Chapter 27: Maria

(Titus's POV)

Shirou was in the midst of making a shake when he spotted me on my way to the kitchen.

"Oh, hey, Tit- what the…? What happened to you?" Shirou asked, clearly taken aback by the dark bags under my eyes.

I didn't care to explain; I just sat on the floor and leaned against a shelf. "Shirou, your dream of being a hero of justice is stupid."

"I know," Shirou's response was immediate. "Hot chocolate?"

I took the cup and sipped it. I didn't know what kind of magic he possessed, but everything he made tasted so much better. He then sat opposite me, sipping some kind of disgusting green liquid.

"What the hell is that?" I asked, to which Shirou frowned.

"Titus, I'm telling you, reality isn't like a porn. A man can't last for 5 rounds. And so I have to energize now," Shiro said.

It meant that he was with his girlfriend last night. If he weren't such a good friend, I might have committed murder here. Here I was, investigating the mission and nursing my wounds, while he was having fun with woman.

"Hmph. You can if you man up," I snorted. I mean, I lasted more than 8 times, only ending when Nero passed out from exhaustion. Well, my case was unusual, though.

"You will understand soon. Tohsaka sisters are only gentle on the outside," Shirou sighed while drinking the same green solution. But what did he mean by "you will understand"? "Anyway, what about your case? The same thing that happened before?"

Unlike Rin, Shirou only knew bits and pieces of what had happened to me. In the world of magecraft, my involvement with Nero wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Mages engaged in such shenanigans all the time.

"I just hit a wall and have no idea how to solve the puzzle," I sighed. The more I thought about it, the more the Jack the Ripper case seemed impossible to crack. I was already on my last attempt, and I was sure to fail if I tried the same tactics.

"I'm amazed that even a genius like you, who can solve problems, can hit a wall," Shirou said, "But I think the answer is right in front of you."

"…What do you mean?" I raised my brow.

"Remember when we saved Sakura from the Matous?" Shirou then started explaining a story I didn't even know about, "You probably don't know, but I knew that Sakura was going through horrible treatment the moment I met her. She was like a lifeless doll, but then she became cheerful. I thought everything was okay, but I was only looking at the bright side instead of confronting the dark side like a true hero of justice. I was a coward."

I was quite baffled since I always thought he was a beta male and didn't understand Sakura's hints of love for him.

"Then it was you who gave me courage, and Rin supported me, that I should fight instead of acting like a coward in that small town. In that fight, I was aware that I could have been killed, but it didn't matter. I knew that if I wanted to become a true hero of justice, then I had to start by protecting those I care about and love."

Shiro finished his story. I felt quite warm when he praised me. I felt much better.

To be honest, I had manipulated him into fighting the Matous because I wanted to save Sakura as my selfish wish.

"And so, for the current matter, I can feel the same determination in you. I don't know what kind of problem you are facing, but I am sure that you have the answer and can solve it."

I smiled and nodded. Just as he said, it wasn't as if there was no way out. There was just a tiny hole of light in the darkness, which seemed far easier to ignore, but it was too dangerous to get closer to.

"But it requires me to become something that doesn't suit my personality."

"Does it want to make you a demon king?"

"Quite the opposite, a saint."

"Then why are you hesitating? Look man, if the failure doesn't endanger your life or something, then just go for it. You have nothing to lose," Shiro said as he finished his shake and stood up to get more. "And one more thing, don't ever feel ashamed of bestowing kindness to others in need."

'What the…' I suddenly started to feel much better. It was like a new energy had awakened in me. My gloominess slowly disappeared as the rays of a new day shone on my face. Yeah, he was right. Since I wasn't an evil person, why was I feeling such contempt for taking a step toward kindness?

I jumped and slammed the mug on the counter.

"Umu! That's right! I can do this. No one else can. Only I can! Haha!" I then pointed at Shiro, who looked at me as if he were seeing his friend go crazy. "Shiro, my good, fair friend! If I ever succeed in my quest, I will take you on the best date of your life!"

"Wait, what? A date? Me?"

With those words, I disappeared from the kitchen to my study, leaving Shirou speechless.

