Chapter 167: Chapter 159 – Familiar Faces

We made our way to Linsington City overnight. While the distance would have taken us several days via wagon, flying meant that we easily did the distance in only an hour or two.

One might call it cheating, but frankly, we weren't the only ones who could easily move several times the speed of a wagon over long distances. The entire race of fairies, imps, spirits, and dragonkin were the same.

Though, the downside of being able to move so quickly was that we had to camp out for the night. The gates were closed by the time we got there.

Sneaking past them didn't feel necessary anyways, as even when I got to Philia, the chances were good that everyone would be asleep already. No need to wake people up and burden them when I could just rest outside for a little while.

Of course, Alicia and Fate enjoyed it all. It was the first time they got to see the plains outside of the dungeon's first floor.

They ran around the wide open space until they got tired, then I fed them, and after a bit of rest, they started to run around again.

(Frankly, I could watch them all day.)

Or rather, I already did that quite often.

It was more an issue of doing it too much. Or else I'd stop being productive.

Not like I had much of a need to be that productive. Though I did need to grow stronger, so that was a form of being productive in a sense.

In the morning, I managed to safely enter the city without problems. The guards did give me some odd looks, but that was it. I still had my old Adventurers' Guild ID, though because it's been so long since I've used it, my membership had expired due to inactivity.

The guards let me go anyways, as apparently it was something that happened once in a while. Though my card was marked, so I'd have to renew my membership before I could enter the city again using it.

While I'd have to go to the Adventures' Guild at some point, for now I went to Philia's orphanage first. In the end if push came to shove, I could always just get all my guild business done at the Edgeworth branch anyways.

The guard there didn't even ask for my ID in the first place since he recognized me on sight despite not having come by for years.

(I think that's called a face pass in the east?)

It certainly was one advantage of being famous.

Either way, we made our way through the city.

(Seems like things haven't really changed much.)

Though maybe expecting change after a few short years was asking for too much. I had seen so much over these years and the Hourai Commonwealth had changed drastically in its short existence, but it was an exception amongst exceptions in the first place.

My memory of this place was a little fuzzy, so we ended up wandering around for a little while before I found that nostalgic building.

That building...which I had spent so much work cleaning and repairing...

"The walls are cracked, aren't they?"

"They are, Master."

For some reason, the walls which I had used magic to repair and made look brand new were cracked here and there. There were signs of stains and even other sorts of damage as well.

(Did my magic not stick in the long term or something?)

I was still pretty new to using magic to enact permanent effects, so it was possible that I had messed up somewhere.

But the building still looked far better than it had when I had first come here close to four years ago, so maybe it wasn't entirely in vain. The sign over the doorway was so well kept it looked like new though. The lettering on it was as clear as ever: [Scarlet's Sweet Home].

I knew it didn't refer to me, but it was still embarrassing.

Maybe because it was still quite early in the morning, but the alley the orphanage was in was quiet and empty.

*Knock knock!*

"Hello? Philia? It's Scarlet!"

I tried calling from the front door.

For a moment, I couldn't hear anything, but then suddenly there was the sound of loud stomping approaching. It sounded like someone was running.

*Bang!*

All of the sudden, something slammed into the door from the other side. But as if nothing had happened, the door creaked open, and a eye peeked from the crack before the entire thing was flung open.

"Miss Scarlet! It really is you!"

"Umm, hey."

A young girl, probably less than ten, stood there with her arms open, her eyes glittering as she looked at me. Her bushy tail wagged so hard I was a bit worried that it might fall off. Though what I was most concerned about was how her nose was all red and she had a small nosebleed going on.

"It's been so long, I was worried...you'd..."

But as excited as she was, the girl's quick words slowed to a crawl as her eyes fell onto my chest. Or rather, what was riding on my chest.

"Huh?"

For some reason, the girl looked devastated at the sight of my babies as she took a weak step back. Her tail dropped as if all the vigour from before was just an illusion.

