Chapter 11 - Did you expect a beautiful girl to break into your house like a burglar?
First of all, Noah did not like gods; he had disliked them since his previous world.
There was so much suffering and ugliness in the world, which meant that the gods were either kind but not omnipotent, or they were omnipotent but malevolent beings who enjoyed watching disasters unfold.
Secondly, although the powers of the gods in this world were sealed, they still possessed various other abilities.
It was hard to say if they could see through Noah's true identity.
Finally, past experiences had made Noah suspicious, and he was reluctant to receive the Falna, a power that could be completely controlled by a god at a moment's notice.
However, after calming down, Noah suppressed these thoughts. Power was power.
There was no such thing as reliable or not; it all depended on whether you could control it. If he was abandoned by a god, his Falna could be withdrawn, leaving him powerless.
Was he supposed to fight with his bare hands then?
Weapons need maintenance to ensure their reliability, and relationships between people naturally require long-term management.
You can't expect someone to trust you with their life right away. It was just like some people Noah had met in his previous world, who stayed at home all day, obsessed with legends about meeting beautiful elf girls, demi-human girls, dragon girls, or princesses.
They all hoped to meet a beautiful girl who would fall madly in love with them.
Leaving aside whether such girls even exist, how could you meet one if you stayed at home all day?
Did you expect a beautiful girl to break into your house like a burglar?
If you couldn't choose a god who would ensure your safety, then you had only yourself to blame.
Just like in his previous world, if you were betrayed, you could only admit defeat, and then kill everyone and die together.
Having made his decision, Noah came back to his senses and found himself on an unfamiliar street.
Judging from the sun's position, he must have walked from the east side of the city to the north.
The aroma filling the air caught his attention. Looking up, he saw stalls lining the entire street.
The scent from large pots drifted on the wind, and children ran around eating sliced fruit.
Uniformed Guild staff rushed through the long queues of people to maintain order.
Noah realized this was a food distribution event.
To appease the people of Orario who had lost their jobs and could not feed their families due to the recent unrest, the Demeter Familia, which supplied most of the city's agricultural needs, was providing the food, while the Guild and other Familias assisted with the distribution.
Thinking of this, Noah suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten yet, and the little money he had saved had been almost entirely spent over the past few days.
So, should I go get a free meal... or, as I see it, help them finish their distribution more quickly?
After all, if this mountain of food isn't given out, these people will have a hard time getting off work, right?
However, seeing the long queue that nearly filled the street, Noah thought about it, gave up, and turned to leave.
Before he had taken a few steps, someone stopped him.
"Um, big brother, are you hungry?"
The one who called out to Noah was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, holding a teddy bear in one hand, with two ponytails tied behind her head.
Although her clothes were a little old, they were very clean, and you could feel the love her parents had for her.
Perhaps because of her small frame, she seemed even younger than the blonde girl Noah had rescued a few days ago.
Facing Noah's emotionless and rather strange gaze, the little girl couldn't help but shrink back.
Like a rabbit poking its head out of a burrow, her big, round eyes were full of nervousness.
But for some reason, the little girl bit her lip and bravely handed over the candy in her hand, stuffing it into Noah's.
"If you're hungry, this is for you."
It was a piece of milk candy wrapped in wax paper. Even without opening it, Noah could smell a faint, sweet, fruity fragrance.
Although Orario was relatively wealthy compared to the outside world due to the gods knowledge and the existence of magic stone technology, it wasn't to the point where children could get tired of such treats.
The little girl in front of him, judging from her clothes, was not from a wealthy family.
She kept peeking at the candy in his hand, swallowing from time to time, and seemed very reluctant to part with it.
Maybe she got it from the food distribution? In that case, why give it to me?
Noah couldn't help but feel curious, so he bent down to meet the little girl's eyes.
"You want to eat it too, right? Why are you giving it to me?"
"Because... because Leah thinks that you look very hungry, big brother. Maybe you've run into some trouble recently?"
Feeling that Noah, while not gentle, was not oppressive or dangerous either, the little girl named Leah gradually relaxed.
"Because I'm in trouble, you have to help me? You should know that you're just a child."
Noah was simply stating his question directly, without any emotion.
But the little girl seemed to take it as an insult, immediately pouting as her face turned red.
"But Sister Alise said it! Adventurers, commoners, even beggars have the right to lend a hand to those in need, because justice belongs to everyone! This has nothing to do with whether I'm a child or not!"
The girl's voice was a little rushed, and her volume unconsciously increased, attracting the attention of some passers-by.
When she realized this, her face flushed, and she quickly grabbed one of her ponytails and fidgeted with it.
Noah was a little dazed for a moment, and his throat felt dry.