"Wait, little Geling."

As Ogre wrapped his scarf and donned his thick cloak, Mima called out to him.

"Put this on."

Mima handed him a pair of thick cotton tights.

The weather had turned chilly, and she was worried about the little girl's legs getting cold—it's fine for young girls to want to look pretty, but not at the expense of their health.

If Ogre knew what Mima was thinking, he would probably find it amusing—he had no desire to wear those tight white stockings.

If he had a choice, he'd prefer his leather pants sewn with Demon Swamp Crocodile skin.

"Miss Geling, put them on. It's not good to catch a cold. I'll wait for you outside."

Although Macal preferred Ogre in white stockings, he supported Aunt Mima for the sake of 'Miss Geling's' health.

"What a pity, such a pretty girl has to be hidden."

Maggie had always wanted to pinch Ogre's cheeks—to see if that dewy skin was really as soft as it looked.

But considering that it seemed too much like bullying, Maggie restrained her odd desire.

"If only I were half as pretty."

Maggie looked at her calloused hands from sword practice and sighed quietly.

If she had to choose between strength and beauty in the end.

She would still choose strength.

She would never allow her family to be hurt again.

"Go on, little Geling, Dawn will watch over you."

Mima adjusted Ogre's scarf, pulled up the hood of the thick cloak, and then smiled as she watched Ogre leave.

"Safe travels."

Maggie waved at Ogre as well.

After spending a day together, she had completely let her guard down around this simple, naive girl.

If she didn't want to interrupt Macal's 'date,' she would have liked to escort them all the way.

Watching Mima's family see him off, Ogre felt a strange stir in his heart.

'It's a pity, I've deceived you all...' Under the cover of the scarf, a wry smile appeared on Ogre's lips.

'What is evil, Father...' Young Ogre once asked his father that question.

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'Those who are indifferent to kindness, I suppose, are evil...' Father had replied.

'Then, Dad, is this world evil or good?' Young Ogre asked again, puzzled.

Because he always heard his father teaching him that the outside world was dangerous...

So, this world should be evil, right?

'Before I met you, this world was evil, but after I met you... to me, the world is good—Ogre, you are the greatest kindness the world has shown me.'

That was Father's answer.

Very hard to understand, very hard to understand...

Even now, Ogre couldn't comprehend it...

The world isn't just black and white, but sometimes, it can be defined.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Miss Geling." Macal shouldered his large bag, waved, and then set off with Ogre on their journey to the town.

'Better keep up this lie...' Ogre thought to himself.

……

"Brother Macal!"

As Macal led Ogre towards the carriage station, a young girl suddenly called out to him.

"Eve... why are you here?" Macal clearly knew this girl.

'What's going on?' Ogre, with most of his face hidden under the cloak and scarf, blinked innocently.

He could roughly guess what was happening.

"I came specifically to find you, Brother Macal..." Eve blushed, wanting to say something, but then noticed that the figure wrapped in a scarf and thick cloak wasn't Maggie, but another girl.

Even though only her eyes were visible, Eve could clearly sense Macal's concern for this unknown girl.

"What's wrong, Eve?"

Macal assumed Eve's red face was from the cold wind, so he was puzzled by her sudden appearance.

"Who is she..." Eve hadn't expected that in just a few days, another bad girl would come looking for her beloved Brother Macal.

"Oh, oh, oh, I forgot to introduce you. Eve, this is Miss Geling, a nun from Notabond City's Church of Dawn. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I'm temporarily responsible for her safety and daily needs."

After introducing Ogre to Eve, Macal then belatedly introduced Eve to Ogre: "Miss Geling, this is Eve, a childhood friend from my village. We haven't seen much of each other since she went to study at the Church of Dawn, but in my heart, she's like another sister to me."

'It doesn't seem as simple as just a sister...' Ogre quietly moved a little further away from Macal.

"I'm Eve, um, nice to meet you, Brother Geling." Eve, hearing Macal's introduction, sighed in relief and extended her small hand to Ogre.

"Mm..." Ogre responded with a hum, intending to go through the motions and shake her hand.

To his surprise, his indifferent attitude made Eve frown.

"Are all people from Notabond City this rude?" After shaking hands, Eve clearly had a bit of an attitude.

Ogre: "..."

Are people from the village always this temperamental now?

"Huh?" Macal, realizing his oversight, remembered that he hadn't explained Miss Geling's situation to Eve.

"It's not like that, Eve. Miss Geling has a problem with her voice, so..."

Macal didn't finish his sentence, but anyone could understand the implication.

"Huh?" Eve withdrew her hand, looking embarrassed, and then, as if realizing something, she bowed deeply to Ogre: "I'm sorry, Brother Geling, I was too rash."

Ogre could only feel a headache over this.

He didn't want to get involved in this mess; he just wanted to use this identity to quietly avoid all the chaos and then return.

"No... no, problem..."

But since things had come to this, Ogre could only play the role he was supposed to.

Never again would he try to be clever with such a stupid idea...

"I'm really sorry..."

Eve's guilt deepened as she watched Ogre struggle to speak.

Even though it was Macal's fault, she was the one who had spoken harshly.

"Alright, Eve, Miss Geling doesn't mind at all. It's my fault, really. Look at me..." Macal patted his head, then asked Eve, "By the way, Eve, what did you come to find me for?"

Ogre silently stepped aside to give them space.

Eve glanced at Ogre, then at Macal, and finally swallowed her words...

She felt like she had come at the wrong time.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see Brother Carl..." Looking at Ogre stepping aside, Eve also sighed in relief.

'Thank goodness, she doesn't seem to be one of those bad city women. Brother Carl should still be mine...' Eve didn't think Macal would fall for someone who was half-mute.

Look at herself, she was clearly better than the other girl.

For example, her height, her figure... and she was Brother Carl's childhood friend, so she was clearly the winner.

"Sigh, it's my fault for forgetting, but I really have things to do today—how about this, after I'm done, I'll take you to Aunt Mima's, and we can have a good chat."

Macal didn't think much of it.

In his mind, Eve was still the tomboy who used to follow him around.

Even though she had changed a bit when they met later, their friendship remained.

"Huh? Isn't that a bit too soon..." Eve turned her head, blushing.

Meeting the family already? Wasn't that a bit fast?

"Haha, there's nothing wrong with it. It's settled then. See you tonight, Eve. I'm taking Miss Geling to the town."

Macal laughed heartily, then prepared to take Ogre to the carriage station to rent a carriage.

The road from the village to the town wasn't too long or too short.

There wasn't much danger to worry about; he was just concerned that Geling's feet wouldn't be able to handle it.

So he decided it was better to rent a carriage.

"Okay..." Eve lowered her head, and when she looked up again, she saw that Macal had already walked a distance with Ogre.

Eve: "Huh?"

It wasn't quite what she had imagined.

"Go back and wait for me, Eve." Macal waved his hand and didn't look back.

"Darn it... I'll definitely seize the opportunity next time." Eve stomped her foot in frustration.

She thought Macal was perfect, except for being a bit dense.

"Forget it, I'll go ask Maggie..."

……

"What? Miss Geling, are you saying Eve likes me?" Macal took the paper Ogre handed him, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Mm..." Ogre nodded seriously.

If he could, he wouldn't want to get involved in this mess either, but for his own peace of mind, he decided to play matchmaker this time.

But Macal decisively shook his head, muttering to himself, "Impossible, absolutely impossible, how could Eve like me..."