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]

***

glimpse of Octavious's memories, the orphanage was the one thing that stood out

as Octavious's memories led me, but

will be arriving

"Mhm."

a run-down neighborhood. There were no towering structures, and most of the homes

as if my life suddenly became simpler. In addition to having an excellent information network, they also provided me with a

that I was able

"We have arrived."

out. Coming around, he

orphanage is

the distance 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 than

for me

"That's okay."

shook my head. From the

this was just a regular

can go

my clothes and moved toward the

was true, then whoever this Protector was… they weren't something that I could

to the orphanage; how may I be of

me was a nun. She was a different nun than the one from Octavious's memories. She seemed rather young, and what particularly struck me were her deep

I greeted her politely.

just wanted to take a look. You see, my wife and I have been thinking

"Ah."

up, and she

that isn't great

led me toward

a moment. I will contact the head nun and let you see the

"Thank you."

Creak―!

revealing a dark interior lit only by the

with the

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 paintings, but I

'There it is.'

familiar statue. Its marble surface was chipped and stained. Clearly

and I stared at the statue

'It looks normal.'

was… just a statue. Observing it from where I was, there didn't seem to be anything

I can now control a bit of the

didn't seem to be

interested in

I

squinted my eyes at her

'She seems familiar.'

a favorable first impression on me. Something about being in her presence was soothing, and it made me want to put my faith in what she had

of impression

my wariness and

indeed interested in the

a few steps forward, and curiously looked at the

and I've never seen such a statue before. I

to her. "Our chapel doesn't belong to a religious branch. You can say that this statue

"Hm?"

I cocked my head.

"That's rather interesting."

of worship. If they weren't worshipping a

that you were interested in taking a child

what I had said to the

wife and I

"Is that so?"

reason, it felt as though I was

pleasant sensation by any stretch of the imagination.

"Is there something wrong?"

Her smile was unsettling.

getting creeped out with someone that has no

The nun shook her head. "It's just that we don't appreciate it when someone

"Hm?"

I raised my brow.

"Lie?"

"Mhm."

head. She then gently

already revealed everything to me. You're not here for the children. You're here for him, aren't