MTO C91

Chapter 91

“Ha-ha, look at those little rascals—full of spirit.”

“They’re all quite healthy.”

Unlike Kaidan, who still stood dazed, Jerard and Lawrence offered their easy, complacent remarks.

Michel stepped forward.

“Esteemed guests, thank you for taking time out of your precious day to watch the children’s very first promotion test. In this short span, our little ones have grown healthy and upright, nourished by your affection. As the test proceeds, please look upon the children of Valois Orphanage with warm eyes and see how much they’ve blossomed. Then, I humbly ask that you offer them much applause and encouragement. Thank you.”

Even without notes on his sleeve, Michel delivered his greeting smoothly. When he bowed deeply, the spectators clapped as if entranced. Only then did Kaidan raise his hands to clap, quiet and restrained.

“Warm-up, begin! One, two, three, four!”

“Two, two, three, four!”

Michel returned to his place and stretched alongside the children. The little ones wiggled their limbs in time with his commands, laughing loudly and bouncing in place, a stark contrast to the solemn silence from moments ago.

“Oh my!”

“Leon, careful!”

When the children dropped to the ground and showed off their splits, gasps echoed here and there. Every eye followed the spirited, adorable motions without drifting.

But Kaidan’s gaze clung stubbornly to Michel.

He looks genuinely happy.

A smile never left Michel’s lips. He always wore a gentle expression, but when he looked at the children, even his eyes laughed.

It amazed Kaidan that Michel could care for them so. Even if Michel had become a saint, the man had once mistreated these very children. It was one thing to repent, even to be kind. But to love the ones he once hated with such depth—was that truly possible?

Their first meeting felt dream-like now, unreal. Michel seemed like a wholly different person, as though a new soul had taken residence in his body.

Well—Kaidan himself now esteemed the man he once despised. So perhaps it was not so strange that Michel, too, could come to love those he once wronged. And truly—did it not seem as if everyone in the courtyard had fallen for these children?

While Kaidan’s thoughts wandered, warm-ups ended and the test proper began.

“Let’s put strength in our voices! Begin!”

“Hiyah!”

“Once more!”

“Hiyah!”

“Prepare!”

“Tae! Kwon!”

The children moved in unison with Michel’s sharp commands. Their timing was not perfect—they were young—but their determined faces rivaled any knight’s battalion.

“One punch! One!”

“Ha!”

“Two!”

“Ha!”

“Now double punch—taekwondo!”

“Tae! Kwon!”

They thrust their fists forward with practiced familiarity. Some even had real force in their punches. Heart, though half-hearted in spirit, had the cleanest form of all. Jerard chuckled and whispered that the boy could be the next vice-captain, snapping Kaidan from his thoughts.

A few children slowed, sneaking glances at those beside them. Michel noticed every single one.

“Dan only—again. One punch! One!”

“Ha-ah!”

“Two!”

“Ha!”

“At ease!”

“Tae! Kwon!”

“Well done.”

At Michel’s praise, the onlookers clapped, and Dan beamed, shy yet proud.

“I had no idea that boy could shout that loudly.”

“Lawrence, you must never have seen him fighting his brother.”

“They usually fight in very polite voices.”

“That’s because you don’t see them rolling across the training yard like baby eagles.”

The two men bickered, bragging about how well they knew the children. Their chatter began to grate, so Kaidan edged away—only for them to shuffle right after him.

Meanwhile, the test proceeded smoothly. It was simple, suited for beginners—punches, stances, kicks. No weapons; pure hands and feet. Kaidan recalled Michel blocking his blade with his arm and shuddered.

That martial art would struggle against swords or axes… but it builds good endurance, at least.

“Leon, step forward!”

“Eeek!”

Little Leon practically rolled to the front. Soft coos rippled through the crowd—youngest children always earned the most affection. Indeed, Kaidan had seen the boy carried more often than walking.

Michel placed a thin plank atop two bricks.

“Oh? What’s happening now?”

“…It looks dangerous.”

Jerard and Lawrence craned forward eagerly, blocking Kaidan’s view. He could not fathom why they insisted on crowding him instead of taking a clearer vantage point.

“Break!”

“Ahh!”

Leon dashed forward, paused before the plank, then brought his foot down sharply. Crack. It split clean in two.

“Leon, amazing!”

“You’re the best!”

“He could go hunt monsters tomorrow at this rate!”

The adults clapped just as the children cheered. Jerard and Lawrence slapped their hands so fervently Kaidan’s ears buzzed. Leon hopped into Michel’s arms, and Michel ruffled his hair before sending him back.

“Bow together!”

“Master, Sister, we love you all!”

Hands folded at their bellies, they bowed deeply. Everyone at Eglence Castle had long since grown used to this peculiar Valois orphanage salute.

“So cool!”

“Valois Orphanage forever!”

“Alice, Charlotte—look this way!”

The courtyard brimmed with applause. It was brief, but long enough to prove how diligently the children had trained. Servants waved and called each child by name.

“Lawrence, are you crying?”

“I am not.”

“Crying isn’t shameful, you know.”

“It’s simply dust in my eye.”

“Ah, yes. Tears come easier with age.”

“You speak from experience, Commander. I’ll note it well.”

…Kaidan tuned them out.

“Once more, thank you all!”

Michel stepped forward to bow. Applause swelled again.

Then the children swarmed him, and the servants followed. Michel disappeared beneath a tide of people.

Time to leave.

“You’re leaving already, Your Grace?”

“Yes.”

“You won’t speak with the Saint?”

“He seems busy. Later.”

Kaidan turned in the opposite direction. Jerard and Lawrence looked confused, but he offered no explanation.

What could he say—that he felt awkward because the physician misdiagnosed him as lovesick? No need to broadcast the incompetence of Eglence’s court doctor.

Thus, he escaped—at least until the corridor.

“Kaidan!”

He froze. Only one person in the castle called his name with such familiarity.

Footsteps echoed rapidly. His heart beat faster with each approaching tap. He longed to flee, yet his feet rooted themselves, immovable.

Michel skidded to a stop before him.

“Why did you leave so fast? Weren’t you free today?”

He was slightly breathless from running. Kaidan looked down stiffly.

Unintentionally, his gaze fell first upon Michel’s lips. A small pink tongue darted out to wet them. Kaidan jerked his eyes upward, startled.

But meeting Michel’s eyes proved worse—those violet irises were far too perilous. The longer he stared, the more it felt as though his soul was being pulled into them.

So he fixed his sight somewhere between Michel’s brows, refusing to meet those eyes again.