’...Now, how should I answer that?’
While Simon was lost in serious thought, Richard was looking over his own outfit.
"Tsk, my clothes are a mess today of all days. Should I just reveal my status as a Legion Commander to get her attention?"
Simon jumped and quickly spoke up.
"You can’t reveal your identity! The people in this region hate both the Dark Alliance and the Holy Federation."
"Fair point."
Simon began to persuade him in a calm tone.
"Instead of trying so hard to impress her, why don’t you relax a bit and just be honest? How about showing her your true self?"
"What?"
"From what I’ve seen, Yona is a good person. Just show her who you really are."
At that, Richard scrunched up his nose.
"And what exactly do you know about me to say something like that?"
’Of course I know.’
’Because I’m your son.’
The time they had spent together. The days Simon had grown up looking up to him. He believed that was the real Richard.
"So what if you look a little unpolished? It’s your natural self as the human Yona. Just relax your shoulders and put your mind at ease. Wouldn’t other women feel more comfortable in that kind of atmosphere, too?"
Richard remained silent.
"I apologize if I was overstepping."
Richard tapped out his pipe and let out a small chuckle.
"Are you some kind of ladies’ man?"
"Excuse me?"
"You look like a greenhorn, but you sure have a way with words."
Richard stood up and walked away.
---
As the children woke up, the volunteer work at the orphanage began in earnest.
Simon finally understood why the director had emphasized preparing breakfast before the children woke up.
"Hahaha!"
"Wheee!"
Because it was absolute chaos.
The moment their eyes snapped open, the children bolted in every direction, their mouths running nonstop. Fascinated by the newcomers, they peeked around corners and bounded over, chattering, "Who are you, mister?"
’There really are a lot of them.’
The ability to handle children was essential for this volunteer work. No matter the task, they had to distract the kids for a moment and get the work done in the meantime.
And amidst all this, the most excited volunteer was Anna.
"Hello, everyone!"
Did the children recognize Anna’s warm heart at a glance? They flocked to her, chattering away and bombarding her with questions. Anna smiled and answered each of them with care.
The least popular, on the other hand, was Richard. Exuding a cold aura, he leaned against a nearby tree with his arms crossed, his intimidating presence keeping the children at bay.
Anna shot Richard a somewhat disapproving look before turning away and leading the children elsewhere.
The area around Richard instantly emptied out. As if used to the isolation, he reached for his pipe.
Then, a little head peeked out from behind the trunk.
A young boy approached Richard with burning curiosity.
"Who are you, mister?"
’Mister, huh.’
Richard sighed inwardly and put his pipe away.
"You’d be surprised if you knew who I really was."
"I wanna know!"
"I am a ’warrior’."
The boy covered his mouth and giggled mockingly, causing Richard’s eyebrow to twitch.
"The greatest warrior on the continent, at that."
"Yeah, right! Liar."
"Watch this."
Richard channeled mana to his fingertips and gave a flick. A severed branch fell from above right into his hand, making the boy’s eyes sparkle with a "Wow!"
"With a single strike, I split the sea."
He swung the branch with a sharp whistle of air.
"Before my majesty, the mountains, rivers, and trees bow down to the earth."
As he thrust it forward, the air tore with a crisp snap. The surrounding trees rustled wildly in the sudden gust.
"Still don’t believe me?"
"Nope!"
"You’re a bold little brat."
Richard roughly ruffled the boy’s hair.
"If you don’t believe me, I’ll tell you about my adventures in the Southern Kingdom."
"Okay!"
Surprisingly, Richard had a personality that meshed well with children.
His signature bravado and exaggerated jokes were a perfect fit for them. As he began his tale of adventure, the surrounding kids peeked over and gathered around one by one.
"And then I shouted, ’Make way for the Princess of the Anibaba Kingdom!"
Richard hoisted a little girl onto his shoulders and ran into the clearing. The other children laughed gleefully and chased after him.
Soon, an exciting playtime unfolded in the clearing.
"I’m coming to get you! Humans!"
