A time for Charity

This chapter is very light and relaxed, but it slowly builds up to something, or so was the intention.

Anyway, let's get to it.

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/Later…/

'After another half an hour of talking, it was time for Silver to go.'

'But before he left, he stopped, turning around to face Loiju.'

"Hey."

"Hm?... What is it?" He asked with some suspicion

That look...

Is he going to propose another one of his 'incredible' ideas?

'Slight annoyed to be judged before even talking, Silver said "I'm going on a walk around the city, how about it?" as he ignored his expression.'

"... You aren't going anywhere crazy, right?"

"Not really, I was planning on visiting an Orphanage."

"Ah, I… Huh? I didn't see it at all!"

"How did you… Are you planning on doing charity?"

"Yes."

"B-But why?"

"... Am I really that bad of a person for you to ask me that?" Silver asked with a poker expression

"You know I didn't mean it like that!"

"Pfft… Fine, I wanted to do something different for a change, and it just so happened I meet a few children one of these days, so I just thought that I could go there and give them a hi, nothing much."

Also, there was something unusual about those kids I met on the streets.

I don't think it would be that bad to just say hi to them and see if I can help.

Next time, I plan to bring Hestia too, she is too stressed, and playing with a few kids should help her relax more.

Charity isn't all about lending money to those in need, it can also be a form of therapy and relaxation… If that is what you want to do of course.

Some types of charity can be quite extreme.

But above all, I want to do it, not because it would be good for my image, but because I want to.

Not even Finn would do something like that for his image, he knows more than to think people would look well at him if he did that.

He wishes to be perfect in all scenarios, doing something like that would only be giving fuel to someone to spit at him later on.

"Doesn't it seem a bit cheap to just do it because it became convenient?"

"That would be a pessimistic way of putting it, in my view, having the opportunity and willingness to do any kind of charity should be welcomed and one shouldn't be shunned simply because they didn't feel like doing it before."

"Are only perfect good samaritans the only kind of people allowed to do charity work? Even if it's someone with other intentions, charity is still charity as long as it doesn't take a bad turn later on."

I'm sure the people receiving the charity would prefer it if the person helping them truly cared for them and meant it, as things like that can be seen and felt...

Though I don't think they would refuse simple... Charity... It isn't a complicated process really.

But it's not like I'm being forced to do it either, I want to see and do it for myself, even if it's an excuse to go and see how those kids are doing.

This doesn't make me a good person, but I don't think I'm a villain... Yet.

"Still, if you want the plain boring answer... Yes, it became convenient for me to move around now."

"Anyway, you in?"

"... Fine, I wasn't doing anything impressive anyway." Loiju replied as he got up from his couch, taking a look at a book on the table

'The book was entitled, the Realm of Beasts, it was a narrative about the Extreme Northern mountains and the sorts of creatures and things that are there from the perspective of a boy that went on an adventure to explore it.'

'If it's true or not, it doesn't matter, it was good enough to pass time.'

'But if Silver were to read it, he would drop it after a single chapter…'

'Because the way people wrote stories in here was… Too boring, even for him.'

'Years of growing up wasn't enough to make his tastes change much, he still very much prefers the tales of the past... Of a world too distant now for him to reach out for.'

"Just give me a few minutes to get ready, can't really go outside looking like this…" He said as he touched his hair

'Loiju was currently wearing his stay-at-home clothes, something very similar to a pajama, there were even a few holes in it…'

'The old reliable, the comfy sweaters he used for many years.'

'His hair was also quite a mess, and he also had to brush his teeth…'

'So while shaking his head, Silver said he would wait for him and so he left.'

…

/5 minutes later…/

"Let's go." Loiju said, already transformed

'Even his long golden hair was now sparkling...'

"..."

"What? Is something wrong?"

"No… I just forgot how quickly men can get done." Silver replied as he closed his eyes, remembering how long it takes for Hestia to get done

How long did I brush her hair the last time she asked me to do it?...

"... Was that supposed to be an insult to make me envious?"

"I was talking about my mother." Silver said deeply as he lied without a care in the world

"Ah… Well…"

/Slap…/

'Silver slapped his shoulder as he made his way past him to the door.'

"I'm just messing with you, you're too easy man."

"##!!"

'His expression changing, Loiju left the room after him.'

…

'Following their departure, they made their way across Orario in a non-linear way.'

'Going through a series of places neither of them had gone before, making use of roads they never bothered to cross, they explored the innards of this city in a carefree way as they bought things along the way.'

'Food, clothes, even some simple toys, the likes they thought an Orphanage would need and appreciate.'

