[Trantor - Night]


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    <strong>Chapter 27 - The Ant Hill (2)</strong>


    “Two candies on Cami!”


    “Me too, me too!”


    “Hmph! You fools. I’m betting on the underdog! Three candies on that gray-haired guy!”


    “Huh? That’s why you always lose your snacks! You have to bet on the safe side here!”


    “No way! A real man always bets on the underdog!”


    “Tch. You’re just a little kid; what do you know about being a man….”


    “Gah! Take that back right now!”


    The orphanage courtyard had turned into a chaotic gambling den.


    The children had formed a circle around Cami and me, looking up at us with eager, shining eyes.


    “Wh-what is this….”


    Cami was flustered by thispletely unexpected turn of events.


    She nced over at Iris for help, but Iris was already caught up in the excitement, egging the children on even more.


    “I’m betting ten candies on Mr. Dale!”


    “T-ten candies?!”


    “Wow! That’s the power of an adult’s wealth…!”


    The children were in awe at seeing a "whale" joining the bet.


    “……”


    “……”


    Cami and I exchanged nces.


    Sigh.


    Simultaneously, deep sighs escaped both our lips.


    “What’s happening here….”


    “I guess we have no choice?”


    Even if the seven gods themselves descended, there was no way we could back out of this situation.


    “Well, fine. I wanted to test myself against you at least once.”


    Cami ignited with determination, pointing a crudely carved wooden sword at me.


    I chuckled, stood up, and picked up a nearby wooden sword.


    “We’re not using mana, right?”


    “Of course.”


    “…Alright.”


    If it’s a non-mana duel, there’s no need to measure the oue.


    ‘I’ll win, for sure.’


    It’s not that I’m underestimating Cami’s skills.


    Cami was talented enough to be considered a candidate for the next Saint’s Sword and was among the top ten swordsmen in the academy when it came to pure swordsmanship without magic.


    ‘But.’


    That’s all there is to it.


    No matter how exceptional her talent is, there’s no way she can beat me without using magic.


    I was confident in my arrogance.


    The gap between us was vast.


    ‘It has to be.’


    Over the past thousands of years.


    I haven’t run, but I’ve never stopped walking.


    No matter how distant the path ahead seemed, I’ve never looked back.


    Even if I wascking, inadequate, or clumsy.


    I’ve never let go of the sword in my hand.


    “Here Ie.”


    Cami quietly signaled the start of the fight.


    Boom!


    She charged at a speed far beyond what she showed against the children.


    sh! ng! Tatata!


    The wooden swords collided with a loud noise.


    Even without using magic, the sh between two superhumans with sacred marks was too fast for ordinary eyes to follow.


    “Wow, wow…!”


    “That’s insane!”


    “I can’t even see the swords!”


    Amid the children’s cheers, the duel continued.


    “Hah!”


    Her wooden sword sliced through the air with a fierce swing.


    As expected of the Saint’s Sword technique, the sword path was straightforward and simple, but finding an opening was extremely difficult due to its precision.


    ‘This is more than I expected.’


    Her skills were impressive, making me instinctively praise her.


    If there was ever a phrase that perfectly described being “faithful to the basics,” it would be this swordsmanship.


    It wasn’t shy, nor did it dazzle with finesse.


    But her sturdy sword strikes, executed without any unnecessary movements, conveyed the blood, sweat, and tears she had poured into her training.


    ‘However.’


    Her sword was still too light to bear the weight of the life embedded in mine.


    Whack!


    I parried Cami’s downward strike by raising my wooden sword, then closed the distance and rammed her with my shoulder.


    “Ugh…!”


    Cami slid back, struggling to keep her bnce.


    “You…”


    She breathed heavily, ring fiercely at me.


    “C-Cami’s getting pushed back!”


    “See! I told you the underdog would win!”


    The children buzzed with excitement at the unexpected turn of events.


    Cami’s eyes trembled as she nced back at them.


    Just then, a little girl watching the duel teared up and asked,


    “Big sister… are you losing?”


    “……”


    Cami steadied her breath and pointed her sword at me again.


    “Win.”


    Her voice was firm, and her eyes unwavering.


    I grinned and provocatively flicked my wooden sword.


    “Haaaah!”


    With a fierce battle cry, Cami charged at me once more.


