Chapter 44: Eve, Become My Child.

“Be quiet.”

Sua glanced at Harp’s cookie, her face filled with frustration.

“Harp, you’re really doing this on purpose, aren’t you? The message on that cookie—are you trying to tell me something?”

“Not at all. I just wrote something I like.”

Sua trembled with anger and took a bite of her cookie.

“Ugh… still, my ‘Greatest Hero’ cookie is way cooler! Admit it, Harp!”

“If the Greatest Hero is a quiet one, that might be even cooler.”

Harp calmly retorted.

“Ugh! You’re really annoying!”

Sua glared at Harp while chewing her cookie.

I sighed as I watched their endless bickering.

“We don’t need to fight even while eating snacks… Let’s just eat quietly.”

“But Teacher, Harp keeps teasing me!”

Sua shouted with a wronged voice.

“I’m not teasing you, I’m just stating the truth.”

Harp replied with the same calm expression.

I looked back and forth between them and waved my hand.

“Alright, enough. Let’s just eat the cookies.”

Finally, Sua started eating her cookie quietly.

Harp, too, took a bite without saying anything.

With the quiet moment at the table, I smiled and said.

“See? This is so nice, eating cookies peacefully. Quiet and calm.”

Harp and Sua exchanged a quick glance, then both turned their heads sharply.

Just as I thought peace had finally come, there was a knock at the orphanage door.

Who could it be? I tilted my head, stood up, and walked toward the door.

Sua and Harp also looked at the door, their expressions tense.

“Who is it?”

Standing at the door was an elderly man.

The man, with white hair and neat attire, exuded a clean yet solemn atmosphere.

“Good day.”

He spoke in a low, calm voice.

“Excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble, could I speak with the head of this orphanage?”

He was someone I had never seen before.

It was clear he wasn’t a villager.

“Uh… sorry, but who are you? You don’t seem to be from this village.”

He nodded and answered.

“I am from the Holy Nation. While I was staying in the village, I heard about this orphanage and came to find it.”

The Holy Nation.

The moment I heard those words, Harp, who had been quiet until now, furrowed her brow.

“The Holy Nation…”

Sua, also getting up from her seat, spoke quickly.

“See, Teacher? Didn’t I tell you? I knew something like this would happen. Someone from the Holy Nation…”

“Harp, Sua, calm down for a second. This man hasn’t said anything yet. I’ll ask him myself, so please stay quiet.”

I naturally used informal language with Sua to stop her.

The reason was simple—if the orphanage head spoke politely to their orphan, it would feel strange.

Anyway, I turned to the man and asked.

“Could you tell me why you are visiting?”

He met my gaze with a calm expression.

The old man’s eyes were deep, as if they could pull you in.

“I have something important to discuss with the head of this orphanage. However, it’s difficult to speak about it here. Would you be able to let me inside to talk?”

Harp whispered quietly,

“Teacher, be careful. It’s never a good sign when people from the Holy Nation show up like this without any prior warning.”

Sua chimed in as well.

“That’s right! He’s definitely hiding something!”

I listened to their concerns and fell into a brief moment of thought.

I had to decide whether to invite this man into the house or continue the conversation outside.

The decision didn’t take long.

“Alright.”

As I gave my permission, I heard Harp and Sua’s surprised voices from behind.

“Teacher! Are you really letting him in?”

“Teacher?! Are you sure it’s okay?”

I raised my hand to calm them down.

“He doesn’t seem like a bad person. Plus, Alex is here too, so if anything happens, we’ll be fine.”

Harp continued to look at the man with suspicious eyes, but seeing that I had made my decision, she didn’t argue further.

Sua, still with a pout, crossed her arms.

With their reluctant approval, I nodded and led the man into the sitting room.

“Sorry. I don’t have tea to offer. Since your visit was unexpected, I wasn’t prepared.”

“It’s fine. Since I came without notice, I understand that much.”

The man waved his hand with a gentle smile.

I let out a sigh of relief and sat down.

