Daytime, Southeast of Igwynt, The Charity Orphanage.
The Igwynt Charity Orphanage, situated in the southeastern suburbs of Igwynt, is one of the city’s few welfare institutions. Apart from this, there are also several relief centers, but Charity Orphanage is the only one specifically for orphans. Although its existence barely scratches the surface of Igwynt’s severe problem with homeless children, it still serves a purpose.
Like many educational institutions, the Charity Orphanage was initially established by the Radiance Church and deeply influenced by its doctrine. It originally aimed to cultivate the most loyal and fervent servants for the Radiant Saints.
However, as national and capitalist powers rose across the world, the Radiance Church gradually compromised, ceding some of its domains to administrative authorities and social capital. For instance, although St. Amanda’s School still carries the prefix "Saint," it is now controlled by a board with ties to the White Craftsmen’s Guild. Similarly, the Charity Orphanage has evolved into a joint venture between the Church and public entities.
The orphanage is nestled within a small grove. Following a side road off Grace Avenue into the shaded trees, a 40–50-meter walk brings you to high stone walls and an iron gate. These walls enclose a large green space, within which stand two or three old, wide, and low buildings. Small children run across the trampled grass, playing games, chasing one another, or kicking a football.
Inside the largest building at the center of the green space, a modest classroom equipped with a blackboard occupies the upper floor. Sitting by the window at a desk, dressed in a simple outfit, Dorothy corrects several poorly written assignments. Around her, a group of children wearing worn clothes, averaging about eight or nine years old, watch her with wide, eager eyes, their expressions brimming with anticipation.
Finally, Dorothy finishes marking the ten or so assignments, exhales a long breath of relief, and surveys the bright-eyed gazes around her. Summoning her energy, she smiles and speaks.
"Alright, I’m done now!"
"Are you done, Ms. Mayschoss? Who got an ’A’ this time?"
The children chatter excitedly, their voices overlapping. Smiling, Dorothy pulls a few items out of her pocket and announces cheerfully.
"This time... it’s Pick, Wood, and Anna! These are your rewards: a small red flower and some candy."
As she speaks, Dorothy stands, pasting the paper red flowers she cut out herself onto the wall beside the names of the corresponding children. Then, she places the candy in front of them. The children cheer joyfully.
"Teacher, that’s not fair! Anna already has five red flowers today!" A slightly taller boy complains, his face disgruntled.
Dorothy responds with a gentle smile.
"It’s completely fair, Daniel. Every red flower Anna has earned is through her own effort. If you want more, you’ll just have to work harder next time. I’m sure, with your ability, you can win even more red flowers!"
"Good. Work hard next time! Alright, everyone, take your assignments back now. I’ve written explanations for all the errors, so make sure to review them carefully."
Sitting by the window, Dorothy watches the children scatter, a long sigh of relief escaping her lips as she finally relaxes.
This marks Dorothy’s second week of participating in the social practice course. Over the past two weekends, she has used her school-issued recommendation letter to volunteer as a tutor here, accumulating credits for her social practice requirement.
While Dorothy could skip other classes as long as she passed the exams later, this annoying social practice course was something she had to complete herself. Determined not to let a zero in this category ruin her final grades and invite questions from Gregor, Dorothy had no choice but to persevere.
Since Dorothy had prior experience as a private tutor, she chose to work at the orphanage as a volunteer tutor. Initially, she anticipated dealing with a bunch of unruly kids and had mentally prepared herself for the worst. To her surprise, these children were unexpectedly obedient and well-behaved, far from the annoying, mischievous "brats" she had encountered in her past life.
Reflecting on this, Dorothy attributed the difference to their environments. The material abundance and indulgence in her original world naturally gave rise to spoiled children, but the harsh realities of this world left these children with no such luxury. Here, street children and child labor were widespread, and kids were forced to face societal hardships prematurely. Even the orphans in this institution frequently participated in organized labor to earn money that helped sustain the orphanage. Unfamiliar with pampering or indulgence, they simply couldn’t afford to act out.
Understanding their circumstances, Dorothy began bringing candies to class each time. Drawing on distant memories of kindergarten, she crafted small red flowers to award as prizes, along with other gifts. These gestures earned her the children’s affection, and the rare chance to savor candy made her classes especially popular.
Sitting in her chair, Dorothy watched the young faces of children not much younger than herself, diligently working at their desks. A surge of emotion rose in her heart. Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Excuse me, Ms. Mayschoss..."
Turning her head, Dorothy saw an eight or nine-year-old girl standing beside her. The girl wore a faded dress, her golden hair tied into two braids. With a slightly rounded face and large blue eyes, she looked up at Dorothy.
"Ah, Anna, is there something you need?" Dorothy asked.
The girl responded hesitantly.
"Teacher, I just won another red flower, but you forgot to give me candy."
Hearing this, Dorothy smiled gently and explained.
"Oh, Anna, you’ve been amazing today, earning so many red flowers. But eating too much candy isn’t good for your teeth, so I decided not to give you more this time."
"Really? Eating too much candy is bad for your teeth?"
Anna’s face showed both disappointment and curiosity. Dorothy chuckled softly and opened her bag, replying as she rummaged through it.
"That’s right. So even when you’re free to eat candy as much as you like, remember not to overdo it. It can harm your teeth and even make you sick. But since you didn’t get candy this time, I’ve prepared something else for you."
From her bag, Dorothy pulled out a storybook and handed it to Anna.
"You’ve been my best student these past few days, so this book is for you. It’s full of stories."
"Really? Thank you so much, Teacher!"
Anna’s eyes lit up as she took the book. For a child living in an orphanage, receiving a gift was a rare delight.
Hugging the book tightly, Anna ran her hand over its cover. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked up at Dorothy.
"Ms. Mayschoss, you’ve been so kind to us even though you’ve only been here a few days. We all want to thank you. That’s why we suggested to Sister Diedre to invite you to the charity performance in two days! We’ll be performing there!"
"The charity performance?" Dorothy asked, surprised.
Anna nodded enthusiastically and explained.
"Oh, I almost forgot—Teacher, you’re not from Igwynt, so you wouldn’t know. Let me tell you!"
With that, Anna tapped her forehead, organizing her thoughts before continuing.
"The charity performance is an event hosted every year by Igwynt’s famous philanthropist, Viscount Field. He invites wealthy people from all over Igwynt to attend. At the performance, Viscount Field leads a call for donations to help Igwynt’s poor.”
"They’ve been holding it for six years now. Each year, Viscount Field and the other donors contribute large sums of money to improve the lives of people like us. Many have been saved because of this.”
"As per the Viscount’s wishes, orphans like us are a key focus of the aid. That’s why our orphanage performs at the performance every year to gain more attention. At the end of the event, Viscount Field even adopts one of us! So everyone cherishes this opportunity!"