Stella watched as the children of Meriel’s Haven rushed straight at Marcus. When she thought about a way to refer to Marcus, she was at a bit of a bind earlier, as she wanted to respect his decision to keep his mask on as much as possible. But she also needed a way to humanize him and make him appealing to the children.

  So ‘Sir M’ was what her mind came up with. Marcus seemed a bit shocked when he heard it, but it must be because he was so overcome by Stella’s creativeness for naming. Right now though, that didn’t matter, as it definitely worked whether it was creative or not. The children were playfully calling him ‘Sir M’ this or ‘Sir M’ that.

  Some were even trying to grab the bags on Marcus’s hands, and he tried to valiantly defend Stella’s belongings while keeping the children off.

  “No, no. There are no cookies here!”

  “Hey, stop! I’m hiding nothing!”

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

  “Sir M is hiding something! Someone take him down!”

  A smile appeared on Phoebe’s face, as if she was amused at the torment Marcus was having, as the children turned their cute curiosity into vicious playfulness after realizing how defenseless the masked man was.

  Oh no. This didn’t go the way I planned for it to go.

  Marie poked Stella gently to the side, pointing at Marcus insistently with a concerned expression. “Aren’t you going to help him out?”

  “R-right. I’m going.” Stella put on the brightest smile she could to take the attention of the children. “Everyone, please—”

  “All of you. Enough.”

  An old, ladylike voice snapped in the small square of Meriel’s Haven. Walking out of the main building at the center was a woman in her late seventies. Her hair was grey, her skin already showing its age, but her face and stature were still as graceful as Stella remembered. She was Stella’s governess back when she was a child—Louise de la Colline. She was a count’s daughter from the Kingdom of Louria, on the southwest side of the continent, right below Ridia. She had immigrated ages ago to Sordale because of her family’s problems back home and somehow managed to get in the good graces of Stella’s family enough to be employed back then as her governess.

  Unfortunately, unlike Sirius, who acted more of a maternal figure to Stella, Lady Louise was more strict and uptight. She largely only taught Stella to grow up as a proper lady, as a princess should. It was why there was a certain distance to them, but Lady Louise was extremely competent, so after raising Stella, she moved on to this work instead.

  Still, even if Stella employed her, Stella instinctually made way for the elder woman, looking up at Louise like a child caught stealing sweets would.

  “A-apologies, Madame. I was just—”

  “No need for any of that display, Your Highness. In fact, raise your head, please. It’s unbecoming of you to lower yourself to me, in front of children no less.”

  “Right.”

  “And this is why, I told you, you should not spoil them too much.”

  The children all stood at the sides stiffly, most of them a bit terrified because Louise was emitting the aura of an annoyed elder. Some were even on the verge of tears, as if what they did to Marcus was going to land them into trouble. Stella sighed a bit on the sidelines. Louise must be disciplining these children a bit too much, she thought.

  But the governess’s words played again in her head.

  Our job as adults is to make sure that they grow into proper independent citizens. Otherwise, they will not stand on their own feet. All that starts at home.

  Stella was probably going to be a bad parent who would overly dote on and spoil a child, while Louise would be an effective one. After all, Stella did come out of her care as someone educated and diligent. The children of Meriel’s Haven already appeared to be the same, as, from what Stella heard, they were all performing well in their studies here.

  Still, can’t she loosen up a bit? I haven’t seen the children in ages.

  Stella felt like pouting at her governess but held back. Meanwhile, Louise looked at the children before clicking her tongue. “Next time, conduct yourself properly in front of guests. This young man had been unjustly swarmed when he was just performing his work.”

  All the children looked down and mumbled ‘yes ma’am’ in chorus.

  “Now, what are you all supposed to say to him?” Louise asked.

  And they all said ‘sorry’ in another chorus in Marcus’s direction. Once that was done, Louise ordered the children to go back to their rooms or to play in other places. They all obeyed, the earlier celebratory and happy vibes turning gloomy. At the very least, they were snacking on the food that Stella gave to them, and many still had a smile on their faces after seeing Stella.

