The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 13. I am not a stalker for following Felice

13. 13. I am not a stalker for following Felice

At the washbasin in my room, I hum a tune while checking the “face I made”.

Today, I am not Lux Thirdwood, but Mr. Padrick. *He* runs a small trading company.

My current appearance also looks like someone in their sixties. It has deep wrinkles and a mustache under the nose. A completely different person.

I learned disguise while training in Enchantment Art.

A highly skilled thief taught me the art of disguise. And even now, my skills haven’t dulled.

I dressed in age-appropriate, somewhat pricey gentleman’s clothing.

I shoved a leather pouch bulging with gold coins into my handbag. And I exited the home through the backdoor so as not to be noticed by the members.

I headed to the slums after getting out to the main street.

Before long, the exterior of the buildings became plain and cheap-looking. I entered a bleak alley where skinny stray dogs wandered.

There’s an orphanage in a corner of the slums.

Built by a church that worships the Goddess of Earth, it’s where several children who lost their parents live day by day. Sister Clarissa takes care of them daily as their mother figure.

Children were playing with a ball in the yard. And they smiled as soon as they spotted me.

When I crouched down on the spot, the children jumped on me with their dirty clothes.

“Hello, Mr. Padrick!”

“Hello. Looks like you’ve been well. Is the Sister here?”

“She is. Mama Clarissa~! Mr. Padrick is here~!”

The children entered a simple and fairly large building.

This is their home. It’s by no means spacious. In fact, it’s rather cramped.

It was Sister Clarissa who came out, opening the door.

She smiled at me as if relieved.

“Thank you very much for coming. Please, come inside.”

“Excuse me.”

—

I placed the leather pouch filled with gold coins on the table.

Clarissa was sitting across from me. She deeply bowed her head with a remorseful expression.

“We are always grateful for your donations, Mr. Padrick. Thanks to you, we can continue to run the orphanage for a while longer.”

“No need to thank me. I am merely atoning for my sins.”

“Atoning, you say?”

“Yes, perhaps as retribution for things I’ve done in the past. Still, separate from that, I truly look forward to seeing the children grow. I want to support them and watch what kind of adults they become.”

These children lost their parents in the battle against the Demon King.

The Demon King is a living calamity. He’s the end result of monsters continuing to evolve.

He craves flesh greedily, and rules over monsters. He ultimately destroys not only villages and towns but entire countries.

That’s why people desperately resist. Even if it means sacrificing themselves to protect their families.

“What a wonderful person you are. May the Goddess bless you, Mr. Padrick.”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Oh, aren’t you going to play with the children?”

“Actually, I have an errand after this.”

“I see.”

I stood up and left the room.

Immediately, the children gathered at my feet with loud voices.

“Mr. Padrick, tell us the story about the Sword Saint who defeated the Demon King again!”

“Hey, where did the Sword Saint go?”

“My dad helped the Sword Saint, you know!”

A young genius swordsman who received the title of Sword Saint at the youngest age.

He led the army and defeated the Demon King alone.

However, after that, he disappeared. And now there’s no one who holds the title of Sword Saint.

Even though it’s practically because of the Sword Saint that their parents were killed, they still admire someone like that.

“Clarissa-san, I think I’ll stay a bit longer.”

“Yes. Please, as long as you like.”

When I held out my hand, the children all grabbed it at once.

Their warmth made me happy.

◇

As I left the orphanage and headed toward the main street, I spotted a familiar face. I instinctively hid by the wall.

It was Felice walking from the front.

So far, I’m the only one who knows her true face.

Outside, as always, she wears a mask and dresses like a man.

Felice passed by without noticing me. She was holding a backpack-style magic storage in her hand.

Unlike the small one I usually use, the backpack type has far more storage capacity. And it’s also much more expensive. You only bring something like that when defeating a large monster or transporting a large quantity of items.

I chased after Felice’ back. I was hiding from wall to wall.

Come to think of it, she’d sometimes go out without saying where to. Maybe this is her destination.

I’ve seen her face, but her identity remains a mystery.

She herself doesn’t seem to want to talk about it. And forcing her to tell would go against my principles. It feels more meaningful when someone opens up to you voluntarily—it really boosts your self-worth.

Isn’t this the perfect chance to subtly find out who she is?

(She turned)

Felice turned a corner, and I ran after her.

Before I knew it, I had entered an alley deeper inside the backstreets.

This area is complicated. Even I don’t fully know the layout.

The surrounding buildings gradually became older and more shabby.

People sitting on the ground wore ragged clothes. Their eyes had no vitality.

(I lost her)

When I turned the corner, Felice was nowhere to be seen.

Then, my eyes fell on a store. It seemed to be an alchemist’s shop selling magical tools.

“Though it’s a small amount of support, please share it with everyone.”

“Thank you very much. Felice-sama, please do not overexert yourself, and take care.”

“Yes. After I’ve taken back my homeland, I’ll allow myself to rest.”

I quickly hid along the wall.

Coming out of the shop were Felice and an elderly woman.

Felice… sama?

What does she mean by taking back her homeland??

“You are free to forget everything and live your own life. No one would blame you. You’ve already done more than enough.”

“I *am* living the life I chose for myself. Surrounded by good companions, I’m adventuring in the outside world I once longed for. Wanting to reclaim everything I almost lost—that’s just my selfish desire. You needn’t worry. I swear upon the name of Felice Flareheart that I will live up to your trust.”

Felice turned on her heel and left the place.

The elderly woman left behind covered her face with both hands in sorrow. She said, 

“O gods, please protect Felice-sama.”

I quietly left the place.

It seems there’s quite a complicated backstory.

If she’s going as far as hiding her face and faking her gender, it’s easy to guess she’s carrying some heavy burden. Being called “-sama”, maybe she’s a noble? Since she said something about reclaiming her homeland, I guess she and that old lady are from the same place.

Am I really that untrustworthy?

If she just told me, I’d reluctantly help her. Reluctantly.

Still, Flareheart, huh. That family name sounds familiar. Where did I hear it?

*Thud*—I bumped into someone on the main street.

I was too lost in thought to look ahead properly.

“I’m sorry. Are you hurt?”

“I’m fineee. Hm? This feeling is… La, La-la-la, Luxx!!”

It was Zain standing in front of me.

Even though I was disguised, they instantly recognized me and moved their face in close. They were staring with bloodshot eyes.

“Shh—! How did you figure it out?!”

“Your magic’s color and smell are, oh, ooohhh, the same.”

“Color and smell? Magic has those?”

“It does. A-a-also, personality traits, d-d-differ tooo.”

Huh. I didn’t know that.

Identifying someone by their magic—this is the first I’ve heard of it. Normally, you can only judge how much or how dense it is.

Could it be a unique innate sense only Zain has?

Or maybe it’s related to their unknown race?

This guy’s full of mysteries too.

I walked back to the home with Zain.

“What were you doing on the main street?”

“I-I-I was…”

“Bl00d..?”

“Cheese, oohh, delicious, cafe I wenttt. N-n-nervous.”

They still seemed nervous. They were holding their chest area with their hand.

I bet the staff and customers at the cafe were shocked.

They *do* look like someone who drinks bl00d.