by Fujino Omori
Her eyes are cloudy, almost depressed. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She apologizes when she sees me looking at her.
“Many of the children I’ve raised became adventurers…”
Her eyebrows sink as she smiles sadly.
“A great deal of them joined a familia, went into the Dungeon, and shared their earnings with this church…That is, until they didn’t come back.”
“Oh…”
“I don’t want these little ones to suffer the same fate…That’s all.”
Being an adventurer is a high-risk, high-reward occupation where your life is always on the line.
There’s no better job to have if you want to make money quickly, but at the same time, death is always one wrong step away. And many of the children who were lovingly raised by Mother Maria didn’t listen to her pleas, choosing to help the orphanage by going into the Dungeon. They became just like the adventurers who left their families behind…
I should’ve known. The children might have goaded me into it, but it was careless of me to fill their heads with ideas that glorified the work of an adventurer. Now they probably want to go into the Dungeon more than ever, and history will repeat itself.
What can I say to Mother Maria now? She’s so worried about their futures, and I just…Lai suddenly jumps to his feet.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Mother! I’m going to the Education District!”
The oldest of the children declares this with a beaming smile on his face.
“I’ll study so hard and learn so much and get so strong that I can make lots of money!”
“Well…Of course I won’t stop you from going to the Education District…”
“Money’s not a problem! There’s this thing called a ‘scholarship,’ isn’t there? The Education District is coming back to Orario this year, so everything should work out perfectly!”
“You might be too old to start, Lai…”
The boy grins ear to ear, his brown hair swishing around his head as he excitedly explains his plan. Maria can only force a smile. Fina and the other children start piping up, “I’m going, too!” “And me!” Many hands shoot into the air, following Lai’s lead. The large round table comes alive.
Syr watches them, a burgeoning smile on her lips. I seem to be the only one who’s confused.
“Education District…?”
“Don’t you know?”
“Seriously, Little Rookie? Some adventurer you are!”
Fina and Lai start an avalanche of childish retorts and teasing remarks all aimed at me because I’m clueless. Blushing again, I try my best to laugh it off.
“Hey, have some respect for your elders! And he’s not ‘Little Rookie’! His name is Bell, yes?”
Syr stands up and comes to my defense.
They quiet down right away, but several of the kids, including Lai, have evil grins on their lips even as they say, “Oka—y.”
Well, this is different.
Syr’s being an older sister.
I’ve never heard her raise her voice like that before, and it catches me off guard.
I stare at the side of her face, dumbfounded until…DING! DONG!
Bells start ringing on the eastern side of the city. It’s noon.
“Oh, it’s lunchtime. Well then, let’s eat.”
With that, Syr puts the large basket onto the table. It’s the one that I saw her carrying on the way here.
Flipping open the lid, she takes out one container of food after another. Grilled meat, sandwiches, you name it…There’s a little of everything.
So then, the basket she was carrying was filled with food for these impoverished kids.
I missed my chance to learn more about this “Education District,” but I can just ask Eina next time I see her.
Happy with that conclusion, I look around the room and…all the children are completely silent.
“Ah…huh? What’s wrong?”
“Big Sis’s…lunch box…”
Fina’s close by, so I ask her what the problem is. The expression on her face is so glum it would make a grown man cry. The other kids, too. Even the ever-distant Ruu has his lips clamped shut.
Wait a minute, didn’t they say something about running away from Syr’s lunch when I first walked in…? Huh?
Maria smiles wryly as I take a step back.
“Now everyone, dig in!” says Syr, arms open wide and beaming like a goddess as she faces the table.
After the children recover from the mental trauma of seeing Syr’s cooking placed in front of them, they slowly but surely extend their hands toward the precious food that will delay starvation for another day.
“Ugh, uhhh.”
“Today, again, like last time…”
“Have to eat it…or the food’ll…go to waste…!”
Moans and groans fill the room as the kids force the food down their throats.
Starting with Fina, Ruu, and Lai, every face around the table darkens with the first bite of meat or vegetables. Only their love for Mother Maria and the orphanage they call home gives them the will to clean their plates.
…Sure, Syr’s cooking always has some unique flavors to it, but…
The contrast between her happy smile and the suffering of the kids around the table is astounding. It can’t be that bad, can it? I reach out and take one of the sandwiches to see for myself—Snatch!
Syr takes it right out of my hand.
“These aren’t for you, Bell.”
“Eh? But…”
“I said no.”
“O-okay.”
I’ve never felt so much pressure from a smiling face. Giving up now without a fuss is the best option.
Holding the sandwich in her hands, Syr tells me, “I made these lunches today for the children, so it wouldn’t be fair to them for you to eat one, Bell.” Now I’m just embarrassed. She says she’ll go make some tea and takes the empty basket with her into the back of the kitchen.
“Did you see that? Big Sis was acting so girlie…”
“There’s someone who she wants to compliment her cooking, for sure…”
Whispering voices start flying everywhere with Syr out of the room. A bead of cold sweat runs down my neck as many little eyes focus on me.