  So it wasn’t all bad.

  Meanwhile, Louise shot Marcus a disapproving look.

  “Young man, that mask is quite unsightly.” Louise crossed her arms before looking at Stella. “What is he? Some guard of sorts?”

  “Oh, uhm. Yes,” Stella nodded profusely. “Sorry, he has to keep his anonymity for now while working under me. You can just call him Sir M.”

  “Have you gotten yourself into trouble again?” Louise asked.

  “Ah…” Stella looked down ashamed. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t say sorry about it. It’s just the nature of being the anointed [Saint].” A smile then graced Louise as she curtsied a bit in front of Stella. “Welcome back, Your Highness. I apologize for the mess earlier. We didn’t expect your arrival out of nowhere.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Stella shook her hand wildly. “I had fun. And uhm…can you please not be too harsh with them? They just got a teeny-tiny bit excited, you see.”

  “Of course I won’t. They’re children after all, and they seem to always be amused when they gawk at you.” Then Louise slapped a ruler she was holding on her right hand as she smiled sweetly. “But they have to do it properly next time, or else.”

  S-scary.

  “Anyway,” Louise smiled at the four. “All of you, make yourselves at home. We shall prepare tea and snacks. I take it that you need to talk to me about the state of the orphanage?”

  “Yes. I read the letter you sent me months ago. Is it that bad? Apologies, I haven’t been present to keep helping.”

  “We are. In fact, we are in quite a debt now. But don’t worry too much about that. You’ve come a long way back here. Please rest.”

  Those devil spawns. Geez.

  At last, Marcus finally managed to find some calm and peace inside the orphanage. They were taken into the guest lounge, where Marcus found a nice spot on a sofa after he placed Stella’s bags on a nearby table. There were a few maids in the orphanage, and they quickly placed food and drinks on the table after the lady’s request from earlier.

  He didn’t know who she was yet, but she was old, and she was human. Definitely a noblewoman by her bearings alone, and Stella seemed a little bit deferential to her. Perhaps she was Stella’s tutor? Or maybe she was a head servant back then in their household?

  Marcus didn’t know. What he did know was that based on [Identify] alone, the old lady was a gold-ranked individual. Well, she was at lower gold, specifically at level 52, and she was a [Barrier Mage] which was, from what Marcus knew, a mage specialized at constructing elaborate barrier spells, both to protect themselves and even structures.

  She’s good too. I almost didn’t notice it, but…there’s a massive barrier outside.

  He doubted that the old lady was maintaining it with her mana, though. She probably created an artifact buried deep somewhere in the orphanage, and she was most likely just maintaining it with her expertise. It impressed Marcus. Not only did she have a firm grasp on the children inhabiting this place, but she also seemed like someone who would protect them like a lioness too.

  That must be why earlier, before she learned that Marcus was Stella’s ‘guard,’ she sized him up first, as if preparing for a fight. Marcus was a bit annoyed by it though, because even if his appearance wasn’t exactly friendly, he was just holding Stella’s luggage, for heaven’s sake!

  I wonder what her connection with Stella is, though.

  The old lady suddenly appeared on the seat in front of Marcus. “My name is Louise de la Colline, Her Highness’s former governess and administrator of this orphanage.”

  “Oh…”

  “Might I have the pleasure of knowing who you are? Your appearance is definitely unwelcome, but so far, you’ve conducted yourself well. I am quite interested.”

  “Um, Lady Louise, he’s not exactly…” Stella tried, as she was sitting on the sofa on the other side of the table.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Louise waved Stella off. “We’re private here. It’s not as if I would just reveal who this man is to whatever foes you both are dealing with. I simply insist, because no one steps inside Meriel’s Haven other than those I permit. I must know who is inside of these premises.”