"Was that a red flag?" Shirou scratched his head.

---

(Titus's [Charles's] POV)

[The Dreamshift has begun for the fifth run.]

The water remained as murky as ever, the filth clinging stubbornly to the river banks, and the nauseating stench seemed relentless. But in this fleeting moment, I felt nothing akin to my first encounter with the squalor of 1888 London. Instead, a potent nervousness gripped me, a deep-seated fear of not finding acceptance in her eyes.

I stood in the shadow of a silver-haired girl, her frail frame illuminated by the radiant full moon. She appeared painfully thin, marked by hunger and dirt, yet she bore it all in silence, her eyes fixed on the brilliantly clear moon.

"Hm? Oh, mister!" Her keen perception detected my presence, and a warm smile graced her lips as she stood. But the moment her gaze met mine, a torrent of emotions surged within her. Trauma from our initial encounter washed over her like a merciless tide, causing her legs to tremble and tears to stream from her eyes. "I... I am sorry, mister! I was terribly rude! I promise I won't ask for food again, but please don't hurt me…!" Her voice quivered as she begged for forgiveness, tears cascading down her cheeks.

In response, I sank to my knees, my own eyes welling up with tears. "M-m-mister!" The girl, initially too afraid to approach me, rushed forward, beseeching me to rise. "M-mister, get up! Your clothes will get dirty! Please, get up! Your clothes will get dirty!"

To me, those garments were just ordinary pants and a coat, but to her, they held more value than her own trepidation. In her eyes, my coat alone could offer warmth to countless children during the harsh winter nights.

With gentle care, I produced a handkerchief and slowly wiped away the girl's tears. Her eyes widened at the sight of my own tears.

"…Little girl, what is your name?" I asked with a warm smile.

"Maria…"

"Maria… What a beautiful name." I clasped my hands together, and my tears flowed freely as I pleaded, "Maria, please find it in your heart to forgive this mister!"

Women found solace in the pursuit of money and sustenance, just as men did in their quest for pleasure. But why should these innocent children bear the brunt of our adult shortcomings? Why were they abandoned? Why must they suffer for our mistakes? When would we, as adults, take responsibility for them? All they yearned for was a bit of food and love—was that too much to ask?

"Maria! You should never be discarded! You have no right to endure this suffering, no right to be punished! It is we who should bear the guilt for bringing you into this world and failing to provide the love and care that are your birthright!" I implored with my eyes tightly shut. "So please, Maria! Please forgive us just this once! Please!"

I cried like never before, perhaps burdened by the guilt of not being able to protect my soon-to-be-born child with Nero, driving me to seek her forgiveness.

As if accepting my plea, I felt the soft press of two palms on my hands. Opening my eyes, I beheld a radiant smile on Maria's tear-streaked face.

"Hic*… M-mister… Thank you for being so kind to me… hic*… Thank you…"

With those heartfelt words, I saw Maria's beautiful smile under the moonlight's gentle glow. It was as if my heart was being cleansed of its sins.

"Then, Maria…" I looked at Maria and smiled. "This mister wants to make amends for his mistakes. This mister wants to provide you with food and beautiful clothes. This mister wants to ensure that every child in this world receives the love they rightfully deserve. This mister wants to ensure that no one is ever called 'discarded' again. Can you give me a chance, Maria?"

As if glimpsing a brighter future, Maria beamed and leaped into my embrace. In that moment, a wealthy old man, who had never known hunger, never begged for food, and never shivered in the bitter cold, cried alongside a small girl who had only been given life and a name in this world. One cried out of kindness shown, while the other wept from receiving kindness for the very first time.

[Mission Progress: 70% completed]

---

"And so, Jotaro defeated Dio and saved his mother," I concluded the story, wrapping up Jojo part 3.

"Yay~! Hero wins!" The children in the room cheered with smiles. I then gave each of them a peck on their foreheads before they all went to sleep. I remained in the room to ensure that they were all asleep before making my exit.

It had been three days since I had adopted Maria and all the other children from the slums. There were a total of 18 children who had come with me. Out of all of them, four had been admitted to the hospital because they were suffering from various diseases. I had brought them to my three-story mansion, which was even larger than the property I owned in the real world. I had no idea why this body wanted to play detective when he was so wealthy.

