C-Owl

Just as Cien was busy building an inn in Death Valley, Legia awaited the arrival of Signa, Princess Sravati who took command of Earl Freiren's army and Reiss, who was troubled by his own situation.

Far from the conflicts in Blackwinter, in the westernmost city of the Westya Kingdom, lies the Almarin City.

A seaside town where its inhabitants always appeared happy with various catches of different types of fish served by the sea goddess.

Not far from the seaside, there stood a grand residence that served as an orphanage facility.

That orphanage was named C-Owl. In front of the residence's gate, there was an iron emblem of the orphanage. The emblem depicted an owl holding a coin with the number one hundred.

The C-Owl orphanage was established thirteen years ago. This facility was established by a Baron in the southern region of Westya.

Now, C-Owl is one of the largest orphanages in Westya, with branches in almost every city within Westya.

In a room with an open balcony in the residence, a middle-aged woman sat in her office chair, examining a document on her desk.

Occasionally, the woman smiled as she listened to the laughter of children playing in the backyard.

Not far from where the woman was working, another middle-aged woman with a slightly plump figure stood with a sour expression.

The working woman finished examining the document she had been reading and put down her pen. She immediately noticed the plump woman who had been waiting for her.

"Why do you have such a sour face, Binya?"

"Aish, look at this, Madam! Young Miss has sent her salary to us again! Look at the amount, it might be all of Young Miss wages! Ugh, I'm worried about Young Miss. Does she have enough money for daily meals if things continue like this?"

Binya exclaimed as she approached the table and placed a bag full of coins that she had just received this morning. The bag was sent by an adventurer from Ethyria City.

Upon seeing the bag, the woman addressed as Madam by Binya chuckled softly.

"Let her be, Binya. It must be Kirana's will. Is the amount the same as last month?"

Binya showed a somewhat sad expression.

"It's five hundred Tia more, Madam."

"Hmm, then add it to our fund for buying books. I heard there are children who are starting to show interest in alchemy. We have very few beginner alchemy books, so prioritize finding subjects on this topic."

"Sigh... alright, Madam..." Binya replied somewhat softly.

The woman chuckled again, "What's the matter with you again?"

"I'm so worried, Madam! If Young Miss keeps sending her salary to the orphanage, will she have any savings for starting a family?! Young Miss is already grown up, but why haven't we heard any news about a suitor..."

"..."

The woman... Kirana Kataleya's biological mother, Ethel Kataleya, fell silent as she listened to Binya's ramblings.

Binya was the head treasurer of C-Owl and had held the position since the orphanage was founded by Ethel's late husband.

Therefore, for Binya, who had seen Kirana grow up since childhood and go through dark times after losing her father, she always considers Kirana as her own child or niece.

Now, hearing about Kirana's busy life fighting monsters and criminals day by day, without any indication of her desire to start a family, made Binya worried.

"Hahaha, let her focus on her work. After all, Kirana is still young."

"Young? Busy with work? Madam, look at me. I'm 43 years old this year! What have I sacrificed by immersing myself in my work to build C-Owl like this? My youth, Madam! The romantic days of youth, the time for marriage... ugh! Now I'm just an old maid..."

"..."

Ethel truly didn't know what to say upon hearing Binya's lament about her life.

"Do you want Young Miss to become like me? … an old virgin."

Ethel, speechless, then shakes her head, "Of course not."

"See! Of course, Madam agrees, as an old dowager, Madam is no different from me. Madam certainly wouldn't want Young Miss to experience the same thing."

Hearing those words, veins instantly bulge on Ethel's face.

'Who are you calling an old dowager?!'

Knock Knock!

Just as Ethel was about to retort to Binya's words, a sudden knocking sound was heard. The two middle-aged women in the room fell silent and exchanged glances.

Binya straightened her clothes, put on the round glasses from her pocket, took a step back, and stood perfectly upright in front of Ethel's desk.

Observing Binya's behavior, Ethel was truly entertained.

When they were alone, Binya always acted like a nosy neighbor or a talkative sibling. But when there were others around, Binya would present herself as professional and authoritative.

Ethel chuckled before inviting the person at the door to come in.

The door opened, and a young man in his twenties entered.

He was tall with a cold expression on his slim face and black slanted eyes. His short black hair was neatly styled, with a fringe long enough to cover his eyebrows.

The man was dressed neatly, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a dark blue-black vest. He had white gloves on both hands, adorned with the symbol of C-Owl.

"Sorry to disturb you, Ma'am. Oh, Mrs. Binya is also here. I apologize if I interrupted your conversation."

"It's alright, Arl. What's the matter?"

