Father, Hero and Protector

"You… Grand Master Millard, aren't you?"

Cherry asked, recognizing Cien's face well.

The portrait of the C-Owl founder was displayed in the hallways and corridors of the orphanage, allowing all the people there to see the face of Ethel's husband.

For Cherry herself, she knew Cien's face very well because, to her, it was through the institution created by Cien that she was able to leave behind her life on the streets.

Cien had become one of the heroes in her life.

Cherry even felt that there wasn't a single person in C-Owl who didn't know the face of the founder.

Cien, upon hearing the girl's question, furrowed his brow slightly.

"I am indeed Millard, but... I'm not sure if I'm still considered as Millard by others. Let alone being called Grand Master. I feel so old."

"Oh! No, what I mean is, are you Lord Cien Millard?"

Cien remained silent without answering. He observed the girl in front of him for a moment.

He remembered that Raphael had referred to her as the 'Ethel kid.'

'She must know my name from Ethel. That means she knows about Ethel's current situation...'

Cien thought to himself as he noticed a pair of sparkling eyes emanating from the girl in front of him. He was taken aback, not understanding why she was looking at him with such eyes.

"Yes, I am Cien Millard. Do you know me?" he began to ask, but before he could finish, the girl interrupted.

"Whoa...! By the Wind, you're still alive..."

"..."

"This… this… this… whoaa…"

'What's wrong with this child?'

Cien wondered, sensing that something was amiss with the current situation.

The girl in front of him seemed to know him not just because of Ethel; there was something else that triggered her reaction, as if she were seeing an idol.

Seconds later, it became evident. Cien saw the girl jump off the bed, stand in front of him, and then hug him tightly.

Cien was taken aback, trying to free himself, but he soon felt the girl's body trembling. Not out of fear, but more out of relief. The girl was crying in Cien's embrace.

Cien, unable to release the hug until the girl's emotions from the past day had been poured out. He could only gaze into the distance with a vacant expression.

'Seriously... what is actually happening right now?'

For several minutes, Cien could only pat the girl's back, trying to calm her down.

After a while, the girl let go of the embrace. She then sat on the edge of the bed, wiping away the traces of tears on her face.

She occasionally apologized to Cien, who himself wasn't too concerned. He was simply puzzled by the girl's reaction.

"Hahaha, that's true. But... Milord, you have been a hero to me."

"Hmm... well, considering that I saved you earlier, I suppose that makes sense."

Cien wasn't entirely convinced. The girl chuckled softly, then shook her head.

"It's not just because of that. You have been my hero since I was little. Without you, I would have been just a street child, stealing every day."

"...???"

Cien tilted his head in confusion.

Cherry, who observed his reaction, understood why her hero was perplexed. She introduced herself and proceeded to explain about herself, Ethel, and C-Owl.

Cien sat in his chair, listening to Cherry's explanation. He was astonished and understood the source of the girl's reaction.

Cherry was an orphan adopted by Ethel from the streets. She and thousands of other orphans learned and played at the orphanage called C-Owl. It had become a large family for Cherry.

Cherry considers Ethel as her own mother, as well as Cien as her father.

Although the children were aware that Cien was no longer present, he was still regarded as their father. Their hero who rescued them from misery.

"But... it was all Ethel's actions. Not mine."

"Without C-Owl that Grand Master created, Madam Ethel wouldn't have become what she is now. She even emphasized that she could live and raise all of us because of your sacrifices. That's why, to us, you are a hero, a father, and also a protector."

"... "

Cien couldn't utter a word. He never expected that the orphanage he had established, with the intention of reducing the level of criminal activities committed by children in the South Westya, would grow like this.

He didn't even anticipate that his act of building the orphanage in Ethel's name, only as a gift for his wife's birthday, would become a lifeline for his wife.

'The path of destiny truly cannot be predicted.'

Cien gave a faint smile. He felt relieved upon hearing the news that his wife was doing well.

Ethel even led and made it the largest orphanage in Westya, and possibly in Kastia.

"But why does Ethel establish C-Owl branches everywhere?"

Cherry chuckled softly upon hearing the question.

"In truth, it's not Madam Ethel's desire. Initially, the spread of C-Owl was carried out by the first-generation graduates of the orphanage."

The first generation of C-Owl, the children who were personally helped by Cien. They still harbored resentment for the incident of Cien's murder.

However, after studying under Ethel for several years, they came to know that avenging their grievances wasn't as easy as they had imagined.

Their actions could potentially complicate and endanger Ethel.

Therefore, they devised a plan—to elevate Ethel's standing in the eyes of the nobles.

How did they do it? By establishing C-Owl branches in various regions, recruiting many street children, and educating them as intelligence agents.

