Simon and Lethe arrived safely at the orphanage with their respective groups. The volunteer schedule remained the same: prepare breakfast before the children woke up.
"Alright! Let us proceed with the operation immediately!" Lethe, looking especially energetic today, spoke with her fists clenched tight.
Simon smiled. "Why are you so fired up, Lethe?"
"Hehe. This is the most important moment of their lives. How could I not be excited? Richard will surely make his move today, won’t he?"
"I hope so... Oh, here they come!"
Without another word, the operation began. Anna, hesitating by the kitchen door, was gently ushered away by Lethe and tasked with fetching firewood from the shed. Just as she reached the pile and began pulling out some logs...
"Allow me."
Richard stepped up beside her. Anna shyly lowered her gaze.
"Oh, hello, Richard."
"Good morning, Ayla."
As he took the wood from her hands, Richard finally got a proper look at her. The logs he had just taken tumbled right back to the ground with a loud clatter. She wore a beautiful sky-blue dress that fluttered in the gentle breeze, her hair elegantly braided and styled. The rest of the world blurred, leaving only her in sharp focus.
It felt as if the entire universe were suddenly revolving around her.
"Are you alright?" Anna asked, stepping forward with a worried expression. "Are you hurt? Oh, you’ve scraped your..."
"I’m perfectly fine!" Richard blurted out forcefully, clearing his throat to mask his embarrassment. "Shall we?"
The two walked side by side, chatting happily as they carried the firewood.
Lethe giggled quietly. A short distance away, Simon and Lethe spied on them from the bushes.
"It appears to be going well! Ah, they even touched hands! What do we do?"
An excited Lethe smacked Simon repeatedly on the back. Taking the unwarranted beating, Simon shot her a glare.
"Calm down, Lethe."
"Ah, my apologies. This is my first time experiencing something like this, so I find myself becoming overly invested. Is this the joy of raising a child?" Lethe clasped her hands tightly together like a proud, overbearing mother.
"You can do it, Miss Anna! Just muster a little more courage!"
But just a little further away from Simon and Lethe’s hiding spot, another person was watching the scene unfold.
’Anna...!’
It was none other than Israphel. She trembled, her eyes bloodshot with protective fury. ’I wondered why she was bustling about so early this morning, and it was for a place like this...!’
Volunteering at an orphanage wasn’t the issue. In fact, such wholesome activities were exactly the sort of thing Israphel normally encouraged. However.
’Who is that man?!’
The situation was taking a highly suspicious turn. Anna, the most innocent soul in the world who knew absolutely nothing about the opposite sex, was alone with a man!
Israphel stifled a sob, biting down hard on her handkerchief, on the verge of tears. Of course, she knew Anna might meet someone someday, but for it to be now? It was far too soon. She wasn’t ready to let her go.
Israphel glared at Richard, her eyes burning with jealousy, before her fiery gaze snapped toward Lethe.
’To corrupt our pure Anna! Just as I suspected, Lena is the root of all these problems!’
"Excuse me!"
The orphanage director popped up from behind her. Israphel, still crouched in the bushes, jumped in surprise and spun around.
"Y-Yes?"
"If you came to volunteer, you should be helping out instead of hiding in the bushes! Everyone else is working. Why are there so many people just trying to kill time these days?" The director grabbed Israphel’s wrist and hauled her to her feet.
"No, wait a minute! I didn’t come here to volunteer...!"
"Hurry up! You can start by cleaning the storage room!"
And just like that, Israphel was forcibly dragged away.
---
Richard and Anna remained practically inseparable throughout the volunteer event. They served food together and played with the children together. The happy hours passed cruelly fast, and the sun was already beginning to set. Still, since the schedule called for an overnight stay at the orphanage, they had a little time left.
Simon and Lethe stubbornly insisted on doing the dishes, practically shoving the pair outside. Thanks to their meddling, Richard and Anna found themselves strolling quietly through the garden.
"I told you the last time we met, didn’t I?" Richard broke the ice with a warm smile, matching Anna’s pace. "That I would show you the ocean."
"I remember," she answered shyly, dipping her head. Every little movement she made was endearing. Fighting the urge to break into a massive grin, Richard opened his hand.
"Then, shall we go see it now?"
Anna blinked up at him. "Pardon? But the ocean is..."
"It’s not as far as you think. We can easily make it."
Richard closed his eyes and gathered his focus. He opened his palms, forming two pure mana magic circles hovering just above his skin. Anna tilted her head in confusion.
"What is this?"
"These are the ones who will take us to the ocean."
Richard tossed small pebbles into the magic circles and activated them. The stones rapidly absorbed the surrounding mana, the air around them beginning to waver.
"Devote yourselves to me." Richard solemnly lowered his arms. "Spirit Dragons."
A piercing, resonant cry echoed as blue spirits burst forth from the magic circles. Translucent wings, much like a dragonfly’s, extended from bodies that resembled a cross between a serpent and a horse. Looking like majestic, winged seahorses, the two Spirit Dragons soared into the air.
"Oh my, what is...!"
"It’s spirit magic."
Richard pulled out the saddles and reins he had spent the past week crafting and secured them to the two creatures.
