“This way.”
We walked away from the dining hall, where the children had been eating, into a hallway. Sig-san was holding onto my hand as we walked down the hallway.
“Allan already went to call him so I’m sure the old man is already in the parlor. Well, there’s no need for you to worry or anything. He’s no different than any other normal old man.”
“Even if you say so….”
Sig-san nonchalantly told me not to worry but since he was the closest parental figure to Sig-san, of course I’d feel nervous.
I wonder what kind of person he is…
“I’ve never met him before so I’m also curious to know what kind of person he is~ If I’m not wrong, he retired 25 years ago?~”
Chris-san, who was walking behind us, told us that he had never met him either but at least Chris-san had more knowledge than me. Chris-san asked Sig-san to be sure.
“You’re right about his retirement. Even though he was still young, he decided to completely retire and then went on to build an orphanage.”
“Yeah. He was going to a village that had been attacked by monsters when he was still a knight and then he took in the only surviving child from that village. I think that incident is what made him decide to build an orphanage. That brat is now the vice director of this orphanage.”
Fer-san answered Chris-san’s question and Sig-san also added more information to the conversation.
I see… So he found the only surviving child in a village, took that child in and then went on to build an orphanage… He was a knight so I guess he must’ve dealt with those kinds of incidents at least several times already. Since Fer-san said he was still young I guess that means he already retired before he reached retirement age? Hm~ I wonder how old he is?
“Ooh.. So this orphanage has been here for 25 years?”
“Nah, after he retired, it took him about…. 2 or 3 years before he started establishing the orphanage. This place didn’t change much compared to the time when I was first brought here though.”
I see. Since he took his time to become independent and used his own fortune to build an orphanage, I guess he must be a very good person then?
“Here it is… It’s been a while, old man!”
The parlor wasn’t very far from the dining hall since it didn’t take long for us to arrive here. This place was relatively big but it wasn’t as big as Fer-san’s mansion or Chris-san’s house.
Sig-san slammed the door open with a bam, went inside and greeted the person who was already here as he sat on a sofa.
“Hey, my prodigal son. It’s been 2 months since you last showed your face here and you came with a cute bride in tow already? Allan was really excited, you know.”
Despite our sudden arrival, the person inside welcomed us without showing any sign of surprise. Based on the wrinkles on his face, I assumed this man must be in his 60s . He had a broad shoulder which made sense since he used to work as a knight and his whole body was still covered with firm muscles. Looking at his shaved head, I didn’t know if he purposely cut it that way or if he was losing his hair due to baldness. He had sharp eyes and a brown beard that went on from his chin to his cheeks.
At first glance, he looked really scary! Judging from his appearance, if you said he was a person from ‘that side’ in Japan, everyone would’ve believed you.
“He’s cute, right? His name is Ren.”
“Ni-Nice to meet you. I’m Ren Himukya Cleva. I’m here to tell you that I’ve become engaged with Sigurd-san.”
With a smirk on his face, Sig-san pulled me through our intertwined hands and hugged me tight from behind. Looking like this wasn’t the most polite way to introduce myself but I still ended up bowing my head and introducing myself with Sig-san still plastered on my back.
“Oooh? You’re really cute. I’m Balthazar but you can just call me Balth. You’re pretty young, huh? You’re already an adult, right?”
While running his hand over his beard, Balth-san stood from the sofa and approached me.
Whoa… He looks even more impactful when he’s standing up…! He’s about the same height as Sig-san but maybe because he has a broader body, he gives me a different vibe than everyone else? But it’s not like he’s fat. Maybe the skeletal structure of his body is just different…?
Maybe because he felt like I was too young, he asked me for confirmation if I was already an adult or not while he stroked my head with another hand since one of his hands was still stroking his beard.
Well, I’m already used to that question so I don’t mind explaining it to him.
“Then please call me Ren. Umm… I’m more or less 21 years old. I’m an otherworlder so maybe that’s why I look younger…”
Just like his physique, Balth-san’s hand was rugged and big but maybe because he was already used to looking after small children, the way he stroked my head was really gentle.
“……I guess Malik didn’t just make stuff up when he said that.”
Balth-san, who stayed silent as he kept on stroking my head, suddenly mentioned Malik-san as he muttered to himself.
“Huh? Malik-san?”
Huh? He’s an acquaintance of Malik-san?
“You see, this old man is an old friend of Malik. He contacted me when you guys got engaged. He was telling me how proud he was of his son, you know?”
