Chapter 111
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 111
It was a child's voice that pulled my scattered mind back into focus.
"By the way, who are the older sister and brother next to you?"
"My friends. They wanted to meet you, so I brought them along. Say hello."
At the Imperial Princess's introduction, the children's eyes all turned toward Lahedis and me in unison.
'Oh no, those sparkling eyes!'
The weight of responsibility not to disappoint those eyes radiating such tremendous energy pressed heavily against my chest.
After hesitating for a moment under the children's momentum, I greeted them using the child-friendly charm I had cultivated while running the Bakery.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Vivian. I'm twenty-one years old, and...."
"Wow, a real adult! Hilde said she was eighteen. You're even more grown-up than Hilde!"
Before I could finish speaking, a boy suddenly interjected and chattered away.
At the boy's words, silence fell between Lahedis, me, and the Imperial Princess.
'If I remember correctly, the Imperial Princess should be the same age as me...?'
As I glanced at the Imperial Princess with a suspicious gaze, she quietly averted my eyes and changed the subject.
"Now then, let's hear this older brother's introduction as well."
Even Lahedis, who was usually composed about everything, seemed to find dealing with children burdensome, as I felt him hesitate for a moment.
But soon he regained his usual composure and opened his mouth.
"I'm Lahedis, and my age is...."
Lahedis started his introduction but suddenly glanced at me.
The meaning of that gaze became clear in the words that followed with a slight smile.
"Twenty years old."
...What?
"So this older sister is the most grown-up?"
"But she's the shortest?"
"Maybe she didn't sleep at night."
The children whispered while looking at me—though I could hear every word—and their eyes held a hint of pity.
'But Lahedis is twenty-two!'
Thanks to those two liars, I had suddenly become "the poor older sister who is the oldest in age but the shortest in height"....
Feeling wronged, I looked back at the Imperial Princess and Lahedis, but both of them avoided my gaze and pretended not to notice.
The children, unable to pick up on the adults' subtle signals, moved on to the next topic.
"But why did you come to meet us?"
"Is it true that one of you has a sick heart?"
"Yeah, Roen and William are sick."
All the children seemed to know about their sick friend and turned to look at the two children in unison.
Given the nature of the illness where pain strikes sporadically, the children appeared cheerful, but....
'Those kids probably hide their pain sometimes too.'
Just like the me from my previous life, who feared being abandoned even at the Orphanage if I became a sick child.
Understanding their hearts better than anyone, I grasped both children's hands tightly and whispered as if sharing a secret.
"This is a secret, but actually, I had the same illness as you when I was young."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But I've recovered completely since then, and look at me now—I'm all grown up."
"Ooh."
"So you'll all get healthy and grow up too, just like me."
Of course, I was fortunate enough to become a Spirit Summoner, which is why my illness improved, but I still wanted to encourage the children.
'The Imperial Princess and I will definitely create a cure.'
I hoped my story would become the hope that kept these children going until that day came.
* * *
The children, who had watched me with curious eyes from our first meeting, completely opened their hearts in less than an hour.
And after that....
"Big brother, are you good at fighting? Have you ever played war games?"
"Can you do a handstand? I'm really good at it!"
...An onslaught of questions followed.
Half my soul drained from answering the children, I suddenly noticed something.
'Huh?'
Behind the children, beneath a tree, there was a girl watching us.
When the girl, who looked about eight or nine years old, met my gaze, she quickly hid behind the tree.
The moment I looked away from the child I'd been tying hair for, another child quickly explained, noticing the shift in my attention.
"That's Melody."
"Melody? Is that her name?"
"Yeah. But she doesn't play with us."
"Why?"
"Because Melody is a monster."
The word came out so naturally, as if the child didn't even realize what was wrong with calling a friend a monster. It was cruel.
I was taken aback by such pure malice when the Imperial Princess suddenly interjected.
"Karen, didn't your teacher and I tell you not to talk about your friends that way?"
"But the ladies in the Village said Melody is a monster, so we can't play with her...."
"Ugh, these people teaching kids nonsense! It's all lies, Karen. Don't listen to them!"
After scolding the child, the Imperial Princess sent her back to her friends and then explained to me.
"That girl is a half-demon. She's very wary, so she just runs away whenever anyone approaches her. I think she does that because she knows people avoid her."
"How did you find out she's a half-demon? From what I heard earlier, the Village people seem to know about her too."
Demons and humans have no visible differences in appearance.
They have similar features, the same red blood flows through them, and the same single heart beats within them.
The only ways to distinguish demons from humans are through blood tests and when someone manifests as a Dark Spirit Summoner.
During the war, blood tests were frequently conducted to persecute half-breeds, but now they were rarely done.
'That's probably why Vivian in the original story didn't know she was a half-demon either.'
I was puzzled about how the child's identity as a half-breed had been exposed when I caught sight of her palm and found the answer.
"...A Dark Spirit?"
On the child's palm was a Dark Spirit that bore a striking resemblance to Blackie.
"Right. Her identity was revealed when she summoned the Dark Spirit."
Melody, crouched beneath the tree, was saying something to her Dark Spirit.
I had never experienced it myself, having fought against prejudice my entire life, yet it was a loneliness I could understand.
As I gazed at the child, I soon steeled my resolve and rose from my seat.
"Vivian?"
Then, smiling at the Imperial Princess as she looked up at me with confusion, I spoke.
"I think I might be able to become friends with that child."
* * *
"Meow!"
Melody, who had been sharing a silent communion with the Dark Spirit, froze upon seeing what suddenly appeared before her.
Another Dark Spirit was greeting her.
Melody, who had never seen another's spirit besides her own, could only blink in bewilderment at that moment.
"Hello, Melody."
A woman with fresh pink hair like a flower peeked out from behind a tree and greeted her abruptly.
She was the unfamiliar guest who had been playing with the other children just moments before.
Startled by contact with this stranger, Melody hastily rose to flee.
But the Dark Spirit before her bounced lightly and perched upon Vivian's head.
Recognizing that Vivian was a Dark Spirit summoner like herself, the child chose curiosity over escape.
Vivian stepped forward half a pace and spoke gently.
"You're a special child too, aren't you?"
Instead of asking what I meant, the child simply blinked with a confused light in her eyes.
"Because there was someone I loved very much who was like that once."
[It's not that you're strange. Rather, you're special.]
Vivian recalled that tender voice she had heard long ago, gazing toward one corner of the bustling Orphanage courtyard.
There, the owner of that voice, now grown taller, was being pestered by the children.
Only then did I realize anew.
'That tenderness has been sustaining me all this time.'
So that I would not waver before any prejudice.
Watching Lahedis for a moment, Vivian decided to share the kindness she had received from him.
"Having a power others don't possess isn't strange—it makes you special."
To this child, different from me yet so very much like me.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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