The Sage that the Sword Saint is Obsessed With

44 – 12. The Princess Cannot Sleep (1)

1.

Just because one reaches the level of Archmage doesn’t mean they’ve grasped the essence of everything in the world. Being an Archmage means having a slightly deeper and more detailed understanding of magic compared to others, but it doesn’t mean knowing everything about magic.

Unless one is an omnipotent being, a mage must research and continue researching until their death.

A mage is an explorer of the unknown worlds.

“Hmm….”

In a similar vein, Evan has been exploring the unknown world for several days now.

A bead acquired from an underground dungeon.

The right size when making a ring with the thumb and forefinger.

The bouncy surface sparkles with an ashy hue.

Since it was under the witch’s bed, Evan didn’t think it was an ordinary bead. Moreover, it wasn’t just left there; it was inside a jewel case.

But he couldn’t figure out its identity at all.

If it were a magical tool, he would at least feel some mana, but there was nothing.

It was just an ordinary bead.

“There’s no way it’s that simple….”

If it were an ordinary bead, would there be a reason to keep it stored like this?

“Do I need to approach it differently?”

It could be a type of artifact.

Most magical tools that cannot be explained by the principles of this world are generally referred to as artifacts.

A ‘Chronos Hourglass’ that stops time for three seconds.

A ‘Mist Veil’ that renders a certain area transparent.

A ‘Mana Eater’ that pulls in all mana like a powerful gravitational force.

Considering such things, Evan thinks there might be artifacts that pretend not to be artifacts.

“Should I seek help from the Blue Tower, known for fanatically obsessing over creating magical tools?”

If it’s the Blue Tower, where eccentrics gather and obsessively create magical tools, he might be able to find out something.

“Or perhaps….”

It could contain a power that is not mana, something Evan cannot perceive.

For example, there is divine power.

Unless a clergyman directly imbues divine power into their body, it is impossible for ordinary people to sense external divine power.

“Well, it’s worth checking once.”

Evan took the bead and left the inn.

In the village, there is one priest.

Not a priest dispatched by the Holy Empire.

He stays in the village for the purpose of medical service.

He treats the wounded members in battle, prays to God for the repose of members who sadly met death, and manages the orphanage in the back of the village.

It’s not a place the priest built; it’s an orphanage built independently by the Order of the Stars. It is for the children who were left alone because their parents died during battle.

The orphanage is up the hill behind the village.

A place overlooking the village scenery.

A blue grass field is spread out so that children can play freely.

As I walked up the winding path, I heard the laughter of children playing hide and seek.

Next to the orphanage, about six children were playing tag.

Running around, they clapped their hands to indicate their position to the tagger, who had their eyes covered with a blindfold.

And that tagger was—

“Sister!”

“It’s over here, this way!”

—it was Lewen.

She stretched her arms forward like a zombie, moving slowly, chasing after the children.

Evan watched Lewen for a moment.

She was playing with the children.

Yeah, really playing with them.

With the skill to be called a sword saint, there was no way Lewen couldn’t catch those children just because her eyes were covered with a blindfold.

See.

Just a while ago, she pretended to miss catching a child.

The child, who was almost caught, breathed a sigh of relief and laughed cheerfully.

“Lewen, you’re so bad at catching!”

Truly innocent.

Smirking at the sight of the clueless child, Evan stepped inside.

“Excuse me.”

The orphanage interior was adorned like a cathedral.

It seemed the caretaker was a priest, reflecting in the interior design.

“Hmm? Aren’t you Evan, sir?”

A priest, who appeared to be reading a book to children around five years old, widened his eyes at the unexpected guest.

Approaching, the priest handed the children books.

“What brings you here to such a place?”

“I have something I’d like you to check. Do you have a moment?”

“Yes, please come inside first.”

Following the priest, Evan entered the reception room.

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It was narrow and modest to be called a reception room.

Nevertheless, it had everything like chairs and tables.

“So, what would you like me to check?”

Evan took out a bead from his robe pocket.

“This.”

He placed the bead on the table.

“I found it in the lowest level of the underground dungeon last time, but I can’t identify its nature. I thought bringing it here for inspection with divine power might reveal something. Would you mind checking?”

Though hesitant to touch something found in an underground dungeon, the priest cautiously reached out and picked up the bead.