"The Polentia family is actually a lineage of Spirit Summoners."
Richard had briefly studied spirit magic when he was very young. But after running away from home, he had abandoned his name. In his absolute denial of everything related to the Polentia family, he had sworn off spirit magic entirely. But now, he was using the name Richard again.
While agonizing over how to take Anna to the ocean using something other than dark magic, he had resolved to master his family’s lost art. He had completely immersed himself in spirit magic for the past week, successfully mastering the summoning of the ’Spirit Dragons’.
"This is my first time seeing spirit magic! They’re beautiful." Anna clapped her hands, as delighted as a child.
Richard stepped closer. "Try communicating with the spirit," he said gently. "Slowly."
Anna reached out her hand. The Spirit Dragon stared at her intently for a moment before affectionately nuzzling its face against her palm.
"So beautiful."
"You did well."
Richard spoke calmly, but inwardly, he was in awe. She didn’t have a drop of Spirit Summoner blood in her veins, yet she had made the creature accept her instantly. Her level of resonance was astonishing.
"Shall we mount up?"
"Yes!"
Taking Richard’s offered hand, Anna carefully climbed atop the Spirit Dragon. The creature remained perfectly still until she was securely seated on its back.
"Good boy," Anna murmured.
As she gently stroked its neck, the Spirit Dragon shivered as if tickled, clearly enjoying the affection.
Richard mounted his own Spirit Dragon and smiled over at her. "Are you ready?"
"I am!"
Anna gripped the reins, wearing the happiest expression in the world. Catching her infectious joy, Richard swept his arm forward with a theatrical flourish.
"Here we go!"
The Spirit Dragons raised their heads in unison, arching back like drawn bowstrings before launching fiercely into the sky.
"Ahhh!"
Startled by the sudden acceleration and the rapidly dropping ground, Anna clung tightly to the Spirit Dragon’s neck.
"Easy, Ayla. You’re perfectly safe."
Mustering her courage at Richard’s reassuring tone, Anna carefully opened her eyes. The world around them was rushing past in a blur, but as her vision adjusted...
"Oh..."
Picturesque landscapes reflected in her wide eyes.
"Shall we go faster?"
"I’d love to!"
The Spirit Dragons picked up speed, tearing through the night sky. The nocturnal jungle unfolded below them. Luminous plants swayed in the dark, glowing like scattered lamps, while exotic animals and monsters navigated the dense canopy. The Spirit Dragons gradually increased their altitude.
As they left the jungle behind, a dazzling nightscape spread out before them. Soon, they climbed even higher, piercing through the cloud layer.
Anna gazed out in pure ecstasy.
Past the jungle and over the desert, they rode along a river of clouds. Having lived confined in a temple since childhood before being dragged straight to the battlefield, this was a worldly beauty she had never known existed. Everywhere she looked, the world was steeped in mystery and wonder. The illustrations she had seen in books, the fantastical places she had only imagined from stories—she was seeing sights far beyond them with her own eyes, feeling the crisp wind against her skin.
"It’s truly, truly amazing!" Anna cried out over the rushing wind.
Richard smiled. "It’s too early to be amazed."
After flying above the clouds for a long while, sharing stories and laughter, Richard gestured downward. The two Spirit Dragons decelerated, slowly descending through the thick white blanket.
"Close your eyes, Ayla."
"Okay."
Anna squeezed her eyes shut. A moment later, the two Spirit Dragons broke through the bottom of the cloud layer.
"Open them!"
Anna slowly opened her eyes. She immediately gasped, her jaw dropping in sheer awe.
"This is—"
Anna covered her mouth, deeply moved. "The ocean...!"
The roaring sound of crashing waves filled the air, the salty spray rising to meet them. Everything around them was a brilliant, endless blue. In this vast expanse, there was nothing but azure water stretching to the horizon. It was a sight that seemed to wash her very soul clean.
The Spirit Dragons leveled out, gliding slowly just inches above the water’s surface.
"Here, try this!"
Richard dipped his hand into the ocean, sending up a frothy spray of white seafoam. Anna laughed brightly, dipping her hands and feet into the cool water as they flew.
Water splashed playfully around them. Schools of fish darted beneath the surface, and a pod of dolphins leaped gracefully from the water in their wake. Anna looked around, utterly entranced. The cool ocean breeze.
The vast, endless blue. Clouds drifting above like little rowboats. It was a sight so breathtakingly beautiful it brought tears to her eyes. And amidst it all...
"How is it, Ayla?" Richard called out, his face beaming. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
Her heart gave a sudden, violent lurch. The roar of the crashing waves was completely drowned out by the deafening beat of her own heart.
’I’m sorry, Richard.’
The magnificent ocean scenery that Richard had gone through so much trouble to show her was now blurred, entirely forgotten. All she could see was Richard’s face, smiling broadly and genuinely, as carefree as a child.
’This is strange.’
Even when she had gained enlightenment while studying the scriptures. Even when she was first ordained as a Saintess. Even when she had felt the Goddess’s divine grace. She had never felt anything quite like this.
---
Richard and Anna decided to take a short break on a grassy cliff overlooking the sea.
