This was strange.
I had no idea why Liel was so flustered by the Pope’s visit.
As I walked toward the door, I glanced back at her.
Meanwhile, the Pope continued knocking.
“Hmm… Is no one inside?”
Taking a deep breath, I grasped the doorknob and carefully opened the door.
“Hello. Um, Pope Ricardo? What brings you here at this hour?”
Standing at the entrance was a middle-aged man radiating his usual noble presence.
He wasn’t wearing his grand ceremonial robes today, but his voice and gaze were unmistakably those of the Pope.
“Eve, may I have a moment of your time? I won’t take much, so don’t worry.”
Sensing that things were about to get more complicated, I silently nodded.
“Yes, of course. Please, come in.”
With a slight smile, Pope Ricardo gave a small nod.
“It’s nothing serious. I just came to check if any unfamiliar individuals have entered this place recently.”
Unfamiliar individuals…?
For a moment, my thoughts flickered to Liel, who was currently hiding in the corner.
But she had only recently arrived at the orphanage—surely, she wasn’t a problem.
“There is a new child who recently joined us, but… when you say ‘unfamiliar individual’… is there some kind of issue?”
At my question, Pope Ricardo lowered his head slightly, his expression growing serious.
“I wouldn’t call it an issue exactly… But they might be someone important to me.”
His eyes sharpened slightly.
At that moment, Liel, who had been hiding in the corner, locked eyes with the Pope.
“…Liel?”
His voice dropped into a deep, heavy tone.
Immediately, Liel’s stray hair shot straight up, and her entire body froze.
“G-Grandpa?!!!”
Her eyes went wide as she pointed at the Pope.
“Y-You’re really my grandpa?! Wh-What are you doing here?! Don’t tell me… You came to find me?! No way, right?! Right?!”
Pope Ricardo let out a deep sigh and stared intently at Liel.
Then, slowly stepping toward her, he spoke.
“Liel… So it really was you.”
“N-No! I was just planning to live quietly here, that’s all!”
“I understand that you want to live quietly. But…”
Liel kept backing away until she was pressed against the wall.
The Pope crossed his arms and looked down at her, his voice heavy with authority.
“You ran away and abandoned all your duties in the Holy Nation?”
“Eek! W-Wait, Grandpa! Let me explain!”
But her protests were in vain.
The Pope calmly raised his hand and flicked her forehead with perfect precision.
“Ow! That hurt, Grandpa!”
Liel yelped, clutching her forehead.
“How many times is this now, huh? How many times have you run away?”
“I didn’t run away!”
“Oh, really? Up until now, you only escaped within the Holy Nation. But this time…
You fled the country itself.”
“T-That’s…”
Still maintaining a stern expression, the Pope looked down at her.
Then, as if exhausted, he let out another deep sigh.
“Haa… Liel. Do you really dislike the Holy Nation that much? I told you—you can always tell me what you want.”
Liel pouted, puffing out her cheeks.
“You make it sound so unfair… I have my own reasons for doing this.”
Watching this strange exchange unfold, I scratched my head.
“Uh… Pope? So Liel is really your granddaughter?”
Pope Ricardo turned to me and nodded gently.
“Yes, she’s my granddaughter. A beloved child… but also an enormous headache.”
“A headache?! Grandpa, that’s so mean!”
Liel’s cheeks puffed up even more in protest, but the Pope didn’t seem to mind at all.
“You actually thought to hide in an orphanage… Liel, you really are something else.
No, wait a moment.”
Pope Ricardo stared at Liel for a long while before slowly nodding.
His gaze carried a mix of relief and exhaustion.
“I see… Now everything makes sense.”
‘What exactly makes sense?’
Hearing his words, I tilted my head in confusion.
Liel, meanwhile, glanced around nervously, biting her lip as if trying to change the subject.
“…Um, well… I just wanted to meet the famous orphanage head!”
The Pope sighed and looked down at her.
“Liel, are you telling me you snuck out of the Grand Cathedral and traveled all the way here just because you wanted to see Eve? Someone you’ve never even met?”