“Tha-that’s… Umm…”
He really knows Malik-san?! When I told Malik-san that I wanted to go to the royal capital to greet my fiancés’ family, Malik-san didn’t mention that he has anyone he knows here. I wonder why he didn’t tell me about it? Malik-san used to be an S-rank adventurer and Balth-san used to have a top position in the knight so I guess it would be weird if they didn’t know each other… But still! Being proud of his own son…. I’m in trouble because I don’t know what to say now! Ahhh… Just what did they talk about…?!
“Well now that I see you for myself, I can see what he’s talking about though! Buahahahahaha!”
“Wha- Ba-Balth-san!”
Balth-san suddenly laughed boisterously while stroking my head violently even though he had been so gentle with me.
Just from his appearance alone, he already looks so strong that if he keeps doing this, I’m going to lose my neck for sure!
“Hey old man! Ren is fragile, you know! You’re going to snap his neck off if you stroke him with all your strength!”
Panicked, Sig-san swatted Balth-san’s hand from my head and rescued me from this predicament.
Tha-Thank god….
“Oh-, my bad, my bad. I’m just…. Well you know. Anyway, I’m glad you’re all here but if you’re expecting me to give you a warm welcome along with a slow, relaxing time… That’d be impossible. You know how those kids are. At the very best, you’re going to be treated like a toy with them before you get to go home.”
Just like what Balth-san said, it seemed it’d be hard to have a relaxing time here. But saying we’d be treated like a toy…. Well, I guess he was being realistic.
“U-Umm… This is not much but we’ve brought these for the children and and these are for the staff.”
Before I forgot, I took out the present I had brought from my magic bag. Inside that paper bag, there were sweets, handkerchiefs, stationery and picture books. I then handed the paper bag to Balth-san.
“Oh, you’re so thoughtful. I’m going to hand it to the kids later. Don’t you think you’re wasted on Sig? How about if you become my bride instead?”
After Balth-san took the paperbag from me, he laughed and said that.
“Old man! Stop joking around! Geez!”
Sig-san became upset and exclaimed angrily at Balth-san.
I know he’s not being serious but I hope he won’t agitate Sig-san too much.
“Buahahaha! Of course I’m just joking around. You don’t need to get that angry. Oh, Your Highness and the others as well, regardless of your social status, you will still be treated like a toy by the kids here too.”
Seeing how agitated Sig-san was, Balth-san laughed boisterously again and then he addressed both Fer-san and Chris-san who were behind us, telling them that they’d be treated like a toy all the same by the children.
“You know who we are?”
Fer-san sounded surprised.
Since this orphanage received subsidiary aid from the government, I thought Balth-san would try to curry favor with Fer-san knowing that he was a prince so I thought his response was pretty amazing.
I was still being hugged from behind by Sig-san so I couldn’t see both Chris-san and Fer-san’s expressions.
I wonder what kind of expression they have on their face?
“You must be wondering how come I know who you guys are. I know all A-rank and above adventurers.”
“I see…. Then please just call me Fer.”
“You can call me Chris~”
“Yeah, yeah. Also, speaking formally is hard for me so I will just speak like usual with you guys too.”
“Yes, we don’t mind even if you do.”
“────”
“───────”
While the three of them were having a pleasant conversation, I slowly slipped out of Sig-san’s hold. When I turned my head around to look at Sig-san’s face, he was pouting, looking clearly upset that I slipped away from him but when I continued to stare at him silently, he finally understood and then he sighed, as if he was saying “can’t be helped then.”
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
“Director-sensei?”
“Oh, Conny. What’s the matter?”
After we finished the greeting, we were talking about how we met and other stuff when we heard small knocks coming from the door before the door was opened with a clank. A small boy then peeked his head from the door.
“The talking… Is it not done yet? I… Want to quickly play with Sig…”
When the adorable boy with moist eyes asked that, Balth-san’s sharp eyes immediately softened.
“Oh, yeah, yeah. We’re already done here. So you’re here to pick them up, huh. Come on, get going there. I will join you guys later.”
He looked like a grandfather looking at his grandson affectionately.
“Also Sig, I want you to distribute these out.”
Bath-san handed the paper bag containing our gifts to Sig-san and urged him to go quickly.
“Yeah, I got it. Conny, come here. Let’s go.”
Sig-san received the paper bag. Conny-kun was still waiting near the door instead of coming in so Sig-san outstretched his hand to him and then picked Conny-kun up as he left the room. The three of us also followed Sig-san out the room
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Name: Balthazar
Age: 68 years old
Height: 224cm
He has a shaved head (though his original hair color is brown) and he has golden eyes. He’s the director of Balthazar Orphanage and used to work as a Captain in the knight. Contrary to his age, his body is still covered in taut muscles. He has sharp eyes and a beard, making him look like a yakuza at first glance.
