【Chapter 29】
However, the guy’s reaction was only indifferent.
“Minuelle.”
“Yeah, Ramande?”
“Why are you smiling ominously again?”
“Hey! What part of this beautiful face looks ominous? Wipe your eyes and take a good look.”
I swept my flowing hair to one side, smiled brightly, and blinked my eyes wide.
That was Ramande’s reaction.
It was as if a groaning sound was flowing out between his dry hands as he rubbed his face.
“Flendena, why do you bring me such trials…?”
“Hey, Ramande Flendena!”
Even though I made a noise, Ramande didn’t lift his face.
His slightly pointed ears, nestled amidst his navy blue hair like the night sky, seemed particularly mischievous today, making him look unusually sly.
“Oh! You always say Flendena’s children are all beautiful!”
“Yeah, that’s true….”
“Well, true, but so what.”
Finally revealing his face, Ramande cleared his throat and turned his gaze toward the window before speaking. His tone suddenly became noticeably calm and composed.
“Beauty is beauty, and ominous is ominous.”
No, you’re accusing me of being ominous without even knowing what I was thinking!
Once again, there was a growl ready to burst out. Word had arrived that the orphanage had arrived outside.
As the carriage entered the narrow garden, the children were hanging onto the windows one by one, fascinated and watching. Those children would have gathered together every evening to make bracelets.
‘Since it wouldn’t be possible to buy thread in a place like this, they must have obtained discarded thread from the boutique.’
However, upon closer observation, I noticed that the children’s eyes harbored not only curiosity but also fear.
“The flashy carriage advertising itself as noble, it was just the same. Well, it would be better to pay the fare quickly and leave.”
“Huh?”
“No, I think it would be better to pay the fare and leave quickly.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
As expected, Ramond quickly understood what I was saying and called over the child who had been waiting for the coachman.
“Can you tell me where the director’s office is?”
“It’s inside, the first room on the right from the entrance.”
“Thank you. May Flendena’s blessing be with you.”
The child’s cheeks brightened with a blush as Ramande smiled. It was as if the coachman had given the child a candy, and their chubby cheek puffed out adorable, making me involuntarily burst into laughter.
“Thank you for guiding me. Stay healthy in the future as well.”
After giving the child’s head a gentle pat, I entered inside with Ramande. The building wasn’t particularly spacious and appeared to be an old structure, but there were no spiderwebs, and it exuded an atmosphere of careful maintenance and care.
“The first room on the right from the entrance… Easy to find.”
Whether from outside or from the upper floors, it was a position from which I could quickly rush to look after the children in case something happened.
Even if I hadn’t asked the girl, upon entering, I would have been able to tell the position. Not only because it was immediately visible, but also because of the loud, booming sound coming from the firmly closed door of the director’s office, as if it was shouting out.
“Director! What are you talking about?”
“I’m truly sorry, Palos. I’ve looked into it extensively, but I simply can’t find a way to compromise…”
“You promised! You said that as long as I pass the exam, everything would work out somehow!”
“I thought the same, but… I’m sorry. I can’t say anything else.”
“It’s all unnecessary. I will never believe the words of the director anymore!”
Bang!
The door of the director’s office swung open forcefully. Then, a boy dashed out like a bullet, without even glancing in our direction, and ran off to the other side.
The old door remained open, emitting a creaking sound and trembling without closing shut.
‘It’s not okay…..’
If it were a familiar sight, I would have looked with a sense of regret as the boy disappeared. However, led by Ramande, I entered the director’s office.
“Wh-who is it?”
The director, who had been sitting slumped as if drained of energy, suddenly stood up from his seat. Despite looking thin to the point where one might think he hadn’t eaten due to taking care of the children, the eyes visible behind his glasses were quite clear.
“I’m here to pay for the bracelet I bought.”
Upon receiving my gaze, the knight extended two silver coins. The director accepted them carefully.
“Thank you very much. You brought it here because you were worried about the child.”
“Well, since I didn’t have any particular plans. But… “
As I was surveying the room, my gaze landed on a crumpled piece of paper lying on the floor. Quick to notice it, Ramande picked it up, skillfully unfolded it, and handed it to me.
“Enrollment application for a magic school? Did that child pass the entrance exam?”
“Yes. I thought that if he accepted, we would receive sponsorship, but…”
The boy’s name is Palos.
He helped the Director and went out to the market together, and by chance, caught the eye of a passing magician who mentioned that he had talent.
“We gathered whatever money we could, whether it was enough or not, and barely managed to afford the entrance exam.”
However, despite Palos passing the exam easily, the principal mentioned that they couldn’t find any sponsors for him.
“I feel sorry for Palos, as I don’t have many connections. It’s truly regrettable.”
“I see.”
I looked down at the crumpled application form. Seeing the name ‘Palos’ written firmly with smudged water droplet marks at the top, I impulsively said,
“This must be the will of Flendna as well. I will take this application form with me.”
“Excuse me?”
“It means I will put my name as a sponsor.”
I smiled at the director, who couldn’t find anything to say and turned around.
“Please tell me your name.”
“Good. Let Palos know not to worry about anything else and to learn and master as much as desired. I will arrange for the necessary support and assistance.”