'Though... That was mostly ideas taken out from their own heads, neither of them ever had children, so they would have to go with their assumptions and common sense.'

'Most of it was thrown inside Silver's inventory when they weren't in public, but they would take everything out once they arrived at the Orphanage for the sake of convenience.'

'After all, it would be very sketchy to approach an Orphanage for charity with nothing in their hands...'

'In fact, they had no singular target in mind.'

'They were going in blind as neither of them knew where the Orphanages were located in the city.'

'So they eventually made their way to the most obvious of places…'

…

"Here we are, Daedalus Street." Loiju spoke as he raised his head

(Image?)

'Daedalus street was a wide residential area for the poor class located in between Orario's east and southeast Main Streets, almost big enough for it to be considered a District of its own.'

'In essence, it was similar to the Entertainment District, a place that covered a good chunk of the SouthEastern area of Orario, but it was still not big enough to cover all of it.'

'The street itself was designed by an eccentric man known as Daedalus long, long ago, and is a complex and intricate place akin to a maze due to the multiple layers of planning done to it.'

'Even now, 1000 years after his death, Daedalus Street is still as mindblowing as it was intended to be, and unless one has the ability to quickly move on the ceiling of the houses or a deep understanding of its inner structure, it would be no understatement to say one could easily lose their way inside.'

'It is rumored that one will never find their way out once they enter, and is often called the other Dungeon… Though, for Silver, this may actually be a vestige of the rumors surrounding Knossos.'

'He always found it odd how it took 1000 years for any info to be released about the existence of that place, but then again, it may have already been spread, it's just that this place was so bizarre, that over the centuries, the pieces of information were distorted until the district itself was know as the Dungeon rather than the place underneath it.'

'For better visualization, the residential District Daedalus Street was part of was located between the Entertainment District and the District where Hephaestus' workshops were located, albeit that place could also be considered to be mainly a residential place.'

'It was just that the workshops were what most remember when they think of the area...'

(Image)

'It's also where Loiju's home was located, from the streets near his house, at certain angles, it was possible to see the smoke coming from the chimneys of the forges of the Hephaestus Familia in the distance.'

'Overall, were it not for the discrimination people have of the place, this area would be a rather curious and interesting spot for tourists as it's likely the sole fragment of the genius Architectural design of Daedalus, aside from, of course, Babel.'

'Unfortunately, after the construction of the tower, Daedalus became obsessed with the Dungeon, creating Daedalus Street soon after.'

'A place for the poor and rejected, a filthy place, a prison, and a maze so no information may ever escape…'

'So that no clues of his long dream may reach the eyes of those above.'

"This place is as terrible as the rumors say… Though in a sense, it's neither as bad as I thought it would be." Loiju mentioned as he looked around

"It's just a residential area, a sketchy one, yes, but 95% of everyone that lives here are your common day workers, the people that move the heavy boxes for the merchants and the people that sell fish in the market, the common folk." Silver replied without much prejudice as he cracked his neck

"That I do know, unfortunately, those aren't the only people that live here…" Loiju said dejectedly as he let out a sigh

If only the poor lived here, then most wouldn't frown as much as they did.

But it's the people that break the laws and commit crimes that give the poor and others a bad reputation, then again, it's not like every one of them is evil either.

A child stealing food as a last resort to feed their two starving sisters… Can he be accounted for what he has done?

He may have other options, but what if he was never taught how to seek them out?

... I don't even want to think about it, it makes me feel like crap.

"Yeah, but those kinds of things aren't so simple to explain..."

"The world is not as black and white as it is gray."

Much to many's downfalls… People wish to believe in simpler things as it is easier to cope with.

"The day is going by and we won't accomplish anything by being here, shall we proceed?" Silver asked as he turned to his friend

His expression says it all, guess I'm not the only one feeling conflicted.

"You were the one who gave me the idea, besides, you have that look that says this isn't your first time here."

"Indeed it is not, I came here once to take care of something."

It's been a while, it feels like ages, but it was just a few months ago.

"And that was?... If you don't mind me asking."

"... A… Friend… Asked me to deliver something to his lover's tombstone after he died." Silver said as he remembered the past

Hopefully, you met the person you deserved in Heaven… After receiving a proper beating for the poor choices you decided to follow...

'Silver was thinking of Frederic, the Human Monster that was sent to the edge of despair as his promising life slowly broke into pieces in the face of human corruption…'

'But that was something of the past now.'

"I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I'm sure that guy wouldn't want anyone's pity, much less through me." He said with an awkward expression as he took a step forward

I was the one that drew the blade that ended his life, after all.