Playing the part of some fearsome monster, he lowered his voice to a growl, sending the children running away in fits of laughter. Before long, more than half the kids in the orphanage were playing with Richard.
Anna, who had come to call the children for snacks, stopped in surprise.
The delinquent-looking man was playing incredibly well with the kids. His face was covered in scribbles, and the girls had braided his hair with ribbons, but he didn’t care. As he ran around on all fours and roared, the children laughed their heads off and fled.
"Kids, isn’t it time to eat?" Anna asked gently.
"We want to play more with Mister Richard!"
"Me too!"
The children were clearly in the mood to keep playing.
Just then, Richard gave Anna a subtle nod and cleared his throat.
"An island in the distance! I see a new island. We Viking warriors shall drop anchor on land and rest for a while!"
"Wow!"
He struck the ground with his branch, producing a heavy thud.
"What must we do at the port? Navigator Oliver."
"We must prepare for our next voyage!"
"Right, and I smell something delicious over there."
He tapped the branch against the dirt.
"Secure provisions for the next voyage! Go!"
"Charge!"
The children stampeded toward the dining hall. Anna watched them run off in a frenzy, a gentle smile gracing her lips.
Soon, the children were gone, leaving only the two of them behind.
Richard was patting his lower back and catching his breath when Anna spoke up.
"You’re really good at playing with the children."
Surprisingly, she had initiated the conversation.
Judging by her tone, her guard against him had significantly lowered.
"The children were the ones playing with me. I usually play like this alone in my room."
Anna covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle.
The two of them stood there and shared some idle chatter.
They clicked better than expected. Richard kept the conversation flowing smoothly without any cheesy pickup lines, and Anna clapped her hands, responding enthusiastically.
"I’m Ayla. May I ask your name?"
’She’s only asking now?’
Richard, about to answer her question, suddenly felt the words catch in his throat.
Ever since leaving his family, he had always lived under the alias ’Yona’. Now, the name ’Yona’ had become his real name, widely known to the world and one of the symbols representing the Dark Alliance.
But he couldn’t use that name here.
"My name is..."
Anna tilted her head.
"Is something wrong?"
He had worked so hard to get her attention. Dragging things out over a name wouldn’t do him any good. In the end, he just blurted out what came to mind.
"I’m Richard."
He surprised himself as soon as he said it.
It was the first time he had spoken his real name aloud since escaping his abusive family.
It was a terrible name given to him by that father of his, and he had thought he would never be called by it again.
And yet.
"Oh my."
Anna smiled, her expression as bright as a flower in full bloom.
"That’s a wonderful name, Richard."
Richard stared at her, speechless.
His heart pounded.
For the first time in his life.
Richard found himself liking that name.
---
Simon and Lethe stepped outside after finishing the children’s meal distribution.
"T-That was exhausting," Simon muttered as he trudged out of the building.
He had been working so frantically that he hadn’t been able to pay any attention to Richard and Anna.
"Where are those two, anyway?"
"Shh!"
Lethe placed her index finger over her lips, grabbed Simon by the collar, and yanked him behind a wall. Then, she peeked her head out to look at Richard and Anna.
The two were sitting side by side on a bench, chatting affectionately.
Richard’s face was already flushed red, and Anna was wearing a fond smile.
"It worked! It worked! It is a success!"
An excited Lethe let out a muffled squeal and shook Simon’s shoulders violently.
"We did it!"
"A-Are they really getting along? Just like that?"
"They are future spouses for a reason, sir!"
Lethe cupped her cheeks and smiled warmly.
"Hmph, I am reluctant to admit it, but seeing them like this, they do make a handsome couple."
They looked like a picture-perfect pair.
Richard must have made a joke, as Anna elegantly covered her mouth and laughed. It was obvious they were growing closer.
’It’s done now,’ Simon breathed a sigh of relief.
’History is slowly correcting itself.’
Lethe giggled and patted Simon’s shoulder.
"It is a relief you avoided the fate of never being born, sir."
"Keep it down."
---
Richard and Anna stuck together for the entire duration of the volunteer work.
