Robin didn't just visit this one orphanage; she went to many.
However, the Focalors Familia's resources were currently limited. Robin never used the Familia's public funds to support them. She only visited the orphans during her free time, accompanied by Tifa or Hyacine.
This was Robin's sense of justice—aiding the weak with strength, but only doing what was within her means.
She harbored no messianic arrogance, never believing she could save everyone.
She knew exactly how limited her reach was.
Rather than merely "saving" them, she preferred to give these children the courage and hope to face the future, teaching them to be independent and strong.
Her actions could be summarized with a metaphor.
If these children were fledglings whose wings had not yet fully grown, she could adopt and aid them, feed them, and teach them.
But eventually, she would choose to let go, allowing these little birds to return to their own sky.
Even if they failed, even if they plummeted from the heavens, that was the bird's own destiny and deserved to be respected.
All she did was smooth their feathers and fill their bellies before they took flight.
Compared to Robin's vast experiences as the "Galaxy Diva," Aiden's life—both past and present—seemed somewhat limited.
So, when he heard about the origins of these orphans, he couldn't help but fall silent.
As he looked at the children laughing and playing around him, his gaze inevitably took on a hint of pity.
However, some of the children weren't having it.
"Oh, come on, Flamescion."
Rye, the human boy with scraped cheeks who looked the most mischievous, suddenly stepped forward with a displeased expression. "Stop looking at us like that. We're very happy living here with Mom. We don't need your pity."
"...Sorry."
Aiden was stunned for a moment, then apologized sincerely.
He had indeed been wrong. Imposing one's sympathy on others often ended up deeply wounding their pride instead.
"Rye, you can't behave like that!"
Maria immediately put on a stern face and scolded Rye.
"It's fine, it was my fault."
Aiden shook his head, stopping whatever Maria was about to say next.
"Please don't say that, Mr. Aiden."
Maria shook her head, her face bearing sincere gratitude. "The fact that you both came to visit the children is already a huge help to me."
Although she had the financial backing of the Goddesses, taking care of so many children by herself kept her overwhelmingly busy every single day.
Thanks to kindhearted people like Robin, who frequently came to play with the children and teach them, she was barely able to maintain this "home."
"Hey, hey, enough of that!"
Rye was clearly quick to warm up to people. He adjusted his mood in a flash, grabbed a small stool, and plopped down right next to Aiden. "Tell us about your adventures in the Dungeon."
"Oh? You really like hearing adventure stories?"
Aiden chuckled, reaching out to pat the kid's head.
Rye instinctively tried to dodge, but unfortunately, against the overwhelming power of bribery, all his resistance was futile. He could only glare at Aiden in frustration.
"Yeah, we want to hear the story of your and Sister Robin's adventure," Rye said, his face full of longing.
It wasn't just him; the other children gathered around too, their eyes shining with yearning.
Aiden smiled and began recounting their exploits in the Dungeon.
From thrilling encounters with monsters to the grand spectacle of teaming up with the Loki Familia to slay the Dead End Butcher, the children let out continuous gasps of awe, their eyes brimming with excitement and adoration.
This slightly satisfied Aiden's vanity. Just as he was about to brag a bit more about how he stylishly dodged attacks with one hand in his pocket, he noticed Maria's expression had darkened, and he stopped mid-sentence.
Noticing his gaze, Maria hurriedly forced a sorrowful smile and apologized, "I'm sorry to interrupt, I just... I don't really want these children to become adventurers."
She spoke softly, "Many of the children who grew up here chose to join Familias and enter the Dungeon to earn money to donate back to the church... And then, they never came back."
Both Aiden and Robin fell silent.
Being an adventurer was inherently a high-risk, high-reward profession where one gambled their life.
And these kindhearted children, ignoring her warnings, stepped into the Dungeon for the sake of this "home," only to end up...
Aiden suddenly felt that making adventuring sound so fun and stoking the children's admiration might have been far too irresponsible.
"I'm sorry..." He could only let out another soft sigh.
