Chapter 11 : If it doesn’t work hundred tries, change the method .

Clove Had a Recent Concern.

“Haaam… Good morning, Father.”

The ever-diligent Johanna had started sleeping in late, throwing her daily routine into disarray.

Clove looked at Johanna, who sat down with a sleepy face, with a worried expression.

Of course, considering her age, it was natural for her to need a lot of sleep and grow rapidly, but…

‘Still, how could I not worry?’

There was no helping it—he was her father, after all! If a father didn’t worry about such things, then who would?

Spreading jam on a piece of bread, Clove handed it to Johanna and asked,

“Anna, haven’t you been staying up too late lately?”

“Mmff…

I’ve had a lot to read recently.”

Despite her drowsiness, Johanna stuffed the bread into her mouth and answered.

She said it as if it was no big deal, but for Clove, who had no interest in books, it was quite a shock.

What on earth was she reading that kept her up at night?

Just then, Mesella placed a bowl of warm stew on the table and asked,

“What are you questioning her about so early in the morning?”

“Honey, have you bought any books for Johanna recently?”

“Books?

I did buy some educational ones.”

“Hmm…?”

Educational books?

There was no way she’d stay up late at night reading those.

But prying too much into a young girl’s affairs wasn’t a good choice either.

At her sensitive age, if he wasn’t careful, he might hear something like, “I hate you, Dad!”

And if that happened, even Clove’s iron heart would surely shatter.

At that moment, Johanna, now fully awake thanks to the sweet jam, spoke to Mesella.

“Mother, I want to go to church with you today.”

“Oh?

That’s great!

The other ladies wanted to meet you anyway.”

Freeze.

Clove stiffened at Johanna’s unexpected words.

Church was the most active social gathering place in the city.

Naturally, there were many children Johanna’s age, and it was common for boys and girls to play together.

‘If she doesn’t have any books, then what exactly has been keeping her up?’

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Clove’s mind.

Love letters.

That had to be it.

How many stray wolves must be lurking, eyeing the city’s prettiest girl?

Some shameless boy must have sent her a letter full of sweet lies, trying to charm his innocent daughter!

Clove imagined his precious Johanna getting married to some faceless boy and—

“Dear, your fork is about to snap!”

“Haha…

Sorry, I just had a bad thought.”

Clove unconsciously clenched his hand, nearly bending the fork in half.

After forcing it back into shape, he asked Johanna with a stiff face.

“Anna, should I go with you today?”

“…With you, Father?”

Johanna hesitated, munching on a sausage from her stew.

Then, as she finished thinking, a shy blush crept up her face.

“…No, I don’t want that.”

Clove’s heart sank.

He was sure of it now.

Some unruly brat was after Johanna.

‘I won’t allow it! Never!’

To dare to go after his precious daughter without even asking for the father’s permission!

But forcing himself to tag along when she clearly refused wasn’t an option.

That didn’t mean he was out of options, though.

‘The senior priest is visiting church today. If I ask Mesella to take her there instead…’

He could entrust his daughter to someone else in his stead.

The thoughts of a father worrying about his daughter were not overbearing—they were simply devoted.

Johanna Had No Great Reason to Blush.

‘Still… I don’t want him to see me wandering around alone.’

Johanna had always wanted to show her best side to Clove.

How could she let him see her wandering aimlessly, unable to make a single friend at church?

More than anything…

‘I can’t disappoint Father.’

Johanna was more grateful to Clove than even her own biological father.

Her memories of her birth parents were faint.

She had seen too much of their ugliness at a young age, and thus, her affection for them was weak.

So it was only natural that Clove felt more like a real father to her.

Knock knock.

At that moment, Mesella knocked on the door.

“Johanna, are you ready?”

“Just a moment.”

Breaking free from her thoughts, Johanna looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted her posture.

She couldn’t afford another failure.

Today, she had to make at least one friend!

‘Not too fancy, not too plain—outfit, check!’

Mesella had meticulously chosen her outfit a hundred times over.

Now, Johanna had made it her own.

She also checked her belongings—handmade candies she had personally prepared by mixing sugar and fruit juice.

‘A heartfelt gift for the children, check!’

Though, to be fair, no one had asked her to put in this much effort.

What kind of girl went around making candy just to hand out to kids?

That girl was Johanna.

A girl who still had no sense of moderation.

