The Moonlight Swordsman

Aizel was wondering about all the sword techniques he could try out with his new sword as he strolled down the street.

Just as he was passing by the small houses, he noticed a small alley where some children around 7-8 years old were sleeping on the floor around dirt and garbage.

"Why the hell are they sleeping here, and why is everyone ignoring them?" Aizel pondered as he approached them.

He was taken aback by the miserable conditions these children were living in. Three boys and two girls were sleeping soundly, careless of the smell of garbage.

Aizel woke up one of the boys to inquire about their condition.

The child awoke with his eyes still heavy from sleep. The five of them were too thin and looked like they hadn't eaten in a while, so he appeared to be severely undernourished.

"Where is your parents' kid? Why are you sleeping in this place? Do you not have a place to live?" Aizel asked the kid while kneeling down.

"We are orphans; we used to live in an orphanage, but noble families destroyed our home, and some of us even died." While telling Aizel about their past, the kid broke down in tears.

Aizel didn't know how to comfort him, but he felt sorry for them; they were like him, all alone with no one to talk to, whereas Aizel had Dr. Shelly to talk to.

"Hey, kid, do you want something to eat?" With a gentle smile, Aizel asked the kid.

While wiping his tears, the kid hurriedly nodded. He went to the other kids and woke them up as well. Finally, someone is ready to help them; they must not pass up this opportunity.

The other kids woke up while glancing toward Aizel.

"Come along with me." As the five of them began walking closely behind him, Aizel warned them not to get lost.

Some people turned to look at them because it was the first time they had seen anyone helping those kids. But after a glance, everyone became involved in what they were doing.

"People in this world don't care about anything; Daisy was right—only power and strength matter in this world." Aizel thought while taking the kids to his inn restaurant.

People in the inn stared at Aizel and the kids as they entered the inn and made their way to the restaurant.

The kids were afraid that they would be thrown out of the restaurant. Aizel called the waiter, and the waiter rushed to his table to take his order.

"Bring five meals for the kids and one Alesmith beer for me." Aizel gave the order as the waiter nodded and left.

"So do you guys have a name?" Aizel asked while eyeing every one of the kids.

"Oliver is my name," the boy who was woken up by Aizel said first.

"My name is Seth, and this is Justin," the second boy said, pointing to the third.

"My name is Ruth, and this is Emma." One of the girls introduced herself while pointing out the other one.

Emma rose from her chair and made a bow while saying, "tthhhnnkk uuu."

"She can't communicate properly," Ruth informed Aizel as he patted Emma on the head.

"Don't worry, you can eat as much as you want." With a gentle smile, Aizel said.

As Emma sat back, the food arrived, as did the beer for Aizel. The children began eating furiously because they were clearly hungry. Who knows how many days they went without eating?

While sipping his beer, Aizel asked the waiter to bring more food for the children.

"Look at you having fun all by yourself." They were interrupted by a voice, and Aizel turned to face the person.

The kids became terrified, believing that they would be in trouble because of them.

"Don't be worried; she's a friend," Aizel stated as the individual was none other than Alisha.

Alisha sat down beside Aizel.

"I apologize for not being able to arrive earlier; there were some issues with the upcoming mission that we needed to resolve," Alisha spoke quickly, as she thought Aizel might be pissed at her.

"It's fine; I already went to the weapon shop to examine the sword; it's of an uncommon grade," Aizel spoke while taking a sip of his beer.

"Uncommon grade, not bad; by the way, why are all these kids with you?" Alisha asked while glancing toward the kids.

"I found them in an alley; they are orphans with nowhere to live. I'm thinking about renting them a room here." While ordering another beer, Aizel said.

"Oh, you're that kind of person, huh? It's unusual to see you guys." With a smile on her face, Alisha said.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"No one cares about anyone else except themselves; everyone wants to become more powerful or gain more benefits for themselves."

"I assumed you were the same, but I am glad to know you are not," Alisha spoke, while Aizel didn't say anything.

"Why not join us in goblin subjugation? You'll need a lot of money to take care of them from now on, and the rewards for the raid are quite good. If you perform well, the Rosewell family may grant you one wish." Alisa said while trying to convince Aizel to join them.

"What should I do? My expenses will undoubtedly skyrocket from now on if I want to keep taking care of the kids until I find a suitable home for them. They know I'm too strong for them, so they're not going to try to double-cross me." Aizel began to think about all the advantages and disadvantages of the mission.