With my pay safe and secure, I returned to the receptionist counter.
"Oh welcome back Scarlet. Are you thinking about taking a second request today? Even though you're so strong, I do recommend you take the rest of the day off and rest. Even strong adventurers might be taken down by weak monsters if they don't rest properly."
Once again she gave me good advice. Fortunately, I had no intention on pushing myself to do more than I had to, but I had pushed myself pretty hard at times in the dungeon. I should remember this when I went back home.
"Ah no. I want to use the library."
"Oh, in that case, follow me."
She got up and I followed her through the back entrance and up the stairs, down the familiar hall to the library entrance. She opened the door for me, and I passed through, giving a nod to the man who was virtually a librarian. He only gave me a glance before turning back to his pile of wooden planks. Not even a 'hrmph' came out of his lips.
All the receptionist and I could do was give each other a wry smile before I turned to the shelves and started reading again.
Randomly picking up slate after tablet after stray parchment, most of them were things of little importance to me. From the local history (or rather the local lord's family history), to stray but unsubstantiated theories about how stone mole colonies form, and even synopsis of yet another hero who sounded more like the church's hit man than the protector of the people.
Maybe I had just developed some jaded preconceptions about heroes ever since Alicia often spoke of that one in her stories about Scarlet in such disdain. That was just one guy, and everyone made mistakes. His was just particularly bad.
Then again, there was the saying that the road to evil was paved in good intentions.
Actually, I needed to be particularly careful on that end. I've thought I've been doing a lot of good deeds, but I hadn't really put any thought into any of them. It was possible that the consequences of my actions would be quite different from what I had intended. I may even end up doing something really bad with the assumption that it was for the betterment of the people.
I needed to spend more time thinking about my actions, and the orphanage was a pretty good place to start. Realistically, no matter how much I donated to it, it wouldn't mean much the moment I left this city, as it would become pretty difficult to continue giving donations.
Not only that, but my donations would likely be pretty unreliable in the first place. And if people thought that the orphanage was doing better because of my donations, others might consider reducing their donations even if the orphanage desperately needed them.
The end result would be that my own actions would've made things worse for those kids rather than better.
A cold stone formed in the pit of my stomach as I thought about this problem.
The more I interacted with that orphanage, the more I was responsible for it and the kids it cared for. But I couldn't stay here forever. Hell, I probably wouldn't stay in this city for more than a few more days. I already had plenty of travelling funds and there didn't seem to be much interesting to see here.
But not doing something to help secure the orphanage's future left a bad taste in my mouth. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if my good intentions turned out for the worse for the orphanage. I needed to do something that would help them in the long term.
The orphanage needed a reliable source of money or goods. For that, they needed a reliable patron, or a way to earn money.
But nothing really came to mind. There really wasn't any way for an orphanage to make money, and I hardly knew anything about this world outside of the dungeon I called home.
It was hopeless.
I really had no way to help the orphanage in the long term.
All I could do was clench my teeth as the cold knot hardened in my stomach.
"Hey, are you alright Scarlet?"
I turned and looked up. The receptionist was standing there looking worried.
"Huh?"
"Is something the matter? You don't look well."
"I, uhh..."
My eyes fell to the ground.
Was it right to burden her with my troubles? We hardly knew each other and our relationship was entirely professional.
"If there's something troubling you, at the very least I could listen to it."
(Was she trying to be considerate?)
"Umm...what if...you intended on doing something good, but the results of helping someone might've made their situation worse in the long term...?"
"I'm...not quite sure what you're trying to say."
"Ummm...what I mean is, I helped some people, but what if helping them might make things worse later on?"
"Are you saying you're sure it'll become worse?"
"No, but they need continuous help, and the more I help, the more likely things will go bad in the future"
"That's a really difficult problem. You want to help them, right?"
I nodded.
"I don't think there's anything wrong about that, but you're sure that things will become bad if you keep doing so?"
"Not completely, but pretty sure. And I can't keep helping if I leave the city"
"Well, you're an adventurer, and it's common to keep moving around. Though I'd miss having you around..."
"Huh?"
"A, anyways, you want to make sure that they can do alright even when you can't help them anymore, right?"
I nodded again.
"Then the answer's simple. Help them help themselves. Once they can help themselves, they won't need your help anymore"
"'Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime' huh?"
