Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part Two]

CHAPTER 219: Sister Aeliana & The Twinkle Orphanage

The elf lowered her gaze to her empty bowl, her expression thoughtful. Then, with a sheepish smile, she met his eyes. "Well... I may have thrown an axe at a customer's head."

"Whoa." Daisuke blinked in surprise. "Wait... what?"

"Several customers, actually," she admitted, looking even more ashamed.

He let out a low whistle. "Damn. Must've really pissed you off."

"...The last guy walked out with a clean strip shaved down the middle of his head," she muttered. "His friends started calling him 'Baldy.'"

Daisuke barely managed to suppress a snicker.

"I think that upset him more than the actual attack," she said, carefully accepting the freshly refilled bowl. "Looking back, I got lucky—they were adventurers, so they reported me to the guild instead of the city guards."

Daisuke frowned. "Okay, but I'm still lost. How does nearly scalping some guy and getting reported to the guild tie into the orphanage?"

"As punishment for my outburst, I was ordered to undergo counseling at the church to work on my anger management."

"Ahh. And that's when you met Sister Aeliana."

"Yeah. After Dagnar—my father—passed, I lost my way. Our home in the forest was destroyed by monsters, and his dagger was the only thing I had left of him. I drifted into the slums of Lunarel, barely scraping by.

Looking back, I think anger became my coping mechanism. I blamed the world for everything that had been taken from me, and in my frustration, I made choices I wish I could take back.

But Sister Aeliana... she gave me direction. And I listened—because she had already walked the same path I was on."

"Wait... you mean at some point she had lived in the slums too?" Daisuke asked.

Tiphanna nodded. "Yes, until the church took her in."

"I see."

She exhaled softly, her fingers tracing the rim of her bowl. "My father's dagger reminded me that blacksmithing wasn't just a means of survival—it was his legacy. The one thing he left me, not just to make a living, but to remember him by."

"When I opened my shop, Sister Aeliana spoke to the church and secured a small donation. I combined that with what little I had saved, and together, we bought the building that became Twinkle Orphanage."

Daisuke's eyes softened with a hint of sentimentality. "And what made you decide to start an orphanage?"

Tiphanna paused before she spoke, her grip tightening around the bowl. "Sister Aeliana and I know what it's like to be outcasts... to feel alone, afraid, hungry, and cold. More than anything, we know what it's like to long for a place to call home. A place to belong."

Daisuke's eyes narrowed, the elf's resolve making him recall the words written in Cedric's journal:

— I spent the entirety of my life discovering this gift, and you will spend yours sharing its many blessings with those who desperately need it. Though we may not be related by blood, you will henceforth become my successor. Never diverge from the righteous path you have chosen.

What exactly is the 'righteous path'? Daisuke wondered. And why do the goddesses keep involving themselves with me? Is this Jupiter's doing, or am I actually getting special treatment? ...No way—don't tell me Congenial Denizen works on celestial beings too.

Tiphanna scooched closer. "You're as warm as the fire."

Daisuke glanced at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. "That's probably thanks to a new skill I picked up."

She gave him a deadpan look. "Is there seriously anything you can't do?"

"Don't jinx it," he chided. "But with any luck, we'll root out the corruption and make the city safe again—for you and Sister Aeliana to keep chasing your dream."

The elf's grin widened. "And I'll make sure you have the right tools to make that happen."

Daisuke nodded toward her empty bowl. "Refill?"

"Yes, please!"

DING!

[The quest «Gathering Glacium Heartwood» has been completed!]

[25,000 Experience Points have been acquired.]

[Affinity with Tiphanna has increased to the maximum.]

[145 gold has been acquired.]