Who... was this? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

That face, that smile, it was his mother, and yet the woman speaking to him was not the mother he knew.

No matter how much his father beat her or how much she cried in pain, she had never once tried to abandon him and run away.

They always shared what little food they had, and sometimes she even gave him her portion, telling him he needed to grow bigger.

They had survived together.

They had helped each other live.

And yet, the woman before him who looked like his mother was clearly trying to kill him.

"It will all end with this. Okay? You do not want to be alone either, right, Ars? Come with Mama."

The hand held out to him was stained red with blood, and he shook his head while crying in terror.

No, no no no no! I do not want to die!

This had to be a dream.

A terrible nightmare.

He shook his head desperately.

"...I see. So Ars will not come with me."

The woman lowered her head and muttered quietly, then suddenly, "—Ah!"

The moment he saw her stab herself in the neck and collapse, the overwhelming fear caused him to lose consciousness.

The warmth he had lost that day could not possibly have belonged to his mother.

Even though he knew that, he still could not let go of the warmth being given to him now.

...

"Suddenly eating meat would probably be hard on his stomach, so shall we make hot pot instead? Could you help?"

"I do not mind... but not until those two get here, okay? If he wakes up and hurts you again, then this time I do not care what you say, I am handing him over."

Apparently, Qiong Xing had very little credibility.

However, Albe refused to compromise on that point, so Qiong Xing gave up and anxiously waited for Sarin and the others to return.

"So what are you going to do with him?"

"I have thought of a few ideas, but I have not decided anything clearly yet."

The simplest solution would be placing him in a church, but if he still had living relatives, that would become difficult.

And judging from the way he spoke, telling him to bow his head and return to those relatives would likely be far too cruel.

That left only one possibility besides relatives, finding someone trustworthy to take him in...

"Since it was sudden, I could not narrow it down too precisely, but I managed to identify a fair number of people."

"Thank you very much."

There were more than Qiong Xing had expected, but not everyone would necessarily agree with his ideas, so that was probably for the best.

After asking Albe to prepare the meal, Qiong Xing explained his plan to Sarin and the others.

"I honestly thought you were just going to make him another one of your children."

"I did consider it. But if that happened, I worry whether he could get along with Lian and the others. If it is what he wants, then I will do my best to persuade them."

Right now, the boy was sleeping soundly in Qiong Xing’s arms, but once he woke up, he would probably go right back to cursing and lashing out.

And if that happened, the children surely would not stay quiet.

So Qiong Xing considered other possibilities.

"There are likely many children in situations like his. They cannot rely on relatives, and they cannot seek help from the church. In that case, we have no choice but to create a new place for them."

If they needed a place to belong, then he would simply create one for them.

In reality, it would not be nearly that simple, but if that was truly what the children desired, then surely they would also do their best.

"We will not know until we ask the children themselves what they want, but if it is their wish, then I want to make it come true."

They could try visiting different shops and asking them to take children in, but if the children were awkward or inexperienced, the chances of acceptance would likely be low.

Especially in a world where slaves already existed, there were probably not many people willing to hire children who required both time and money.

"First, we need to confirm the children’s situations and hear what they want. There are also health concerns, so we cannot proceed without examining them first."

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"If possible, I would appreciate introductions to trustworthy merchants, and if you know of any inns where the children could stay for a few days."

He felt bad for constantly relying on them, but Qiong Xing decided to gratefully accept Katarina and the others’ generous offer.

...

"Good morning."

"My, my, what a lovely visitor. Good morning, Qiong Xing."

Qiong Xing smiled back at her gentle smile and accepted the invitation to enter the house.

"I am sorry for coming so suddenly, but I actually came because I have a favor to ask of you. Of course, if you dislike the idea, you are free to refuse."

What he was about to say was merely one proposal from Qiong Xing, and naturally she had every right to decline.

"I would like you to become the guardian of the children currently under my care."

"A guardian? Me?"

She seemed bewildered by the sudden request, but she did not appear disgusted by it.

"They are children without parents, and they were abandoned by their relatives as well. There are six of them. Four boys and two girls. Their ages vary, but most of them are capable of taking care of themselves."

As he explained further, her troubled expression did not clear, and confusion remained on her face.

That reaction was only natural.

"We will cover all expenses for the children. We will prepare a house as well, and there will be no issue with food since the children will provide for themselves. I said guardian, but I am not asking you to do anything special. I simply want you to watch over the children as they grow."