On the other hand, Alicia tensed up on seeing this girl with the pointed ears on top of her head, and without taking her eyes off of her, she tightened her grip on me. Following her sister, Fate did the same.

"I understand how you feel, but don't run inside Flix."

A familiar voice rang out along with slow steps.

There, the figure of an older lady, who's wrinkles and greying hair did nothing to diminish the innate glow she had, came out from around a corner.

"Philia."

"It really was you, Scarlet."

That gentle, knowing smile. It was the same as I had remembered it. And with it, the softness and warmth that...

(What the hell am I thinking?!)

My cheeks grew red at where my thoughts took me. I was already a mother, and didn't have time for relations. Not to mention that I had rejected her once before.

Of course, there was a part of me that had regretted that decision. Though the logical part of me reminded the rest of my mind that it couldn't have worked and I was right to stop things before they progressed.

I didn't have time for such a relationship then, and I didn't now.

"Hey, it's been a while Philia."

"And it looks like the practice I gave you the last time you came by paid off."

The elderly dwarf came up and extended her hand.

"Hello you two. My name is Philia."

Both Alicia and Fate stared at the newcomer, but eventually opted to bury their faces into my chest rather than return the handshake.

"Sorry, I guess they don't do well with people they don't know."

"It's fine. It's a little sad, but it's still good for the young to know at least a bit of caution."

Maybe it was because she had so much experience with the young, but Philia was completely unphased as she retracted her hand.

The old dwarf looked well. Despite the years since we last met, it felt like she had grown younger rather than older. Her sunken cheeks had filled out a bit and there was visible energy to her. Not to mention that her slightly frazzled hair looked as smooth as silk now.

"Well, it looks like things have been going well for you since I left."

"...It has. We can't thank you enough for what you did during your short stay, Scarlet."

Philia lowered her head to me, but I quickly waved it off.

"Please. You're the one who's been doing all the hard work all this time. I just chipped in where I could for that short little bit. You and the kids were the ones to make it all work out."

"Well, we can just pretend that's the whole truth then."

The dwarf's gentle smile made me avert my head as my cheeks grew warm.

"Now, come in. Don't stand in the cold."

With a gentle wave, I followed the director further inside.

Upon entering the orphanage, I was greeted by a huge number of children of all ages. Many of whom I recognized from my previous time here, and they I.

Though they had all grown quite a lot, and there were quite a few new faces as well. I could help but feel like there were a few faces missing as well, but as to who they were, I couldn't remember. There were just too many kids here last time as well as this time and I didn't spend enough time to even learn everyone's' names.

Most likely though, they had graduated from the orphanage and since moved on.

This orphanage had been suffering with a lack of funds when I had first found it, but after fixing the place up and teaching them how to make quality scented soap, as well as introducing them to Mint to help sell their products, they should have been much better off.

No, they were definitely better off. There were no signs of starvation or anything amongst anyone here, unlike before.

The kids all gathered around us, each trying to excitedly say one thing or another as I tried my best to listen and respond quickly.

I would have liked to pat them on the head, but with my twins in my arms, that wasn't really possible so I had no choice but to hope that they would be satisfied with nothing but my words.

On the other hand, both Alicia and Fate were quietly watching all the little kids. Maybe it was because it was their first time seeing so many children. There weren't that many of them at the Hourai Commonwealth.

Unless if you included the fairies, who acted like children much of the time.

Though even with that said, they held heir arms firmly wrapped around me. It might have been because they were feeling nervous at the new and unfamiliar sight or something else.

"Alright everybody. Breakfast is ready. Hurry up before it gets cold."

Eventually Philia came back with her announcement.

"Come eat with us!"

"Yea, yea!"

"Let's have breakfast together!"

"I, uh, already had breakfast. Maybe some other time."

"Come now. Go and have breakfast. I have something to talk to with Scarlet, but maybe after her business is done, and everyone is good, she'll be able to play with everybody."

