An orphanage stood just outside the city, near a small forest where Night creatures could not live. Built between two villages, right along the main road leading toward the capital, the orphanage was not very large, yet it was spacious enough to house all the children from the two nearby villages. Though old, it still had decent living conditions.
It had rooms—or more accurately, shared halls for boys and girls, a common kitchen, a study room, and many other spaces. To Unwan, this was already more than good.
At a time when schools were only just starting to appear in rural areas, the children of the orphanage had long learned the basics of reading and writing. Until recently, only the children of nobles and aristocrats were thought to deserve education, but the royal family had dismissed such ideas and announced the construction of schools across the entire kingdom.
Even so, the caretaker of the orphanage were well-educated enough to teach the children themselves.
***
As Unwan prepared to leave the boys' room, he thought about what he needed to take with him.
– Hmm… papers, the 50- and 100-weight stones, water, and…
Muttering to himself, he grabbed each item from his shelf. When he finished, he opened the second section from the top and took out a small wooden cup with a chipped rim. Even the second shelf was cluttered with strange things for a thirteen-year-old boy.
Then Unwan looked at his pillow. He smiled faintly and smacked it once.
– …and a feather.
He examined the spot he hit, plucked out the largest feather he could see, and nodded to himself.
– Who knows? Light things might come in handy too.
Fixing the pillow back into place, he stood there for a moment, looking at his entire bed, then sighed, grabbed his sheet and the slightly heavier blanket, and headed out.
He left the boys' room and walked left—toward the outside. The girls' room was right after it. As he passed by, a few girls were stepping out, chatting among themselves. Some didn't notice Unwan at all; some did, but immediately turned back to their friends and giggled as if someone had whispered something funny.
Two thoughts battled in Unwan's mind. One urged him to get outside quickly, the other held him back.
Unwan genuinely wanted to go out and continue his experiments. But that filthy second reason in his mind kept raising a red stop-signal.
'No. Never. Never look there. Don't. What would the girls think?'
The girls' door was slightly open, which only made him more embarrassed, and his eyes kept trying to drift toward it. But Unwan forced himself to look straight ahead.
'Who controls this body? Me or that damned lust? Me. So don't look.'
He finally passed the room and quietly exhaled. A few more steps led him to the front gate. Beside the gate, a bald man in his forties with naturally white stubble was dozing while leaning on a table. He had every right to be tired.
'Thank you for today as well. Our lives are in your hands,' Unwan thought.
Indeed, this older man had spent the entire night patrolling to protect the children from Night Creatures.
Walking past him, Unwan stepped through the gate and headed west. From where he stood, the day was bright, and he could see the wide fields and distant villages—what a beautiful view. But nothing damp could be hung here. After three in the afternoon, the sun no longer reached this area, leaving it in shade. So Unwan always took his laundry toward the western side, where sunlight lasted longer.
A short walk later, he turned left and saw two tall wooden posts. A rope stretched between them, with a few clothes already hanging.
Unwan walked between the posts, spread out his sheet wide so it would dry quickly, then hung the blanket. The blanket almost slipped from his hands—just a little more and he would've had to wash it again.
After finishing, his mind split in two.
'Hm. Should I go eat first, or should I start immediately?'
At that exact moment, as if his stomach had been listening, it growled loudly. Unwan cracked a small smile.
"Don't be upset. I'll eat later," he murmured and walked toward the gate again, past it, toward the area near the small eastern forest.
Sadly, his excitement didn't last long. One of the caretakers noticed him heading out and stopped him, pulling him along with her.
"Ahh… what a lucky day," Unwan thought sarcastically.
He had no choice but to follow her inside. They entered the kitchen hall across from the boys' and girls' rooms, then went their separate ways. The kitchen was divided into two parts: the cooking area directly ahead, and everything else—tables, benches was the dining area. The air held an odd smell; not particularly pleasant, but to the orphans it was the scent of a delicious meal.
Six or seven caretakers, along with a few older girls, were busy preparing food, while the rest collected their portions and sat along two long benches. Each bench could seat about twenty-five people at once, though Unwan had never seen both completely filled. Most of the children were already eating, including those Miss Kalia had brought in earlier. Some caretakers were eating too.
Unwan didn't waste time, he went straight to get his food. A chubby lady handed him the usual: a wooden bowl with a bit of porridge, a spoon, two pieces of bread, and a slightly-less-than-full cup of milk. The entirely wooden tableware always slightly annoyed Unwan.
Instead of going to a seat, he took the milk and drank it right there. He placed the bread into the porridge bowl, set the spoon on top, returned the excess dishes on the spot, and forced a polite smile.
– Thank you.
To him, all of this felt unnecessary. He only did it to save time and avoid walking back and forth to return extra utensils. Every second felt important to him now.
Unwan hurried to the boys' bench and sat at an empty spot near the edge. Just as he put the first spoonful into his mouth, a voice sounded:
– So, what are you doing today?
It was Keli. Dark hair, dark eyes, a few freckles under his left eye. The boy sitting across from Unwan.
Unwan swallowed and replied,
– Reseaech the Earth. Why?