Chapter 63

─────────── 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Episode 13 - Community Service [3]

─────────────────────────────────

The next day, it was already Sunday morning.

We had returned to the orphanage again; yesterday, in truth, I didn’t do anything.

When I went to help the staff, they were already finishing everything, so I simply ended up doing nothing.

This time, the three of us came back to actually help.

An orphanage is always dirty every day because of the children, so there was a lot of work to do.

"And you two, you’ll go help. If I see you playing with the children..."

There was no need to continue. Rinna and Verónica nodded at the same time.

Yesterday, those two idiots didn’t do anything they were supposed to do.

Rinna was supposed to check all the children to see if they were sick.

Verónica was supposed to help the servants.

And I, of course, was supposed to help the staff with cleaning.

’Now that I think about it, can I really help with cleaning... I mean, I’m blind and I won’t know if I left things properly clean, right?’

The thought crossed my mind for a second before I shook my head.

I was already starting with excuses.

Finally, each of us went to do what we had to do.

After walking for a bit, I arrived at a small garden.

There were flowers of all kinds: large, medium, and small.

Some peach trees and others probably of some striking color, though I didn’t know which.

’So, what can a blind person like me do?’

They had guided me to this place, telling me to take care of trimming some bushes and the lawn.

Since I had explained that I am a first-year Rank 1 swordsman, they gave me this task.

So I used my senses; then, using my vision, white lines outlined the place in detail.

’Well, this will be quick.’

I unsheathed my sword and, in a second, moved it with fluid motions, cutting the uneven bushes at perfect angles.

Next came the lawn, and after a few seconds, I stopped.

I let out a sigh and smiled.

"This is fine."

Honestly, it would be embarrassing for a swordsman to use a Mythic Rank sword to trim the lawn and some bushes.

’Well, this makes it easier.’

Tilting my head, I turned around, and at that exact moment, my ears picked up something.

Instantly, I vanished from my original spot and appeared beneath a fairly large peach tree.

I raised my head, and there she was, falling from a branch, a girl I recognized instantly.

I extended my arms and soon caught her.

I lowered my head and smiled calmly.

"You shouldn’t climb such tall trees; it could be dangerous."

I bent down and set the girl on the ground; then I gave a small jump and grabbed one of the peaches.

Then I handed it to the girl.

"You wanted one of these, didn’t you?"

Just like yesterday, she said nothing and didn’t take the peach either.

’Maybe I was mistaken; perhaps she was just climbing the tree for fun.’

Then the girl took the peach from my hand, lifted her head, and stared at me.

Finally, she opened her small mouth and said:

"... Thank you."

Then she sat on the ground, leaning her back against the tree trunk.

I stayed still for a second before saying:

"You’re welcome. So, will you tell me your name? I’m Adel, and you?"

Honestly, I shouldn’t be talking to this girl.

Because of the words from the orphanage director yesterday.

If she remembered me and then I didn’t come back, she would probably distrust people even more.

And that would make me, in a way, guilty.

She’s still just a child, and shattering her small hope that I would return would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Then the girl said:

"Astrid."

I nodded.

"So, Astrid, you shouldn’t climb such a tall tree without adult supervision. You could get hurt next time, you know?"

At my scolding, she paused and looked at me. Then she said:

"I’ve fallen many times before."

I opened my mouth, but she continued:

"And I like being alone."

I closed my mouth and said nothing more; instead, I briefly focused on her emotions, then sighed.

"Really? Well, I don’t believe you."

Then I sat in front of her, crossed my arms, and continued:

"I really don’t believe you at all."

She tilted her head for a moment, then brought the peach to her mouth and took a bite.

’She ignored me just like that.’

She looked at me as if I were some kind of spectacle; her eyes watched me without blinking.

I smiled when I saw this. Does she have a talent for seeing everything as if it were a show?

"You won’t say anything."

She blinked and, after a second, finally opened her mouth and said:

"No."

"..."

"Why?"

"I don’t want to."

"What... but I’m just reminding you, and if you get hurt next time..."

"I don’t care."

"..."

This girl is really stubborn. Even so, I couldn’t help but think:

’She’s doing it on purpose, right?’

