Chapter 2 : Nursery (2)

“Attention, everyone!”

The orphanage director’s booming voice made the children line up against the wall.

“A nobleman from the William family is coming. Smile as nicely as you can!”

Ah…

I hate this time the most. I have to force a smile, showing my gums to the nobles, and my mouth feels like it’s going to cramp.

“Haha. They’re all such pretty children.”

A white-haired gentleman said as he walked down the hallway.

“Of course. At our orphanage, we make sure they eat three meals a day and play hard.”

That’s a joke. We’re lucky if we don’t starve to death.

“…Saya, you need to smile, right?”

“…He… hehe.”

The director. She caught me making a straight face in that brief moment. She’s a scary woman.

“Among these…”

The old man slowly walked past us, checking our faces, heights, and so on. Then, as if he had decided, he stopped in front of a child.

“This child would be good.”

It was Luna.

Her abundant, curly platinum blonde hair and emerald eyes were sure to capture the nobles’ attention.

“You have a good eye! As for that child…”

The problem is…

“I won’t go!”

“…?”

“I’m not going to be adopted! Weird old man! You’re ugly!”

Oh, dear.

The director and I simultaneously put our hands on our foreheads.

“Luna. If you ever act like that again, you won’t get away with it. Do you understand!?”

“…Sniffle.”

The sound echoed loudly enough to make the director’s office shake. The orphanage’s punishment was quite strict. Even for a child just over 5 years old, they would hit them until their calves were visibly swollen.

“The nobles are all eager to take you. Why are you causing so much trouble? Honestly…”

This is already Luna’s third time acting out. Previously, when a fairly wealthy merchant family came, she lay down and caused a great disturbance, resulting in another child being adopted…

Luna came out of the director’s office with her eyes swollen from crying so much.

“…It hurts. I’m annoyed!”

Usually, a child who has been punished once would become obedient out of fear, but Luna is indeed a general.

“Luna. Why do you do that only when outsiders come? You’ve never defied an adult before.”

“If I get adopted, I’ll be separated from Saya. I don’t want that.”

…Oh, dear. Is this how a father feels when his daughter tells him she loves him? I was so moved that I hugged Luna tightly.

Buried in her abundant hair, I stayed still for a long time.

“…Saya?”

Sooner or later, Luna will be adopted. Even if she enters a moderately well-off family, she will grow up to be a loving child, and if she enters a noble family, she will grow up to be a child with good character.

…Perhaps, it occurred to me that separating from me as soon as possible might be the best path for her.

Thanks to Luna and Helena’s gifts, I made remarkable progress in the language over the next three months.

Helena steadily pointed out the parts I struggled with, and Luna cheered me on from the side.

So I studied like crazy, and then studied some more.

‘Is this ever going to end?’

It was around the time I thought that.

‘It appeared!’

[Sub-Quest: Learn the Armonian Language.]

Completion: 100%

Reward: [Armonia Chronicles] Chapter 1

Finally. At last.

The moment when nearly a year’s worth of effort came to an end.

‘How is it being given?’

The notebook opens by itself, along with a notice.

The blank pages of the empty notebook began to be filled with letters.

Oh. It’s the kind of method I’ve seen in Harry Potter.

I see, the quest window or whatever doesn’t pop up like in a game.

“Well, let’s see the author’s skills, shall we?”

For reference, the author here is me.

…

It’s utter garbage.

No, I’m sorry to garbage.

Cringey special characters.

Unique nouns that are completely middle-school syndrome.

It wasn’t for nothing that I finished the novel with 2 favorites and 0 comments.

And one of those favorites is mine. I did well to quit writing. Well done! Myself!

Anyway, to summarize the contents of Chapter 1:

The protagonist, born as a noble, turns 17 years old.
She enters a place called [Armonia Spirit Academy].

There, like the overpowered protagonist she is, she enters with remarkable records,
and Chapter 1 ends with other students taking notice of her.

Actually, if I were just curious about the content, I wouldn’t have tried so hard to obtain this garbage.

What I’m curious about is the details of the novel.

‘Found it!’

<Armonia Calendar Year 187, March 1st.>

It’s the date of protagonist Yuri Freesia’s academy entrance.

