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We ended up temporarily taking shelter in the Sister’s orphanage.

Apparently, this place is run by the papal faction, so the cardinal faction can’t make a careless move. If we had stayed at the Alchemists’ Guild, we probably would have been used as ammunition for their attacks again.

The Guild has helped us a lot in various means, and I don’t want to cause them more trouble than necessary.

That’s why I’m not against staying here for a while. I don’t sense any ill will from the Sister, and Sufi and the others have grown attached to her.

If I have to nitpick, it’s that I can’t work at the Alchemists’ Guild.

We could set out on a journey, but it’s hard to say our savings are sufficient.

“Speaking of which, Chytis Philip asked me to hand over your payment for your help.”

Perhaps noticing I was thinking about money, Chytis Khaleed took a leather pouch out from his pocket. We only helped out temporarily, but we’re actually getting paid… well, of course.

“Ah, so that’s why you were walking around inside the guild… you were helping out there?”
“That’s right nya, we were helping the injured people, nya!”
“But everyone was so mean to us!”
“You all had it rough, but that was admirable of you.”

Langbert’s question brought the anger back out of Noche and Sufi, and the Sister calmed them down. Meanwhile Chytis Khaleed calmly held out the pouch to me.

“Since it was an emergency mobilization, it’s a bit more than usual. There should be twelve coins in total, so please confirm.”
“Okay.”

I counted the silver coins… Twelve in total, quite a lot more than the standard amount.

With this extra, we might be able to travel without issue.

Crossing the eastern Dragon Mountains Belt would be the shortest route, but securing money to hire an escort would be difficult. It wouldn’t be a problem if it were just Sufi and the other two, but with my condition, we’d have to make a lot of rests on the move, while Apartment 404 is a trump card that can’t be used carelessly.

The schedule would inevitably stretch, and hiring an adventurer capable of safely escorting us through a monster-infested mountain belt for a long period would cost far more than we have.

Meanwhile, the airfield is in the Kingdom of Bayer, and considering today’s incident, there’s even a possibility the border will be temporarily closed. So traveling by air is not an option.

As expected, going south through Panadia and then by sea is the most realistic option.

If we avoid the ruins scattered across unexplored regions, it would take about four months to reach Panadia from here; though going straight through it would take about two. Normally, you’d take the detour through post towns.

Accounting for delays, that would be over half a year… if we resupply at post towns along the way, our silver coins would just barely get us to the destination port. Even so, it’s more reliable than the other routes.

Thinking about that, I pretended to put the pouch inside my clothes and slipped it into the pocket on my stomach.

“They’re the correct amount…”
“I doubt the lord’s knights will take long to eliminate the rats, not after they cause such a disturbance. The knights here are not incompetent.”
“Chytis Khaleed, are you from the East?”
“Yes… ah, I was born in a small eastern country called Adie. I came west to investigate ruins as an alchemist, and used this city as my base. That’s how I met Langbert. You could call him a friend.”

Even with my few words, he picked up on my questions and gave proper answers. His atmosphere is unique, but he’s very easy to talk to.

“By the way, my specialty is archaeology. There are overwhelmingly more ruins from the old era in the west. Have you decided on a specialty yet?”
“…Not yet.”

A specialty, huh. I’ve been too busy trying to survive to think about that.

But since this is my second life, I do want to pursue something I like. Of course, taking Sufi and the others to Alveria comes first.

If we make it there safely, maybe then I’ll see my options.

“I see. I hope you find something you can truly devote yourself to.”
“Yeah.”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave here. I still need to clean around the Alchemists’ Guild.”
“Got it.”

Chytis Khaleed stood up from his chair and turned toward the Sister, who were calming Sufi and the rest.

“I’ll return to the Alchemists’ Guild. Please take care of them.”
“As a discipline of the Light God, I will protect the children’s future. That is why I am given this strength.”
“I know… though to think he would even mobilize you—Lord Philip is quite overprotective.”

Come to think of it, Chytis Khaleed looks young despite seeming like a regular human. Yet he’s a third-tier alchemist and a B-rank adventurer—clearly highly skilled. It wouldn’t be wrong to say he’s a superior version of Chytis Gildor, the battle alchemist.

So why is he going out of his way for us? I thought he’d been called in to deal with the incident.

“Well, I was also asked by someone even harder to refuse than Chytis Philip. …You might have a harder time after arriving in Alveria.”
“…?”

Chytis Khaleed shrugged and spoke in a voice only I could hear.