Anyway, I had brought a lot of food and clothes for each child. Since I didn't have much cash on hand, I had to limit my spending. I had set up some rooms for the children. Although my mansion was large enough for each of them to have their own space, I decided to let them sleep in one big room, divided by gender.

At the end of the day, they were still children and were a little afraid of me. Some of them even thought it was all just a dream. So I allowed them to stay close to each other until I got familiar with each of them. After all, they had relied on each other to scavenge for food and survive just a couple of days ago.

Anyway, I went to my room to rest. It was a rather small room compared to the rest of the mansion, even smaller than my own room in the real world. But nothing could stop me from getting some much-needed rest. Taking care of children wasn't easy. I would say it was harder than running the government of the biggest empire of the time.

Those last three days had been so tiring. I felt like they had already taken three years off my 41-year-old body's lifespan. I had to prepare three meals a day for such a large number of children, teach them manners and discipline, and play with them all day.

After washing up a little, I collapsed on the bed like a puppet whose strings has been cut. I somehow managed to drag my body up and then stared at the ceiling.

"So tired..." I yawned but then smiled, "But to see all those smiles, it's worth it."

Just like a father who gets to see his children's smiles after a long, tiring day, I didn't regret it one bit.

Before drifting off to sleep, I opened the system to check the progress.

[Requested Mission: The Rhymes of London Lake (Imaginary Dreamshift)

Destination: London, 1888 AD.

Quest: Save 'Jack the Ripper'

Status: 70%

Attempts: 0

Time limit: 5 days

Restrictions: Everything except Passive Skills and Character's skill shall be sealed.

Rewards: 50,000 LCs, Skills, Luck stat boost.]

When I adopted Maria and the other children, the progress bar instantaneously jumped to 70%.

Wondering how I had figured out the answer to this quest? To be honest, it was all just a gut feeling. I listened to my heart instead of using my brain.

I got the hint when I first encountered Maria near the riverbank. It might be hard to believe, but Maria, no, all the children who were 'discarded' in the slums were all Jack the Ripper. Maria was just one face representing many Jack the Rippers. She even looked similar to the servant version from Fate/Apocrypha.

Moreover, even though I had been killed four times in such grotesque ways, I never feared all those killers as much as I trembled in Maria's presence. So these were all hints I acquired from all my attempts. I had to suppress my inner wish for only raising my children with Nero.

With that, I closed my eyes and was about to sink into slumber when I heard the squeak of the door opening. It was Maria, holding a pillow.

I knew why she was here, so I pretended to be asleep.

Maria walked up to my bed and gave me a kiss on my cheek and petted my head with her small hands. "Thank you, my kind mister. Hehe!" She chuckled and placed her pillow on the mat right beside my bed. She didn't jump on the bed, afraid of waking me up. Well, she also knew that she sometimes wet the bed.

I rolled to the corner and saw Maria smiling as she tried to go to sleep. I chuckled and then called her name, "Maria?"

"EEP!" She squealed and jumped, surprised by my voice.

"Why are you sleeping on the ground?" I asked, to which she only laughed wryly. "Come to the bed. You are not allowed to sleep on the floor."

"Yay!" She jumped with joy and leaped onto my bed, clinging to me like a koala.

Among all the children, she was the only one who was close to me. She was like a magnet. If I ever left her sight for even a minute, she would start crying. She had even sneaked into my room yesterday and slept on the mat.

With her settled, I thought I would finally get some sleep when she spoke again.

"Mister?"

"…hm? Yes, Maria?"

"Thank you very much," Maria spoke in a soft tone.

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "It's okay. Sleep well, my child."

With those words, I thought I would finally get my sleep when she spoke again.

"M-mister?!"

"…mm?"

"A big flood is coming…"

"…what?" I opened my eyes and saw her squeezing her legs with her face turning pale red.

"Pee! I can't hold it!"

"AAAGG!" I jumped out of bed, grabbed her, and sprinted to the toilet.

Raising children is tiring.

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AN: I also want a cute daughter ;_;