Solo Swordmaster - Chapter 53

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Chapter 53: Does Hope Come with a Guarantee?

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“Seriously, why am I stuck doing this...?”

Leviathan was a top-class hotel.

In keeping with its reputation, it had the basics like a gym and training hall, as well as a sauna, torture chamber, tailor shop, conference room, gun shop, gallery, salon, and every other facility imaginable.

Among those various facilities was a childcare center.

“Our facility isn’t some cheap orphanage.”

Of course, the childcare center was not heavily used. Leviathan’s usual clientele had little to do with childcare.

Still, this was an official Leviathan facility.

That was why Cheon Su-ran had managed it with pride in her work.

Until a few days ago, when she had suddenly been saddled with twenty-three children.

“Why do I have to look after the kids that crazy swordsman brought here?”

Cheon Su-ran was the head of a facility herself.

Having mastered all sorts of knowledge concerning childcare and education, while building up plenty of experience besides, looking after a few dozen children was nothing to her.

Even so, there were two reasons she felt troubled.

One was that these children had been brought here by the Sword Duke.

The other was one unusually quiet girl.

“And I have no idea how I’m supposed to handle this child.”

Seong Sia.

She was practically the eldest sister among the twenty-three children who had suddenly entered the childcare center.

She told the staff about the children’s habits, likes and dislikes, and helped take care of the smaller details.

Even children older than Sia regarded her as an older sister, so in many ways, she was not difficult to manage.

“I don’t like this.”

Cheon Su-ran had known the moment she saw her.

Sia only looked like an ordinary girl on the outside. She was not normal.

It was clear enough from what she did during her free time, when she did not need to care for the other children.

What did she do?

That was the problem. She did nothing.

She did not play.

She did not rest.

She did not sleep.

She simply sat there without moving.

Rather than strange, the sight was downright eerie.

Combined with her especially lifeless eyes, she gave the chilling impression of a machine with a dead battery, or a corpse.

“I’d like to just leave her alone, but...”

After watching Sia with displeasure for some time, Cheon Su-ran finally hid her feelings, smiled, and spoke to her.

“Excuse me, Miss Sia?”

“What can I help you with?”

“I didn’t speak to you because I need help. I wanted to offer you some help.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Please hear me out. There’s someone at our hotel who is very good at listening to people’s worries. I think it would be good for you to meet them and talk.”

“I don’t need psychological counseling.”

“No, it isn’t psychological counseling...”

“Then I need it even less.”

“...”

Three firm refusals without hesitation.

Cheon Su-ran could only curse inwardly.

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to get some counseling, you bitch!”

If Sia had merely been a rebellious teenage girl putting up walls, Cheon Su-ran would have tried to approach her carefully and earn her trust.

But Sia was different.

She was not pretending to be uninterested. She truly had no interest.

It was not that she had built a wall around her heart. It was as though she had no heart at all.

It might seem like a small difference, but even Cheon Su-ran, who knew child psychology well, found it giving her a headache.

Fortunately, someone who could handle Sia did exist.

Unfortunately, that sole exception was not Cheon Su-ran, anyone at the childcare center, or even a Leviathan employee.

“What is it, dead-fish eyes? Are you bothering the teacher again?”

It happened at that moment.

Sia, who had not reacted no matter what Cheon Su-ran said, turned her head of her own accord.

“...I haven’t bothered her.”

“You say that, but it’s obvious you’re making her miserable.”

“That’s a stretch.”

“If you don’t want to be blamed for that, try smiling once in a while. You always have those dead-fish eyes, so you’re scaring the teacher half to death.”

“I don’t want to smile.”

“Tsk, tsk. You really are terrible at getting along with people.”

When had he come in?

A white-haired man carrying a child on his shoulders chuckled as he spoke to Sia.

At the sight of Rimon, Cheon Su-ran hurriedly bowed her head.

“Welcome, Sword Duke.”

“Hey, Ms. Cheon. The kids are giving you a hard time again today.”

“H-how could that be? I am only sorry that my own shortcomings may be causing trouble for the children.”

“What shortcomings? It’s impressive enough that you’re looking after these little troublemakers this well.”

“Ah, yes...”

Rimon praised her as though it were nothing.

Yet Cheon Su-ran could only wear an awkward expression, because the one praising her was Rimon.