“There are quite a few among the esteemed elders who have begun considering how to bring things to a close, and who wish to entrust their research… into what lies ‘beyond’… to a promising young alchemist. Talent that meets the expectations of those who have reached such heights is not something that appears often.”
“…………?”
“…Hmm. You maintain objectivity, yet are remarkably lacking in self-awareness. An interesting mental state. I can hardly imagine Old Master Haumass raising a child in a way that would strip them of confidence, something akin to abuse…”
“Grandpa isn’t like that.”

While I was tilting my head in confusion, he suddenly implied our grandfather might have abused me. If anything, our grandfather was too kind, so I hurriedly denied it.

“Of course, I understand. All I am saying is that, sometimes it’s good to compare yourself with other alchemists. Let’s talk properly once things settle down. For now, I’ll be off.”
“Okay…”

I watched Chytis Khaleed’s back as he left.

He says I lack self-awareness, but…

It’s true that obtaining a full license at the youngest recorded age probably means I’m fairly capable. But comparing the exam content I remember with what I studied, Sufi could probably jump straight to a full license right now if she put her mind to it.

Even in alchemy, where physical strength and magical power are important, Sufi far surpasses me. I just can’t see myself as someone worthy of that kind of praise…

“Alice, Sister says she’ll show us to our room.”
“Okay.”

Now that the conversation is over, the Sister wishes to guide us to our room.

As Sufi took my hand, she ended up carrying me on her back as we followed behind Sister. It’s the innermost part of the church I’ve never been to.

“…I’ve been wondering, why are you always being carried? Are you injured?”
“No, Alice has a weak body, so if she walks too much, she collapses.”
“I mean, we’re just moving inside the church.”
“If it’s this big, she collapses.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Yeah!”
“…mhm”

Sufi answered Langbert’s simple question firmly on my behalf.

That stunned expression… I’ve been seeing it a lot lately.

■■■■■

The children’s room is located deep inside the church. When we entered the common hall where they usually gather, all the children there turned at once to look at Sister—and at us.

“It’s Alice!”
“Fluffy!”

The particularly young kids pointed at me and shouted. We only played a little last time, and I barely played along with them, so why am I getting so much attention?

From among the children, Nick stepped forward cautiously.

“Sister? Are you okay?”
“Yes, sorry for making you worry. Were you all alright?”
“We’re fine.”
“Big brother Nick was here for us.”
“You protected your siblings. Well done, thank you, Nick.”
“Hehe.”

Blushing from Sister’s praise, Nick turned his gaze toward us.

“Sufi and Noche, and Filia and Alice—you’re all safe too.”
“There were some circumstances, so they will be staying here for a while. Please get along with them.”

After confirming the children had calmed down, Sister gestured toward us as she spoke. There was a brief pause, then cheers erupted.

“Wait, you guys are going to live here!?”
“Yeah!”
“Yay! Let’s talk!”
“Noche, let’s compete—I won’t lose!”
“Hah, you’re a hundred years too early, nya.”

The other three blended in energetically, while I felt vaguely out of place as the girls surrounded me along with Sufi.

Looking at it this way, Noche seems to be getting along with the boys, and Filia with the younger kids.

“We do have an empty room, but it’s only for two. We could free up another room if we cleaned it up, but you’d have to manage with just one for now. Is that okay?”
“No problem, nya.”

We can share the two beds between the four of us, and at worst, we can sleep on the floor just fine. We’d have to be extremely careful pulling it out, but we also have Apartment 404 as a last resort.

“It’s just for a little while, right?”
“Probably, a two-person room is enough.”
“I see…”

We don’t intend to stay long to begin with.

“Eh—why not? Just stay forever!”
“Come on, don’t push them. Not that I know their reason, but still.”
“You guys could just stay here.”
“Well, we’ve got our own goals, nya.”

Ignoring the children’s complaints, we followed Sister into the room.

It was much smaller than the guild staff dormitory. Perhaps it used to be a nun’s room—there were two small desks inside, and a bunk bed on the opposite side.

It’s old, but solidly built, and the bedding doesn’t smell dusty. It seems sufficient for staying here a while.

“What do you think?”
“Not bad, nya.”
“Thank you for having us.”

Passing by Noche and Filia as they spoke with Sister, Sufi set me down in front of the bed.

“Alice, your face looks bad, so rest.”
“I’m still fi—”
“Rest.”
“Okay.”

Overwhelmed by her firm tone, I lay down on the slightly hard bed.

What happened next was the usual.

It was only natural that I had accumulated a fair amount of fatigue. Needless to say, I fell asleep instantly.