WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 142: Javert’s Iron and Justice (9)
──────
More than ten years ago.
A story from a woman's childhood.
"Javert."
That was the name of a street child from the slums.
A child with unkempt red hair and red eyes.
Abandoned by the world, she survived day by day amid piles of trash.
"I'm cold."
A young girl.
The young girl had lost her parents when she was even younger.
At around ten years old, she had suddenly been cast out onto the freezing streets.
Javert barely clung to life.
"It hurts, and I'm hungry..."
That winter had been especially cold.
It was the worst cold wave the Empire had faced in nearly a decade.
The vagrants sprawled across the streets died one by one.
Javert was no exception.
There was no way a homeless child with no one to rely on could survive the winter.
Amid the falling white snowflakes, the girl lay collapsed beside a trash-strewn road.
"So this is how I'll freeze to death..."
Freezing to death.
Javert sensed her own death approaching.
"I don't want to die."
Her senses gradually dulled, and her consciousness faded like a dying ember.
The world laid winter over the girl's life like a coffin.
Just as she was freezing in the cold, a voice reached her through the haze.
"Child, are you all right?"
Rustle.
Warm body heat enveloped Javert.
When she forced her eyelids open, an old woman was holding her in her arms.
"You're in terrible condition."
"Stay still. I'll treat you, so it won't hurt."
Flash!
White light blazed across her vision.
Then a gentle warmth thawed the girl's body.
"I've given you a little divine power."
"The cold should pass now."
"Your smaller wounds should heal as well."
Javert looked up at the old woman.
She was beautiful.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say she didn't belong in the slums.
There was grace in her every gesture and a distinctive elegance in her gaze.
Though her face was wrinkled and her hair had turned white, the girl still thought the old woman was beautiful.
"Still, don't try to move yet, all right?"
"You haven't regained your strength yet."
Someone who had appeared like a miracle.
Soft fabric wrapped snugly around Javert.
Her body was filthy from life in the slums, but the old woman didn't seem to care.
"Serian! You were right after all."
"To think there was still a child alive, even in this winter..."
An old man dressed similarly stood beside the old woman.
From their conversation, they seemed to be a married couple.
Each wore a golden rosary around their neck.
In response to the brutal cold wave, church priests had been sent to the slums.
"You held on so well in such terrible cold."
"Stay at the church and warm yourself for a while."
Valter Droit.
Serian Droit.
The elderly couple briefly introduced themselves.
Then, holding Javert in their arms, they headed for a nearby church branch.
"Warm..."
That winter, Javert stayed somewhere that wasn't cold.
Thanks to the church, many vagrants besides her were able to survive the winter.
People abandoned by the world.
For the first time, the girl learned that warmth could be hidden within life.
Even while she stayed at the church, the elderly couple often came to see Javert.
"Javert, how are you feeling?"
"I'm glad to see you've become so much stronger."
Perhaps they pitied an orphaned street child like her.
The two of them cared for Javert wholeheartedly.
"Hm? Flowers? Are these for us?"
"Hehe, we'll have to treasure them forever."
"I heard from the priest in charge that you were born with a talent for divine power?"
"That's wonderful. With training, you'll make a fine member of the church."
"It looks like you enjoy the cookies."
"I'll bring more next time."
"But make sure you eat your meals properly too!"
Time flew by.
Javert safely made it through that winter.
Hiding her sadness, the girl prepared herself to return to the streets.
"Um, Javert..."
But Javert's connection with the elderly couple didn't end there.
"If you're all right with it... would you live with us?"
"Well, um. We're asking you to become our adopted daughter."
"We'd like you to become part of our family."
The old woman asked with a hint of nervousness.
From that day on, the girl was no longer alone.
"Droit."
A surname was added after her short name.
Javert Droit.
The girl sobbed in the elderly couple's embrace.
A wrinkled hand wiped away the tears running down her cheeks.
"Our daughter."
"Welcome to the family."
The Droits had never had children of their own.
So they cherished Javert as though she were the daughter they had found late in life.
A warm, loving home.
The girl flourished within it.
She also heard and learned much about a world she had never known before.
"Mom! Dad!"
"I got a perfect score in divine power practice again today!"
"My teacher said that if I keep this up, I'll become incredibly accomplished within a few years!"
"Oh... You practiced until late at night, and your skills really are improving brilliantly."
"Your talent is impressive, but it's even better to see how steadily you work."
"Of course, don't push yourself too hard. Take breaks too."
"Yes, Dad!"
"But I enjoy doing it!"
Cheerful.
Lively.
Brave.
Javert grew into a girl who suited such descriptions.
Her innocent eyes often brought smiles to her parents' faces.
"Javert."
Serian and Valter were good parents.
They tried their best to grant whatever Javert wanted.
They always watched over her, paid attention to her, and made sure she wasn't lonely.
"Always remember this."
That didn't mean they spoiled their child.
Serian always reminded Javert of the basics of kindness, morality, and love.
And of one principle that had to be kept.
"Don't get too close to the people in the slums."
"It's good to show them kindness, but don't trust them. That's what I mean."
It was something the old woman repeated like a habit.
As part of their church activities, trainee priests often went to the slums to volunteer.
In the process, it wasn't unusual for them to meet the poor and grow attached to them.
"But why shouldn't I get close to them...?"
They were weak and powerless.
Every one of them needed help.
The girl found it hard to understand why she shouldn't get close to such vulnerable people.
"Why?"
Javert could only tilt her head.
She had wandered the slums herself, even if only for a few years.
The girl could fully understand the pain and suffering they endured.
"Could Mom and Dad be discriminating against them...?"
No.
They devoted themselves to others. They weren't people who looked down on or disregarded anyone.
That was why the principle remained all the more puzzling.
After worrying over it for several days, Javert finally asked why.
At her cautious question, the old woman answered with a bitter smile.
"Valter... your father, that is, is an incredible person."
"He has a good reputation everywhere, and he holds a high position in the church."
"That's why you need to be careful."
Words she didn't understand.
Still innocent and pure, the girl tilted her head.
The old woman quietly stroked her daughter's head.
"There aren't only good people in the world."
"Doing what is right also means facing resistance."
"Your father is a wonderful person."
"That's why some bad people want to harm him or take revenge on him."
It was strange.
To be hated by some people simply for doing what was right...
"And the slums are the perfect place for people like that to hide."
"It's hard to identify people there, and security is bound to be lax."
"That's why I tell you not to get close to them."
"Always go with adults and people you can trust."
"Javert, my dear, you're an easy target. You're one of the things he loves."
Javert didn't understand.
Even so, she hugged the old woman tightly and nodded.
"Good girl, my beloved daughter."
"Mom believes our Javert will do well."
And so,
Several years passed.
"Javert."
"I heard you got a perfect score on your divine power exam again today."
"At this rate, you'll shatter record after record."
Four years had passed since the Droits adopted her.
The girl was now fourteen years old.
She had left childhood behind and was just entering adolescence.
Javert grew day by day, praised as a once-in-a-generation genius.
"Still, don't overwork yourself."
"We want you to be happy more than we want you to be exceptional."
The elderly couple remained as kind as ever.
To repay that love, Javert always did her best.
While receiving her trainee priest education every day, she also found time to volunteer in the slums.
"I enjoy doing it!"
"I want to be a source of strength for the weak, just like Mom and Dad!"
The child who had grown up bravely shone brightly.
Raised with love, she learned love and wished to share it with others.
The girl never showed any sign of exhaustion.
A fresh smile always rested on her lips.
Javert viewed life with optimism and dreamed of becoming a better person.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
