“Big brother, I was so scared…”
Calix stroked his younger sister’s back. He was relieved to be able to hold her in his arms again, but his mind was filled with a whirlwind of thoughts.
It was only normal.
Many people whispered that his mismatched eyes were a curse, but no one truly understood their nature. No one except Calix himself.
No, even he didn’t fully understand his own eyes.
And yet, the man before him had handed him a gift with an air of certainty, as if he saw right through everything.
Not only that. He hadn’t simply noted the yellow eye which was different from his hair color. He had pinpointed the red eye precisely.
Calix took a closer look at him.
Dark, sleek black hair. Black eyes so deep they seemed bottomless. A face so handsome and well-formed, as if it was carefully sculpted by a master’s hand.
There was an air of mystery about him. He felt both chillingly cold and strangely warm at the same time.
Who in the world was this man? Could he be trusted?
But one thing was certain. He had protected both Calix and his younger sister.
If not for him, they would never have made it to this moment.
Could it be… that he had known all along this would happen?
The thought was absurd, yet it surfaced nonetheless.
The deeper he reflected on it, the more confusion clouded his mind.
Suspicion and trust intertwined, pulling him in both directions like a dangerous balancing act.
Calix took a slow and deep breath.
The only thing that was certain at that moment was that the man had saved him and had also safely protected his younger sister.
If that was the case, then at least for now, Calix decided to trust him.
The mysterious man who had introduced himself as Ed, along with Calix and his younger sister, boarded a carriage and set off on a long journey.
The night before, he had quietly left the house, killed the man who had collapsed in front of the door, and hid near the city gates.
He seemed cautious about being tracked until dawn, yet somehow, his demeanor appeared relaxed as if he had everything under control.
After enduring what felt like an endlessly long and tedious journey in the carriage, which was Calix’s first time experiencing such a thing, they finally arrived at an orphanage.
Calix wasn’t sure whether to say that this place suited the man or that it didn’t.
And so, on the first night that he and his sister spent at the orphanage—
Calix woke up after sensing something strange.
In the middle of the room, standing completely still and silent, was a girl with black hair. Their eyes met.
For some reason, an eerie chill ran down his spine and he quickly glanced around in alarm.
Fortunately, his younger sister was still sound asleep on the bed next to him.
At that moment, the black-haired girl silently raised her hand.
In an instant, Calix’s shadow rippled and surged like a crashing wave before swallowing him whole.
Startled, he instinctively shut his eyes and then opened them again, only to realize that he had been transported to an entirely different space.
A place engulfed in endless darkness. The only source of light was a lone candle flickering atop a table.
Beyond that faint glow, two figures sat in front of a long table.
One was the black-haired girl who had just pulled him into the shadows, and the other was a purple-haired girl. The latter was someone he had briefly seen at the orphanage earlier that day.
The black-haired girl spoke.
“This is my territory. Sit down for now.”
Calix felt dazed and sat up at the words. The words spoken as if he were a guest invited by the master of this place.
And then, he thought.
So that man really was no ordinary person.
Did he create a hidden organization within the orphanage and run it in secret?
But whatever his true identity was, it didn’t really matter. Calix was determined to repay his debt, one way or another.
As soon as he trudged over and sat down on a chair, the purple-haired girl spoke.
Her words made even Calix who had steeled his resolve falter for a moment.
“Those eyes… Do you want to be able to use them?”
***
Morens had recently started working as a handyman at the newly established orphanage in Avgenil.
In reality, he was a thief who wandered from city to city, stealing goods. His registered job as an adventurer was a thief.
Moreover, he was a fairly skilled thief who had even awakened mana.
The only reason he had set his sights on this place was simple. He was certain that the orphanage was receiving financial support from Count Montrant.
Otherwise, how could an ordinary commoner afford to build such an establishment?
He had no idea how the Director had managed to secure such a large sum from the count, but with the orphanage being newly built and understaffed, it was the perfect place for a heist.
Through his mana-enhanced vision, Morens had already assessed Ed. The man was in good physical shape, but he had no mana whatsoever.
There was no chance of getting caught. And even if he was, it wouldn’t be a problem.
As long as there are valuables, it’ll be perfect.
Morens decided to start by looting Ed’s office.
While expensive belongings were more likely to be in the bedroom, the office was still worth checking.