"That's a pretty good line. But yea, something like that."
(But how do you make an orphanage self sufficient?)
"Did you...already think that far?"
After a moment of hesitation, I nodded for the third time.
"Well, maybe it's a problem about what type of help they need? Everyone can find a way to stand on their own two feet. If they don't have two feet, then you just need to give them a second foot, even if it's made from wood."
"Everyone? Even kids?"
"This is about children? Well, I suppose it depends on how young they are, but I helped out sewing with my mother when I was six, so as long as you're not talking about children much younger than that, then there's probably a way. I mean, I imagine you started fighting even younger than that."
I got my first kill on the first day of my life, but I was hardly a good point of comparison as I not only spawned just big as I currently was, but I kept the 30 odd years of memories from my last life. But all I could give her was a blank stare. I was worried anything else would reveal more than I was willing to let out.
"Well, I don't know what those children are able to do, but don't look down on them just because they're young. In many families, even a six year old is expected to help bring in some money for the family, so maybe you can find a way for those children to stand on their own?"
"I...I think I'll try. Thanks."
I gave her a smile and extended my hand.
"It's no problem. If it's only this much, I don't mind listening to as many of your troubles as you want, Scarlet. It's certainly better than being hit on constantly by bored adventurers."
The latter bit she turned her head and only whispered, but I heard it clearly. I supposed women really did have to deal with that sort of problems even in this world.
(Wait, I'm a woman too. Am I going to have to deal with that at some point?)
The cold realization made me feel insecure. Not only that, but it made me realize that not only was that likely in my future, it had already happened to me in the last village. I wasn't sure how I would have to deal with it if that problem continued to crop up.
"Thanks. I might just take you up on your offer...ah!"
"Is there something else you want to ask?"
"..."
It was embarrassing, but if I didn't ask here, it could easily turn into a bigger issue down the line.
"Ummm...I don't know your name."
"Ah, I never mentioned it? Sorry. It's Lucy. Lucy Tileoger."
"I'm Scarlet, as you already know."
I clasped her outstretched hand and smiled.
After that, I left the guild building. The library was already closed and the rest of the building was preparing for the evening.
Since I was done there, I headed straight towards the orphanage. I still had no idea how to solve their problem, but at the very least I could help out in smaller ways in the meantime.
"Miss Scarlet!"
"You came again!"
A pair of the orphanage's kids were playing on the street and greeted me as I approached.
"Hey, you guys doing alright?"
I patted them on the head.
"We are! Did you come to play again?"
The first kid asked immediately. He had small, round ears on top of his head and a stubby little tail that was barely more than a pompom. His eyes half closed as I rubbed his short, black hair.
"Or maybe make dinner again?"
The second's eyes sparkled at me, practically ignoring how my hand moved. Despite being shorter than his buddy, this kid was much more horizontally built and there were a handful of lonely strands growing from his chin.
"Haha. I wonder which one you guys are hoping for the most?"
The two kids looked at each other for a second before answering me with with a full-faced grin.
""Both!""
(Cheeky little...)
After a short moment, the two grabbed my hands and lead me inside the building.
"Hey! Look who we found!"
The taller of the two boys opened the door wide, but just as I thought it would slam into the wall, he made sure to have a firm grip to stop it from being damaged.
"It's Scarlet!"
"You came again!"
"Yay! Did you come to play?"
"Are you going to make dinner again?"
Almost in an instant, I was swarmed by the kids before I could take a second step into the lobby. In all their excitement, I wasn't able to respond as they rapid fired their questions and statements one after the next. But a change happened that made it even more difficult for me to answer.
"Those furs on the beds! Were they yours?!"
"Yea! They're so soft and warm!"
"And the window shutters too!"
"And the doors don't creak anymore!"
"And the cracks in the walls are gone!"
"Was that all you?"
"It was amazing!"
"Everyone, what do you say when someone gives you something?"
Like a final nail in the coffin, what would normally be words one would welcome felt more like the biggest attack when I was already being overwhelmed.
"""Thank you Scarlet!!!"""
Everyone yelled so loud I bet that the neighbours could make out the words. The fact that the front door was still open only made things worse.
"That's right. Thank you very much Miss Scarlet for everything you had done yesterday. Don't think that you can get away without being properly thanked"
(Was it me, or was that a threat?)