“Why did the Princess choose a man like this as a potential royal consort?”

Rimon Aspelder.

The Seven Dragons Society’s greatest and most dangerous enemy.

Even someone as low-ranking as Cheon Su-ran in the Black Dragon Clan knew his infamous reputation well.

No matter how much the times had changed, he was someone who inspired fear and revulsion at a glance.

Yet she had to treat such a man courteously as a potential royal consort. It was torture.

“Wow, it’s Grandpa Rimon!”

“Grandpa, carry me too! Carry me!”

“You brats, I told you to call me big brother, not Grandpa!”

“That’s a lie! Big Sis Na-gyeong said that if your hair is white and you’re old, you’re a grandpa!”

“That Yoo Na-gyeong... Fine, then have a taste of this grandpa!”

“Wow! Grandpa’s mad!”

The children swarmed around Rimon.

Cheon Su-ran watched him play naturally with them, her expression complicated.

It felt as out of place as a machine gun hanging out laundry, or a demon attending a psychology lecture.

Yet Rimon paid no mind to her discomfort. As he changed one crying child’s diaper, he held out his hand to Sia.

“Dead-fish eyes, get me a fresh diaper.”

“Here.”

“Looks like the kid’s hungry, so bring a bottle too.”

“Here.”

“And the rattle this one likes...”

“Here.”

It was like watching a seasoned instructor demonstrate.

Before Rimon could even finish asking, Sia brought him exactly what he needed. He changed the diaper, fed the child a bottle, and shook the rattle.

With their flawless coordination, they soothed a child who, once they started crying, never stopped for at least an hour.

Rimon gave Sia a faint grin.

“Not bad.”

“I’ve always done this.”

“For someone who says that, you seemed pretty lost until a few days ago.”

“That was because I didn’t know where anything was.”

Sia answered bluntly.

Her voice was so flat that it sounded as though every trace of emotion had dried up.

But Rimon did not pay much attention to her feelings. He simply played with the children while asking her one thing after another.

“Is there anything you need?”

“No.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. I can tell you’re worried about what to do regarding the children’s schooling.”

“...”

Sia fell silent, unable to answer immediately for once.

There were not only elementary school students among the orphanage children, but middle school and high school students too.

After being kidnapped, rescued, losing their home, and being forced into an unplanned leave of absence, it was only natural for them to worry about school.

Rimon gave a small smile and turned to Cheon Su-ran.

“Ms. Cheon, what about what I asked for?”

“The textbooks are ready. However, it will take a few more days to assign a dedicated teacher to each child.”

“Huh? Did I ask you to find dedicated teachers too?”

Rimon tilted his head slightly.

As a childcare specialist, Cheon Su-ran answered with conviction.

“The children seem to be at very different stages in their studies, so I made the decision myself. The younger they are, the more noticeable the educational gap becomes.”

“Is that so?”

“...Yes.”

Cheon Su-ran’s shoulders immediately hunched again.

She had acted according to her professional judgment, but she worried that Rimon would ask why she had done something he never told her to do.

“Hmm... Then please do that. I don’t really know how children are taught these days.”

Fortunately, Rimon did not blame her.

He merely nodded and entrusted the whole matter to her.

As Cheon Su-ran felt as though she had come back from the dead and offered a silent prayer of thanks to the progenitor, the Awe-Inspiring Black Dragon Divine Lord, Rimon turned back to Sia.

“What do you think? This should take care of the children’s studies for the time being, right?”

“...”

Sia remained silent.

How could it merely take care of things?

A dedicated teacher for every child.

For orphanage children who had never had private tutoring or even attended a decent academy, it was unimaginable luxury.

That was why Sia, who had been staring at Rimon, suddenly spoke.

“Rimon Oppa.”

“...What is that supposed to be?”

“You told the children to call you hyung, so I thought I should call you oppa.”

“Could you please call me something else?”

“Then should I call you elder brother?”

“Just call me uncle...”

“Yes, Uncle Rimon.”

Perhaps it was a victory of sheer shamelessness.

Having secured the right to call him uncle while Rimon pressed his fingers against his temples, Sia calmly asked,

“Why are you being so good to us, Uncle Rimon?”

No matter what she called him, Rimon and the children were complete strangers. He could turn his head and pretend not to know them.