The bedroom would be his final target. Once he cleared that, he would make his escape.
After going over his plan once more in his mind, he silently made his way up the stairs to the third floor.
His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, and without hesitation, he turned the handle of the office door.
The moment he stepped into the room and closed the door, he realized someone else was there.
Though the darkness obscured their identity, the instant their gaze turned toward Morens, he spotted a single, eerily glowing red eye.
He knew it was an eye because of the glasses that framed it.
“Blame your own greed.”
The stranger who had spoken those cryptic words slowly lifted their glasses.
And in that instant—
A searing pain spread from the edges of his body. He felt as if his flesh were being burned away.
No, it wasn’t burning. His flesh was rotting and dissolving into nothing.
“Arghhh!”
Morens let out a bloodcurdling scream. He couldn’t endure the pain.
The need for stealth was long forgotten. His cries echoed through the orphanage, loud enough that someone must have heard them.
He clutched at his leg in horror. The sensation of his own flesh decaying in his hands was nothing short of a nightmare.
Overwhelmed by unbearable pain and terror, he lost consciousness.
But even after he collapsed, the decay did not stop.
It only ceased once the curse had consumed his entire body.
Silence filled the room. As if no one had heard the thief’s dying screams.
….
….
Early that morning, after waking the children for breakfast and finishing his morning tasks, Ed returned to his office. A puzzled expression crossed his face.
“Did something happen to Morens?”
He hadn’t seen him all morning, even though he should have reported to work by now.
Morens had always given off a slightly roguish impression, but since he had been doing his job without complaints, Ed had long since dismissed any doubts about him.
He wasn’t the type to skip work without a word.
Worried, Ed headed directly to the inn where Morens had been staying. However, after hearing from the innkeeper that Morens had not returned since leaving for work the previous day, he left the inn without any leads.
Ed stepped out in a daze. He stood in the cool breeze, lost in thought.
Morens had gone missing.
What crossed Ed’s mind was the disappearance of the Dark Guild that had caused a stir in the city a while ago.
Isn’t something strange about this?
Lately, there had been a string of disappearances in the city.
As someone running an orphanage and caring for children, Ed couldn’t take such incidents lightly, especially when they were happening so close to home.
I need to hire a guard.
To keep the orphanage safe, he had to find someone reliable.
And he knew just the right person for the job.
Deron, the middle-aged adventurer.
When Ed returned to the orphanage, he waited for Deron to arrive.
As soon as Deron stepped inside, Ed wasted no time. He informed him about Morens’s disappearance before getting straight to the point.
“You need someone to take on security? Hmm…”
Ever since being hired by Ed, Deron had maintained a formal and respectful demeanor. Given that Donna acted the same way, it seemed unlikely that Deron’s strict manner was the only reason.
After rubbing his chin in thought, Deron finally spoke.
“There’s someone I know… but I’m not sure if they’ll take the job. I’ll ask, though.”
“Thank you.”
“Still, that guy was always slacking off, so I never liked him much. But now that he’s suddenly disappeared, I can’t help feeling a little worried.”
Ed had always thought that, at the very least, Morens did his job properly. But it seemed Deron saw things differently.
“Well, call it a warrior’s sharp intuition.”
“…I see.”
It sounded like something people who believed in physiognomy would say in the modern day.
Of course, a warrior’s instincts weren’t something to be ignored.
For now, Ed followed Deron into the orphanage. It was still early morning, and the cold air lingered.
“Oh, right.”
Deron suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to Ed.
“Director, why don’t you start learning close combat alongside the kids?”
Every morning, Deron led the children in physical training. At first, it was just basic exercises, but since that no longer seemed sufficient, he had begun teaching them his own combat techniques.
Ed hadn’t thought it was a bad idea and had readily given his approval.
Now, Deron was suggesting that Ed join in as well.
The truth was, Deron wasn’t exactly an exceptional adventurer.
He often complained to Ed about how difficult it was to maintain his silver rank, which he had earned in his younger days, among the gold, silver, and bronze ranks. From that alone, it was clear his combat skills weren’t of the highest caliber.
But there was no harm in learning. Lately, Ed hadn’t been able to spend much time with the children anyway.
Besides, having one more way to protect himself was reason enough to do it.
Ed answered with a light smile.
“Sounds good. Let’s give it a try.”
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