Chapter 77: Sunflower Dreams

Sena sat in a garden filled with flowers. The bench was sitting was well-made and the scent of flowers reaches her nose. She could see the children running around in the courtyard of the house. They are bubbly children filled with hope. She cannot help but smile at them when they look at her way.

Her left arm was wrapped in bandages. It got shattered when she blocked a blow from an Orc Champion. An Orc Champion was similar to an Ascended Knight in terms of strength. She has never seen them before now she understood how dangerous they are. They were brutish and they fight very well. If it wasn’t for making a gamble then her head would have been looped by that Orc Champion. She only survived by pouring her mana in the tip of her sword.

The air strike killed the Orc Champion but in return, she had to suffer a broken left arm and three fractured ribs. She was after all still inexperienced in real combat. She fought bandits and the others like but they were not on the same level as the Orc Champion. That Orc Champion fought many battles and it only fell merely because of a gamble that went wrong. Sena has the knowledge and the skills of a heroic soul inside hers. But it didn’t mean she could completely integrate everything. If she describes it, then it would be like forging. She was still like a sword still being tempered through fire and blood.

Sena learned how things are. She was not that arrogant to say that she has understood everything. She learned how badly a mistake could cause her. If it wasn’t for a mistake she definitely wouldn’t find herself sitting in this place. She could not imagine her old self, sitting in this place, hawking over innocent children.

To Sena, they possessed the purest of hopes and dreams. She comes to orphanages and churches like this to remind herself of her dreams. Even she would fall to despair when faced with hopelessness and tough times. She is an ascended knight, but before that, she was a human and importantly a woman.

She also has things she likes and things she would do to calm herself down. She was great when it comes to fighting but there are times where she would feel afraid and helpless too. It was just that as a Saclea, she must never turn her back on what she fears. Her father once told her and her father’s father told her so. She must never fear, for that is the true killer. Only the bold is favored by fortune. And she believes that rightly.

She looks at the children once again. Beneath their feet is a ball made of leather that was stuffed with cotton. She brought the ball from the marketplace. She never forgets to buy any presents for the children of any orphanage she visits. She learned that visiting them and not giving them any presents would upset them. The kids were a bit cheeky and they are playful. Sena is a good learner thus she now knows ways to please the children.

The children laugh as they pass the ball around. Boy or girl, they cherished the ball that the lady brought them. They knew that she was a noble. And to them, nobles are strict and sometimes grimy. But the noble that give them the ball was different. She was a princess and the scars on her armor made her even charming. The boys and girl adored her golden hair, the boys for how pretty she was and for the girl, for how they would like their hair to be as translucent gold as hers.

They would prefer staring at the noble knight before them. But that would be rude. Their sister mother would scold them. Not to mention they rather not anger the smiling beauty. They like her and for days she has visited, it brought them happiness. No one really cares about them. And the fact that once they grow old enough to use their arms or flail their limbs. They would be sent to different places to be trained. The girls would be sent to healer hubs while the boys sent to encampments to be trained by veteran soldiers. Once they are old enough they would be free to go. But mostly they would be sent to the front-lines at best.

The orphanage, after all, can’t feed them forever. The Church is generously feeding them through the donations and the coin that the nobles gave them. That’s why despite being young, the boys and girls have accepted their fate. Some took it rightly, while some were scared while some are nonchalant about it.

They played till sweat filled with their forehead. Sena watched them closely while moving her left arm around. It was broken but it should be healed for another two days. Susan was quite a good healer and despite how it shattered to shards by receiving a Warhammer. She could not move it around thanks to her.

Still, she has to take care of it. It still aches and even her ribs felt like it was still burning, Miracles or not, there are times where healing spells cannot do anything. After all, miracle healing spells restore the parts of the body that were lost or broken. It means that it is a new part and she has to retrain it again. She didn’t want that hence she rather heal it naturally. Susan understood her so she let it slide. But her ribs, they were restored, although not as strong as ever compared to her well-trained bones.

It was troubling, Sena thinks. But even so, she still has to live with it. That’s why she’s still in this town. She needs the rest and she wasn’t like everyone. She might be able to travel even with her left arm broken. But the others were weaker than her. And since the war leader that accompanied them has left the war band. She can only rely on her own self and the teachings that the war leader bestowed upon her.

...

A nun trotted lightly within the flagstones. She hung on her elbows a basket. She was moving while the tip of her robe caressed the flagstones. She saw a person with golden hair in the bench. Approaching with a smile, she trotted like a feline cat and said.

