The Author's POV

'I'm sure I heard Oliver… Did I hear wrongly?'

I didn't think so.

"Eh, my dad's been kind of busy lately. I haven't even seen him around these past few days."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, but it's not like it rarely happens. It's been like this since I last remember… I'm sure you understand me."

"Yeah."

"Ehm…"

I interrupted the conversation between the two. Scratching the side of my cheek, I altered my gaze between Amanda and Emma before finally settling on Emma.

"What did you say that your father's name was?"

Emma looked at me strangely.

"You don't know who my father is… ?" She paused and furrowed her brows. "No, never mind. It's not like he's some sort of big shot celebrity. Why should I expect everyone to know his name?"

"His name is Oliver."

Amanda answered for her, and I found myself blinking several times again.

"Oliver?"

"Yes."

Only after Amanda confirmed it once more was I finally convinced that I didn't hear incorrectly.

'Oliver? Why is his name different?'

This wasn't the name that I knew of.

I looked at Emma.

"By chance, do you know of anyone that goes by the name Waylan?"

Perhaps he was still called Waylan, but went by a different name in front of people? It wasn't impossible.

…Or so I thought.

"Waylan? No, I've never heard of him before."

Emma looked at Amanda.

"Do you know what he's talking about?"

"No."

"I see."

I had no choice but to give up when I saw that neither of the two knew who Waylan was.

'I guess it makes sense in some way.'

Even though everyone I interacted with in this world had the same name as the ones in my world, it wasn't impossible for some others to have names that were different.

After all, this was a different world, and its history was completely different. The fact that their names were the same was the odd part.

'Well, whatever.'

I shrugged the thought off. It didn't seem like a big deal.

Ding―!

Right then, I received a notification on my watch. I smiled when I looked at it.

'They're faster than I expected.'

[Ashton City Community Orphanage―Middlestone Street 56.

―Read More]

***

catch a glimpse of Octavious's memories, the orphanage was the one thing

memories led me, but

will be

"Mhm."

There were no towering structures, and most of the

Paw Guild, I felt as if my life suddenly became simpler. In

I was able to find the orphanage

"We have arrived."

driver got out. Coming around, he opened the

is up

with his finger. It was uncannily similar to the way it appeared in the memories I saw. It was probably a little bit more rundown, but other

you like for me to wait for you

"That's okay."

my head. From

if this

can leave; I can go back on my

the driver on his way, I fixed my clothes and moved toward the chapel. Secretly, I started to

what I saw in Octavious's memories was true, then whoever this Protector was… they weren't something that I could make light

to the orphanage; how may I

was a different nun than the one from Octavious's memories. She seemed rather young,

I greeted her politely.

look. You see, my wife and I have

"Ah."

up, and she

that

led me toward the

contact the head nun and let you

"Thank you."

Creak―!

door creaked as the nun pushed it open, revealing a dark interior

was heavy with the scent of

to notice the pews were draped in tattering black cloth and the walls were adorned with faded paintings that were no longer discernible. There was something unsettling about the

'There it is.'

the chapel stood a familiar statue. Its marble surface was chipped and

came to a stop, and I stared at the statue from where

'It looks normal.'

was… just a statue. Observing it from where I was,

something since I can

seem to

interested in

a distant voice. When I looked up, I saw an elderly nun making her way toward the

squinted my eyes at

'She seems familiar.'

made a favorable first impression on me. Something about being in her presence was soothing,

of impression that

outwardly display my wariness and merely smiled at

interested in the

a few steps forward, and curiously looked at the statue while pinching my

my life, and I've never seen such a

question I'm very used to." The nun smiled, caressing the statue next to her. "Our chapel doesn't belong to a religious branch. You can say that this

"Hm?"

I cocked my head.

"That's rather interesting."

chapel was a place of worship. If they weren't worshipping a god,

that you were interested in taking a child

by the nun's unexpected question, but recalling what I had said to the other nun at the entrance, I nodded

my wife and I are looking

"Is that so?"

nun smiled, and I found myself frowning. For some reason, it felt

wasn't a pleasant sensation by any stretch of

"Is there something wrong?"

Her smile was unsettling.

someone that has no shred of mana in

her head. "It's just that we don't appreciate

"Hm?"

I raised my brow.

"Lie?"

"Mhm."

nodded her head. She then

everything to me. You're not here for the children. You're here