Chapter 4: Seed
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“Why did you run away?”
Orphelia asked, gripping the nape of the girl named Milan like a mother cat lifting her kitten.
“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine, but I think it would be better to talk while we’re still being nice.”
“I don’t know!”
Milan turned her face away defiantly. As this exchange continued, the three of them loaded the girl into the carriage, which was swaying gently. Until just moments ago, Milan had been struggling to escape, but now that she was inside the carriage, she fell silent, unable to do anything. However, Orphelia could sense the atmosphere of Milan trying to find an opportunity to escape.
“Come on, Orphe-chan, you shouldn’t say it like that. If you keep it up, Milan-chan will get scared and won’t be able to say anything!”
Inside the carriage, Sophia and Orphelia sat side by side, while Laura faced them with Milan.
“Orphelia, Sophia is right. What’s important is that we meet halfway and talk openly. If Milan understands that we are not suspicious characters, she will surely speak honestly.”
“Right, Milan?” Sophia smiled at her.
“I told you, I don’t know! I have nothing to answer!”
The captive girl turned her face away again.
“Oh dear,” Sophia said, slightly flustered by the unexpected reaction, while Laura puffed out her chest and said, “Leave it to me.”
“Ahaha, Milan-chan. It’s okay, we’re not your enemies, so just relax… Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. Sorry for the delay. Let me start… My name is Laura Bordaf.”
The carriage was extravagantly decorated, and their clothing clearly set them apart from the common folk. The elegance and aura possessed by the three of them were unmistakable.
Now that she thought about it, a chill ran down Milan’s spine.
“I am Sophia Gore. My father is Heinz Gore—the president of the Gore Trading Company.”
Milan barely managed to suppress a scream, her movements resembling a broken toy as she turned her gaze toward the girl guarding them with twin swords at her waist.
“Me? I’m not a big deal. I can’t threaten anyone with my name; that would be so uncool.”
If these two were indeed the most important figures in the region…
“It doesn’t matter if you know or not. Right, Orphe-chan?”
“That’s right. Orphelia-san.”
It was as if they were saying it outright, and Orphelia pressed her temples in frustration.
“‘Orphelia-san’… huh?”
“Well, whatever. I am Orphelia Verite. Just a Seeker.”
Orphelia Verite. There was no way Milan wouldn’t know that name. She glanced at the twin swords at Orphelia’s waist, then raised her gaze to stare at Orphelia’s face—this she repeated several times before finally saying,
“Roh-niichan, help me…”
She burst into tears, wailing loudly.
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The three delinquent girls who had made the young girl cry were now taken aback, filled with guilt.
Milan, with her cheeks stuffed with candy, sniffled and took a while to calm down.
“First of all, I think you have the wrong idea. We aren’t trying to hurt him or capture him,” Orphelia said, scratching her head with yet another sigh.
“The reason these two are looking for someone named Roh is that they want to thank him for helping them before.”
“Really,” Orphelia gestured with her chin to the other two.
“Ah, I’m sorry for making you cry! But what Orphe-chan said is true.”
“Right?” Laura urged Sophia to continue.
“The story began when I was saved by that person…”
Sophia started recounting the time she had been helped by Roh to Milan.
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“And that’s how I was saved by him.”
“Wow! Roh-niichan is so cool!”
“Yes, he was indeed cool… and above all, wonderful. Even now, when I close my eyes, I can still remember the dazzling yet sorrowful dull light in his eyes…”
As soon as Sophia began to speak, Orphelia and Laura exchanged alarmed glances. They had heard this story so many times while waiting at the foot of Hidden Mountain that it felt like their ears were about to bleed. To prevent Sophia from continuing, Laura jumped in to share her own reason for searching for Roh.
“I was unconscious when he saved me, but if it weren’t for him, I would probably have been sold as a slave in some foreign land.”
“That sounds terrible… I’m really glad you’re safe,” Milan sniffled.
To Orphelia, who knew the truth about Laura’s past, it was a thoughtless and reckless tale, but this girl named Milan, who had seemed so suspicious when they first met, was now showing a surprisingly pure heart, tearfully repeating, “I’m glad,” and “I’m really glad.”
At that moment, Orphelia glanced at Milan and Laura sitting next to each other and let out a mysterious groan, narrowing her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Orphe-san?”
“Oh, um, it’s probably just my Qi, so don’t mind it.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s fine.”
“By the way, Milan, what is your relationship with Roh?”
It was unlikely they were siblings. Orphelia boldly asked what the three older girls had been curious about.
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Milan, the girl in question, seemed like a typical rude child from a common background, but she was actually a kind-hearted girl who could apologize, saying, “I’m sorry for running away. I thought I might trouble Roh-niichan…”
In no time, Sophia and Laura, along with the usual Orphelia, were all ears to Milan’s story.
She had met him in town. He had helped her mother without asking for anything in return. Not only that, but he still regularly checked on her mother’s condition.
Milan answered all the questions from the two spoiled girls without hesitation.
“I often imagine that if I had a real brother, he would be someone like Roh-niichan.”
Milan blushed shyly, her cheeks turning red.
While Sophia wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and Laura blew her nose loudly, Orphelia felt a question arise in her heart.
Why would he go so far for complete strangers?
If what Milan, Laura, and Sophia said was true, and if it was all the work of one person, then that person must be a bottomless fool whose hobby was volunteering—something Orphelia, who had faced much malice in the Seventh Blue, could hardly comprehend.
“And then, I asked him, ‘Why do you go so far for a family of complete strangers?'”
That was precisely what Orphelia had wanted to know. The two spoiled girls urged her to continue with expressions they had never shown before.
“And then Roh-niichan said, ‘When you grow up, if you see someone in trouble, help them. That’s how life works.'”
Milan’s words seemed to resonate with Sophia and Laura, who appeared to be lost in thought.
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By a strange twist of fate, these four would meet many times in the future.
This day marked the beginning of it all. Orphelia, a one-woman army; Laura, the beloved daughter of a lord with overwhelming power in the borderlands; and Sophia, the heir to the Gore Trading Company, whose name echoed even in the distant Royal Capital.
Milan conveyed to these three fragments of the actions and principles of a young man who had come from another world.
Through their encounter, a seed was sown to resist the great calamity that was to come.
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Gifts received.
Thank you, richbro!
Thank you, Akito Fuda!
I will express my gratitude in the activity report.
I hope to utilize the support limits a bit more…
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