Chapter 294: The Gates of Heaven (1)

After parting ways with Khalid, I remained alone in my room, organizing the information he had given me. “Han Dae-Soo, hmm. Come to think of it, we share the same surname.”

That thought occurred to me as I sorted through everything in my head, but I didn’t dwell on it. The surname “Han” was not uncommon in the Republic. Besides, I was an orphan. Just sharing a surname wasn’t enough to establish any kind of connection between the Prophet of Eternity and me. Still, one thing bothered me. I had been told as a child that the name “Dale Han” was given to me by one of the orphanage’s sponsors. After a moment of thought, I activated my Hero Watch and contacted Albert.

His familiar voice came through the device. “Ah, D-Dale. What is it? Did something go wrong with the video we released earlier?”

“No, nothing like that. I just wanted to get the contact details of an orphanage,” I replied.

“An orphanage?”

“Yeah. It’s one run by the Republic. The name was... hold on.” I rummaged through the hazy drawers of my memory, searching for it. “Sprout...”

“Huh?”

“It was called Sprout Orphanage. Can you find their contact info for me?”

“Ah, yeah. Of course. Something like that won’t take long.” There was a rustling sound as he told me to wait a moment. “Uh, Dale.”

“Yeah?” I replied.

“I don’t think it’s operating anymore.”

“It’s not?”

“Yeah. According to the records, it shut down about four years ago.”

Four years ago was right when I had just enrolled in the Hero Academy. For a government-run orphanage, the one I grew up in wasn’t in bad condition at all. It hadn’t seemed like a place that would shut down. Usually, orphanages struggled financially just to provide regular meals, but that had never been an issue at Sprout.

In my previous life, I was too busy adjusting to the academy to even notice it had closed. And after graduation, I had gone straight into mercenary work, never once checking whether the orphanage was still running.

“Can you look into that orphanage a bit more? Old operational records and things like that,” I asked Albert.

“Yeah, give me a second,” he replied.

More rustling followed. A few minutes later, Albert said, “I’ve gathered everything I can for now... But this really was a government-run facility, right?”

“Yeah. Why?” I asked.

“I mean, for a government-run place, the facilities and finances were surprisingly good.”

“Well, it wasn’t a bad place.”

“Hmm, it looks like one of the sponsors donated a pretty large amount of money.”

“Do you know who that sponsor was?” I asked.

“That’s the thing...” Albert trailed off. “It’s been quite a while since the orphanage shut down. Digging up information on the sponsors will take some time.”

“That’s fine. It’s not urgent. Can you look into it?”

“Yeah. I’ll send one of our guild members over to investigate. I’ll have them contact you as soon as they’re done.”

“Alright.”

“Hehe. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Had Albert ever felt this reliable before? I let out a chuckle and nodded. “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. This is nothing between friends.”

“Still, between the last incident and everything else, I feel like I’ve been relying on you a lot lately,” I said. Especially after the video incident, his help had become increasingly frequent.

“T-then, Dale, I wouldn’t exactly call it a trade, but... could you do me a favor?” Albert asked.

“What is it?”

“Well, I-I went to a cosplay cafe in Valhalla City recently.”

“A cosplay cafe?”

What’s with him now? I wondered.

“Ah, um, it’s a place where staff dressed in cute outfits serve you,” he explained.

“Ah, I see.” Now that I thought about it, Jules had also mentioned something like that before.

“I found a girl there that I really liked,” Albert said.

“Oh?”

So, spring has finally come for Albert too, huh? I thought.

“Y-you’re popular with girls, Dale, right? I was wondering if you could give me some advice,” Albert asked shyly.

“I mean, it’s not like I have any great advice to give.”

“Please!” Albert practically shouted, his voice full of desperation.

“Do you at least have a picture of her?” I asked, deciding to listen to his request.

“N-no. Photos aren’t allowed there. But she’s really beautiful! Blonde hair, a really slender figure, kind of like a noble lady, you know? Hehe.”

This guy’s completely fallen for her.

“Well, I’d need to know more about her before I can give you any real advice,” I replied.

“T-then, if you’re free today, do you want to come to the cafe with me?”

“You want me to go with you?”

“Y-yeah! If we go now, she should still be there!” Albert said excitedly.

“Hmm.”

Part of me wondered if it was really appropriate to be leisurely visiting a cosplay cafe at a time like this. Then again, it was not like staying cooped up in the dorm would accomplish anything. As long as I had no idea where the Prophet of Eternity was or what he was planning, there wasn’t much I could do.