The man named Arl politely approached Ethel's table and placed a sealed envelope on it.

"We have just received a letter from Young Miss through Sonic Bird."

Sonic Bird was a small bird capable of flying swiftly. Sonic Bird was used by various kingdoms as a means of delivering letters.

Each kingdom usually established a postal division for its citizens to send letters outside their own kingdom or to other kingdoms.

Not only kingdoms, but some prominent families and large companies also usually maintained and took care of their own Sonic Birds.

For them, using the state-owned postal service would risk exposing the confidential documents they sent to various parties.

The same went for C-Owl. About five years ago, Ethel bought dozens of Sonic Bird eggs to be raised, grew and then used as an information tool for the orphanage she managed. And one of those Sonic Birds was now in Kirana's possession.

Ethel took the letter and read the contents delivered by Kirana. Sufficient time had passed for Ethel to digest all the messages from her daughter. After finishing, Ethel let out a long sigh.

"What's the matter, Madam?" Binya asked, feeling anxious upon seeing Ethel's troubled expression.

Ethel forced a dry smile. "It seems that the chaos is approaching."

"The chaos?" Arl frowned at Ethel's words.

"Hm, currently, Kirana is in Marina. Based on what she observed during her time in Farnodt, she said that there is a high probability that there are intruders from the Abyss within the upper echelons of the Farnodt Kingdom. Oh, and the rumors about a collusion between Huntara and the Abyss turned out to be untrue.

"Other than Kirana in Farnodt, Duke Grenhall in Ethyria has also initiated an investigation into the presence of infiltrators in his city. Duke Grenhall and Kirana believe that infiltrators from the Abyss must have already infiltrated every kingdom."

"Should I also investigate the Lord of Almarin, Ma'am?" Arl suggested, as he was the head of intelligence for C-Owl.

"Hmm, as a precaution, go ahead. But don't delve too deeply. We don't want to make those people aware of C-Owl's capabilities at the moment."

Arl nodded in agreement, and then he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, if I'm not mistaken, last month I received news from the south that Viscount Karras was involved in suspicious activities."

"Suspicious activities?"

"Yes. There has been an influx of immigrants into his territory. The origin of these immigrants is unknown, but according to our people there, they seem to be war victims."

"As far as I know, there is no war in southern Kastia," Binya replied, feeling puzzled.

"That's what I know as well, Mrs. Binya. That's why this is very suspicious, especially the fact that every immigrant has to report to the Viscount at his residence."

Upon hearing that, Ethel furrowed her brow. "What does that pervert want?"

Arl shrugged. He continued, saying that the information was still unclear, which is why he hadn't reported it to Ethel yet. Furthermore, Arl was aware of Ethel's dislike for Viscount Karras.

Why?

Because in the past year, the Viscount from the southern Westya had been sending love letters to Ethel every week. Hoping to court the widow as his third wife.

Initially, Ethel considered the letters as jokes because Viscount Karras used excessively hyperbolic language to the point of disgust.

However, as time went by, Ethel became annoyed. She sent a message asking the Viscount to stop.

But instead of stopping, the letter from the viscount was getting thicker and thicker almost like a book. With various proposals for plans when they get married later.

For example, like a plan for the child's name when Ethel gave birth to his child. Or Kirana's position to be made a knight in his territory. And of course the plan for the future C-Owl, and so on.

In the end Ethel could only ignore every letter from the Viscount.

In response to this, Arl, as the head of intelligence, instructed the person who received the letters from the Viscount to keep them locked in the document safe. They were not to be sent to Ethel, fearing that it would raise her blood pressure.

And now, here they were. The person who was ignored by Ethel had now become the subject of her attention due to suspicious actions.

Ethel massaged her temples, feeling a headache every time she heard the name Karras.

"Arl, investigate those immigrants! There's no need to make contact with the Viscount. Ah, also find out if there are any abandoned children there! Additionally, instruct those in Ethyria and Rostgard to observe the movements of Duke Grenhall and the royal family."

"Understood, Madam."

"Binya, contact the merchants from the Land of Sand. Find out if there are any rumors of massacres in the south of Kastia."

"Will do, Madam."

Both of them left to carry out their orders.

Ethel, now alone, let out a soft sigh. She leaned back in her chair and glanced to the side, where a portrait hung on the wall.

The painting depicted herself sitting in a chair with little Kirana standing sweetly by her side.

Ethel's eyes then shifted to another figure standing beside her, a man with white hair, her late husband.

"Old widow, huh… Cien, do you think my decision not to remarry was wrong? What do you think if you see Kirana now? Sigh... Cien, I miss you..."