21 Chapter 021 - Benitez's Present

"Dastardly old priest! Get out here!"

After finally getting back to the orphanage and dumping the fish in the kitchen's fish pond, the silver-haired little girl charged straight toward Benitez's room.

She would never believe that Benitez hadn't played a role in planning out everything that had happened today.

Benitez's advice had no doubt played a role in the drugs Professor McGonagall had planted on the fish and Dumbledore's use of food to fool her.

"Open the door! You dastardly priest who would sell off a child! You dared to sell me off, but you don't dare to open the door?"

Thump!

Alina mightily kicked the door in a fury. There was a loud thump, and then...nothing.

Reality had taught the harsh lesson that if one wanted to kick their way into a room, there was an important prerequisite: the door couldn't be one that opened outward.

Ouch Ouch Ouch~~

The piercing pain from the tip of her foot caused the silver-haired girl to instinctively pout, her eyes misting up, and the sense of injustice in her heart grew even stronger. She sulkily sat down on the cold stone steps outside the door, hugged her knees, and curled up into a little ball.

It was obvious that after she left Benitez's room, a certain old cat lady and a certain heartless priest had conducted a dirty exchange that had exposed all of her secrets.

Creeeak~

The wooden door slowly opened, letting out the soft and orange light of a lantern.

"Haaa...just, come inside so we can talk."

Benitez glanced at Alina's back and helplessly sighed. He knew that a girl with this sort of temperament would definitely throw a tantrum the moment she got back. The man walked out of the door, squatted down, thrust his arms through her knees, and carried the balled-up Alina inside.

Grrrr~

The furious Alina immediately turned her head and bit down on Benitez's muscular arm. Gnashing her teeth, she broke out of Benitez's bosom and angrily sat on the bed.

"Who made you such a busybody? Did I say that I wanted to go to the Magic World?"

"So have you decided to go that...mmm...Hogwarts for school?"

Benitez casually rubbed the tooth marks on his arm as he warmly asked, ignoring Alina's question.

"What can I do? I've already made an Unbreakable Vow, so I have to go."

The silver-haired girl raised her left hand. Fortunately, her strong arguments had made it so that the terms of the contract weren't too harsh. In truth, overall, the result wasn't bad.

"Look at yourself. It seems like you rather want to go and learn magic. And it's about time you went to a bigger place to spread your wings."

Benitez's lips curled upward as he gently rubbed Alina's head.

He had raised this girl for more than six years, from a little dot all the way to the age of eleven. While Alina's words were those of refusal, her eyes and the subtle movements of her body plainly revealed her longing and hesitation to him.

Benitez was well aware that the only obstacle stopping Alina from going to the Magic World was him and the orphanage. Thus, when he had his talk with Professor McGonagall and came to understand the Magic World a little, he immediately agreed to offer his enthusiastic cooperation.

"Stopping rubbing my head! I'll stop growing..."

Alina unhappily swayed her head as she tried to escape the control of that large hand, but she didn't try to refute Benitez. She had stated her desire to go abroad for school more than once to him.

"So, what are you doing here?"

Alina slowly looked around the room, which was in an even worse state than when she had left this morning. It seemed as if Benitez had looked through all chests and cabinets.

Benitez stood back up, rubbed the stubble on his chin, and then spread apart his arms in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Of course, I'm helping you pack your luggage. If I let you pack on your own, you might do what you did last time and run out in the middle of winter with only a blanket in your backpack."

"Eh? You knew?!"

Alina's small face went stiff. That had been her worst failed attempt to leave, but she had believed that she had managed to keep it a secret.

"Don't forget what you did at the lakeside the night before."

Benitez felt a headache coming on after bringing up this topic. Fortunately, Alina was headed off for magic school. Based on Professor McGonagall's explanations and the magic she had displayed, Alina would probably be a little more obedient there.

After all, in Benitez's view, it probably wasn't that difficult for a group of adult wizards wielding profound magic to control a little girl.

And among peers who also possessed mystical abilities, Alina would probably be able to make a few friends. The teachers at the public school had notified him more than once that while Alina seemed like a child, she always spent her time apart from the other children.

