Became the Villainess’s Guardian

I haven’t visited the orphanage since retrieving Freugne from the factory.
It was unavoidable, as I could hardly spare the time with the deadline so close.

But those all-nighters and the subsequent two months are finally over.
The ordeal I had to endure has come to an end. I worked hard on the development, so now production facilities must follow through.

Even at this very moment, the first air conditioner version 1.0 units were rolling off the assembly line in the factory attached to the palace.
The investors who had first experienced its might placed orders to install them in their own factories and palaces, and word would gradually spread for more orders to follow.

As for compact home air conditioner production… that was postponed for the time being.
But having already pioneered a path, completion was merely a matter of time. Ceres Palace’s budget had increased thanks to this success as well, so progress was smooth.

“Hey, mister.”

Freugne, whom I was meeting again after two months thanks to this newfound availability, appeared healthy.
There were no obvious outward issues, and her mental state seemed fine as well.

“There’s just one thing I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you save me?”

“……”

“At the factory, and everywhere else, no one else paid any mind to just me.”

I stand corrected.
Freugne seemed rather haggard.

Her voice lacked energy, and upon closer inspection, there were faint dark circles under her eyes.
I didn’t know if she had accumulated this level of debilitation even without my presence, but I could envision her downward spiral into misanthropy culminating in an eventual breakdown.

Yes, it would be unconscionable to expect normalcy after a brush with death.

I couldn’t bring myself to respond with ‘Anyone would have done the same’, as it would clearly sound like utter nonsense to Freugne.
I was well aware of the news about the supervisor who had simply gone to sleep after dismissing the fire report.

After a brief contemplation, the answer I arrived at was somewhat candid yet fundamental.

“Just because it was you.”

“…Pardon?”

“I can’t say for certain everyone else would have done the same, but surely someone would have. This time, it just happened to be me.”

I decided to heap copious spiritual affirmations upon Freugne, who had directly faced the harsh realities of the world.

In truth, it wasn’t exactly a lie either.
Our initial encounter, and my ability to rush straight to the factory later, were simply ‘because it was Freugne’ and because she had shared her story with me. I had nothing to hide.

And for about ten minutes, I expounded on the preciousness of life and how warm the world could be.
As I rambled on by myself, I wondered if she might feel isolated, but Freugne’s expression had unexpectedly brightened considerably.

It was strange.
Too strange.

That the person who might have killed her ended up saving her life.
It was an array of words that seemed paradoxical to be strung together in the same sentence.

“Woah, Freugne!”

“Hm?”

“You’re alive!”

On the day Edan had carried her out of the factory,
Her workmate from the factory line lay on the adjacent bed as well.

Since Edan had hurriedly left mentioning some urgent matter, Freugne asked her about what had transpired instead.

“You mean he just barged right in when he heard you were still inside?”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

The information she obtained was… rather bewildering.

“Do you two have some special relationship or something?”

“A special relationship? It’s just a benefactor-recipient connection.”

“I-If you say so, I guess.”

Wasn’t she the one who had striven endlessly to escape that very ‘special relationship’?
So that even if they crossed paths later, they wouldn’t become more than awkward acquaintances pretending not to recognize each other.

‘But I can’t pretend ignorance after this, can I?’

Before even debating propriety or the way between people, she simply disliked herself for being unable to accept the kindness at face value instead of interpreting it with suspicion.

And yet, this train of thought did not descend into deep self-loathing.

About two months later, when Edan visited the orphanage again and asked,

“Why did you save me?”

“Just because it was you.”

“…Pardon?”

She could finally settle her wavering thoughts.
Freugne’s mental state was not so desolate that she was contemplating ways to kill Edan here.

Edan did go on to ramble about something else afterwards, but it didn’t quite register, as if her ears were submerged underwater.
After a while, Freugne regained her senses and changed the subject.
For some reason, continuing to listen made her feel her head would grow unnecessarily muddled.

“Was there anyone else there besides me?”

“No. I was told there were no fatalities, so surely there couldn’t have been anyone else?”

“No, it seems I must have… hallucinated at the time.”

It appeared she had not been in her right mind then, after all.
Logically speaking, there was no way a strange man spouting odd tales would be present in a burning factory.

