CH 7

Edward Valkharen

Translated by Rafligo012

We moved to the room and had dinner that Meg-neechan had prepared. After the meal, we began to talk leisurely while sipping on tea.

“It’s been a while since I came to Meg-neechan’s room.”

“Yes, it’s been two years since I lived in this room until I was five. I was really lonely.”

In this world’s orphanages, it’s a rule not to take in children under three years old due to their low survival rate.

When I was a baby and an orphan, Meg-neechan took me in and raised me with care, a fact that Father revealed to me in secret shortly before his passing.

I owe my life here to Meg-neechan, and I’m endlessly grateful to her.

However, at the age of five, I started living with everyone at the orphanage due to being teased by Allen and the others. With my current mixed memories, I can understand now! They teased me out of envy.

“Eddie hasn’t seen the status board yet since you were unconscious, so let’s start with checking your status. Once you see it, it’ll start floating in your head for future reference.”

Saying that, Meg-neechan took out a stone tablet for me to examine.

Name: Edward Valkharen

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 7

LV: 1

HP: 10

MP: 300

ATK: 10

DEF: 10

INT: 300

AGL: 10

Ability: Thread

Blessings: Blessing of Moirai, Blessing of Minerva

…

This status is full of things to comment on!

“Eddie was unconscious, so I researched various things in the church’s archives. Let me start with what I found out.”

Meg-neechan suddenly looked like a goddess to me… well, she’s always been beautiful.

“First, about the ability ‘Thread.’ I checked the church records, but there’s no mention of it anywhere. The possibility of having a unique ability in the world exists.

As for the values of MP and INT, the normal value is around 10 right after receiving your status, so having 300 from the start is unbelievably abnormal!

By the way, LV is your level. You’ll level up by defeating monsters and such, and with each level, other values increase.

HP represents your health. If it reaches zero, you die, so be careful. MP represents magical power. Having a high value means you can handle more abilities and spells.

ATK is your attack power, DEF is your defense power. As for INT and AGL, it’s still a mystery what they represent.

Some scholars say that AGL represents agility, but it hasn’t been fully understood yet.”

Intelligence and agility are still a mystery?

“Do you understand everything so far?”

I nodded.

Meg-neechan took a sip of her tea before continuing.

“Now, the next issue is the ‘Blessings’!”

It seems like there are even more issues to discuss.

“In the church records, the word ‘Blessing’ itself doesn’t exist, and the content of these blessings is problematic. While you might think that it’s related to gods since it has ‘Moirai’ and ‘Minerva’ in the names, those gods don’t exist, and those words aren’t even in the language. So, never tell anyone about it! Especially within church circles; it’s dangerous, so remember that!”

I nodded again and asked about something that had caught my attention.

“Is it okay for you, Meg-neechan, being a sister at the church?”

“Me? I’m fine. I’m not an official sister, after all.”

That was quite a revelation.

“Originally, I helped out just to repay Father, who had taken care of me after my parents died. Besides, there’s no way a half-elf like me could become an official sister in this country.”

Frank Admission.

“So, that’s why you must never tell anyone about the blessings, okay?”

“I understand. I’ll make sure to be careful.”

“Alright, then let’s move on to the final issue.”

“Huh? Isn’t the discussion about blessings the last one?”

“What are you talking about? The biggest issue is still unresolved!”

“Could it be about my name? I mean, since I was abandoned, it’s just about finding out my real name, right? I was a bit surprised that there was a family name, though.”

“Eddie, that’s not it. If you were truly abandoned and considered unnecessary, your family name would disappear from your status. Of course, it wouldn’t disappear immediately. After some time passes and the memories of those who know the child fade, it typically disappears. You were like a newborn, so if seven years had passed, it should have disappeared normally.”

“I see.”

“If it hasn’t disappeared, then there’s definitely some reason behind it. For instance, someone might be searching for you after discarding you. Have a look at this.”

Saying so, Meg-neechan took out a wicker basket meant for a baby.

“This is a basket for babies. Was I left in this basket?”

“Yes, this Eddie was in this basket. But it wasn’t abandoned. When I saw a large white wolf about three meters tall in the Magic Forest carrying this basket in its mouth, I shouted, ‘Put it down!’ while waving a branch, and it left the basket behind.”

Meg-neechan was a true hero. She confronted the wolf with just a branch.

“In hindsight, it gently put down the basket in front of me. Since it was carrying the basket handle in its mouth, it might not have been a bad wolf. There’s a nameplate carved on this part of the basket. When I saw that, I decided to call you Eddie.”

The nameplate attached to the basket reads ‘Edward.’

“That’s how you got the family name Valkharen, right?”

“Do you know about it?”

“Not only do I know, but it’s quite a famous noble family. They have a heroic reputation in this country.”

Saying that, Meg-neechan took out a simple map.

“While this town is a border town at the southernmost point when viewed from the capital, the Valkharen territory is much farther north from the capital, making it quite distant. It’s too far to discard you or even kidnap you. But the Magic Forest to the west is connected to the Valkharen territory.”

She pointed at the Magic Forest drawn on the map, indicating the route between Corabi Town and the Valkharen territory.

“Who could it be? The white wolf?”

“While that’s a possibility, imagine a wolf carrying something so far for days. The more you think about it, the more mysteries arise. I tried to research it a bit, but in a remote town like this, the Valkharen territory is too far to gather information about. What should we do? One option is to send a letter if Eddie wishes to, but…”

Meg-neechan hesitated.

“That’s true, but if the purpose was to assassinate me, revealing my location to them would be risky. It might also inconvenience you, Meg-neechan, and everyone at the orphanage. So, we don’t need to send a letter. For now, I’ll make becoming an adventurer and visiting the Valkharen territory my goal.”

As I said that, Meg-neechan looked troubled.

“That’s a good idea, but what about Allen-kun and the others who were planning to form a party with you?”

“You knew that Allen-kun and the others were replaced with Jürgen from the mayor’s place. But in the end, it might be for the best, given the many hidden secrets we can’t reveal, right?”

“Indeed, that might be the case. But going to the Valkharen territory alone is very dangerous.”

“I’ve been thinking about that too, and from tomorrow, I’ll try various things.”

“About your thread ability? I also thought it was related to sewing or production skills, but is it something else?”

“I couldn’t even produce a thread, so I’m not sure yet…”

Come to think of it, Meg-neechan saw me doing a spider superhero pose. Just remembering it made embarrassment surge within me.

Meg-neechan noticed my embarrassment and said, “Hehe. You looked really cute. I’ve firmly imprinted that image in my mind, so it’s okay!”

It wasn’t okay at all.

“You must be tired today, right? Since it’s a special occasion, let’s sleep together for the first time in two years.”

In front of me, Meg-neechan happily started undressing, and so, I made up my mind to be a human-sized body pillow for the first time in two years.