Love Letter From The Future
Chapter 421: Proof of Existence (9)

Chapter 421: Proof of Existence (9)

0% “Isn’t that a bit much?”

The Saintess’s bedroom was spacious and cozy. The mere existence of a room this size in an orphanage felt oddly out of place.

The furniture, while not luxurious, was neat. The small tea table between me and Saintess was no exception.

A fragrant tea aroma tickled my nose.

It wasn’t expensive tea, but it certainly wasn’t cheap either. There was something delicately balanced about the way the Saintess treated me.

Between extravagance and rudeness.

She was a woman who upheld her duties as a cleric while being attentive to her guests. Considering that even the orphanage she came from adhered to this principle, it was likely a strict precept she learned from childhood.

To avoid being criticized by anyone, a sense of balance was important.

In my opinion, the Saintess’s true strength lay in this aspect. Her political skills, which delicately navigated between justification and practicality, were close to instinctive.

Of course, it was an exception when dealing with me.

Even now, the Saintess was openly displaying her emotions. Every time her icy gaze stabbed at me, my eyes would dart to the side.

‘Too much’, she said. What a painful accusation.

Clearing my throat with an ‘Ahem’ , I pretended not to notice.

“I’m not sure what you mean......”

“Try that one more time. I’ll really get angry then.”

You’re already angry.

I wanted to retort like that, but the Saintess held the initiative in this situation. In the end, I couldn’t overcome her cold silence.

“Yes, I was wrong.”

“What were you wrong about?”

It was a question I’d heard before.

I recalled what Leto had told me before. It seemed like sincere advice at the time.

‘Ian, a woman’s heart is complicated... Even if you say you’re sorry, their anger won’t be appeased. Do you know what to do then?’

‘I’m not interested.’

‘Just listen, you brat.’

Gratitude welled up in me as the memories resurfaced. At the time, I thought Leto was just being annoying, but as I lived, I realized there were few things more important than this.

He had told me this:

‘Ask them what you did wrong. They’re angry, but they’re also embarrassed to say it out loud... It’s ridiculous to be angry over something so trivial.’

So what was I supposed to do in this situation again?

After desperately racking my brains for a few seconds, I was finally able to come up with an answer.

“I-I’m sorry for... upsetting you.......”

“That’s right!”

Around that point, the Saintess couldn’t hold back any longer and slammed her hand on the table with a Bang!

I flinched and froze as I was about to list more specific offenses. The Saintess, unable to contain her anger, slapped the table with her palm and said.

“Why, WHY are there suddenly more people joining us?! I can understand your sister. But a childhood friend, and that bitch who’s openly flirting with you... and I even heard you were all cuddling while I was gone?”

As the scolding continued, a deep groan escaped my lips.

Honestly, it was too much. It was like treating the Saintess like a sack of barley left in storage.

She seemed very angry at such treatment. The way she was slapping the table looked like a baby bird flapping its wings, which was kinda cute.

Of course, I wasn’t brave enough to say that out loud.

A stream of cold sweat ran down my spine.

“Are you seriously that dense? Have you no clue at all?! Don’t you know what it means when a woman asks to go down to her hometown just the two of you?!”

“I’m sorry, Saintess. But there were unavoidable circumstances.....”

“I don’t care!”

Hmph, the Saintess scoffed and turned her head away.

The way she closed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks looked both contrived and lovely. She was showing her sulking to the fullest extent.

She must want me to coax her.

I understood the intention, but as someone with zero experience in comforting women, it was a difficult request.

For Senior Elsie, patting her head worked; for Ria, a kiss on the cheek was enough; and with Celine, somehow joking around would eventually resolve things.

What should I do to make the Saintess happy?

Sexual harassment?

It was an extremely rude idea, but it was surprising that it seemed like a strategy that might work.

Meanwhile, the Saintess continued to show signs of ‘I’m sulking’. She would glance at me from time to time, but whenever our eyes met, she would inevitably let out a snort.

“Hmph!”

At times like this, she was just like a child.

In the end, I said with a wry smile.

“Then, would you like me to grant you a wish?”

“......A wish?”

Fortunately, there was a response.

She seemed to be contemplating while making a hmm sound. Yet she still seemed hesitant.

She seemed unsure if it was okay to forgive me with just this much.

It was time to push a little harder.

“Yes, I’ve been indebted to you for a while... I should grant you a wish or two.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true, but.....”

She was pretending to be indifferent, but it was a sign that she was ready to let go of her anger.

I continued in response.

“I’ve been quite rude today. Let’s go somewhere nice next time.”

Then, the Saintess made a strange sound, hmm, hmm while pretending to be deep in thought.

It was just an act, and I already knew well what her answer would be anyway.

I also deliberately put on a somewhat pitiful smile.

It didn’t take long for the response I was expecting to come.

“.....Alright.”

Her tone was as if she was granting me a favor, but I decided not to mind. Her efforts to not show her joy were clearly visible.

As proof, she put on a smug smile. A faint humming sound was mixed in with her voice.

“Next time, take me somewhere nice. Just the two of us, somewhere no one will bother us.”

It was a very modest wish.

In fact, it was the kind of thing most men would dream of their entire lives. Spending intimate time alone with the Saintess.

I had no reason to refuse either.

Naturally, words of compliance flowed from my mouth.

