Life didn't get easier, even in another world

176 The brightest smile

The boy was 17 years old.

It was a special day in the orphanage he lived. Yes, he as an orphan, obviously had to live in an orphanage.

Since he opened his eyes, he remembered his mother to be sick. She always had a weak body and had to spend most of her time in bed or be in the hospital.

That was why the boy didn’t get to play with her, spend time with her, create deep bonds with her, and have mother and son experiences with her as his friends had.

But that didn’t matter. He still loved his mother more than anyone. Even if she was sick, she was always a warm and caring mother. She always spent her time with his son when she was feeling fine enough and showered him with her love and affection.

They were having a hard time but that was fine. He was still happy. He really loved his mom. She was like a sun to him.

And he wasn’t the only one with that feeling towards that woman. His dad was so in love with her that he almost looked crazy to the others. Every time she would feel unwell, he too would seem like he was having pain in his body.

He was always by her side and took care of her, spending his money and time to make the woman feel better without any regret. He spent most of his time beside his sick wife’s bed until the woman eventually passed away.

She died when his son wasn’t even 10.

.....

Naturally, the boy was sad. No, he was more than ‘sad’ that words couldn’t describe it.

He had lost his mom, the one he loved more than anyone. He was restless and heartbroken and needed comfort, and that comfort would naturally be his father. However, how could his father who was more than devastated himself be comforted by anyone?

Since she died, nothing was fine anymore. After some time passed, the boy’s father started distancing himself from his son. Saying that he couldn’t bear being around him as he resembled his wife, he kept avoiding the kid until finally one day, he vanished.

He left his son behind and disappeared.

He abandoned his kid.

Some said he killed himself, some said he died in an accident, and some said he went far away to forget his wife.

But no matter what people said one fact didn’t change, he had abandoned his own kid, and he never came back looking for him.

The kid was now an orphan, so he was moved to an orphanage in the small town he lived in.

Life in the orphanage was not what one would happily accept, but it still wasn’t that bad. He wasn’t the only abandoned one there. He was not the only one whose mother has died.

He soon could get close to some kids and start feeling more comfortable there. Things slowly started to get better and he could feel at home little by little.

But then, something happened.

An incident that was an end to his newfound home.

Their small town was attacked by some monsters. So was his orphanage. So was himself.

He remembered being about to be trampled by a huge monster when he closed his eyes out of fear. He did his best to run away, but the hunters didn’t come in time.

Crying and shaking, the kid curled up in a corner and closed his eyes shut at the sight of a huge monster rushing at him.

But nothing happened.

Even after moments, he didn’t feel any pain.

The next time he reopened his eyes, he saw the corpse of the monster rushing at him in front of himself. The monster was dead.

How?

How did the monster die? How did he survive?

After the hunters arrived everything was taken care of. When asked about the huge monster that died before killing the kid, the others said that it was him. They said he somehow killed that disgusting creature. That he had a ‘power’.

Who? He?

An ordinary nobody?

The boy didn’t believe them. There was no way he was capable of doing such a thing.

However, a few days later, a group of strangers came to meet him. They said that the staff in the orphanage had reported that he had some unique power.

They took some strange tests from the kid before saying that he had to be moved to the capital. They said he had a great kind of unique skill and he had to be raised in the special orphanage of SMF.

Just like that, he was taken away from his second home without even being able to protest. Without being able to say that he didn’t want to leave and wanted to stay here. That he was still waiting for his father to come back. How would his father find him if he was not in the town?

But he couldn’t say anything. Because he was an orphan. Because he was abandoned.

And he was taken away to the capital in a few days.

From that day on, his life was never even near to being fine. It was never an ordinary life.

Which ordinary kid would be forced to train their power 8 hours a day after coming back from school? Which ordinary children would be forced to compete with each other every day in order to be kept in the orphanage? Which ordinary teenager would be forced to kill disgusting monsters while they were shivering from exhaustion and crying due to fear?

Living in an orphanage where everyone saw you as a rival and compete against you for a chance to gain the supervisors’ attention wasn’t home. A place where you would be abandoned and left behind if you were weak wasn’t home.

That was not a life he liked. Not a life he wanted.