That had to be it; otherwise, why were her emotions tinged with amusement?

Seeing this, I smiled and said:

"You’re laughing on the inside, aren’t you?"

Her hands stopped halfway as she was about to take another bite of the peach.

Noticing this, I smiled softly.

"See, even if I can’t see, I can guess that you’re laughing at me, right?"

She finally took another bite of the peach.

After swallowing, she replied:

"I’m not laughing."

I crossed my arms even more and said:

"Oh, really? Then prove it."

She fell silent.

For a moment, Astrid simply stared at me without saying absolutely anything.

The wind blew softly through the branches of the peach tree, causing a few leaves to fall onto the freshly cut grass.

Then she slowly looked away and took another small bite of the peach.

"... I don’t want to."

"You can’t deny it because you were laughing."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Then admit it."

She frowned slightly as she held the peach with both hands.

"You’re annoying."

"Thanks."

"... That wasn’t a compliment."

"I’ll take it as one."

Astrid remained silent for a few more seconds before letting out a small, restrained laugh.

It was barely a soft and brief sound, but it was clearly a laugh.

Hearing it, I smiled with satisfaction and slightly lifted my head.

"I knew it."

She opened her eyes a bit wider as she realized she had been caught.

Then she quickly put a serious expression back on her face.

"I didn’t laugh."

"Sure."

"Really."

"Of course."

Astrid puffed her cheeks slightly before muttering something incomprehensible under her breath.

This girl was definitely more expressive than she tried to appear.

The atmosphere fell silent again, although this time it wasn’t uncomfortable.

I could hear some children playing in the distance, the footsteps of staff moving around the orphanage, and the constant rustling of leaves.

Then Astrid spoke suddenly.

"Are you really blind?"

The question came out so directly that it even surprised me a little.

Even so, I answered calmly.

"Yes."

"But you caught me when I fell."

"I got lucky."

"That wasn’t luck."

"Then I’m amazing, right?"

She fell silent again for a few seconds.

"... A little."

I couldn’t help but laugh softly at such a serious response.

"Wow, thanks for the generous evaluation."

Astrid tilted her head slightly.

"What does evaluation mean?"

"It means you rated me."

"Oh."

Then she went back to slowly biting into the peach.

She seemed to think a lot before speaking, as if she wasn’t used to talking with other people.

Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to do so normally.

Finally, I let out a sigh and stood up from the ground.

"Well, I have to help the others."

I briefly stretched my arms, then looked at Astrid’s emotions.

"..."

A long sigh escaped my lips, and then I said something I really shouldn’t have said.

"I’ll come back next weekend, and the one after that, and then the next..."

I stopped myself quickly. I shouldn’t be making promises to a girl who will clearly think this will be our last conversation.

Her emotions had been joyful this whole time, enjoying talking with me.

But honestly, I wasn’t sure if I would come back.

’It’s not that I don’t want to, but who knows if something might happen to me, right?’

But before I could even say anything, I saw the conflicting emotions in her and regretted having said those words, but then.

"It’s a promise."

Unconsciously, I replied:

"Yes, it’s a promise."

She looked at my face so intently that her emotions intensified, but before saying anything else, she stood up from the ground and extended her hand, closed her fist, and then showed her pinky.

"Then it’s a promise."

She pressed her lips into a thin line while her hand trembled slightly.

"..."

I remained silent for a second before raising my hand, bending down a little, and hooking my pinky with hers.

"Yes, it is a promise." (Image)

I gently ruffled her hair and said:

"See you later, little Astrid."

I turned around and walked toward the garden exit.

I could feel her gaze on my back and, at the same time, my master’s voice said:

〖Seriously, is it okay to make a promise without knowing if you’ll return?〗

In response to those words, I didn’t say anything immediately.

〖You know that a promise to a child her age is far more important〗

With a sigh, I replied:

"Actually, I said it unconsciously, but..."

I paused as I walked through the orphanage hallways.

When I reached a certain spot, I stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and then let it out.

"I’ll keep it. I’ll come whenever I can, and if I don’t... then I won’t be any different from the worst villain that exists."

My master didn’t say anything, so I kept walking, and eventually the day came to an end.