Armed with both gifts and appearance—her sword and shield—Johanna slapped her cheeks with a determined expression.

‘I can do this!

This time, it’ll be different!’

She glanced at the book on her desk.

A book she had compiled herself after reading a scroll given to her by Dantalion.

Taking a deep breath, she opened it to the first page.

“The First Rule of Conversation: Always have confidence and remember, the other person is just another human being!”

Without confidence, every possibility was nothing more than a dream.

Johanna closed her eyes, absorbed the words, and then boldly threw open the door.

“Hiccup?!”

Mesella, who had been pacing outside, jumped in surprise.

With the demeanor of a warrior heading to battle, Johanna spoke.

“Let’s go.”

Fwoosh!

The fire of determination burned in her eyes.

Johanna Arrived at Church and Prayed.

“Today is the Day of Vesta, the warm-hearted keeper of the hearth.

Let us all pray in her honor!”

‘Dantalion, protector of good and punisher of evil, please watch over the righteous today as well—’

Of course, her prayers were directed at Dantalion.

Why should she pray to those who had never come to save her in her darkest times?

But not everyone had the ability to read minds.

“Oh my, Lady Mesella’s daughter is so devout.”

“How wonderful!

If only my daughter had half her faith.”

The surrounding noblewomen were in awe of Johanna’s devotion.

What kind of household upbringing did she receive to have such deep faith?

“Do you have a special teaching method?”

“Aha…haha…”

Mesella let out an awkward laugh, avoiding the question.

She couldn’t exactly tell them who Johanna truly believed in.

After a rather lengthy prayer, the noblewomen turned their eyes toward Johanna.

It had been a while since such an ideal future bride candidate had visited.

Wasn’t this a perfect chance to make a good impression?

But…

“Oh?

Where did Lady Johanna go?”

“I just saw her here a moment ago.”

The moment the prayer ended, Johanna had vanished like the wind.

She had no interest in noblewoman’s social circles—her true battlefield lay in the orphanage, where she had faced failure time and time again.

Well…

“There’s nothing we can do.

Let’s set that aside.

Lady Mesella, about your daughter and my son—”

“Wait!

You can’t just spring that on her like that!”

“Oh, I’m sorry!

It’s just that my son is about Johanna’s age, and—your son is older, isn’t he?”

“What did you just say?!”

And so, Mesella was left to suffer.

With silent sympathy for her mother’s plight, Johanna made her way to the orphanage.

An elderly priest sweeping the orphanage courtyard spotted her and smiled.

“Lady Johanna, it’s been a while.”

“It’s good to see you again, Priest Helia.”

As Johanna greeted him politely, the priest’s smile deepened.

Naturally, seeing a kind-hearted child like his mother made the old priest smile.

Helia led Johanna to the backyard and asked,

“Lady Mesella seems quite busy today?”

“Yes, it looks like the noblewomen really like my mother.”

Helia, however, knew that wasn’t the real reason.

The noblewomen didn’t dislike Mesella, but rather, there had been a lot of talk surrounding Johanna recently.

Well, if he had a grandson, he too would have wanted to arrange a marriage with a child like her.

Feeling a bit curious, Helia asked,

“Do you have someone you like, Lady Johanna?”

“Someone I like…?”

Ah, that’s the face of someone who has absolutely no one.

Johanna’s vacant expression answered the question for her.

As they continued their small talk, they walked to the backyard where the orphanage children were playing.

The moment they spotted Johanna, they rushed toward her without even being called.

“Oh!

It’s Johanna!”

“Sister Johanna, please give me candy!

Candy!!”

“Did Sister Mesella not come today??”

Though not particularly friendly, the orphanage children liked Johanna quite a bit.

The only problem was after she handed out sweets.

“Thank you!”

“This is delicious!”

“Hey, don’t cling to her and make her uncomfortable!”

Because of her reserved first impression, the orphanage children found it difficult to talk to her.

Like the tide, they swarmed her for sweets, then quickly retreated like the receding waves.

Helia looked at her with pity.

‘Such a kind child…’

Left alone, Johanna looked around.

Then, she spotted a child sitting alone in a corner and approached them.

Hiding behind a tree, Helia sighed softly.

‘That child is way too timid!’

Helia was the most sociable priest in the orphanage.

Thanks to his age, the children found him approachable.

But the child Johanna had chosen was different.

Among all the children in the orphanage, this one was the most closed-off.

