"We're back from the hunt," Brek announced coolly, then paused, his eyes flicking from the children to the dining room table. His brows drew together. "Didn't know we were having company."
His gaze landed on Sophia. His ears perked. "That's a new face," he muttered, arms crossed.
Garrett glanced up. His breath caught as he took in the silver-haired beauty. Long lashes. Hypnotic eyes. Lips like they were molded by a Succubus.
He flushed. "Just… who is she?"
"No clue," Brek replied, his tone as flat as stone.
"I know who she is!" Ribbit declared heartily, hearts practically bursting from his eyes. "My soulmate!"
At that very moment, food fell to second place in his heart for the first time in his life. His arms spread like wings, a dreamy grin on his face.
Garrett saw the danger signs. "Stop, you buffoon—don't you see they're having an important conversation?!"
He yanked at the back of Ribbit's cloak. But he smoothly slipped out of it like a melting pat of butter and bolted toward the table, love in his eyes and purpose in his steps.
"So, he farts up a storm when confronted with a harmless baby Horned Rabbit, but his nerves are like steel when he sees a pretty girl?" Brek muttered, sprinting after him.
"Doesn't he have the puberty trope a little backwards?" Garrett asked, shattering the fourth wall.
Ribbit skidded to a stop in front of Sophia. With dramatic flair, he pulled out a rather unimpressive Celestia Flower, which was clearly picked with zero romance in mind and mostly used for rabbit bait. Still, he held it out like it was a rare gem.
She even kinda looks like a Horned Rabbit… he thought dreamily.
He took her hand in his and dropped to one knee. "My lady," he said, voice dripping with overconfidence, his nose clean of snot for once. "My heart was empty until this very moment."
Princess Lumielle's mouth dropped open in horror.
Sister Aeliana gasped, hands over her chest.
Lyndoria looked like she'd just been handed the best front-row seat in the entire world, a smug grin on full display as she watched Haxks Starfrost's slowly unraveling sanity.
As Ribbit lifted Sophia's hand to his lips for a kiss, Daisuke froze. Nope. Absolutely not.
He tried to forcefully yank his hand away, but Ribbit suddenly had the strength of a thousand Owlbears.
Chuu~
A shiver crawled up his spine. Every hair stood on end.
CRASHH!
The moment Ribbit's lips touched his hand, Daisuke broke. With a jolt of magic and horror, the transformation shattered, and the elegant Sophia was gone. In her place stood Haxks Starfrost, looking deeply disturbed.
Ribbit blinked. "…Haxks?!" He choked out, eyes wide. "Wait. You're Haxks?! Then… were you secretly a girl all this time?!"
Silence.
Complete. Utter. Silence.
Then chaos.
Lio dropped his cookie.
Ryo's mouth hung open as milk leaked from the corner.
Mina wobbled. "Dizzy…"
Alia fainted on the spot.
Theo clutched the short sword. "Wh-Where did the mistress go?!"
Ribbit, cheeks pink, stepped forward again, heart still thumping. "I can't believe you were a pretty girl all this time! Will you be my girlfriend?!"
THWACK!
A clean, beautiful roundhouse kick sent him flying backwards—straight into Brek and Garrett. The three crashed to the floor in a tangled heap of limbs.
Garrett groaned. "Moron. You definitely deserved that. But why do I always have to take the fall with you?"
Brek grunted. "Because you're just as slow for not letting go of him sooner."
Meanwhile, Daisuke dusted himself off and walked over to the stunned children. "That was just a disguise," he said as he knelt. "Sophia's not real—it was me the whole time. Let's keep that a secret between us, alright?"
The kids saluted in unison, eyes shining.
"Yes, Master!"
"By the way, Haxks," Sister Aeliana said once she'd managed to swallow her giggles. Her voice softened as she glanced toward Theo and the others. "I've been meaning to ask… what's your plan for these little ones?"
Daisuke stroked Alia and Mina's hair. "I was hoping they could stay here," he said softly.
Aeliana's smile faded. Her eyes dimmed with regret as she clasped her tunic. "Haxks… it pains me to say this, especially after everything you've done for us. But we just… we don't have the resources. Even before the elves arrived, we were stretched thin. Brek and the others have been bringing in more game, but it's still not enough."
The Wolfkin crossed his arms, a deep frown on his face. "City life's gotten worse lately. With prices rising, more people are hunting instead of buying meat. It's gotten harder to find prime grounds or even decent game. What used to feed us for days barely lasts now."
Princess Lumielle's expression darkened with sympathy. Lyndoria lowered her gaze. Theo and the others stared at Daisuke, uncertain and afraid.
Alia clutched his sleeve. "Does that mean… we can't stay?" she asked, her eyes shimmering with tears.
Mina's voice was barely above a whisper. "Will we have to go back to being slaves?"
Daisuke met their eyes one by one and offered them a reassuring smile. He turned toward the open front door, watching the elven children play with the others in the same worn clothes they were gifted upon first arriving at the orphanage.
Everyone still wore the same threadbare garments they had when he first saw them. It was clear Aeliana was barely keeping the place afloat.
His thoughts drifted to the demihuman children in the alley—the way their eyes lit up over the basket of food. He wanted to see that joy etched into every child's face. And this orphanage… it was the best place to start.
"How much does it cost each month to feed and care for the children?" he asked quietly.
Aeliana hesitated, then answered, "With Brek and the others helping, about forty-four gold a month."
Daisuke said nothing.
He stood, summoned an open wooden chest onto the table, and raised his palm above it. Then gold coins started pouring from his hand like a divine stream.