Training wasn’t really meaningful to me either anymore. After I had absorbed even the Demon God’s embers, training had become little more than a way to maintain my senses, nothing that would significantly improve my level anymore. I figured I could repay Albert for all the help he had given me lately.

So, I gave in to his request. “Alright, let’s go.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s meet at the school gate in thirty minutes!”

“Got it.” I ended the call and got up from the bed. “Alright then. Guess I’ll wash up first.”

* * *

Albert was on his way to the meeting spot when he heard someone calling his name.

“Hey, Albert?”

Albert turned around. The one calling him had golden hair that looked as if it had been forged from molten gold and a face so handsome that even another man would instinctively let out a breath of admiration. It was Yuren Helios, a figure so famous that everyone in the academy knew him.

“Y-Yuren? What are you doing here?” Albert asked.

“I was just heading back to my room,” Yuren replied.

“Ah, right. You’re in Building A too, aren’t you?”

They hadn’t interacted much since last year’s final evaluation, but recently, they had ended up in the same class, exchanging greetings whenever they passed by.

“Come to think of it... I heard you helped Dale this time?” Yuren said.

“Hm? You mean the orphanage thing?” Albert asked.

“Orphanage? No, I meant the video incident.”

“Oh, that.” Albert nodded with an awkward smile.

Yuren showed a look of curiosity. “But what’s this about an orphanage? Did Dale ask you for something again?”

“Y-yeah. He asked me to look into an orphanage in the Republic.”

“I see.”

“I sent one of our guild members over there to investigate.”

“You really help Dale out a lot,” Yuren muttered.

“Come on, we’re friends. Oh, and today, Dale’s going to help me instead!”

“Dale is helping you?”

Albert nodded enthusiastically. “Yep!”

“With what?” Yuren asked.

“Ah, t-that’s....”

“It’s fine if it’s hard to say.”

“Hehe. Sorry.” Albert wasn’t close enough to Yuren to casually admit he had taken an interest in a girl.

“Are you on your way to meet Dale now?” Yuren asked.

“Yeah! We’re going to that... cosplay cafe in Valhalla City together.”

“A cosplay cafe?” For a moment, Yuren’s eyes gleamed coldly. “If it’s a cosplay cafe, isn’t that the kind of place where female staff wear suggestive outfits while serving?”

“Ahem! W-when you put it like that, it sounds like some shady business! It’s not like that!”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s just... a place where you can escape your boring daily life and enjoy a liiittle bit of fantasy?”

Yuren’s gaze turned even colder. “I see.”

“A-anyway! You’re a guy too, Yuren! You get it, right?” Albert said.

“Yeah, I understand very well.”

“R-right? Ahem.” Albert cleared his throat unnecessarily and quickened his pace. “Well, I should get going. I’ve got to meet Dale soon!”

“Yeah. Have fun.”

Watching Albert’s retreating figure, Yuren slowly clenched his fist. “Heh, so, Dale’s still full of energy. Even after spending time with all of us together?”

Muttering in a chilling tone, he activated his Hero Watch. “Iris? I need to talk to you for a moment.”

* * *

Standing at the cafe’s entrance with Albert, I couldn’t help but take a step back. Photos of female staff in all kinds of outfits were plastered everywhere. “This is the cafe you were talking about?”

“Y-yeah. This is ‘Heaven’s Door,’” Albert replied.

“Heaven’s Door, huh.”

I felt like I had heard that name somewhere before, but I couldn’t remember when. The memory was hazy, like something I had only heard in passing. Regardless, I could figure that out once I went in. So, I followed Albert inside.

A staff member approached us. “Welcome, Masters! Table for two?”

“Y-yes!” Albert replied.

“Hehe. No need to be nervous. Just relax, relax! Heaven’s Door always welcomes its masters with open arms!” said the staff member.

“Hehe, okay.”

“Please come this way and take a seat. Oh, do you have anyone you’d like to request?”

Albert replied, “Ah, um, J-Julien, please.”

“Okay, sureee!” The staff member stepped away, her service smooth and practiced.

Albert turned to me. “Ahem. So? They’re all pretty, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” I narrowed my eyes slightly as I glanced around at the busy staff.

Something felt off. If I had to put it in words, I didn’t know why, but this place gave me a creeping sense of instinctive rejection.Just as I frowned, unable to pinpoint the source, my gaze met the waitress who had apparently stolen Albert’s heart.

The waitress said, “Tada! Nice to meet you, Masters! I’m your very own angel, Julien.”

As I made eye contact with the person greeting us, time froze.

No, wait. What is Jules doing here?