There was a flurry of complaints, but the elderly director put a stop to that, and even made a promise I had no option to refuse.

The kids all scurried away to the dining room. All, except for that beastkin girl who rushed to the door in the beginning.

"You really won't suddenly go?"

The girl asked, nervously peeking from a nearby doorway.

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

The little girl's eyes sparkle as I gave my word and her tail started to wag furiously, to the point that I was worried that she might hit something and hurt herself.

"Miss Philia says that you don't like kids who don't keep their promise so..."

"Oh, uh, she says that? Umm, well, I guess that's true. I like to think I like myself, so I guess I need to make sure I keep this promise then."

"Yea!"

And with that, the foxkin girl gave me a bright smile before she tilted her head to the side.

"Umm...how come your eyes are red now?"

"Oh, uh, it's something I do, since people can be surprised when they see red eyes."

To show her what I meant, I activated [Alter Silhouette] and changed my eye colour, gritting my teeth the entire time to suppress the uncomfortable feeling of doing it without first using [Spirit Form].

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"Wow! That's amazing!"

"It's a secret though, so don't tell anyone."

The girl nodded, her hands covering her mouth, and when I smiled at her, she gave me one last nod before disappearing beyond the door.

"So, what else do you tell the kids about me?"

"Oh, nothing that's not true."

The older dwarf gave me a knowing smile as she teased her answer out.

"Now, I suppose that you're here because you got Mister Mint's message?"

"Yea. He said that you know who it was that wanted to see me?"

"To be exact, I know how to contact her. She said that you helped her people out a while back. Do you just go and help out random strangers all the time?"

"Not all the time."

"Just for Mint's people, the kids here, that other woman and her people, and how many others I wonder?"

"Probably not many more."

I looked away due to the lack of confidence in my answer.

"It hasn't been four years since we last met. You claim to not have anything to do with the Saint, yet you've done far more than she did in the same time. Rather than a second coming, it feels more like you're trying to overshadow her or something."

"I swear I'm not trying anything like that."

"I know. But it makes me worry."

"About?"

"That maybe you'll take your charity too far, do something irreversible, or get into trouble too big for you."

"..."

Frankly, I could think of some occasions which had skirted that line already. Or firmly crossed it, depending on who asked.

"You already did something like that, didn't you?"

"Well..."

"Some believe that the Saint died because of such a thing, you know."

"..."

In a sense, it was true. She helped plenty of people, gained a reputation, and antagonized the church, whether intentionally or not. Either way, she died for that.

Even for me, I was already being targeted, though it had most likely started far before I met a single person in this world. But that didn't mean my actions couldn't exasperate the problem either.

"I'll do my best to be careful."

"That's all I ask."

Philia rose up onto her toes and pat me on the head.

She was probably the only one who would do that to me.

It was strangely comforting.

"Now then, about the person who is asking for your help..."

Philia pulled something out of her pocket.

"Do you recognize this?"

It was a necklace made out of some sort of bone. It resembled a crescent moon, and had a gap to hold something inside of it.

"I do."

It was the necklace I had given one of the women I saved from a vampire who tried to breed his own army using kidnapped women. In the end I managed to kill him and did what I could to help the captured people.

But there was a limit to what I could do at the time, so I left them with a bunch of money once I helped take them to the nearest settlement. This necklace was something I gave one of them to hide a divine gold coin inside of that they could convert to money if the cash I had given them wasn't enough.

The fact that the coin wasn't in the necklace meant that they probably ended up needing to use it.

However, the fact that they did made me wonder if maybe I should have given them more than one coin. I had plenty to spare in the first place.

(Well, what's done is done now.)

If it really was the people from back then, it was important I hurry. Mint said that there were a lot of people, so most likely most of the women I helped back then had come despite the distance they would have had to travel. And all of them were women who were badly abused for a long time, and most of them were pregnant with that bastard's children at the time. Those children would have been born by now, but they would still be very young, making the journey that much more difficult.

