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chapter 20
└ [Uh… awakening failed?]
└ [Doesn’t she need to become a saint or something to survive?]
└ [Sorry, come back out please]
Even the fairies seemed startled — they hadn’t expected this outcome.
I reached out for reconciliation, but once that mysterious voice disappeared, it did not return.
└ [Wtf is this, a jellyfish god?]
└ [We don’t need a god, let the heroine use her own power!]
But I can’t do anything with my current strength!!
└ [Dad please hurry and come save her TT]
There was no way a father I’ve never met would show up at this hour without notice.
Just because the fire didn’t feel hot didn’t mean I was safe.
The door still wouldn’t open, and standing in the flames had already scorched the ends of my hair.
└ [Nooo don’t become bald!!]
I don’t care about hair right now — please, someone open the door!
I used my last bit of strength and threw myself at the door again.
“Uwaat!”
Crash!
The door suddenly gave way, and because I had hurled myself with full force, I rolled across the dirt outside like a ball.
I… I made it out alive…
“Rose! Are you okay?!”
When I lifted my head, I saw a round little face — Edin.
It looked like he had unlocked the door from the outside.
“H-how did you come?”
“I woke up for a moment and heard something banging on the door…!”
Thanks to that impact, even though I couldn’t force the door open, it wasn’t in vain.
“No time for that — the teacher took Jeff!”
I looked to the side. Thankfully, the teacher — no, that arsonist — had left the horse tied to the tree.
The kidnapper-embezzler-arsonist bastard was circling the orphanage building, spreading fire everywhere.
He’s actually insane.
He meant to trap everyone inside so not a single person could escape.
“Edin! Can you untie that horse and send it running far away?”
“…Yeah! I’ll try!”
Most kids would be afraid of a big animal, but Edin nodded bravely.
What a fine knight-male-lead he’ll grow up to be.
Before running off, Edin handed me my whistle — he must have picked it up while coming down.
“This is yours, right Rose?”
“Thank you!”
Exactly what I needed right now.
I snatched the whistle and rushed off.
Inside the building, I had to go wake people up myself—
But outside, there’s a faster way.
I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it as hard as I could.
Crash!
“What the—! Who broke my window?!”
The director’s furious yell sounded.
Nothing wakes someone up faster than shattering glass.
└ [How does a five-year-old have this kind of arm strength?]
└ [Draft her as our team pitcher immediately.]
Now that the window was broken, the whistle would be heard clearly.
I blew it hard.
“Fire! Everyone out!”
The director wouldn’t like paying for window repairs, but I smashed every window within reach anyway.
“W-what’s going— Oh my goodness!”
“Kyaa! Fire!”
“Wake up quickly!”
The orphanage fell into chaos in an instant.
The flames hadn’t spread too far yet — everyone just needed to evacuate.
The would-be mass murderer seemed to realize his plans were ruined and tried to flee.
He won’t get far without the horse, but…
He might still succeed, so keeping him slowed down was important.
Time for the Lady’s Techniques.
Whistle Throw!
It was an adaptation of my earlier handkerchief-throwing technique, which itself was adapted from necklace-throwing.
Because the trash bastard was carrying both his bag and the half-asleep Jeff, his balance wobbled easily.
The small object tripped him up, and he fell hard.
“You little sh—!”
└ [Oh this one gets filtered, nice]
It didn’t sound filtered to my ears at all.
He glared at me venomously and tried to get up — but I wasn’t done yet.
I never thought I’d really have to use this…
Normally, high heels were required, but whatever.
The Lady’s Ultimate Technique:
“Sever the Lineage.”
I kicked the exact spot with all my might.
└ [Where??]
└ [The not-good place…]
└ [Oh.]
└ [Good.]
The neighbors woke up from the commotion and came out to help extinguish the fire.
The criminal — now slightly incapacitated in a very important place — was handed over safely to the security patrol.
The orphanage needed repairs… okay, a lot of repairs…
But nobody was hurt. Everything was handled well.
I really prevented the childhood tragedy.
Even though my actions have been changing the past — like finding Leon’s father —
this was the first time I truly felt the timeline diverge.
While admiring the intact (though damaged) building, I noticed the director staring at it too.
Is he going to scold me for breaking all the windows?
That’s how people are — grateful to be alive at first, then annoyed when they regain composure.
I wondered if destroying every window was really necessary…
And also, being the one who woke up at night and confronted the culprit was suspicious on its own.
Ack. Eye contact.
I tried to hide among the other kids, but the director turned his head and locked eyes with me.
He really looked angry. Even in the dark, I saw his face twist.
└ [Wow seriously? She saved your life and you scold her?]
└ [Should’ve just saved the kids and let the director fend for himself]
Ignoring the furious fairies, the director walked toward me.
“Director. Um… I—”
“Hhhgh…”
…Huh?
The director was crying?
Is it because of the window repair costs?!
Scolding I can handle, but tears? That just makes me uncomfortable!
“Rose…”
“Y-yes?”
“You look terrible…”
└ [Why is he picking a fight now?]
…Do I look that pitiful?
I lowered my head to check myself.
The ends of my hair were burned into tight curls, and the pretty new clothes from the Duke of Clark’s family were filthy.
Anyone would look bad scolding a child who looks like this.
“Huh?!”
His next action shocked me.
The director lowered himself and… hugged me.
“If the orphanage had burned down… I… I would’ve had no face to show my daughter…”
“D-daughter? You have a daughter?”
This was the first I’d heard of it.
The director explained the family history I never knew.
He and his daughter had constant disagreements.
After she married and moved away, she never visited.
Then one day, a letter arrived…
This country had only recently ended its war.
The letter was his daughter’s final message — her will.
She had lived near the border, helping an orphanage overflowing with war orphans.
Mercenaries from another country caused trouble in the area, and she was caught up while protecting the children.
Wounded severely, with no strength left, she wrote to her father:
“If you only think of yourself, you’ll be isolated.
Try doing something for others, too.”
The director took over this orphanage to honor her will.
So… that’s his story…
Not only children lost parents in the war —
parents also lost children.
“Thank you for protecting the orphanage, Rose.”
└ [Wow, I really hated him but now I feel bad TT he had a reason]
└ [I take back what I said earlier…]
└ [War always hurts everyone TT]
Even the fairies changed their tone instantly.
I thought he only cared about money…
I assumed he ran this place for the subsidies.
But he actually had a warm side.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No… I’m fine thanks to you waking up quickly, Director.”
“Good.”
He steadied his emotions, took a deep breath, and stood up.
“Repairs will cost a lot… When the benefactors visit, you’ll talk to them nicely like always, yes?
Make sure to tell them it was all thanks to me.”
“…Excuse me?”
└ [Unbelievable]
└ [A person’s nature really never changes…]
With that miserly comment — telling me to charm the donors and give him credit — the incident truly came to an end.
Aftermath
Some of the noble benefactors who had visited before recognized me.
“Rose, I read the article. You went through something awful.”
“Ah… the article. Hehe. It was nothing! I wasn’t even hurt!”
Yes — it became a news story.
The director’s new PR angle for the orphanage was:
“An orphanage that raised a courageous girl who stood up to a criminal.”
He was enthusiastically spreading the tale everywhere.
└ [Isn’t Rose’s presence going to be known all over now?]
└ [What if the Count comes for her]
└ [Crap, I forgot about Tortor…]