...

'Silver and Loiju entered Daedalus Street with seemingly no goal, but that couldn't be further from the truth.'

'Silver followed, or at least tried to, the path he used in the past to reach Frederic's old home.'

'He remembered going through a rather calm section of the area where he saw several kids playing and moving, he wanted to start his search there, perhaps he would find what they were looking for there.'

…

/Later…/

"Here you go." Loiju said with a small smile as he gave a small elf girl a piece of white bread

/Chomp chomp!/

'The little girl grabbed the bread slowly, apprehensive at first, but after feeling the warmth of the bread, she grabbed it excitedly, eating it without much fear.'

'Her older sister tried to stop her as she was more aware than her, but it didn't take long for her to follow her steps and eat bread away with her.'

'Behind him, Silver gave Loiju a nod, it seemed he wasn't a complete lost cause with children yet…'

"Hmm?"

""?""

'While Silver and Loiju gave food to the two girls, another child appeared from the side, peeking his tiny head through the corner of a house.'

(Image?)

"Food? Bread? Smells good… Good bread!"

'The small child came running to them, quickly stopping in front of Loiju and raising his tiny hands high with a large smile without a shred of caution and childish expectations.'

'In fact, taking a look at this cute Elf, Silver started to recess what he thought…'

His ears are a bit shorter than they should be… A Half-Elf.

And his attire… It's a dress, so it's a girl? His voice is also girly…

Doesn't that mean it's a girl? But why do I think it was a boy?

'While Silver thought about a series of meaningless things, Loiju gave the kid a fresh white bread that was almost sparkling, or so it looked to the kid.'

"Wow!!"

/Chomp! Crunch!/

'For the small kid, seeing such perfect bread was nothing short of alien, even then he gave the bread no time and quickly devoured it, making Loiju worry he might choke.'

"Calm down, the bread is no fish, it's not going to jump out of your hands…"

"Ev-en sh~o, tc-hose big…"

"Swallow it first, speak later…" Silver said with a slight helpless smile

/Gulp!/

"Even so even so! Those big guys will grab Roux bread if they see it." The child spoke with her sparkling eyes

'Her tone was full of naivety and a bit of sadness, she felt sadder about losing the bread rather than the why, it did not understand the action, only the result.'

/Step step step!.../

"Roux…!..."

'From the side, another kid came running quickly, it was a boy wearing simple clothes full of dirt spots from playing around too much.'

'He had a few cuts here and there, but Silver quickly saw they were nothing serious, just a result of playing recklessly.'

'It was a boy with a serious look, one that was full of distress as he saw his friend eating bread in front of two adults he had never seen before.'

(Image)

'The Elf looked serious and it had a piercing gaze behind his glasses that he didn't like, while the other… His arms were more developed than his own head!'

'At least that was how it looked like for him.'

"..."

What?... Is that this kid's name?

Wasn't she a girl?... But the name is male...

I getting confused.

'Nevertheless, Silver shook his head.'

Even so, what was that about big guys…

/Fwoosh!/

'The kid quickly jumped in front of his airhead friend, 'protecting' her from the adults.'

"..."

'To Loiju, this action was cute, to Silver, he saw something else.'

This kid… He is fearful?

Why? The only reason for him to be like this was if… There was something to be scared of in this place.

I saw a few kids on the way here, this was supposed to be a calm and tranquil zone where kids can play, why is he like this?

"Hello, kid…"

"Stay away." He retorted quickly as he looked at Loiju

/Flinch…/

'Loiju took a step back, shocked to see such a reaction from him.'

'He turned to look at Silver, but the latter just shrugged.'

/Chomp…/

'The only thing strange about this atmosphere were the three kids eating their bread and watching from the side as they blinked their eyes quickly.'

"..."

'The newcomer kid turned around to look at his friend, letting out a sigh as he saw nothing wrong.'

'Loiju took this opportunity to try and approach the kid, but the boy just took a step back.'

/Step…/

"Kids, are you all there?"

'Perfectly on time, the voice of a lady resounded from the side behind the corner…'

"Maria?"

"Miss…"

'All of the kids reacted, making their way to meet with the woman that had just turned the corner.'

"Everyone… Oh?"

'A woman with a gentle gaze appeared from the side of the old houses, wearing a long robe, she looked to be in her mid-30s.'

(Image?)

'Finally, an adult!' Loiju thought to himself as he saw her appear

'While Silver relaxed a little, he would figure things out over time.'

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Notes

Peace!