Green led the girl named Alice back to his private estate.
Throughout the journey, she remained guarded. Though she followed him closely without a word, her eyes constantly scanned her surroundings, as if she were ready to bolt at the slightest sign of trouble.
How pitiful.
Green felt no annoyance at being distrusted; instead, he felt a surge of compassion for Alice.
She must have suffered so much.
Looking at the girl’s tattered, thin clothes—covered in patches with hardly a single intact thread—Green’s heart ached. He knew something of the conditions in the slums. To survive in such a hellish environment, Alice must have endured unimaginable hardships.
“But from now on, you won’t have to endure hunger or cold anymore.”
Green firmly held the girl’s slender, cold little hand, leading her into a corner of the Upper District, outside a small courtyard that wasn’t grand but was quite elegant.
“Because from this moment on, this is your home.”
Alice’s eyes widened as she stared blankly at the graceful little house before her. It was surrounded by flowers and plants, with several banyan trees planted outside the gate, radiating a warm, lived-in atmosphere.
My… home?
Since she was old enough to remember, Alice had never seen a house so bright and clean. To her, this house and everything around it felt like a dreamlike wonderland. There were no quarreling adults, no malicious stares, and no violence over a single piece of bread. Everything was so… quiet.
“Why?”
Looking at the perfection before her, Alice recoiled slightly. She looked at herself—so out of place, looking like a creature from another world—and murmured humbly, “Why are you being so kind to me?”
Alice wasn’t stupid. Long ago, she had learned a fundamental truth: there is no such thing as a free lunch.
“Why?”
Green repeated her question with a smile and then, without taking no for an answer, ushered her into the courtyard. “Because your godfather here happens to be a Paladin.”
A Paladin?
Green’s answer deeply touched Alice’s young soul. To be honest, she didn’t know what the word “Paladin” truly represented, but the warmth in Green’s voice when he spoke it moved her.
Staring at Green’s kind smile, Alice felt almost intoxicated. The place this Mr. Green had brought her was simply too wonderful. It was countless times better than the “working days in the city” described by the drunk uncle back in the slums before he went bankrupt.
“If I become a Paladin…” Alice asked subconsciously, “can I live in a house as beautiful as this forever?”
No stinking dark alleys, only flowers and grass basking in the sun. No deafening noise, only the fresh scent of nature and the singing of birds.
Green didn’t answer the girl’s naive question directly. He simply opened the door gently and introduced Alice to her new home. Although it was his first time in this house as well, the experience simulated by the Adventurer’s Log realistically provided the manners and knowledge of a veteran Paladin—more specifically, a Level 47 Inspector of a small border city.
“Alright, this is your new room.”
He pulled open a wooden door to reveal a spacious room with a small chair, a comfortable quilt, and several cute toys.
“My… room?”
The girl vaguely knew what a room was, having worked in an inn despite being only seven or eight years old. But in her memory, a “room” meant a dozen strangers crammed into a tiny space, sleeping on the freezing floor.
“My… does that mean…” Alice turned back, her large, expressive eyes full of uncertainty, “that I’m the only one living here?”
“What’s the matter?” Green reached out again to stroke the girl’s dull hair—a sign of malnutrition. “Are you afraid of sleeping alone?” he asked, his heart aching.
Afraid of sleeping alone?
Alice had never even considered the concept. In her memory, private space simply didn’t exist. She had spent her days huddled in an attic with other children, waking up at dawn to clean the inn, carry luggage, and patch up travelers’ clothes. She had felt lucky just to be taken in as a maid by “Kind Mary,” the innkeeper.
“No, I’m not afraid to sleep alone.”
For the first time since Green had led her into the house, Alice smiled from the bottom of her heart. Her smile was shy and slightly timid, as if she feared that showing joy might betray the fact that she didn’t belong in such a comfortable environment.
But even if Alice’s smile was awkward, in Green’s eyes, it was like the brightest gem in the world.
Because… raising this girl and training her in the Way of the Holy Light to become an outstanding professional was Green’s key to obtaining rewards!
In Alice’s eyes, Green was a saint who descended from the heavens to save her. But in Green’s eyes, Alice—with her eyes crinkling like crescent moons—was the hope that would help him advance his own career.
And so, both harboring their own thoughts, they held hands.
“In any case, welcome home, Alice.”
Time passed quickly.
Before she knew it, Alice began to adapt to her new life. She had beautiful new clothes, and the foul stench of the slums was replaced by the fragrance of expensive soap.
Mr. Green was truly kind to her. He was always patient, giving her meticulous care. Good food, a warm bed, and caring smiles…
“Father.” Finally, one day, as Alice finished her bath and quietly enjoyed Green combing her shiny hair into a beautiful ponytail, she changed how she addressed him. “Thank you.”
Green paused for a moment.
“There’s nothing to thank me for.” Green gently pinched Alice’s soft cheek. “Our little Alice is the best girl in the world!”
“Ooh.” Alice’s cheeks flushed red. Compared to carefree children her age, she understood much more.
“By the way, Alice, there’s something I want to tell you.”
Green observed the girl. After several months of proper nutrition, the Alice of today was unrecognizable. She had a rounded face, a straight back, and bright eyes. She was ready.
“What is it?” Looking at the solemn Green, Alice’s tone became serious as well.
“Do you want to become a Paladin, just like me?”
Green looked with a steadfast gaze toward the only slightly luxurious corner of the otherwise modest house. A divine statue was enshrined there. It lacked the holy brilliance typical of the Light Pantheon, the elegant grace of the Life Pantheon, or the majestic aura of the Honor Pantheon.
The statue in the corner was merely a plain, middle-aged man dressed in coarse linen. His bronze skin was lined with worry, making him look more like a farmer trying to figure out how to survive the winter than a high-and-mighty deity.
“He is my faith.”
In that moment, Green felt as though he truly were a fanatic with unwavering conviction, a man who feared no enemy for the sake of the Light.
“The Patron of the Afflicted.” Green’s voice was not loud, but it was heavy. “Kamudo, the God of Justice. He is the only deity in the Light Pantheon who has fallen and remains without a successor to this day.”
A fallen deity?
Alice knew of the gods, of course. She had heard the priests say that those lofty beings were the sole reason the world functioned. But even such exalted beings could fall… and die?
And why did her godfather worship such a god? Alice opened her eyes wide in confusion.
“Remember this, Alice.”
Seeing his adopted daughter’s confusion, Green walked to the statue and humbly knelt on one knee.
“True Holy Light does not merely shine upon the shallowest surface; it reaches into the deepest layers, the dark corners that touch the depths of the soul.”
Hum—
The setting sun of the afternoon filtered through the window, bathing Green in light. In that moment, Alice held her breath as she looked at her godfather. She felt that the person before her was not a mortal Paladin, but a divine messenger from the heavens.
“Become the light, Alice. I know you have the talent for it.”
Become… the light?
True Holy Light, the light that can illuminate the deepest, darkest corners?
For some reason, Alice suddenly remembered the tragic past she tried so hard to forget—her miserable childhood in the slums. She remembered being mocked by children her age as a “stray wild child,” “unclean blood,” and “someone who doesn’t even know her own parents.”
Before, she had always wanted to erase her “unclean” past. But now, after hearing what her godfather said, a strange urge rose in her heart.
“I understand.” Alice looked firmly at Green. “As you wish, I will become the light.”
Not for some nebulous Holy Light or Justice, but… for Father.