Sheltering Abandoned Children
The family planning went smoothly on all fronts; it feels like I’ll be able to have a good sleep tonight.
I thought and fell asleep, but I woke up abruptly in the middle of the night.
I heard a whisper in my head.
“Maa-kun……Maa-kun……”
Just that.
It was Mai’s voice. It’s common for Mai to show up in my dreams. But, it’s the first time I’m having auditory hallucinations. My heart unconsciously throbbed, and my eyes cleared up.
I got out of bed, making sure not to wake Okaa-san up, put on a gown, and went out to the balcony.
I looked up at the moons in the night sky. The season is already about to transition into autumn. Even the air in the middle of the night differs from that of winter. Immediately after, this time around, very softly, like it’s fading away,
“Maa-kun”
Mai’s voice reverberated softly in my head.
It’s actually the voice of Mai when she calls me. Why am I hearing it now, in this world? Is it a dream? No, I did actually hear it. Could it be that Mai is somewhere in this world?
I subconsciously extended my hand towards the moons.
“Tsukuyomi……”
The balcony’s door opened, and Okaa-san called out to me.
“Okaa-sama……”
“Crying alone this late in the middle of the night……what is going on……”
“Okaa-sama. Mai, I heard Mai’s voice……”
Okaa-san hugged me tightly, enveloping me.
“I see. You heard……her voice huh……”
She didn’t say anything else. No, she probably couldn’t.
I wonder if Okaa-san is being troubled by me as well. I feel bad. But not even I myself can do anything about it.
In the afternoon of the next day, when I went to the training grounds for swordsmanship training, the Captain was talking to Stellaria and others.
“Is something the matter?”
“Ooh! Tsukuyomi-sama. About my daughter, Torenia, conceiving a boy. How do I ever express my gratitude……really, thank you very much”
“Aah, the Chivalric Order Captain is Torenia-oba-sama’s Otou-sama huh. Congratulations. There is no need to thank me”
“So, did something happen?”
“We were discussing the plans for securing the water source tomorrow”
“Securing the water source? How do you go about that?”
“Yes. The Royal Capital’s water source, including this castle and the shrine, is drawn from a lake in the north, but since the canal freezes over during winter, we are using water from a reservoir near the castle”
“But, since that reservoir’s water is getting lesser, we are going to conduct the task of removing the ice and fallen leaves in the canal between the lake and it”
“Do you conduct it every year?”
“No, not every year. This task is unnecessary in years that the reservoir’s water is sufficient until the snow melts”
“I see, and it ended up being necessary this year huh”
“Yes. Exactly so”
It’s like the Japan Self-Defense Force’s disaster relief operation huh……it must be tough when there are only women. Ah! That’s right!
“Regarding that, is it alright for me to go and take a look at it for a bit with just Stellaria?”
“It is, of course, not an issue, but is something the matter?”
“Why, if it’s the lake’s location, then I know where it is, and if it’s melting ice, then I believe it’s more than enough if I go”
“Tsukuyomi-sama, will melt the ice alone? The canal is very big and long. It is way beyond what a single person can handle……”
“Well, if I can’t do it, I will ask everybody to do it tomorrow. Now then, Stellaria. Let’s go, shall we”
“Yes. Tsukuyomi-sama”
I was called to a stop by Stellaria when I was about to leave from the back of the castle.
“Tsukuyomi-sama. Are we not going by horse?”
“Aah, Ar and Kohaku will probably be frightened by my ability, so I cannot bring them”
“Then, are we walking?”
“No, we will fly there. Now then, Stellaria. Give me your hand”
“Eh?”
Stellaria stuck her left hand out with a curious face, looking like she doesn’t understand anything.
I took Stellaria’s left hand and levitated into the sky as is.
“Tsu-, Tsukuyomi-sama! I-, it is scary!”
“Eh? Is levitating in the sky scary? Even though you’re the Sword Saint?”
“Sword Saint cannot fly in the sky! I-, it is high!”
That makes sense. I can’t forcefully bring somebody who’s afraid into the sky. I descended to the ground for once.