As I left the orphanage, I pondered.
‘Wow, I was pretty cool just now.’
However, my moment of pride was short-lived. As soon as I got on the carriage, Ramande, who had been silently observing until then, started lecturing me nonstop.
“You can say that buying a whole basket of bracelets was a bit excessive, and I understand why you wanted to bring them safely. But why did you bring the magic school application form?”
“It would be a waste otherwise. If Palos passed the entrance exam, it means he has a talent… and it seemed like he really wanted it too.”
Above all, it reminded me of my past life. I did get accepted into a university in Seoul, but I didn’t receive any scholarships, and my grades were not outstanding. I couldn’t afford to live on my own.
Even our headmaster apologized to me.
However, Ramande did not know about my past, and he touched his forehead.
“Minuelle…. Is it your hobby to help people in need? Didn’t I tell you not to be so kind to just anyone?”
“Well, I’m not just anyone…”
Really?
“If it’s someone I don’t know, then anyone would do. Even when we first met, it was the same. If I had harmed you back then, what would have happened?”
“No, are you still bringing up the past like that?”
Ramande had a rougher life than Palos. Being from the back alleys of Sumander, he had a tough upbringing.
After attempting to pickpocket someone and failing, he was beaten up and left abandoned. It was then that his divine powers were discovered, and he was taken in and found himself sitting in the temple.
“Well, it turned out well, didn’t it? Ramande, you didn’t harm me; instead, you became my closest friend. A happy ending, right?”
“A happy ending is not always guaranteed, Minuelle.”
You seem like someone who worries a lot.
I tried to reassure Ramande by giving him a stern look and patting his shoulder.
“I know, but I don’t do this every day. Sometimes you have the money to do this kind of whim, right? Let’s say you sponsored it instead of not shopping at the jewelry store earlier.”
Even I, no matter who I am, cannot help every person. Even the king cannot alleviate all poverty. I was just briefly, very briefly reminded of my past self and acted out of whim.
“Originally, it was said that spending money generously when feeling down… No, not money, but spending it lavishly would be helpful. Right? Right?”
Smile!
With a wide grin on my face, relaxing the muscles of my entire face, I smiled brightly with all the energy I could muster.
My face is shining! This is about 450 lumens!
“Minuelle, you….”
“Huh?”
Is it not enough? Then I’ll go for 1,000 lumens!
Smile!
“……”
With a heavy sigh, Ramande released the stiff expression on his face, even accompanying it with a chuckle.
“Ugh, how could I ever win against you?”
Having achieved my goal, I lounged back against the cushion and grumbled discontentedly.
“Cheh. You didn’t have to lecture me if you were going to do that.”
“Minuelle Karinen. You really!”
“Oh my, I misspoke!”
It was when I finally managed to calm Ramande down and dropped off in front of the magic school.
‘What?’
A plain carriage without particular decorations was slowly passing by on the other side. It was just a simple carriage that common people gather around, so I was about to casually avert my gaze when I was momentarily captivated by a fleeting red light.
‘…..Lafesch?’
I could see Lafesch’s slight frown of eyebrows due to the sunlight. Soon after, a man’s hand reached out from the opposite side where she was.
‘….!’
Just before closing the curtain, my eyes met with the man’s eyes. It was a brief moment, lasting only a few seconds, but it was unmistakable.
‘Esadien.’
He frowned upon seeing Ramande and me. Even though we were at a distance, his expression was clearly imprinted in my mind.
Unconsciously, I staggered for a moment. Ramande firmly held onto me and asked,
“Minuelle, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing. The sunlight was reflecting off the window of the passing carriage… Yeah, that’s why. I must have misstepped for a moment.”
“Your ankle? Is it not sprained or anything?”
Ramande took on a posture as if he wanted me to extend my ankle immediately.
“No, I’m fine. Let’s go quickly!”
As I walked ahead and entered the school, the scene from earlier was slowly replaying in my mind.
‘Two of us. Riding a carriage without a sentence.’
Once again, a strange feeling washed over me.
A sensation of something sinking like a lump into the depths of my heart.
It was a feeling that could never be described as pleasant.
💧
It was like adding insult to injury, so to speak. With my luck, even if I fell backward, my nose would break. What made me uncomfortable wasn’t just that incident.
“I can’t do it.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not possible. The person in question must come in person.”
The receptionist at the magic school was surprisingly strict.
I looked around, but there was no one else in the line beside us, so there was no way to confirm if what he said was true.
“And what is this? Seriously, what do they think of our magic school?”
He tapped on the crumpled application form with his finger and pushed it toward us.
“Since it’s not possible, please come back with the person in question.”
“One thing I want to ask. Do even nobles come in person to register? It’s unlikely. Palos may be a commoner, but I, the sponsor, is a noble.”
“Then please fill out the sponsorship documents.”
His attitude was confident, indicating that he would accept the documents for now. However, his smug smile persisted as he continued to mutter under his breath.
“Do you know that impersonating a noble is a serious crime?”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the absurdity.
“I should have dressed in priest robes.”
With a displeased expression, Ramande whispered to me. I nodded to assure him that I was fine and moved to a table away from the counter.
💧
Thank you for reading!
