My Daughter Grew Up to “Rank S” Adventurer - Chapter 58.1

[Edited]

Chapter 58 The colors of memory are in Sepia. Though there are also shades of Gray.

The color of my recollection is sepia. There are shades of gray, but the colors are not vivid.

The wind blowing and the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind are somehow foreign to me, and I feel as if I am separated from them by a thin membrane.

However, the sunlight nearing its zenith was leaking through the leaves, dazzling my eyes. The girl squinted her eyes and blinked a lot.

There was someone behind the backlight. It appeared to be a woman. Her face was pale, but she had an expression as if she was looking at something dear.

She seemed to be in pain. I could hear the ragged sound of her breathing.

Her good quality clothes were dirty and worn out in many places. There were traces of tears on her cheeks.

“I’m sorry… Please…”

The woman whispered a prayer and placed what seemed to be a woven piece of dried grass on top of the child.

A soft breeze shook the child’s hair. The woman gently kissed her cheek and smiled sadly. She smiled sadly, as if she was bidding farewell.

–What’s the matter?

The girl wanted to ask. But she couldn’t get her mouth to move. A sound that could not be called a voice just escaped from the back of her throat.

The woman took a deep breath and looked around.

“Before they find out…”

She muttered and put her hands on her chest. However, she dropped her eyes to the ground, as if to say goodbye.

“It’s okay… There will be someone… A good person will be with you.”

The woman’s figure flickered like a shimmer, and then she was gone. The wind blew louder than ever, rustling the almost red trees.

‘I wondered how long it had been. The sun was warm, but the wind was cold.’

Feeling terribly lonely and alone, the child frowned and let out a cry, wailing out all the sadness that had welled up inside her.

There was a rustling sound of bushes being parted. Someone was coming, stepping on fallen leaves and dead grass.

“… My goodness.”

A warm hand lifted the child in his arms. Very reassuring. In the child’s dark eyes, she saw red hair and a puzzled face.

?

Winter was deepening in the capital of Orphen, and it was completely white from the continuous snow. Sweepers came and went several times a day to shovel the snow, and where they still couldn’t do it in time, the Adventurer’s Guild sent out requests, and lower-ranked adventurers and small children earning daily wages ran around with shovels in their hands.

There is a vacant lot on the corner of Slum Street. There used to be a building there, but it collapsed due to old age or something, and nothing has been built since the rubble was cleared away.

Normally this vacant lot is a hangout for vagrants and street children, but today there were many people lining the streets. The church was taking the lead in serving food to the people of the Slum.

A large pot of stew was simmering in the flurry of snow, and hard-baked thin slices of bread were served on the side. The people who usually shivered in the cold in their ribbed houses or on the streets were tucking into their first warm meal in a long time.

“Hey, don’t get sidetracked! It’s not gone yet!”

Rozetta said, letting out a white breath. The sisters were serving the stew, and people were gathering around the fire that had been built to keep them warm. White breaths were coming from everywhere, and children with red noses and cheeks were puffing on the stew.

Belgrief walked through the crowd, carrying a bundle of firewood.

“Rozetta-san, where should I put the firewood?”

“Oh, Belgrief-san! Thank you very much! Uh, just put it here!”