades, though.
In the end, I let out a deep sigh of resignation. At that, Senior Delphine instinctively flinched and watched my reaction.
"Fine, have it your way."
There was a lot to do, and I didn't need to waste any more time. It was time to go chop wood.
My hand reached for my waist to grab the hand axe.
That was when Senior Delphine let out a scream-like shout.
"…I-I'll do it!"
I turned a puzzled look toward her. Regardless, Senior Delphine seemed to have half-lost her mind. Cowering and shivering, she practically prostrated herself on the spot.
"N-No… I-I'll do it! So p-please… j-just not the m-minced meat… hic, p-please forgive me… uugh…."
She even started sobbing at the end.
I was utterly dumbfounded and looked at the Saintess. However, the Saintess's eyes sparkled with interest, and she nodded as if she finally understood.
The Saintess pressed close to me and stood on her tiptoes. I tried to pull away at first, but when I felt the soft, bouncy pressure against my shoulder, I decided to stay still.
A sweet voice whispered in my ear.
"That's quite useful."
I could only give another bitter smile.
What the hell is this?
If the problem with Senior Delphine was her inability to understand children's emotions, Senior Elsie was the opposite.
The problem was that she fit in too well. Because she gave such great reactions whenever the children teased her, the mischievous ones often crossed the line.
It wouldn't have mattered if she used adult wisdom to quietly admonish them. But Senior Elsie never held back, even against a child.
There were times when her face would turn cold as she made threats.
"Hey, do I look like a joke to you? Do I look like a total scrub just because I'm being nice? Wow. You commoner brats, I've had just about enough…!"
Her youthful appearance played a part in it.
But Senior Elsie was an adult, and the children were subjects to be protected. Furthermore, was she not a high-ranking noble?
Senior Elsie had the power to make her threats a reality, whether through force or influence.
If so, she needed to be more careful with her words and actions. A single word from the powerful carried more weight than ten words from the powerless.
This was an imperial maxim, and a saying every imperial noble was supposed to engrave in their heart.
That was why I stayed behind with Senior Elsie by the wall that night.
It was to have a conversation. Of course, I could have just exempted her from childcare like Senior Delphine, but the children already felt quite close to her.
Separating them wouldn't stop them from seeking her out. I let out a low sigh.
"Senior Elsie… they're just kids."
My tone was practically pleading. There was no need to blindly indulge them just because they were children, but there was also no need to threaten them more than necessary.
Even if they underestimated her, she still held the power. There were many ways to handle it, like proper scolding or using mana to enhance her physical abilities to restrain them.
Yet, Senior Elsie was uniquely obsessed with threats. I didn't understand why.
If it were someone from the Swordsmanship Department whose brain was filled with muscle like me, it would be one thing, but Senior Elsie was a top talent even in the Magic Department. There was no way she couldn't think of that.
However, Senior Elsie just kept her pouty expression.
"But they're being so annoying…!"
"Then just scold them. Why do you need to grab a kid and start swearing at them?"
Senior Elsie seemed to think my words made sense, judging by how she remained silent without a rebuttal for a while.
She gave a small huff. Her sapphire-blue eyes glowed deeper in the darkness.
"…You wouldn't understand anyway."
"Understand what?"
I asked with genuine curiosity. But the only answer I got from Senior Elsie was:
"I said you wouldn't understand!"
She shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Senior Elsie looked resentful and indignant that I wasn't taking her side. She turned her back on me, huffing and puffing.
She's like a child herself, I thought with a hollow smile.
It would be easy to end this by showing her the hand axe. The reason I was trying to talk to her was because it seemed like she had her own reasons.
Her consistent response of using threats was the same at the Academy as it was at the orphanage. If it was her survival strategy, there had to be a basis for that judgment.
Silencing her with the hand axe wouldn't solve the underlying issue. Besides, Senior Elsie and I had grown quite close in the meantime.
When no answer came to mind no matter how much I thought, I scratched the back of my head in frustration and shouted to her.