“This way.”
We walked away from the dining hall, where the children had been eating, into a hallway. Sig-san was holding onto my hand as we walked down the hallway.
“Allan already went to call him so I’m sure the old man is already in the parlor. Well, there’s no need for you to worry or anything. He’s no different than any other normal old man.”
“Even if you say so….”
Sig-san nonchalantly told me not to worry but since he was the closest parental figure to Sig-san, of course I’d feel nervous.
I wonder what kind of person he is…
“I’ve never met him before so I’m also curious to know what kind of person he is~ If I’m not wrong, he retired 25 years ago?~”
Chris-san, who was walking behind us, told us that he had never met him either but at least Chris-san had more knowledge than me. Chris-san asked Sig-san to be sure.
“You’re right about his retirement. Even though he was still young, he decided to completely retire and then went on to build an orphanage.”
“Yeah. He was going to a village that had been attacked by monsters when he was still a knight and then he took in the only surviving child from that village. I think that incident is what made him decide to build an orphanage. That brat is now the vice director of this orphanage.”
Fer-san answered Chris-san’s question and Sig-san also added more information to the conversation.
I see… So he found the only surviving child in a village, took that child in and then went on to build an orphanage… He was a knight so I guess he must’ve dealt with those kinds of incidents at least several times already. Since Fer-san said he was still young I guess that means he already retired before he reached retirement age? Hm~ I wonder how old he is?
“Ooh.. So this orphanage has been here for 25 years?”
“Nah, after he retired, it took him about…. 2 or 3 years before he started establishing the orphanage. This place didn’t change much compared to the time when I was first brought here though.”
I see. Since he took his time to become independent and used his own fortune to build an orphanage, I guess he must be a very good person then?
“Here it is… It’s been a while, old man!”
The parlor wasn’t very far from the dining hall since it didn’t take long for us to arrive here. This place was relatively big but it wasn’t as big as Fer-san’s mansion or Chris-san’s house.
Sig-san slammed the door open with a bam, went inside and greeted the person who was already here as he sat on a sofa.
“Hey, my prodigal son. It’s been 2 months since you last showed your face here and you came with a cute bride in tow already? Allan was really excited, you know.”
Despite our sudden arrival, the person inside welcomed us without showing any sign of surprise. Based on the wrinkles on his face, I assumed this man must be in his 60s . He had a broad shoulder which made sense since he used to work as a knight and his whole body was still covered with firm muscles. Looking at his shaved head, I didn’t know if he purposely cut it that way or if he was losing his hair due to baldness. He had sharp eyes and a brown beard that went on from his chin to his cheeks.
At first glance, he looked really scary! Judging from his appearance, if you said he was a person from ‘that side’ in Japan, everyone would’ve believed you.
“He’s cute, right? His name is Ren.”
“Ni-Nice to meet you. I’m Ren Himukya Cleva. I’m here to tell you that I’ve become engaged with Sigurd-san.”
With a smirk on his face, Sig-san pulled me through our intertwined hands and hugged me tight from behind. Looking like this wasn’t the most polite way to introduce myself but I still ended up bowing my head and introducing myself with Sig-san still plastered on my back.
“Oooh? You’re really cute. I’m Balthazar but you can just call me Balth. You’re pretty young, huh? You’re already an adult, right?”
While running his hand over his beard, Balth-san stood from the sofa and approached me.
Whoa… He looks even more impactful when he’s standing up…! He’s about the same height as Sig-san but maybe because he has a broader body, he gives me a different vibe than everyone else? But it’s not like he’s fat. Maybe the skeletal structure of his body is just different…?
Maybe because he felt like I was too young, he asked me for confirmation if I was already an adult or not while he stroked my head with another hand since one of his hands was still stroking his beard.
Well, I’m already used to that question so I don’t mind explaining it to him.
“Then please call me Ren. Umm… I’m more or less 21 years old. I’m an otherworlder so maybe that’s why I look younger…”
Just like his physique, Balth-san’s hand was rugged and big but maybe because he was already used to looking after small children, the way he stroked my head was really gentle.
“……I guess Malik didn’t just make stuff up when he said that.”
Balth-san, who stayed silent as he kept on stroking my head, suddenly mentioned Malik-san as he muttered to himself.
“Huh? Malik-san?”
Huh? He’s an acquaintance of Malik-san?
“You see, this old man is an old friend of Malik. He contacted me when you guys got engaged. He was telling me how proud he was of his son, you know?”
