Chapter 226: Back to the Children’s Dwelling
The following morning, I visited the refugee camp with another person. Our purpose, of course, was to teach Chirik spiritual arts. When I told him that our time was limited, he requested to be taught until sunset.
I had promised to fulfill his wishes as much as possible, but he turned out to be more eager than I had expected. Perhaps it was this eagerness that helped him survive in such harsh conditions.
“Are you sure about this? Even if it means staying away from Lady Lieselotte?”
“It’s fine; Miss Hilda is with her, and today they’re not leaving the mansion as the two others are being taught etiquette. I’ve got permission from the young lady herself to come with you.”
The question I had asked was directed at Chris, who had decided to accompany me today. When I was about to leave in the morning, I happened to bump into her in the corridor, where she said that she wanted to come along.
I originally thought that her master, Liselotte, would not give her permission, but she easily gave her consent. As Chris had said, Lieselotte had no plans to leave the mansion today.
As for the task given to us by Robert that involved security at the evening party, we were asked to guard both inside and outside the venue. Specifically, three adults including me and Bolts were to guard the outside, while Lappy and Leo would infiltrate the party with Lieselotte and protect from the inside.
It was surprisingly easy for the two to infiltrate the party. They could simply enter under the guise of being Lieselotte’s servants. However, since they would be inside, they needed to behave well enough not to embarrass Lieselotte. That’s why she decided to drill them in at least the basic manners.
Unlike Hilda and Chris, who frowned when they heard that the evening party they thought would be peaceful required increased security, Liselotte, who heard that she would be able to attend the evening party with her beloved Lappy, happily offered to instruct them both. By now, Leo and Lappy were probably dressed like noble servants and were made to learn the manners and ways of speaking.
Incidentally, the initial plan was to have Bolts attend the night party as well, but he adamantly refused. I had no intention of forcing him to do so, and besides, with Leo, Lappy, and the original guards, Hilda and Chris, there should be enough protection. As long as the four of them were there, no matter what kind of enemy appeared, Lieselotte could be safely escorted outside if necessary. Therefore, Bolts ended up joining us in guarding the exterior.
“But I was surprised. Who would have thought Antares had a child?”
“…I’ve said it multiple times; he is Yaro’s son, not mine.”
Chris teased me with a smile. I had informed her about Chirik, the child we were about to visit. She was dumbfounded at first but then she smirked and started repeatedly using the phrase “my child” changing her wording each time.
Every time she uttered those words, Chris seemed somewhat pleased. Why was that? When in doubt, it’s best to ask. So, I decided to question Chris.
“Why do you look so happy about it?”
“Eh? Well, because… Chirik, was it? The kindness you show him is almost like what you’d show your own child, right? Doesn’t that mean Antares could see his own species as his own children too? I find that kind of sweet.”
“Hmm…”
I pondered over what Chris had said in my own way. Now that I think about it, my desire to do something for Chirik feels like it’s not just out of obligation to Yaro. It seems like something I genuinely want to do.
Whether this is the kind of affection a parent directs towards their child, as Chris suggested, I couldn’t be sure. But I found that I didn’t dislike this feeling.
“Given how much little Lappy and Mr. Leo are fond of you, I think you’d make a surprisingly good father.”
“A father? A mate… No, it has nothing to do with me as I don’t have a wife.”
Chris believed I could be a good father, but sadly, I had no partner. In our group, there were both males and females, but due to being constantly called to battle, the males outnumbered the females. Even with fighting spirit and spiritual power, males, being naturally stronger and more resilient, had a higher survival rate.
As a result, there was an excess of males. Being the former leader of the special operations unit, people were hesitant around me, and others like Decius, who didn’t actively seek a partner, were left over as well. The idea of being a father was pointless since I had no partner.
“Hmm, I see. So, you don’t have a partner.”
“Hey, why do you look so happy about that?”
“No reason? Hehe.”
Upon learning that I had no partner, Chris’s smile grew even wider than before. At first, I thought she was mocking me, but I couldn’t sense any malice from her. She seemed to be genuinely happy.
I knew that for the human species, the union of a couple was something to be celebrated. This was true from my knowledge, and I had also blessed those who had become couples in our unit. That’s why I couldn’t understand why she would be happy about me not having a partner.
Despite my confusion, we walked through the refugee camp. We carried baskets filled with food, yet no one attempted to steal them.
Since we were walking on the same road as yesterday, there was no one who didn’t know about yesterday’s commotion. Some people, upon seeing me, would flee to clear the way, while others gazed at me with envy. Those who nodded in greeting were probably members of the vigilante group.
There were those who harbored clear hostility towards me, but none dared to act upon it. They probably didn’t think they could defeat me. It was worth it for me to show the onlookers how superior I was to Heinz.