    Her sword strikes, now even more ferocious than before, whipped through the air like a storm.


    And then...


    "Ugh!"


    Smack!


    Cami''s wooden sword struck mine, sending it flying.


    "...Huh?"


    Cami''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "Wooow!"


    "Big sis won!"


    "No wayyyy!"


    "How''s that, underdogs? Are youing to your senses now?"


    "Hand over the candy, quick!"


    The children cheered for Cami''s victory as if it were a festival.


    "......"


    However, the hero of their celebration stood there silently, her face stiff, gripping her sword tightly.


    Seeing her frozen like that, I clicked my tongue.


    ''Did she figure out I let her win?''


    I had tried to go easy on her from the beginning, so she wouldn’t notice, but it seems it was all in vain.


    ''But I couldn’t exactly knock Cami down here.''


    I might be a stranger who just arrived today, but to the children in the orphanage, Cami was a hero straight out of a fairy tale.


    She was their hero—one who must never be defeated or broken.


    There was no way I could beat her in front of the children.


    "Alright, everyone~ It''s almost time for lunch, so put down the candy for now~."


    "Eek."


    "Yes~!"


    "Hehe. Lunch today will be very special, so look forward to it!"


    "Special? What did you bring, Iris?"


    The children’s eyes sparkled like stars at the mention of a special lunch.


    Iris, puffing up with pride, swaggered over to me.


    "Mr. Dale, could you cook the ramen we bought earlier?"


    Ah.


    So that’s why she bought the ramen beforeing here.


    "If we''re going to feed everyone here, we''ll need a pretty big pot."


    "Don''t worry about that! We have a big pot we use for stews!"


    "Okay."


    I had already given the kids a visual treat, so now it was time to please their taste buds.


    "I''ll cook it perfectly, so just go rx."


    "No, I''ll help too."


    "Really? Then could you open the packets and put the seasoning in this bowl?"


    "Sure!"


    Iris eagerly offered to help, but there wasn''t much for her to do other than opening the packets in advance.


    After all, it was just instant ramen—boil water, add seasoning, toss in the noodles, and done.


    "......"


    "......"


    As we waited for the water in the pot to boil, a quiet silence settled over the kitchen.


    "...Mr. Dale."


    Iris broke the silence first.


    "You mentioned you were from an orphanage, right?"


    "Ah, yeah. Why?"


    "......"


    Iris hesitated momentarily, her lips parting slightly, before she turned her head to gaze out the window.


    Outside the window, the children were ying, unable to contain their joy.


    "Actually, before I became a ''saint,'' I also grew up in an orphanage."


    Iris looked at the children with a nostalgic gaze, as if reminiscing about the past.


    "The person who raised me back then was Father Antonio."


    "Ah."


    So that’s the small connection between them.


    ''Now that I think about it, the asional roughnguage from Iris might also...''


    It was likely because she grew up in an orphanage.


    Orphans often learn to use harshnguage as a means of self-defense.


    "And on my 10th birthday... I realized that my eyes held a special power."


    "Is that the ''Seven Eyes'' you showed me before?"


    "Yes."


    The mark of a saint, blessed by the Seven Gods.


    "After that, my life changedpletely. I could wear priestly robes made of fine fabric instead of shabby clothes, and I got a warm, spacious room instead of a cold, cramped one. Of course... in exchange, I had to give up my ''surname.''"


    "...You gave up your surname?"


    "I originally had the surname ''Flora.'' Father Antonio gave it to me, after myte mother''s name."


    But...


    "A saint is a ''child of God,'' so they are not allowed to have a surname."


    Therefore.


    She gave up her deceased mother''s name and became a child of God.


    "Even now, I sometimes wonder how my life would have turned out if I hadn''t had these eyes."


    There was a certain bitterness in Iris''s gaze as she spoke.


    "That’s..."


    "Hehe. It''s a rather indulgent thought, isn''t it? Thanks to these eyes, I was able to live afortable life without any effort or hardship."


    Iris smiled self-deprecatingly.


    "......"


    Once again, an awkward silence.


    I looked at Iris and asked softly.


    "...Is it alright for you to tell me something like this?"


    That the saint of the Holy Nation was actually an orphan.


    If this fact were to be known, it would surely tarnish the name of "Saint."


    "I trust you, Mr. Dale."


    Her answer was firm, without a hint of doubt.


