Farkonia watched the young boy, whose spirit had clearly been shattered, leave the doorway, and an idea suddenly surfaced in her mind.

  “Misako.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I think I've found a possible direction.”

  No matter the time, information was always the most crucial element; perhaps this would provide some clues.

  “...You say that, but you're worried, aren't you?”

  However, Misako, who had spent many long years by Farkonia's side, instantly sensed the underlying thoughts in her mind.

  Most people believed that Farkonia, as a participant in the 'Demon Dragon War', must have a ruthless and savage personality. But in truth, her heart was as gentle as her human form—she was, in essence, a caring, older sister, and even dispyed a hint of maternal instincts.

  “Well... my goal is to help those who are oppressed, so I have no issue with that. But if I had to say something, we need to see if that one with the permanent frown is going to join us.”

  Misako gnced towards the emotionless girl standing nearby. Though she had used a cognitive-blocking magical device, she had still set a 'whitelist', so in Misako's eyes, she was simply a version of Aris with all her hair turned bck.

  “...Whatever.”

  Since they couldn't act freely at the moment, Aris appeared indifferent.

  “Then it's settled,” Farkonia said with finality.

  …

  On the clean, orderly streets, a child whose clothes stood out as different from the others walked along, his steps heavy with dejection.

  “...A child from the slums?”

  “Why is someone like that here?”

  “So dirty.”

  The other pedestrians whispered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with disdain.

  The contemptuous gres made the boy realise what was happening. His unease grew as he remembered the adults' warnings: if someone from the slums dared to enter pces not meant for them, armoured men would soon come to arrest them.

  It was then that he truly realised how reckless he'd been. He might not be able to call for help and might end up getting himself into more trouble.

  “What's wrong?”

  “Ah!”

  A voice from behind startled him, causing him to shriek in terror.

  “Don't take me away! Please!”

  “…You don’t have to worry.”

  The voice that came to him was unexpectedly gentle, far from the intimidating tone he had imagined.

  “Huh...?”

  Turning around, he saw a woman with green hair, radiating the aura of a kind older sister, smiling at him.

  “…An angel…?”

  “Not quite.”

  Suddenly, a little girl with pink hair appeared from behind the green-haired woman. In contrast to the older woman's tone, the girl was so short that she was almost smaller than the boy himself.

  “You just went to the Adventurer's Guild, didn't you? Were you looking for help?”

  Farkonia, seeing the boy's gaze start to waver, quickly halted Misako before she could lecture him and asked instead, “Were you seeking help?”

  “Could it be… you’re an adventurer, big sister!?”

  “Well… sort of.”

  Though they hadn’t taken many requests, they did possess adventurer cards, so technically, they could be considered adventurers.

  “...Please, save my sister! She... right now...”

  “Let’s not talk here. Take us there first.”

  Farkonia, sensing the approaching knights through her perception and seeing the disapproving looks from the nearby pedestrians, stopped the boy before he could go any further with his plea. It was more important to leave the area immediately.

  …

  As they moved through the alleyways and streets, the once tidy and pristine white buildings grew grimy and dipidated. The people’s clothing shifted from neat and clean to ragged and worn.

  “…Seeing it in person, it’s really quite extreme.”

  The slum's ndscape was a stark contrast to the outside world, almost as if the very sun had lost its brightness here. The air felt stifling, and the surroundings were dark and suffocating.

  Here, there were many people so thin from malnutrition that their bones were clearly visible, and others muttered incoherently to themselves, likely addicted to some dangerous substance.

  However, what was surprising was that they didn’t feel any hostile gazes while walking through this area. Normally, such 'no-man's-nds' would be filled with gangs and bandits who would approach any outsider to rob them.

  “We're almost there.”

  The boy led them to a rger, retively calmer area, where the atmosphere seemed less oppressive.

  Ahead of them stood a small house that appeared somewhat normal amidst the chaos.

  “…I’m back.”

  At the boy's call, a young girl in an old apron immediately ran out.

  “Where did you go!? Do you have any idea how worried we were!?”

  Behind the girl, several other children poked their heads out from around a corner, and upon seeing the boy, they all rushed to join him.

  “…Sorry, I went to find someone who could help...”

  “You went outside!? Didn’t I tell you it’s dangerous out there!?”

  “But we need help, don’t we!”

  The boy shouted, making the girl in the apron fall silent.

  “…That…”

  Farkonia spoke up, sensing the tension in the room.

  “Who are you?”

  “We’re adventurers from another country. We saw this child at the Adventurer’s Guild asking for help, so we came here.”

  The girl eyed Farkonia with mild suspicion, though her face revealed no ill intentions.

  “Big sister, they’re good people. Don’t worry.”

  “…I understand now. My name is Jaya, and I’m the head of this orphanage.”

  The girl, Jaya, who wore the old apron, gave a slight bow to Farkonia and the others.

  From her appearance, she seemed like an ordinary bck-haired girl, no older than a young adult, yet she had already taken on the responsibility of running this orphanage.

  “So, what kind of help do you need?”

  “…One of our children is very ill, and no matter what we try, we can't heal her…”

  Illness was something that could usually be cured with ease—whether through healing magic, medicinal potions, or visiting a hospital.

  However, for those in the slums, they cked the money to buy medicines or see a doctor, and the surrounding environment was so poor that even a common cold could easily cim someone’s life.

  “I understand. Take us to her.”

  The orphanage wasn’t rge, and it didn’t take long before they arrived at the room where the children slept.

  Due to space constraints, all the children slept in the same room, and though they had tried to make do, it was still quite cramped.

  On one of the beds y a young girl with a damp cloth over her forehead, her breaths shallow and ragged.

  Looking closer at her face, the deep dark circles around her eyes and her sunken cheeks made it clear that she was suffering terribly. It was clear this wasn’t just a simple cold.

  “If that person were still here, she wouldn’t have to suffer like this,” Jaya murmured, a touch of nostalgia in her voice.

  ShoujoDirector