Initially, their goal was to gather information from all over Westya. With that information, they could make Ethel feared by various factions, as they could use it for extortion.

Naturally, Ethel wouldn't approve of such actions. That's why the first generation carried out their operations covertly.

Unfortunately, Ethel was no fool. She knew what they were doing, but she didn't stop them from seeking all kinds of information in Kastia.

Ethel simply would not use that information for criminal activities. As the owner of the orphanage, she would use the information for the orphanage benefit.

The extortion plan was stopped. The first generation felt somewhat down, but they were still happy to see that the orphanage's economic conditions were improving thanks to their efforts.

Not only was the economy improving, but C-Owl's influence was spreading everywhere.

All the graduates from the next generation began to spread C-Owl's influence in various places where they worked, whether as restaurant servers or captains in the military squad.

Eventually, something unexpected happened. With many C-Owl graduates serving the kingdom dutifully, the King himself awarded a medal of recognition to Ethel.

Her dedication to reducing crimes committed by underage individuals and turning street children into useful adults for the kingdom was greatly appreciated by the high-ranking officials.

In the end, Ethel's name found itself under the patronage and protection of King Westya, inadvertently elevating her position and earning the respect of the nobles.

"That's how C-Owl became so big. It's all because of the desire of the brothers and sisters in the first generation, who wanted to repay you and ensure that Madam Ethel would be safe from the reach of the nobles."

"..."

Cien could only remain silent as he listened to it all.

Touched? Nope! He just felt relieved because Ethel was doing well.

He just found it amusing that the plan to establish an orphanage originated from his drunken ramblings with Duke Grenhall grew to become like this.

Back then, both of them wanted to improve the unfortunate fate of beggar children and underage thieves.

Impulsively, Cien then declared that he would build an orphanage.

Unexpectedly, before he left Duke Grenhall's territory at that time, the Duke had already approved and officially established the orphanage based on Cien's words.

In the end, Cien made his drunken talk into a reality.

Simultaneously, he asked Duke Grenhall to transfer the ownership of the orphanage to his wife and requested the ownership documents to be sent to Ethel on her birthday.

Ten years later...

He never expected that the plan that originated from a conversation between two drunk men would turn into the largest intelligence organization in Westya.

'I'm sure Old Man Grenhall didn't expect this to happen either.'

Cien thought, imagining the wrinkled face of the man. The Duke Grenhall being talked about here was not the current Duke Grenhall, but his predecessor.

"Sigh... oh, what about Kirana?"

Until now, he had only heard about C-Owl and Ethel. He was relieved to hear about Ethel's situation, knowing that with the power of C-Owl, she indirectly became a ruler of the underground of Westya.

But what about his daughter? Cien hadn't heard Cherry mention Kirana's name at all.

"Ah, Young Miss has joined the military now. She has served as a commander in the Ethyria Garrison."

"..."

Cien didn't need to say anything. He just covered his face with both hands.

'Why?'

As a parent, he certainly didn't want his sweet daughter to work in the battlefield. In fact, he couldn't stand to see her even getting into a fight.

But now, unexpectedly, his beloved daughter had become a military soldier. And a commander at that!

"Does Ethel agree with this?"

"In the beginning, no. But the Young Miss actually ran away and infiltrated the military academy when she was a teenager. Madam Ethel was in a state of distress due to the situation caused by Young Miss. In the end, she could only surrender and follow the Young Miss' wishes."

Hearing that, Cien chuckled softly, imagining how his wife dealt with their daughter who had always been difficult to manage since childhood.

Kirana always acted as she pleased when she was little.

Playing with street children. Playing in the mud. Catching insects. Sneaking into expeditions to raid monsters, and so on.

Those were just some of her actions when she was still a child. And that was what made Kirana adorable in Cien's eyes.

Imagining the same behavior when she grew up... Cien could only smile wryly.

'Yup, she's indeed the Kirana I know. Haven't changed a bit. But why the military?'

After that, Cien simply listened to Cherry's stories about C-Owl, her family, the situation in Westya, and so on until nightfall.

Time flew by for Cien as he listened to various tales about his wife and daughter.

Truly, he was overjoyed at their safety. But he couldn't help but feel distressed about the Kataleya Family's fate. How can such a big family be massacred like that?

Cien couldn't fathom the emotions Ethel must have felt after losing everything.

'I really left her alone…'

Cien thought guiltily, realizing that he allowed his wife to go through all that suffering.

After Cherry grew tired of storytelling, Cien suggested that she stay in her room for a while. At least until the situation calmed down.

He also advised Cherry to run away from Ashur. This place was no longer safe for the girl.

Cherry understood and expressed her gratitude once again.

"Ah, Grand Master! May I inform Madam Ethel about you?"

Cien smiled warmly.

"Of course. In fact, I would greatly appreciate it if you do."