CLINK—CLINK—CLINK—CLINK—CLINK!
Lumielle gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Haxks… where did you—?"
Lyndoria stood, brows furrowed. "You… just who are you, exactly?"
Brek and Garrett stared, jaws slack.
Ribbit farted.
The children gawked at the shimmering pile, the glow of the gold dancing on their wide-eyed faces.
Aeliana dropped to her knees, her hands trembling as she covered her mouth. Silent sobs shook her frame.
Daisuke stood calmly, watching as the mound of gold kept rising. Of the vast fortune of gold seized from Casimir, he'd given Reeza forty percent, which was equivalent to sixty-two thousand four hundred. Now, another forty percent glimmered before them. The last twenty percent would remain with him.
"Use this," he said softly. "Feed them. Clothe them. Renovate and expand the orphanage. Make this place more than just a shelter. Make it a home."
Theo, Ryo, Lio, Mina, and Alia rushed him with tearful gratitude. Their arms wrapped around him in a group hug. Daisuke held them tightly with a warm smile.
Brek looked away, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "…Thanks," he muttered under his breath.
Garrett raised a brow as he glanced at the Wolfkin. Wait. Is he… secretly a tsundere?
Ribbit grinned.
Sister Aeliana finally stood with the boys' help, her eyes wet with tears. "I…I can't possibly accept this, Haxks. It's far too generous."
"You have to," Daisuke replied. "Those children deserve warmth, food, and love. I know what it's like to be cold and starving. I don't want any of them to go through that again."
Ribbit had started counting on his fingers while staring at the chest. "Forty-four a month… times twelve… carry the one…" He scrunched his nose, his fingers twitching. "Uh… a lot of years?"
"Haxks, please… at least keep some of it," Aeliana pleaded. "It's dangerous to have so much in one place. What if we're robbed?"
Brek nodded. "She's got a point."
"Fine," Daisuke agreed. "Then find out how much the renovations will cost. I'll send Midnight with monthly funds after that."
The nun nodded earnestly. "Yes, I'll get a quote right away."
He sighed and looked toward the horizon through the window. Honestly, I'm already making more than enough gold from monster corpses, he said mentally. This much is nothing. Speaking of which… I need to deal with the ones clogging my inventory before I run out of space. Maybe I should try the butcher at the guild? He frowned. Wonder if he's anything like Cleave…
DING!
[Goddess Seraphina's smile widens, delighted by your empathy, and pleased by your selfless act of charity.]
DING!
[The Blessing stat has been unlocked.]
Huh? Daisuke's forehead quirked in confusion. Blessing stat?
[Name: Haxks
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Level: 49 | EXP: 322,336/375,156 (85.92%)
Class: Dual Blader [!]
Affiliation: Adventurers' Guild | Merchants' Guild
Title: Lone Wolf, Pathfinder, Unwavering Spirit, Congenial Denizen, Master of Divine Beast [Expand to see more]
HP: 20944/20944 | MP: 6303/6303
Strength: 114 (+91) | Stamina: 180 (+47) | Agility: 224 (+68) | Intelligence: 59 (+22) | Dexterity: 65 (+95) | Composure: 42 | Indomitable: 25 | Perception: 14 | Stealth: 9 | Juggernaut: 2 | Insight: 2 | Blessing: 3
Stat Points: 0
Gold: 443,489]
[Blessing]
[An unseen grace whispered into existence by the Goddess of Light, Seraphina. This sacred favor radiates from within, shielding the soul and subtly guiding fate itself.
▪︎ Higher values enhance the influence of divine intervention.
▪︎ Stat Points cannot be manually allocated.]
Divine favor? Daisuke thought with a befuddled expression. What does that even mean in the context of a virtual world?
"Look at this guy," Brek scoffed, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "Selfishly internalizing his thoughts again. Guess old habits cling harder than dried blood."
Daisuke scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "My bad."
Lumielle stepped closer, her jade-green eyes gentle. "Are you alright?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
Sister Aeliana wiped her eyes and stood tall. "Well, I'm off to tell Tiphanna the wonderful news. She'll be overjoyed. After that, I'll stop by the builders and get a quote for renovations—and maybe pick up some groceries while I'm at it."
Daisuke handed her a pouch filled with gold coins. "Here. This should cover this month."
Her fingers closed around it, still hesitant. "Thank you… truly."
"Garrett, Ribbit—you're going with her," Brek ordered.
Garrett blinked. "Huh? Why us?"
"Because Casper and the others are still out hunting and someone needs to stay back and watch the place. You both know it would be dumb to let Sister Aeliana wander around alone with all those pickpockets lurking."
Garrett nodded. "Good point."
Ribbit gave a clumsy salute. "Aye-aye!" Then he promptly tripped over his cloak.
Lyndoria turned to Lumielle. "In that case, we should return to the palace and prepare for the memorial ceremony."
Lumielle nodded. "Yes, you're absolutely right."
Daisuke looked to the children—Theo, Ryo, Lio, Alia, and Mina—who had gathered around him with sad eyes. He was surprised they were still so affectionate and trusting considering the fact that he wore a completely different face up until a few minutes ago.
"Master… are you leaving?" Alia asked, clutching Daisuke's coat.
"Will we ever see you again?" Theo added, voice trembling.
Mina hugged him tightly. "I don't want you to go…"
He crouched down, arms wrapping around them all. "I'll be back soon," he promised softly. "You can count on it."
They stayed like that a moment longer before he finally stood, giving each of them a final pat on the head.