A peaceful morning air blows through the garden of the mansion, the temperature was quite cool with the season slowly changing into winter.
The time was 7:00 am in the morning. It was obviously too early for anyone to get up. So, most of the mansion's residents were still asleep. However—
Whoosh~
The sound of something cutting through the air could be heard. A small boy who seemed to be 11 years old was tightly holding a long wooden sword in his hands.
With each of his swings, the path of his blade drew an arc through the air. His bright blonde hair fluttered and swayed gently by the wind generated by his fast movements.
His swing was still rough, but they were packed with enough force to cleanly split apart a tree branch.
'My training seems to be improving my stamina a little.' He thought. Usually, after swinging his arms around a few times, he would be completely tired and worn out. But now he didn't feel as exhausted as when he first started his training.
After a few more minutes, the boy did not stop the swing of his sword. He moved rapidly, his blade drawing complex trajectories with each swing.
"Phew." A small breath escapes his mouth as he puts down the wooden sword he was just holding. But just then—
Clap~ clap~
His ocean blue eyes stared in the direction of the noise. What reflected in his deep pupil was a young girl with long silver hair. She was an absolute beauty; one you couldn't find just anywhere.
"Were you watching me the entire time, Ellen?" Kenta asked, gazing at the girl who was standing by a tree just 5 meters or so away.
"Fufu… I was just going out to get a glass of water when I saw you leaving. I was curious about what you were up to, so..."
"So, you decided to follow me." He said, finishing her sentence.
"Are you mad?" She asked, peering at Kenta's expression closely.
"... Mad? Why would I be mad?" He said, a bit confused.
"Sigh… Never mind. But aren't you cold?" She asked, looking at Kenta's body.
He wasn't wearing any shirt, only black shorts; his body was also covered with sweat from his vigorous training. His firm muscles were still in the middle of developing, but her gorgeous face flushed red when she saw his sweaty, shirtless body.
"Hmm… Maybe a little, I guess. I didn't notice until now." He said tonelessly, ignoring Ellen's gaze on his upper body.
"Jeez… You have to take care of yourself, too, you know." She complained in a worried voice.
"What are you, my mom? And I am taking care of myself." Kenta replied, walking towards the mansion's door. Ellen followed behind him with pouted lips.
"So, are you going to eat with us today, Kenta?" She asked, staring closely at his face, waiting for his reply.
"Humph… I don't know, I'm not the best at being around people." He said in a low mutter.
"Ah… I see, Mr antisocial."
Kenta's brow twitches slightly when being called "antisocial"; that seems to have hit a nerve.
"I'm not antisocial, you know. I just don't like being around too many people." He said clearly.
"Fufu… Isn't that the meaning of the word 'antisocial'?" she said, amused by his response.
Kenta only kept his silence when he couldn't retort to her words.
The two made their way inside the mansion. "Oh, you two are up early today again, huh?" A man wearing a stylish white suit said with a slight smile on his face. His short brown hair was neatly styled.
"Uncle. Where might you be heading so early in the morning?" Ellen asked, with a gentle smile on her face.
"I'm going to a meeting within the royal palace." He said calmly.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes, there has been an increasing number of monster attacks beyond the outer walls." He informed.
"Hmm… Monsters' attacks happened frequently, right?" Kenta asked, interested in the topic.
"Yes, the forest which borders our Nation, and the kingdom of Valley is crawling with dangerous monsters." He said.
"Hm, I see." Kenta furrowed his brow with a thoughtful expression on his face.
'I've never seen a real monster before, I'm really curious about them.' Kenta thought inwardly, there will be a day when he will have to face a monster.
'I have to get ready for that day too,' he thought.
After seeing Michael off, Kenta went back to his room to rest a little before breakfast.
…
Meanwhile, inside another room. Ellen was currently having a talk with her aunt. "Is my father really coming back?" She asked in a joyous tone.
It has been years since she last saw her father, and there hasn't been any contact between them since he left. Being able to see him again filled her with great happiness.
Watching her niece with a bright smile on her face, Suzette called out to her happily. "He should be back by tonight, since you're going to go back to live with him. I would suggest you pack your things together by then, okay." She spoke gently.
"Ye-yes," Ellen replied with a slightly complicated expression, but nodded anyway.
10:30 am, breakfast time
Inside the dining room, Kenta was seated around the larger wooden table. Along with Ellen and her friends.
"Hey, don't you think the meal we got last night was really good?"
"I agree, the meat was superb, I have never had anything as fancy."
"Haha, right. I can still remember the taste even now." They all talked together about various topics.
Kenta remained silent, listening to their conversations. He wasn't a very talkative person to begin with. Unless someone initiated the conversation themselves, he would keep his silence.
However, he frowns when he notices Ellen has a rather gloomy atmosphere around her. She had also been usually silent.
