"You know... that's not the most appropriate way to introduce someone"
I said in a clear tone of reproach. Nevertheless, Fujiwara gave me a playful look while sticking out her tongue slightly. Seeing that, I could only sigh. I wasn't really surprised, considering she was that kind of person. Anyway, I decided to introduce myself again.
"I'm Makoto, nice to meet you all"
I said, my eyes discreetly fixed on Leona, who still looked at me relatively surprised. Of course, my gaze hadn't been that discreet, as I could tell she noticed.
"I understand. My name is Carmen. I'm the owner of this humble orphanage. Though I can't offer much, I hope you'll feel comfortable while you're here"
Said the woman, whom I now knew as Carmen. Furthermore, her words sounded genuinely polite. She gave off the impression of a benevolent woman willing to sacrifice for others, at least that was my first impression of her.
"Thank you for your words; however, I'm here mainly because of Fujiwara. Lately, she has been going out frequently, and whenever I asked what she was doing during those outings, she would dodge the question. It got me worried, as I started to think something might have happened"
Listening to my words, Carmen let out a laugh while glancing at Fujiwara, who was still clinging to me. Then, her eyes settled on a painting depicting a Demi-human, and a nostalgic expression lit up her face, accompanied by a genuine smile.
"You two really have a great relationship, don't you? It reminded me of my husband, who has now returned to be with Felrotha-sama"
Upon hearing her words, a chuckle escaped my lips as I cast a sidelong glance at Fujiwara, displaying a playful smile on my face.
"I wonder about that"
However, the mere fact that she mentioned the Demi-human goddess intrigued me. Well, this was a world of magic and gods; was there such a thing as an afterlife? Honestly, I didn't have a clear answer to that question, but at the same time, I felt it would be impolite of me to ask. So, I decided to keep that thought to myself and focused on the main topic.
"Anyway, who was that man we saw earlier? He didn't seem very friendly"
As soon as I uttered those words, the room fell silent for a while. Somehow, it seemed like Fujiwara also knew who that man was. Honestly, I wasn't so surprised by that. Since I arrived in Anima, I hadn't made much effort to learn more about this realm. It's not that I'm avoiding it, it's just that the opportunity hasn't arisen for me to explore more deeply.
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"That was Lord Darian, one of Anima's nobles and possibly Leona-sama's future fiancé"
Upon hearing this, I discreetly turned my gaze toward Leona and noticed she was looking down with a shy expression on her face. I confess I wondered if she wasn't making it too obvious who she was by acting this way, but I decided to push that thought aside. However, something Carmen said caught my attention.
"What do you mean by “possibly”? I thought it was already confirmed that he would be her fiancé, at least that's what I heard"
I said. Upon hearing my words, Carmen nodded slightly and turned her gaze back to me, displaying a warm smile on her face.
"It's true that he is currently Leona-sama's fiancé, but that could change by the end of the month. If any warrior manages to defeat Darian in a battle, he could marry Leona-sama in his place"
As she spoke, for some reason, Carmen's eyes shimmered peculiarly as she watched me. I was intrigued by this expression, feeling as if she were making a silent plea. This suspicion was confirmed when her eyes turned to Leona, and a discreet smile quickly vanished from her face, as fast as it appeared. At that moment, I was certain Carmen knew who she really was.
Fujiwara, who was behind me, was now sitting at the table, savoring a sweet treat that I didn't even notice when she picked it up.
"I can't stand that guy. He's really unpleasant. Since we started coming to this place, he has been showing up more often, and his stares are truly disturbing"
She said. Upon hearing this, Carmen let out a laugh but said nothing more. She then invited me to take a tour of the orphanage, where I was formally introduced to the children. Carmen introduced me as Fujiwara's partner, and all the children seemed interested in getting to know me.
Especially the boys, for some reason, insisted on challenging me to duels with Fujiwara's hand as the prize. I ended up accepting all the challenges and won them all, of course. However, you would be surprised at the strength of these boys. Or rather, an ordinary adult would probably lose to them.
The funny part was that after defeating all the boys, the girls started following me around. Interestingly, I noticed their cheeks blushing when they looked at me. In the end, I spent most of the day playing with the children as the night approached.
"Honestly, I thought of various places you could visit, but I never imagined you would come directly to an orphanage"
I confessed. Hearing my words, she chuckled and turned her gaze to the moon rising on the horizon.
"Did I surprise you? To be honest, I spent a good part of my life growing up in an orphanage with my younger sister"
She said. Hearing that, I raised an eyebrow and looked at Fujiwara. Honestly, I had never heard much about her personal life. Furthermore, her words reminded me that many people probably left their families behind in the old world. To be honest, I had no family left, so I didn't give it much thought.
"My parents separated as soon as my sister was born. My mother fell into depression and couldn't work anymore. Because of that, we ended up in an orphanage. My sister has always been fragile since birth, and her medicines were expensive. I worked various jobs, but none of them paid well. In the end, I had no choice but to use my body to make money... Although, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't help much, since my sister died three weeks before we ended up in this place"