Harp and Sua were both still watching the man cautiously, their expressions tense.

“Would you like me to bring you some water?”

“No need. This is enough. Don’t worry about it.”

His tone was soft, and his expression seemed genuinely relaxed.

But then, in that moment, Sua, who was sitting next to me, suddenly tilted her head.

“Sua, what’s wrong?”

I asked, and Sua frowned, still staring at the man.

“I feel like I’ve heard that voice somewhere before… It’s weird.”

“…Where have you heard it before? Where exactly?”

“I’m not sure… Hmm, I’m certain I’ve heard it somewhere. It’s a really important voice, too…”

Hearing this, I turned to the man and asked.

“Excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask your name?”

The man smiled and answered slowly.

“My name is Ricardo.”

In that moment, Sua’s eyes widened in shock.

She pointed at him and shouted.

“Ricardo, Ri—wait, Pope?! The Pope?! The supreme leader of the Holy Nation?! That Ricardo?!”

The man—no, Ricardo—nodded lightly and chuckled.

He looked much older than I remembered… though, well, he had been rarely seen outside, after all…

“Ah, you… I see, you’ve really changed.”

“…Anyway, Hero, you’ve become quite cute.”

“Uh… this is… well…”

“No need for explanations. I’ve already heard plenty about your preferences.”

“Ugh…”

With the Pope’s appearance, the room fell into an eerie silence.

I was frozen, shocked by the sudden appearance of such a high-ranking clergy member, while Harp gently patted my back, checking if I was okay.

Only Sua seemed unfazed.

She looked at the Pope and asked.

“So, Pope, why exactly did you come all the way to this orphanage? There must be an important reason, right?”

“Of course. I couldn’t stand it any longer.”

Harp shot a sharp look and asked.

“What happened?”

The Pope sighed for a moment and then continued speaking slowly.

“It’s the Inquisitors. They’ve been bringing up the name Eve recently, calling her a witch, so I had no choice but to come and verify it myself.”

“Witch?”

I was taken aback.

The Inquisitors had just come a few days ago.

I couldn’t believe the rumors had spread so quickly.

“That’s impossible. Surely, Pope, you don’t believe the nonsense those fools are saying, do you? Our teacher is the kindest person in the world!”

At Sua’s rebuttal, the Pope smiled and waved his hand.

“Of course, I didn’t understand at first why they were saying such things. That’s why I decided to come here myself to confirm it.”

Harp, still on guard, asked.

“So, after confirming it, what do you think?”

The Pope smiled and pointed at me.

“To put it simply, I think the idea that Eve is a witch is absolute nonsense. No, I’m sure of it. How could this lovely child be a witch?”

“L…Lovely?”

“What do you mean by that?”

The Pope smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

“Her speech, behavior, and relationships with others—it’s all the opposite of the image of a witch.”

He paused for a moment, then spoke again, his expression turning serious.

“Her charm seems to have a mysterious power. It attracts those who see her and brings peace.”

At the Pope’s praise, Sua became so excited she spoke rapidly.

“That’s right! Teacher is amazing! Wow, the Pope sees it too!”

But I shook my head.

“Don’t say things like that. I’m just an ordinary orphan.”

“An ordinary orphan can’t have that kind of charm. Eve, you’re special. But I can guarantee that this specialness is not something negative like being a witch.”

“…….”

Harp still hadn’t relaxed her guard, but perhaps sensing the lack of hostility in his attitude and words, her expression softened a little.

“Then, Pope, can you ensure that these ridiculous rumors about Teacher Eve stop spreading from now on?”

The Pope nodded firmly.

“Of course. I will speak directly to the Inquisitors. Any misunderstandings or lies about Eve will no longer be tolerated.”

“……”

“But, there is a condition.”

“Condition…?”

Smirk.

The Pope gave a playful smile, completely opposite to the serious expression he had shown earlier.

And then the next words he uttered… left us all in complete shock.

“Eve, become my child.”