The kids all huddled around me, the closest grabbing at my robes and pulling me deeper into the building. While they were expressing their happiness and excitement with how they pulled at me, from my perspective, I couldn't help but feel like an insect caught in a spider net.
In the end, it wasn't as bad as I was fearing, though I knew that it wasn't like the kids were going to eat me or something. Instead, they sat me down and brought me all sorts of gifts that they scrounged up or made during the day. From freshly picked flowers to hand fulls of berries, I was practically buried in them as I did my best to hold them without dropping any.
"So how does the heartfelt thanks of everyone in the orphanage feel?"
(Overbearing)
But it wasn't like I could actually say that. The directer figuratively looked down at me with a smug expression despite her head barely peeking out from behind the shorter of the orphans. If any of the older kids were in front of her, the view of her would've been blocked entirely.
"I can feel everyone's warmth firmly in my chest"
My smile cramped up.
"Well anyways, everyone, if you stick so closely to Miss Scarlet, she won't be able to do what she came for"
With her words, I was finally given some reprieve as the kids made some space around me.
"Considering the time, I suppose you came to make dinner again?"
"Yea."
I gave her a nod, and subsequently stiffened for a moment as the kids all cheered loudly.
After getting some help to put all the gifts into my bag, I made way to the kitchen and started on the day's dish. Considering the number of mouths, soups and stews really were the best option as there weren't any woks to make stir fry with.
But to change things up, I went with meat from a large bird monster called a Roc, mixed in with potatoes, onions, and broccoli, all boiled in a thick, white soup heavy in goat's milk and goat butter.
As I tried to get away after serving everyone's share, the director grabbed my arm and made me sit down despite my protests.
"Now now, you've already done so much work and given us so many things. You should at least take a break while the children enjoy your meal, right?"
"Ah, but..."
"Everyone, what do you say to Miss Scarlet?"
"""Thank you for the food!!!"""
Without me getting a chance to say anything, Philia firmly held me down, preventing me from escaping.
"Even if you don't need to eat, isn't it good to take some time and enjoy the smiles that your food brings?"
Unable to do resist, my eyes wandered as the surprisingly strong-willed woman continued to talk into my ear quietly. Around me, all the kids had huge grins as they quickly ate as if they were worried it would disappear before their eyes.
"Yum!"
"It's so good!"
"I love it!"
Everything that came out of their mouths were words of praise, and nothing but pure joy was on their expressions.
(Actually, this is kinda nice)
It wasn't like I didn't know that being praised for the work you do felt good, but ever since coming to this world, I had only done things for myself and Alicia. Alicia was my sister, so it was a given to make her as happy as I could, and it was also a given that I'd be happy whenever she was smiling.
I had done good things for others, but I hadn't once stopped to see the results properly.
(Maybe I should do that more often?)
"Scarlet! Scarlet! Won't you play with us?"
As I was enjoying the warm feeling in my chest a small group of kids rushed up to me.
"Oh? You guys done already?"
"We are! Thank you very much!"
"So will you play with us?"
"Hmm..."
As I looked around the room, it felt like as the rest of the kids noticed what was going on, they all increased their eating pace by a few steps. This could become a problem.
"How about something a little different until everyone's finished eating?"
"Like what?"
"Not playing?"
"Hmm..."
"How about a story? That way the children eating can also listen"
For once, Philia came to actually save my ass rather than scorch it.
"Sounds good. Story time then"
"Story!"
"Yay!"
Thankfully, the other kids slowed down, made their slurping quieter, and perked their ears in anticipation.
"'I love you, Suzu!' 'Thank you for loving me', she responded again. 'Please don't disappear Suzu! Suzu!' He yelled, holding her even more tightly. 'Thank you so much, for giving me your life.' As she said those words, her soul disappeared from the afterlife, returning to the reincarnation cycle, leaving Izuru behind as he cried, calling out for Suzu's name, over and over, but she was no longer in that world."
I opened my eyes, gazing at the ceiling. Tears were running down my cheeks, just like every time I saw that scene of that show from so many years ago. But after taking the time to stabilize my breathing, I continued the story.
"Days, weeks, perhaps months or even years later Izuru was able to..."
Whack!
Something hit the side of my head. It didn't hurt, but the sudden impact bent my neck a good 45 degrees. When I looked back, I saw the director staring at me, her face somewhere between pensive and frustrated...maybe?