“It’s your fault that Syr started making lunches…!”
“She used to bring delicious food from the café every time…!”
“We’re guinea pigs…”
Lai glares at me with tears in his eyes, the same as Fina. Ruu is looking blankly off into space, muttering to himself.
It takes me a while, but I think I understand what’s going on here.
These children are being sacrificed to protect my stomach.
The tragedy unfolding in front of my eyes is all for me, but I’m too scared to say anything.
I chance a glance at Mother Maria…and she looks away.
“No, no, the food is edible, and we are very…grateful…”
All the muscles in my face tense up. I’m at a loss.
“Ughhhh…” Another child’s moan echoes off the wall before fading into the air.
“If you have time, would you play with the children?”
As soon as everyone is finished massaging their stomachs, Maria gives me the invitation.
“They seem to have taken a liking to you, Mr. Cranell…”
She smiles at me again, and I have no reason to refuse. So I smile and accept.
I hunch over as the children grab my arms and pull me out of the room to join Syr and the others out in the main chamber.
“Big Sis, story time, story time!”
“Bell, adventurers and monsters!”
Syr joins the girls in the corner, telling nursery rhymes and singing songs.
The boys corral me into the open space in the middle of the chamber. I’m the “monster” in their game before I know it.
Afternoon sunlight pours into the chamber through the broken windows. The children run around on the grass-sprouting til
e floor, smiling and laughing.
They drag Syr and me all over the place.
“So, um, little Lai…”
“Lai, just Lai. You’re an adventurer, aren’t you? Why the heck do you speak like that? Feels weird. Just call everyone by their name!”
I talk with some of the kids amid the playful chaos and laughter.
The human boy, Lai—“just Lai”—has lived here the longest. He’ll turn eleven this year.
His skin is covered in small cuts, like he plays outside all the time. There’s a bit of a wild air to him, kind of like Welf, in a way. He keeps asking me about the Dungeon even after everything Maria said. I’m sure this boy wants to be an adventurer.
“Hey, Bell, are you Syr’s lover?”
“Nothing like that!”
“Why not? Big Sis Syr’s really cute. Not much of a cook, but, yeah…She’s thinner than she looks. And her boobs are pretty big, too—”
“Don’t say any more, please…!”
The chienthrope, Fina, is a blossoming young lady.
She and Lai are the oldest of the kids, and the leaders. Her long cream-colored hair is surprisingly straight. It looks a lot like mine, if my hair were longer and straighter. With her bright eyes and small nose, she’ll be a beautiful young woman in a few years or so. She was really nervous when we first met, but she’s warmed up to me quite a bit. Warmed up so much that…she’s started to say things that shouldn’t be said.
“Um, Ruu? Are you a boy or…?”
“…Sleepy.”
“I, um, I see…”
The half-elf Ruu is a year younger than Lai, and a strange child.
Thanks to the elvish blood in his veins, the little boy—I think—is probably the handsomest of all the children here. Since Ruu doesn’t say much at all and has short dirty-blond hair, I seriously can’t tell if this kid is a boy or girl. His mind is always somewhere else, and there aren’t any other clues to help me out.
Actually, there are many mixed children at the orphanage, along with humans, animal people, prums, and even a timid Amazon. But every one of them is bubbling over with curiosity and has a ton of energy.
“Big Sis Syr! Let’s play!”
“Aww, I wanna play, too!”
“Sure. Everyone will have a turn, so don’t fight, okay?”
Syr continues her rounds through the main chamber of the church, playing games with all the kids. I overhear her talking with a few and catch a glimpse of her being pulled in a different direction. Not just the girls, the boys want to play with her, too.
Just like before…This is strange.
I know Syr only as a bar waitress, so seeing her laugh like this, playing games with the kids, giving them hugs and whatnot…it feels so different.
The kids absolutely adore her; I can see it in their eyes. I watch her playing with the kids for a little while, entranced until she peers over her shoulder. She must’ve noticed my gaze because she’s giggling at me.
Cute and beautiful at the same time…My cheeks are getting hot again.
“…?”
Children are on both sides of her, laughing and exchanging smiles. But Lai is sneaking up behind her with an evil grin on his face.
She hasn’t noticed him. Lai’s eyes flash as if he’s spotted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attack a defenseless target from behind“Gotcha!” He grabs her skirt and flings it up in the blink of an eye.
“!”
“EEK!”
The ruffled white fabric goes up past her belly button. I see it all happen in slow motion, my eyes open wide.
So…so this is…what Gramps was always talking about! The legendaryThe hell am I thinking?!
I get a full view of panties the same color as her dress. Now my skin is roughly the same color as an apple, my face burning red.
Her cute little squeal fills the chamber as she quickly pushes the fabric back down and turns to face me before freezing in place. Syr looks me right in the eye.
Her cheeks the color of an overripe peach, she storms up to me.
“Did you see?”
“No, not really, well, I…!”
“You saw, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes, but…!”
“You’re horrible, Bell!!”
“How was that my fault?!”
