After arriving back in the city, inside the inn's restaurant, "HAUP… HAUP," Dash, Shel, and Marle were happy to see Marle's eight siblings eating ravenously. They seemed starved, probably because they hadn't been fed or the food was inedible. Shel turned to look at Marle beside her, who was watching her siblings.
"Aren't you eating?" Shel asked.
"No… I'm not very hungry," Marle replied.
"TRAK," Dash, who was eating next to Shel, suddenly put a plate of food down in front of Marle. Of course, Marle immediately turned to look at Dash, who was staring back at her.
"Eat," Dash said briefly, chewing the food in his mouth with puffed cheeks.
"Alright, thank you," Marle replied.
Finally, Marle began to eat the meal in front of her. They ate in silence because the atmosphere in the restaurant was also silent—no one was talking, even though the restaurant was full. The reason was that almost every customer, the restaurant owner who doubled as the cook, and the server who seemed to be the owner's wife or child, were stunned, watching the strange group that kept ordering food. They stared at Dash because they had never seen a Dragonkin and at Shel, who was the only Half-Orc around.
After finishing their meal and paying, they left the restaurant. Marle led two of her siblings, who were probably 8 and 9 years old. Shel held the hands of two of Marle's siblings, both girls around 10 years old. Meanwhile, two of Marle's siblings sat on Dash's shoulders, and his hands led the remaining two children.
"Where are we going now?" Dash asked.
"Follow me for a minute," Marle replied.
They headed toward the right side of the city, which looked like a residential area with sparsely placed, single-story houses. But when they reached the end of the road, they saw a large, two-story building with a convent next to it. In front of the building, a nun, who appeared to be a Goblin, was sweeping the porch. As soon as the nun turned and saw Marle arrive with her siblings, her face instantly lit up. She dropped her broom and ran to embrace Marle.
"You're safe… thank goodness," the nun said, welcoming Marle.
"We're home, Mama," Marle said.
"Huh… Mama?" Dash and Shel thought, glancing at each other.
Suddenly, two more nuns—one an Elf and the other a Human—came out of the house and rushed to greet Marle. They asked what had happened, their faces full of worry. Marle told the three nuns everything, and they immediately covered their mouths with their hands, their eyes tearing up. Then they knelt down to hug all eight of Marle's siblings. After that, the nuns invited everyone inside. Marle led Dash and Shel to sit at a dining table and then told them everything.
It turned out the large, two-story building was an orphanage, and Marle was one of the caretakers because she had been raised there previously. Upon hearing that her tribe had been destroyed by the Demon Mafia and that her siblings were captured to be sold as slaves, she immediately left to search for her siblings. And of the white or Snow Wolf-type Beastkin, only Marle and her eight siblings were left.
"But why didn't you live with your tribe?" Shel asked.
Marle looked down, then raised her finger and touched the glass in front of her. A cold, bluish-white aura instantly froze the glass and its contents in a flash. Then she pointed to the frozen glass.
"Because I can use magic. I was banished from my tribe and left abandoned. Then I was picked up by a nun here, and I've lived here ever since," Marle replied.
"Hmm, I see," Dash muttered.
"Are you… really a Dragonkin?" Marle asked Dash.
"Something like that," Dash answered, short and clear.
"I saw you two from the top of the hill using a spyglass… you were dragging a giant boar into the city," Marle said.
"I see. Did you also see him defeat the giant boar?" Shel asked, pointing at Dash.
"No… but seeing how easily he hauled a giant boar, which usually takes two carriages, plus I've witnessed his strength firsthand, I believe he's capable of defeating a giant boar alone," Marle replied.
"So you waited on the hill near the border every day?" Dash asked.
"Yes, because I knew my siblings would definitely be taken to the Grandias Kingdom," Marle replied.
"Hmm… I see. Aren't there other kingdoms in this world?" Dash asked.
"Only the Grandias Kingdom allows illegal slaves into its territory," Marle answered.
"That's true. The nobles and people in the Grandias Kingdom don't see other races or kingdoms as equal to them, claiming they are the chosen people and superior to everyone else, even though that's not the reality," Shel added.
"Just because the Grandias Kingdom is the largest kingdom in this world, they think everyone is beneath them," Marle added.
Dash, seeing that Shel and Marle were both furious and clearly wronged, even holding grudges against the Grandias Kingdom, started thinking hard. He also remembered when he first arrived in this world and was treated like a monster and attacked without them waiting for any explanation from him.
"Sorry, can I ask something? Why do you want to go to the Demon Mafia headquarters?" Marle asked.
"I have business there," Shel answered firmly.
"And I'm helping her," Dash added, putting his hand on Shel's head.
"I see… one more thing… what is your relationship?" Marle asked with a slightly red face.
Hearing Marle's question, Dash and Shel immediately turned to look at each other, then they looked back at Marle, but before Dash could open his mouth,
"He's my husband," Shel declared loudly, causing Dash to turn and look at her.
"Oh… I see," Marle said, looking down and appearing disappointed.
Seeing Marle went silent, Shel immediately stood up, walked across the table, and sat next to Marle. After that, Shel whispered into Marle's wolf-ear, making her ear twitch. Marle, who had looked disappointed, suddenly became shocked, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open. Then she turned to look at Shel next to her.
"Is that true?" she whispered.
"Yep, I don't mind. I've been watching you since the carriage and the way you look at him," Shel whispered.
"Um… was it that obvious?" Marle whispered.
"Yes, especially since he blew up the padlock without blinking," Shel whispered.
"Um… so, I can too?" Marle whispered.
"Of course, we'll be sisters," Shel whispered, hugging Marle.
"Thank you, Shel," Marle said, hugging Shel back, still whispering.
"Hey,"
Both of them immediately turned to look at Dash, who was staring at them in confusion because he hadn't heard their conversation.
"What are you two talking about?" Dash asked.
"Nothing," Shel and Marle replied simultaneously with cheerful faces.
"Anyway, how old are you, Marle?" Shel asked.
"Um… 20 years old. Why?" Marle asked.
"Oh, nothing… because I'm only 18. I should call you 'Big Sis,' right?" Shel replied.
"Don't bother. Don't be weird," Marle countered.
Finally, the two became engrossed in their own chatter in front of Dash, who kept staring at them, wondering why they were so friendly despite having just met.