Chapter 48: The Orphanage and Stew
The day after we were taken in by the church.
Thanks to the message Sister Marusa had sent, Raphiel, Grana, and Hijiri arrived to check on us.
And the first thing they did upon arrival was—
Eat omurice.
“Mmm. Omurice delicious.”
“Raphiel-sama, the children are watching. Could you perhaps display a little more dignity…?”
“If you’re going to say that, Grana, then perhaps you should remove your helmet. The children seem frightened of you.”
“I thought this the first time I saw you too, but that armor is incredibly intimidating.”
Hijiri took another bite.
“Omurice is great.”
“I don’t believe Hijiri-sama’s attire qualifies as normal either.”
Grana’s complaint was entirely justified.
Hijiri was dressed head-to-toe in black clothing that looked suspiciously similar to a ninja outfit.
Honestly?
It looked pretty cool.
“Ahem…”
I cleared my throat.
“Hijiri, what’s with that outfit?”
“This?”
Hijiri lightly tugged at his sleeve.
“My work clothes.”
“Work clothes?”
“I gave Kirara a different assignment, so I figured I’d personally handle your protection this time.”
Then he glanced around the room.
“By the way, Eight-kun.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re ridiculously popular.”
He wasn’t wrong.
At that very moment, several children were climbing all over me.
One had somehow managed to scale my back.
Another was hanging from my arm.
A third was trying to sit on my shoulders.
“Hey, hey!! Eight-niisan! Let’s play house later!”
“No fair! I want to play with Eight too!”
“You already had him read you a picture book! It’s my turn now!”
Ever since yesterday, the children had completely attached themselves to me.
I had spent hours reading stories aloud.
So many hours, in fact, that my throat was beginning to hurt.
And the previous night had been even worse.
One by one, the children had crawled into my bed while I was sleeping.
Before long, the mattress had been packed with children from every direction.
It had felt less like sleeping and more like being trapped inside a sauna.
Seriously.
It was hot.
Very hot.
“The power of omurice is truly incredible.”
“No.”
Hijiri immediately shook his head.
“I don’t think that’s it.”
“I agree.”
“So do I.”
“Same here.”
“…Eh?”
The way all three of them stared at me made me tilt my head in confusion.
Then something occurred to me.
“Come to think of it…”
I glanced around the dining hall.
“There aren’t any boys in this orphanage.”
“Oh?”
Hijiri’s expression softened.
“So you hadn’t heard?”
“Heard what?”
“The girls were abandoned.”
“…What?”
His tone became unusually serious.
“You’ve heard of families reducing the number of mouths they need to feed, right?”
“…”
“In poor households, boys are often viewed as future laborers.”
His gaze shifted toward the children.
“People believe sons will eventually work and support the family.”
My chest tightened.
“So girls are abandoned more frequently.”
“…”
For a moment, I couldn’t find any words.
This world really was harsh.
Far harsher than modern Japan.
And suddenly…
Something clicked.
Maybe the reason the children had become attached to me so quickly wasn’t because of the omurice at all.
Maybe—
Especially for the younger girls—
They were searching for something they’d never really had.
Someone to spoil them.
Protect them.
Read them stories.
Pat their heads.
A father.
My throat hurt.
My body was exhausted.
But…
Yeah.
I should play with them as much as I could while I was here.
Just then, Marusa entered the room.
Watching me surrounded by children, she smiled warmly.
“Eight-sama has been such a tremendous help.”
“Hm?”
“Taking care of the children like this.”
Her smile widened.
“Perhaps you should simply stay here and work at the orphanage permanently.”
“Eight already has a home.”
Raphiel answered immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without even looking up from her food.
“The answer is no.”
Marusa blinked.
Then laughed.
Clearly she had intended it as a joke.
Still, Raphiel wasn’t wrong.
I had a house waiting for me in Papel Village.
Neighbors I cared about.
Friends.
Hinoka.
Amate.
People who were waiting for me to come home.
And honestly…
There was no way I wanted to abandon my comfortable house and move permanently to the capital.
Not a chance.
“Eight-niiiisan…”
A small tug pulled at my sleeve.
Looking down, I saw Mea.
The shy little girl from yesterday.
Around seven or eight years old.
Of all the children here, she was probably the one most attached to me.
“Are you going away?”
Her voice was tiny.
“I want to stay with Eight-niisan longer.”
My heart physically hurt.
“Sorry, Mea.”
I gently stroked her hair.
“I can’t stay forever.”
Her eyes widened.
“Will I never see you again?”
Critical hit.
I immediately turned toward Raphiel.
“Raphiel.”
“Yes?”
“Can you do something?”
“About what?”
“The guilt is killing me.”
Raphiel placed a hand on her chin and began thinking.
A few seconds later, her eyes suddenly widened.
“Ah!”
She snapped her fingers.
“I have an excellent idea.”
And suddenly I was worried.
“What kind of idea?”
“We should build an orphanage in Papel Village.”
“…What?”
She turned toward Hijiri.
“Hijiri, wasn’t there a redevelopment plan for the royal capital?”
“Ah.”
Hijiri nodded.
“The large-scale district reorganization His Majesty proposed.”
“That one.”