The man in the white suit who had tried to tempt her with cliched lines about desiring power was likely just a hallucination.
In her defense, it had been a situation where maintaining sanity was difficult.

Her sole workplace had turned to ashes, and her belongings like bags and stationery stored there had met a similar fate.
She had yet to receive this week’s wages, but she didn’t expect to receive any going forward either. It was best not to expect, lest she be disappointed.

But in the midst of losing everything, she had also gained something.
The firm resolve she had made while facing death.

Of course, she still feared death and being betrayed by expectations.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

But.
She had resolved that she could not keep avoiding forever.

This time, Edan had been there, but what about next time?
Would she seek someone else’s aid, meekly sucking her thumb? Or obediently accept death if no one came?

And if Edan truly tried to kill her, what then?
Would she have no choice but to accept it meekly? But to turn the tables and threaten him at gunpoint claiming ‘this repays my debt’ before letting him go was just laughable.

So the conclusion was:

‘I need to cultivate my own power.’

Not the kind of power to win street brawls with thugs.
Instead, true meaningful power that would allow her to disperse them with a mere flick of her fingers.

Coincidentally, she possessed the ability to achieve that.
Perhaps not as a mere orphan, but given the right conditions and support, it was certainly possible.

“Ahaha… well, I’ve become unemployed again like this.”

“So what will you do now?”

“The upside is, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find another job.”

While not formally certified, she knew how to handle machinery to an extent.
Being literate and proficient with numbers, she met the minimum requirements for a mid-level manager or technician role – goals she had once aspired to achieve independently without relying on anyone.

If she had intended to continue pursuing that career path, all she would have needed was an appropriate age and longer work experience.
But if she no longer wished to avoid and evade, her options had broadened significantly.

And even if he truly tried to kill her someday, even if the attempts did not cease after just once or twice,
She could simply brush it off nonchalantly with a remark like, “Ahaha, is this really all the defiance you can muster?”

…Actually, that sounded like an oddly dark supervillain line just now.

In any case,
To return to the main point.

“I know it’s rather shameless to backtrack now, but…”

Even before she finished that preface, the implication was likely clear enough.
Fortunately, Edan nodded for her to continue.

“Would it be alright if I accept the offer you made previously?”

“Yes, I would like to receive your support as you mentioned, mister.”

From this moment onward, there could be no returning to her previous way of life.
The lifelong principle she had cherished like gold, of evading one brush with death after another, had been discarded into the rubbish bin.

And yet, she felt no regrets.
No, she even felt a sense of refreshing liberation.

The source of this swirling, tingling sensation was hope.
Hope stemming from the possibility of forging a better tomorrow with her own hands, and no one else’s.

After Edan left the orphanage, suggesting they discuss the details later,
Freugne remained alone in the room for a while, slowly chewing over their recent conversation.

It hadn’t been an extraordinary dialogue.
She had simply provided her answer regarding the previous promise to send her to school if her mind changed.

That should have been all there was to it.

‘Why did you save me?’

‘Just because it was you.’

But why, why did that particular part keep resurfacing in her mind?

It felt unjustly perplexing to dwell on it alone.
She wondered what Edan might be thinking at this very moment. Was he contemplating her response?

Gazing out the window at the door Edan had exited, Freugne continued pondering the nature of this unfamiliar emotion, but an answer did not immediately present itself.

The great invention of this age, setting industries ablaze while cooling factories.
While she didn’t know how it could be shortened to such a name, its inventor insisted on calling it the ‘air conditioner’.

And said inventor, Edan, was thoroughly reveling in his celebratory joy.

“Then do you have any role models or people you look up to?”

“Edan.”

“Who is that? A homonym perhaps?”

“The great man who… invented the air conditioner.”

“Ah……”

You absolute madman.
The journalist, who had barely maintained a poker face until the previous question, finally crumbled.

Having conducted interviews, he had thought himself inured to most outrageous remarks, but it seemed even he had limits.
However, whether his expression betrayed his thoughts or not, it was far from enough to dent Edan’s inflated ego.

He had invented the air conditioner!
He had saved this world from summer!
And on a slightly different note, he had sent Freugne to school to nurture a sound mind!

Edan’s mood was absolutely exuberant.
In any case, just as Freugne had assumed, he was indeed contemplating her.