Chapter 55: A Sudden Adventure

Morning sunlight streamed through the window.

The warm light filled the bedroom, slowly breaking the silence of the peaceful space.

Sua rubbed her eyes and slowly lifted her head.

She stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment.

“Huh? Where… am I?”

As she tried to sit up, she suddenly realized her arms and legs were tangled in the blanket, making her panic.

Looking around in confusion, she mumbled to herself.

“Wait… Why am I here?”

She glanced around the bed, trying to make sense of her situation.

Next to her, Harp was still asleep, buried under her blanket.

On the other side, Liel was curled up tightly in her covers.

And at the far end, Eve was sleeping soundly, breathing in a steady rhythm.

Sua’s eyes widened as her mouth fell open.

“Hold on… Am I dreaming? I’m in the bedroom?”

To check, she pinched her arm.

A small sting ran through her skin, making her eyes widen even further.

“Ow! It’s not a dream?!”

Scratching her head, she frantically tried to recall what had happened last night.

But all she could remember was falling asleep in the living room.

Just then, Harp groaned softly and shifted under her blanket.

Sua hesitated for a moment before carefully shaking her.

“Harp, Harp! Why am I here? What happened last night?”

Harp frowned in annoyance as she cracked open her eyes.

Her voice was still hoarse from sleep.

“You’re too loud… Why are you yelling so early in the morning?”

“No, seriously! I have no idea why I’m in the bedroom! Wait… You don’t know either?”

Letting out a deep sigh, Harp sat up and glared at her.

“No idea. But just to be clear—I didn’t bring you here.”

“Then who did?”

Sua clutched her head, looking more confused by the second.

At that moment, Liel rubbed her eyes and slowly lifted her head.

“Mm… What’s going on? Is it morning already? Why is everyone so loud?”

Hearing Liel’s voice, Sua immediately turned to her.

“Liel! Do you know why I’m here?! How did I end up in the bedroom?!”

Yawning lazily, Liel replied,

“Teacher brought you here last night. You were sleeping in the living room, so she just carried you to bed.”

Sua’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“Huh?! Teacher did?!”

Liel nodded.

“Yeah. She just picked you up and carried you over. I even watched from the side.”

Sua grabbed her head again and let out a dramatic yell.

“No way! So T-T-T-T-Teacher picked me up and threw me into bed?!”

Liel tilted her head.

“…That’s a weird way to put it. But why are you freaking out? It’s not like you’re super heavy or anything.”

“That’s not the point…! It’s just weird! I—I was helplessly carried into the bedroom while I was completely unaware…!”

Her face turned bright red as she scrambled off the bed.

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to protest, but in the end, she just lowered her head in silent defeat.

Seeing this, Harp simply shrugged.

“Well, then, don’t fall asleep anywhere next time. Otherwise, Teacher might carry you off again.”

Liel giggled and gave Sua a teasing look.

“But Sua, you looked really cute while sleeping! When Teacher picked you up, you were even mumbling, like, ‘Nooo…’ It was hilarious!”

At those words, Sua’s face turned even redder, and she shouted.

“W-What?! I said that?!”

Liel grinned mischievously and nodded.

“Yep! Harp heard it too, right?”

Harp gave a small nod.

“Yeah. You looked ridiculous.”

Sua opened her mouth to argue, but after a moment, she sighed in surrender.

Just then, I naturally woke up, stretching my arms.

The bedroom was already noisy, and Sua was still grumbling to herself, her face flushed.

“What’s going on so early in the morning?”

I asked in a drowsy voice, rubbing my eyes.

At my words, Sua spun around to face me and shouted.

“Teacher! Please explain why I’m here!”

“Huh? Oh, you were sleeping in the living room last night. So I brought you here.”

At my casual response, Sua’s face turned even redder.

“So that was real?! Harp wasn’t lying? This wasn’t some weird dream?!”

I tilted my head.

“What’s the big deal? I just picked you up and carried you to bed. That’s it.”

“That’s it?! I was moved in such an embarrassing state?!”

“What’s so—”

“Having the person you love see you in such a disheveled and shameful state—Ack?!”

“Be quiet. You’re too loud.”

“H-Harp…?”

“It’s fine, Teacher. I just put her to sleep for a bit.”

…Seriously.

Just another noisy morning as usual.

After Sua eventually regained consciousness, we all sat down for a simple breakfast.

It was just bread, but it was warm, filling, and delicious.

Once we finished eating, everyone seemed to go off to enjoy some free time.