I couldn't really read her expression very well, but there were tears running down her face.
"You...! What are you doing telling such a story to little children?!"
"Huh?"
I looked around. All the kids had long finished eating and were all looking my way, but there were tears running down their faces, and all of them looked like they were holding something furious back.
"Umm..."
"""Waaaahhhh~~~~!!!"""
But as I was trying to figure out what was wrong, they all burst out crying, practically in unison.
"Ah...wait...that's...!"
I didn't think they'd cry so hard from that story. Sure, I had tears running down my face, like pretty much every time I saw that scene, but I didn't think my poor retelling of that show's story would make the entire room of kids cry. Not only them, but the directer was pretty obviously holding back from crying herself.
(Was it that effective?)
But before that, I needed to calm all the kids down.
"Umm, the, the thing is...ummm...."
But I was drawing blanks, and the more the kids cried, the more flustered I became. It was one thing to deal with a kid one-on-one, but another to deal with a large group of them.
"You fool! So? What happened next Scarlet? I'm sure that the story doesn't end there, right?"
"Umm...that's right! Everyone! Calm down. There's still more to the story! But I can't tell it while everyone's crying!"
I wasn't finished telling the story, but I was interrupted before I could continue.
"See? Everyone, there's more! Even after little Suzu and Izuru were separated, there's more to the story!"
The director's strong, almost booming voice redirected all the kids' attention to her, and they managed to calm down enough to hear her words. But almost in unison, their eyes turned to me, filled with expectation beyond any level I had ever seen.
gulp
It felt like this was my only chance at salvation, but all I had was one, short scene after the ending credits. Since it was a show, it was a wordless almost entirely visual-based epilogue, but I had to somehow portray it in words in a way that everyone here would find satisfying.
The weight of this tension was heavier than facing any boss in the dungeon back home.
"Umm...anyways. Long, long, later, Izuru reincarnated in another world. He grew up, his memories of his time in the afterlife erased, his previous life gone. But he still felt that something was wrong. Something was missing. One day, as he was idly walking through the streets, he walked past a girl. She was an unremarkable girl. No different from any of the dozens he passed the last few minutes. But still, he turned and stopped. It wasn't because of what she was wearing, or for how she had her hair up. He stopped, because she was humming a tune. One he recognized, but couldn't remember from where. And when he gazed into her eyes, he felt that the thing he was missing all his life, that thing that was wrong for as long as he could remember, was right there.
Unable to hold back, he approached that girl.
The end."
The entire room was quiet. Everyone was staring at me so hard I thought that they'd bore a hole right through me.
Clap...clap...clap
To my side, the director was clapping slowly. Not a condescending golf clap, but a proper one. She had a gentle smile, but there were tears building up at the edge of her eyes.
"I see. So they were able to meet up again in the next life is it? How wonderful."
Clap clap clap clap clap
More and more hands started to clap, and it spread throughout the room. The kids no longer looked pensive, but large grins burst onto their faces.
In the end, I needed some help from Philia, but I succeeded, it seemed. The tension in my shoulders disappeared all at once, but for appearance's sake, I continued to sit up straight.
Ninetailed_Furball
Thank you everyone for your outpouring of support. I'll be careful about burnout for sure. You're not the only ones who want to see this story through to the end ^_^
The comments on the previous chapter were simply amazing, and I enjoyed every moment of reading them. I do hope that some of the things a portion of readers have had trouble accepting would be things I can improve on in the future, and wholeheartedly welcome criticism like that.
That said, I have made a change to the bloodsucking line in the previous chapter, as I felt I had neglected a detail even though nobody had pointed it out. Well, more world building for me then XD
Well, more important than that though, I realized that I had neglected to do the most important thing in my previous chapter note. And that was to thank all of you readers who had pointed out errors in my story, from the small ones to the big. Every contribution helps tremendously to improve the quality of my work, and I appreciate every little bit of it.
I've done my best to give personal thanks in the comments, but that's hardly enough, so I wanted to collectively thank you all here, and hope I'll see more and more "fix this you !" posts as you continue to whip my butt in the black leather.
I kid. Keep it PG at the very least.
Once again, I'm thankful to have so many great readers, and hope you'll continue to enjoy my story as much as I enjoy writing it
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