“If I remember correctly, one proposal involved rebuilding the churches and consolidating the various orphanages scattered throughout the capital into a single facility.”
“Perfect.”
Raphiel smiled.
“We shall relocate this orphanage to Papel Village.”
“Hold on.”
Was that even possible?
Papel Village wasn’t exactly the safest location in the kingdom.
There was literally a monster-infested forest nearby.
“But that’s only a proposal at this stage.”
Hijiri shrugged.
“We’d need support from several high-ranking nobles before anything could happen—”
“The king survived because I cured his poisoning.”
Raphiel smiled serenely.
“I believe they can tolerate a small favor.”
“Grana-sama.”
Hijiri turned.
“Is your saintess abusing her authority?”
“Yes.”
Grana answered instantly.
“It’s a significant problem.”
Just as Grana was preparing to lecture Raphiel—
Grrrrrrrlll…
A loud stomach growl echoed through the room.
Everyone froze.
“Raphiel.”
I looked at her.
“You literally just ate omurice. You’re hungry again already?”
“Eight.”
Raphiel looked offended.
“Don’t mock me.”
“Huh?”
“My stomach never has time to growl.”
She crossed her arms proudly.
“I demand food before reaching that stage.”
“Then whose stomach was that?”
A long silence followed.
Then Grana quietly raised her hand.
“…M-My apologies.”
“Huh?”
“It was mine.”
Everyone stared.
“I’ve been busy since yesterday.”
She looked away awkwardly.
“I haven’t eaten.”
“Oh.”
That explained it.
Come to think of it, she’d politely declined the omurice earlier while Raphiel and Hijiri were eating.
“All right.”
I stood up.
“I’ll make something.”
“Though honestly…”
I glanced at the available ingredients.
“There’s a limit to what I can do with local ingredients.”
“Not to worry.”
Raphiel suddenly produced a package from somewhere.
“I secretly brought supplies.”
“…”
“…”
“Why do you have boxed stew roux?”
“I wanted stew.”
“You just ate.”
“I desire stew.”
“You seriously just ate.”
“My stomach is infinite.”
I had no response to that.
Still, considering Grana hadn’t eaten since yesterday, something warm and gentle on the stomach was probably ideal.
So I headed into the kitchen.
First came the Rockbird meat.
Then onions.
Carrots.
Potatoes.
Everything cut into bite-sized pieces.
The broccoli was torn apart and lightly parboiled.
Oil into a heavy pot.
Meat first.
Vegetables after.
The aroma slowly filled the room.
“Next comes water…”
Once it reached a boil, I skimmed off the foam.
Then let everything simmer until the vegetables softened.
The potatoes became tender.
The carrots practically melted.
The broth absorbed all the sweetness of the vegetables and richness of the meat.
Finally, I turned off the heat.
Added the stew roux.
Poured in milk.
And stirred.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Until the stew thickened into a creamy consistency.
The broccoli went in last.
A little more heating.
And—
“Done!”
Cream stew.
Complete.
“EIGHT-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
I nearly dropped the ladle.
“Gah!?”
Tardolf burst into the kitchen.
“I WAS SLEEPING IN MY ROOM AND A GLORIOUS AROMA ASSAULTED MY NOSTRILSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!”
“Why are you always right next to my face when you do that!?”
Apparently he’d stayed up all night researching recipes and had only woken around midday.
Needless to say, he immediately joined us.
And so everyone gathered around the table.
“The potatoes and carrots are so soft!”
Raphiel’s eyes sparkled.
“The richness of the meat and vegetables has dissolved into the broth! Delicious!”
“Excellent.”
Grana slowly exhaled.
“It feels as though it’s soaking directly into my stomach.”
“Nice.”
Hijiri nodded.
“Feels like a proper homemade stew.”
Tardolf stared intensely at the bowl.
“This smoothness…”
He muttered.
“How can I reproduce this…?”
“It truly is delicious.”
Marusa smiled warmly.
“Your cooking never disappoints, Eight-sama.”
The adults loved it.
As for the children—
““““It’s delicious!!””””
Success.
The warm stew spread through the room.
Bodies relaxed.
Smiles appeared.
For the first time in what felt like days, everything seemed peaceful.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
The sound echoed through the church.
Instantly, Tardolf and I stiffened.
The barrier surrounding the church supposedly prevented malicious individuals from entering.
Even so…
After everything that had happened, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
“Who is it?”
Marusa called.
A young man’s voice answered from outside.
“It’s me, Sister Marusa.”
“Oh?”
Marusa blinked.
“That voice…”
She opened the door.
Standing outside was a young man.
The moment I saw his face, something about him seemed familiar.
Where had I seen him before?
Then—
“JEOOOOOOOORAAAAAAA!!!”
Tardolf exploded.
“Wha—!?”
The young man jumped.
“M-Master!?”
“THAT’S MY LINE!!”
Tardolf thundered.
“WHY ARE YOU HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!?”
“W-Wait!”
“DON’T RUN AWAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!”
“Hiiiiiiiii!?”
And then it clicked.
Right.
This was Jeora.
Tardolf’s former top apprentice.
The same man who had arranged for me to receive rotten ingredients during the cooking competition.
And judging by the sheer terror on his face…
He knew he had just made a very serious mistake.