They sat in comfortable silence. Sitting side by side, their hands had naturally found their way to each other. Richard had to fight a constant battle to calm his wildly racing heart.
’It’s not like this is my first time being with a woman. Why am I trembling this much?’
It was strange. Every time their fingers intertwined, it felt like his heart might stop. Every time she smiled, it felt like his chest would burst. He had been with countless women in his life, yet this was the very first time his soul had been shaken to its core.
When Richard turned his head, he saw Anna gazing out at the ocean, tears of pure emotion welling in her eyes.
She was so incredibly lovely. The way she marveled at every little thing, laughing without a hint of pretense and rejoicing with pure, unadulterated innocence. Her warm, untainted heart. Perhaps it was because he lacked it himself that her absolute purity struck him so profoundly.
Richard shifted slightly closer to her. As if startled, Anna instinctively leaned away. Noticing her reaction, Richard hesitated.
"Should I sit a little further away?"
"N-No!"
Her voice cracked as she blurted out the denial. Seeing Anna clap her hands over her mouth and hide her flushed face behind her drawn-up knees, the corners of Richard’s lips danced upward once again.
"U-Um." Gathering her courage, Anna slowly lifted her head. "I... I don’t know how to thank you for showing me such a magnificent sight."
"I will never forget today for the rest of my life. I truly mean it."
"It is an honor to have given you such an experience," he replied softly.
Their clasped hands tightened. The moonlight seemed to brighten, casting a perfect, romantic glow over the cliffside. As Richard slowly leaned in, the mood thick with anticipation, Anna let out a tiny hiccup and squeezed her eyes shut.
Then, she cried out in a panicked, shrill voice, "I-I-I don’t really know how to do this...!"
’Ah, right.’
She had mentioned having absolutely zero romantic experience. Richard cleared his throat softly.
"Then I’ll just close my eyes and stay perfectly still."
"Pardon?"
"Do whatever you want to do, Ayla."
With that, he closed his eyes and lowered his hands to his lap. He remained as still as a statue, as if he had fallen asleep.
Anna took a shaky breath. Having calmed down a fraction, Anna looked straight at Richard’s face. His flawless face. His sculpted features.
His firmly closed lips. Anna shifted her posture, slowly taking in every detail.
Her heart was racing like crazy. Having lived her entire life conforming to the demands of others, she was entirely unequipped for a situation like this.
’Do whatever I want to do? What on earth am I supposed to do? Wherever my heart leads me. Whatever I want to do.’
Repeating those words in her mind, Anna slowly reached out. She tentatively rested a hand on his broad shoulder, then gently brushed his cheek with her palm. Then, slowly leaning in... she pressed her lips against his.
Richard’s eyes flew open in surprise. Pulling away quickly, Anna ducked her head, her face flushed red to its absolute limit. A deeply affectionate smile spread across Richard’s face.
"That was wonderful," he whispered.
This time, Richard leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Soon, the two melted into each other’s embrace, surrendering entirely to their instincts as the night deepened around them.
---
"Should we not follow them?" Lethe asked from her spot on a nearby cliff, having finished the orphanage chores.
Simon, who had been pacing in circles while stretching, plopped down next to her.
"It’s fine. It would be troublesome if we followed them and got caught. Let’s just leave the rest up to them."
Nodding once, Lethe pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them tight. She gazed quietly up at the moon.
"Those two... they must be having a wonderful time right about now, yes?" She let out a soft giggle, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Just imagining it makes me so happy!"
"You’re suddenly very invested in this," Simon noted.
"Because it is quite enjoyable to observe Miss Anna experiencing her girlish days as she falls in love for the first time." Murmuring that, Lethe looked back up at the moon. "A destined love... How romantic."
---
Israphel slumped against a wall. Having finally escaped the orphanage director’s clutches, Israphel looked completely drained of life.
’I worked way too hard.’
While cleaning the building, she had accidentally glimpsed the orphanage’s financial ledgers. The accounting was so abysmal that she couldn’t help but offer a few words of advice. Naturally, that led to the director grabbing her hands and frantically begging for her expertise. In the end, she had only managed to leave after completely restructuring not just the orphanage’s finances, but its overall operational guidelines as well.
’This is no time for this! More importantly, Anna...!’
Israphel frantically searched the orphanage grounds, but Anna was nowhere to be found. Spotting a middle-aged man who looked like a fellow volunteer, she sprinted over to him.
"Excuse me, have you seen a woman with ash-gray hair around here?"
"You mean Miss Ayla?" The middle-aged man gave a knowing smile. "She said she was heading out with that man she’s been glued to all day."
"What was it again? She said they were going to see something... Was it the ocean?"
Israphel froze. All the color drained from Israphel’s face.
"W-When was this?"
"It’s been about two hours since they left, I think?"
"Thank you."
This was a code red emergency. Israphel sprinted off in a blind panic.
’Is it a kidnapping? It has to be a kidnapping, right?! Going to see the ocean from here makes absolutely no sense! That woman, Lena!’
’I knew there was something suspicious about her!’
Something terrible must have happened to Anna. She pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from her coat.
’I have to stop them right now!’
---

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