Most adults did exactly that.

Even Cheon Su-ran, the person in charge of the childcare center, was caring for them because it was her job. It was obvious that she did not truly welcome them.

So why was Rimon helping them?

Sia’s question carried less confusion than suspicion. Rimon’s answer was simple.

“Because Na-gyeong would have done the same.”

At that name, life briefly returned to Sia’s eyes, which had been as dull as a rotten oyster.

But only for a moment.

Her eyes sank heavily again, as though they had never wavered. She spoke quietly so the other children would not hear.

“...You aren’t Big Sis Na-gyeong.”

“That’s right.”

“Big Sis Na-gyeong is already dead.”

“I know.”

Rimon acknowledged it calmly.

Remembering Yoo Na-gyeong’s death, which felt all the crueler because of that, Sia did not grieve.

She merely continued in a low voice.

“If you know that, please don’t say useless things.”

“What is useless about it?”

“Giving us false hope.”

To the children of Hanbit Orphanage, Yoo Na-gyeong had not merely been a kind volunteer.

She had been their most dependable family.

The future they could become.

A dream they did not have to abandon.

Hope itself.

That was who Yoo Na-gyeong was.

That was why Sia understood.

She understood what it meant for Rimon to take Yoo Na-gyeong’s place, and how much hope that fact would give the other children.

Because she understood all too well, she rejected it.

Rimon narrowed his eyes.

“Is that so wrong?”

“It is.”

Sia answered firmly.

Meeting Rimon’s golden eyes directly, she continued in a subdued voice.

“Taking away what you give is worse than never giving it at all.”

Delicious meals and spacious beds.

Good education and plenty of free time.

And on top of that, a dependable guardian in Rimon.

Life at Leviathan was certainly comfortable.

Too comfortable, in fact. So comfortable that she could not imagine how much despair they would feel if they lost it.

For herself, it did not matter. She no longer expected anything, so she could no longer be disappointed.

But the other children were different.

If even the hope Rimon had given them disappeared, they would be deeply hurt.

So if it was going to vanish someday anyway, then he should not give them hope in the first place.

Rimon gave a faint smile as he looked at Sia, who spoke so coldly.

“There’s a lot I’d like to argue with you about... but let me ask you just one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you so certain that the hope I give you will disappear someday?”

Rimon was confident.

Whether she said cheap sympathy always faded.

Whether she said he would die someday, just like Yoo Na-gyeong.

He was confident that he could tell her he was not looking after the children out of pity, and that he would never die.

He was Rimon Aspelder, the strongest Sword Master, who had lived through countless ages.

That was why, after Sia opened her mouth, Rimon’s smiling face froze.

“Because you’re unemployed and a layabout, Uncle Rimon.”

“...”

“And you’re also a traitor and a criminal.”

Why should they place their hope in a penniless man with no income, who could be arrested at any time?

Sia spoke as coldly as someone judging a blind date by the other person’s face and assets.

After a long silence, Rimon asked uneasily,

“...Where did you hear that?”

“On the news.”

“Did the news advertise that I was unemployed too?”

“No. I figured that out when I saw a grown man playing with children in broad daylight.”

“You really are too quick to catch on.”

“Big Sis Na-gyeong taught me that orphans need to be quick to read the situation if they want to survive.”

“Did she not teach you that you need a filter for your mouth?”

Rimon swallowed the question that had risen to his throat.

What had he expected?

Yoo Na-gyeong had always said whatever she wanted. Even if she fell into the water, only her mouth would have floated above the surface. There was no way she would have taught Sia otherwise.

“Seriously, I called someone like that my subordinate...”

For a moment, he found himself questioning all the fuss he had made over repaying Yoo Na-gyeong’s Blood Debt.

Then Rimon sighed and scratched his cheek.

“It’s true that I’m unemployed and accused of treason right now, but my innocence will be proven soon, and I’m planning to get a job too.”

“That’s what every criminal and unemployed person says.”

“...You really don’t believe me?”

“There’s no reason to.”

“Hm, a reason to believe me.”

So this was what it meant for words to get nowhere.

Rimon folded his arms as Sia declared her distrust without the slightest hesitation.

Then, as though he had remembered something, he spoke with a peculiar smile.

“If the charges of treason against me disappear, will you consider having hope then?”