“Actually, I grew up in the orphanage attached to that church. Even back then, the roof leaked whenever it rained. I’ve always been worried about the place.”
“The church itself is built of stone, so replacing the flooring should be enough. But… I’m much more concerned about the orphanage.”
So the young carpenter had actually come from that orphanage. And according to him, the orphanage was in far worse condition than the church. That made sense. The inside of the church had certainly looked old, but nothing beyond repair. The best course of action was to let a real professional inspect it.
“The interior of the church is fine though I do recommend replacing the floor.”
“And this wooden statue can absolutely be restored. Rather than replacing it, it should be repaired and preserved with care.”
Just as I’d hoped, both the church and the wooden statue could be saved. It had definitely been the right decision to have an expert examine them.
Now came the real problem—the orphanage.
“Shiro, Fran, Horn, we’re going to check on the orphanage.”
“““Okay, go on!”””
After calling out to Shiro and the others, who were busy pulling weeds in the garden, we headed for the orphanage behind the church.
“T-this is…”
“This is bad. The building is in much worse shape than I expected.”
Honestly, I didn’t even need an expert to tell me. The orphanage was in terrible condition. When the young carpenter pressed against one of the support pillars, it let out a long, groaning squeak, as though it might give way at any moment.
“The foundation has deteriorated over the years.”
The young carpenter explained grimly.
“And the timber has started to rot as well. To be honest… there’s a high risk the building could collapse.”
Uh- it’s real bad.
We need to warn Sue and the others inside the church immediately.
“““Whee!”””
Inside the orphanage, children were happily chasing one another around the halls. It is good to see them so full of energy.
“Shun-san, is something wrong?”
“It’s about this orphanage. How’s the Mother Superior doing?”
“She caught a bad cold that’s gotten worse. Her strength has declined quite a bit.”
The list of problems just kept growing.
First things first—we needed to speak with the Mother Superior.
Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
After knocking, we stepped into the Mother Superior’s room. An elderly woman lay resting in bed. The moment he saw her, the young carpenter hurried to her bedside.
“Mother Superior, are you alright?”
“It’s been so long… You’ve grown into quite the fine young man. Have you been keeping well?”
Despite her age and fragile health, the Mother Superior’s first concern wasn’t herself—it was the young carpenter she hadn’t seen in years. That alone told me what kind of person she is. She is someone who cared about others before herself.
But we couldn’t leave things as they were. We needed to gather everyone involved and decide what to do.
“Toria-san, sorry, but could you bring Emilia-sama or the former lord if she’s unavailable? And ask the church officials to come as well. Oh, and the master carpenter from the workshop we visited earlier.”
“Understood.”
It would be best to discuss this with the people in charge before deciding on a course of action.
This is turning into a far bigger undertaking than I’d expected.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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