“Tha-that’s… Umm…”
He really knows Malik-san?! When I told Malik-san that I wanted to go to the royal capital to greet my fiancés’ family, Malik-san didn’t mention that he has anyone he knows here. I wonder why he didn’t tell me about it? Malik-san used to be an S-rank adventurer and Balth-san used to have a top position in the knight so I guess it would be weird if they didn’t know each other… But still! Being proud of his own son…. I’m in trouble because I don’t know what to say now! Ahhh… Just what did they talk about…?!
“Well now that I see you for myself, I can see what he’s talking about though! Buahahahahaha!”
“Wha- Ba-Balth-san!”
Balth-san suddenly laughed boisterously while stroking my head violently even though he had been so gentle with me.
Just from his appearance alone, he already looks so strong that if he keeps doing this, I’m going to lose my neck for sure!
“Hey old man! Ren is fragile, you know! You’re going to snap his neck off if you stroke him with all your strength!”
Panicked, Sig-san swatted Balth-san’s hand from my head and rescued me from this predicament.
Tha-Thank god….
“Oh-, my bad, my bad. I’m just…. Well you know. Anyway, I’m glad you’re all here but if you’re expecting me to give you a warm welcome along with a slow, relaxing time… That’d be impossible. You know how those kids are. At the very best, you’re going to be treated like a toy with them before you get to go home.”
Just like what Balth-san said, it seemed it’d be hard to have a relaxing time here. But saying we’d be treated like a toy…. Well, I guess he was being realistic.
“U-Umm… This is not much but we’ve brought these for the children and and these are for the staff.”
Before I forgot, I took out the present I had brought from my magic bag. Inside that paper bag, there were sweets, handkerchiefs, stationery and picture books. I then handed the paper bag to Balth-san.
“Oh, you’re so thoughtful. I’m going to hand it to the kids later. Don’t you think you’re wasted on Sig? How about if you become my bride instead?”
After Balth-san took the paperbag from me, he laughed and said that.
“Old man! Stop joking around! Geez!”
Sig-san became upset and exclaimed angrily at Balth-san.
I know he’s not being serious but I hope he won’t agitate Sig-san too much.
“Buahahaha! Of course I’m just joking around. You don’t need to get that angry. Oh, Your Highness and the others as well, regardless of your social status, you will still be treated like a toy by the kids here too.”
Seeing how agitated Sig-san was, Balth-san laughed boisterously again and then he addressed both Fer-san and Chris-san who were behind us, telling them that they’d be treated like a toy all the same by the children.
“You know who we are?”
Fer-san sounded surprised.
Since this orphanage received subsidiary aid from the government, I thought Balth-san would try to curry favor with Fer-san knowing that he was a prince so I thought his response was pretty amazing.
I was still being hugged from behind by Sig-san so I couldn’t see both Chris-san and Fer-san’s expressions.
I wonder what kind of expression they have on their face?
“You must be wondering how come I know who you guys are. I know all A-rank and above adventurers.”
“I see…. Then please just call me Fer.”
“You can call me Chris~”
“Yeah, yeah. Also, speaking formally is hard for me so I will just speak like usual with you guys too.”
“Yes, we don’t mind even if you do.”
“────”
“───────”
While the three of them were having a pleasant conversation, I slowly slipped out of Sig-san’s hold. When I turned my head around to look at Sig-san’s face, he was pouting, looking clearly upset that I slipped away from him but when I continued to stare at him silently, he finally understood and then he sighed, as if he was saying “can’t be helped then.”
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
“Director-sensei?”
“Oh, Conny. What’s the matter?”
After we finished the greeting, we were talking about how we met and other stuff when we heard small knocks coming from the door before the door was opened with a clank. A small boy then peeked his head from the door.
“The talking… Is it not done yet? I… Want to quickly play with Sig…”
When the adorable boy with moist eyes asked that, Balth-san’s sharp eyes immediately softened.
“Oh, yeah, yeah. We’re already done here. So you’re here to pick them up, huh. Come on, get going there. I will join you guys later.”
He looked like a grandfather looking at his grandson affectionately.
“Also Sig, I want you to distribute these out.”
Bath-san handed the paper bag containing our gifts to Sig-san and urged him to go quickly.
“Yeah, I got it. Conny, come here. Let’s go.”
Sig-san received the paper bag. Conny-kun was still waiting near the door instead of coming in so Sig-san outstretched his hand to him and then picked Conny-kun up as he left the room. The three of us also followed Sig-san out the room
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Name: Balthazar
Age: 68 years old
Height: 224cm
He has a shaved head (though his original hair color is brown) and he has golden eyes. He’s the director of Balthazar Orphanage and used to work as a Captain in the knight. Contrary to his age, his body is still covered in taut muscles. He has sharp eyes and a beard, making him look like a yakuza at first glance.
