6. Proof of Existence (7)
The sound of horse hooves diverging adds to the excitement of the trip.
Leaving the city and entering the road, unfamiliar scenery and passers-by greeted the carriage. Unlike the Empire, the guards wore gray uniforms and had crosses carved on their chests.
To be honest, it was my first time visiting a foreign country.
Not too long ago, I was just the second son of a country viscount. There was no reason to visit a foreign country, and since I was in the middle of my training, I didn’t have the time to do so. After entering the academy, I had to struggle to keep up with the busy school system.
The fact that I had no desire to go abroad in the meantime also played a role. It was because I thought that the city would be the same wherever I went anyway.
But when I arrived at the Holy Land, I understood.
Why do they tell me to travel if I want to broaden my horizons?
Starting from the architectural style, the language and customs used were different. It was a fact that I already knew in terms of knowledge, but standing in the middle of it, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
Yoo Ren, who was driving the horse sitting next to me in the coachman’s seat of the carriage, asked.
“Ian, can you speak Seongguk?”
“You mean Ciendel? It’s my main foreign language major, though.”
Yuren let out a sigh of relief. It was the hometown he returned to after a long absence, but his expression was always disapproving.
It seemed that he didn’t like the sudden departure to Seongguk.
Hagiya, it was after he had already spent a lot of training time with me. Since he had to do volunteer work at an orphanage again, he couldn’t be comfortable.
After all, Yuren liked swords.
“It’s fortunate. The children in the orphanage cannot understand the imperial language at all.”
“Why are children learning the imperial language?”
“Why not? How useful would it be to learn… At least I won’t starve to death in the city. So I deliberately invited even the teacher.”
Yuren clicked his tongue while saying tsk. There seemed to be no significant results compared to the investment.
“Anyway, my sister’s temper is too hot-tempered, so that’s a problem. What if I notify you of the schedule a week in advance?”
I had to put on an awkward smile at Yuren’s grunt.
First of all, I was a human being who could not be free from that responsibility. Strictly speaking, it was the fault of ‘me’ who came from the future, but I also had moral responsibility.
The future ‘me’ acts to help me. It was an incident that happened then, so I couldn’t help but feel remorse.
No, are you trying to help me?
That was around the time I was deep in thought.
“If you feel uncomfortable or have any questions, just let me know. Since you’re a guest, I’ll treat you.”
It was a somewhat dissatisfied tone, but it was a word that felt consideration for me.
I smiled bitterly at those words.
“It’s enough to sit next to the driver’s seat.”
Then, the sound of laughter erupted.
Of course, the epicenter was Yuren. He was wearing an awkward smile.
“You are suffering too.”
It was a word with many emotions.
Without speaking, I turned my gaze and looked around. After summer, wild flowers bloomed in the meadow in autumn. It is such a peaceful landscape.
My eyes glanced back and forth.
Only dark silence leaked from the place where several people were riding. I couldn’t stand the atmosphere and ran away.
The defeat was that the party had grown beyond imagination.
First of all, Leah was fine. It was because the saintess could somehow understand the logic of wanting to introduce her family. But after that it was a problem.
Suddenly, Celine began to express her intention to join the Seongguk trip.
Of course, the saintess revealed her euphemistic refusal, but the sophistry Celine brought was spectacle.
“I’m no different from brother Ian’s family, aren’t I?”
What nonsense, I wanted to say, but at the time, Celine was shoulder to shoulder with me. In other words, it meant that if you put strength in your arms, you can apply any amount of pressure on me.
If you wanted to shake it off, you could shake it off.
However, I remembered a conversation with Leto that happened a while ago. It wasn’t long ago that I decided to reflect on that scathing remark that I hadn’t been paying too much attention to Celine lately.
Also, Celine’s excuses bothered me.
‘Family’ is, of course, the word I’ve been paying attention to the most lately.
In the end, Celine joined the Seongguk with my tacit consent, and from this point on, the saintess’ mood began to deteriorate. And the decisive moment that lowered the saintess’ mood was the appearance of senior Elsie.
Senior Elsie said it was a ‘coincidence’, but it could never have been a coincidence.
In addition, even the appearance of Mr. Reynolds, which even senior Elsie did not expect.
I could still vividly see the scene when Mr. Reynolds called me ‘nephew-in-law’. Not only the saintess, but Lia and Celine also had painful memories of their faces growing cold.
Even that Mr. Reynolds was brazenly now riding in the back of the carriage.
Uh, he joined in the gap, so there was no time to stop him.
I murmured as I tried to calm the throbbing headache.
“Why the hell did you come, Mr. Reynolds… … .”
“I have already given up understanding. If you find out, please let me know.”
Even Yuren, an outlier among outliers, said that. Even for me, it was difficult to understand why Mr. Reynolds acted the way he did.
Eventually, I shook my head in frustration.
“Why are human relationships so difficult? In battle, you only need to wield an ax well.”
“You solve human relationships that way too.”
I sent an annoyed look at Yuren. Of course, Yuren didn’t even care.
“At least you are better off. There are more people around you who are kind to you.”
“Is this your story?”
“No, my sister’s story. There are many enemies in the Holy Land.”
Hmm, I swallowed my saliva.
Come to think of it, just before Leoric died, he talked about the ‘Patriarch of Eindel’. I think the saintess mentioned it in passing before.
I picked out the questions to get more detailed information.
“Patriarch Eindel?”