However, it was Chris who attracted more attention than me. As usual, she was dressed in easy-to-move clothes, only wearing gauntlets on her arms. But today, she didn’t hide her face under a hood.
Her beauty, whether she was expressionless or not, had a charm that captivated both men and women. Now, her face was lit up with a vibrant smile. Naturally, people were divided into those who were mesmerized and those who were jealous. More than half of those who admired her harbored strong hostility toward me.
In fact, most of the hostility directed at me was because of Chris. This meant there were also those who harbored ill will towards me not because of her. They were likely some evildoers connected to Heinz. I memorized their faces just to be safe.
“Wow… I heard about it, but this wall is truly impressive.”
“Yes. It was built for their safety. It’s only natural they make it as sturdy as possible.”
“Who’s that… oh wow! They’re here!”
“They really came!”
While admiring the fortress walls where the children lived, Chris caught the attention of two kids who appeared atop the wall upon hearing our conversation. They were different from the children we saw yesterday, so perhaps the watch was rotated daily.
As I casually contemplated such things, whether the children knew or not, they quickly scrambled down from their position. Afterward, there was no sign of anyone else appearing. Chris and I exchanged puzzled looks.
“What’s going on here?”
“I’m not sure. We had an arrangement… No choice, then. We’ll have to jump over. Stay alert for any surprise attacks.”
“Surprise attacks? Uh, okay, I’ll be ready.”
Chirik was one thing, but Magna clearly had no intention of welcoming me. He had glared at me until the moment we left yesterday, and I suspected he might resort to something like an ambush today.
However, Chris frowned, seemingly unable to understand the situation. Still, she didn’t ignore my warning and loosened up her shoulders, preparing herself.
“Damn it! Get off me!”
We had just leaped over the wall and landed inside when someone attacked us from behind. It was, of course, Magna just like he did yesterday. He had been waiting with his back against the wall, and as we landed, he sprang out to strike.
I had sensed Magna’s ambush through the vibrations in the wall and realized that Chris was likely to be his target. That’s why I had warned her.
And sure enough, Chris was attacked. In the first place, Chris was an excellent warrior, and because I had warned her beforehand, she effortlessly caught Magna’s club with her prosthetic right arm.
“There actually was a surprise attack…”
“Hmm. You didn’t make a sound today. I’m impressed that you listened to my advice and put it into practice.”
“Shut up! Let go of me, damn woman!”
“Watch your mouth, brat.”
However, Magna remained silent during the surprise attack. It seemed he put into practice what I taught him yesterday. Even if he disliked the advice, he seemed to have the capacity to accept it if he saw a benefit. I raised my opinion of Magna by a notch.
Chris who was ambushed coldly brushed off Magna’s insults while gripping his club. Even though Chris appears to be from a noble family, she once lived in conditions not much better than a refugee camp as a slave. But now she became a first-class warrior, and she was not perturbed by a child’s insults.
“What are you doing, big brother Magna? I’m sorry, teacher. It’s unfortunate you had to witness this after coming here…”
“Don’t worry about it. I’d like to get started on the spiritual arts training, but let me introduce her. This is Chris, a warrior who follows the ‘Goddess of Protection’.”
“I’ve heard about you from Antares. You must be Chirik, right? Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, I’m Chirik. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Chris.”
As I briefly introduced Chris, she greeted Chirik with a bright smile while still holding the club. Chirik couldn’t see her smile since he was blind, but he responded without showing any wariness. It seemed he sensed no hostility from her tone.
However, the reactions of the other children were starkly divided along gender lines. The boys displayed more fear than hostility on their faces. Even though Magna, the biggest among the children, was pulling with all his might, the club gripped by Chris didn’t budge an inch. It’s understandable that they couldn’t help but fear her seemingly unnatural strength, which didn’t match her appearance.
On the other hand, most of the girls looked on with envy. Chris was both beautiful and strong. While there certainly was fear towards a powerful adult, for the girls in the refugee camp, where strength was necessary for survival, Chris overpowering a man even though it was just a child, became an object of admiration.
“Chris, let him go. Also, what will you do while I train Chirik? There’s not much to see or do outside…”
“Hmm, let’s see…”
“Excuse me! Can we become strong like you?!”
Chris was still holding onto the club when Nana gathered her courage to speak to her. Chris looked intently at Nana and then released the club to meet Nana’s gaze. Magna fell to the side, but Chris didn’t care and asked Nana.
“Why do you want to become strong?”
“I want to become strong to protect everyone! I’m like their big sister!”
“I see. In that case, I can help a little. Antares, it looks like I’ve found something to do.”
Chris said this with a smile. It seemed that Chris had found herself a student. Thus, the children’s dwelling became a small open-air classroom.
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