"I don't understand what this magic is about, but I do understand a little about boarding schools, so I helped you get a few things ready."

Putting aside these memories, Benitez got back on topic and dragged over two large leather trunks, which he proudly patted.

"Mm, you packed them..."

Alina raised an eyebrow and suspiciously inspected the chaotic room. She truly found it hard to imagine that Benitez, a man so clumsy that he couldn't even cook an egg, was capable of such a high-level skill as packing luggage.

In the face of Alina's suspicious looks, Benitez smiled and calmly squatted down and opened the first black trunk.

"I specifically asked Professor McGonagall, so I know that Hogwarts will provide dorms. But you've always been such a delicate child, and I worry that you won't be used to the beds at school, so I packed two clean blankets and a pillow for you."

Benitez took out two folded down blankets from the trunk. Although the edges were fraying somewhat, these were already the best the orphanage could provide.

"I'm certainly not that delicate. And besides, there's no such thing as a witch who brings blankets to school..."

Alina's face froze as she stared at the two blankets that took up more than half the trunk, then she lunged over and seized the blankets, her facing going red from shame.

Before Alina could finish, Benitez removed a stack of clothing from the trunk and placed it in front of the silver-haired girl as if he was presented a treasure.

"Here are a few clothes to wear every day...and also some underclothes. I went to the city in the afternoon and bought those clothes that you like. This should be enough for the entire school term."

Alina hadn't even had time to cast away the blankets. When she looked at the clothes that Benitez called 'a few,' she felt a wave of helplessness. There was no doubt that the other half of the trunk was for the 'few' pieces of clothing that Benitez had bought.

Crucially, the clothes Benitez had bought—two dresses for little girls, two fashionable short-sleeve shirts, one set of cowboy-style clothes, and three leisure dresses—were certainly nice to look out, but not a single one could be worn in Hogwarts!

Alina imagined for a moment a girl wearing a short t-shirt and a short skirt while sporting sneakers suddenly appearing in a corridor full of young witches and wizards wearing black robes. That wasn't magic at all!

If a professor saw this, they would probably deduct points, right?!

"I don't need it! Really! The style is too strange! Everyone in school wears black robes..."

As Alina tossed aside the blankets and prepared to seize the clothes, she suddenly stopped. Wait for a second; what did witches and wizards wear underneath the robes?

She suddenly recalled the original work. When the pitiful Professor Snape was still studying at Hogwarts and was flipped over, there had apparently been no other clothes under his robes beside his underpants.

And whether it was the movies or the original work, none of them mentioned what wizards wore under their robes. Now that she thought about it, even if they were completely naked, they wouldn't be found out unless someone intentionally raised the robes?!

Alina shivered and solemnly accepted the stack of clothes. She placed them back in the chest and patted them as she seriously spoke.

"Mm, Father, you were right to worry about this. I plan to take one less blanket to free up more space to put in some underpants and jeans, and also some other clothes to wear every day."

As she spoke, another problem came to mind. During the summer, just how much clothes did witches at Hogwarts wear under their robes? This was a question that was worthy of some research once school started.

"Father, what about the other trunk? Does it also have clothes?"

After putting back the clothes, the silver-haired girl curiously looked at Benitez.

"I guarantee that you'll like it. Want to guess?"

Benitez mysteriously shook his head as he pushed the trunk up to the girl, and excitedly indicated that she should open it.

"Tch, acting all mysterious..."

Alina pouted, but her eyes softened. In her view, the trunk probably contained some ordinary tools to be used at school. There was a low chance of any surprise, but the sentiment was authentic.

Thud!

The leather buckle undone, the black trunk popped open.

"This..."

Alina excitedly turned to Benitez.

"This is all for me?!"

The contents in the trunk had been neatly organized into three categories.

To the very left was a neat stack of books. At the very top were 'Advanced Mathematics' and 'An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.'

To the very right were various snacks, canned goods, and Coke bought from the market.

In the very center was a J.A.Henckel Four Star knife set. Alina had been eying this knife set for ages.

Benitez chuckled and scratched the silver-haired girl's nose as he spoke in an affectionate tone.

"I can't be at your side forever. In a strange world, remember to take note of your safety. You have to take good care of yourself."