Normally, she was more proactive with him, but now it feels like her mind wasn't there.
Gazing at her from the side, he narrowed his eyes slightly. But he chose not to say anything for the time being.
After breakfast was over, Kenta went up to Ellen, who was helping some of the others with the dishes.
"Hey, Ellen. Is there something wrong?" He asked curiously.
Ellen's hands, which were washing the dishes, stopped, and she slowly turned to face Kenta's direction.
"Umm, yes, everything is fine." She said nervously. Turning her gaze away awkwardly.
"Hmm… Are you sure?" He pressed further, squinting his blue eyes curiously. After heaving a small sigh, Ellen finally gave in.
"No, actually, I want to tell you something." She said, her expression turned slightly serious. Seeing the seriousness on her face, he nodded his head slowly.
He was curious about what she wanted to say.
…
Once she had finished washing the dishes, they both relocated inside Kenta's room, and her expression seemed extremely nervous.
"Is there something wrong?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Eh, no… It's just it's the first time I've been inside a male's room," she said.
"That's it. I don't get why you have to be so embarrassed because of something so trivial, though." He said bluntly.
"Sigh… any girl my age would, you know." She said, pouting her lips cutely.
"So then tell me what's bothering you," Kenta said, getting to the main point once they had both taken a seat.
"Ye-yes… I'm, I'm leaving the mansion tonight." She said sadly, explaining the reason behind her depression.
"Okay."
"…."
"…Okay. That's all you have to say?" She said, glaring at Kenta reproachfully.
"What else do you want me to say?" He asked, confused, unsure about her anger.
"I don't know, couldn't you be a little more emotional?" She said, with both her cheeks inflated into a cute pout.
"Emotional… you say, how long has it been since I last felt emotions? I can't remember."
"Oh, I forgot, you're as emotionless as a golem."
"Saying I'm a golem is a bit harsh, you know."
"Sigh… Whatever. We probably won't be able to see each other again." She uttered sadly, her expression falling.
Although she could convince her father to bring her to the orphanage again, Kenta and the others would eventually leave once they came of age.
It was doubtful whether they would be fortunate enough to see each other again until then.
"Who said that? It's not like I plan on dying anytime soon, you know. We can still see each other. Once I leave this place, that is." He said while shrugging his shoulders.
"Really?" Ellen asked, peering at his face closely
"It's like I said, don't worry." Kenta then tried to put on the best smile he could muster; his smile was slightly awkward, but he did his best.
"I see… Thank you." She said, as a gorgeous smile bloomed on her face.
Seeing that, a faint smile tugged on Kenta's lips. His face, which was usually expressionless, softened slightly. Though it was faint, almost fleeting, as it could easily be missed by anyone who isn't carefully observing his face. Though it was doubtful whether or not Ellen had noticed it.
A slight, amused smile formed on her face.
"My, my, is it just me, or does your voice actually sound happy for a change? You must be really happy to be able to see me all the time, right?" She said teasingly.
"Actually, it's more like I'm happy this place will finally get some peace now that the noise machine is gone," Kenta replied in a humorous tone.
"Eh! Wh-who are you calling a noise machine? Besides, I'm sure you'll miss me to the point of crying every morning when you can no longer see me." She retorted with a pout.
'I highly doubt that.' He thought inwardly.
However, seeing her like that did make Kenta a bit sad that he won't be able to see her for a while; of course, he didn't breathe a word of that out loud.
With a slightly apologetic face, he said. "Okay, sorry about saying that, but you're right, it will be boring without you around."
"Humph, so you're finally going to admit the truth, huh?" Ellen said, her mouth turning upwards into a smile.
…
It was now time to say farewell; a carriage was currently waiting for Ellen outside the mansion. Kenta had already said his goodbye to her, so the ones who had come to see her off were her friends.
"Please take care, okay, Ellen," Charlotte said, hugging Ellen tightly. Ellen also returned the hug with her own.
"I hope to see you again soon," Nessa said while also hugging Ellen tightly.
"Yes, I hope to see you again, too." Ellen hugged Nessa's body tightly in return.
Many of the other orphans also said their farewells. Ellen left the mansion long with Suzette, who was accompanying her by her side.
As she walked, Ellen glanced up at a particular window, her violet-coloured eyes sparked at the person standing there, a boy with slightly long blonde hair, and eyes as blue as the sea. Kenta was watching her leave with a calm face.
He raised his left hand towards her. Perhaps it was only an illusion, or maybe her own imagination, but what reflected in her clear amethyst-like eyes was the sight of Kenta's lips breaking into a slight smile as he saw her off.
With tears running down her white cheeks, her silver hair fluttered in the wind.
"Farewell." She muttered, sadly, before stepping into the horse-drawn carriage.