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Chapter 101

As soon as I stepped off the Monster Train, the first thing that hit me was the heat. The orphanage was located a little south of Harmony City.

Since it wasn’t too far south, there shouldn’t be much of a climate difference, yet it felt significantly hotter compared to Harmony City.

“Has the impact of the Gate explosion worsened?”

Of course, that was indeed due to the aftermath of the Gate explosion. A Gate had emerged in an empty space beneath the ground, lying dormant until it exploded, altering the surrounding environment.

This was also the decisive reason why a stop for the Monster Train was established in an area where only relatively weak monsters resided.

‘That location must be quite profitable….’

But for now, I could care less about the tales of the hot and humid tropical rainforest. The orphanage where Claire awaited was on the far opposite end.

The orphanage was situated on a mountain outside the city. Before my return, I had thought it could be here simply because there weren’t any strong monsters around, but looking back now, Claire must have set up some measures.

“Wow….”

“What’s wrong, Shar? Did something happen?”

“This mountain, the air is so fresh! Just breathing it in makes me feel great!”

At that, Tae-oh began sniffing with his eyes closed. Yoon-woo, who had been smiling lightly at his antics, spoke up.

“It’s probably because the nun takes care of it. Even if she doesn’t look it, she’s still an elf.”

As for whether the fresh air had anything to do with Claire, the answer was a resounding yes. Elves are naturally inclined to nurture the environment.

As the guardians of nature, those fairies, renowned for their dedication to caring for nature more than any other race, possess the collective abilities of their kind alongside the Dragons, the harmonizers.

Thanks to their ability known as Harmony, the mountain where the orphanage was located had a natural environment that rivaled even the elves’ nation, Wigdras.

The result? This air—clean to the point where there was mana swirling within it.

“I wonder if she’s exceptionally powerful, resulting in such a significant output of Harmony. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before.”

“It’s amazing….”

“Hmm… Tae-oh doesn’t really get it….”

Given that spirits could see mana, I wondered if Tae-oh was struggling because he was a spirit of darkness?

With a hint of curiosity, Yoon-woo shared his vision with Tae-oh.

Only then did Tae-oh realize what Shar and Yoon-woo were talking about, and he let out an impressed exclamation.

“I’m not sure why, but it’s really pretty….”

“Indeed.”

The three of them ascended the lush and beautiful mountain. Despite being an orphanage, Claire often sent the children on errands to help them adapt to society, so it wasn’t too high up.

As the children started asking when they would arrive, they spotted a clearing halfway up the mountain. This was the end of the road. The trees had disappeared, allowing the sunlight to shine brightly.

When the blinding light faded, what appeared wasn’t the lavishly decorated orphanage of my previous life, but rather a shabby conversion of an old school—not a real orphanage at all.

“Well, it seems the repairs were done well.”

In any case, Yoon-woo had plenty of money.

The reward money he received from the Ice Palace not long ago was significant, but the money from the Association was also quite substantial.

He had provided information about the doppelganger and the minimum details regarding dragons to the Association, which typically rewards for new monster information, so it was only natural.

When considering the money earned from selling the black dongogong’s inner core through Yuri, he could afford to buy chicken three times a day without running out of money.

Even if cursed, thanks to some magic embedded in magical artifacts, he had more than enough to cover both Shar and himself.

If you were to hear how much the tuition was for a year at the Academy, it would make you exclaim “hundreds” after three years of attending and still having leftover money.

With all that money, the first place Yoon-woo thought to spend it was at the orphanage.

Even though I felt a twinge of unfairness thinking about the orphanage that had been splendidly built over a decade being gone, I had received this golden opportunity.

I could easily accept repaying a favor I had already done once.

Of course, it was still impossible to reach the level of a grand main building with annexes and even a chapel, reminiscent of a noble mansion in the Alkeion continent. Fixing the road leading up to the orphanage turned out to cost more than expected.

“Oh?”

For a moment, I was moved by the results of my spending.

Claire appeared with a cheerful voice, having noticed my presence, having just come out from the back of the orphanage, where she must have been tending to the crops.

“Sister, we’ve arrived!”

“Sister!!”

Shar dashed towards Claire, but unfortunately, since Tae-oh was unfamiliar with her, he hid behind Yoon-woo, feeling shy.

As Yoon-woo picked up the timid Tae-oh and walked over, Claire’s attention shifted from her interaction with Shar to Yoon-woo.

The sight of Tae-oh naturally garnered a curious look from Claire.

“Who’s that child…?”

“This is Tae-oh. Choi Tae-oh, Shar’s little brother.”

“Hmm, he must be a spirit.”

“You recognized him at a glance?”

“Experience is key.”

I thought I had seen enough, but as time passed, I found myself increasingly puzzled.

Why had she hidden her powers before? What had finally prompted her to stop concealing them?