At those words, Yuren’s eyes glanced at me. There was a light of surprise in those eyes.
“Yes, that person is one of them. My sister insists on broader application of doctrinal interpretation, but Patriarch Aindel is just the opposite.”
“He’s a tight man.”
“Originally it wasn’t like that.”
I was about to say something, but I stopped. Yuren just continued on with his words.
“It happened after I lost my son.”
“How did you die?”
“Doctrine Trial.”
In the silence, only the clatter of horses’ hooves resounds. It was soon to the orphanage.
“The son of Patriarch Eindel coveted forbidden knowledge. That’s why he died.”
I couldn’t help but ask for details. So the road led to the orphanage.
To a place where new cases await.
**
“Welcome, Lady. And Ian, the hero of mankind, and his close friends.”
Upon arriving at the orphanage, we were greeted by an elderly nun. It was as if the years devoted to the weak could be seen in those tiny wrinkles.
I looked around the orphanage with a new feeling, even though I was embarrassed by the undeserved title of ‘humanity’s hero’.
It couldn’t even compare to Guilford Orphanage.
The facilities were great, and some of the buildings were new. There seemed to be quite a number of children watching as if they were surrounding us, but none of them were hungry or naked.
It was indeed an orphanage that produced saints.
The saintess and Yuren must have been paying attention, either knowingly or not, but it was evident that the saintess was paying more attention than that. Of course, since the prestige of the Heavenly Church depends on it.
Lia and Celine seemed to be taken aback by the clean facilities beyond their imagination.
“Sister, if you do well, will it be better than my room?”
“Yeah, your room is made up of things Ian oppa gave me… What?!”
Celine couldn’t even properly talk about her feelings because Lia pinched her side.
On the other hand, the saintess had a calm expression.
It was a place where childhood memories were piled up, but there was no reaction that the feeling was new. I calmly looked around and asked the head nun.
“Sister abbess has changed. Also, the facilities have changed a lot.”
“Yes, it is now directly run by Seongguk. A lot has changed since then.”
The saintess nodded several times as if it was worth it. And soon we exchanged commonplace regards.
“Are there any problems with the orphanage? Is there something missing… … .”
“Aww, it can’t be. Isn’t that where the saintess used to live? The care of the celestials is indescribably full.”
It was a greeting that seemed to have been put on a plate.
The saintess didn’t seem to want to continue this conversation any longer. We could talk about something more practical than this.
It was then that I suddenly intervened.
“Are you really not there?”
It was an urgent question.
Because the voice was a little high, the eyes of the audience were focused on me at once. Of course, this was also true of the abbot nun.
The bewildered old woman’s eyes turned to me.
“Perhaps the children are disappearing recently… … .”
“Oh, what nonsense.”
The abbess nun was bewildered, but answered with conviction. There was not an inch of lies in his unwavering voice.
“This is an orphanage managed by the Holy Kingdom. Of course, such a terrible thing could not happen. Even if it had happened, the report would have gone up and the Paladins would have been dispatched.”
It was a clear explanation. It was a neat explanation that could have been passed as it is, but I raised my voice again.
“If not, anything else is fine. Something strange has happened recently… … !”
“Ian!”
In the end, it was the saintess who stopped me, not the abbess nun.
Her face was already flushed red. He looked very angry at my rudeness.
“What an excuse! This is an orphanage managed by Seongguk. Are you saying that you don’t believe in the authority of the Holy Kingdom?”
“No, what… … .”
I intentionally blurted out the end of my words and avoided my gaze. Then, it was the head nun who was taken aback.
“Okay, it’s okay. saintess. I heard that Ian has been fighting the Dark Cult for the past few months. The movement may have been exposed in advance, so I understand your anxiety.”
When the head nun actively advocated for me, the saintess’ spirit softened.
No, in fact, he may have been hoping for this.
Because this was the only way for the saintess and I to not lose face even if we were being rude.
The saintess muttered in a voice full of regret.
“but… … ”
“Again, it’s okay. whooping… Rather, I will tell you with confidence. The fact that such an unfortunate event will not happen at our orphanage!”
Instead of meeting the stare of the saintess who was glaring at me, I looked away.
I just had to do this. The abbess nun seemed very confident, and it was enough to inquire why afterward.
The effect I was expecting was different.
While the saintess and the head nun entered the orphanage and had a friendly conversation, I felt a strange gaze and turned my head.
There were children all around. I must have been surprised by the unexpected commotion and ran.
Among them, there was one boy staring at me intently, and one girl next to him with a worried look.
I slightly raised the corners of my mouth.
done. After all, children have always been able to sense parts that adults can’t.
After imprinting the images of the two on my retinas, I tried to follow them to the orphanage. Then my eyes landed on the sign installed at the entrance.
The names of those who contributed to the establishment of the orphanage were written there. Judging from the recent date of establishment, it seems that the orphanage was reconstructed after it came under the management of the Seongguk.
As I read through the list, my eyes suddenly stopped.
‘Patriarch Aindel’.
Hmm, swallowing my saliva, I took another step.
No matter how you look at it, it was an award. this orphanage.
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Just before entering the orphanage in earnest, I suddenly felt a force pulling on my collar.
I looked back in surprise, and there was a cone-shaped hat sitting there.
No, underneath it was a girl with a nervous look on her face.
“Now, wait a minute… Master, would you like to talk just the two of us?”
It was Elsie senior.