Facing a worried Maria, Rye suddenly stood up.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'm going to the School District," the oldest of the children said with a smile.
"I'm going to study hard there, get really smart, and make lots of money."
"Well... if it's the School District, I won't stop you..."
"You don't need to worry about tuition, either. Don't they have those 'scholarships'?! The School District is coming back to Orario next year, isn't that perfect?"
Rye shook his short brown hair, offering a bright smile to the bitterly smiling Maria, acting as if the scholarship was already in his pocket.
Fina and the others followed his lead, raising their hands and shouting:
"I'm going too—!"
"Me too—!"
The dining hall was instantly lively again.
Seeing this, Robin broke into a gentle smile.
"Alright, alright, enough about that. Do you all remember what I taught you last time? I'm going to quiz you today. Especially you, Rye. Aren't you going to the School District? You have to study even harder."
Hearing Robin's words, the children scrambled to raise their hands, eagerly insisting that they remembered everything perfectly, waiting in anticipation for Robin's questions.
Robin's little classroom officially began.
Reading, basic math, drawing, singing... The things she taught were simple and easy to understand, yet fundamentally crucial. She had clearly put a lot of thought into this.
Sitting amidst the children, Aiden watched Robin as she earnestly taught them. Stripped of her usual nobility and elegance, she radiated an intellectual and gentle brilliance that made it impossible for him to look away.
He realized that Robin truly was a multifaceted little bird, capable of perfectly embodying any style.
Whether it was elegant, noble, intellectual, dashing, dignified, alluring, playful, or gentle... these drastically different traits all found a perfect harmony within her.
The more he looked, the more he fell for her.
When the lesson ended, the girls, led by Fina, immediately crowded around Robin, chattering like birds and begging her to sing. Rye and the boys also perked up their ears, looking incredibly interested.
Singing was Robin's professional domain.
And these orphanage kids had long been thoroughly conquered by her voice.
Naturally, Robin wouldn't refuse.
She loved singing and loved using her voice to bring people hope and courage.
She cleared her throat. Without any accompaniment or a glamorous stage, she simply began to hum softly in this humble church dining hall.
Her voice was like the sound of nature.
At first, it sounded like a clear spring in a mountain cave, trickling and bubbling, gently flowing into everyone's hearts, soothing away all anxiety and unrest.
The children's chatter slowly faded away, each of them widening their eyes and staring at her, entranced.
Then, the melody began to climb, like the first rays of dawn tearing through the darkness, bringing boundless hope and warmth.
The song was filled with such power that Aiden felt as if he were bathed in holy light, all his exhaustion swept away.
Even Lu, who had been clinging to Maria's arm, let go, staring blankly upward, his eyes reflecting Robin's figure.
When the song reached its climax, her voice seemed to manifest into physical wings, lifting the souls of everyone present high into the sky, gazing down at the magnificent rivers and mountains below.
Even the creatures outside were drawn to it.
A few sparrows landed on the broken window sill of the church, tilting their heads as they listened quietly.
A stray cat padded silently inside, curling up in a corner and letting out contented purrs.
Aiden closed his eyes, an expression of sheer bliss on his face.
At this moment, Robin wasn't the "Saint of Battle Rhythm," nor was she the "Galaxy Diva." She was a goddess sowing hope and healing.
When the song ended, Maria warmly insisted they stay, so the two shared a simple but incredibly heartwarming lunch with the kids.
After lunch, the energetic, bouncing children enthusiastically dragged the pair out of the church and into the plaza in front.
Soon, the kids naturally split into two groups.
The girls flocked to Robin, singing the nursery rhymes she had just taught them while playing Duck, Duck, Goose and Cat's Cradle. Their silvery laughter echoed endlessly.
Aiden, on the other hand, was completely surrounded by the boys, led by Rye, who strongly demanded he play "Adventurers" with them.
Looking at their expectant little faces, Aiden looked helpless but ultimately couldn't say no, joining Rye and the others in their roleplaying game.
Naturally, the role he was assigned was the powerful and evil "Demon King of Monsters."
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