“Waaahhhh!!”

“…???”

Suddenly, the child burst into tears and clung to Johanna.

Helia blinked in shock.

The child, who had never once opened up to anyone in three years, started speaking rapidly to Johanna.

‘What kind of magic is this…?’

Witnessing what seemed like a miracle, Priest Helia unconsciously made the sign of the cross.

Afternoon, during the busy lunchtime hours

A man visited the church.

His shaggy hair and slouched posture reflected his rough personality.

A priest who spotted him looked taken aback.

From his disheveled appearance to his rugged face, he didn’t seem like a good person at all.

Especially the eye patch over one eye—it made him look downright dangerous.

But a priest must not judge a person by their appearance.

Cautiously, the priest approached him.

“Brother, what brings you here?”

“Ah, I’m not some suspicious person, so just go back to whatever you were doing.”

The man answered absentmindedly, rummaging through his coat.

The priest was about to firmly question him again when—

Clink.

“That’s…!”

“I’m Johannes, an instructor at the Imperial Academy.

I have some business here, so let’s not make a fuss.”

The man—Johannes—held up the Three-Headed Dragon emblem of the Imperial Academy.

This was no ordinary academy; the Imperial Academy instructors were considered honorary nobles of the empire.

The emblem, forged from mithril, was proof of that status.

The shocked priest bowed deeply and stepped aside.

“Tch, I was just going to pray for a bit, but this is turning into a hassle.”

Clicking his tongue, Johannes pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Despite his rough demeanor, Johannes was a devout knight.

He was so faithful that he visited churches even while traveling.

However, he preferred to visit in the evening when most people had left.

‘That damn disciple of mine wants me to babysit his daughter after all these years?’

Thinking of his troublesome disciple, Clove, Johannes bit down hard on his cigarette.

If it weren’t for the fact that he cherished Clove, he would have already cracked his skull with the hilt of his sword.

Finishing his cigarette, Johannes started walking toward the orphanage.

Though his personality was rough, he never did anything half-heartedly.

As he walked through the garden, he recalled Clove’s description of the child.

‘He said his daughter is a shy little weakling.’

Johanna might have wanted to hide it, but family secrets were hard to keep.

She slept in the same bed as Mesella, who knew everything, so there was no way Clove didn’t know.

‘How the hell does a twelve-year-old not have a single friend?’

Of course, Clove had never called his daughter a weakling outright.

But Johannes, who liked to simplify things, had summed it up that way.

Even though he had friends despite his rotten personality—so how could a twelve-year-old girl have none?

Especially since Clove mentioned she was quite pretty.

“Who’s there?”

At that moment, Priest Helia, walking from the opposite direction, noticed Johannes.

Johannes waved the Three-Headed Dragon emblem.

“I’m an academy instructor.

My damn disciple begged me to check on his daughter, so I stopped by.”

“Oh my, how wonderful!

But if it’s his daughter, why are you heading to the orphanage…?”

“My disciple said she volunteers here often.

Do you know a girl named Johanna?”

Flinch.

Priest Helia hesitated for a moment, then smiled.

“Of course.

She’s a truly remarkable child.

She’s playing with the children right now.”

“Really?

That’s odd… I heard she was a shy, awkward girl.”

“Well…

At least from today, that may no longer be the case.”

“What do you mean?”

Helia simply smiled in response.

Without answering, she walked back toward the church.

Johannes scratched his head and fiddled with his cigarette.

Was Clove’s concern about boys flocking around her not unfounded after all?

‘Ugh, I hate dealing with stuff like this.’

Johannes had zero interest in meddling in children’s love affairs.

But since it was a request from his disciple, he intended to at least do the bare minimum.

Then—

“What the hell…?”

At the center of the orphanage’s courtyard stood a fountain.

There, a beautiful girl was surrounded by over twenty children, all completely engrossed in what she was saying.

It was shocking.

At that age, kids were rowdy—so what kind of story could possibly keep them so focused?

‘Wait, that’s not the issue here.’

Johannes looked around.

If Clove’s description had been accurate, there should be at least one shy, awkward kid.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find such a child.

His gaze naturally settled on the girl at the fountain—the only one who matched the age Clove had given him.

Except…

Nothing else about her fit the description at all.

“Well… she is pretty.”

Other than that, nothing matched.

Was this really Clove’s daughter?

Silently, Johannes approached Johanna.