"Be careful! You never know what might come out at night!"
"…Mind your own business!"
So prickly, I thought, clicking my tongue as I looked away. It was a purely coincidental action.
My eyes suddenly stopped on top of the wall.
Time froze. My breath hitched, and even my heartbeat failed to drum against my eardrums.
Instinctively, I knew. A shadow about two meters tall was standing on the wall.
I couldn't make out its exact appearance. However, its arms were abnormally long, reaching below its knees. I couldn't see its eyes, so they weren't directed at me.
But based on its posture, it was clearly watching someone.
Then who?
My eyes slowly followed the demonic beast's gaze. At the end of it, I saw a large pointed hat and brown hair.
Senior Elsie was a mage. Right now, she didn't even have a shield up.
I kicked off the ground the moment my mind went blank.
I couldn't think of anything else. Only the thought that Senior Elsie might die if I left her like this occupied my head.
Just like back then, when I had to sit helplessly in front of Emma.
My heart raced. Mana surged in branches, encroaching upon the meridian points in my legs. The sudden torrent of mana was so painful it felt like my meridians were tearing. Veins burst, delivering sharp stabs of pain.
The demonic beast was crouching. Just before it pounced, I screamed at Senior Elsie.
"Senior Elsie!"
Senior Elsie scoffed and tried to glance back at me.
That is, if a massive shadow hadn't lunged at her first.
Senior Elsie's eyes flew open. Clearly panicked, her hands quickly formed hand signs to condense mana.
Non-Verbal Chanting—a method of replacing words with hand signs. It was a way to finish a chant at high speed, but the demonic beast was devastatingly fast.
Without a sound, the beast pounced on Senior Elsie. By the time she widened her eyes, its blade-like claws were already inches away from her.
I was too late. Even if I swung my sword or threw my hand axe, I wouldn't make it.
An imaginary trajectory was drawn. A line piercing Senior Elsie's shoulder—the intention to rob her of her will to resist was clear.
And then it would use its mobility to leap over the wall and escape. If that happened, it would be virtually impossible to get her back.
This wasn't the time to weigh the best options. I only had one way left.
I grit my teeth and focused my senses.
My vision mapped out the space. Tangled lines formed cords like tree roots. I pulled on them with all my might.
A strange, grinding sound echoed.
Space distorted. I threw myself into the rift while still in mid-sprint. The time to draw my sword had long since passed.
There was only one thing left: to use my own body as a shield.
Thwack. A claw pierced through my abdomen without resistance.
Was it my side? My sensation was dull. Blood poured out. I can't let it hit my organs, I thought even as my consciousness began to fade.
However, all I could see were the demonic beast's claws glowing with a faint light and Senior Elsie staring at me, frozen in shock.
The demonic beast was just as surprised. I heard the monster gasp. Taking advantage of that moment, I squeezed out my last bit of strength and drew the hand axe from my waist.
My remaining hand grabbed the claw that had pierced my abdomen. The mysterious glow had already vanished. Blood continued to gush out, but I grit my teeth.
Crunch! The hand axe bit into the demonic beast's arm.
Since I was attacking from a disadvantageous position, I couldn't put full power into it. However, the opponent's arm was so long that I managed to hit it somehow. Hot blood splattered, releasing its warmth into the air.
A howl of pain followed, then the sensation of something hurriedly fleeing the scene.
After that, I blacked out for a moment. When I came to, I was lying on my back on the ground, and an unknown chill was seeping into every corner of my body.
It was cold. Through my blurred vision, I saw Senior Elsie.
Her small hands were trembling, and those sapphire-like eyes were already brimming with tears. I couldn't hear a word the sobbing girl was muttering.
I could only infer from her moving lips.
Are you okay?
I gave a faint smile and spoke.
"Go... get the Saintess..."
Because this hurts like hell.
I wanted to add that, but unfortunately, that first sentence was my last.
My consciousness plunged into darkness.