Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 34

When I heard about the creature who was targeting me, is still wandering around, I instantly thought of the people who were participating into the festival.

I know that I cannot take care of it myself, but I can at least warn them about the danger in advance.

At that moment, I even considered about reporting this fact, of a demon who was roaming into the city to the security authorities.

“It’s my job to ensure that the young lady is safe. So, dealing with the creature that is targeting Lady Blanche is also my duty.”

I couldn’t distinguish whether his calm tone was to alleviate my burden or to think that he was genuinely concerned for my safety.

“…And I also have some personal business to attend.”

Ah, that last part was clearly added to alleviate my burden.

I nodded to him, feeling more at ease and Sir Penadel rose to his feet.

“Get some rest. I’ll be back soon, and I won’t be late this time.”

“Oh hohoho ~~ yep yep yep ~ Oh my, you must have been reassuring our Master.”

For some reason, Terry muttered those words annoyingly with her puckered lips, while she was standing beside me.

It was so irritating that I almost wanted to slap Terry until her protruding lips disappeared.

I watched Sir Penadel disappear into the darkness outside the window with a heavy heart and then returned to my room.

He is a strong man; he will be back safely before sunrise.

But contrary to my expectations, Sir Penadel did not return the next morning.

****

Belinda, who had been staring outside the window with her piercing eyes, asked.

“What time is it?”

“It’s just past noon.”

“I see.”

Belinda nodded nonchalantly as Terry poured some tea for her.

Her expression was unchanged, but Terry and Leo knew she was waiting for Penadel’s return.

Because…….

“What time is it?”

“It’s five minutes past noon.”

“I see.”

She kept checking on the time while looking outside the window ever since.

Terry, who couldn’t stand it any longer, spoke up.

“Master, practically speaking, it’s nearly impossible to only eliminate the main body of the Shadow Crow. There’s no way to distinguish it. Therefore, to get rid of the main body, you have to eliminate the entire cluster of Shadow Crows.”

“I see.”

“No matter how skilled Sir Penadel is, it’s practically impossible to wipe out the entire Shadow Crows within half a day. Their reproductive ability is enormous, so usually, you would need at least one battalion to clear them out.”

“I see.”

“Maybe he’s embarrassed about all those bragging words yesterday, and that’s why he hasn’t come in yet… Master?”

“I see.”

She wasn’t listening.

Terry clicked her tongue.

No one would believe that she was waiting for someone with a stern face like that.

Terry sighed softly and opened her mouth.

“Unless something’s happened to him, I think I know where he will be…”

Only then did Belinda turned her head towards Terry.

Terry wondered for a moment if she should tell her, but then rationalized that it was Penadel’s fault for being late and not giving her any news.

“He asked me to do him a favor a while ago. He said he’d handle some of his personal matters too, so I thought it might have delayed his return because of that.”

Without any hesitation, Belinda responded to Terry’s words.

“Lead me the way.”

Terry led Belinda to an orphanage in the slums.

The alley was too narrow for a carriage to enter, and on top of that, it was a path leading to the slums, making the worst of the security.

Walking through that area, Belinda could confirm Terry’s status anew.

The hoodlums who had gathered around Belinda, who had a different gait and demeanor, took one look at Terry’s face and turned around. They fled without even looking back at them.

The man even shouted with a gasping voice.

“Ma-mad dog!”

Terry glanced at Belinda and shrugged.

“Grrr. Grrrr, woof! Woof, woof!”

She barked savagely at the man.

“Hiiieek!”

Terry smirked and put a hand on her waist as she barked at the fleeing man.

“How’s that, Master, isn’t that reassuring?”

“Just don’t bark randomly.”

“Tsk. Master only praises Sir Penadel.”

From Terry’s point of view, it really seemed unfair to her.

Of course, their first meeting wasn’t exactly pleasant, but Belinda had a strange soft corner for Sir Penadel.

If only she had entrusted herself with the task of dealing with the shadow crow yesterday, she would have quickly taken care of it.

“Answer me.”

“Woof, woof.”

“Short answer.”

“Woof, tsk.”

Looking at Terry’s guiding with a pouting lip, Belinda continued as Terry led her the way.

“Sir Penadel is looking for a child?”

“Yes, he said he’s secretly looking for a boy, but he doesn’t have a proper portrait, and his features are pretty plain……. He said he’s pretty sure that the child has black hair, but his eyes are either red, blue, or green.”

Well, it was more like he was clinging to a futile hope than a genuine intention to find the child.

As soon as she added that, Terry wished that she hadn’t said the last word.

It was a statement which trampled on the wall that was set up by others with their dirty feet.

Belinda hesitated on how to answer when asked about it in detail, but fortunately, her destination appeared at the right time.

“Here.”

A simple and old single-story building.

Children, who seemed to have received no proper care, gathered here together, using their hands like ferns to wash rags.

Amongst them, there was a child who was familiar to Belinda.

“Hurry up! Can’t you do it faster? Anyway, you all look like beggars!”

Everyone else was muttering while holding rags, but the sight of one child chirping without a drop of water on his hands, teasing the others, was very familiar.

“Heiron the piglet.”

“Eek!”

Heiron, who was making noise, suddenly shrank like a lizard that was attacked by a predator.

‘The presence of this child, that too at a place like this meant only one thing……’

“He’s the orphanage’s director’s son.”

Belinda soon realized that this place was the orphanage where Leo had stayed.

She cautiously entered, leaving Terry at the entrance.

The poorly lit and low-ceilinged building was an inadequate environment for the children to live in.

All orphanages in the kingdom are subsidized by the royal family and exempted from significant taxation.

Looking around at the indoor space with no traces of using those subsidies, Belinda narrowed her eyes.

Then, as she entered the quite spacious hall, sunlight suddenly poured in through a large window.

A man stood there, bathed in the golden light pouring down onto him.

If there was a statue that was made up of ice, that never melted, even against the sunlight, it would look like this.

It wasn’t until she saw the thick rib cage beneath his thin shirt, swelling with each breath, that Belinda realized he was not a statue.

Her gaze slowly travelled over his tall frame, broad shoulders, and thick neck to his dark hair, then locked again on his face.

And then, as if mesmerized, she locked her eyes with him.

The facial features that were so pure and gave off a somewhat stoic aura was not even visible to her.

‘Those eyes.’

The man’s eyes were frosty blue, sparkling like ice crystals, as if looking up at the winter sky through a forest of birch trees.

It looked like they said, if you touched them, you’d find ice crystals instead of tears.

“…….”

“…….”

Belinda and the man looked at each other and said nothing for a moment.

Then Belinda’s lips parted.

“I’m sorry, sir, but the child you’re looking for has already been adopted by a good family…….”

A middle-aged man who came running out from inside, subtly lowered his voice after looking at Belinda.

The atmosphere suddenly felt strange.

He looked at Belinda and the man alternately, then cautiously asked,

“Oh, by any chance, are you part of the entourage?”

The reply came back from the man.

He quickly opened his mouth, coughed a few times, and awkwardly replied in a voice that seemed like something has scratched his throat.

“No, we’re not. If the child has been adopted, then there’s no problem. I’ll be on my way.”

The man passed by Belinda and left the hall.

Belinda thought about the faint scent of his body odor that she smelled as he passed. It was eerily familiar to her.