“Stellaria. How about this then? Please carry me in your arms”
“Carry Tsukuyomi-sama! is it?”
“Have Stellaria never carried a child before?”
“No, I have carried my older sister’s child before”
“Yeah, it is the same. You can do it, right?”
“Ye-, yes. Excuse me then”
Stellaria carried me up.
“And, could you look at my face?”
“Tsu-, Tsukuyomi-sama. Er-, erm. Yo-, your face is, cl-, close!”
Stellaria’s face is turning beet red before my eyes.
“Un. Keep looking, alright”
“Ye-, yes!”
I levitated into the sky and aimed for the reservoir while Stellaria opened her red eyes widely in shock.
I was worried, but it looks like she calmed down slightly by hugging me. She even has the leeway to look at the scenery.
“Are you okay? Is it scary?”
“Yes. I calmed down. It is an amazing view huh!”
“Right! So where is that reservoir at?”
“Yes, it is over here. A little more in the mountain’s direction”
I change the course slightly. Immediately after, a pond that appears to be the reservoir came into sight on the other side of the woods. Indeed, there’s a canal that goes straight to the corner of the lake from there. That canal looks to be frozen when you look at it from the sky, and the ice is reflecting the sunlight and glistening.
“Ah! There is it huh. That is the reservoir and the canal huh. Let’s land over there then”
We slowly touched down at the spot where the canal connects to the reservoir.
“Now then, we arrived. It is faster than by horse, right?”
Stellaria kept hugging me without saying a word, showing no signs of releasing me.
It kinda feels like she’s frozen up. More importantly, how strange? It looks like Stellaria isn’t wearing a brassiere. Looking at this, she’s likely wrapping a cloth around them tightly? That’s the kind of sensation it is. But, now is not the time to be talking about something like that.
“What’s the matter? Stellaria. Was it that scary?”
“Ah! Ye-, yes. Sorry”
Stellaria’s face is beet red. I wonder if it was that scary. Let’s use Teleportation for the return trip.
“Now then, I guess let’s give it a try”
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, it’s ice. I was thinking that maybe I can just melt it”
“Huh?”
After standing at the edge of the reservoir, I faced the canal’s ice and produced a flame from my hand. Gradually increasing its size from the initial size of roughly that of a lighter’s fire. At the end, I was blasting a flame that goes, ‘goーoh!‘, just like a flamethrower. I was prohibited from using big flames at the Moon Palace because it was dangerous, so I wanted to try it out.
“Hiee!”
Stellaria was incredibly surprised and backed off. I mean, the flame is hot after all.
But although the ice does melt, it looks like it’s inefficient to melt the entire long canal. Let’s give up.
“This is inefficient huh. I give up”
As though to say, ‘in that case’, I lifted the content of the canal with Telekinesis in one go and flipped it inside-out.
Zuzuzu. Dodoーnn!
The ice of the canal, which was 4 kilometres in total length, included fallen leaves and mud and made a long brown cylindrical shape.
I held it up vertically and slammed it. For a moment, there was a tremor, and a heavy sound reverberated through the mountains.
“Tsukuyomi-sama. You……”
Stellaria was stunned.
“As I thought, it’s quicker this way huh”
At that moment, I felt some kind of presence. I felt several eyes staring over here.
When I focus in that direction, there are girls over there. Furthermore, 3 to 4 of them. Stellaria mutters as I’m staring at those children.
“Why, are there children at a place like that? It is the Royal Family’s land here. There should not be anybody living here”
In the next moment, those girls started running in the opposite direction of us while individually shouting something.
“Ah! They’ll end up going into the forest over there. There could be bears roaming about!”
Stellaria shouts.
I started flying towards the sky before I finished hearing her words. And after eyeing the spot in front of where the girls are running away to, I Teleported over there.
Whoosh!
“Kyaaーーーh!”
Everybody shouts all at once.
I levitated all of them into the sky and secured them without bothering. I then brought them beside me, took a shortcut to the top of the reservoir while levitating in the air, and came back to where Stellaria was.
