FOR today’s classes, I would spend the whole day at the local orphanage. Almost all of my classmates were nobles and had engaged in charity work at least once, but unfortunately, I’d never done anything like that before. There weren’t any orphanages in Lawlife, and we were a poor family. We really didn’t have enough to make a sizable donation. It might’ve been odd for a viscount’s family to be tight on money, but we resided in a snowy frontier region, so we did our best with what we had.
We did, however, distribute bowls of free soup during the harvest festival, and I imagined that this charity work was of the same ilk. When I glanced around, none of the students were scrambling to review their notes before class as they always did. Everyone was more laid-back, like we were on a field trip. The students chatted away excitedly, barring Ehr. It was rare for him to frown so deeply as he rested his face on his hand and let out a deep sigh.
“What’s wrong, Ehr?” I asked.
“It’s just… This is kinda weird for me,” he admitted.
“Why’s that?”
“Five years ago, when my mom died, I was almost dragged to an orphanage by an employee there.”
Five years ago… He was twelve. He said he never had a father in his life, and he led a humble life with his mother up until then.
“My mom was kinda…well, eccentric,” Ehr said. “She had a frail body, too, so it was difficult for her to go out and work.”
Ehr’s current guardian ensured that both Ehr and his mother could survive in this cruel world. The guardian owned a splendid manor near downtown, and he was known to be rather wealthy.
“Is that your mother’s friend that you mentioned before?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Ehr replied. “He’s a good guy, truly. I once casually mentioned to my mom that she should marry him, only for her to start crying.”
Maybe she still had feelings for her husband. Only she could ever say, but she’s no longer with us.
“When she died, the people at the orphanage dropped by almost immediately,” Ehr went on. “They tried to drag me there.”
He recalled how forceful and violent they were, and Ehr was terrified of how he might be treated at their institution. When he found an opening, he took it to escape and asked for help.
“I begged my mother’s friend to save me,” he said.
And so, the wealthy man insisted on becoming Ehr’s guardian.
“He said he wanted to adopt me, and I’m grateful, but…” Ehr started.
“Yes, you mentioned that you weren’t sure if you could make it in high society,” I said.
“Yeah. Plus, I couldn’t forget my mom’s words. She cried and told my guardian that he’d surely become unhappy if he continued to offer us assistance.”
This guardian, in hopes of aiding Ehr’s future, offered to help him enroll in magic school, but Ehr declined both that and his offer of adoption.
“Then he gave me a new name, house, and work so that I could live a humble, quiet life,” Ehr said.
“I had no idea…” I murmured.
It seemed this man still hadn’t given up on his mission to give Ehr an education fitting for a gentleman. The guardian even helped Ehr enroll in this school. Ehr drew close to me.
“Misha, um, my real name’s actually Ehrhart,” he whispered into my ear.
“Huh?” I asked.
It was a dignified and fitting name for the heir of a noble household. I drew back with surprise. Ehr placed an index finger on his lips, asking me to keep it a secret. I glanced around, but no classmates were nearby, and no one seemed interested in our conversation.
“Wh-Why did you tell me?” I whispered as quietly as I could.
“Because you’re my best friend.”
“B-But you changed your name because you didn’t want to use it, right?”
“Yeah, but it’s a bit lonely for no one else to know my real name aside from my guardian, don’t you think?”
“I guess, but…”
Maybe Ehr’s mother originally hailed from a noble household, but something caused her to live downtown. Her friend—the old man—knew her circumstances and decided to lend a helping hand. Then what’s Ehr’s origin, anyway? No, no, I shouldn’t delve deeper into his personal affairs.
“If I’d been dragged into the orphanage back then, I don’t know where I’d be right now…” Ehr muttered.
Personally, I’d never heard of cases where orphanages were violent with children. Did they treat him roughly because he didn’t listen to their instructions or something? Maybe their hands were forced.
“What kind of people were they?” I asked.
“Hmm, I don’t remember much, but they were dressed in black from head to toe,” he recalled. “Really shady, honestly.”
Yeah, I bet. That attire makes no sense. Orphanages were generally run by people of the church at the behest of the nation. Most of them were nuns and monks, and they knew how to handle kids well.
“Ehr, are you sure that they came from an orphanage?” I asked.
“Well, that’s what they told me,” he replied.
“That’s what scammers say!”
I inadvertently raised my voice and hastily clapped a hand over my mouth. My classmates were too busy heading through the teleporting door to go to the orphanage that they didn’t seem to care about my outburst. I didn’t think I’d run into scammers that lie about where they come from to deceive people in this world, too. I guess crimes like that are rampant anywhere. There’ll always be someone with nefarious ideas and cunning tactics to trick unsuspecting, innocent people.
“Huh… So those people weren’t from the orphanage?”
“I don’t think so,” I replied.
I explained that nuns and monks were generally kind and thoughtful people, and Ehr let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
“That’s good to hear,” he said.
We then walked through the door and teleported in front of the orphanage gates in an instant. The monks were already there, waiting for us with warm smiles. The students were tasked with cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and playing with the kids. We drew lots to get our roles, and I was in charge of playing with the children. Ehr was on cleaning duty, and Prince Rena got laundry duty. I was admittedly terrified of seeing the crown prince do laundry, but we were all students and treated equally.
When Gem sensed the presence of kids nearby, it immediately turned transparent. I could sense its mana, so I knew that it was beside me, but it couldn’t be seen. Perhaps it knew that it’d be treated as a toy by kids. When we split into groups, I found Alice on the same team as me.