The large house was now left with only Winnie, yet to his surprise, he felt a sense of freedom. The next morning, he woke up feeling much better, his mood lifted as well.
Perhaps it was because he had found a new direction in life—just stacking up Virtue points, or rather, farming Virtue.
He was a little hooked.
What surprised Winnie even more was that after he forcefully dismissed Dark, Dark, acting as someone else's spy, had really left without lingering, his presence completely absent from the courtyard the next day.
Winnie had expected that Dark would hang around for a while, either clinging on or pretending to be clueless, thinking that after some time, Winnie’s anger would dissipate and he would retract the dismissal.
Even though the Aeciphysis family had fallen from grace, they were still considered noble, and Dark, as a spy, must have been promised something significant. He wouldn’t give up until he had received his reward, or so Winnie thought.
It seemed now that Dark had some sense of self-preservation, or perhaps the person behind him had simply grown tired and no longer thought that a little shrimp like him could stir any waves, so they dismissed the spy to avoid leaving any trace.
Winnie got up early, walked down the creaky stairs, grabbed a few bites of stale black bread, and headed out of the courtyard, not even bothering to lock the door.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net, it has been stolen.
All his possessions were on him, and his home was so shabby that even a thief would shed a tear if they visited, leaving behind just a few copper coins or so. He wasn’t worried about anyone breaking in.
However, instead of heading straight to the church to pray, he went to the slums again.
Even though, with his current savings, giving a single copper coin pained him, he still decided to explore the full mechanism of the Virtue system.
"Hey, kind old man, you're back again?" It was a coincidence that he ran into the beggar he had previously given a coin to. The beggar, in ragged clothes, seemed happy to see the young master, as any other noble would walk around him in disgust, let alone offer charity.
"Tch, it’s you again?" Winnie raised an eyebrow, then pulled a copper coin from his pocket and tossed it to the beggar. "I happen to have some spare change today. Take it, you dirty, stinky guy."
"Ah! You’re too generous!" The beggar’s eyes lit up, immediately taking the coin.
With the 'Virtue +1' notification appearing in his field of vision, Winnie smiled.
Just as he had expected.
It was just like daily tasks in a game, they could be refreshed. Similarly, the Virtue system worked the same way—after he donated and earned Virtue today, he could donate again tomorrow and earn more, albeit only a small amount each time.
Now, both the beggar and Winnie were happy. The beggar had received alms, and Winnie had stacked up more Virtue.
Both had bright futures ahead.
Winnie now had 5 Virtue points.
He went to the junk shop again, bought some candies, and went to the orphanage to distribute them to the children there. He spent the afternoon playing with them as well.
"Hahaha!" As he saw his Virtue accumulating little by little, Winnie couldn’t stop smiling. The orphanage director was also deeply moved.
What a good person! He had said he didn’t come often, but now he was almost coming every day, spending time and money on charity, and so happy about it. He was truly a great person!
"Big brother, you’re here again."
"Stupid brat, I didn’t come to play with you, what are you crowding me for?"
"Oh, you must’ve lost last time and got scared, huh?" The little boy pouted.
"Scared? Last time, it was you who lost, you silly little brat. Looks like the lesson I gave you last time wasn’t enough, huh?"
After handing out the candies and playing with the children, Winnie earned another 2 Virtue points, bringing his total to 7.
After lunch, Winnie left the church contentedly. Though tired, he felt like he had earned a lot.
Whistling as he left, not long after, a striking figure walked out from the main building of the orphanage.
A silver-haired girl, like a fairy, appeared on the old street. She seemed out of place in the mundane world, as if a fairy had descended into the mortal realm. Her ethereal beauty clashed with the reality around her, making her stand out like the brightest star, as if she was the main character wherever she went.
Even though she was dressed casually today, with a uniform top and a red plaid pleated skirt, her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her hair was tied in a princess braid with a large black bow behind her, and at the hem of her skirt, a violet jade stone matching her eye color was fastened. Her enticing black stockings reached her knees, paired with leather boots.
"Aeciphysis-sama!" Upon seeing the beautiful silver-haired girl, the children rushed up to her, surrounding her and chattering nonstop. She seemed to be very well-liked by the children in the orphanage.
Her eyes, filled with a smile, briefly glanced at the figure who had already walked far away. A trace of coldness and meaning flashed across her eyes, but it was gone in an instant. She then looked down at the children.
"Did you have fun playing earlier~?"
"It was okay, but that big brother was so bad, it wasn’t even fun."
"Does that big brother often come here to play games with you?" Aeciphysis smiled with sincere warmth. Anyone who saw such a pure, soul-stirring smile would probably open their heart to her.
"No, he just started coming recently. He’s really clumsy, and his tone was so bad, but when he played with us, he was patient," the boy said with a pout.
"I see."
"Aeciphysis-sama," the director of the orphanage came over, respectfully bowing to Aeciphysis. The reason for his respect was simple—this beautiful silver-haired girl was the big benefactor of their orphanage, and her donations were almost as much as the Church's.
She was both beautiful and kind-hearted. The phrase "beautiful and kind-hearted" couldn’t be more fitting for Aeciphysis.
The old director used to have some prejudice against nobles, thinking they were all arrogant and looked down on commoners. But now, he had realized that not all nobles were the same. People like Winnie and Aeciphysis, who treated others with kindness, existed, though Winnie’s way of expressing himself seemed more awkward.
"It’s no trouble at all, Director. Please prepare some tea and snacks for me," Aeciphysis said politely.
"Not at all. If it weren't for your support, we wouldn’t have made it through this winter. I should be the one thanking you," the old director said with a smile, looking at the children. "It’s me who should thank you."
"It’s just a small thing," Aeciphysis smiled carelessly. "Before the Goddess bestows blessings, thank you for taking care of these children who have no luck with fate."
"That’s my duty."
After chatting with the director for a while, Aeciphysis left the orphanage.
She had been having tea there before Winnie arrived, so naturally, she had been observing everything that happened after he came.
It wasn’t the behavior that was strange, but the person.
These actions didn’t belong to him.
That person, who in the previous life had fallen into the hands of a demonic cult, causing destruction and leading to her death.
Thinking back to what she had seen before, whether in this life or the last, it was clear that these weren’t things he would do.
But why was he pretending?
Aeciphysis narrowed her eyes.
She needed to observe what this villain was up to again. Besides...
She still hadn’t avenged her previous life’s grudge.