Chapter 1615 - 227 - Love and War (3)
After watching Luna walk away, I made my way over to the orphanage kids and decided to spend some time playing with them instead of leaving right away.
They were playing a game that reminded me a lot of football. It wasn’t exactly football, but anyone who looked at it for more than a few seconds could immediately tell where the inspiration came from. The rules seemed a little different, the field was much smaller, and some parts had obviously been adjusted to fit what they had available, but the resemblance was still pretty clear.
The children laughed loudly as they ran circles around me, passing the ball between one another while trying to dodge anyone who got in their way. Their little feet kicked up dust with every step, and their excitement was contagious enough that it made me smile without even realizing it. Before long, one of them found an opening and sent the ball rolling straight into the makeshift goal.
"Yes! We did it!"
All of them jumped into the air together before excitedly high-fiving one another with huge grins spread across their faces.
Watching them celebrate like that honestly felt refreshing after everything that had been happening lately.
For just a brief moment, it almost felt as though the world was completely at peace, and the thought of war seemed incredibly far away.
The smiles on their faces made it easy to forget, even if only for a little while, that thousands of soldiers would soon be marching onto battlefields.
"Leon."
I heard Sister Lily’s gentle voice calling out to me from behind, pulling me away from my thoughts.
When I turned around to face her, she greeted me with the same warm smile I had remembered ever since I was a child.
"Would you like to come eat with us for a little while?" she asked kindly.
To be honest, I had been planning to return to the capital as soon as I finished visiting the orphanage today.
Still, after looking around at everyone gathered here, I found myself hesitating for a moment longer.
"Sure," I replied with a small smile. "I’d be happy to."
Whatever was waiting for me back in the capital could probably wait until tomorrow.
Besides, opportunities like this didn’t come around very often anymore, and I honestly missed spending time here.
It had been quite a long time since I last sat down and shared a meal with everyone at the orphanage.
Many of the children who used to sit beside me back then had already grown up quite a bit over the years.
Instead of being the ones receiving help, they had now become the ones helping take care of the younger children who had recently arrived at the orphanage.
They were still fairly young themselves, probably somewhere around fourteen years old, but despite their age, they had become surprisingly dependable whenever the little ones needed someone to look after them.
Seeing them act so responsibly honestly made me feel proud.
I was also pleasantly surprised that they still called me "Big Brother," even though several years had already passed since I visited this place.
Part of me had assumed they would’ve eventually outgrown that habit.
Apparently, they hadn’t.
While those thoughts were quietly drifting through my mind, the food was finally brought over to the table.
"Since today is a special occasion, I decided to make your favorite dish," Sister Lily said with a warm smile as she carefully placed the bowl in front of me.
"Thank you very much," I replied sincerely while smiling back at her.
The dish looked very similar to rabbit stew, just like I remembered from years ago.
Tender pieces of rabbit meat had been slowly cooked inside a thick broth together with plenty of vegetables until everything blended together perfectly.
The rich aroma drifted upward the moment the bowl was placed in front of me, and it immediately reminded me of my childhood.
After taking the very first bite, I couldn’t help smiling.
The flavor was exactly how I remembered it.
Warm, comforting, and honestly delicious enough that I almost wanted another bowl before I had even finished the first one.
"By the way, Leon," Sister Lily suddenly said while preparing another serving for the children nearby, "I heard that the Milham Kingdom has officially declared war against both the Republic and the Empire. Is that really true?"
She must have already heard the news from somewhere.
Then again, considering how enormous this announcement was, there was practically no chance it wouldn’t spread throughout the kingdom sooner rather than later.
"Yeah, it’s true," I answered with a small nod. "At this point, there wasn’t any realistic way to convince either side to compromise anymore. Both of the Empire and Republic seem completely determined to pursue a future where they’re the ones standing at the top and ruling the entire world."
"I see..." she quietly murmured while lowering her eyes toward the table for a few moments. "So there really isn’t any way to avoid this anymore."
"As far as everything I’ve seen so far, there really isn’t," I replied honestly. "A direct clash between those countries is practically inevitable now. Thankfully, the Milham Kingdom managed to form an alliance with the Bethlan Kingdom, along with the newly established United Republic. With the combined military strength of those three nations working together, we finally have enough power to stand on equal footing against both the Empire and the Republic."
After I finished explaining everything, Sister Lily let out a quiet sigh before smiling with visible relief.
"Thank goodness," she said softly while placing one hand against her chest.
Then she looked directly at me with an expression filled with genuine pride.
"You’ve really worked hard, Leon."
I blinked a couple of times, feeling genuinely confused by what she had just said.
Her compliment caught me completely off guard.
Seeing the puzzled look on my face, she couldn’t help letting out a quiet little laugh.
"Why are you looking so confused?" she asked with a gentle smile. "You’re one of the biggest reasons those three countries are standing together in the first place, aren’t you?"
She folded her hands together on the table before continuing her explanation.
"I’ve been trying to keep myself updated on everything happening throughout the kingdom, you know. Whenever an important story appears in the newspapers or reaches town through merchants and travelers, I always make sure to pay attention."
She smiled proudly before continuing.
"And somehow, your name always manages to appear in the headlines."
Hearing her say those words made me pause for a few quiet moments.
I hadn’t really stopped to think about just how deeply I had become involved in everything happening around the continent.
Looking back now, though, I suppose it really wasn’t all that surprising anymore.
After everything that had happened over the past few years, it was only natural that Sister Lily would eventually learn just how much of those events I had been involved in.