“Everybody, I guess you must be surprised. But I am not a bad person. There is no need to worry, so calm down”
“I am Stellaria, Nemophila Kingdom’s Royal Palace Chivalric Order’s knight. The individual over here is both the God-sama and the Saviour-sama, Tsukuyomi-sama. We will not do anything bad to you, so you do not have to worry”
“Go-, God-sama!”
“You’re God-sama huh! That’s why you were able to do something like that huh”
“We, managed to meet God-sama huh”
“Is this heaven?”
“God-sama. I’m hungry……”
It might have wrapped up without me coming off suspicious for the time being thanks to Stellaria introducing me as God-sama. Nevertheless, how dirtily dressed. They also smell a little. Could it be that they’re homeless?
“By the way, it is Nemophila Royal Family’s land here; why are you guys, over here?”
“Er-, erm. U-, uhh. Our house is inside the forest over there……”
“Hmm. Inside the forest? Could you lead us there then?”
“Ye-, yes. Over here”
It seems there’s a house in the direction they were trying to run away to. After walking for about 5 minutes, we came across a small storage shed over there.
“Tsukuyomi-sama. This is the storage shed for hunting”
“Is that so? Why, did nobody realise that these children have been living here?”
“That is because the current His Majesty does not hunt. It appears to have been left unused for many years”
“Aah, is that so. But I’m glad. These children probably wouldn’t have been able to make it through winter if there wasn’t this shed after all”
“Eeh, you are right”
Nevertheless, there’s no way there’s a bed inside the shed. They gathered up old clothing and straw and made bedding, and over there, the four of them probably snuggled up to each other, warmed each other up, and made it through winter……
“I see. What happened to your parents?”
“We were abandoned”
“Aah……i-, is that so”
I pulled Stellaria and moved away from the girls slightly. And in a soft voice,
“Stellaria. Are there many abandoned children in this country?”
“No, there are not that many. There are some sold as slaves every now and then though”
“Slaves huh. Would that be, to reduce expenses?”
“Yes. It is. They are normally sold. I believe it is rare to abandon them”
“In cases where you discover such children, what does the country do?”
“My apologies. I cannot say for sure since I have never really heard of it before”
“Is that so. Let’s bring them back then”
“Back to the castle, is it?”
“There’s no way we can leave them be like this and let them become bear food, right? If, I get told that I can’t keep them in the castle, I will bring them to the shrine or Moon Palace and shelter them”
“Understood”
“But, it will be difficult to fly carrying this number of people after all, and it will be troubling if they get terrified and make a big fuss. I will return to the castle and borrow a ship. Stellaria, could you watch them so that they don’t run away?”
“Yes. Understood”
I use Teleportation to the palace.
Whoosh!
“Wah! God-sama disappeared!”
“Where did he go!”
“Onee-san is here”
“Everybody, wait for a bit, alright”
I teleported to the Chivalric Order’s training ground in the castle, looked for the Captain, talked about the circumstances, and borrowed a ship.
“Tsukuyomi-sama, are you fine without a pilot?”
“Yes. I am just using it as a box. I will move with Teleportation and return here right away. Please get the castle’s servants to prepare the bath and meals, and also four shares of cake”
“Understood”
Whoosh!
“Uwaーh! A ship!”
“Where did it pop out from?”
“Ah! God-sama. He came again!”
“Now then, you girls. We’re leaving this place. Is there anything you’re bringing along?”
“We, don’t have anything”
“Is that so. You must’ve had it tough until now huh”
“Where are we going?”
“A place with warm beds and meals”
“Really? There is food?”
“There is. At the moment, they’re preparing the bath as well. Now then, I’ll get you up on the ship two at a time”
The ship is levitating at a 2-storey height. I can’t bring it down to the ground. I held hands with them each in one hand, levitated all the way to the ship, and got them on board. Lastly, it’s Stellaria.
“Now then, we’re going off”
I teleported the ship, bringing the 4 abandoned children back to the Royal Castle.