    "......"


    How did shee to have such unwavering faith in me?


    I looked at her with a confused expression.


    Iris scratched her head with an awkward smile.


    “To be honest... I don''t really know why either. I know it sounds odd to say this now, but I''m not usually the type to trust others so easily.”


    But.


    “For some reason, when I see you, Dale... I feel like I''ve known you for a long time. How should I put it... To borrow an old-fashioned expression, it feels like we were connected in a past life or something.”


    "......!"


    “Oh, you don’t have to make that face, I know it sounds ridiculous.”


    Iris poked my cheek yfully with a mischievous smile.


    “Anyway, I’m only telling you this because I feel like I can trust you, so you better not tell anyone, okay?”


    “Ah, okay.”


    I nodded like a broken doll.


    “Alright then, the ramen’s almost ready, so I’ll go get the others!”


    She ran outside with a bright smile.


    "......"


    Left alone in the kitchen, I clenched my fist as I watched Iris through the window.


    ‘It hadn’t disappeared.’


    The time we spent together. The emotions we shared.


    I thought all of it had melted away like snowkes on my skin.


    ‘It had stayed.’


    Just like how droplets form where the snow melts away, memories had stayed in the ce where the recollection had vanished.


    “Dale! Bring the pot outside, please!”


    Iris''s voice called from outside.


    I barely managed to suppress the emotions that were about to overflow as I grabbed the pot and headed outside.


    * * *


    “This... is ramen?”


    “This is insane!”


    “It’s so good!”


    “Ugh... I''m jealous, Republic! We only ever eat greens!”


    As expected, the ramen was a big hit among the kids.


    The children were frantically devouring the ramen that had been served into bowls from the pot.


    “Heh heh. What’s so great about that unhealthy food that they’re making such a fuss...?”


    “Father Antonio, you should try some too.”


    Father Antonio, who had been watching the children eat the ramen with a displeased expression, picked up a few strands of ramen, took a bite, and quickly cleared his throat, scooping more ramen into his bowl in a hurry.


    While everyone was enjoying their lively lunch,


    "......"


    Cami alone stared at her empty bowl with a grim expression.


    I carefully sat down next to Cami.


    “Is this about earlier?”


    “...You.”


    “Sorry. I had no choice with the kids watching.”


    For her, not just as a candidate, but as a warrior, the notion that someone had purposely let her win must have been humiliating.


    “...No, it’s not your fault. It’s my ownck of skill.”


    Cami shook her head with a look of self-reproach.


    Telling her, ‘No, you’re strong enough,’ would onlye across as mockery.


    ‘In that case...’


    It’s better to go hard here.


    “So, are you just going to sulk like this because you lost once?”


    “That’s...!”


    “Wow, who knew the future sword of the Holy Kingdom could be so pathetic.”


    “Grr! Shut up!”


    Cami jumped up, pointing her chopsticks at me.


    “Just you wait! Next time, I’ll make sure you won’t even be able to say a word!”


    “Sure. I’ll be looking forward to it.”


    I chuckled as I watched Cami fume.


    “Oh, right! The sparring earlier between you and her was so cool!”


    “Yeah, totally!”


    “It was like watching heroes fight!”


    Seeing Cami and I together, the kids'' eyes lit up as they shouted.


    One mischievous-looking boy among them grinned at us.


    “By the way... Don’t you think you two kind of look good together?”


    “Huh? Really?”


    “You saw it during the fight earlier! They’re totally in sync!”


    “Now that you mention it... I think so too...”


    “You two are secretly dating, right? Aren’t you?”


    The boy, trying to tease us, persistently questioned us, attempting to link Cami and me together.


    “…Leo.”


    “Yeah? Iris, don’t you think so too?”


    “Heh heh.”


    Iris approached the boy called Leo and gently patted his head.


    “Can youe with me for a second?”


    “Huh? Why?”


    “Quickly.”


    She led Leo somewhere.


    After about five minutes,


    “I-I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think Cami and him match at all!”


    “Didn’t you say they did just a minute ago?”


    “N-no! They don’t match at all! If anything, Iris, you match better with him!”


    Leo shouted with a pale face, tears welling up in his eyes.


    I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the boy.


    ‘…Iris.’


    What on earth did you do to that poor kid?


    [Trantor - Night]


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