  The threat was made clear for Marcus. This old lady wasn’t taking no for an answer. He still wasn’t sure if he could trust her to keep her lips closed, but, well, he already did this for Stella’s maids, and Louise seemed like someone honorable enough to keep her mouth shut.

  So…

  Marcus removed his mask and lowered his hood. The old lady scrutinized him, and he spoke as he made eye contact with her.

  “The name’s Marcus. Just Marcus for now. I’m a former soldier.”

  “Of what nation?”

  “Sorry, I can’t tell. Not that you’ll believe me anyway.”

  Louise then narrowed her eyes. “...Wait. The way you speak and your dialect. Are you perhaps a lowborn from Olstadt? Or maybe you’re from one of the countryside towns in northwestern Ridia.”

  Marcus was taken aback. Technically, he was a lowborn from Olstadt. After all, it was the former capital of the Holy Astrean Empire. He internally groaned, not believing how this woman found out about it.

  “That…and your accent is of the old style. Like the kind used by older laborers in the Holy City, though there’s a slight difference—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m from around there, Madame. What of it?”

  “Nothing…” Louise placed a hand on her chin. “I’m merely…appraising you.”

  “Old style?” Phoebe lowered her teacup as she narrowed her eyes at Marcus. “I didn’t know you were so old-fashioned, in a lowborn manner. That’s quite the two-fold misfortune.”

  Marcus looked at Phoebe as if he wanted to kill her. She always knew how to get under his skin, didn’t she? He stopped himself, shaking his head as he sighed.

  “Can I have coffee instead of tea, please?” Marcus politely asked, trying to keep himself stable.

  Louise nodded before shouting loud so that she would be heard outside of the guest lounge. “Of course. Maids, brew this young man a cup of coffee, please. Do you want it sweet or bitter?”

  “Bitter.”

  “Please make it bitter.”

  A maid outside affirmed her order, and Louise turned back to Marcus. He picked off a piece of croissant on one of the plates on the table.

  That was too close. I don’t really want to answer questions about my origin. Marcus calmly began eating it as Stella and Louise began catching up with each other. Oh, and Siris appeared too, floating and greeting Louise in a stiff and businesslike manner. Marcus kept his ears open to their conversation while using [Mass Surveillance] to scan the area.

  He was a bit worried right now, and it was why he was acting a bit shifty. While this orphanage did have robust defenses and was administered by a high-level individual, which was great considering how high-profile it was, Marcus still was worried.

  Earlier, while they were travelling here, his [Mass Surveillance] skill picked up a few traces of death magic nearby. Most likely, it was emitted by artifacts, based on its nature. Maybe it was just some moron in the slums who got ahold of a weapon used by the demon horde centuries ago, or maybe it was just from the nearby church, but it was there, and it was faint.

  What he didn’t like was how close it was, right when Stella decided to visit this place.

  “Oh no, it might take me months before I can make up for that debt,” Stella worriedly said.

  “Don’t worry. Our creditors know that this place has the backing of the royal family.”

  “Still…and I’m already having a hard time communicating with the Holy Church. Please give me some more time, okay?”

  “Don’t worry your head too much about it. Though, what do you mean by ‘having a hard time’ with the Holy Church?”

  Their conversation became a blur in Marcus’s mind, so when the maid who was called earlier to brew his coffee arrived to place it on his table, Marcus suddenly stood up. He had been intensifying [Mass Surveillance] too much, so he felt a bit dizzy.

  “S-sir?” The maid squeaked a bit as she held a plate close to her chest.

  “Nothing.” Marcus looked down at the table, noticing that everyone else had questioning looks on their faces. “Sorry, can I check the area outside? It’s been a while since I’ve been out of my mask, so I’d like some fresh air.”

  “Is there a problem?” Stella asked, concerned.

  “Nah. I’ll tell you about it though, if there is.”

  Marcus picked up the coffee before turning to the maid. “Thanks, by the way. I’ll take this with me.”

  Then, he left the guest lounge, a frown on his face.

  Why is it getting closer?