A date in a novel?
You might ask, but the me of that time was serious. Especially about the settings…
I opened the page and circled that part.

Year 187. It’s 175 now, so there are 12 years left.
It might seem long, but for someone from the streets like me to reach academy entrance within 12 years, a few difficulties arise.

First, distance.

This place where I was born and raised is a slum called Luden—think of it as a medieval slum.

The problem is that Luden is a tremendous distance from the capital. It was set as a distance that requires riding a horse for 10 days straight. It’s dizzying.

Second, money.

The majority of the girls who enter the Spirit Academy are nobles. I specifically mention girls because, as I’ll explain later, most of them are children of noble families or children of commoner families who are suspiciously wealthy, so the entrance fee is, needless to say, an eye-watering amount.

Finally, status.

When I set the class system of the Armonia Empire, I didn’t really divide the commoners and nobles into specific classes. The problem is the social perception.

I am a black-haired child. Among the Armonian jokes, there is a joke that says, “Just above beasts are black-haired beasts.”

I am socially slightly better than beastmen, due to the superstition that I bring misfortune. By the way, I’m sorry to the beastmen, but in the work, they are not even treated as human beings.

“I was a pretty terrible author…”

All the minor settings that were barely mentioned in the novel are implemented. If that’s the case, I shouldn’t have created things like racial discrimination for the sake of realism… Ha…

So, to put it bluntly, to summarize:

To meet the protagonist, I have to go to the capital and enter the academy.

But the capital is very far, the entrance fee is expensive, and my social status is completely messed up.

12 years until 187.

I have to enter that place by any means by then.

According to the novel, during a mission at the age of 17, the protagonist dies.

If that happens, the world will end.

Two more years passed, and I became 7 years old.

Since then, I’ve tried all sorts of things, but unfortunately, nothing like a quest has appeared.

What I need to worry about more now is expulsion.

It meant expelling children aged 6 to 10 who were not adopted through a vote. Actually, it’s said to be 10 years old, but in fact, everyone except Luna and me is under 7 years old.

You might think it’s a cruel system, but the medieval orphanage is so poor that it’s all they can do to barely feed the growing children one meal a day to keep them from starving.

I realized again how big of a gift the notebook and pen I received on my 5th birthday were.

“Director, please. Just one more year…”

“We don’t have unlimited finances! We can’t postpone it any longer. We’ll decide by vote by tomorrow, so know that, Helena.”

In the scene I secretly peeked through the crack in the director’s office door, I saw Helena with her head bowed and the director with a determined look.

Originally, the expulsion date was two years ago today.

However, Helena begged and begged, and managed to postpone the expulsion until today. But in the end, what was coming had come.

Actually, I was somewhat prepared in my heart.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll be going outside.’

I didn’t expect to leave like this.

Seeing the playground, which I once used as a writing practice area, disappeared due to a warehouse built recently, I felt a bit bitter.

The door to the director’s office burst open, and the director and the women came out in a line.

“Then, let’s announce it tomorrow morning, and let’s go in.”

Unlike the director’s face, which seemed somewhat relieved, Helena’s expression looked like she was about to cry.

It’s okay. I’ve prepared my mind.

Come to think of it, it was amazing that I survived until now after being born with black hair.

Brushing Luna’s hair, who was smiling innocently without knowing anything, I gently closed my eyes.

The next morning.

The director lined up the children in the hallway and said,

“The expelled person has been decided by vote. From now on, the children who are called will come forward and pack their belongings.”

She called out the names of the children one by one in a calm and cynical voice.

“Gillian.”

Lame Gillian.

He was sincere and kind, but nobles basically avoided defects.

“August.”

Yes, August. I expected you.
He is the orphanage’s biggest troublemaker and has a history of biting two other children, leaving scars on their faces.

Unlike those two who have to pack their bags from now on, I packed my bags a week ago.

Let’s say it’s the composure of an adult.

“…Ha.”

…Still, it’s depressing when it actually comes.

“Lastly…”

Surprisingly, the director said, wiping away tears.
…Still, a caregiver is a caregiver.

Goodbye, orphanage.
Take care, Luna. Helena.

I knew the result, so I felt relieved.

“…Luna. Come forward.”

…Huh?