Her eyes filled with fire and the tip of her nose bright red, Syr lets the accusations fly. I blush even more and desperately try to stand my ground.
“A boy…A boy saw my panties…Bell, as punishment, you have to do whatever I say!”
“I—What?!”
“If you don’t…I’ll tell Lyu and the others you peeked up my skirt!”
“That’s not fair!!”
I’ll be dead by morning if she does that! She’s blackmailing me with false charges! I yell back at the red-faced Syr, desperate tears beginning to leak from my eyes.
“…It worked…For the first time ever, I got to flip Big Sis’s skirt…”
“You always catch him…No way. Big Sis, was that on purpose?”
“Skill and technique…”
Lai, Fina, and Ruu have gathered around our argument, their eyes wide as they mumble to one another.
I think that’s fear in their eyes as they look at her. As for me, on the other hand, they seem to be enjoying my embarrassment…I give in, in the end.
My punishment for seeing under Syr’s skirt becomes performing one task—anything she wants me to do.
“Okay, Bell…Take a nap with your head in my lap.”
“?!”
“That girl, the Sword Princess, Aiz Wallenstein, has done that for you before, hasn’t she?”
Why would she want that?
Wait a minute…How does she know that Aiz…?
“As you know, Bell, Loki Familia are regulars at the bar where I work. Their goddess, Loki, seems to like us…and she’s quite the talker when drunk, so imagine my surprise when they started talking about the famous Sword Princess…”
“I’ll do it, okay! You don’t have to say anything else!!”
Sure, it was a while ago, but I remember what was said all too well. My skin flares pink yet again as I yell at the top of my lungs at Syr’s extremely calculated verbal strikes.
I knew she was a witch!
“Good. Now, then…”
She happily crouches down, bends her knees, and sits on the floor.
Every child in the orphanage is watching her, but she doesn’t care. Getting comfortable, she sticks out her knees in my direction.
Skin still bright red, I hesitate for a second. She’s looking at me, enjoying the moment and excited about what comes next—but then a light seems to go on in her head.
She’s thought of something new, but the grin on her lips gives it away. It’s easy to see the gears turning behind those eyes.
“…Bell, has the Sword Princess ever slept in your lap, by any chance…?”
“N-no, she hasn’t.”
Like that would ever happen! I practically choke on the words as they come out.
She locks eyes with me after my answer, and I swear I see a little twinkle.
A few minutes later…
“Wha-ha-ha…”
“…”
It has come to pass: me sitting on the ground, Syr sprawled out on her back, using my thigh as a pillow.
Her cheeks a bright shade of pink, she nuzzles her nose into my leg.
“Um, are we done yet…?”
“No, not yet.”
I can’t stand all these kids staring at us—it’s like they’re waiting for something to happen. My only way out of this shame has her head in my lap. I try to bring an end to the humiliation, but my plea is rejected.
This is a punishment from hell. I serve as Syr’s pillow until my leg goes completely numb.
We play in that church for hours.
Either they run out of energy, or seeing Syr so comfortable with her head in my lap makes the kids drowsy.
The oldest kids, Lai’s group, decide i
t’s time for a nap. They lead the rest of the kids up to one of the rooms on the second floor of the church, yawning all the way.
“How about that, out like a light…”
“Out cold…”
The bedroom on the second floor is just as large as the cafeteria beneath it. The floor is completely covered with blankets.
Building blocks and old picture books are scattered all over the place. It’s a kid’s playroom in every sense of the word. I thought that some of the kids might need a bedtime story to get to sleep, but all of them are off to dreamland at the drop of a hat.
Cuddled up next to one another like a bunch of sardines in a can, the only sound in the room is their soft breathing.
“…”
“Zzhh…” Syr lightly pats Ruu’s head.
She’s only a little bit older than me, but watching her kneel next to the kids and smile affectionately makes her look more like a mother. If I didn’t know it was Syr, I’d say she was a saint or even a goddess.
Her silver hair gently brushes across the nape of her neck.
“Shall I put you down for a nap, too, Bell?”
“I’ll, um, pass.”
I blush just as hard as during the “lap nap” incident downstairs, so I hunch over to try and hide my face as I look away and politely decline. She’s laughing at me again.
“Mr. Cranell, Syr. Both of you must be tired, yes? Leave the children to me and get some rest.”
Maria slowly opens the door and steps inside.
We take her up on the offer. She thanks us again for playing with the kids and sees us off with a short bow. We quietly close the door behind us and leave the room behind.
“Bell, how about a walk?”
Why would I refuse her invitation? I nod my head.
I follow her through the orphanage’s main chamber and out to the small yard behind the church.
“A garden…?”
“Mother Maria and the children are growing their own vegetables.”
There’s a well and a small fenced-in area behind the building. There’s not much sunlight back here, so the plants aren’t very big, but I can tell that they’re well taken care of.
Looking up, I see the back garden is surrounded by layer upon layer of square buildings in an almost random combination. However, there is a patch of blue sky above the labyrinth just overhead.