“I’m not escaping yet.”
“Why…?”
“I don’t have any money.”
If I tried to escape in my current state, I’d probably starve to death before anything else killed me.
“…Do you want to live?”
The sudden question made me stare at Arden.
Through the platinum-blond hair covering his eyes, I could see a pair of dull red irises.
Their color was murky, lifeless—like the eyes of a dead fish—but beneath them lurked a deep fear of death.
“Of course I want to live. Isn’t that why you’re trying to escape too?”
“I just… don’t want to get beaten anymore.”
“Wait. Beaten? By who?”
“…Over there.”
In response to my question, Arden only pointed in a direction instead of answering.
Still, thanks to him, it wasn’t difficult to find our way out of the forest and down toward the village.
“You knew all along. So why didn’t you escape?”
“That’s…”
Unable to finish his sentence, Arden stared at the village with obvious terror.
As though something horrifying was waiting there.
But no matter how carefully I looked, the village was simply dark beneath the setting sun.
Puzzled, I took a few steps closer.
Arden’s breathing suddenly grew ragged.
Then he collapsed to the ground.
“Arden?”
Startled, I cautiously reached out to him.
Smack!
The moment my hand approached, he violently slapped it away.
“Ah…”
The sharp sound seemed to shock him as much as it did me.
His eyes widened, and his whole body began trembling.
Rubbing the stinging back of my hand, I sat down in front of him.
“It doesn’t hurt. I’m fine.”
It looked like I’d have to stay beside him until he calmed down.
Relaxing my posture, I surveyed the area again.
I can’t see the temple from here. Do I need to go farther into the village?
But every time I leaned even slightly toward the village, Arden flinched.
...Is there something inside that village?
It seemed he was terrified of stepping foot into the eerily silent settlement where not a single person passed by.
So that’s why he never escaped.
Because he simply couldn’t bring himself to enter that village.
And the village was the only route out of the orphanage.
I should head back today.
Finding the road to the village is enough for now.
Next time, I’ll have to come alone.
...I guess I have to.
No matter how pitiful Arden was, there wasn’t much I could do for him.
I needed to return to my own world as soon as possible.
“Arden, let’s go.”
I wiped away the tears that had somehow gathered on his cheeks.
Arden grabbed my hand tightly and asked in a trembling voice,
“…You’re going to leave me behind, aren’t you?”
“I’m taking you back for now.”
I pulled him gently to his feet.
His hands were already covered in blood from scratching and tearing at them.
“If you’re anxious, why not just curse instead? Stop hurting yourself.”
“……”
“At least don’t curse people with your eyes.”
I quietly covered his eyes with my hand.
Then I tugged him along, heading not toward the dormitory but toward the infirmary.
“Are you going to steal something?”
“Do I look like a master thief to you?”
“Not at all.”
...Wow.
So he could talk when he wanted to.
He was surprisingly talented at leaving people speechless.
Fortunately, the infirmary door was unlocked.
Since I’d spent plenty of time there thanks to being constantly injured, finding ointment and bandages wasn’t difficult.
“What’s that for?”
Arden looked genuinely confused.
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
Normally people would realize I’m treating their injuries.
Judging from his reaction, it seemed no one had ever cared for him when he got hurt.
“Your hands are torn up. They’ll scar.”
“Scars… It doesn’t matter. I’m ugly anyway.”
His voice was calm.
Far too calm.
As though he’d repeated those words to himself countless times before.
Carefully applying the ointment, I replied,
“What’s ugly about you? You’re handsome.”
“Are you flirting with me?”
“...You know the word ‘flirting’? Smart kid.”
“I just know it. That person said it every day.”
“To you?”
“No. To another woman.”
After that, Arden clamped his mouth shut.
He clearly had a complicated story behind him, but I didn’t pry.
Once I’d finished applying ointment and bandages, I grabbed his hand and helped him stand.
“Don’t hurt yourself anymore. The wounds other people give you are already hard enough to bear. If you hurt yourself too, it’ll become unbearable.”
“……”
Arden stared at me strangely.
Instead of answering, he lowered his head and squeezed my hand tightly.
