We were eating the leftover bread from the last time the middle-aged man visited.
The atmosphere felt like a small tea time, with everyone gathered around.
However, Sua still couldn’t hide the unease on her face.
“Sua, are you still thinking about the letter?”
Liel asked cautiously.
Sua shook her head, but it was obvious she was still thinking about it.
Harp took a sip of tea, glanced at Sua, and spoke in a low voice.
“Don’t worry. We don’t know who sent it, but there’s almost no chance that a single letter will cause any real trouble. Besides, you have the teacher behind you.”
I nodded in agreement and added.
“Harp’s right. We’re here for you. So don’t overthink it and just enjoy the bread.”
But Sua didn’t seem convinced. Even as she took a bite of her bread, her eyes wavered with anxiety.
And then.
BANG!
The orphanage door was flung open violently.
We all jumped in surprise and turned toward the entrance.
Standing in the doorway was a woman we had never seen before.
She had long hair tied back, and though she looked somewhat exhausted, her eyes were sharp and intense.
“…Didn’t expect the orphanage’s locks to be this flimsy.”
She nonchalantly closed the door behind her and began scanning the room.
The sudden appearance of an unknown intruder put all of us on alert.
“W-Who are you?”
Sua shot up from her seat and shouted.
Liel glanced at me and whispered.
“Teacher, do you know her?”
“No… I’ve never seen her before.”
I carefully looked at the woman and hesitantly asked.
“This is an orphanage… What brings you here?”
Hearing my question, she smirked and replied.
“You all look so tense. I was just planning to drop by for a bit. My name’s Amel. If I say I’m Ellie’s younger sister… does that ring a bell?”
At those words, both I and the children looked stunned.
“Ellie’s… younger sister?”
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind her.
“Geez, learn to control your strength. You barged in like that and then complain about the locks being weak?”
Ellie appeared behind Amel, arms crossed, sighing in exasperation.
Following her was Uncle Alex, who nodded in agreement.
“She’s got a point.”
Still confused, I tilted my head and asked.
“But… why are you all here? What’s going on?”
Instead of answering, Ellie simply shrugged, leaving Amel to speak up.
“I told you we were coming. I even left a letter. The reason for our visit was written in it.”
Her words made me turn to Sua in confusion.
“A letter…? Wait, you mean that bloodstained letter?”
Sua’s face grew even more rigid.
With trembling hands, she pulled the letter back out.
The stains were still there, along with the ominous words.
“Hero.”
“Coming soon.”
The moment Amel saw it, she sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Oh. I messed up again. That’s my nosebleed. I must’ve been exhausted from overworking and bled a little. My bad.”
Ellie let out a deep sigh and stared at her.
“You seriously need to take better care of yourself. I keep telling you to pace yourself.”
“Well, if someone hadn’t dumped all the annoying work on me, maybe I could rest.”
Watching them bicker, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Okay, I think I understand now. But next time, please be more careful when sending letters. Do you have any idea how much Sua was worried?”
Amel scratched her head awkwardly and turned to Sua, bowing slightly in apology.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Can you forgive me?”
Sua was silent for a moment, then finally gave a small nod.
Amel hesitated briefly, looking around at all of us.
Her expression remained serious as she spoke in a quiet but firm voice.
“Sua, things are getting messy up north. The defense forces have been waiting for you to come back and deal with the monsters.”
Everyone’s expression turned to shock at Amel’s words, but Liel looked especially startled as she asked.
“Wait… monsters?”
Amel looked directly at Sua and answered.
“Sua used to regularly visit the northern capital. She helped the defense forces deal with powerful monsters. Her Hero’s power is essential for fighting creatures that even the army can’t handle.”
Liel still seemed confused and tilted her head.
“But she’s here now… living at the orphanage with the teacher.”
Amel let out a deep sigh and continued.
“That’s why things have gotten so bad. Since Sua stopped going north, the defense forces have been struggling. Stronger monsters are getting dangerously close to the capital, and the frontlines could collapse at any moment.”
Sua lowered her head without saying a word.
Her expression was a tangled mess of emotions.
“I know how important it is… But… I wanted to stay here. I wanted to be with the teacher and everyone else.”
Hearing that, Liel nodded and carefully asked.
“So… if Sua had kept going north, none of this would have happened?”
Amel nodded.
“That’s right. When Sua was making regular trips, the situation was stable. The monsters were kept at bay, and the defense forces had enough breathing room. But now, they’re barely holding on.”
Even after hearing that, Sua remained silent.
I looked at her gently and said.
“Sua, whatever you choose, we’ll support you. Don’t feel pressured.”
Sua kept her head down, deep in thought.
Hesitation and uncertainty filled her face.
Then, in a small voice, she asked.
“…Do I have to go?”
Amel met her gaze and firmly nodded.
“Yes. The defense forces are already at their limit. The frontline is on the verge of collapsing. We need your help.”
Sua bit her lip and fell silent again.
Her expression was filled with hesitation, and her eyes carried a storm of emotions.
“…But… I want to stay here with the teacher and everyone else. This time together is so precious to me.”
Hearing that, I stepped closer to Sua and spoke gently.
“Sua, do you really want to stay together with everyone?”
Sua nodded firmly.
“Yes… But if I do that, I won’t be able to go north.”
I paused for a moment, thinking.
Then, as if I had made up my mind, I nodded and said,
“Then let’s all go together.”
Sua’s eyes widened as she stared at me.
“All… together? To the north?”
Even Amel looked surprised.
“Wait, all of you are coming north?”
I smiled and replied.
“If Sua is struggling because she has to choose between us and her duty, then we just have to make sure she doesn’t have to choose. If she absolutely has to go north, then we’ll go with her. That way, she won’t be alone, and the problem gets solved. Two birds with one stone, right?”
Sua looked at me in disbelief.
“Teacher… You’re really accepting my selfishness? You’re saying everyone will come with me?”
I nodded with certainty and said in a confident voice.
“If you don’t want to be separated from the people who are important to you, then the answer is simple—those important people will stay by your side.”
Sua’s eyes glistened with emotion, and before I knew it, tears welled up.
“Teacher… Thank you. So much.”
“It’s nothing.”
I patted her head gently before turning to Harp and Liel.
“Harp, Liel. You’re both okay with this, right? We’re all going north together.”
Harp, with her usual calm demeanor, gave a small nod.
“It’s fine. If you’ve decided, teacher, then I’ll follow. It doesn’t really matter where we are. The place I want to stay is by your side.”
Liel also smiled and added.
“I’m okay with it too. As long as I’m with you, teacher, it doesn’t matter where we go.”
Hearing that, Sua’s face lit up with joy.
“Really? That means we’re all going together?”
I smiled back at her.
“Of course. We’re a team, aren’t we?”
Amel watched us with an exasperated expression and shook her head.
“This is… definitely an unexpected solution. All of you heading north together. But if that’s what you really want, I won’t stop you.”
Then, she smirked slightly and added.
“Honestly, the northern defense forces might even prefer this. Having Sua and her team show up is better than just sending the Hero alone.”
Hearing that, Sua beamed brightly.
“Then we’re really all going to the north! Teacher, thank you so much!”
And just like that, we began preparing for our journey north.
We would have to leave the orphanage behind for now, but traveling together was another chance to create warm memories.
Just then, Amel turned to me as if she had remembered something.
“Oh, right, Eve.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“…You do realize you can’t bring the well with you this time, right?”
“…Ah, well, I—wait, why would I even try to bring that?!”