“What’s your name? Where are you from?”

Eva’s voice was warm and gentle.

Even before my regression, she had been this kind when she first met me. Seeing her again in the past brought an unexpected sense of relief.

“My name is Crescent. My parents passed away… Their last wish was for me to come here.”

“Oh my goodness!”

Eva covered her mouth with both hands, visibly shocked.

I put on a face that looked on the verge of tears, trying to appear heartbroken.

Though it felt a bit wrong to deceive her, I justified it with the fact that I was technically an orphan now.

Besides, I no longer needed to use the alias "Dallas" I had used during my first life.

Thanks to using the Patron Wish Ticket, there was no longer any need to hide my real name.

Eva quickly ushered me inside.

“Come in, Crescent. You must have been through so much. Don’t worry anymore. Here at the Ebony Orphanage, we’ll take good care of you.”

“Really? You mean it?”

“Of course.”

Wow!

Mission: Enter the orphanage, complete!

Though I had been slightly worried, just as I expected, Eva accepted me without hesitation.

She led me inside with care, washed me, gave me clean clothes, and even prepared warm food for me.

It turned out to be my favorite—creamy corn soup.

‘Delicious.’

It felt as if I hadn’t had warm food in ages.

As I ate, I began to sense the curious gazes of the other children sneaking glances at me. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“C-cough…”

“Eat as much as you like. You must be starving.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

Truthfully, I wasn’t all that hungry, having eaten some bread before leaving the mansion. But Eva’s warm hospitality made me feel like I was hungrier than I actually was.

The meal she prepared wasn’t extravagant but lacked nothing either.

‘Even with consistent donations, it’s not easy to treat children this well.’

Especially in a rural area like this, where donations weren’t as large as those received by orphanages in the capital.

In my previous life, the one million sien donation Lady Rearwin left behind had been the largest amount they had ever received.

Fortunately, this time, I could repay their kindness.

After all, they had taken care of me so devotedly for four years. Showing up empty-handed would’ve been unforgivable.

I carefully pulled out an envelope from my pocket.

“Ah, Director, my parents wanted me to give this to you.”

“Hm? What’s this?”

Eva opened the envelope with a curious expression.

Inside was one million sien—the reward cash I had exchanged for one of my items.

One million sien in this world was an astronomical amount. For context, the monthly salary of the orphanage staff was only 100,000 sien.

Unsurprisingly, Eva’s eyes widened to their limits.

“My goodness, this much money… You’re giving this to me?”

“It’s a donation. Thank you for taking me in. Please use it to support the orphanage. It was my parents’ entire savings.”

“Oh, heavens…”

Eva was speechless, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. After a moment, she finally found her words.

“Are you sure we can accept this?”

“Of course. You accepted me, after all.”

“Oh, thank you, dear.”

Tears welled up in Eva’s eyes. She clasped her hands together as if in prayer, her face brimming with emotion.

“Thank you so much, Crescent. Thanks to you, the children here will be able to live comfortably for a while. I’ll do my best to ensure you lack nothing. I’m truly grateful.”

“The pleasure is mine. Thank you for having me.”

I smiled brightly.

Tears were now streaming down Eva’s face. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she jumped to her feet and called out toward the kitchen.

“Bring some more fruit here! And extra snacks for the other kids! No, wait, why don’t we throw a big welcome party? Let’s get beef! Everyone, we’re having beef tonight!”

“Yaaay!”

The children, who had been quietly watching, jumped up in excitement, running around and cheering.

As I watched their joy, I couldn’t help but smile warmly.

<Divine Power is increasing!>
<Divine Power is increasing!>
<Divine Power is increasing!>

Suddenly, the system window began scrolling endlessly.

My Divine Power was skyrocketing.

‘As expected.’

Donating one million sien to an orphanage wasn’t your average act of kindness.

Good deeds naturally increased Divine Power.

Though I hadn’t donated the money solely for the boost in stats, getting a reward out of it wasn’t a bad deal either…!

Mission One: Complete!

The effect of donating one million sien at level 10 was…!

<“Holy Knight”—Level 16 achieved!>
<Divine Power increased to Level 17!>
<Swordsmanship remains at Level 10.>

…Pretty satisfying.

***

That evening.

An impromptu party was held at the Ebony Orphanage.

In the front yard, all the children and staff gathered to enjoy a grand feast.

It featured dishes they would rarely get to eat, like beef and lamb steaks, expensive fruits, and sweet drinks made from various herbs and fruits.

“This is the most extravagant banquet we’ve ever had since the founding of the Ebony Orphanage,” Eva said, tears of joy glistening in her eyes.

The children were too busy devouring the food to respond, and I, too, relished the meal to my heart’s content.

“Level 16 as a Holy Knight, huh.”

While eating, I mulled over my current level.

Though my Divine Power had increased significantly, there was a limit to how far I could go without improving my swordsmanship.

“Well, that’ll be resolved once I become a ward of the Pluto Ducal House.”

After all, the Pluto Ducal House was one of the most renowned Holy Knight families in the Sientri Empire.

There were only a few months left until the outbreak of the Magi invasion.

Until then, I needed to strengthen myself as much as possible.

Still, I couldn’t afford to donate my entire fortune to the orphanage. There was a limit to how much Divine Power could be raised through simple good deeds.

The higher the level, the more challenging it became to advance.

“Hmm. But I’m confident.”

With my resolve solidified, I spent my first night at the orphanage.

There were still two weeks left before Lady Rearwin Pluto, the Marchioness, would visit.

***

Meanwhile, under the night sky during the orphanage’s party…

A man stood on a tree branch, his blue hair billowing in the wind.

He was unnaturally tall, lean, and strikingly handsome.

His black eyes gleamed brighter than the countless stars scattered across the sky. His high, straight nose and perfectly shaped lips formed a harmonious face.

And now, those lips curled into a smooth, sardonic smile.

“What’s this.”

His gaze fixed on one child.

Though there were many other children, it was as if they had all been blurred out in his vision, leaving only her.

A girl with doll-like golden hair and pink eyes.

As he stared at the eight-year-old, a smirk tugged at Cyrillote’s lips.

“When did she get all the way here?”

Disappearing overnight, only to reappear on nearly the opposite side of the empire—how unexpected.

It wasn’t teleportation, was it? Could she even be capable of that?

Cyrill’s jet-black eyes glimmered with a colder, sharper smile.

“Tch… What a strange child.”

***

Two weeks later.

I spent my time diligently at the orphanage.

Finally, the day arrived when Lady Rearwin Pluto, the Marchioness, would visit. However, there was no fanfare or noticeable changes in the atmosphere.

That’s because Rearwin’s visit came without prior notice—she simply appeared out of nowhere.

“That doesn’t mean I can afford to be unprepared.”

After all, I absolutely had to become her ward!

Just as I was about to step into an empty room, a boy slightly taller than me appeared in front of me.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

The boy with blue hair and black eyes—Cyrillote.

He was the child who had entered the orphanage a day after me.

How peculiar.

During the tutorial phase in my previous life, he had also arrived a day after me, and this time, it was the same.

Even though I had come to the orphanage months earlier this time.

“Coincidence?”

I glanced at Cyrillote.

Back then, I hadn’t noticed, but there was something strangely composed about him.

For an orphanage child, he exuded an air of maturity and calmness.

Even in front of food, he never got excited. While the other children devoured their meals quickly, he always ended up eating the scraps that were barely left over.

And he was strikingly handsome—so much so that you’d think someone might try to kidnap him.

At that moment, the loud clatter of a carriage could be heard from outside the building.