“Of course.”

“Just the two of us.”

Still, she seemed anxious and emphasized it to me again.

“And it has to be somewhere where no one—absolutely no one—can interrupt us. Not somewhere someone suddenly barges in with a kitchen knife, or where enemy troops launch a surprise attack in the middle of the night.”

Those were some oddly specific demands. I had to swallow a chuckle at those examples.

“Who would go to such places under normal circumstances?”

Of course, the Saintess’s reaction was only lukewarm.

It didn’t take long for me to clear my throat and turn my gaze away. The Saintess, who had been looking at me with disapproving eyes until then, soon swallowed.

She seemed to have a question that just occurred to her.

A puzzled look was directed at her. The hesitation didn’t last long and she cautiously asked me a question.

“Is something going on lately?”

Something? Well, there was plenty going on.

Just the existence of the ‘traitor’ mentioned in the letter was enough to make my hair stand on end. Wasn’t the word ‘family’ also mentioned along with it?

There were already quite a few people that came to mind.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to confide in the Saintess just yet. Not because I didn’t trust her, but because I remembered the sight of her taking care of the children.

She looked happy. Was there a need to already shatter that happiness?

As I hesitated like that, her attitude became even more cautious.

“Even this morning... you weren’t usually this rude.”

In the end, I sighed and shook my head.

It was information I would have to reveal eventually. There was no harm in consulting her beforehand.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

“There seems to be a traitor among us.”

“.......? Yes, we’re all precious comrades.”

“According to the letter, an incident will occur at the orphanage.”

“The orphanage does have good facilities. It wasn’t like this before, probably thanks to the Holy Nation’s attention, right?”

The conversation was slipping. Since there was no common ground, whatever I said was useless.

It was a phenomenon I experienced long ago.

Only I can read the contents of the letter from the future. Even if I try to disclose information about it, it becomes a separate story the moment it is conveyed to the other person.

After several attempts, I only confirmed that unchanging fact.

Facing her puzzled expression, there was only one piece of information I could convey.

“A letter came.”

This much information wasn’t distorted. It was similar when I consulted with Leto before.

Seeing the Saintess’s expression grow serious, I added a few words.

“You know when the personality from the future emerges, don’t you?”

“When you drink a lot, right?”

“......Not necessarily.”

The short pause was because I couldn’t quite say it wasn’t true.

After all, I had to lose consciousness for the personality from the future to surface, and the main method for that was drinking.

It was then that ominous signs began to appear on the Saintess’s face.

Compared to when she was caring for the orphans, it was a devastating crack.

“Then don’t tell me, here....”

“I’m not sure yet. I’m investigating it.”

Unlike the contents of the letter, there were no restrictions on sharing information I had discovered myself. Moreover, when these clues came together to form a reasonable deduction, I could even recite the key points from the letter.

It meant it wasn’t time to mention the ‘traitor’ yet. On the other hand, it also meant that I would have to confide this to her someday.

For now, gathering information was more important. I asked in a more serious tone.

“So there’s one thing I’m curious about... Have you ever heard of a ‘trading company’?”

“A trading company?”

“I heard they visit the orphanage often. According to one of the children, they often take children away.”

The Saintess narrowed her brows, as if momentarily lost in thought. Even that was brief, and the information I had been hoping for flowed from the woman’s lips.

“The orphanage has a partner trading company. They not only deliver supplies regularly, but also arrange adoptions for the children. Since it’s located in a remote area after all.....”

“Is it a trading company that specializes in such work?”

“No, I heard that’s not the case. But trading companies in the Holy Nation do at least one or two social contribution activities, even if it’s just for appearance’s sake. Their main business is probably.....”

Tap, tap. The slender index finger tapping on the table made a charming sound.

“Demonic Beast carcass industry.”

Yes, that’s it.

I almost wanted to applaud when I heard the Saintess’s words.

And, the next day, I got on a carriage with Ria. I thought it would be easier to make contact since she also dealt with Demonic Beast corpses.

Ria was excited about going on a trip alone with me, not knowing the circumstances.

“Hmph, so you’re finally noticing your little sister, are you?”

Although she pretended to be aloof on the outside.

Still, she couldn’t hide her puffed out chest,r her slightly flushed cheeks revealing Ria’s expectations.

I apologized to her with a wry smile.

“Sorry, I haven’t been able to pay much attention to you lately. But for the next few days, it’ll be just the two of us....”

It was then that an unexpected voice came from the driver’s seat.

“Is it comfortable inside?”

“Oppa!”

Ria was startled by the sudden deep voice and trembled. Her shrinking shoulders, shaking eyes, and the action of quickly burrowing into my arms, represented her feelings.

I was surprised too, but her reaction was quite dramatic, which actually calmed me down.

By the way, don’t people usually call for ‘Mom’ when they’re startled? Strangely enough, Ria was calling for me.

Either way, Ria was very frightened.

As her older brother, I had no choice but to step up. I immediately poked my head outside the window.

In front of the running carriage, I could see the familiar figure of a man.

Brown hair and blue eyes.

All I could muster was a dumbfounded voice.

“......Mr. Reynold?”

“I just so happen to have some business in that direction too... Please take care of me for the next few days, my nephew-in-law.”

I couldn’t say it out loud, but a surge of emotion rose up in my throat.

Why the hell are you here?