Then, out of nowhere, Sua shot her hand up and exclaimed.

“Hey, guys! And Teacher! Why don’t we do something fun today?”

I looked up at her and asked.

“Something fun? Like what?”

With a confident grin, Sua declared,

“Exploring the monsters near the village! It’ll be so exciting!”

Hearing that, I immediately shook my head in shock.

“Monsters? That sounds dangerous. What if someone gets hurt?”

Harp also spoke up quietly.

“Sua, isn’t that a bit reckless? Teacher has never even seen a monster before.”

But Sua showed no signs of backing down.

“The monsters near the village are weak! Seriously! I know this area so well!”

“…You just got here.”

“Anyway!”

Liel chimed in as well.

“She’s right, Teacher. The monsters around here aren’t dangerous. And besides…
It sounds like you’ve never seen a monster before. It might be a good experience!”

I let out a deep sigh at the two girls’ sparkling, expectant eyes.

“Haa… It’s really safe, right? No one’s getting hurt.”

“Really?! You mean it?! Then let’s get ready! Hurry!”

Harp sighed softly and shook her head.

“Teacher, are you really okay with this?”

“Well… Taking care of their excitement is part of being the orphanage head. And if we’re just walking around nearby, it should be fine. Besides, Alex is always clearing out the monsters in the area, so we probably won’t even run into any.”

“I see.”

Harp nodded.

I glanced at the kids and made sure to warn them one last time.

“No pushing yourselves. If we do see a monster, don’t go near it. We’re only observing from a safe distance. Understood?”

“Yes!”

Preparation didn’t take long.

As we stepped outside, the crisp morning air wrapped around us, bringing a refreshing feeling.

The kids looked thrilled as they took the lead, while I followed behind at a steady pace.

“Teacher, this way! I’ll lead the way!”

With a confident grin, Sua marched ahead, guiding us forward.

Beside her, Liel walked with a bright smile, matching her steps lightly with Sua’s.

Harp, on the other hand, walked quietly beside me, her voice lowered as she spoke.

“Teacher, are you really sure about this?”

“It should be fine. You’re all here with me. Besides, Sua’s a veteran Hero, right?
And we’re only dealing with weak monsters. There shouldn’t be any problems.”

“That’s true, but… We still shouldn’t let our guard down.”

“If anything happens, you’ll protect me, right, Harp? Of course, it goes both ways—I’ll protect you too.”

“Of course, Teacher.”

Hearing Harp’s cautious tone reassured me, but at the same time, I felt a slight tension settle in.

As we continued walking, a familiar sight unfolded before us.

“…This place.”

I stopped and glanced around.

At the end of the quiet forest path stood the spot where I had first met Harp.

Memories of that day resurfaced, filling me with a strange, bittersweet feeling.

“Teacher, what’s wrong?”

Sua tilted her head in curiosity.

“This is where I first met Harp.”

At my words, both Sua and Liel glanced around.

Then, Sua’s eyes sparkled as she spotted something.

“Whoa! Look at this sign! It looks super creepy!”

The signpost remained unchanged from before.

Faded and weathered, its red-stained letters were still visible.

[From this point onward, monsters appear. Proceed with caution.]

Liel whistled softly after reading it.

“Wow… It does look ominous. Are we really okay coming here?”

I stared at the sign for a moment before glancing at Harp.

She had stopped in front of it, her eyes deep in thought.

“Harp, are you okay?”

I asked carefully.

After a brief pause, she gave me a small nod.

“I’m fine. It’s just… remembering how I collapsed here back then.”

“Yeah… That must’ve been a rough memory.”

I patted Harp’s shoulder gently.

“It’s okay. Nothing bad is going to happen anymore.”

She gave me a small smile and nodded.

“Yes, Teacher.”

Suddenly, Sua threw both hands in the air and shouted.

“Alright! The exploration officially begins! Come at me, monsters!”

Liel giggled and followed her.

“Wow, you’re really fearless. You’re going to fight first, right, Sua?”

“Of course! I’m the Wong!—”

“Teacher is the Wong.”

“Oh, right! Then I’ll be the King-Wong-Champion!”

Watching the two joke around made me chuckle.

At the same time, though, I kept my guard up.

‘From here on, we really need to be careful. No one can afford to get hurt.’

Harp quietly observed me from the side before clenching her fist slightly.

Her posture remained cautious, her presence steady — A reliable partner I could trust.

And with that, our adventure had officially begun.