Among the twenty-plus children living in the unnamed Maria's Orphanage, Rye was the oldest.
He was lively and outgoing, fearless around strangers.
A few days ago, when Renjiro first arrived at this abandoned church, guided by Syr, it was this little guy who first spoke to him.
From Renjiro's perspective, Rye was easily the naughtiest of the children.
You could tell just by the small scratches and bruises on his face.
In contrast, the other kids might occasionally get a little dirty, but their faces were mostly clean, barely a scar in sight.
Rye, on the other hand, had tiny scars on both cheeks, paired with a carefree, mischievous grin that screamed, "I'm trouble just looking at me."
No doubt, this was a boy who looked like he was going to be a handful.
Yet, despite his mischief and occasionally cheeky speech, Rye was one of the few children in the orphanage not planning to become an adventurer.
The reason was simple: in the past, those who left the orphanage and joined a familia sent money back for a while, but over time… they all eventually disappeared.
It wasn't because they abandoned the orphanage out of greed—anyone who'd lived here knew how deeply painful being left behind could feel.
Their "disappearance" was more like the heroes of old, tired and finally taking a rest.
Venturing into dungeons, hoping to return laden with treasure, only to face a harsh one-way path… it was a common yet helpless occurrence.
Because incidents like this had happened so many times, Maria had long hesitated to encourage the children to become adventurers.
But the kids had their own ideas. They believed ordinary work didn't pay enough, and only by risking life and limb as adventurers could they earn enough to support the orphanage.
Maria didn't know what to say and ultimately decided to respect the children's choices, letting them decide their own futures.
Rye, for his part…
Though he usually acted carefree, he had set a long-term goal: to study at the School District.
There, with intelligence, he could earn well without causing Maria any worry.
Because of this goal, ever since Renjiro arrived at the orphanage, Rye would occasionally come to him—the "big brother who seems to know everything"—to ask about complicated knowledge.
Luckily, Renjiro, though less than half a year into this fantastical world, had been exposed to a lot of advanced knowledge through Lumine and the erudite Riveria, and retained some modern scientific understanding.
Combined with the system filtering out useless points, he could barely function as a competent teacher.
Whenever Renjiro taught at night, a few other children would gather around as well.
The most impressive to him were Fina, the dog-girl, and the half-elf called Roux.
Fina needed no introduction—a precocious, clever, spirited girl.
Roux, brought by Syr, often had a blank expression, with a neutral-sounding voice. If Maria hadn't clarified her gender, Renjiro wouldn't have known.
Yet this seemingly dull little girl was the smartest among the children, occasionally leaving Renjiro stumped with her sudden questions.
Sometimes he even had to connect with the system to help teach—though, cough, that's a side note.
At present…
"This isn't really a knuckle-duster… let's just call it a 'mana ring' for now."
It wasn't a tightly guarded secret, and the Ten Rings of the Human King were too visible not to be asked about eventually.
So Renjiro didn't dodge, giving a prepared but partial explanation:
"In short, it's special equipment that can store a large amount of mana. With it, I'll be able to cast magic more times in the future."
Rye's eyes sparkled.
He was fascinated by the novelty, but knowing it was expensive, he didn't clamour to borrow it.
Then…
"By the way, Renjiro-kun, your naming skills are really… awful."
The brown-haired boy crossed his arms, grinning mischievously. "A ring that stores mana, and you just call it 'mana ring'? That's so… basic!"
…
Renjiro twitched his mouth.
Then…
"Hehe~"
He squinted slightly, clenching his fists. When Rye felt uneasy, Renjiro smiled in a kind, almost teasing way:
"You know, outsiders often say foolish things… like, 'Mages are weaker physically than warriors.'"
"In truth, some high-level spells have long casting chants that can delay battle timing. So high-level mages mastering 'parallel casting'… their physical abilities aren't bad at all~"
"For example: Riveria-sama of the Loki familia occasionally uses her staff as a blunt weapon… reportedly, it's quite lethal. She could solo the deep layers without issue."
Rye instinctively swallowed and took a small step back. "B-Renjiro-kun… why did you suddenly say that?"
Seeing him flinch…
"I remember you wanted to study at the School District, right?"
Renjiro pressed his hands heavily~ onto the boy's shoulders.
"Want to get a head start practicing 'parallel casting' like a high-level mage?"
"Don't worry, it won't kill you!"
======
A few hours later…
"Eh?"
When Syr finished her work at the Hostess of Fertility and returned to the church, she found Rye slumped over the dining table, looking utterly defeated, barely mumbling incoherently.
Renjiro sat nearby, legs crossed, calmly sipping tea.
"You're back~"
"Uh… yeah."
Syr, a bit surprised, asked: "What's wrong with Rye?"
"Nothing, just… studying really hard, right, Rye?"
…
Renjiro probably felt much like when he had to deliver "Fives and Threes" to his nephew before transmigrating—exhilarated~.
Of course, the assignments he gave Rye were truly practical.
First, basic sword training with wooden swords.
Then, close-combat techniques with fists, refined recently to tackle Scorpius.
After that…
He went all out with mental exercises!
Yes, like counting poultry legs problems, several in a row.
In swordsmanship and fighting… the principle of sweat in practice, less blood in battle remained universal.
Renjiro knew some "killer moves" were unsafe for children Rye's age—too impulsive and likely to cause injury.
So he focused on defensive techniques and foundational training.
As for intellectual tests… Rye could barely handle them.
But Roux, the quiet half-elf girl, finished effortlessly.
Even Fina teased: "Looks like Roux's more suited for the School District than Rye~"
This stoked Rye's competitive spirit.
"Time to rest early tonight. You've fried enough brain cells."
Renjiro patted his shoulder. "Balance work and rest. Some of those problems were meant to challenge you."
"But… Roux finished so easily…"
"Stop overthinking."
Renjiro ruffled Rye's hair. "Everyone has strengths. Roux struggled with sword practice too, didn't she?"
"Omniscience belongs to gods. Trying to achieve that in limited life, without inheritance, alone… that's arrogance."
Rye glanced at Syr, then back at Renjiro.
"Then… what about you, Renjiro-kun? What aren't you good at?"
"I'm bad at putting you to sleep. Now scram."
Renjiro's eyes narrowed, super fierce expression—clearly telling him to stop being a nuisance.
Rye immediately shifted into a mock-adult "I get you" expression.
"Right, right, time to sleep."
"Good night, Renjiro-kun, Sister Syr, hehehe~"
Rye grabbed his unfinished problem board and dashed off.
Renjiro knew immediately—this kid had completely misunderstood.
He… just wanted to update his [Stats] quickly.