Chapter 01

 A New Journey

“Ugh… it hurts…”

The young woman rubbed her aching head. The blurry white scenery before her made it impossible to tell whether she was dreaming or awake. She fumbled around beside herself until her fingers touched the cool metal frame of a pair of glasses.

The moment she put them on, the world finally came into focus.

Snowflakes drifted endlessly from the sky, leaving her momentarily stunned. As a typical girl from southern China and someone who had grown up in a poor family, she had only ever seen heavy snowfall on television.

“Haa… it’s so cold…”

Only then did she realize she was wearing nothing but a thin nightgown.

An icy wind swept over her, chilling her to the bone. She nearly felt as though she would freeze to death on the spot.

“Wait… I remember being in my dorm room, rushing to finish my thesis! Where on earth have I been sent?”

She was a university student. Thanks to her exceptionally high intelligence, writing her own thesis had never been a problem. However, to earn enough money for a ticket home, she had accepted a job writing the thesis of her hopeless roommate three days before the submission deadline.

After working tirelessly for three days and three nights, she had finally finished both papers with only one hour left before the deadline.

“So… don’t tell me I worked myself to death… and got transported to another world?”

At the moment, that seemed like the only reasonable explanation.

Otherwise, how could she have ended up here?

Supporting herself against a nearby wall, she slowly struggled to her feet.

“But… where exactly have I been transported?”

The buildings surrounding her looked nothing like the houses she was used to. Instead, they resembled something straight out of medieval Western Europe.

“Haa… whatever. First I need to find somewhere to shelter from the snow… then I’ll figure out how to get some proper clothes. This weather is freezing…”

She looked around, but every house had its doors tightly shut. There wasn’t a single person she could ask for help.

“Haa… am I really going to freeze to death here…?”

After knocking on several doors without receiving any response, she continued walking.

Just as her body was about to become completely numb from the cold, she found a building with a sign that read:

Orphanage

“They should take me in… right?”

The girl, who stood only 152 centimeters (5 feet) tall, silently encouraged herself.

Of course, if it weren’t for the two extraordinarily well-developed breasts on her chest—each seemingly almost as large as her own head—she probably wouldn’t have had anything to worry about. She could have simply acted cute, pouted a little, and been let inside without question.

The front door slowly opened.

Greeting her was a gentle-looking woman with a warm smile.

“Hello. Is there something I can help you with?”

“Haa… h-hello… Could I… come inside to get out of the snow for a while?”

The woman was nearly a head taller than she was, forcing the girl to tilt her face upward just to meet her eyes.

“Of course. Please, come in.”

The woman readily agreed to her request.

After leading her inside, she thoughtfully poured her a cup of hot water.

“Haa… that’s much better. Thank you.”

Sitting beside the fireplace, the girl took small sips from the steaming cup.

“No need to thank me. It’s only a small kindness.”

“Mom Seria, I’m hungry!”

“Just wait a little longer, Ciris. It’s not lunchtime yet.”

Seria gently patted the little girl’s head, telling her to go play for a while longer.

Then she turned back toward the young woman.

“Ms. Seria, are you responsible for running this entire orphanage?”

“Yes. The children are all very well-behaved, so they don’t require much looking after.”