He was only 17.

That was when he met ‘him’.

A new kid who was brought to the orphanage.

The kid looked so thin and pale one would think he would die from being hit by a breeze. He had a blank face and tired eyes as if he was half asleep.

“This new one here is our new member. Say hello to him!”

The others glanced at the kid with uninterested faces before moving to their own rooms.

‘Poor thing getting dragged in this place.’, he thought while also turning away to leave.

How was such a weak kid going to live here? He would be left behind soon enough and then thrown away to another orphanage like a piece of trash.

It was then that he heard his name being called.

“You!”

He looked around with a puzzled faze before pointing to himself.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

The caregiver placed her hand on the new kid’s shoulder.

“This little one doesn’t seem to be doing well, you help him for a while.”

He looked at the woman with a blank face.

“Me? Why me?”

“You are one of the oldest ones here and since your grades were high enough you won’t be attending the classes anymore.”

“....”

“You are free until you get employed a few months later, right?”

“Yes.”

The caregiver smiled.

“So look after him for a while. He seems to be a little bit sick so someone needs to be beside him.”

“....”

He peeked at the said new kid who was only looking around with a blank and pale face as if he didn’t know what was going on. Yeah, he sure looked sick.

“Why did you bring a sick kid here?”

He asked out of curiosity.

“They say he has talent. If he gets better, he will make a great mage.”

“What if he doesn’t get better soon?”

The caregiver paused for a moment before shrugging. She didn’t say anything but the answer was clear. They would kick the sick kid out.

“... What is his name?”

The caregiver shrugged again.

“We don’t know since he hadn’t uttered a word since they found him.”

“....”

He looked at the kid once again. The kid was now staring back at him with his lips a little bit gaped as if he just saw the older one.

‘Is he really sick or just stupid?’

The caregiver smiled even more.

“So, I can entrust him to you, right?”

He thought for a moment. He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to get involved with this kid. It was extra work. He wanted to rest in the free time that was given to him. Why would he take care of someone whom he didn’t even know the name of?

.....

But after thinking a little bit more, he accepted it. He thought the sick kid would make a great excuse to avoid the others for a while. Also, if he was going to take care of him, that meant this kid would be living in his room. Means he wouldn’t see his annoying roommate for a while. That was a good reason enough to accept it.

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

The woman pushed the kid towards him.

“Thank you, Kain.”

. . . . .

Kain was more than used in taking care of the sick. He had lived with his sick mom for a few years so he knew what he was supposed to do to help them.

He picked up the plate full of sliced apples that the kid didn’t even touch and placed the plate of food on the small table beside the bed. He then looked at the kid who was suffering from a fever.

“Oy, kid. Wake up. It’s time to eat.”

He slowly shook the kid’s body.

It had already been a week since the kid came here. A few hours after he entered the orphanage, he suddenly collapsed, seemingly suffering from a headache and fever that his weak body couldn’t take.

This would happen once every few days.

The kid’s eyelids shook for a moment before he slowly opened his eyes.

“....”

He looked at Kain with his blank hazel eyes. Kain, now used to his blank expression, picked up the plate and moved it towards the kid.

“Here. It’s soup.”

“....”

The kid looked at the food before slowly raising his upper body and grabbing the plate with his hands. He looked at the soup for a moment before looking back at Kain.

“....”

“....”

“....”

“....”

“What?”

Asked Kain with a frown.

“....”

He looked at Kain’s face for a few moments before raising his hand and pointing at him with his finger.

“....”

“....”

He then slowly opened his mouth.

“K-Kain?”

“....”

Kain’s eyes opened wide.

Did he just talk? Did this kid just call his name?

“Kain!”

The kid repeated again.

“....”

Seeing no reaction from Kain, the kid moved his hand and poked Kain’s chest.

“Kain! Kain! Kain!!!”

“Yes?!”

This time, Kain was the one with a blank face.

The kid paused, then turned his hand and pointed at himself. Tapping his chest with his finger, he opened his mouth again.

“K-Kairen!”

“....”

He tapped his chest with his finger again.

“Kairen!”

And then smiled.

A bright smile that Kain had seen for the first time in his life.