“Yes, that’s right! You have no idea how curious I was when I heard the rumors! I just wanted to check for myself, that’s all!”
The Pope pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
“Sigh… I suppose blood truly doesn’t lie. You’re just as reckless as ever.”
Still struggling to grasp the situation, I scratched my head.
“…So… does this mean you’ll be taking Liel back to the Holy Nation now?”
At my question, Liel’s head whipped toward the Pope in alarm.
“Grandpa, no way?! You’re not sending me back, are you?!”
But the Pope shook his head.
“No, I won’t take you back. At least, not right now.”
“R-Really? You mean it?”
Liel looked at him with doubt in her eyes.
Pope Ricardo simply waved a hand dismissively.
“I’ll handle things on my end. It’ll take some time, but I should be able to settle most of the issues.”
“Huh? You’re going to handle it?”
Liel’s eyes widened.
“Then… what am I supposed to do?”
“You will stay here and assist the orphanage head. Wasn’t she the very person you were so eager to meet? If there’s something you truly want to do, then it’s time to act on it properly.”
Liel stared at the Pope in shock, her mouth slightly open.
“…Are you really okay with this?”
“Liel, I’ll say this one more time… You need to learn what it means to take responsibility. While you stay here, I will be back in the Holy Nation cleaning up the mess you left behind.”
With that, the Pope turned to me.
“Eve, I wish to leave this child in your care for the time being. If she causes any trouble, contact me immediately.”
I blinked in surprise but nodded.
“Uh… Understood. But, Pope, if you leave so suddenly like this…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have some attendants stationed in a cabin in the nearby village. If anything happens, just send word to them.”
He gave a brief smile before glancing at Liel one last time.
“Live the way you want, Liel. But remember—don’t push yourself too far.”
Leaving those final words, Pope Ricardo turned and stepped outside.
Liel stared at the door for a moment, then let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Phew… He’s really gone?”
I glanced at her and spoke calmly.
“Liel, you really pulled off something big.”
Liel pouted, her expression filled with injustice.
“Ugh… I-I didn’t mean to! I was just a little curious, that’s all…!”
I sighed and ruffled her hair lightly.
“Well, I’m just glad your grandfather— Uh, I mean, Pope Ricardo was understanding. So, you’ll be staying here from now on, right?”
Liel straightened up and nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes! Got it…!”
Her answer was confident, but for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end of the chaos.
Letting out a sigh, I turned back toward the bedroom.
The moment I stepped inside, exhaustion hit me all at once.
“Haa… Today was seriously such a hectic day.”
As I quietly looked around the room, I noticed that Harp and Sua were already lying on opposite ends of their beds.
Harp was curled up under her blanket, facing the wall, while Sua lay on her stomach, turned in the opposite direction.
A strange tension lingered between them.
‘Are they still not getting along…?’
I let out a small sigh.
They always bickered, but today, the distance between them felt particularly wide.
The way they lay at opposite ends of the bed, stubbornly turning their backs to each other, made them look like two people who had been seriously upset.
“…They’re not going to start fighting again, are they?”
Worried, I carefully maneuvered past them and settled in next to Liel.
She was curled up in the middle of the bed, looking up at me with sleepy eyes.
Even though the space was cramped, I felt a warm sense of comfort.
It was a bit tight, but having all four of us in the same room like this gave me a strange sense of peace.
The sleeping arrangement now was: Harp, me, Liel, and Sua.
At some point, Liel had relaxed, her breathing becoming slow and steady as she nestled into the blanket.
She finally looked like a child who had found a place to rest.
‘Looks like everyone is slowly getting used to being here.’
With that thought, I slowly closed my eyes.
The quiet breathing of the children in the small, cramped room filled the space with an unexpected sense of tranquility.
‘I wonder what tomorrow will bring.’
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, Sua mumbled in her sleep again.
“…Mint… chocolate… not… toothpaste…”
I stifled a laugh and shook my head.
So this is how today comes to an end.
But really.
An orphanage with both a Hero and a Saint?
Isn’t this basically a Hero’s party?