“Hello, Miss.”

“Ah, Good afternoon Sister, is everything all right?”

Sena saw the nun who called out to her. She wore a customary smile befitting of her noble stature.

“Everything is fine dear milady, would you care to partake of the bread that children made? You have given them happiness and this is all they could offer you.”

“Gladly.” said Sena, “Please sit Sister, the bench is free to use. No need for courtesy.”

“Thank you milady,” she sat on the bench. “It has been a time since you come to this place milady. I am quite surprised to find someone interested in playful children’s.”

“They always say that to me,” said Sena, shaking her head. “I just enjoy watching them.”

“Indeed, their pure nonchalant actions calm the heart. Anyone would want to go back to being a child. No worries, and no problems and they only think of playing.”

“Indeed, that’s why they are so special. “

Sena smiled.

“I like seeing them. They calm me really well. And they make me nostalgic.”

“I see.” said the Nun. “It seems that the lady is fond of them. I did receive a letter that you might be visiting. I thought of it as some inspection, but to think that a lady would spend her time here.”

“True, I should spend time resting in my room or taking care of my party.” she laughs. “But I can’t help it, I really do. Some enjoy drinking wine, some enjoy smoking a pipe. But I enjoy watching, observing, and since I cannot use my sword, I rather sit around in this place. I do say that the garden is wonderful.”

“I trimmed them every morning. And I make sure that the kids don’t thrash them. It is the only thing that we sisters here can do other than care for the children or pray near the altar after all.”

“I like it.” she said. “Especially that flower there, what’s it called?”

“Ah that, that is the sun flower.”

“Sunflower,” Sena looked at the flower. “They indeed look like the sun, and they are quite rare-looking. How come the other orphanages don’t have them?”

“The seeds were given by someone from the eastern tall lands. I believe that there is a whole field of sunflowers out there. The giver of the seed was fond of the seed and handed it to this orphanage as spare.”

“They are beautiful,” Sena said. “I am fond of them.”

“If you are so fond of them then why not take one milady?”

“I would...but Sister, you should know that I travel a lot. I cannot put it any vase or on my horse. Well, there is my carriage, but it is mostly beaten and thrashed already.”

“Then about a necklace?”

“A necklace...in the form of the sun-like flower I presume?”

‘Yes, although it is not the same as the flower or had any scent of it. It still has the appearance of the flower.”

The Nun said excitedly.

“Where is this necklace? And is it okay for me to have it?”

“Of course it is! Absolutely milady, we have quite a few and since most of us were given by that wanderer from the eastern taller lands, we have cherished. We have another one, please wait here!”

The nun said with enthusiasm. Sena smiled as she watches the nun run back to the orphanage. It was unbefitting for a sister of a church to run but she found it amusing. The nun came back after a few minutes and she saw her holding a necklace that looks like the flower sprouting in one part of the garden.

“How lovely, it is finely crafted”

“Isn’t it?”

The necklace was made with quality craftsmanship. It was painted with the right colors and the string looked high quality too. Sena believes that this came from the hands of an eastern craftsman. She heard that their craftsmanship is wonderful but seeing the accessory made her feel like the rumors were true.

“Is it really okay?”

Sena took the necklace. She inspected it and found it incredibly beautiful. The sunflower in the garden was pleasing to the eyes and certainly, it gives off the same vibe as seeing one.

“Of course milady, think of this as a present from this orphanage, a present for you and a reminder of this place.”

“I see...I shall take it gratefully then.”

She took the necklace. She then stared at it before trying to wear it. But alas, she remembered her broken arm, she can only smile at the nun, who then took the necklace back and fix it on Sena’s neck. The sunflower necklace dangled near her breastplate. Sena looked at the necklace with a smile.

“Do you find to your liking milady?”

“Yes,” Sena said. “I liked it.”

‘That’s great.”

The nun said.

“I appreciate this sister; it is a gift that I will cherish.”

Sena said truthfully. She liked the flower and to her, this gift would remind her that there is a flower field filled with sunflowers out there. And somehow, she dreamt of going there. She dreamt of seeing that fields of sunflower. She was simple, and aside from becoming a knight, she dreamed of seeing wonderful places.

That was her dream before wanting to become a female knight. She dreamt of unimaginable places and adventures that would blind her eyes. She dreamt of those things when hears about them. And even though it was a former dream, Sena thought, maybe she will see some of the world’s beauty along the way.