But if they had all come this far, then what they needed from me was obvious. And ironically, it was something which I could do something about thanks to the things I have done since we last met. At the time, there was no way I could have help them properly with the problem they were likely facing.

"While the children are eating, allow me to show you to where they are."

I nodded. This was something I had to address immediately, not only for my own reasons.

 

Fortunately, we didn't have to go very far. Our destination was only a block away, deeper into the alleys away from the main street.

The building I was standing in front of was a large, dilapidated structure. Stone on the first floor and wood from the second up to the fifth floor. It was leaning precariously towards the street, and the roof lip almost touched the wall of the building across the street.

*Knock knock*

Philia quickly knocked on the door.

"It's me. I brought *her*."

A part of me got a little excited, the way she was acting, it reminded me of those old thriller movies. Though when I stopped to think about it for a moment, it made me worry a bit.

"Have things gotten worse since I last came?"

"Things have changed, that's for sure. But don't worry about that. Just..."

"Just?"

"Don't let go of your babies until you've gone back home."

Philia's words made me look closer at her stern face. But as I couldn't get a good read out of her, I ended up opting to just hold onto Alicia and Fate a little bit tighter.

But before I could ask any further, the door creaked open and a face peeked out.

"It's really you! You're here!"

The door boomed open and a woman appeared featuring a thin ropy tail and triangular ears on top of her head.

Unfortunately, the suddenness of her appearance surprised Alicia and Fate, and the two started to tear up.

"Ah, it's okay. There there."

I ignored the woman and bounced my babies in my arms, doing my best to try to calm them down.

"Oh, umm, sorry. I didn't expect, umm...wow."

The catkin's eyes flickered back and forth between my two adorable babies.

"I had a feeling you were interested, but you really did huh?"

Once it looked like Alicia and Fate weren't going to burst into tears, I finally looked up and had a good look at the woman.

She looked familiar.

No, more than that. She was definitely the person I had given the necklace to.

"Been over three years, huh?"

She gave me a weak smile.

"Umm, yea..."

"You don't remember my name, do you?"

"...Sorry."

I recognized her face, but her name, that was a bit beyond me.

"It's fine. We didn't spent that much time together, Miss Scarlet. My name's Epione. It's nice to see you again."

"I'd like to say the same, but I have a feeling that you're not here for just a social call?"

"Unfortunately. The thing is..."

"Mom? Who's at the door?"

Behind Epione, a child came out. A little girl, bigger than Alicia or Fate, but still quite small.

She resembled her mother quite a bit. The same black hair and tail, the same triangular ears on top, but her eyes were red, and not because they were bloodshot.

"Ah, Miss Scarlet. This is my daughter, Iaso."

"Hi."

Epione lifted her daughter up into her arms and the little girl waved at us.

"Hello Iaso. I'm Scarlet, and these two are Alicia and Fate."

The two gave the red-eyed catkin a good look, but didn't respond otherwise and continued to hug me.

"Sorry, they're a bit shy around strangers."

The little girl, rather than acknowledge the fact that my babies were a bit rude, simply stared at the three of us.

"Your eyes. Are you like us?"

"Ah, ummm, kinda. We're a bit different."

If she was Epione's daughter and had red eyes, it most likely meant that she was a dhampire, the child of that rotten bastard I had killed in the process of saving Epione and others like her.

"Different?"

"Ah, does that mean that these two are...but they're too young...does that mean...?"

"Well, it's complicated."

All I could do was give a wry smile. It would be quite difficult to explain the idea of artificial insemination, especially when a male donor wasn't involved in the process.

"Ah, oh. Umm...oh, I've been so rude to our saviour of all people! Come, don't let me keep you standing in the cold!"

Epione pulled back, allowing space for us to enter.

"I need to go back and watch over the children. You're a big girl. I'm sure you'll be fine without me Scarlet."

"Eek!"

Philia slapped my bottom making me jump a little into the air before she left with a wave of a hand.

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