They talked endlessly while taking care of the orphans. Richard shared tales of his adventures traveling the continent, and Anna, who had always been confined to the temple without ever traveling, listened with a fluttering heart.
Anna admired Richard’s adventures, living freely and doing as he pleased.
As time passed, the day eventually drew to a close. The children who had been playing so happily went back into the shelter one by one, and the time to part ways approached.
"I’ll be taking my leave, then."
"Yes, it was a pleasure."
"Farewell."
The two bowed in farewell and turned to walk away.
Then, Anna stopped in her tracks and looked back.
"Richard."
"Ah, yes."
Anna flushed with embarrassment, shifting her weight nervously before speaking.
"Will you be coming to the volunteer work next week, too?"
At those words, Richard looked back at her with a somewhat dazed expression. Soon, a look of pure joy slowly spread across his face.
"Absolutely."
"You don’t have to make it a promise."
The two of them smiled.
Then, Richard strode over and pressed something into Anna’s hand.
"What is this?"
"You said you’ve never seen the ocean before."
It was a small conch shell. She let out a gasp of admiration.
"It’s beautiful."
"I’ll take you there someday."
Clasping her hands tightly, Anna replied in a voice trembling with emotion.
"Okay!"
And so, the one-day volunteer work ended, and the two returned to their respective camps with Simon and Lethe.
"Miss Anna! How was it?" Lethe asked slyly inside the carriage.
Anna placed a hand over her heart and leaned back against the seat.
"I was so happy! It was incredibly rewarding, too! Seeing the children smiling so bravely despite their difficult circumstances really lifted my spirits. I’m glad I came, just like Lena said."
"Hmm." Lethe narrowed her eyes and leaned in.
"Come to think of it, you were sticking close to a certain someone all day today."
Anna flinched. Lethe didn’t miss how her cheeks inevitably flushed pink.
’Ugh, she’s too cute!’
Lethe silently stomped her feet in excitement before flashing a meaningful smile.
"Who was that man?"
"Ah. His name is Richard. He’s an adventurer traveling the continent, and..."
Surprisingly, the usually quiet Anna chattered away about Richard’s adventures. Lethe listened to her story while glancing at Anna’s hand.
She was clutching the conch shell Richard had given her, holding it as preciously as a jewel.
---
"You seem to have enjoyed yourself."
Simon remarked with a beaming smile on the ride back.
"Shut up."
"Hahaha."
Richard, who was steering his horse, stared ahead with a blank expression for a moment before speaking.
"Still, your advice helped. Thanks."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
In truth, Simon knew it would work. As their son, he had seen plenty of what Anna loved about Richard.
"Anyway, it seems like things are progressing decently on this end."
Richard glanced at Simon and smirked.
"Weren’t you supposed to take care of the woman who came with Ayla? How did that go?"
Simon’s face turned bright red.
"W-What are you talking about?"
"Looks like you’re in no position to be giving advice."
Richard playfully punched Simon in the chest.
"You actually look a lot like me, so if you just polish up your charm, you’ll have women swooning over you in no time."
"I told you it’s not like that!"
No matter what Simon said, Richard laughed heartily and threw an arm around his neck.
"You definitely have to come with me next week, you hear? Hahahaha!"
---
"The location?"
[We have not found them yet.]
In a pitch-black mansion that looked as if it had been drenched in black paint, a man sitting on a sofa placed a communication crystal ball down on his desk.
With a soft rustle of fabric, he slowly took off the glove on his right hand.
The bare hand revealed beneath the glove was fading, looking as though it might disappear at any moment.
He stared at it in silence.
He put the glove back on and slowly rose from his seat.
His slow footsteps echoed through the room as he walked over to examine a map pinned to the wall.
The map, labeled ’Neutral Zone’ instead of the Bahila Territory, was covered in countless markings.
Areas marked with an X. And certain spots that had a checkmark next to the word ’Resolved’.
"...Nephthys must have sent someone as well."
The man’s expression contorted in the darkness.
"Find them by any means necessary."

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