“I’m sorry, Yoon-woo. I need to pick the vegetables quickly, and you remember where the old room is, right? I’ve cleaned it up, so could you unpack your things there and come down?”

“Yes, of course. But what about the kids?”

“They went to play in the valley. It’s lunchtime, so they’ll be back soon.”

Claire said this as she set Shar down. We greeted her as we entered the building.

Yoon-woo’s room was the most remote one on the second floor. Since he was remodeling with his own money, he made the bed a bit larger, and the room itself a bit bigger.

He wouldn’t be living there for his entire life, so whoever ended up in that room would be quite fortunate.

“Is this our room?”

“Yep. If you want your own room, just say so. There are plenty of empty rooms right now.”

“No, I want to stay with Dad.”

“Tae-oh wants to sleep with Dad too…!”

Oh, my! I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I chuckled softly as I pulled out clothes from the storage and began organizing them in the closet. It didn’t matter if I carried them in and out, but reducing the items would make it more manageable in case of emergencies.

“What do you plan to do after lunch? I’ll be going to the spot where the Gate used to be, but you guys can stay here and play with the others.”

“…No, I want to go along. I can play later.”

“Oh, I also want to greet Mom in advance.”

“I see.”

If the kids wanted to do that, Yoon-woo had no intention of stopping them.

*

“!? It’s Yoon-woo hyung!”

“Big brother! You’re back?!”

After a brief rest and changing clothes, I headed down to the living room where nine kids from the orphanage were gathered—my siblings.

“No. I’m just back for a bit during the vacation. I’ll come back every vacation, so keep that in mind.”

Although I wouldn’t be staying here throughout the break. I honestly didn’t know what had happened, but things had become hectic.

“Really? Then let’s play together after a long time… Hey, who are they!?”

As a seven-year-old girl named Min-ji was joyfully rushing toward me, she suddenly stepped back in surprise.

She had spotted Shar and Tae-oh hiding behind my back, gripping my pants.

“Oh, hello….”

“Nice to meet you…!!”

As they looked at the two shy kids who only peeked out from behind me, the others were intrigued. Thanks to Claire’s nurturing nature, my youthful siblings had a tendency to develop bonds quickly even after some initial wariness.

“She’s pretty, and he’s handsome!! What’s your names!?”

“This one is Tae-oh, and this is Shar. They’re my kids, so don’t bully them and play nicely, okay?”

“…Huh? Hyung, what’s that mean….”

“Got it!! I understand!!”

The eldest sibling, Jun-woo, who was the second oldest after me, wanted to ask why I said such nonsense, but the seven-year-old Min-ji took it literally.

The younger kids mostly responded like Min-ji, while the slightly older ones exhibited a response similar to Jun-woo’s.

While Tae-oh and Shar were being captured by the younger siblings, I motioned for Jun-woo and two other older kids to come over secretively.

“I’ll explain later, so just accept it for now. Have I ever done anything bad to you?”

“Not that I can remember.”

“Well! I even enlarged the rooms! Changed the beds! I did all that!”

“Of course, we appreciate it. With smartphones and computers…. But it might get complicated later, so you have to tell us, okay?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll make sure to give you some pocket money.”

At that, Jun-woo, Jung-min, and Min-soo all nodded vigorously towards me. Seeing them overreact was amusing.

As I was busy managing the kids, I suddenly heard Claire’s voice calling from the kitchen.

“Everyone~ Get ready for lunch~”

“Alright, let’s go help the sister.”

With surprising adeptness, Jun-woo led the kids toward the kitchen. What a whirlwind. Especially Min-ji, who throw herself into everything without a care—it was a bit frightening. She looked calm now but could cause trouble at any moment.

Well, I figured Jun-woo would be able to manage them. With that thought in mind, I followed the kids.

After finishing the pre-meal prayer led by Claire, dinner commenced in earnest.

While one might imagine elves live only on dew, the orphanage’s dining style was buffet-style. A plethora of meat dishes and some varied sides to ensure nutritional balance.

Watching the two kids next to me eagerly eat, I found myself wanting to feed them delicious bites, but I forced myself to hold back.

I wasn’t sure how my paternal actions would affect my younger siblings, plus the kids weren’t so young anymore that I could spoil them endlessly among themselves.

Regardless of the circumstances, the orphanage was an irreplaceable place that felt like home to me. With that place being what it is, I wanted the orphan’s siblings to live happily, whether they get adopted or, like me, grow up to be independent.

And as such, I wished for the kids to get along well. Because both were precious existences I couldn’t think to separate from each other.

“Min-ji, don’t be picky. Jun-woo, you too.”

“But the meat is just too delicious. You’re an idiot, oppa.”

“Even so, you can’t skip out on your veggies.”

Seeing Min-ji puffing up her cheeks as she slowly chewed on her vegetables, I couldn’t help but smile.

Having my adorable siblings before me after ten years made me feel even more affectionate.

(To be continued in the next installment)

 

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