Dear Anonymous Sponsor

Translated by: Miss Lassie

She came to the nursery to entrust herself, but she had no intention of releasing any information about herself. Judith touched her necklace, watching Millian suspiciously so that she could untie the chain if the need arises.

She could lightly manipulate his memory.

“What are you so nervous about?”

Millian looked embarrassed when he saw Judith’s body tensed up.

“Don’t worry. You’re not a suspect, and I’m not a policeman. I only wanted to ask you some simple questions.”

“…For example?”

“For example, I know you were sick before coming here, but are there any things you should avoid doing in your daily life?”

She observed him for a while, trying to determine whether or not he was serious, but Millian only raised his eyebrows lightly and showed no signs of malice. Eventually, Judith caved and murmured reluctantly.

“I shouldn’t run too fast, and it’s better not to go to places with polluted air. They told me not to do excessive activities because it will tire me out easily.”

“Hmm, was it bronchitis? Or did you suffer from severe pulmonary tuberculosis?”

“Something kinda similar to that.”

It wasn’t pulmonary tuberculosis, but she had been shot and underwent major surgery. Millian nodded his head.

“That’s good then. Kinsley has nice fresh air. You should refrain from overexerting yourself and doing strenuous activities.”

He scribbled his pen against the chart. Was he writing something down? At first glance, he looked like he was drawing.

“It’s a bit difficult to wash the kids, feed them, and put them to sleep. But it’ll be okay since you’ll just be helping Natia anyway. It would be a problem to go downtown. We mainly use bicycles because there’s a bit of a distance to walk.”

The morning sun streaming from the window was warm over the boy’s head, who was struggling with a pen in hand. Millian soon concluded.

“It’ll take about thirty minutes to go back and forth. I’ll have to carry you in the back.”

“…It must be heavy.”

“I carry two or three seven-year-olds over twenty kilograms back and forth, so you’re pretty good.”

“But…”

“The reason why the director allowed me to be your partner was that you’re weak, and you needed someone to help you around. So please don’t feel bad about it, Jude.”

Millian twirled the pen around his fingers and looked at her with eyes as if asking for her consent. His face looked bright and fresh except for the tiny ink on his lip where he bit the nib of his pen. It seemed ridiculous to doubt and harbor suspicious thoughts about him. Judith nodded her head consentingly.

‘It was just a false alarm earlier.’

Millian ended his questions after gathering information about her eating habits, food preferences, favorite colors and seasons, zodiac sign, and birth flower.

“Okay, this should be enough.”

“…Was that all?”

“We’ll get to know the rest of you, Miss Judith.”

Millian cheerfully suggested as he flipped the chart and swung his feet to the floor.

“Now that we’ve eaten breakfast, would you like to take a look around the nursery? That is if you’re not tired.

---

There were a total of forty-five children living in Wortherford Nursery as young as babies to twenty-two years old.

“Located in the basement are a food storage room and a bunker for emergencies, and on the first floor are the director’s room, a restaurant, an auditorium, and a playroom for children under ten. The second floor is used as a classroom, while the third to fifth floors are living quarters. The top is the attic.”

Boys and girls older than her and Millian saw them and waved happily at them. Some of them even came up and hugged Judith tightly.

“We have eight older siblings; Charlotte, Natia, Jane, Diane, Charlie, Ralph, Derek, and Gregory. Don’t hesitate to ask them if you need any assistance. They’ll help you with open arms.”

“…Okay.”

Judith walked down the corridor after Millian and suddenly stopped in her tracks. Outside the window, she saw a group of children holding hands and heading for the fir tree forest up north.

“…Millian, where are they going?”

“Huh? Oh, they’re going to Mr. Wirrius’ cabin to practice shooting.”

“Shooting?”

Judith’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer. Millian shrugged and added an explanation.

“Oh, so the curriculum hasn’t been explained to you yet. The children in our nursery learn practical things that they need to survive rather than going to school. The official language, political history, mathematics, gymnastics, shooting, and pharmacology are basic subjects.”

“But why shooting…”

Do general nurseries teach shooting and pharmacology? Although Judith had never been in a school or a foster institution before, she instinctively noticed that Wortherford was not a nursery that followed the usual curriculum.

But when she thought about it, it didn’t seem strange anymore. After all, her sponsor selected this place to entrust a child from Kilgeny’s Main tribe.

“…You surely don’t know anything, Jude.”

Millian, who was a step ahead, looked back at her. For the first time since meeting him, the light in his eyes disappeared from his usually bright face.

“Including you and me, do you know what all the kids have in common here?”

“What is it?”

“We were all abandoned by the world for whatever reason.”

Judith could see a deep scar buried underneath his calm voice and bright face.

