Chapter 62: Chapter 57: Welcome Back, Benjamin-sama...
When the excitement settled down, Ben took the hunted animals to the backyard and asked Asta and Yuno to prepare the wood so he could cook the food himself.
That way, everyone could enjoy it.
The kids in the orphanage loved Ben's cooking very much.
Ben, still in his four-armed form, began to clean and process the boars and horned rabbits he had hunted.
The orphanage kids enthusiastically helped with cutting vegetables, cleaning, and other small tasks, with smiles of excitement on their faces.
Nebra and Noelle watched this curiously, feeling out of place.
Other than them, everyone present in the backyard was helping Ben cook the food while chatting and smiling happily.
chuckle~
"When Ben was still in the village before becoming a magic knight, he would often sneak into the forest to hunt wild boars or rabbits, bring them back to the orphanage, and cook for the kids. The kids in the orphanage were very attached to Ben."
Noticing that Nebra and Noelle felt awkward, someone moved closer and explained to them.
"____"
"____"
Both of them were shocked.
Even though they knew commoners or orphans were poor, this was the first time they were witnessing the life of a common orphan up close.
sob~ sniff~
"Yeah... even though Ben now makes our whole Hage village very proud, when he was little he was quite a troublemaker. You could say there wasn't a single person in the village who escaped his pranks."
sob~
Wiping tears from his eyes with a happy smile, Father Orsi sniffed, lost in thought about little Ben and his many pranks.
sigh~
"Now... he's going to be king. Time passes quickly."
Lost in his thoughts about little Ben, who was once a mischievous child and is now royalty soon to become king, Father Orsi sighed.
"We're here."
A man entered the orphanage backyard carrying a wooden box full of vegetables, a wide smile on his face.
"I brought a fine boar I hunted this morning."
Following him was an old man with a bulky, muscular build, enthusiastically carrying a huge boar on his back.
"Ben, I brought some vegetables here. Give me some; I'll help."
An old woman carrying a small bag followed behind the old man, walking in with her grandson.
Slowly, more villagers entered, each carrying ingredients for the meal.
Seeing the villagers start to show up with supplies surprised both Nebra and Noelle.
"____"
Nebra was shocked, her eyes wide as she took in the bond between Ben and the orphanage kids.
Even in her own family, she couldn't recall a single memory where she and her siblings sat together like this after their mother died.
All she remembered was bullying her little sister, whom they blamed for their mother's death.
gulp~
For some reason, seeing the happy atmosphere and the harmony between Ben and the orphan kids, who saw him as a big brother, made Nebra feel guilty.
She glanced over to see Noelle's reaction and was startled to see yearning and envy in her sister's eyes as she watched the kids with Ben.
'Did we do the right thing? Would Mother be disappointed in us?'
Clenching her hands tightly, Nebra recalled Ben's warning that their mother would be very disappointed by their behaviour, as a spirit watching her children bully Noelle.
With the crowd growing larger, most of the villagers arrived, and with their help, the cooking went into full swing.
That night, the entire village celebrated, partying all night to honour Ben, who was soon to be king.
The next day...
After the celebration the previous night, Ben took both Nebra and Noelle back to his place in the forest and let them rest inside.
Since there was only one bed in the wooden house, Ben slept on the ground while Nebra and Noelle shared the bed.
Early morning...
As usual, Ben woke from his sleep in the early morning, just before the sun rose, and opened the door to take in the fresh air.
yawn~ creak~
"Good morning, Ben..."
thud~
With a sleepy face, Ben opened the door, but what he didn't expect was the towering figure of Wizard King Julius standing outside with a friendly, warm smile on his face.
Ben didn't even hesitate to close the door immediately in shock.
chuckle~
"Ben, open the door. It's me."
After Ben shut the door, Wizard King Julius spoke calmly, not aggressively, and chuckled a little, seeing Ben's surprised expression.
"Who is it?"
Nebra, who had just woken up from the commotion, sat on the bed sleepily and asked.
"I want to sleep a few more minutes..."
Noelle, beside her, with a frown on her face, didn't even open her eyes and turned around to continue her peaceful sleep.
"It's me... Julius Novachrono."
A voice came from outside the door.
"____"
"Julius?... What! Wizard King-sama..."
"What!!! Wizard King-sama!"
Hearing the voice mentioning the name, both of the girls narrowed their eyes, seeming to think about where they had heard it.
But the next second, they sprang up from the bed with wide eyes, exclaiming in shock.
This caught them off guard—who would think they would be woken up by the Wizard King personally in the early morning?
sigh~
"Open it, Ben... it seems like I should also inform Charlotte that you are safe and even spent a whole night with two girls in the same room."
Seeing that Ben had no intention of opening the door, Wizard King Julius sighed defeatedly and murmured loud enough for Ben and the others inside to hear.
thud~ creak~
Hearing the Wizard King shamelessly threatening him, Ben gritted his teeth and opened the door with no choice.
"Oh~ it's Julius-sama... please come inside. I didn't notice you earlier."
With a forced smile on his face, Ben invited Julius in.
After entering the small room where both Nebra and Noelle stood in the corner with embarrassed faces, having heard what the Wizard King mentioned earlier, Ben finally asked.
"Why are you here, Julius-sama?"
After a few seconds of silence, Ben spoke first, asking the Wizard King the reason for his visit.
"You know the reason, Ben... the whole kingdom is waiting for you... we are waiting for you to lead us."
Hearing Ben's question, Julius gave a speech with a righteous expression. If it wasn't for Ben knowing Julius' personality, he wouldn't have believed it.
Ben knew he couldn't escape from this no matter what he tried.
sigh~
With a helpless sigh, Ben agreed to return to the capital with the Wizard King.
Hage Village Cemetery...
After completing his morning routine, Ben once again returned to Hage Village and visited his mother's grave.
When he saw the gravestone wording on it, Ben was a little stunned. Beneath the bold words "Ben's Mother," her name was also mentioned: Julia Kira.
"____"
Calmly, while Ben was spending some time with his mother in silence, both Nebra and Noelle placed a flower at the grave and stood beside him silently.
After half an hour, they left the village with the help of Julius, who teleported them back to the capital in a matter of seconds.
Clover Kingdom...
Capital...
One after another, Ben, Nebra, and Noelle appeared along with the Wizard King Julius, standing before a huge gate.
"Where are we?"
Looking at the unfamiliar place, Ben glanced around cautiously.
He thought he would be teleported to the Wizard King's palace back in the capital.
"It's your home. Welcome back, Benjamin-sama."
A middle-aged man with a few patches of white in his hair, who was standing before the huge gate, hurried towards him and called out respectfully, tears streaming from his eyes.
"____"
Looking at the overly emotional old man before him, Ben was left speechless, not recognizing who this man was.
"Let me introduce you to the royal guard of your father. His name is Harry."
Seeing Ben signalling for help, the Wizard King stepped in and introduced the overly emotional man before him.
Hearing that the old man before him was the one who safeguarded his mother and him when the whole kingdom was hunting them, Ben was a little taken aback and immediately helped the old man to stand back up.
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(Author's POV)
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