The director was in an exceptionally good mood today.
A baronial family had contacted her, offering a huge sum of money to purchase a child.
And so, that day, Baron and Baroness Phillips arrived at Sunflower Orphanage.
“You said there are currently four children in Class 3?”
“Yes, Your Lordship.”
Visitors coming to inspect children were common enough that the students merely glanced over before returning to their own activities.
The director and the Phillips couple stopped in front of Class 3’s classroom.
Through the window, they could see Lopez, Arden, and the twins sitting inside.
The baron silently observed the four children before stroking his bearded chin.
“That girl is definitely in Class 3 as well?”
“Oh, certainly. Though that child is rather expensive.”
The director quickly spoke up, having noticed his interest in Lopez.
“She used to belong to Class 1, after all. She’s capable of far more than the others.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie.
Lopez was exceptionally intelligent.
Even if she had completely bombed the latest exam.
“For a lowborn orphan, she’s quite pretty. When she grows up, she’ll become quite the beauty.”
“Could we speak with her?”
“Of course. Lopez—”
“Director.”
At that moment, Megan suddenly appeared, seemingly intent on interrupting.
The director’s eyebrow twitched.
She gestured toward Carrington behind her.
Carrington immediately grabbed Megan’s arm.
“Let’s speak elsewhere for a moment, Miss Megan.”
“Wait—!”
When Megan resisted, Carrington lowered his voice.
“Provoking the director right now won’t help the children.”
“……”
Megan glared at him fiercely.
Carrington ignored her and forcibly dragged her away.
Watching Megan continue glaring until she disappeared, Director Watson clicked her tongue internally.
I should get rid of her.
Perhaps it was time to bring Anna back.
Megan’s habit of pretending to be righteous only interfered with Watson’s business.
I tolerated her because the children adored her.
And now she thinks she can climb over my head?
If she was going to interfere with Watson’s work, there was no reason to keep her around.
Suppressing her irritation, Watson opened the classroom door and beckoned.
“Lopez, come here.”
Lopez, who had been dozing off, stepped outside.
“Hello. So you’re Lopez.”
Baroness Phillips greeted her with a pleasant smile.
But despite her gentle tone, greed practically dripped from her face.
The moment Lopez saw it, her eyes turned cold.
Well, look at that.
The baroness lightly patted Lopez’s cheek and chuckled.
“She seems like she needs more training. Such fierce eyes.”
“Leave her to us. We can make her perfectly obedient.”
As they openly evaluated Lopez right in front of her, Klein, Chester, and Medina happened to witness the scene.
Seeing Lopez silently endure it as though she’d already given up, Klein and Chester immediately frowned.
“Why do all the adults who come looking at Class 3 act like that?”
“You shouldn’t judge people by appearances.”
Medina gently scolded him.
Klein fell silent, though his displeasure remained obvious.
“It’s rare for a child like this to come from Class 3.”
“Being too intelligent can be troublesome.”
“No matter how smart she is, she’s still just an orphan. There’s a limit to that kind of intelligence.”
The director’s blatant insults made Chester and Klein’s tempers flare.
Without thinking, both started forward.
Then, just before they could move—
Their eyes met Lopez’s.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Then she quickly shook her head and gestured.
Keep walking.
But neither boy moved.
Both looked ready to charge in.
Lopez immediately turned her gaze toward Medina.
Please. Get them away from here.
After hesitating, Medina finally grabbed both boys.
“...Let’s go back to class first.”
There was nothing they could do here.
At that moment, Baron Phillips began turning his head.
Lopez quickly shouted, desperately trying to stop his gaze from landing elsewhere.
“That’s right! I’m stupid!”
Her voice rang loudly through the corridor.
Director Watson’s expression instantly darkened.
“Lopez, be quiet.”
“Are you trying to adopt me?”
Lopez desperately tried to keep Baron Phillips’ attention focused on herself.
But the baron finally completed his turn.
“...!”
Baron Phillips’ eyes met Medina’s.
For a moment, he froze.
Then his eyes lit up.
As though he had just discovered something truly valuable.