“There’s no one in Wortherford who doesn’t have a backstory. If their parents died or their families abandoned them, don’t ask anyone about it. It’s an implicit rule between all of us.”

“…..”

“Anyway, it’s the director’s creed that we should know how to protect ourselves. Especially in this chaotic era where thousands of people die and become orphans across the sea every day.”

Thinking back, the older boys and girls she met in the hallway were tall and had firm muscles. The same was true for Millian. They all looked like they had to grow up strong to survive.

“Are you learning how to shoot a gun too?”

Instead of answering, Millian rolled up his sleeve and shaped his hand into a gun. Then he turned his index finger at her and posed as if he was aiming a pistol at her. The angle of his outstretched arm and body didn’t look like something an amateur could do.

Bang! He made a sound with his mouth and raised his wrist. It was just a hand gesture, but it was enough to convince her of his shooting skills. That alone was a clear answer, and Millian laughed at her.

“Well, don’t worry too much about it. Mr. Wirrius strictly manages the firearms. He’s a veteran soldier, and a child only gets to hold a model gun with no bullets in it. Practicing with ammunition starts at fifteen years old, and from then on, it’s no longer mandatory, just a recommendation.”

The hand of a pretty young boy fell gently on Judith’s head. Millian stroked her hair and walked ahead of her.

“Of course, physical training isn’t the only way to protect yourself. So if you leave this place in a few years, you’ll be able to find your path equipped with the proper knowledge. We’ll help you.”

“…Why are you helping me?”

Judith was curious. She wanted to know why they all treated her nicely. In Kilgeny, she was used to being hated for no reason.

Millian replied as if it were a natural question.

“You also got abandoned and became a Wortherford too.”

Didn’t she run away to this place to survive and protect herself? The boy’s bright eyes carried pain that she understood all too well. They were all the same.

It felt like she had seen the true nature of the bond that all children in this nursery school had between each other. There was a sense of belongingness shared among all of them. They experienced being driven away to the edge and have acknowledged their joys and sorrows without saying anything. It was in these shared experiences that affection stemmed and grew.

Millian secretly wrinkled his right eye.

“How can we not care and love each other when we’re all so caring and thoughtful?”

Somehow, Judith felt a little choked up.

---

After dinner, they sat around the restaurant’s fireplace, and she learned the faces of the children that she didn’t see earlier. It was already late at night when she returned to her room.

Judith apologized to Millian after he took her to her room.

“I’m sorry for doubting you earlier. I think I was just too sensitive.”

“No, you have nothing to be sorry for at all. I was even more doubtful than you when I first came here.”

Millian smiled and turned Judith around.

“Hurry up and go to bed. Tomorrow’s wake-up time is seven o’clock in the morning!”

Judith waved her hand over her head and watched Millian’s back disappear into the stairs, and she closed her door quietly.

Even though she hadn’t been in her room for half a day, it was still warm inside because of the radiator. Judith opened the drawer and the neatly-folded letter.

She picked up her pen and wrote a postscript at the bottom.

 

P.S.

I think I understand now why you sent me here to Kinsley’s Wortherford Nursery. I thought it was just a place where I could hide and run to, but I realized that there were many more possibilities here than I first thought. It feels like a safe home surrounded by good people. I was cheeky about starting anew at first, but I was actually at a loss. 

First, I’ve decided to study composition and speech skills to be more familiar and fluent with the official language. I want to get used to my daily life here as soon as possible. 

I plan to go downtown tomorrow to mail this letter. I’m also going to run errands and look around for some nice winter clothes. The director looked at my clothes with a disapproving look. It seems like I need a new set of clothes.

I’m looking forward to riding a bike with Millian tomorrow. I’ve never ridden a bicycle before. 

I want to write you a letter again if something interesting happens in the city, but I’m worried you’d think it’s a bother.

If you don’t like my letter, please return it. I’m sure I won’t be hurt.

 

“I would be a little sad if he returns the letter.’

The number of words that she wrote and her letter’s length quickly increased to half a page. Judith hastily concluded the letter.

 

I also became Judith Wortherford today. I find it fascinating how it’s pronounced entirely different if it’s read in the official language. It’s a little exciting.

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If there ever comes a day when you and I would meet, I want you to pronounce my name correctly.

Now there’s only one person in the world who knows that Judith Wortherford was once Judith Krauser.

---

Fortunately, the letter didn’t get returned. It was a relief for Judith, who was depressed after sending the letter, thinking who would be interested in reading the lame average life of a sixteen-year-old girl? However, a problem arose from something unexpected.

Surprisingly, on the second Friday of January, after New Years’ celebration, she received a reply from her sponsor.

If you could call it a reply…