“Well, then…”

Placing the bead on his left palm, the priest pressed it with two fingers of his right hand.

He closed his eyes.

The wrinkles on his forehead became more defined.

After about three minutes, the priest slowly opened his eyes.

“…I sense the aura of a soul inside.”

“A soul?”

“To be certain, it should be taken to a higher-ranking clergy, but in my perception, there is someone’s soul embedded in the bead. We can contact the temple, but what do you think?”

“Will you do that for me?”

“Very well.”

It was indeed no ordinary bead.

“I’ll take the bead back just in case.”

Evan returned the bead to the priest.

It would be troublesome if he entrusted it to someone else, especially when he didn’t even know whose soul was inside.

“However…”

After finishing his business and planning to return to the inn, Evan asked the priest with curiosity.

“Does the headmaster come here often?”

He pointed with his thumb towards the window.

Leaning against the window, Ruen, who had finished playing tag and was lying on the grass with the children, looking at the sky, was visible.

He had entered and exited Ruen’s inner world, where he could see everything, but he hadn’t seen everything.

There was no time to see everything.

“Yes.”

The priest nodded with a smile.

“Master Ruen comes here occasionally to help with chores or play with the children.”

It was an unexpected aspect.

The Ruen that Evan knew didn’t seem like the type to play with children.

“Probably… because of a sense of responsibility,” the priest said, as if trying to address Evan’s question.

“All the children here are the offspring of members who didn’t return during the war. That’s why the headmaster feels he has to take responsibility. Building this orphanage was probably for that reason too.”

Evan didn’t think it was just because of a sense of responsibility.

Empathy.

She, too, could empathize with the empty hearts of the children who became orphans because she had to send her parents away to the maws.

“I see.”

Evan nodded a few times and turned his foot.

“It’s almost lunchtime. Would you like to join us, Evan?”

The priest suggested having lunch together to Evan, who was about to leave.

“I’ll appreciate the thought.”

The priest nodded regretfully, understanding that insisting twice would be impolite, and just nodded.

At that moment.

Thunk.

Someone grabbed Evan’s sleeve.

He lowered his head and saw a little girl sniffing her runny nose, looking up at Evan with sparkling eyes.

“Your Highness…!!”

Her eyes were so bright that it was almost overwhelming to meet her gaze.

Evan tilted his head.

“Your Highness?”

“I think you’re the prince.”

The priest chuckled and said.

Evan was dumbfounded and laughed.

“Your Highness, give me a hug!”

The girl stretched out her arms to Evan, speaking with a short tongue.

“Little one.”

“That child’s name is Cyril.”

The priest beside them told Evan the girl’s name.

“Cyril, I am not a prince.”

“Oh really?”

“I am a sorcerer. Someone who handles magic.”

“A witch?”

“Um… something similar.”

“Is Gorum oppa a bad person?”

Evan chuckled.

“What do you think?”

Cyril shook her head from side to side.

“I don’t know! Hug me!”

She insisted on being hugged.

“Cyril always asks to be hugged whenever she sees a man who looks like a prince from a fairy tale. If Evan with blonde hair and blue eyes looked like a prince to Cyril, then you must have appeared as a prince to her eyes. Go ahead and give her a hug.”

The priest chuckled and said.

“Hug me!”

Cyril urged, bouncing in place.

“…Alright.”

It might feel awkward, but there’s nothing Evan can’t do when it comes to embracing someone.

Evan lifted Cyril in his arms.

As they ascended to a higher place, Cyril exclaimed in delight, “Wow, this is great!”

“Is it okay now?”

As Evan attempted to set him down, Cyril clung to Evan like a kitten.

“Oh, do we have to go down?”

Cyril tilted his head in Evan’s arms.

“I think it’s time for you to have lunch,” the priest said.

“I’ll prepare the meal, so why don’t you play with the children?”

The priest gestured towards the other kids behind.

The children showed strong curiosity towards the newcomer.

Especially the eyes of the girls sparkled brightly.

“I’m not good at taking care of kids…”

“It’s okay. It’s not difficult.”

The priest entrusted Evan with the children and went to the kitchen.

“We’ll prepare it soon,” he said before leaving.

Once the priest departed, three children gathered around Evan. Two girls and one boy.